Chapter Text
Shinya walked quickly until he arrived at the ninth carriage. The difference was that from the first to the eighth carriage was all the same, but this was completely different. No more wooden steam train carriages, but a modern Japanese train carriage.
It was really dirty and shabby inside now, with minimal lighting that even the flickering lights would turn off. Not only that, Shinya also saw many black liquids stuck to the walls, full of small eyes looking at him skeptically. They crawled slowly like lizards but were shapeless, making Shinya frown in disgust.
He took a step back and bumped into someone behind him. It was Hiro. The man looked at him with worry mixed with annoyance.
"Are you out of mind?! What do you think you're doing?!"
Shinya just grimaced.
"Um, I want to go back..."
Suddenly Hiro pinched his arm and then kicked his ankle, causing him to fall. Actually the attack wasn't too painful, but his body fell against his machine gun, causing him to experience double pain. The young man groaned in pain while Hiro beside him just stood staring.
He looked around and seemed agitated at the amount of black liquid on the walls of the carriage.
"Ugh, after I left for so long, they're still here."
Shinya repositioned himself and got up, holding his machine gun which made him throb painfully. He wasn't angry at Hiro because he felt he deserved punishment for his rash actions. Instead, his eyes wandered around, curious about the black liquid-like creature.
Hiro took out his gun and shot one. The black liquid shattered, then struggled again. Because of that, Hiro gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"There are more and more ayakashi. Who's doing this?"
He then turned to Shinya who was looking at him innocently.
"What's on your mind, buddy?"
"Uh, what does that have to do with my mind—"
Pointing his gun at Shinya, Hiro suddenly fired again. The bullet slid an inch from Shinya's neck, hitting a small round black creature. Its body shattered and splattered on the floor.
Shinya's eyes widened in shock. He rubbed the back of his neck, slightly shocked.
"Be careful, there are many ayakashi here." Hiro said while turning his head to observe the carriage.
The man crouched down and looked at Shinya. Shinya was a little nervous and moved away a little.
The black creatures sprung up again on the back of Shinya's neck, hovering innocently. Their eyes were two and large, seemingly harmless, but Hiro continued to grip his gun in anticipation.
"Tell me..."
Shinya squeezed his uniform, trembling. He was dripping with sweat, not knowing what to say. He seemed to be hesitating.
That's right, he doesn't fully trust Hiro yet. He thought Hiro wouldn't really help him find Byakkomaru because he took him to enjoy the view of space instead of focusing on searching. All they had been doing was exploring and having fun.
Shinya had intended to find an exit and reorganize his plan, but things had turned around now. Facing even a small monster, he trembled. He realizes he is completely innocent of this world and should rely on Hiro... for a while.
He honestly hated being dependent on others. He wants to be wanted, but for Hiro,
Seems to know everything, strong and clever. It seemed like that man was old enough to be independent. A perfect man, not broken like Guren. He didn't need his help. No one needed him.
He really should just die—
Bang!
"Asshole! I told you to get rid of your negative thoughts! Ayakashi likes the negative aura of humans!"
After a long time Shinya doesn't answer and more and more of the ayakashi, now clinging to Shinya's neck so Hiro is forced to shoot him again, being very careful not to slice his neck.
Shinya woke up from his subconscious. He watched as the ayakashi appeared more and more, either on the corners of the train, the walls, or the floor.
Hiro grew restless and stood up.
"Damn! There's no point in fighting back. Now let's go to the back carriage!" he called out.
"Let's find the exit!"
Shinya was still trying to digest what had happened when Hiro took off running. He was surprised then get up, running half dragged by the weight of the machine gun.
He remembers Hiro lifting the machine gun to make it easier to carry. So, Shinya does the same and now starts running fast after Hiro.
The ayakashi behind him chased after him, sometimes managing to get ahead of him and then forming a rope across with the intention of knocking Shinya down. One time Shinya stumbled and got up again. The second time, Shinya was forced to stop and shoot them. His hand pulled the trigger but the machine gun did not fire. He forgot the activating spell and immediately said "shoot". Again, he fell backwards under the pressure of the machine gun.
