When I stepped out of the secretariat building, the rigid air of the city bit against my exposed skin as I stood there, watching the sun that's about to set.
The clouds above were gray and dim, an unspoken promise of the sky that rain shall soon descend as a blessing that nurtures every living being. I looked at the rack of umbrellas, trying to find mine, which I have labeled with my name.
"Which one… this one…? No…"
Picking up one umbrella after another, I realized that mine had probably been stolen. Of course, it's not the first time this has happened; similar things have occurred in the past even after I wrote my name on them.
"Must've been one of those guys again…"
I let out a deep sigh and accepted the fact that my umbrella is gone for good; I guess sometimes things were just meant to be the other way around.
"I guess I'm getting wet tonight…"
I started dragging my feet off the property with a casual but steady pace—looking down at the pavement of the pedestrian walkway. As I left the area, I felt a sudden wave of uneasiness down my spine. Perhaps because of the bad weather?
But like an idiot, I accidentally hit a rock on the solid pavement, almost tripping myself over onto the walkway. Thankfully, I managed to catch myself before I stumbled forward.
"Tch, stupid rock. Who puts a damn rock in the middle of a public road?"
I kicked the rock again, this time sending it flying into the empty street.
"This is all too stressful…"
Feeling a bit lost in time, I decided to pull out a box of cigarettes from the compartment of my bag. It was a cheap brand, but I didn't really put much thought into it.
I dragged a stick from the carton, placing it in between my lips, and reached for a small metal lighter inside my blazer.
As the cigarette lit up, a raindrop suddenly appeared before me. Before I knew it, more and more raindrops started to appear on the concrete road around me. Ignoring the rain, I started to inhale the aroma of the cig from its end before letting the smoke out of my mouth.
"This tastes awful."
Yet I took another puff from the cigarette, blowing it out into the rainy air as passerbys watched me standing on the roadside without an umbrella.
Suddenly, there was a honking sound coming from behind. I turned my back to the vehicle that was already pulling up to the side of the road. It was a black SUV with tinted glasses that concealed the identity of the driver.
The door of the SUV opened, and a man walked out of the car. It was—
"I wouldn't say it's fancy meeting you under these circumstances, but given the weather, do you need a ride?"
—Yamada.
Seeing him here in the rain made my heart stop beating for a moment. I quickly pulled the cig away from my mouth and crushed it under my heel—hoping that he wouldn't have noticed.
"M-mr. Yamada? I thought you had gone home already…"
I questioned him.
He raised his brow at my stutter, yet he looked at me with knowing eyes.
"I am; I'm just taking another route today. And please, Yamada is fine. No need for formality."
I stared at the endless drops of rain before turning my gaze at him once more; it seems like the rain won't stop anytime soon.
"Um… right, Yamada. Thanks for your offer, but I'll manage. Besides, the station is only a few blocks from here. And I'm already all wet like this."
But instead of backing down, he shook his head in response and approached my figure.
"It's no trouble, Hozumi. What kind of boss let his workers walk in the rain? You'll catch a cold later."
He placed his warm palm on my wrist, not quite gripping, but rather it was like an attempt at binding.
"Come, I'll send you to the station. May I?"
His question hung in the air as I considered his offer in my head. A part of me told me that I should just excuse myself and leave. But another… another part of me wanted to see where this would lead us.
"Fine."
That single word came out of my mouth in a hurry, but I swear I could see a small smile etched on his face as he started to gently lead me into his car. I slide into the passenger seat awkwardly as my wet clothing releases drops of water from the fabric onto the leather seat.
"Sorry for the inconvenience…"
He closed the door on his side and turned to face me directly.
"There's nothing to apologize for. If it weren't for the rain, I wouldn't have pick you off the road in the first place. Besides, I'm the one who insisted."
He reached for the panel on his car, turning down the air conditioner slightly before pulling away from the roadside. The engine of the car hummed softly in the rain as the wipers worked nonstop to ensure visibility while driving.
I looked out the window, gazing at the tall buildings of this urban life. It's nothing like the countryside in Osaka, where I was born; it continues to amaze and scare me at the same time.
"You're going back to Osaka tonight, right?"
He asked.
I nodded in response without looking back at him.
"Life must've been fun on the other side."
"It was so so."
The SUV continued to speed through the rain as the night began to fall. The once orange and bloody red skies now turned into a dark, gloomy purple—fenced by the countless stars in the sky.
"You're not going home first?"
I shook my head and turned away slightly from the window.
"No, there's no need for that. I'll just use the clothes I left in my parent's house. But why'd you ask?"
"It's nothing; I just thought that it'd be more convenient if you had packed some clothing before going back there."
