Yamada and Kase-san ch49: Echoes and Kase-san.

Think we'll make it?
Mountains, bonds, and us<3

September is a very busy time.

slam

I'm home~

Welcome back, Yamada!
How did the business internship go?
Hah~ Exhausting~

flomp

I spent the entire day pruning trees!

snip snip snip snip snip

Pruning?
Cutting off leaves!

I put in an application because they said it was a horticulture company, but it turned out to be landscape gardening!
It was pretty fun, but not quite what I expected~
There's the location too...
It was pretty far out...

You're a pretty good girl to be thinking about job hunting when you're only in your second year.
Here's some water.
I haven't really thought about it that much at all,
but I was curious about what it'd be like!

Ah.
Hey, Yamada.

Your birthday's on the 16th, right?
Let's go somewhere.

Celebrating at home is fine too,
but didn't you say you wanted to go to a bunch of places last time?
Where should we go?
I'm down with whatever!

Oh right. It's my birthday next week.

Yamada's Birthday

I'll be 20 years old too!

My birthday, huh...
Let's go somewhere!

September is a busy time.

My college's horticulture department has begun preparations for the "Tama Park Flower Fair" gardening contest.

beep beep beep beep

Easy~ Easy~
Okay! Stop!
As well as the college festival that's taking place afterwards.

President Hanaoka, who's in her fourth year, is in pretty high spirits.
The pots and bricks are heavy, so be careful when unloading them.
I've stocked up on a lot more of them than usual~

flap

Woah, she's not kidding.
Saki~ You ordered too much~
Even if this is the last time for us 4th years, this is way too much.
You sure we're not going over budget?

Don't worry.
I bought them from the flower shop Yamada-san works at, so they gave me a discount.
They even let me borrow their light truck.
At any rate, let's get unloading, everyone~!

Honestly.
Well, can't be helped. Saki's orders.

If we go this far and still don't get the prize, we'll have to give up.
Ahahaha
That's true~

vroom~

Returning the truck.

It's a good thing you work at Flowers, Yamada-san~
You're a lifesaver~

I didn't know you had a driver's license, President Hanaoka.

vroom

That's right~ Got it when I graduated from high school.
It's amazing that you can drive a light truck.

It's worth getting a license~
With all the transporting that comes with gardening, it's pretty much a necessity~

Heh...
That's true.

Have you decided where you're going to work yet, President Hanaoka?
Eh?
Ah... Sorry. Is it alright to ask you that?
My friends haven't decided at all.

Yeah, it's fine.
I've already decided~
It's this place called "Green & Coffee"...
!

Wow! Green & Coffee!?
That place!?
It's one of the fanciest gardening stores in the city!
With a café to boot!!
Eeeh~??

...!

That's President Hanaoka for you...!
She knows how to pick a company!
The place she picked fits her image perfectly...!
The employers there must have a good eye too!
Bwawa~

Haah...

President Hanaoka... Do you think I'll be able to find proper work?
?

I tried doing an internship, but it didn't really click with me...
I want to do something related to gardening if possible,
but it's still all pretty vague to me...

You did an internship while still in your second year~?
I hadn't thought of anything when I was a 2nd year.
Good girl~

I just figured everyone somehow~ picked something
and somehow~ started working~
Fufu
And she somehow~ got picked up by a famous store...

And also...

...I have this friend I'm really close with...
I sometimes worry about whether the place I ended up working at will be far away...

And by sometimes, I mean a lot of the time...

sulk...

Fufu
!?

Yeah, I can see why you'd worry about that~
But

p10

I'm sure the future Yamada-san will be able to figure it out~
Don't worry!

With another two years, your skills and circumstances will change, right, Yamada-san?
You're sure to find a job that fits you by then~
I'm sure things'll work out with your friend too~

You think so?
I do think so! They say 90% of the things you worry about never happen, don't they?

Rather than worrying about that,
that feeling of "I'll definitely make it work out!"
is way more important~

p11

I know you're gonna be just fine~

President Hanaoka...
Oh yeah, Yamada-san.

"The mountains are good"
is what he said~

Huh?
Densuke-sensei said "when you're feeling worried or weak, just climb a mountain".

He says he goes up a mountain every now and then to drink coffee at the peak~

Dabada~

p12

Mountain Trailhead for Mt. △△△
Ski resort - Green marsh - Waterfall

BAM!!
Mt. Takami Station

...
Tada~

Why did we come all the way to a mountain for your 20th birthday, Yamada??

I thought you'd pick an amusement park or something...
Why a mountain??
Is it a pun on Yamada?
Cos yama means mountain?

p13

Drinking coffee on a mountain peak
is what adults do, right?
D-Do adults do that?
I have no idea.

Well, whatever.
I can just think of it as trail running.
Huh!?
Wait, wait! There's no way I can keep up with your pace, Kase-san!

Don't worry, Yamada. I'll match your pace.
Let's head for the easiest course!

p14

Our pair rings.
Eh?
It's the first time we've worn them outside the house!

...
You're right.

chuckle chuckle

They say 90% of the things you worry about never happen, don't they?
She's right.

I'm probably just worrying too much.
There's no way I'd ever be apart from Kase-san...

p15

Ah.
Amazing.

chirp chirp...

What is this? Everything's so full of life.

Mother Nature, or should I say,
the power of greenery is amazing...

Greenery Battery

Vwoop

I get it now!
The thing I was lacking was the composure to enjoy greenery~

Th-Thank you so much, Densuke-sensei!
I'll do my best!!
Let's keep this up and get to the peak for a nice cup of...!

p16

collapse...

Do you mind if we take the lift, Kase-san...?

wheeze wheeze...

That's fine.
But my legs couldn't keep up.
Hah Hah

Lift Station
Entrance

Wah~

Amazing~

rattle rattle rattle rattle
Kya~ Kya~

It's like an amusement park!

So fun!
So fast!
And the scenery's amazing!!

p17

Revived
shakiin~

chuckle

Eh?
What is it?

I never get tired of watching you, Yamada.
Huh?

I'm glad I came too.
The weather's great and I can take it easy.
Mountains are really fun.
It always sucks when I go with the track team.

How is the track team going by the way, Kase-san?
Eh? Right now?
Yeah, yeah.

Right now we're training for the intercollegiate in October.
Ah.
That's the college version of the interhigh, right?

p18

I'm gonna be in the relay team for that.
There's this fast first year who's joining this year.
She'll probably be the anchor.
I'm training for that right now.

Heh~ I'll be sure to come cheer you on!
Yeah...

...

hrm

phew
scritch scratch

?

Hah Hah
Just a little further!
Hah hah
It's rough...!
The last staircase is rough!!

p19

Alright! We're here!!
Goal!!
Yay!!

Mt. Takami Peak

Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah

I'm amazed you can still breathe perfectly fine, Kase-san!
Yeah.

Instead of coffee, maybe we should buy some juice?
Something cold...
Yahoo~!!

p20

Eh!?
Yahoo!!
Huh? There's no echo?

Hey, cut that out, Yamada!
It's embarrassing.
You shout yahoo when you get to a peak, right?

Aren't you gonna say it too, Kase-san?
There's nobody here right now.

Peak

Eh...?
We climbed all the way here, didn't we?

Yahoo~!!
I'll do my best~!!

p21

Do your best~!
Yamada~!!
Eh...?

twitch

chuckle

Yamada~
Happy birthday~!!

p22

Thank you~!!

chuckle

And with that, we're both 20 years old!
Cheers<3
Yay~♪
We're gonna do our best<3

Warning