The Climber, Vol. 2 by Yoshio Nabeda

The harder you climb, the higher you live. Buntaro Mori is a loner, but being alone in a crowd is almost as bad as being forced to fit in. When a dangerous bid for solitude introduces Mori to the rush of solo climbing, he becomes addicted to the brilliant sense of freedom he finds as he pits his body and soul against the heights. But how high does he have to climb to leave humanity behind? For a brief, brilliant moment, Mori thought he had found his purpose in life, but after an unscrupulous reporter’s sensationalized article gets the climbing club canceled, he finds himself more at odds with the world than ever. With nothing left to lose, Mori agrees to go alpine climbing with Kurosawa, the very reporter who ruined everything, not caring that he obviously doesn’t have Mori’s best interests at heart. But Kurosawa isn’t trying to destroy Mori. He just wants to ignite the boy’s intense potential, no matter who it hurts.