“Did you hear about Abe from 3-C?”
“Was he absent again today?”
“Yeah, Tamaki said she saw the police talking to his parents last night too.”
“No way, really?”
The waning sun painted the sky in deep hues of reddish-orange and bleeding purple, as the evening lights of Tokyo prickled along the landscape. The three girls sat around a pair of desks that had been pulled together, a pile of notebooks and loose papers between them. The two girls on the corner were chatting away about the latest bit of gossip as Seika leaned back in her chair looking out the window. The days activities were winding down, clubs in the sports fields gathering for final huddles as a trickle of students exited through the gates. Her study group too had been all but done for the last thirty minutes, kept in place by the inertia of conversation alone.
“Didn’t he just run away?” Seika said, looking back at her friends.
“Yeah! That’s what I thought, but they’re saying—“
Four chimes played overhead, interrupting the short haired Kaede. The in-ceiling speakers snapped to life with a familiar electronic hiss followed by a flat male voice.
”The time is seven PM, club activities are ending for the day. The gates will be locked in thirty, so please make your way home before it gets too dark. Thank you.”
“I suppose that’s enough for today then.” The taller Yuriko said. Seika agreed with a short hum and she flipped her notebook closed and slid it back into her messenger tote.
“We meeting again tomorrow?” Kaede asked.
“Mm, it’ll have to be without me. Got track.” Seika said, stretching out muscles stiffened by hours of leaning over books as she rose to her feet.
“In this heat? That sounds miserable.” Kaede said as she too got up to her feet.
“That’s summer.” Yuriko said, slipping her book bag onto her shoulders and tilting her head towards the door. “Shall we?”
—————
By the time the trio had made their way to the school’s gate the oppressive, sticky, heat of the day was giving way to the coolness of early evening. The sun had vanished beneath the jagged skyline of Tokyo, and a gathering gloom filled the spaces where the streetlamps didn’t cast their gaze. A pair of crows sat on the pole closest to the school’s gate, their black eyes reflecting light as they watched the trio pass.
The conversation had moved on to weekend plans as they walked. It was a quiet night, or at least as quiet as this part of Tokyo ever was, as the thin line of students finished with their evening activities made their way back home. The bright lights of passing cars caused Seika to squint, though thankfully there were few motorists out and about. A humid wind carried with it the lingering heat which radiated from the asphalt. Soon enough and a few turns through cramped alleyways the thin stream of people was reduced to the three girls.
“I’m starving, do you want to grab a burger?” Kaede asked as they descended down a flight of stairs.
“Isn’t it late for something greasy?” Yuriko shot back.
“Isn’t that the best time for it?” Kaede said, getting a laugh from the other two.
“ I need to get up early.” Seika said with a shrug.
“I swear you’re never any fun.” Kaede stuck out her tongue before she looked back at Yuriko. “You’ll join, right?”
“Sure, sure, but I’m only getting fries.” The taller girl said as the trio stepped off the staircase into the lights of a convenience store below.
“Mm, I’ll join tomorrow, promise.” Seika said.
“Yeah, but what if we don’t go tomorrow?” Kaede said.
“I’ll see you two tomorrow.” Seika said, a grin splitting her lips as she raised her hand. Yuriko snickered.
“What? Hey!” Kaede responded, feigning a hurt expression, “we don’t go that often.” The three laughed as they said their goodbyes before going their separate ways.
——————
The walk from the school to her house wasn’t a particularly long one, if you took the right shortcuts. One was through a small park which was nestled between two apartment complexes. During the day the park was a pleasant place to relax, but at night the light provided by the streetlamps was thin. Still, the space was wide open so it was easy to keep an eye out for someone suspicious. Or, at least Seika believed so, it wasn’t like she had ever really put that belief into practice.
The long branches of nearby trees swayed with the evening breeze as she passed. The ever present buzz of the city felt distant, muffled as it was by the surrounding trees. The night held a stillness to it, or, no there was something more wasn’t there? A quiet noise, something foreign yet strangely familiar. Seika slowed, a feeling of unease settling into her stomach. It was a low sound, broken by sudden sharp cuts.
