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  Chapter 6: Loneliness

  The train rhythmically clattered over the rail joints. Nagi stared out the window, where endless rows of trees blended into one solid green blur.

  — So you’re saying the village… that it might not even exist anymore? — Nagi’s voice trembled, though he still didn’t turn away from the window.

  — I said it’s POSSIBLE. Just rumors, Nagi! — Mei sighed irritably, not looking up from her book.

  The boy spun around sharply. In one leap he was beside her, gripping the collar of her clothes with a dead hold.

  — My family is there! My sister! — he shouted in her face, his eyes flashing feverishly. — You knew things weren’t calm there and didn’t even warn me?!

  Mei pushed him away without much effort. Her face remained unreadable.

  — Well, sorry. It slipped my mind.

  (Can I even trust her at all?! What else is she hiding?) Nagi’s thoughts raced.

  (He’s starting to get angry. I can’t let myself fall into his “minus.”) she thought.

  Mei suddenly smiled. She pulled out a portable speaker, and the hall filled with energetic, rhythmic music.

  — Maybe I can make it up to you? — she held out her hand, inviting him to dance. — Come on, Nagi, distract yourself.

  (I… I don’t know. Can I really just throw my parents out of my head like that? But her hand is so warm…)

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Nagi hesitantly touched her palm. They began moving to the melody. Despite his lack of experience, Nagi’s reflexes were astonishing—he caught every one of her movements as if he had been dancing his entire life.

  (Maybe I’m panicking for nothing? What if they’re alive and well…)

  Gradually, the tension in his body gave way to a strange lightness.

  — Not bad at all, — Mei noted, spinning beside him.

  — I try, — Nagi exhaled, momentarily forgetting his anxiety.

  But in the middle of the dance, he accidentally bumped the edge of the table. Mei’s book slipped to the floor.

  — Oh, damn! — Nagi immediately bent down to pick it up. — Sorry, I didn’t mean to.

  Mei snatched the book in a flash and pressed it to her chest as if it were the greatest treasure. The music stopped.

  — It’s nothing. But I’m heading back to the cabin. I want to be alone, — she said curtly and quickly left the hall.

  (And that’s it? Moment lost?)

  Left alone, Nagi sank onto a bench and greedily drank a glass of water. Fatigue weighed on his shoulders, but curiosity proved stronger. After waiting a few minutes, he silently slipped into the corridor and approached their compartment.

  (I wonder what she’s hiding in there? There’s something special about that book…)

  He carefully cracked the door open—but didn’t manage to take a single step. Through the narrow gap, he saw Mei’s cold eye staring directly at him.

  — Are you spying on me? — she asked dryly.

  Startled, Nagi lost his balance and fell to the floor in embarrassment.

  — Well… I… it just happened by accident! — he tried to justify himself, feeling his ears turn red.

  — And what if I had been changing? You damn pervert! — she snapped, though there was no real anger in her voice—more calculated displeasure.

  — Oh, come on, I was just bored, — Nagi muttered, standing up and dusting off his clothes.

  (Strange. How did she sense me approaching? I was completely silent.)

  At that moment, the announcer’s voice echoed throughout the train:

  “Attention. Arrival at the destination in three hours.”

  Nagi and Mei lifted their heads simultaneously.

  — Finally, — Mei sighed in relief. — I’m exhausted from this tin can.

  They sat on their beds opposite each other.

  — Listen, Mei… what kind of city is this? And why are we really going there?

  The girl looked at him thoughtfully.

  — My parents live in that city. I want to introduce you to them.

  (Parents? I wonder who they are. With a daughter like her, they must be celebrities or aristocrats…)

  — And who are they? — Nagi asked directly.

  Mei froze for a moment. Her gaze nervously traced over Nagi’s face, as if she were selecting the right words from lines of program code.

  — Well… they work as screenwriters for a very… very wealthy corporation.

  (Why did she hesitate like that? Is it hard for her to talk about, or is she making it up on the spot?)

  They spent the rest of the journey talking about trivial things that meant absolutely nothing. {They discussed anything at all, just to fill the ringing silence between them.}

  When the train finally came to a halt and the doors opened with a hiss, Nagi stepped onto the platform—and froze. His world turned upside down.

  Towering before him were colossal skyscrapers, their peaks disappearing into the clouds. The streets pulsed with life: hundreds of people, streams of gleaming cars, roaring buses, and high above, airplanes thundered across the sky.

  — Wow… — Nagi whispered, stunned as he looked around. He felt like an ant seeing a human dwelling for the first time.