A few minutes later, we arrived at Tokyo Station. There were already many people outside and inside of the station, waiting to board the Shinkansen transit service.
"We're here."
I looked out the windshield—relief washed over me as I looked at the time; it was 9:12, a few hours before the last Shinkansen departed from the station.
"Thank you, Mr.— I mean… Thank you, Yamada."
"Don't mention it."
As I reached for the door handle, I suddenly felt a hand on my wrist that made my heart race with anxiety.
"Hozumi-san. Take care, alright?"
I froze on the passenger seat, trying to find the right word for a moment like this. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It was like trying to scream into the void, and the void screams back.
In the end, I just nodded at his words before exiting the car swiftly, leaving him at the parking spot where he had parked his car.
After leaving the parking lot, I stride with purpose towards the nearest TMV (Train Vending Machine)—queuing behind a long line of people.
"You've got to be kidding me… this will take hours…"
I waited for a few long minutes, standing and occasionally advancing forward into the line of people. The digital clock on the signboard turned 9:40; that means I've been waiting in this line for 30 minutes! The worst part is, there's nowhere to sit at all! My legs are already so sore from waiting in this line…
About precisely 5 minutes later, I was finally able to reach the TMV. However, it seems like I was the last in line to buy a ticket. The once long line had vanished, leaving only me to use the machine.
"Sigh... finally." I reached inside my purse and pulled out my debit card from the card slots—pressing it against the flat surface of the scanner. But to my surprise, this notification appeared before me instead;
'[INSUFFICIENT BALANCE]'
"Eh?"
I tried again, pressing the card more firmly against the scanner once more. The machine beeped, and the result came out the same.
"EHHHHH?!? What gives?!"
One desperate try after another, every swipe was getting more futile than the last. The insufficient currency message kept on reappearing with each attempt.
"This is bad! I'm going to be late!"
While I was busy panicking over a train ticket, someone in a baggy jacket approached me from my side. I was so busy sweeping my card that I didn't notice he was right beside me.
"Excuse me, Miss." It was not until he called out to me that I finally realized his presence.
At his sudden appearance, I instinctively jumped a bit to the side, looking up at the person before me.
"I see you're having some… inconvenience getting your ticket. Would I please offer you mine?"
My eyes widened at his offer. Giving me a ticket for free? What's the catch?
"Um… sorry, but I don't think I could accept that."
"I insist; I initially came here to board the train on an… important visit. But I just got a notice that my schedule was changed due to certain circumstances I can't publicly disclose. So, please accept this ticket as an act of decency."
This guy is serious, isn't he? Trying to get me to accept his ticket. Is this some sort of a new transit scam? Well, I'm not that dull to fall for that!
"No thanks. Keep the ticket to yourself."
I started walking away from that weirdo; something about him was definitely off, I can feel it with my gut.
But suddenly—
"Attention all passengers, the last Shinkansen transit service to Shin-Osaka Station is about to depart; please board the coach safely."
—The announcement was repeated twice: once in Japanese and another in broken English. I froze in place, processing what the hell I just heard.
"Th-the… the last Shinkansen...? TO SHIN-OSAKA?!"
I exclaimed loudly, looking up at the speaker on the pillar of the station. Without thinking twice, I rushed back to the guy with baggy clothing and stared at his face, although… Why is it kinda hard to see it?
No matter.
"Excuse me! About the ticket earlier, can I have it?" I blurted out in a hurry.
"So you decided to take my offer, huh? The offer still stands." He pulled out the ticket from his pocket—handing it to me like giving a child her candy on Halloween night.
I immediately snatched it off his palm and bowed slightly towards him, whispering a quiet 'thank you' under my breath before sprinting towards the door of the soon-to-depart train.
To my horror, when I was only a 3-meter distance from the door, it then started to close from both sides. But I can't let this happen, or else everything I've gone through will come to naught!
"Don't close on me!"
Pushing my feet to their limit, I lunged forward into the train—barely making it inside the train as the door sealed shut as I landed against the cold floor with a loud thud.
Slowly, I rose to my feet, rubbing the fragile spot where I had landed hard. I grabbed onto a pole, stabilizing myself as I looked around.
Huh? Wait… this doesn't seem right..
Why does this coach feel so empty? I could've sworn there were many people waiting just now. But… There were only a few people here.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over me, making it hard to even stand properly. I quickly held on to a chair and threw myself on the soft cushion. The atmosphere was very hypnotic, as if there were incense being lit up in the air. I tried to stay awake, but my mind refused to cooperate.
The last thing I heard was an announcement from the operator that sounded like…
"Thank you for choosing the Hikari Shinkansen 634 to Shin-Osaka Station; we hope that you will have a pleasant journey with us."
...
[- "Every stop is a memory, every ride a second chance." -]