A figure quivered on a bench resting beneath a dim light. A girl, about thirty steps away, who sat hunched forward her face pressed into her slim hands. Quiet, constant, sobs drifted in the air, broken up only by sharp pulls of air. Seika hesitated, a piece of her mind warning her away grappling with an empathetic pang. Her lips parted as empathy won out.
“Hello?” She called. The girl didn’t respond. Seika stepped closer. It was hard to tell how old she was, but Seika felt that the girl might have been a year or two younger. She wore a school uniform, but Seika didn’t recognize the design as any nearby school. That skittish part of her mind again screamed warning, but empathy granted her another couple of steps. “I’m sorry, can I help?”
Gentle sobs. Her body swayed with them. Seika froze in place.
”I don’t want to go home.” The girl spoke, her voice soft but clear in the evening air.
“Is that so?” Seika said. She could feel herself reflexively tensing and attempted to will her body to relax. “It’s okay, you know? I feel like running away sometimes.” Seika snapped her jaw closed. Why had she said that? Her heart fluttered in her chest. The girl stopped moving, her body frozen in an odd tilt.
Suddenly the girl sprang to her feet. Or, perhaps it was more like tumbling away from the bench. The girl’s hand reached out with incredible speed, her fingers grasping the bottom of Seika’s blazer before her knees struck the ground. Seika tried to pull herself away, but her feet felt rooted in place, her muscles refused even as her mind sputtered at her to run. The girl’s other hand slid up along her side, grasped another handful of cloth as she pulled herself up. She raised her lower hand, her fingers curling around Seika’s shoulder. Her hand was so cold. Seika’s lips parted, but no sound came.
The girl lifted her head inches from Seika’s, her pale eyes staring into her’s. Her skin was so smooth, as if it had never before been stressed by a smile or frown, never been touched by the sun.
“Really?” The girl said.
Seika tried to scream, but she felt herself falling into the night.
“Was he absent again today?”
“Yeah, Tamaki said she saw the police talking to his parents last night too.”
“No way, really?”
The waning sun painted the sky in deep hues of reddish-orange and bleeding purple, as the evening lights of Tokyo prickled along the landscape. The three girls sat around a pair of desks that had been pulled together, a pile of notebooks and loose papers between them. The two girls on the corner were chatting away about the latest bit of gossip as Seika leaned back in her chair looking out the window. The days activities were winding down, clubs in the sports fields gathering for final huddles as a trickle of students exited through the gates. Her study group too had been all but done for the last thirty minutes, kept in place by the inertia of conversation alone.
“Didn’t he just run away?” Seika said, looking back at her friends.
“Yeah! That’s what I thought, but they’re saying—“
Four chimes played overhead, interrupting the short haired Kaede. The in-ceiling speakers snapped to life with a familiar electronic hiss followed by a flat male voice.
”The time is seven PM, club activities are ending for the day. The gates will be locked in thirty, so please make your way home before it gets too dark. Thank you.”
“I suppose that’s enough for today then.” The taller Yuriko said. Seika agreed with a short hum and she flipped her notebook closed and slid it back into her messenger tote.
“We meeting again tomorrow?” Kaede asked.
“Mm, it’ll have to be without me. Got track.” Seika said, stretching out muscles stiffened by hours of leaning over books as she rose to her feet.
“In this heat? That sounds miserable.” Kaede said as she too got up to her feet.
“That’s summer.” Yuriko said, slipping her book bag onto her shoulders and tilting her head towards the door. “Shall we?”
—————
By the time the trio had made their way to the school’s gate the oppressive, sticky, heat of the day was giving way to the coolness of early evening. The sun had vanished beneath the jagged skyline of Tokyo, and a gathering gloom filled the spaces where the streetlamps didn’t cast their gaze. A pair of crows sat on the pole closest to the school’s gate, their black eyes reflecting light as they watched the trio pass.