Moving between carriages, he ran and ran, fell and got up again, but never made it to the back carriage. Though he was already in the ninth carriage, it was certainly not far to the fourteenth. Sweat poured down his temples and he began to run out of energy.
Shinya paused in the middle of the road and gathered his breath. The ayakashi behind him disappeared, now gathering right in front of him. Stacking on top of each other to form a high wall, preventing him from advancing.
They stayed and struggled there, refusing to leave. Once again Shinya aimed his machine gun at the ayakashi wall, firing many bullets.
But it failed. The bullets bounced back and almost hit his head. Shinya ducked and the bullets strayed into the carriage door.
Ayakashi was still there. Shinya racked his brain, looking for a solution. Machine gun didn't work on them because the bullets spread out. He needed something else, a big shot centered on one point.
Ah... come on! He complained.
What he needs now is a cannon. Does Hiro have that? His bag works like Doraemon's magic pocket.
That man disappeared from his side and made things even more difficult. Ah, is that man angry with him? It seemed like he was getting more and more stressed out all the time. Shinya should start being a good boy.
The young man chuckled in annoyance and aimed his machine gun again, firing hopelessly now.
Cannon... I need cannon! He muttered many times.
Unexpectedly, a miracle happened; the barrel of the machine gun slid downward, inward, leaving a single widened barrel. The weapon's length from halfway up the body became as tall as the body, and its size increased as well. Shinya could feel his arm throbbing again and there was a sound like steel rubbing together inside. He winced as he felt such pain that his left hand had to hold his right arm.
The strange modification continued until there was a "click" and Shinya felt the pain lessen. He stared in disbelief at his right arm.
The machine gun had been replaced by a much larger, black and shiny weapon. A cannon, exactly what he wanted.
The ayakashi remained silent and did not attack him, so he decided to observe the cannon for a while. In between the hollow of the weapon, there was a piece of paper. Shinya picked it up and read the contents. He didn't recognize the writing, but identified it as Hiro.
"Cannon Mode, use “fire” spell. Good luck!" and the message ends with a picture of a smiling chibi Hiro sticking out his tongue.
How nosy... Shinya stared flatly at the paper then sighed softly and put it in his pocket. Gosh, how far is Hiro's work really?!
Whatever, just try and break through first.
The weight of the weapon now doubled and Shinya had to expend extra effort just to lift and aim it.
The ayakashi in front of him had no eyes, but Shinya was sure they were looking at him with a dismissive gaze. Because of that, he grinned and adjusted his body position.
"Fire" he said in low voice, then he felt something crackle from inside accompanied by a rumbling sound. A bluish light emerged from inside the cannon and in an instant, a cannonball shot out. The cannon body recoiled violently and made him flinch more than the machine gun. His right leg quickly kept him from falling.
In front of him, the cannonball hit the ayakashi wall and exploded. The wall shattered and the wind pressure came crashing down. Shinya quickly stand the cannon and held on to it.
The explosion ended and left behind smoke that slowly dissipated. The sticky black liquid was now everywhere, including on his face. Shinya stuck out his tongue in disgust and wiped his face.
The attack was successful.
But now he needed an explanation from that damn Hiro. It was lucky to get a cannon, but he didn't tell him in the first place!
Shinya was panting and trying to walk. The transformation had drained his strength and he felt like he was going to die (though he was already dead). His legs felt weak and trembling but he fought the condition. His left hand moved to open the dirty carriage door and walked with his arm dragging, unable to run anymore, hoping to reach the back carriage soon.
-
The further back the carriage went, the gloomier the atmosphere became. Just like before, it felt like he hadn't made it to the fourteenth carriage. According to his calculations, he had passed eleven carriages and still hadn't reached the end.
Hiro disappeared, and now he's on an endless train that doesn't even have an exit. Alone forever with only monsters for company, something like that feels more terrifying than death.
Shinya swallowed and kept moving forward. Calm down, there might be an answer behind all this weirdness.
"It's an ayakashi illusion. It's okay, until this carriage, you're safe." A familiar voice startled him. He turned to the source of the voice and found Hiro standing beside him, looking at him with a smile.
Shinya's expression immediately turned happy. He approaches Hiro and almost hugs him out of happiness, but something stops him. A strange feeling that sets off the danger alarm.
