152. A Date….Really! (4)

Yui got out of the car and stared in shock at the boats in front of them.

Though they were all wooden boats and not particularly striking, the one the middle-aged woman was standing in front of was significantly bigger and had multiple levels that were clearly built for a better viewing experience.

While she was still gawking at the surprise, the woman walked up to them.

"Hello, are you the ones who booked the boating service?" she asked.

Reiji nodded and shook her hand.

"Yes, thank you for coming."

"No problem, it's my job. We can get started right away, and if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask me. Here are two life vests, which are mandatory for safety reasons."

She handed over the vests to each of them and guided them onto the boat, which had a platform that made embarking easy.

Reiji quickly put his on, but he had to help Yui with hers.

For two specific reasons, he had to loosen her straps before it could fit, making the tips of his ears a little red.

Yui grinned, a mischievous look on her face like she wanted to tease him, but she held back because the woman was still giving out instructions and giving them a tour of the boat.

Inside the main cabin, there was a table with a variety of food and drinks, and there were three other employees on the boat who had their own tasks.

"I recommend the highest level if you aren't scared of heights, because it provides the best view. Or you can also stay at this level if you want a closer look at the water, where you might occasionally see a fish or two if you're lucky," the woman explained.

"What do you want to do?" Reiji asked, turning to Yui.

"Ummm.... Let's stay here for a few minutes and then go to the top a little later?"

"Sure. Then I guess we can set off?"

The Captain nodded and signaled the others to get to work, and within a few minutes, the boat moved away from the dock and began its journey.

Reiji took Yui's hand and went to the bow, peering over the railing to see the water rippling against the direction of the boat.

The water was quite clear when compared to most rivers, but it wasn't comparable to the pristine beaches of the world.

And yet, when Yui started hopping in place with excitement as she pointed to a large fish swimming alongside them, Reiji didn't care at all about those so-called dream destinations.

'This is all that matters,' he thought, feeling a sense of fulfillment at her contagious joy.

"Look, is that a shark!?" Yui exclaimed.

".....This is a river. Freshwater sharks exist, but I don't think that's one of them."

".....Spoilsport."

Yui leaned back onto Reiji's chest, tilting her head up to stare at his face from this angle as the cool breeze tousled their hair.

She rubbed the back of her head against him like she wanted something, and Reiji brushed her fiery red hair out of her eyes.

Then, he lowered his head and rested his chin on her and hugged her waist.

The two of them stood there quietly, enjoying the view, the wind, and the company as the boat surged forward at a slow pace.

The deer they previously saw on the other bank was part of a herd, and they could now see the rest of them grazing between the canopy of a few large trees.

Some of them lifted their heads and stared at the large wooden structure in the middle of the water, and Yui giggled at the sight.

"What do you think is going through their minds? Do they think we're an extra-large duck? Or some other animal?" she mumbled with curiosity.

Reiji didn't reply, mainly because he had no idea what to say without sounding like a spoilsport.

After a while, they both decided to head up to the highest level to get a better vantage point, and once they got there, Reiji saw an occupied bird's nest on one of the trees.

He couldn't quite tell what species it was, but it definitely looked like a bird of prey, which he quickly showed Yui.

She laughed loudly and took another picture with her phone, which she had been doing now and then whenever she saw something cool.

Then she flipped it into selfie mode and leaned back into his arms, looking up at him instead of the camera.

Reiji matched her pose and looked down at her, the warmth in his eyes visible even through the camera lens.

*CLICK*

They checked the photo, and seeing the image brought a bright smile to both their faces.

It wouldn't be surprising if the wind were a paid actor; their hair was ruffled just enough to look intentional.

Neither the messy bird's nest they'd just seen nor completely untouched.

"...I love this picture," Yui whispered.

".....Me too."

***

Yui adjusted the passenger seat as soon as they returned to the car, giving herself more legroom and tilting the back to a 45-degree angle.

The boat ride was two hours long, and they thoroughly enjoyed every second of it, especially when a few ducks swam just a few meters away from the boat, with their little ducklings following behind them.

Yui wanted to feed them, but the Captain forbade them from doing so, since they didn't have the right food for them, and it was prohibited in general.

So she was still pouting even after they'd returned.

"Don't tell me you're still sad about the ducks," Reiji sighed in exasperation as he started the car.

"It's not that....." Yui muttered.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I...I don't want to go back just yet."

Reiji glanced at her, only to see Yui curled up in her seat and staring at him with a slightly dim expression.

"...Who said we're done?" Reiji chuckled.

"Are we not? I thought that was it."

Her eyes widened eagerly, and she straightened her back.

Reiji smirked and didn't say anything, simply speeding up a little.

Seeing his lack of response, Yui didn't push further, but her body swaying to the music revealed her improved mood.

Reiji didn't take the turn back to the village, going deeper into the dirt track they were previously on instead.

It was slowly starting to get darker now, but it was still a bit away until sunset, giving him enough time to get to their final stop of the day.

About half an hour later, they saw a bridge come up ahead.

It was quite large as far as wooden bridges go, and deep below it was a different part of the river they'd taken a boat ride on, with the currents much faster in this location.

Reiji parked the car next to it and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"You don't mind walking for a bit, do you? I promise it'll be worth it," he asked.

"Hmmm..... Maybe for a little while, but then you'll have to carry me for the rest of it!"

The sly glint in Yui's eyes didn't escape his eye, but he just chuckled and nodded.

'Why deny a gift?'

The bridge would be a nightmare for whoever struggled with heights or swaying structures, but thankfully, neither of them had a problem.

It was really sturdy, so safety wasn't much of an issue, and the two even stopped in the middle to look at the strong currents below for a while.

Beyond the bridge, there was a thin trail leading up a large hill that didn't quite qualify as a mountain, and the two of them trekked upwards.

Both of them were on the high end of the athleticism scale, and a short hike like this barely made them break a sweat.

So it was a ridiculous sight when Yui sat down on a large boulder with exaggerated breaths, her chest heaving up and down in mock fatigue.

"I-I can't *huff* do it anymore! Carry me!" she panted, extending her arms with anticipation.

Reiji flicked her forehead.

"You're a terrible actress."

"Ow! I'm not lying!"

"Sure, sure. Get on," Reiji shook his head, leaning down and presenting his back to her.

Yui leaped onto it, almost making him fall over at the sudden impact, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Reiji tucked his arms under her knees and stood up, giving the lightweight girl a piggyback ride to the top of the hill.

She placed her chin on his shoulder and hummed a little tune, her legs swinging slightly with happiness while he trudged up for the rest of the journey.

"Are you tired?" she asked.

"A little. I'm carrying all those sweets you ate today after all."

"YOU!"

She bit his ear lightly, nibbling away with zero ferocity aside from her deranged expression.

Reiji ignored her and continued, climbing up the steps that had shown up near the top.

Yui froze when they made it all the way to the peak, her arms loosening because she was distracted by what was in front of her.

The stairs led to a manmade viewing platform at the peak of the hill.

Beside them were two large trees on each side that were decorated with various wooden plaques, similar to ema, filled with different wishes made by people.

And the platform itself opened up to a beautiful view of everything they'd seen today, including the village, the river, and the fields they'd driven past on the way.

They were so high up that it was basically a bird's-eye view of the area, and the yellow sun that was now turning orange cast a brilliant hue on the scenery, all of which was reflected in Yui's red eyes.

She got down from Reiji's back and walked to the edge, grasping the wooden railing and scanning everything carefully, like she was scared of missing even one part of it.

"How is it?" Reiji asked softly.

She turned back, her previous spunkiness nowhere to be seen, replaced instead with a silent calm.

"It's beautiful."