Chapter Text
“Welcome to the Hatsume Space Station, Miss Shimura,” Head Researcher Yaoyorozu greeted her with a warm smile and a polite bow. “Mei, I mean Miss Hatsume will be seeing you shortly,” she continued, briefly letting formalities slip.
Though Nana knew just how close those two were, especially since they were on first name basis while the rest of the researchers under them kept up the formalities and used their family names.
Still she couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she set a hand on the girl’s shoulder.
“There’s no need for formalities here, Momo. I’m just here to let Mei look at something I picked up from a market on Axium Seven,” Nana explained, nodding to Toshinori who held up a simple box.
With a soft smile of her own, Momo nodded and turned towards one of the many puppets that move about the Space Station.
Independent of their maker, and yet linked to the same mind.
It is no wonder that Mei Hatsume could accomplish so many things in such a short time span, perhaps that was part of why Nous spared a gaze onto the girl at such a young age.
“Mei, Miss Shimura is here with the Curio in question.”
That caught the puppet’s attention as she quickly walked over and grabbed the box from Toshinori.
“Is this the Divination Cuckoo Clock?” She asked, popping the lid of the box and grinning wide at what Nana figures to be the clock in question.
“Excellent, thank you Nana! I can’t wait to pull this baby apart and see how it functions, maybe it will work nicely with my newest baby.”
Nana laughed softly at the antics of the young Genius Society member, already watching as she departed for her office to deliver the Curio to where the main puppet is located.
Now that she thinks of it, she can’t remember the last time she saw Member Number 86 of the Genius Society in the flesh.
Perhaps they had a meeting over coffee that time?
Toshinori gave a light cough from her side.
“Teacher, I believe we should head back to the Express. The Conductor mentioned a trip to an IPC Station right after this pit stop.”
“You know, it’s pretty odd that you keep calling me that even though you appear to be so much older than me,” Nana remarked half-heartedly, though she had a smile on her face when seeing Toshinori cough under his breath.
She remembered the times they have had this discussion, and how they always ended.
Now she knows it to be a running joke between the two of them, a joke she hopes will never come to an end even after Toshinori decides it’s his time to depart from the Astral Express.
Toshinori only chuckled slightly.
“Perhaps this is because we’re from different worlds, but you will always be my teacher no matter what.”
“Yes, perhaps.”
Sometimes she wonders what the Nana Toshinori knew was like.
Were they really so similar that Toshinori continues to call her his teacher to this day?
A small part of her hopes that is the case, because she remembers the look on his face when they first met and she invited him to board the Astral Express as its first passenger.
A broken man who had finally found the first light of hope.
“Oh, before you go! I actually procured some coffee for this visit, even though I prefer tea,” Momo spoke up.
“I guess we can spare a few more minutes,” Nana said, smiling softly as she followed Momo to where a pair of teacups were set up.