It was the same feeling when he faced an ayakashi, but the ayakashi had already been defeated. Is there another ayakashi here?
"I told you not to go to the back carriage..." Hiro said slowly.
Shinya remained silent, standing only a meter away from Hiro. His head lowered, looking regretful.
"Yes... I was too rash. I'm sorry."
Hiro in front of him now smiled gently. The look in his eyes was calm. Then he extended his hand to Shinya.
"Then let's go back to the front carriage." He said. His voice was reassuring.
"There's nothing we can do here."
Shinya raised his head again, looking at the hand doubtfully. He intended to accept but again stopped. Something seemed to prevent him, suggesting him to run away.
"......"
Hiro is still angry with him. Last time he saw him, he wasn't smiling.
He now realized the strangeness of what was happening. So, Shinya did not accept Hiro's hand and retreated.
"No, we’ll go to the back carriage." He said firmly. "You said it yourself."
The man looked a little surprised, but then smiled again. "Alright."
Shinya frowned.
"You... still mad at me?"
Hiro shook his head, smiling broadly instead.
"No! Not again."
Shinya held the cannon, then looked at the door of the next carriage. Hiro said the ayakashi illusion is over, so it must be the real carriage, right?
He steps towards the door, with Hiro in tow. Suddenly midway, he stops. His body is still turned away from Hiro and he can't see the man's face, but he's pretty sure the man is looking at him still with his big, horrible smile, which looks not-at-all-Hiro-like.
Gathering his guts, Shinya finally turned around and looked at him again. Hiro was still smiling, as he expected.
"Listen," he opened his mouth.
"I thought you wouldn't come."
"What do you mean?" interrupted Hiro, this time his tone sounded a little strange.
Shinya inhaled and exhaled, trying to remain calm.
"You won't get out of your own carriage..." there was a momentary pause in his sentence. Then Shinya's eyes looked at the strange man sharply.
"...ayakashi." He ended.
There was silence for a moment. Unexpectedly, Hiro burst out laughing. Shinya took a step back for safety. He now held his right arm tightly, ready to raise his cannon at any moment.
"Ahaha... what a smart young man. So quick to realize." He praised, wiping away the tears.
"Quick but too late for me."
Suddenly the ayakashi's left hand was extended, then clenched into a fist. The movement was apparently made to lock the carriage door. Clicks sounded on both sides of the carriage, then more black liquid appeared, from the cracks in the walls, from below creeping up the ayakashi's legs and then disappearing into him. His mouth grinned triumphantly.
"It's been a long time since a human came here." He said.
"I'm so bored... and hungry..."
Shinya now retreated further, keeping a safe distance. Cold sweat poured down his temples. His brain was working hard to find a way out. Both carriage doors were locked and now he was trapped here with a strange ayakashi, one that seemed different from the others, perhaps even stronger. That assumption scared the hell out of him.
The ayakashi smiled weakly this time and walked over.
"My master rarely feeds me, I hate him."
"Oh yeah? Who is your master?"
The creature grinned again. There was a glint of hatred in its eyes. "A young man like you." he replied.
"He's fierce and stingy." Now his voice doesn't sound like Hiro's anymore, more like it's roaring and growling, like a monster.
He opened his mouth and saw his fangs popping out, panting like he was starving. Shinya swallowed. This scene was exactly like when the monsters in the Gate of Darkness appeared.
His calm demeanor faltered. His legs began to tremble and his breathing became irregular. He felt like running away, hiding and cowering somewhere.
The heavy cannon suddenly became even heavier, and Shinya lost his grip. He swerved to the right, just as the ayakashi leapt at him, pounced on him and then knocked him to the floor. Both hands were around his neck, choking him.
Shinya was short of breath. He tried to speak but his voice trailed off.
"Ah... someone h... he..."
"Help?" the ayakashi above him laughed mockingly. He sat on Shinya's stomach and grinned wide. His mouth was like a rip.
"Poor human, your life will end up as food."
He then opened his mouth now, his face no longer human due to the size of the mouth. The skin on his cheeks was folded like cloth due to the pressure and his eyes narrowed as if melting. It was about to devour Shinya and Shinya then closed his eyes resignedly accepting his fate, until a shot came.
