Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Enjoy The Silence ❯ Enjoy The Silence: 4 ( Chapter 4 )

The following day was another school day and I went through the usual exercises, with the highlight being a chance to visit Rin at the library after school. We chatted and one of the students showed up, teasing her, which just annoyed her.

Nadesico waved going by to her Outdoor Club, which was all girls and in a janitor’s closet. I can’t consider joining that. The cuteness would make me implode, if I was so inclined, and I already know I have a preference for more mature women. Sakura for instance.

Rin showed me a picture of her motor scooter. It was a Honda Metro, a bike small enough to be a good fit for her. I played volleyball, so I’m tall. I’m still looking through Cycle Trader to find something that suits me. There are insurance reasons to keep the engine size 400cc or smaller. My bicycle was great in Chiba City, but it’s really exhausting up here in the mountains.

UJM is a not a motorcycle brand. It is a description. UJM is the generic acronym for Universal Japanese Motorcycle, and most of the bikes made in Japan for the last… well since Honda started the trend with the 350cc Four cylinder back in the 1960’s. They found success with the 750cc Four and then the Twin, and there’s many variations of that by competing companies like Suzuki and Kawasaki. The basic design was similar to the British motorcycles, but the reliability was far better. They always start, for example. And they don’t shake themselves apart, so you could actually ride a UJM all day and it would start the following day and still run. Naturally, the True Motorcyclists complained this ruined it forever. They wanted unreliable junk that broke down all the time. It was then pointed out that they were welcome to continue to ride Harley Davidson motorcycles if they wish, and that was how most fistfights start at Bosuzoku Bars.

I studied the guide when I got tired of cramming. I eventually felt pretty sure I’ve memorized it and late November I took the train to the prefecture driving school where I was able to take and pass the exam for motorcycle operation, and then a couple days of getting used to riding one in my winter insulated power ranger suit, and requisite helmet and gloves. It rained during those days, so I got the proper experience of controlling a bike on wet pavement without crashing. After passing I got my license issued. I sent Dad pictures.

You know what the doctors call Motorcyclists? Dad responded to my pictures of riding school and my new license photo.

What? I asked.

Organ donors, he replied.

How did that thing with Rui and Hina go? I asked him.

I am butting out of that mess. Hina has a boyfriend, only he’s married to someone else. Their mother is dealing with it, he wrote.

Good. Just be there for them. That’s probably all anyone can do, I suggested.

Cramming and stress was building up. I had plans for the money I’d gotten from finishing my novel series Oregairu and the anime for the final season was rolling out now I’d finished the final book. People liked the early episodes at least. This affected book sales so I got a surge from that, but critical acclaim was mixed, with some liking how I was wrapping it up and others annoyed with how it wasn’t ending the way it was supposed to. I got messages from the publisher. I got messages from journalists. I got online meeting requests. I got paid for live sessions to talk about the book, and the characters and how I was happy with the anime. I danced around it. It was a waste of time because I could be studying and I was getting really annoyed again. There was a clear weather forecast this weekend so I went camping.

Rin was heading for the Takabotchi Highlands in Nagano, with a view of Matsumoto City and Fuji and Lake Biwa, all at the same time. It was a hundred-fifty kilometers away, and a thousand meter climb to her campsite. She had her scooter so that was no problem. I am still on a bicycle. I have the license, but not a motorcycle yet.

Rin mentioned the girls from the Outdoor Activity club were going to an onsen with a nearby campground that’s a short walk from the train station. That sounded pretty nice to me. I packed up my stuff, biked to the station, got on the train, got to the right station, and got off there to find it was a clear day. I was early so there was a chilly breeze but the sky was mostly clear, just very high cirrus clouds above filtering the sunlight.

I biked from the station to the overlook and took some pictures from there. Forwarded them to Dad and Rin. She responded with some pictures of dogs in the back of an SUV or van. It was a long trip to Nagano on a 50cc scooter, but she was remarkably tough. She wrote it was 5 degrees C. Then 2°C a bit later.

I chained my bike up at the visitor’s center, and got a coffee. Then I went to use the hot spring for an hour. It was nice, had a great view of Fuji beyond a distant ridge and the water was nicely hot while the cold breeze blew. I hated to get out, but I was already feeling 100% better than I had this morning. The apartment is noisy. This onsen is practically silent because it is the off season.

I rinsed, dried, and put my clothes back on, heading for the campground. The picnic ground offered several kinds of food with a short order cook behind a counter, waiting for orders and there were a few tourists here keeping him busy. I bought a deep fried breaded boiled egg, which they called a “Hot Springs Egg”. It’s called a Scotch Egg at pubs in England. Boil an egg, shell it, cover it in batter, and deep fry it. I learned this pub cuisine while cramming. It was tasty with the yolk still liquid enough to be delicious, but I need tea.

I continued to the Eastwood campground down a shaded road into a forest and then out onto a hillside. I picked a site there and paid my 1000 yen fee. I spent the next half hour setting up my camp and the manager delivered a full water jug. It had a nice view past the greenhouses, and the manager’s site was very nice, with umbrella tables, wooden chairs, and two big tents for the kitchen and presumably his bedroom. There was also a barn full of split firewood, free to use. I put on some sunscreen and switched to my warm winter clothes and sat in my chair and just stared out. Down there was city. Up here is this amazing view. Rin sent me pictures of her view from the top of the mountain. I sent her pictures of mine.

I made tea and drank several cups, just soaking in the peace and quiet of this mountain, the relaxed muscles from soaking in the hot spring earlier. Rin sent me a picture of the closed onsen she’d been planning to warm up in.

So disappointed, she wrote.

Sorry, I responded.

A bit later she sent me pictures of the view of Matsumoto City and Mount Fuji. It was a wall of fog. Rin was not a happy camper. I am glad it isn’t raining or snowing this weekend. It’s just a beautiful day, where I am.

I got another Lines message and picture from Rin, which had a perfect view of Lake Biwa and the city beside it. This was followed by a picture of her campsite and her camp dinner. It was a one-pot soup with pasta and bacon with veggies, milk, and cheese. Probably good food for a cold mountaintop. I doubt the cleanup will be nice, though. Cheese and milk stick to the pot and the water will either be boiling or cold depending on whether it was over the flame or not. I carefully congratulated her on her dinner, which was apparently her first real outdoor meal from scratch. I took her for more experienced, but life is full of surprises.

I cooked my dinner, another stew with lots of veggies and a bit of meat. I setup my campfire to counter the dropping temperatures and note the Outdoor Activity club showing up. Their site was on the other side of the campground, very noisy and cheerful with lots of shouting and old lady comments. They were rushing to setup their two tents: one orange, one blue. I ate, sipped tea, laughed. They created a Swedish Torch fire with some baling wire and a dozen of the split firewood pieces, cooking their food on top. This worked until the fire reached the wire at which point it broke, dropping everything into the fire. I took pictures of their antics and sent them to Rin, then used some water to wash my dishes after brief heating and there was even a place to fling the mess into the bushes. I took pictures and shared more with Rin, who got a nice photo of the city lit up below her.

They seemed very happy. I was happy being over here, though I kinda miss Sakura.