The next morning reminded me that travelling with a bunch of kids was never going to be simple.
I woke up early to make breakfast for Eri and me while she sat by the door like an emperor awaiting their audience.
*Ding. Dong.*
Eri's eyes lit up. She rushed for the entrance, and less than a minute later she came back into the kitchen, cape-less and still somehow dramatic.
'My servant! We're under attack! The knight has been defeated by the forces of sleep!'
I plated the food. 'So Saki overslept?'
'That is correct.' Eri nodded gravely. 'Despite Lady Hina spending the night there, the knight has fallen.'
A moment later, Hina stepped inside dragging Saki by the wrist.
Saki looked half-dead. She stumbled forward like a prisoner being brought in for judgment.
'Ow ow ow. Hina, you're hurting me.'
'Good,' Hina said flatly. 'Maybe pain will teach you what alarms clearly can't.'
Saki froze.
'Sniff sniff.'
She slowly turned toward the table.
Like a corpse reanimated by a necromancer, she drifted toward the food by smell alone until she was standing in front of it.
'Saki,' Hina said, already tired. 'That's not yours.'
'But you didn't let me eat.'
'You chose to wake up late.'
'Don't worry,' I said. 'I made extras.'
Saki's entire body came back to life.
'Thanks, Master!'
She projected a pair of chopsticks into her hand and immediately started eating.
'To think you would use your powers like that?' I shook my head.
She glanced up at me with her mouth full.
'If I'm hungry, how do you expect me to perform at peak efficiency?'
Kasumi then came in, carrying two extra bags.
'Good morning, Di-ran.'
'Morning.'
She smiled softly, then looked at Saki.
'Saki… are you okay?'
Saki raised a thumb. 'I'm alive again.'
Kasumi set the bags down beside the others.
I looked at them. 'What are those two bags for? I thought you brought them all over yesterday?'
'Saki's things that she threw away.' Hina glared at the back of her head.
Saki kept eating, completely unaware of the killing intent behind her.
Eri placed a hand over her chest. 'To think the knight has invisible enemies she has to fight.'
'You're not helping,' Hina said.
Saki turned toward me with wounded pride. 'Master, defend your disciple's honour.'
'No.'
'Traitor. I thought you were my master.'
'And I thought my disciple could wake up on time.'
Kasumi covered her mouth, trying to hide a laugh.
Saki looked at her with hope in her eyes. 'Kasumi, back me up.'
'Umm… sorry, Saki.'
While the chaos continued, I walked over to the pile of bags by the wall.
Everything had already been sorted yesterday thanks to Hina and Kasumi fixing the disasters that had been Eri's bag, Saki's bag, and apparently mine too.
'Are you all finished with these?'
'Yes,' they said.
I crouched down and started putting the bags into my inventory one by one.
Kasumi watched quietly beside me.
'It really all fits.'
'I told you it would.'
She gave a small nod. 'Still… seeing it makes me feel better.'
Eri folded her arms. 'This lord remains impressed by such peasant-defying storage magic.'
I looked at her. 'You've seen it many times already. Why are you acting surprised?'
'Because this lord chooses to be generous and admire your useful abilities from time to time.'
'How kind of you.'
'Now. It is time for this lord to feast.'
Once everything was done, all that was left was to double-check that we had our tickets.
We stood in line, ticket in hand, while Hina walked around checking.
'Good. Good. Good…'
Then she stopped in front of Saki.
'Where is your ticket?'
Saki stood up straight and saluted.
'My ticket is here, Sergeant.'
Saki patted her pockets. Her eyes widened. She checked the pockets again like it might magically appear there.
'Haha… well you see…'
Hina's eye twitched.
'Saki.'
'I had it! I really had it!'
'When?'
'Yesterday when you gave it to me.'
Hina facepalmed herself.
Saki immediately dropped to the floor and started searching.
As Hina took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.
Kasumi crouched beside Saki.
'Maybe it's in your bag?'
'Master, take it out!'
'Calm down.'
I pulled the bag back out.
Saki dug through it at terrifying speed. Clothes. Snacks. Hats. More snacks, but still no ticket.
'I'm going to collapse,' Hina muttered.
'Wait!' Saki dug through another compartment. 'Found it!'
She held it up like she had just drawn a holy sword from the stone.
Hina stared at her for a few seconds, then snatched the ticket out of her hand.
'From now until we get on the train, I'm holding this.'
I put Saki's bag back into my inventory before she could somehow lose that too.
Not long after, we finally stepped outside.
The morning air was cool, the complete opposite of the afternoon.
For once, nobody was arguing. Kasumi walked beside me, looking around the neighbourhood like it was her first time. Eri walked in front as if she were leading an army to claim new territory. Saki stretched her arms over her head and yawned. Hina kept checking the time on her phone, probably out of trauma more than necessity.