"Die."
A sentence was spoken and then a bullet pierced the ayakashi's chest, almost hitting Shinya's forehead but he quickly shifted his head position, so the bullet ended up on the floor.
The ayakashi screamed out a howl, very loudly. Then his body was torn apart, breaking into black liquid that slowly dissipated into smoke.
Shinya was still trembling. A few tears escaped from his eyelids and he slowly opened his eyes again. A yellow-green figure appeared. It was a little blurry, but he knew someone was helping him.
"Buddy, are you okay?"
That voice. He recognized it.
Hiro.
Shinya rubbed his eyes to see more clearly. The man was crouched beside him, looking at him worriedly. His eyes scanned the condition of the young man's body, then heaved a sigh of relief.
"Ayakashi and their asshole disguises." He grumbled. His hand moved to stow the gun in his waist pocket again.
"Hn..." Shinya just nodded weakly. He wanted to cry. Wanted to hug the man beside him. The incident earlier shook his heart and all he wanted now was warmth and peace of mind.
But... hugging a man he didn't know just like that—
He noticed Hiro once again, who was also busy watching him. They both stare at each other, as if waiting for each other's answers.
Hiro is waiting for me... He thought.
Maybe it's okay, we're already friends...
He wakes up. His left hand reaches out to grab Hiro's uniform sleeve, intending to pull him into a hug. But it was not to be.
Because Hiro was hugged him first.
His movements were quick and sudden. In an instant the man's head was already on his shoulder, partially burying his face. Both hands wrapped around Shinya's waist, holding him tightly. His weight was slightly leaned on the young man. His eyes were closed and his mouth was silent for a moment, savoring the warmth of the blended bodies.
Shinya, on the other hand, was also silent but his eyes opened wide, realizing the situation now. A slight blush appeared on his cheeks for no reason, and he hugged Hiro back. He was confused by what happened, but his heart was grateful to get the hug he wanted.
Hiro raised his head slightly. His eyes looked a little watery—whether he had been crying, or it was just Shinya's feelings. It's surprising to see him in such a weakened state.
What did he encounter while being absent from his side?
"I'm sorry for leaving you. I was honestly scared." He said softly. Shinya could feel the man squeezing his uniform.
"...It's okay." The young man smiled, his hand patting Hiro's shoulder. "I was scared too."
Letting go of the hug, they both smiled at each other. This was strange, very strange. They had not been acquainted for a day, but they were already this close.
Speaking of close, Hiro takes a strange step now, bringing his face close to Shinya's until it's so close, maybe two inches away. He holds the fabric of his hood up and brings it closer to Shinya's face, wiping away the black liquid that stains his face.
Shinya closed his eyes. The blush on his cheeks, out of control, grew redder. Damn, what kind of reaction is this? It must have been very obvious in front of Hiro.
Hiro finished cleaning Shinya's face and moved away again, realizing that the young man was closing his eyes with his face completely red. He gasped in shock as reality struck.
What did he just do?
"Ah... well..." Hiro rubbed the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed at his actions earlier.
His mouth grinned. "Forget it," he cleared his throat softly, looking away. The brim of his hat was pulled up to cover his eyes.
Shinya opened his eyes, only smiling in return.
He was amused himself. His opinion was wrong, it turned out that Hiro was not as strong as he thought. Everyone has their own weak side, both need the other.
"Let's go to the back carriage, shall we?" he invited and stood up. His hand was extended to help Shinya up as well, and he accepted.
His expression had softened, at least that's what Shinya thought. It seemed like he was no longer angry.
-
"Is the illusion really over...?" asked Shinya doubtfully.
They stepped over a carriage and he began to hesitate again.
Hiro in front of him shook his head. "No, I killed the one who created the illusion." He emphasized, referring to the ayakashi who disguised as him.
"Two more carriages."
Shinya nodded.
So what they are stepping on now is the real carriage.
Unlike earlier, this carriage didn't have any black liquids, it was just shabby and old-looking. But to complicate matters, it was even less well-lit than the fake carriage, relying solely on starlight. The lights were completely out and they were forced to turn on flashlights.
