Chapter Text
Taking the train during rush hour was probably the worst decision your friends have ever made.
Especially since this is JAPAN we’re talking about here. Home of the commuter trains so stuffed, station employees have to physically push people in to fit everyone. Sometimes.
This particular time, you got lucky, as no one had to push anyone. But even so, people fill the car from end to end, blocking your view of anything below that...soap ad, you think it is?...near the roof.
You hold onto your hanging triangle for dear life, even though it’s probably not necessary. The support from all those people standing around you is so strong, you could fall asleep if you weren’t so stressed!
Come on, you tell yourself. Get it together. At least your suitcase won’t roll away, right? And besides, you need to find where your friends went so you can know which stop is yours. Let’s see...which one of those tops of people’s heads looks like Yuzuki’s? Or Mei’s? Farah’s? Avani’s? If you could see more of these people’s bodies, it’d be SO much easier! Maybe you can listen for--
AH!
You’re pulling into a stop now, and you personally are getting pushed into the guy next to you. You knock into his bag, yelling “Ah! Sorry! I mean, uh…”
What’s that word for “excuse me” again?
You’re knocked the other way, this time by someone trying to get off. Maybe now, you’ll have room to-- no, wait, people are coming in, too! You brace yourself, grasping onto your triangle with one hand, and your suitcase with the other. Your arm’s getting tired, and so are your feet.
Too...much...discomfort…
You close your eyes, hoping to trick yourself into thinking you’re somewhere calmer.
Yeah, you think it’s working. But there’s still the sound to deal with. The footsteps, chatter from the train station, closing doors, someone calling your name…
Hey, wait a second!
You open your eyes just in time to catch Yuzuki, Mei, Farah, AND Avani, standing on the platform and frantically waving their arms. And shouting something.
Shouting “This is our stop!”
No, wait! You need to get out! Somebody, STOP THE TRAIN!
Oh, no. Oh, no no no no no no no no. You lost your friends. It’s crowded, your feet hurt, and you lost your friends. And you can’t reach your phone without letting go of the triangle. What are you going to do?! Okay, you’re going to get off at the next stop, but THEN what are you going to do?!?
You feel something on your shoulder. “A...ano…”
It’s the guy next to you, who you bumped into earlier. “YES?” you practically shout. “I mean...hai?”
He says something in Japanese, a language which you know twenty words of, at best. Needless to say, Yuzuki and Mei have been doing most of the talking this trip.
You study his body language in the hopes of an educated guess. Let’s see...moving his hand a bit, serious expression...he’s explaining something to you! Maybe something about the trains. No, he’s...he’s shifting on his feet. Pulling on his tie a little. Looking down. Rubbing his arm. And finally, looking up at you with a small, hopeful smile.
Is he asking you out?
He gasps, a look of horror on his face. “Gomen-- Eto...I’m...sorry.” He rolls the R. Interesting. But hey, maybe there’s hope.
“You speak English?”
He looks up, seemingly trying to get his words together, when you notice the train rolling to a stop. “Look out!” you yell.
He extends his arms, but being in such close quarters, they end up on either side of you rather than in front of you. And the next thing you know, you’re wrapped in a hug.
Until he jumps off of you half a second later. “AH! GOMENNA--!”
The announcer lady comes on, presumably informing you what station you’re at. That guy says something else in Japanese, then, after some hesitation, motions for you to follow him.
Not in any position to ask questions, you stay right behind him as he clears the way. Or tries to, by repeatedly yelling, “Sumimasen!”
Oh, yeah! That’s the word!
In a few moments, you’re both on the platform, trying to catch your breath. Now would be a good time to use one of the other nineteen Japanese words you know.
“A...arigato.”
He doesn’t say anything. You’ll never know if he understood your “thank you.”
Wait a second. Are you CRYING?
Once he looks up at you, he freaks out all over again, speaking so fast, you’re not sure you’d understand him even if you DID speak Japanese. He stops short, hesitates once more, then stammers another “I’m sorry.”
Oh, how you wish you knew how to say, “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, I’M sorry if I kept you from your stop.”
Maybe there’s an abbreviated way to say that?
The way he’s searching through his bag and taking out its contents, holding each one in front of you as if to ask if it will help, it’s starting to feel like you’re a crying baby. Someone who’s very upset but can’t tell you what’s wrong. That’s surprisingly accurate.
There are no bottles or toys in there, but he DOES take out a phone. Which reminds you; you should call your friends and ask them for help! You unzip your purse and take out your phone. You notice the battery’s really low; you should really charge--- aaaand your phone is dead.
Why must everything happen at once?
You feel the tears coming on again. Come on, self! You can get through this! Just please! Stop! Crying!
Your companion’s eyes widen, and he looks above him, behind, and finally back at you. Again, he motions for you to follow him.
And you do just that, reaching one of those exit gate things. What are you supposed to do with these again?
Oh, right. You put your ticket in the slot, and it lets you through! And then it spits your ticket out at the other side.
Or it doesn’t. That’s good, too.
The guy pushes through the crowd again, with plenty of “Sumimasen”s, while you follow behind him, still sniffling. You take your eyes off him for just a few seconds, scanning the area. If you could just find an electrical outlet of some kind, your problems will be solved.
Hey, where are the outlets? Don’t train stations need to have things plugged in?
“Miss!”
That man, whose name you really wish you knew how to ask, is hurrying toward you.
“Hai?”
He leads you to a sort of help desk, where he motions to an employee standing behind it. “Hello!” the lady says. “This man says you need assistance. How may I help you?”
She speaks English! Thank goodness! “Yes! I...missed my stop on the train, and I need to catch up with my friends. They should be one station over. How do I buy tickets?”
The lady points to your right. “Go around that corner, and there is a kiosk. But, for the future, you don’t have to purchase another ticket if you miss a stop.”
Oh. That would have been very helpful to know.
“I see. Thank you very much. Oh, and arigato, uh...sir!”
But as you start on your way out, you hear her speak again. “Excuse me!”
You turn around. “Yes?”
She holds out her hand towards your companion. “He would also like to know your name, if that’s alright. He is Choromatsu Matsuno.”
You tell the lady your own name, and she passes it on to Choromatsu, giving him your last name first.
He says something else to her, which she conveys to you. “Would you like him to go with you on the train back?”
“Thank you, but I’m--” Hold on there, you tell yourself. You are most certainly NOT fine on your own. “Actually...that would be great. Thank you.”
She gives him the message, and he nods and thanks her. But then comes the voice of another woman you’ve met on your journey: Announcer Lady.
As soon as she’s done, Help Desk Lady translates. “The train back is delayed for an indefinite time period. I am sorry.”
Seriously, why must everything happen at once?