Go... go to Rin's house?
This invitation came too suddenly, so suddenly that her brain couldn't process it for a moment. She gripped the gift box in her hands even tighter, the ribbon digging into the gaps between her fingers, leaving shallow red marks.
"What do you mean..." She opened her mouth, her voice a bit dry, "Right now?"
"Yes, right now." Rin stood in the train car, her expression unchanged, "Or do you have other plans?"
"No, no..."
The train doors began to emit a "beep-beep-beep" warning sound.
"Then hurry up and get on."
Rin reached out her hand.
That hand hovered at the edge of the door, fair and slender, fingertips pointing slightly downward, waiting for something to fall into her palm.
Reina looked at that hand, then looked at Rin's expressionless face.
Then she grasped that hand and stepped onto the train.
It was warm, even warmer than she had imagined.
The doors closed behind her, shutting out the wind from the platform.
"Excuse me for intruding..." She whispered, her voice so soft it was as if she were afraid of disturbing something, just like she had already entered someone else's home.
Rin didn't speak; she simply withdrew her hand, walked a few steps into the depths of the car, and sat down by the window.
Reina followed and sat down next to her.
The train started, the platform outside the window slowly receding, soon swallowed by the darkness of the tunnel.
The train window turned into a blurry mirror, reflecting their silhouettes sitting side by side. Even though there were plenty of empty seats nearby, for some reason, there was only about a fist's distance between them.
————————
She had originally thought it wouldn't take very long, but unfortunately, reality is often unexpected.
After exiting the subway station and walking for about ten minutes, then transferring to the tram, it took a total of over forty minutes before Reina finally heard the words "We're almost there" from Rin.
The surrounding streetscape gradually became unfamiliar—not in a bad way, but with an atmosphere completely different from her side of town. The streets were quieter, the houses older, and trees she couldn't name were planted along the roadside.
"Rin lives here?"
"Yes."
"The environment... is actually quite nice."
...What kind of "near my train line" is this?
They were clearly worlds apart.
Recalling what Rin had said to her when they met on the tram earlier, Reina silently complained to herself.
Her gaze kept wandering over Rin, wanting to see even a hint of abnormality on the other girl's gait or face that might indicate a guilty conscience.
However, there was none.
The girl even remembered to reply, "Yes, the rent is quite cheap too."
Reina was rendered speechless by Rin.
Fine, fine... you win.
But come to think of it, they weren't exactly very close back then, so using lies or messy excuses to brush her off was perfectly normal.
So... what was Rin's real purpose in taking that tram at that time?
It couldn't just be to see me, right?
...How could that be? Reina, oh Reina, you might be a bit too narcissistic.
Forget it, when they get closer in the future, she would naturally find out.
[Yeah, what really was the purpose?]
[Forget about that for now, we're almost at Treasure Rin's house, time to meet the in-laws.]
[? I thought the hints were obvious enough? The unique personality, only buying an amulet for herself, renting a place alone—isn't it obvious that something happened with her parents?]
[Don't be so absolute, maybe she just has a bad relationship with her parents, so she rents a place alone.]
[I doubt it.]
[Wait, why are your focus points so weird? Shouldn't you be more curious about the maiden's boudoir?]
[The guy above is a total pervert, confirmed.]
[Drag him out and electrocute him for fifteen minutes.]
[You've got the wrong guy! I just like the white-haired, aloof type, don't shock me!]
After walking a bit further, Rin stopped in front of a gray-white apartment building.
The building wasn't tall, and the outer walls were a bit mottled, but it was kept quite clean. The mailboxes below were arranged neatly, and a few units still had faded name tags on them.
"Third floor." Rin said.
The stairs were very narrow, making it difficult for two people to walk side by side. The railings were of the old-fashioned iron type, the paint worn until it shone.