Surprisingly, the sound of the rails rubbing against the iron wheels of the train seemed to be muffled, so the carriage was completely silent, leaving only the sound of their footsteps and breathing.
Shinya was still following Hiro behind. They reached the carriage door when Shinya noticed a black and red object beside him, lying on the bench. It was unclear what it was because it was dark.
He pointed his flashlight at the object and it was now clear that it was a hat. A machinist's hat.
Curious, he picked it up and observed it. Beautiful, the hat panel was red with a black brim, as well as a gold-colored strap that wrapped around the front and had a tassel on both ends. On the front panel was the emblem of a foreign agency that looked like a ribbon, so cute.
Shinya admires the hat and decides to try it on. He puts it on his head and calls out to Hiro. Hiro who was about to open the door looked over, his eyes widened.
"Oh my!" he screeched.
"It fits perfectly! Shinya! Where did you get that?!"
Shinya's head tilted several times towards the train bench as a gesture. Hiro nodded his head.
The man then walked over to Shinya and took his hat, observing.
"Who left such a nice hat, hmm..." he muttered, rubbing his chin.
The hat was turned upside down and revealed the inside. Hiro rubbed a part of the brim that was slightly blacker in color than the rest, like writing from ink. It seemed to have been so long ago that the writing was less clear, but Hiro could still read it.
"Campanella", that's what it says.
"Really?" he commented. Shinya looked beside him. He was also surprised.
"How could—" he snatched it back from Hiro's hand.
Shinya looked at him closely. A machinist's hat with the name Campanella... probably belonged to Campanella.
But Campanella is already dead. Was he left it here on purpose?
Shinya flipped through the hat, hesitating. It was very attractive and he wanted to wear it again.
"Wear it if you want." Hiro said suddenly.
Hearing that, Shinya laughed bitterly and shook his head. "No." He replied.
"It is not good to take what is not ours."
He looked at it once more. To be honest, he really wanted to have it, especially after Hiro said that it suited him. So, he puts it on one last time and looks in the window, making sure.
Suddenly, the glass reflected the image of a boy around his age, with silvery white hair, smiling and holding his hat. They looked very similar. However, looking again, the boy's hair was sticking out slightly. Shinya shouldn't have been surprised, if only the uniform was the same as him. The problem was, the uniform the boy was wearing was also different.
He stepped back. The boy did not step back, but smiled even wider and laughed amusedly. He looks very friendly.
Hiro was surprised at Shinya's behavior and looked, but he found nothing but Shinya's own reflection. Only Shinya can see the boy, or maybe it can only be seen according to his will.
The boy still smiled kindly, and shortly blew on the glass, leaving dew and then wrote something with his finger. The writing was upside down and Shinya had to think twice to read it.
"I'm in your hat. Please take me to him to say goodbye."
He wrote again.
"He's very lonely. Become his companion and I'll give you my hat."
He looked at him for reassurance. Shinya, though a little confused, nodded. The boy smiled once more and then slowly faded away, giving way to the reflection of the real Shinya.
Shinya sighed. What the hell was that? Just now he put on his hat—
His hat.
Shinya realized it himself. He seemed to know who he had seen earlier.
He tucked his hat further onto his head and stepped into the carriage door, leaving a confused Hiro behind.
"Oi," he called when Shinya was about to open the door.
"What did you see just now?"
Asked that, he chuckled. "Later," he replied.
"Now we really need to get to the back carriage!"
Hiro complied with Shinya's invitation, getting even more confused when he saw that his friend decided to take the hat.
-
If the count wasn't wrong, they had already passed two carriages. Now they arrived at the back carriage,
The fourteenth carriage.
Hiro suddenly turned off his flashlight for no reason. Shinya intends to ask but is immediately silenced by him, telling him to turn off his flashlight as well. He complied and pressed the off button.
They both stood silently in front of the carriage door. Absolute darkness enveloped the silent back carriage so Shinya couldn't see anything. He then felt Hiro's hand slowly slip from his mouth and, though he couldn't see it, he knew the man began to step forward.
Shinya followed him and not even ten steps in, Hiro stopped again and he almost bumped into him.
It felt like every time the man stopped suddenly, Shinya wanted to curse, but the circumstances required him to follow Hiro's every move, whether he liked it or not.
