4/6/2021

The night is calm, clouds drift lazily across the sky and cars light up the night as they drive along the winding road through the hills. A train winds along parallel to the road like a giant metal worm cutting through the darkness and rain. A girl sleeps, face pressed lightly against the glass and twisted slightly in discomfort, her brown locks obscuring the left side of her face. She stirs slightly as a chime alerts the passengers to an announcement that was read out in a feminine voice with a slight robotic edge to it.

'Now arriving at Rendaiji Station. All passengers, we are arriving at Rendaiji Station. The next stop is Izukyu-Shimoda Station. This is the final stop for the line.'

The girl lifts her head from the window, a small patch of mist on the glass the only trace of her rest. She yawns, stretching herself out as far as she can, like a cat. Her brief moment of half-asleep bliss is quickly driven away as a sudden twinge of pain shoots through her neck.

'Ah, crap,' she muttered, rubbing the crick that had developed on her neck. 'Well what did you expect, sleeping like that. I knew that bloody coffee was decaf. And now you're talking to yourself again.' The girl turned, glancing out the window at the cars driving past. The train is plunged into sudden darkness once more as it enters tunnel.

She sighs. 'Welp, you're almost there now. Wonder what this guy's gonna be like.'

She is forced to squint slightly as light filtered back through the window as the train emerged slowly into the glaring shine of streetlights as it entered the small station. Forcing her tired, groaning muscles into a standing position, the girl reached up and pulled down her bag from the overhead compartment and wrestled the clearly stressed, near-overflowing suitcase down the car and out onto the platform. Outside the station appeared at first to be devoid of life, but then, revealed by the flickering lamppost, there sits an old man on a bench, who appeared to be reading and rereading a small slip of paper and reciting something under his breath. Hobbling over despite her luggage's best efforts, the girl gets close enough to overhear him just as he whispered, 'Hello, I'm Daisuke Orio. You may not remember me, the last time we met was when you were in… Gods sake man, she's a teen, she doesn't need to hear that after a long train journey.'

Now sure she had found the man she was looking for, the girl cleared her throat, prompting the man to suddenly jump up off the bench as though he'd just been electrocuted. 'What… OH!,' he exclaimed, quickly scrunching up the piece of paper when he saw the cause of his shock.

'Apologies, I uh… I didn't realise that the train was here,' he said, trying to catch his breath. 'Hello, my na…'. 'I heard,' the girl said, cutting through the man's attempt to salvage what remained of his clearly derailed planned greeting. 'Listen, do you have a car or something? I'm a bit tired after the trip, I just want to get this bag down somewhere.'

She knew she was being harsh, but honestly, she really didn't care. 'Oh… of, eh, of course. Yes, I'm… um… p-parked right outside,' said Daisuke, clearly caught off guard by both the sudden appearance of the person he was waiting for along with their apparent immediate poor humour. 'Here, let me help you with your bag'.

It took roughly ten agonising minutes, and several panting breaks, to get the suitcase, which all parties were beginning to suspect was either sentient, haunted or both, over the rough gravel of the carpark and into the trunk of the car, a small light blue piece that despite it's clear age, still seemed just as polished and well-maintained as the day it was sold. The pair took a moment after finally closing the trunk to lean against the car and catch their breath. 'How about… I get us… some snacks in the store here… and you can… hooo… go toilet,' Daisuke managed to get out between gasps. 'It's a… long ride… into town…' The girl simply nodded in response. The pair went back into the small station, the girl passing the store, following the signs to the ladies' room, located in a short corridor behind the ticket booth. One long awaited relief later, she bummed the door open, shaking her hands dry. And running face first into someone. 'AH,' she , though she would never admit it, screamed as she fell, butt first onto the ground. 'Watch where you're going idiot!' 'Oh I do apologise,' a polite cultured voice replied in a strange accent. The girl looked up to see what appeared at first to be a kid in a costume, but what she quickly realised was simply a very baby-faced man wearing a dark suit, complete with a bowler hat that looked like it belonged in a black-and-white film. The man reached down and helped her to her feet. 'It's fine,' she muttered. 'Just be careful'. 'Of course you are merely concerned my absent-mindedness will cause myself or others harm tell me this may be an odd question but what age are you?'

The mans voice seemed off somehow. The accent was posh, but the words left his mouth rushed, as though each were trying to leave at the same time, but there was only room for one at a time once they reached his mouth. 'I'm uh… I'm 17,' she said, unsure why she was even still talking to this… man(?), and not running like all her instincts were screaming at her to. 'Ah then you must be aware of the new age of adulthood bill that has been passed yes?'. She simply nodded. 'What are you doing, he's not normal run, run, why aren't you running, RUN!' 'I'm sorry, but my grandfather is waiting for me…'. 'Of course yes but first may I bother you just to aid me in my task,' the man continued, in a voice far too upbeat to call a drone. 'You see I am here to ensure that the teen population of this area are prepared for the responsibility of adulthood. If you could please sign here.' Suddenly, the girl had a pen in one hand and a clipboard that the man(?) must have given her. On it was a single statement.

The signer of this states that they shall, and agree that one should always, take full responsibility for their actions.

x_

There was room for many signatures, but each stood empty. Reading the page almost felt like hearing a desperate voice echo out in an empty room, begging for an answer, and before she knew it, her hand, and the pen within it, was moving along above the line, tracing out the kanji of her name.

xOrio Noriko

'Thank you,' the man's(?) voice echoed, and when Noriko looked up, he was gone, pen, clipboard and all.