Track 4
Snowy Road
Ding, ding, ding~!
We would like to assure everyone once again that, despite appearances, all of the ward mayors are properly equipped with expert-approved snow mountain gear. So yes—they’re perfectly safe. Don’t worry!
Woohoo! JPN’s unbeatable clear skies! Blue above, white snow below—hell yeah, ain't NOTHING gonna get in our way today!!!
And my camera’s in PEAK condition, too! We’re rollin’ waaay more footage than usual~! That means no creepy shadow’s gettin’ past me!
“The HAMA Yeti Expedition treks through the snowy mountains! But what destiny awaits our fearless explorers?!”
Isotake… For now…just keep…your eyes forward… If you trip…it’ll be dangerous.
Haha, Akuta’s as full of energy as ever.
Thank you both for coming, Chihiro, Yodaka-san. I thought we’d just be meeting up at the lodge by the festival grounds, so I’m really glad we get to walk together like this.
W-Well, duh~! If we actually meet Yeti-pie, Chii’s totally gonna snap a pic. Gotta go viral—nah, mega viral! Y’know?
And seeing as how Chihiro is so enthusiastic about it, I realized I’d feel a little lonely taking the bus all by myself.
Besides, it occurred to me that this would be a great opportunity to get to know everyone better… So, please, allow me to help with the Yeti search as well.
Ah, but of course! With all five of us together now, I’m sure we’ll find it!
By the way—Akuta and Kiroku asked me this earlier, too—but do you happen to know the difference between a Yeti and a Bigfoot1? While there are various theories, the primary distinction lies in their geographic habitats—
Okay, pause! Raitin! Mind if Chii double-checks today’s plans first?
We’re not staying at the lodge tonight, right? The plan is to spend the night at that mountain cabin on the way there…right?!
Yeah. It would take only a few hours to reach the lodge if we headed straight there, but…we’re going to take a slight detour and check out a few spots where Yeti sightings have been reported instead.
Lately, there have been numerous Yeti sightings reported right here in JPN. Truly, we live in such a wonderful era…
Anyway, we’ve already been granted permission to use the mountain cabin, so we’ll make that our base of operations and conduct a thorough investigation from there!
O-Ooohh—!
And if I may ask... Yodaka-san…your bag looks awfully big. What’s in that backpack?
Ah, well…
P-Pillows! Yodachosu can’t sleep unless he uses his own pillow, so Chii had him pack his main pillow, a backup pillow, and a body pillow, too!
I see! Searching for UMAs can be quite physically demanding, after all. When you have the chance to rest, it’s important to make the most of it—
R-Raito san! Raito-san! Raito-saaan! Look! Doesn’t this hole seem super sus?!
I’ve…never seen…tracks like this… before.
What?! Hold on, I’m headed there right now!!
Raito runs off.
Phew… That was a close one…
Thank you for covering for me, Chihiro.
Naw, it’s totes fine. The secret mission’s just getting started now, so Chii’s gotta stay locked in…!
Indeed. Besides, we already have our preparations set up, so there’s no need to put so much pressure on yourself. As for right now...
...No, these look like animal tracks. Maybe a fox or something was diving into the snow to play.
I…see. That’s…too bad…
Hey, works for me! Score! We’ve got ourselves a wholesome clip of an animal’s snow burrow!
Hm! It’s little observations like these that lead to the biggest discoveries. So if you notice anything at all, don’t hesitate to let me know, alright?
For now, shall we simply enjoy the things that we can only experience on this snowy mountain?
...Yeah. You’re right ♪
OMG! Wait! I forgor to take pictures!
First things first—a commemorative shot! Aaand…click!☆
Mountain Cabin
...Phew. Everything’s gone according to plan so far.
(We still haven’t found anything that might lead us to the Yeti, but…)
What a lovely cabin. And it smells wonderfully of fresh wood.
Yeah… When you…take a deep breath… Somehow… I feel at home…
And it’s even got an irori2! This place’s got that old school vibe, huh… I’m like, sooo into it~!
Whoaa… This place is so chill… On my way to becoming one with nature…
(It looks like everyone is enjoying the UMA search.)
We have permission to use the irori, too. Let’s boil some water for now and prepare our lunch.
A brief timeskip occurs.
Munch, munch…nom nom…
Whoooa—this curry’s deee-lish! I know it’s just instant curry, but somehow it tastes a million times better out here!
Food just hits different when you eat outside, y’know? Chii might actually be able to eat way more than usual!
Looks like bringing all these extra provisions was the right call. Now, what would everyone like to drink? I’ve got coffee, tea…and some sweet hot cocoa, too.
Hot cocoa!
...
...
(Kiroku’s been glued to his sketchbook ever since we finished eating. He’s even using that portable watercolor set he brought along to paint...)
How’s it going, Kiroku? Feeling inspired yet?
Y-Yes. Little…by little. Looking at…the snowy scenery…made me want…to paint again.
I’m really glad to hear that!
To tell you the truth, I’ve come to this mountain a few times before on my own search for the Yeti—
...But I was always by myself. This time, though, I’m happy to have everyone here with me. And not just that… I’m happy to see everyone enjoying themselves, too. Seeing all of your smiles...brings me true joy.
Raito…san.
For the sake of our future visionary director and master artist, I will find the Yeti. Count on my word for it…and wait for the good news. Okay?
...Thank you…very much….
(I’m…happy, too…seeing Raito-san so happy. And…he really went out of his way…to do this for us. He’s…so kind.)
Which means... We cannot go home until we find it!
Eh?
To be frank, despite coming here to search several times in the past, I have never once actually spotted the Yeti...
But the stars have perfectly aligned for this moment to arrive, and even Kafka’s tarot reading said we’d succeed.
So no matter how fierce the blizzard gets…or how deep in the mountains the Yeti is hiding… I will bring it back! Leave it to me!
...W-what…?!
(I mean…sure. I’d love to see a real Yeti…but it’s not like…I want Raito-san to do something reckless.)
(We got really excited...talking about it before we came here…but if we don’t find one, then…it can’t be helped.)
(But…maybe Raito-san really does plan to stay here until he finds the Yeti…?)
(Is he…going to be okay?)
(Hmmm… Kirokkuma’s looking at Raitin like he’s worried FR!)
(Yeah, figures! After hearing that, anyone would be worried! That’s why, if we’re gonna keep Raitin from doing anything dangerous—)
...Yodachosu.
I know, Chihiro. This seems like the ideal opportunity…
The two scan their surroundings...
...and they finally make their move.
It’s about time we put our plan into action.
...Huh?