Perhaps this carriage is the most dangerous, so they have to be extra careful.
But standing still without doing anything bored Shinya. He wanted to ask Hiro all sorts of questions, especially about what they were going to do here.
"Shh, Hiro..." whispered Shinya.
"Yes?" came the whispered reply. Apparently Hiro wanted to answer.
Gathering his breath, Shinya opened his mouth again.
"What are we going to do here?"
This time there was no answer. Shinya was surprised and his hand reached forward to touch the shoulder of the man in front of him, but he felt nothing. He stepped a little, thinking the man had moved away, but the result was the same. There was nothing ahead.
Then he heard a whisper behind him. It was Hiro's voice.
Shinya gasped and almost screamed but was immediately silenced again by him.
That fast to change positions?! He screamed to himself.
He felt Hiro's breath near his ear, whispering something. There was a cautious tone in it.
"Don't do anything. Don't move. Don’t come forward. Stay still."
Shinya only nodded slightly in reply. He brushed Hiro's hand away from his mouth and stood still in place as Hiro told him to.
It seemed that the man behind him was not only silent, he was also thinking of a way out of this problem. Shinya just waited while guessing at what lay ahead.
Is it an invisible thing?
Wait, maybe the conductor Hiro was talking about is here—
The train was speeding past a star. Bright light instantly penetrated through the train's windows and overpowered the darkness of the carriage. The contents of the carriage were all revealed now, featuring the same wooden steam train carriages as the early ones. No more shabby modern Japanese carriages.
There was a rustling sound as the light entered. Shinya immediately covered his mouth when he realized there were many passengers in the red seats.
They are not human. More like little monsters. They came in all sorts of shapes, from black blobs with eyes, dwarf humans so skinny that their ribs were visible, to one-eyed goblins. They all made a lot of noise when the train was circling the stars. They all speak strange languages, not human languages.
But then he came across a figure whose stature was completely human, or perhaps it really was a human, standing among the seated passengers. In his hand was a ticket he had received from a passenger, examined it briefly, and then handed it back.
"Danke!" he said with a smile. His smile was as friendly as that of the boy he saw in the window.
Shinya is curious and intends to approach the person, for a moment a tight grip on his shoulder stops him. He looked back and was shocked, surprised to see Hiro's expression behind him.
The man was covered in sweat, his mouth was clamped shut, and his hand that was gripping Shinya was trembling. He was about to open his mouth but immediately closed it again, leaving many question marks in Shinya's head.
"Hiro, what's wrong with you?" after Shinya said that, Hiro tapped his forehead hard and then suddenly swore, drawing the attention of all the passengers.
"Goddamn it, we got caught!"
The passengers watched them silently, but then the one-eyed goblin tugged at the man's sleeve. His other hand pointed at them.
Then again, the train left the stars and the darkness returned. Hiro seemed to be getting more and more agitated and his grip tightened. While Shinya turned his gaze back to the man.
That friendly expression had disappeared. The person was now staring at them, his fiery red eyes radiating hatred, as if he would kill them at any moment.
Shinya finally realized who he was when he saw the uniform and the hat.
A conductor.
He feels Hiro's fear and steps back, gripping the man's shoulder with his left hand instead.
With the remaining light, Shinya saw the conductor turn his body position slightly and stand straight facing them. His two hands in front of his body held a stick, in an attack stance.
Because of this, Shinya also prepared his cannon.
So this is the conductor Hiro was talking about... He thought.
Unlike what he imagined, he looked very young, perhaps the same age as him. His height was slightly shorter than him. His bangs were neat but the back hair was a little messy, raspberry red in color. His jaw was sharp and narrow with a slightly protruding forehead, an ideal handsome face for a boy his age. His large, innocent-looking red eyes contrasted with the hatred he radiated.
"Do you think the two of us are strong enough to defeat him?" whispered Shinya. Hiro beside him shook his head in doubt.
"He has ayakashi." He replied. Shinya widened his eyes.
"Then, the ayakashi we met on the train were under his control?"
"True, though not all."
Shinya nodded in understanding. Well then, damn, they were facing a very strong person here.
I wish Guren was here.
