The Approximation of the Distance of Two: Chapter 2: A Friend Must Be Congratulated; Present: 5.2km point; remaining 14.8km3 min read

Volume 5: The Approximation of the Distance of Two
Chapter 2: A friend must be congratulated
1. Present: 5.2 km point; remaining 14.8km
I can’t think going downhill.
Because of the troublesome climb up, and since I had earned the right to do so, I consumed the descent in one go by running the whole way. If I had chosen this road myself, I’d probably be wondering, “If I have to go down anyways, why even bother going up?”

The uphill climb started lazily but the descent was the complete opposite. The steep slope down to the foot was like Hiyodorigoe. (tl/n: Refers to the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani. Basically, in that battle, Yoshitsune did a downhill attack at Hiyodorigoe) My outlook worsened as the left and right sides of the road were once again blocked by a cedar forest. If I go down imprudently, it’d feel like I was falling at an angle, so I carefully took one step at a time. If I tread thoughtlessly, my sneakers would make loud sounds on impact with the asphalt. I don’t have the knees to run down carelessly like that. My strides became naturally shorter, and I became more cautious about my running form.
Here I ran. If I went too fast it would hurt my knees, and I’d pick up speed easier going downhill anyway. If you don’t remember to pace yourself properly during this 20 kilometer course, you won’t be able to make it back before sunset.
With that in mind I chose to concentrate on running downhill.
However, those really strange words of Ibara’s, that she said belonged to Oohinata, were still going around and around inside my head.
Deity-like. Deity-like.
I felt something cold in that auspicious noun, and as the hill became steeper, the meaning of the word I was contemplating remained elusive.
The downhill slope made another large curve. The male student overtaking me gained too much momentum and widened the gap between us. I trod on with seemingly small steps. While thinking, I heard the continuously sparse sound of footsteps on asphalt from the Kamiyama High students surrounding me.
Somehow, with the zig-zagging path of the course, the curving road bent and opened up the view directly across from me. I could still see the snow that had fallen on the various mountains of the Kamikakiuchi Mountain Range. The cold winter wind would probably not blow from that direction, but I felt a sudden chill in the air.
Earlier, Satoshi had gone on ahead on his mountain bike, and Ibara had left as well. In order to let Chitanda catch up, I had to adjust my speed a bit.
With the bottom of the hill becoming even, I immediately relaxed my feet.
I have no memory of having a long talk face-to-face with Oohinata. However, with Oohinata taking advantage of Club Recruitment, perhaps a single something that was previously unthinkable happened. And assuming that a problem occurred concerning Oohinata’s relationship with Chitanda, it could very well have been a big deal.
I don’t want to remember much about that day. What I’m saying is, it’s not as if chills were going down my spine, but even now, I can feel a kind of lingering impatience.
It was clear on that day, on that weekend.
About what happened that Saturday.