Sakura had heard many things about Mount Nabewari in Kanagawa, Japan, how picturesque the scenery was, how cool the streams were, and most of all, Nabewari Sanso, the lodge at the top—famous for its nabeyaki udon noodles. That last part was exactly why she wanted to hike it. The problem, however, was waking up early enough to do so. None of the other members but her were crazy enough to wake up at 5 AM to hike a mountain just for a bowl of udon. So, she took her backpack, packed extra water and a few snacks, and texted the others that she was going out, expecting no response. 

She drove to the mountain and parked at the closest lot to the base of it. Taking her belongings, she locked her car and started walking, hearing the dirt beneath her shoes. It was oddly comforting to be able to hear the sounds of nature around her as she walked. She was so used to stuffy rooms and people hurling instructions at her, so this was a nice change of pace for once. As she got to the base of the mountain, she saw a café—which she was tempted to stop at—and a few greenhouses. The first sign for the mountain trail was staked into the ground in between them. She looked at her phone. 5:32. 

From what she researched, the hike to the top took about four hours, but she tacked on an extra hour and a half to account for her walking speed, the time she was going to spend admiring the scenery, and a stream on the way to the top that she planned to visit. The website she looked at noted that the hike wasn’t extremely strenuous but that there were some particularly steep places to look out for, so she kept that at the back of her mind. 

 

As she pulled out her camera from her bag, she closed her eyes for a moment, appreciating the serenity of the area. It was a calm morning with clear skies and a gentle breeze. She pressed record on her camera and embarked on the trail. The hike and trying the noodles at the top were going to be a video for Fearless Kkura. The group was filming for LE SSERAFIM’S Day Off in Japan over the past few days as they visited various popular sights, so she enjoyed having this day to herself. 

 

She walked a little bit to a nice-looking tree and did her introduction before continuing, documenting the trail as she walked. Occasionally, she gave commentary, remarking how beautiful everything was. She also gave a bit of history and information about the area. Eventually, she reached the part of the trail where she had to pick up a water bottle to give to the noodle shop owner. She graciously picked one up and slid it into her backpack pocket as she told her audience why she did. The water was brought by the noodle shop owner and was used for cleaning, so bringing him one was a big help to him. It was the least she could do for the owner who heaved up to 100kg of supplies five days a week to make the noodles she wanted to try. 

 

After this point was where the trail got a bit more difficult, so she opted to turn off her camera for now and turn it back on when she got to the stream to videotape a bit of that, and then at the top with the noodles. That proved to be the right choice as as she walked a bit further, she tripped over a rock and almost fell on her face. Luckily, another hiker happened to see her and caught her before she did. 

 

“Are you okay?” she heard them ask. 

 

Sakura sighed in relief. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thank you. That could’ve been bad.” 

 

The person chuckled. “Lucky I caught you then, huh?” 

 

“Very. Thank you again.”

 

“No problem, jagiya.” 

 

Sakura turned at the mention of the pet name. She thought the voice sounded familiar. “Chaewon! What are you doing here?” 

 

“I wanted to hike too, it seemed appealing, but I didn’t get your message until after you left. I just happened to catch up to you because you were walking slower than I expected, but then I assumed you might’ve been recording something for your channel, so it made sense. I just stayed behind you, thought I’d surprise you at the top, but then you tripped, so I just stepped in,” Chaewon said. 

 

“That’s a nice sentiment, but I think I would’ve liked it better if you had been with me the whole way.” 

 

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time. We can walk together now if you want?” 

 

Sakura nodded. “Okay, let’s go.” 

 

She liked the idea of having the day to herself, but having her girlfriend by her side wasn’t that bad either. She always loved Chaewon’s presence. 

 

“Did you really want to go on this hike this early in the morning?” Sakura asked as they hiked together.  

 

Chaewon shrugged. “I heard it was famous for its noodles at the top, and I think that’s worth it.” 

 

Sakura smiled. “Come on, you know I can see right through you, right? You don’t have to lie for my sake.” 

 

“I love you, and I didn’t want you to go alone. I know I’m younger, but I’m still the group’s leader, but above that, you’re my girlfriend, and I don’t want you to get hurt. So, while getting up at 5 AM to hike a mountain is not my typical idea of a good time, anything is worth it as long as I’m with you. You saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself for the longest time. You see past all of my mistakes. You love me for who I am. I don’t think I could fathom losing you.” 

 

“I love you too. You should’ve said something if you wanted to come along. It’s not like I would be opposed to having you come with me.” 

 

“I didn’t at first, but I changed my mind after seeing your message this morning. I just got really worried about you all of a sudden, and started having outlandish thoughts.” Chaewon squeezed Sakura’s hand. “You’re not leaving, are you?”

 

Sakura shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere. Not as long as I have something to say about it.” 

 

“Good.” Chaewon charged in front of Sakura. “Race you to the stream!” 

 

Sakura started jogging after her. “Be careful!” 

 

A little while later, they reached the stream, with Chaewon beating Sakura by just a few seconds. 

 

Sakura pulled out her camera again and started recording. She pointed at Chaewon. “Look who came to join me! It’s Chaewonnie!” 

 

Chaewon greeted the camera. “Hello!” 

 

Sakura then took one video of the stream, and another of herself and Chaewon wading in it, slightly splashing each other. She then turned it off and put it by the shore with her backpack. They spent some minutes enjoying the cool water before eventually continuing on the trail to the top. 

 

“That was nice,” Sakura said. 

 

“Yeah, it was,” Chaewon said. 

 

They walked in relative silence after that, enjoying each other’s presence and the scenery, rather than a conversation. Sometimes, that was the better option, embracing the silence instead of trying to fill it. The silence allowed them to think about everything around them, how peaceful this moment in time was compared to the chaos of their normal lives, how inspiring a place like this was for their music, and how much they loved being with each other. 

 

Eventually, they finally reached the peak of the mountain. Sakura looked at the time. 11:04. Hopefully there was enough time to actually get the noodles they hiked all the way up for. They walked into the lodge and were hit with the smell of fish and noodles. It was a quaint little place, akin to something like a wooden barn, but it felt quite homey.

 

They handed their two water bottles to the owner and ordered two bowls of the famous udon. The owner said they were lucky; these were the last two bowls he had for the day, as he was closing soon. They thanked the owner profusely for getting the chance to taste his noodles and admired his creations for a few moments after he presented the bowls to them. They gratefully ate as Sakura recorded the whole experience.

 

Once they finished, they thanked the owner again and went back outside. They admired the view from the top, seeing Mount Fuji from where they stood. After taking a few photos, they stood at the peak for a time, basking in the fulfillment they got from getting there. 

 

“It feels like we’re standing at the top of the world here,” Chaewon observed. 

 

“It does, doesn’t it? I’m so glad you’re here with me,” Sakura said. 

 

“I’m always going to be right here with you, never forget that.” 

 

Sakura kissed Chaewon. “Thank you for always making me feel like I’m at the top of the world, no matter where I am.” 

 

“I’m happy you feel that way, because I do too.” 

 

“Ready to go back down?” 

 

“Let’s go!” 

 

With that, they traveled back down the mountain, content, and ready for whatever was next.