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Tokyo… was it? Such a distant and utterly foreign place. It had to be an immense metropolis, starkly different from their quiet town. She imagined countless towering skyscrapers, an endless sea of neon lights. Prosperity, clamor, even a touch of hedonism—that was the true essence of a grand city. What did Tokyo truly look like? Hoshimori Shion felt as though she might have known before entering this game, but now, for reasons unknown, her memories from that time had grown incredibly hazy. Yet, gazing at the girl beside her, whose crimson eyes sparkled with an inner light, Shion couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. Even if the exact appearance of Tokyo remained a mystery, the prospect of experiencing it alongside Igarashi Rie… that alone promised an exhilarating adventure.
“So, how exactly do we get there?” Shion suddenly blurted out, the question just occurring to her. They had been walking for roughly half an hour since she first encountered Rie. From their nightly conversations, Shion knew that reaching Tokyo would typically involve taking the Shinkansen. But could a small town like this truly possess such a modern transportation hub?
Igarashi Rie instinctively reached for her phone, but then, remembering it was powered off, she quickly shook her head.
“I think I remember the way,” Rie said, a faint uncertainty in her voice. “If we follow this coastal road, we’ll eventually find a train station. From there, we can catch a train to a city with a Shinkansen stop, and then it’s a direct journey to Tokyo. It should only take two or three hours, roughly.”
Rie’s words carried a noticeable lack of conviction. All the while, she kept glancing over her shoulder, ensuring no one was secretly trailing them.
‘This wasn’t simply a day off for leisure, was it?’
Despite Shion’s growing fatigue, Rie firmly grasped her hand with her free one. “Shion-san, we need to pick up the pace. Time is of the essence today.”
“Mmm, I…” Shion took a deep breath, regulating her breathing before matching Rie’s hurried pace once more. “I’m perfectly fine.”
Yet, despite her assurances, as weariness began to set in, Shion impulsively latched onto Rie’s left arm, effectively compelling Rie to half-drag her forward.
Igarashi Rie was momentarily taken aback by Shion’s sudden, intimate gesture. Her arm was positioned such that it nearly brushed against Shion’s budding chest; a slight shift backward would allow her to feel that nascent softness.
“Shion-san, are you actually trying to be endearing at a time like this?” Rie murmured, slightly lifting the hand not holding the box to wipe a bead of sweat from her forehead with her cuff. Her gaze softened, a hint of doting affection entering her eyes as she looked at Shion.
“I simply can’t walk any further. Honestly, Igarashi-senpai, don’t you dare try to take advantage of me,” Shion retorted, casting a playfully resentful glance at Rie’s amused smile.
“Oh, come now, I wouldn’t dream of it. What mischievous thoughts are swirling in your head, Shion-san?”
Only then did Shion truly relax, a soft sigh escaping her lips.
“We’ve even showered together before, so what’s the harm in a little touch?” Rie’s eyes gleamed with a mischievous glint.
“H-hey! Igarashi-senpai, you’re impossible!”
At that very moment, upon the otherwise boundless golden beach, a small station materialized as if from thin air, standing sentinel by the coast. Constructed from translucent white bricks, it was clearly an ancient structure; the seaward wall, battered by years of relentless sea winds, already showed signs of peeling plaster. Beyond the station, a single railway track snaked endlessly along the coastline, stretching, stretching, until it vanished into the imperceptible distance.
‘This coastal railway, Shion mused, was likely Igarashi Rie’s envisioned path to escape this small town. Though it was a place accessible by merely a half-hour’s walk, it paradoxically felt incredibly, impossibly distant.’
With a delighted grin, Rie tugged Shion’s hand, leading them into the small station. Inside, the station was deserted save for an elderly woman with silver-streaked hair, spectacles perched on her nose, engrossed in a book.
Igarashi Rie, having already secured their tickets, presented them to the grandmother. With a surprisingly nimble movement, the elderly woman punched the tickets and then returned them to Rie and Shion.
“The train departs in but a quarter of an hour. Have a safe journey, young ladies,” the grandmother chirped kindly.
****
The open-air platform offered only a single, weathered wooden bench. It seemed few travelers frequented this secluded station, for the bench bore the clear marks of time, yet it had evidently been meticulously wiped clean each day.
The two girls settled onto the bench, watching the rhythmic crash of waves against the breakwater, listening to the plaintive cries of seabirds, and savoring the cool sea breeze that carried a faint, briny tang.
“Shion-san, I… I ran away from home, you could say.” Leaning back against the wooden bench, Rie suddenly confessed to Shion.
“Eh?” Though Shion had considered the possibility of Rie having snuck away, the stark declaration of having ‘ran away’ truly caught her off guard.
“Mmm, I don’t particularly care for my family… if I can even still call myself a member of the Igarashi clan. I dislike the… mission-like, utterly detestable things they’ve burdened me with. Yet, out of a sense of duty, I’m compelled to perform them.”
As she spoke, Rie’s gaze upon Shion grew complicated. A desperate urge welled within her to confess that the malevolent spirit, the one that had almost prevented Shion’s return last night, had been unleashed by her own hand. She yearned, truly yearned, to utter an apology and beg for forgiveness. However, confronted by the pristine clarity in Shion’s eyes and the unwavering trust reflected in her expression, Rie found herself utterly unable to speak. She dared not confide in Shion, fearing she would shatter that precious trust, fearing Shion would believe her proximity was merely a means to accomplish some predetermined ‘family mission’…
“Then, taking an occasional break is perfectly fine,” Shion said gently, reaching out to ruffle Rie’s slightly disheveled hair. It was evident Rie had departed in a rush that morning, her locks untended.
“Don’t be afraid; I’ll be right here with you.”
Gazing at Shion’s comforting smile, Rie felt a fragile crack appear in the emotional barrier she had erected around her heart.
“Shion-san, I…”
“Young Miss!”
Just as Rie prepared to speak, the distant, familiar voice of Grandpa Butler suddenly reached her ears. Grandpa Butler, driving his car along the road on the opposite side of the breakwater, extended his left hand directly from the window, waving frantically towards Rie. Almost simultaneously, the mournful blast of a train whistle pierced the air, and a somewhat antiquated train slowly chugged into the station.
“It’s Grandpa Butler!” Upon spotting him, Rie instantly panicked. The words she had almost uttered to Shion caught in her throat, and she swiftly grabbed Shion’s hand, sprinting forward. Her aim was to board the train before Grandpa Butler could possibly catch them.
The open-air platform and the adjacent road were devoid of any physical barriers; purchasing a ticket was almost entirely a matter of moral obligation. If Grandpa Butler wished, he could easily drive his vehicle directly onto the platform itself.
Though Shion hadn’t fully grasped the unfolding situation, she instinctively rose, her feet following Rie’s desperate sprint.
In the precise instant the train shuddered to a halt and its doors hissed open, Rie pulled Shion by the hand, propelling them both through the entrance.
Grandpa Butler’s car, at that very moment, glided to a stop beside the platform.
Grandpa Butler alighted from his vehicle, still impeccably dressed in a crisp suit. Though he possessed ample time to board the train himself, he merely stepped onto the platform, his gaze meeting Rie’s and Shion’s through the glass window.
With a dignified air, he then performed a courteous bow to the two young women.
“If this is truly your desire, Young Miss, then… may your journey be a safe one.”