Mid-July, Mount Mitou, Okutama, western Tokyo.
Jumping off the bus at the foot of the mountain, a wave of scorching heat and blinding sunlight instantly smacked Kitasan Black in the face. Squinting slightly, she examined the small station in front of her.
The wooden signpost looked weathered, paint flaking at its edges.
Yet the characters spelling out "Mount Mitou Trailhead Station" remained clear, its polished texture indicating frequent care.
Inside, the station wasn't particularly crowded but was lively, nearly everyone looking like tourists.
Their backpacks were unusual—some nearly as wide as doors, others so tall they practically grazed the ceiling, clearly packed with specialized gear.
Directly behind the station, a pair of mountains stood intersecting sharply, like an enormous crack hewn by a giant axe, the bare rock walls revealing layers of bluish-grey stone. Wisps of mist curled lazily around the peaks.
The winding mountain road snaked steeply upwards about a hundred meters away, shimmering mirages rising from the asphalt under the midsummer sun, giving the illusion that stepping on it would melt your shoes.
Distant cicadas sang in waves, the faint fragrance of pine resin and greenery mixing with the sour notes of rotting fruit and moss.
"This is strange. This is definitely the place—so where's Trainer…?"
Muttering in confusion, Kitasan pulled her phone out of her pocket.
Just as she finished typing "Trainer, I'm here," the phone rang.
Her expression brightened instantly—until she glanced at the caller ID, and her face twisted between amusement and mild distress.
"Hello, Grandpa…"
The moment she answered, an anxious voice burst from the other end.
"Kita-chan? Have you arrived yet? Was there traffic? I told you we could just charter a private plane, honestly, you…"
"Grandpa, I've already arrived!"
Cutting him off with a laugh, she absently glanced at the nearby mountain roads, hastily explaining:
"You've already seen Trainer's camp plan. It's not some isolated wilderness, why would we need a plane? Honestly…"
"Then…what about Yasui-san? Have you met up with him yet? Are you with him right now?" Grandpa immediately changed topics.
"Trainer, he's…"
Kitasan hesitated a moment, her voice lowering slightly.
"He's helping me carry my bags. I brought a ton of bananas, drinks, and snacks—he's just putting everything into the car for me."
"Why make Yasui-san do all that?"
Her grandfather chided gently from the other end. "I told you to bring a few helpers. Even if you don't need looking after, at least someone can lend Yasui-san a hand. Honestly, you're such a child…"
Feeling a wave of exasperation at her grandfather's excessive concern, Kitasan was debating whether to keep fibbing when suddenly her eyes brightened.
From the mountain road behind the station, a small truck was coming into view. She didn't recognize the driver, but sitting beside him was exactly the one supposedly "busy loading luggage," Yasui Makoto.
"Relax, Grandpa. Trainer's already…"
She nearly blurted out "already here" but quickly corrected herself.
"He's already done loading everything up. He's talking to the driver right now. Should I pass the phone to him?"
Trainer really is talking to the driver—I'm not even lying this time.
She watched from afar as Yasui turned his head inside the cabin, chatting briefly with the driver, and pointed toward her direction.
"No, no need to trouble him."
Grandpa finally relaxed. "If it's Yasui-san, I can rest assured. Remember to help out too—don't leave everything to him. Now go settle down and give me another call later."
"Yes, yes, I know! I'll video call you later, Grandpa!"
After promising repeatedly, Kitasan finally breathed a sigh of relief once Kitajima Saburou hung up. Then she hoisted up her huge pile of bags and hurried towards the approaching truck.
"Trainer!"
Before the truck even stopped fully, she waved excitedly—but quickly changed to a slightly complaining tone.
"What took you so long? I've been waiting here forever…"
Yasui hadn't heard her complaint clearly. After signaling the driver to stop beside her, he jumped out of the truck and immediately stared at the huge bag on her back.
The pack was over a meter tall, its top flap unable to fully close. Judging by the bananas peeking out from both sides, it seemed stuffed entirely with fruit.
Or possibly just bananas.
"…I know you love bananas, but this many…?"
With an indescribable feeling, Yasui couldn't resist teasing: "Don't tell me you're afraid the monkeys here will snatch them away?"
"Of course not—wait, huh?"
Answering instinctively, Kitasan's small face instantly flushed bright red.
"H-how did Trainer find out about that? Wait, no! What monkeys stealing bananas?! I have no idea what Trainer is talking about!"
Seeing the blush spread over her cheeks, Yasui suppressed a quiet laugh.
He'd heard it from Tokai Teio, or perhaps overheard it somewhere—
When Kitasan was a small child camping in the mountains, monkeys had stolen all her bananas, and the little girl had actually climbed a tree chasing after them.
Precisely because of this casual chat, Yasui discovered that Kitasan genuinely loved playing in the mountains. After discussion, they'd decided on Mount Mitou for their summer training camp.
Training camps were an essential part of Uma Musume preparation. Their next big goal was the Kikuka Sho—a 3000-meter endurance-heavy race, and thus their primary target for focused training.
Mount Mitou was close to Tokyo, just a few hours' drive away.
With its roughly 10-kilometer winding mountain roads, rocky canyons, lakeside paths around Lake Okutama, the lake itself, and the "Unkaisou" hot spring inn halfway up, the area was ideal for endurance training.
Even better, many extreme-acrobatics teams from the Tokyo area frequently trained here, so a lot of facilities were readily available, simply requiring advance reservation.
Considering all these factors, nowhere was better suited for this training camp.
"I hear Mount Mitou has a lot of monkeys."
Pretending ignorance of Kitasan's embarrassing childhood memories, Yasui looked thoughtfully toward the mountain peaks. "I assumed you already knew."
"If not, no worries—just keep an eye on your bananas and don't let any monkeys snatch them."
"I absolutely won't!"
Instantly protective, Kitasan's ears and tail stood up sharply as she hid her bag behind her.
"I'm not the same as I was back—ahem—I mean, I can run really fast now, and climb very high! Even if monkeys take my bananas, I'll chase them down and get everything back!"
"I was just joking, there aren't really many monkeys around the inn…"
Chuckling gently, Yasui swiftly changed the topic and pointed at the truck.
"Alright, put your bags in the back. Also, see those two mountain bikes?"
Hearing the first part, Kitasan obediently began moving her luggage.
Then hearing the second, she froze momentarily.
"Bicycles… Don't tell me we're biking up the mountain?"
"Yes, but not exactly."
Saying this, Yasui calmly stepped to the back of the truck, removing one mountain bike and smoothly strapping it onto his back. Facing Kitasan's stunned expression, he smiled lightly.
"We'll only be biking the second half of the way up. As for the first half…"
"We'll carry these bikes on our backs."
"Together."