Intermission: Central Japan Railway—Hon-Nagashino Station

Intermission: Central Japan Railway—Hon-Nagashino Station

Intermission:

Central Japan Railway

Hon-Nagashino Station

A YOUNG GIRL WITH SUN-KISSED SKIN ALIGHTED from the SUV at Hon-Nagashino Station, along the Iida Line.

“Thanks, Grandma. I’ll let you know when I get home.”

Yakishio Lemon waved to the elderly woman in the driver seat.

Her grandmother leaned out the window and smiled at her granddaughter. “Why don’t I take you all the way back, sweetie?”

“That’s okay. Need some time to think anyway.”

“All right. Well, be careful now.”

“I will.” Lemon circled around and hugged her through the window.

Four days ago, Lemon had scared her grandmother about half to death when she arrived out of the blue. Twice over when she saw the robotic smile her granddaughter had plastered onto her face.

It was gone now, replaced by something real. Something a little more grown-up, the grandmother thought. Then again, a grandma’s eyes always measured in maturity when it came to grandkids.

The grandmother straightened the clip in Lemon’s hair. “You’ve been blessed with wonderful people in your life.”

“Yeah. Guess I have.”

Another hug, and off she went. With one last wave, Lemon vanished into the station.

She strode past an empty waiting room and its many dull brown seats, then through the ticket gate. There were no employees out at this hour. She crossed over the crossing and went to where a few scattered people waited for their trains.

Lemon patted herself on the cheeks. No more running.

Her friends in the literature club should have been well on their way back to Toyohashi right about then. Lemon wanted to do right by them. To settle things for good between her and Mitsuki.

Hon-Nagashino to Toyohashi was about an hour by train. Lemon scanned the platform for her gate when she spotted something that made her heart skip a beat. A girl in an orange one-piece and a fancy hat stood not too far from her.

Lemon pressed her hand to her chest and breathed before approaching. “Asagumo-san?”

“I suppose this is the first time it’s been just the two of us,” she said, lowering her head.

Lemon wanted to ask what she was doing here, but that would have been redundant. Why else if not for the obvious?

Instead, she asked, “How did you know I’d be here?”

“Nukumizu-san said you wanted to talk, so I asked him for your schedule.”

“No idea how you sussed out I’d be at this station. You could have waited for me in Toyohashi.”

“This couldn’t wait. Besides, I wanted to talk too.” Asagumo removed her hat, tilted her head ever so slightly to look at her, and smiled. “I want to get to know you, Yakishio-san. May I?”

There was fear and anxiety in those words. Beyond the pretty face she put on.

Lemon lowered the last of her walls. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

The tracks rumbled, telling of a coming train as a speaker announced its arrival. “Toyohashi-bound,” it said. The two girls, one tawny, one short, watched it pull up to the platform.

“Train’s here,” said Lemon.

“So it seems,” said the short one. “Should we take it together or let it go and continue this in the waiting room?”

“What’s your plan if you miss this one?”

“Take the next one.”

“At least we’d have each other, I guess.”

They laughed together.

The train’s brakes creaked gently. When it came to a stop, Asagumo pushed the button to open the door. “After you. It’s a long wait to the next one.”

“Why thank you, Asagumo-san.”

“You’re very welcome.” Asagumo started to follow but turned around at the last second, hiked her skirt, and scurried back.

“What are you doing?”

“One second!” she shouted back. She dunked something into the trash can then hopped back onto the train. As the doors shut, she let out a sigh.

“What was that about?”

“Just a promise to Nukumizu-san that I broke. I’m done now, though. For good.”

Lemon blinked her big eyes. “A whuh?”

Asagumo made a playful grin and put a finger up to her lips. “Keep it between us, okay?”

Lemon couldn’t help but grin back.

People can never truly understand one another. That’s why we communicate, to try and make sense of the nonsense. To know the unknowable.

For the first time in her life, Lemon truly and genuinely wanted to know Asagumo.