Track 1
UMA1―short for “Unidentified Mysterious Animal”―is the collective term for unidentified lifeforms.
After being coined as such by the editors of a certain magazine in JPN2, this wasei-eigo3 term eventually spread far and wide―
It soon became the label for these “unidentified creatures” whose biological existence had yet to be confirmed, despite their reported sightings.
Gorillas, pandas, and even okapis were all once thought to be UMAs. But as humanity advanced, their way of life was unravelled, and their existence was ultimately proven.
Yet, even in a world as advanced as ours, countless “unknowns” still remain unanswered…
Yes… This is what I believe.
UMAs definitely exist. They’re just hiding in the corners of our everyday lives, even here and even now, in this modern age where science has advanced so far.
Snowfield
And in these snowy mountains as well… Surely, a UMA…
Dramatic drumbeat.
…is here!
Snowfield
Ding, ding, ding~!
While it may look like the Ward Mayors are appearing in their usual attire this time…
…rest assured that each of them is tackling the mountain equipped with snow gear based on expert knowledge.
Please note that mountaineering in snowy conditions is more dangerous than in the summer. For your safety, please don’t imitate the ward mayors.
If you do plan to climb a mountain, please make sure you’ve learned the proper knowledge and follow the appropriate safety guidelines before doing so.
And with that, the story opens to the ferocious billow of wind.
―Weather in the snowy mountains is unpredictable. Clear skies can give way to heavy clouds before you know it, mercilessly battering up the party as they press on across the snowfield―
Guh… The snow’s getting worse. Everyone, stay close! It’s too dangerous to wander off!
(The wind’s picking up, too… At this rate, the cold will drain everyone’s body heat. Thinking about how much stamina they’ve got left… turning back seems to be our only option…)
Captain Raito is forced to make a difficult call―
But…but c’mon! If the sighting says it was around here, we can't just go back without finding it!!!
Akuta… I want to find it just as much as you do. But…we can’t go too far!
The team members begin to waver―
Just a biiit more! Okay? Just one more push…
Akuta loses his footing, but Kiroku catches him in time.
WAAAHHH?!
Akuta!
An unexpected mishap strikes in the perilous mountain―
Are you okay… Isotake?
Thaaaanks! Nice save, Kiroku! Man, every household really ought to have a Kirokkuma, Minister of Safety and Security, watching your back!
Aa-ta, be careful, ‘kay? Looks like some spots have gotten pre~tty slippery…
Huh~?
And then, at that very moment!
...Raito…san. T-That’s…!
A giant…footprint?
(The size of this… It’s obviously not human!)
Hey… What was that sound just now?
I didn’t hear anything, though...
Nuh-uh, I definitely heard something! It sounded like some kinda animal cry… A really weird noise. It deffo wasn’t just the wind…
Ah?! Over there―by the trees!
What is it? Damn it… I can’t see through the snow…!
No way, I saw something! It was definitely there, Raito-san!!!
Y-Yeah. Something…moved…!
Where’s the camera?!
My bad! I reacted too late and missed the shot! And IDK if it’s cuz of the cold, but the camera’s been acting all weird since earlier!
...Then I guess I’ll have to see it with my own eyes.
D-Don’t wander off, Raitin! The blizzard’s getting worse, and you’re the one who said it’d be dangerous if we got separated, remember?
Yeah, I know.
Undaunted by the danger, Captain Raito presses on. Even as the blizzard turns his world into a sheet of white and the biting cold saps the warmth from his body, Captain Raito keeps pushing forward―!
(...My heart is pounding. Am I finally about to come face to face with a UMA?)
(I’ve lost count of how many times my searches have come up empty. Even so… Am I finally getting closer to that unknown existence―to that “something” which can’t be definitively disproven?)
Raito trudges onward...
...Ah.
(A shadow…writhing behind the tree trunk…)
Finally―the decisive moment arrived!!!
That’s…!
A real Yeti…!!!