"We arrived".
"Okay thank you Mr. Driver. …here is the payment"
After traveling for about one and a half hours inside the cab. Soma finally arrived at the place that would let him go to the place he wanted to visit. He took some paper bills from his pocket and then gave them to the driver. The driver politely accepted it while bowing his head a bit and saying his thanks.
"Thank you for using our service. Have a safe trip".
Soma nodded his head as he opened the passenger door that had been unlocked. He stepped outside and a chilling breeze began to sting his skin. They say the temperature around the mountain is relatively cold, moreover, the season is in the winter like today, and luckily the snow already melted in this area so no problem for him to continue his journey.
The driver rode his car by turning around before driving off toward the route home. There is another cab coming behind him and Soma is already suspicious about its movement. The cab behind him was tailing him. He didn't know who that was because the person still hadn't gotten out of the car, so he intended to ignore it.
The surrounding area was filled with greenery on the side of the road, a row of trees that filled his eyes, and the fresh air it gave, truly made him glad to be stillborn in Japan. The place he is currently standing is on the trailhead in the place called Higashi Fuji Sanso, the place that has a facility for people to climb Fuji mountain using the Subashiri route.
Soma, recalling the mob in the novel, said to the protagonist, that he was going to this place to try climbing the Fuji mountain in the second month of the year on February day fourteen to confess his love to his childhood friend when he was already at its peak by taking a picture. However, on his road to climbing he starts missing, then found back one month later with having a super rare power.
The place didn't have any visitors because of the chilled winter that is still going on around the country. But Soma found it good because this won't attract too much attention. In this place, there are many inns and places for the climber to rest their tired body before or after climbing the mountain. The people are pretty welcoming but Soma didn't partake in any social events and just went straight up to climb the mountain.
"I should bring warmer clothes".
Even after wearing sportswear that had a thick cloth in it. The cold still managed to penetrate it and made his body shiver in the cold. Rubbing his hands together Soma walks leisurely while observing his surroundings. The landscape was beautiful, and many trees still captured the authenticity of the place. From here he still doesn't know where the trial gate is. The mob also mentions that he suddenly got absorbed by some gate and before he knew it he was inside and undergoing the trial for a month.
After a couple of minutes passed he saw a small torii and a small shrine caught his eye. Soma approached the shrine gave his respect and prayed for his safety in his journey and succeeded in clearing the trial if he found the gate.
"What are you planning? Climbing mountain in this cold weather?".
A crisp and clear voice entered his ear as he turned his back he found Hina wearing sportswear that was the same color as him standing there with crossing hands, trying to keep a cold from her body.
Soma opened his eyes wide, pondering what she was doing over here. But soon he realizes there is a person who keeps tailing him all this time. It was probably her all along.
"Why did you tailing me?".
"Nothing just some errand".
Hina walked closer as she took something from the storage in her ring. It was a box that was wrapped in a fancy package. She pushed the box to him and Soma received it while tilting his head not knowing what kind of situation this was.
"Um, What is this?".
"It was my thank you for yesterday's incident".
Soma inspected the box and found out that it was a high-class ingredient from a meat Wagyu A-5. He turned his head to Hina to make sure that the thing in his hands was not some kind of joke.
"Is this real?".
"Of course it is. You better receive it and eat it later".
This kind of meat was a pretty rare commodity for him. Sure he could afford it with the money he had, but he chose to spend it just for his school tuition or his daily life. He could only watch the commercial on the TV while salivating while eating a cup of ramen. But now the real deal is here in his hands. His facial muscles loosened, imagining what kind of food he would serve later.
"Thank you, I will accept it gratefully".
Hina nodded her head as she began to rub her palms together to warm herself up.
"Then? What are you doing here?".
Soma stiffened his body not anticipating this question. He thought that if Hina was done with her business, she would go off to her house but she still stood there in front of him shivering in the cold. He stored the meat first inside the ring.
"Nothing just some mountain climbing for my training".
"Training? What kind of training?".
It was unusual to see Hina become curious about other person lives. From the moment he met her, he was sure that Hina was a typical lone wolf person who would not involve herself with other people and would keep her beliefs to herself without trying to blend with another pack. But today he found it pretty intriguing, why did her character change in the span of the meeting they had? Is it perhaps because of the incident yesterday?
"Well you know, if we are talking about climbing then it was for my lower body right. I intend to build a solid lower body to stabilize my foundation in martial arts".
"Hmm,, is that so".
"Yes, it is".
"I didn't know you were into martial arts, what is that?".
"Eh?".
Hina with opened eyes, pointed her index finger toward the small shrine behind Soma. He turns his back and notices there is a crack in the space around it. The crack has a purple pattern and it keeps getting bigger. It spread like a spider web before it broke like a cracked glass and the air turned heavy all of a sudden.
The space that cracked eventually crashed sending a million of its pieces sucked toward the purple hole that is swirling like a wormhole trying to suck everything in its path. The wind in the surrounding area began to change its course and got sucked toward the hole. The purple hole that looks like eyes to him is actually a gluttonous maw that devours everything around it.
"Kyaa".
Hina lost her balance because of the strong suction the hole had. She is being dragged but Soma reacts and manages to grab her wrist.
"What happened?". Hina frantically asked.
"I don't know".
Soma looked toward the gate once more and had a speculation. "Is that the gate that the mob person mentioned. I didn't think it would be this easy, Ukh..". The suction was getting stronger and stronger, and it broke his line of thought.
"What should I do Hina is here and I don't think..".
"Watch out".
Hina's shout woke him up from his thoughts. He turned his head and he watched the torii being destroyed and the pole that hung above it flying at his place. He reacted by ducking his head but it made him lose his foothold. Then the hole saw that as a chance and began to intensify its sucking power.
"Tch, there is no other way". He muttered while clicking his tongue.
Soma gives up on resisting as he lets himself be devoured, but he pulls Hina closer into his embrace and both of them get swallowed by the hole.