He gasped to himself and tapped his forehead then grumbled as his fingers kneaded his bangs, trying to push the thought away. No, he couldn't depend on him too much.
He had to show that he was strong enough too.
"Who are you?" the conductor asked in a sharp tone. "Do you have tickets?"
Shinya prepares to light his cannon and is immediately prevented by Hiro.
"It's useless." He said.
Shinya swallowed. Seriously, what were they waiting for? The conductor was about to attack them.
His left hand was already damp with sweat. He was getting impatient.
Hiro stopped gripping his shoulders and stepped forward. In front of Shinya, he raised both of his hands and grinned.
"Um... we don't have any. So what should we do?"
Shinya did not expect that action and called out in reprimand. "Hiro!"
Hiro turned around, looking into his eyes, then brings his index finger closer again.
The conductor frowned at Hiro's statement, but then his eyes widened when he noticed something familiar in front of him.
There was a boy about his age, with silvery white hair, his eyes not brown but blue, sparkling with serenity. He wore a somewhat unfamiliar uniform, but the same colors, red and black. What's more, the hat he wore...
He has returned? The one he searched desperately to death for.
His expression softened, turning curious and slightly emotional. He stepped forward slowly, his hand reaching out to grab the hand of the person in front of him.
Hiro was surprised to see his reaction. He lowered his hand and backed away, hiding behind Shinya's back.
"Ugh... what will he do now?" he muttered.
Shinya also retreated. He averted his eyes, choosing to look at Hiro.
"Hiro... he's approaching us!"
"Then run! While we're being chased, let's find the exit."
The young man was shocked at the sudden decision. He was about to protest but was cut off by the man.
"I will count to 3 seconds."
Shit... Whatever.
Shinya immediately closed his eyes.
"1,"
The footsteps sounded closer and closer.
"2,"
He could feel two hands reaching for his left hand. Although they were covered by gloves, their touch felt warm and soft.
"3!"
Hiro suddenly turned around and ran towards the previous carriage. Shinya opened his eyes and intended to run too but something prevented him.
When he looked forward, a face was very close to him.
The conductor, holding his left hand with both hands. His red eyes looked straight into his blue eyes, glazed over.
"Campanella?" he said hoarsely.
"Is this you?"
Shinya was silent for a moment. He spoke but had trouble stringing words together and stuttered.
"Ah uhm... I'm... not... well..."
What's wrong with this situation? Who is this conductor? Why is he holding his hand so tightly? And why is he calling him Campanella?
"Your hat..." the conductor said again.
Shinya realized that he was still wearing the machinist's hat on his head. He then took it off and held it in front of his chest.
"It's not mine. I am not Campanella." He said after managing to string the words together.
The conductor looked doubtful. He stepped back a little.
"Really?"
They were staring at each other with uncertainty now, but soon the conductor continued to speak.
"Then how did you get that?" he asked, this time in a suspicious tone.
Shinya scratched his head. "Uh... he gave it to me if—" his sentence stopped. His head was bowed, groggy.
Of course he remembered what the boy had said, but saying it in front of this conductor sounded absurd. The boy, whom he guessed to be Campanella, had said to meet someone he wanted to say goodbye to. Saying it in front of this conductor would be a waste of time, especially if it got in the way even more.
"Who is he? Campanella?" the conductor asked impatiently.
"Uh, well..." Shinya could not continue his sentence anymore. He continued to look down while sweating. In his heart he mumbled to lock his mouth.
Hence, the conductor finally moved away, returning to stand his stick in front of him. His expression was sardonic.
"Then you stole from him and intend to imitate him? You're pretending to be Campanella?" he accused, sounding a little angry.
Shinya looked up and shook his head quickly.
"No! I didn't steal!"
The conductor looked incredulous. He sighed.
"Alright, do you have a ticket?"
Shinya shook his head.
A wide smile formed on the conductor's mouth. He settled into his attack stance again as the light dimmed in the carriage, returning to absolute darkness.
"Blinder Passagier. Ayakashi, get him and take his hat."
He tapped his stick on the floor. Hearing the sound creeping up the walls of the carriage, Shinya's instincts told him to run. So he turned around and broke down the carriage door as the black liquid chased him.