The conversation had moved on to weekend plans as they walked. It was a quiet night, or at least as quiet as this part of Tokyo ever was, as the thin line of students finished with their evening activities made their way back home. The bright lights of passing cars caused Seika to squint, though thankfully there were few motorists out and about. A humid wind carried with it the lingering heat which radiated from the asphalt. Soon enough and a few turns through cramped alleyways the thin stream of people was reduced to the three girls.
“I’m starving, do you want to grab a burger?” Kaede asked as they descended down a flight of stairs.
“Isn’t it late for something greasy?” Yuriko shot back.
“Isn’t that the best time for it?” Kaede said, getting a laugh from the other two.
“ I need to get up early.” Seika said with a shrug.
“I swear you’re never any fun.” Kaede stuck out her tongue before she looked back at Yuriko. “You’ll join, right?”
“Sure, sure, but I’m only getting fries.” The taller girl said as the trio stepped off the staircase into the lights of a convenience store below.
“Mm, I’ll join tomorrow, promise.” Seika said.
“Yeah, but what if we don’t go tomorrow?” Kaede said.
“I’ll see you two tomorrow.” Seika said, a grin splitting her lips as she raised her hand. Yuriko snickered.
“What? Hey!” Kaede responded, feigning a hurt expression, “we don’t go that often.” The three laughed as they said their goodbyes before going their separate ways.
——————
The walk from the school to her house wasn’t a particularly long one, if you took the right shortcuts. One was through a small park which was nestled between two apartment complexes. During the day the park was a pleasant place to relax, but at night the light provided by the streetlamps was thin. Still, the space was wide open so it was easy to keep an eye out for someone suspicious. Or, at least Seika believed so, it wasn’t like she had ever really put that belief into practice.
The long branches of nearby trees swayed with the evening breeze as she passed. The ever present buzz of the city felt distant, muffled as it was by the surrounding trees. The night held a stillness to it, or, no there was something more wasn’t there? A quiet noise, something foreign yet strangely familiar. Seika slowed, a feeling of unease settling into her stomach. It was a low sound, broken by sudden sharp cuts.
A figure quivered on a bench resting beneath a dim light. A girl, about thirty steps away, who sat hunched forward her face pressed into her slim hands. Quiet, constant, sobs drifted in the air, broken up only by sharp pulls of air. Seika hesitated, a piece of her mind warning her away grappling with an empathetic pang. Her lips parted as empathy won out.
“Hello?” She called. The girl didn’t respond. Seika stepped closer. It was hard to tell how old she was, but Seika felt that the girl might have been a year or two younger. She wore a school uniform, but Seika didn’t recognize the design as any nearby school. That skittish part of her mind again screamed warning, but empathy granted her another couple of steps. “I’m sorry, can I help?”
Gentle sobs. Her body swayed with them. Seika froze in place.
”I don’t want to go home.” The girl spoke, her voice soft but clear in the evening air.
“Is that so?” Seika said. She could feel herself reflexively tensing and attempted to will her body to relax. “It’s okay, you know? I feel like running away sometimes.” Seika snapped her jaw closed. Why had she said that? Her heart fluttered in her chest. The girl stopped moving, her body frozen in an odd tilt.
Suddenly the girl sprang to her feet. Or, perhaps it was more like tumbling away from the bench. The girl’s hand reached out with incredible speed, her fingers grasping the bottom of Seika’s blazer before her knees struck the ground. Seika tried to pull herself away, but her feet felt rooted in place, her muscles refused even as her mind sputtered at her to run. The girl’s other hand slid up along her side, grasped another handful of cloth as she pulled herself up. She raised her lower hand, her fingers curling around Seika’s shoulder. Her hand was so cold. Seika’s lips parted, but no sound came.
The girl lifted her head inches from Seika’s, her pale eyes staring into her’s. Her skin was so smooth, as if it had never before been stressed by a smile or frown, never been touched by the sun.
“Really?” The girl said.
Seika tried to scream, but she felt herself falling into the night.
