[PART 1 - FIRST SEMESTER] The story of five Bronze Saints going to school begins!
Takes place post-Hades. Anime-only storyline.
Parody remakes of classic SS known as Bizarro Dreams are included. Expect these once per in-story week for the Sanctuary...
The BBs and the girls visit the Inari Taisha and climb many stairs to the top. The girls wonder why the BBs can climb so quickly. The climb reminds them of the 12 Temples. They arrive at the top, and the boys are disappointed to see an empty landscape. The group contemplates the horizon regardless because the views are breathtaking.
Reminder: homework survey to do.
See my profile for monthly events.
The weather is sunny all week.
------------------------------------------
[August 8, Wednesday - week 2]
The Kyoto trip continues into its second day, and the group heads to a historical site with nothing but a steep hill to climb.
"You mean it's historical?" Seiya asks.
"Yes! It's a shrine with nothing but torii gates and stairs to the summit. Well, the stairs don't come until much later because you start hiking at the bottom. It's when you're close to the summit that stairs take place," Shoko explains.
As the group observes, Shun checks the camera.
"Let's enter! I have to take lots of photos."
"You got carried away yesterday, Shun. Those photos better be worth it," Seiya says with a raised brow and folded arms.
"No need to worry. Saori-san gave us extra batteries and a roll of film. We'll be fine. Besides, we'll explore just this site today."
They enter the gates and start to hike their way up.
"Is this how it is? It's all gates," Hyoga says.
"Well, you can see the occasional shrine," Mei says.
"Also, you can see fox statues all over," Alicia adds.
"You're right. I see many here," Shiryu says.
"Yeah, because this shrine was built to worship the fox or the inari for this place," Chihiro explains. "It takes a while to reach the summit though."
"Like, how long?" Shun asks.
"About two to three hours," Kyoko says.
"Are you serious?" Seiya pivots.
"Yes! If you hike nonstop, you'll get there."
"That amount of time is nothing. The climb to the 12 Houses was longer than this..." Hyoga whispers to himself, whom Shiryu next to him hears.
"We were fighting the Gold Saints. That's why it took longer," Shiryu whispers, too. None of the girls seem to notice their whisper.
Thirty minutes have passed since their first hike. They see an opening with a shrine between another set of gates, indicating break time once they arrive and sit on the shrine steps.
"Can we rest a bit?" Alicia asks.
"You're not used to hiking, yes?" Hyoga asks.
"I never walked that much before."
"I agree. We should take a break," Mei says.
"Alright, we can rest here for now," Seiya says.
"Wait! You guys can go nonstop?" Shoko asks.
"Well, yeah. That climb is nothing to us."
"Amazing! You guys aren't celebrity fighters for nothing if you trained that much. I bet you guys climbed like mad every single time."
"Of course!" Seiya boasts.
After resting for thirty minutes, the group continues their climb for another hour before resting at another shrine opening.
"How close are we to the summit?" Seiya asks.
"We're halfway there," Shoko says. "The stairs will begin once we enter those gates, and will continue nonstop to the summit."
"Looks as if we're climbing towards heaven."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
They continue their hike but climb the seemingly endless staircase towards the summit. Given their experience, the BBs climb ahead but lessen their pace, seeing they're quickly leaving the girls behind. The girls themselves are amazed at the speed of their flawless climb.
"I see the summit ahead. We're close." Seiya pivots to the girls. "You can rest here if you like."
"Don't worry about us. In fact, this will be my first time at the summit because school trips don't allow us to climb this far," Shoko says.
"Yes, this will be my first time too," Kyoko adds.
Alicia, Mei, and Chihiro say the same thing: that this will be their first time reaching the summit. Seeing the boys climb so easily has inspired them to continue despite feeling tired.
"Alright, but if any of you collapse, we will carry you down," Seiya states. He sees the girls fine, but some are showing signs of fatigue.
"Thank you, Seiya-kun," Shoko says.
The other girls nod, agreeing as the group pushes towards the summit. Once they reach the summit, a vast open view expands across the sky, and the city of Kyoto can be seen at the bottom.
"This is the summit! It's amazing!" Shoko says.
"It is... but it's empty," Seiya says.
"What were you expecting?"
"A temple, some kind of statue..."
"Yeah, that's only a thing of manga."
Shun doesn't waste the opportunity to take pictures while the rest contemplate the horizon surrounding them. Although there's nothing at the top, the view is still breathtaking. It's as if they're standing at the top of heaven after a long climb. Their long hike has paid off.
"It'll take a while so let's head back," Shoko says.
The descent is easier than ascending, but it still takes time. Thankfully, they arrive at the shrine's entrance and return to the Ryokan to rest and prepare for tomorrow: their fated appointment at a certain place that school trips dare not to cover.