I looked at all of them and felt something strange settle in my chest. I should have hated this. It was noisy, stupid, and a little exhausting looking after a wannabe knight and a little emperor.
But somehow, it felt nice.
'Di-ran?'
Kasumi's voice pulled me out of it.
'What is it?'
She hesitated for a moment before smiling. 'Nothing. You just looked… happy.'
Before I could answer, Saki suddenly pointed ahead.
'Come on! Kyoto awaits!'
'Don't run ahead!' Hina tried to catch her.
Eri pointed. 'Forward, my retainers. Today, Kyoto shall bear witness to the arrival of the Dark Lord.'
Kasumi let out a small laugh.
So much for a peaceful departure.
By the time we reached the station, it was already crowded with other travellers carrying suitcases and half-asleep children.
Which meant I was once again confronted by my old enemy.
Train station.
Fortunately, Hina was reliable as ever.
'Remember, follow me closely, it's easy to get lost in this crowd.'
We all followed our tour guide, Eri lightly holding onto the back of my shirt as we navigated the crowd.
At the gate, Hina handed Saki her ticket. Saki fed it into the slot, stepped through, and threw both hands into the air.
'I'll be taking that back,' Hina said, snatching the ticket.
Once all five of us were through, I could see the tension melt off of Hina right away.
'We still have a little time before the train, if you need the toilet, go now.' Then she looked directly at Saki. 'I already know where you want to go.'
Saki grinned shamelessly 'So are you coming?'
Hina faced us.
'We're getting food. Does anyone else want anything?'
We all ended up going.
Saki's eyes darted wildly over everything on display while Eri, for some reason known only to herself, focused exclusively on the expensive options with 'premium' written on the label.
After that came toilets, and then finally our platform.
When we got there, Hina scanned the ticket again and again.
'I'm going to the vending machine,' Saki declared.
And she was gone before Hina could answer.
Kasumi looked after her. 'Umm… I'll go too.'
'This lord shall follow.'
The three of them drifted off together, leaving me beside Hina.
'How are you holding up?'
Hina rubbed her forehead. 'Not great. Slight headache.'
'Want me to take over?'
She shook her head. 'No. I'll sleep on the train.'
I don't know if I was a bad person for feeling relieved when she said no.
A few moments later Saki came jogging back, holding two bottles.
'Here you go, Hina.' Saki held out a bottle. 'I know that you like tea, but not sure if you wanted hot or cold.'
Hina stared for a moment, then took it.
'Thanks, Saki.'
Saki grinned. 'No problem.'
Saki unscrewed her bottle and chugged it.
*Tap. Tap.*
'Here, you go, my servant.'
Eri held out another bottle.
'This lord is not accustomed to her servant's taste, so this lord selected this for you.'
I gently grabbed it. 'Thanks, Eri.'
When I patted her head, she immediately closed her eyes in satisfaction.
A few minutes later, the train arrived.
Once we boarded, I ended up sitting with Eri and Kasumi while Saki and Hina sat across.
Before the train had even properly left the station, Saki had already opened her food.
Then the train began moving.
I looked out the window. Buildings gradually gave way to wider stretches of land, the scenery shifting bit by bit while the carriage settled into a calmer rhythm.
Beside me, Eri had gone strangely silent as she watched outside. Kasumi leaned slightly toward the glass, her eyes bright with excitement. Across from us, Saki kept eating while Hina finally got the peace she had earned hours ago.
Hours passed by in peace and before I knew it, the train was already slowing down.
An announcement echoed through the carriage.
'We will soon be arriving at Kyoto Station.'
Hina opened her eyes.
'Alright. Check your things and don't leave rubbish behind.'
Once the train stopped, we stepped out onto the platform.
The first thing I noticed was how different it felt from Tokyo. People moved without the usual rush, and even in the middle of the crowd, the station felt easier to breathe in.
I looked around the station. Glass and steel stretched around us, reflecting the light and making the place feel open in a way Tokyo rarely did. Even with all the people, it didn't feel like the city was trying to crush us.
'The hotel isn't far, so don't get distracted,' Hina said.
We made it there without losing anyone, which by our standards counted as a miracle.
Check-in still wasn't ready yet, so the others headed to the nearby convenience store while I stayed behind in the lobby.
The sudden quiet felt strange after the morning we'd had.
I sat down, leaned back, and closed my eyes.
That was when my phone buzzed.
[Marie: Welcome to Kyoto, darling.]
I scratched my head wondering how she knew.
[Marie: I told you our paths would cross.]
'Huh?'
Then I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
I turned around.
'Did you miss me, darling?'
Marie stood there, smiling.