They stepped onto the platform.
"Where to now?" Tachyon asked.
"Home."
"And which path do we take?" She peered past the station building. Ryu-no-O was busier than the previous stop—a rural town that still had signs of life, with a fair amount of car traffic.
"We head left from here, cross a few lights... and after about a twenty or thirty-minute walk, there's a run-down apartment building. He's on the second floor. I'm not giving you a map, though."
Tachyon chuckled. "Fair enough. Thirty minutes, then?" She looked ahead and mused, "I could make it in fifteen."
"Go ahead then," Tanagami countered. "I'll still beat you there."
Tachyon laughed heartily. "I suppose you would. Since you're the only one who knows the way, I have no choice but to follow. Though, I must admit, I'm terrible at matching someone else's pace. It's more taxing than walking at my own speed."
"Then walk at your own pace. Just stop and wait for me when you realize you've lost me."
"Hmm... no. I think I'll stay by your side. Constant stopping and starting is such a bother. Come, let's go! I'm famished."
She set off, and Tanagami followed. At the exit, they handed their tickets to the attendant—an old man in his sixties or seventies. He looked weathered but lively, his face crinkling into a smile as he watched the two of them.
When Tanagami handed over his ticket, the man spoke up.
"Where are you folks headed?"
His voice was kind, typical of a small-town station master. Tanagami was caught off guard, but the man's friendly demeanor made him answer before he could overthink it.
"I'm just heading home for the holidays with my student."
"Your student...?" The old man's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of suspicion entering his gaze.
Tanagami hurried to clarify. "A proper visit. She insisted on coming along."
Just then, Tachyon poked her head back around the corner of the walkway. "Trainer-kun! What are you doing? Hurry along!"
Seeing her call for him seemed to satisfy the old man. He smiled again. "Safe travels, then," he said, waving them off.
Tanagami caught up to Tachyon, and once they were well away from the station, he whispered, "By the way... did you actually get permission from your parents?"
The old man's suspicious look had reminded him of the potential legal and moral headaches. Tachyon looked at him blankly. "My parents?"
"Yes! You can't just disappear to a trainer's family home without telling them."
Tachyon's initial silence confirmed his fears.
"I... suppose I haven't mentioned it to them," she admitted. Seeing his face, she quickly added, "I doubt they'll object, but I'll give them a call now to avoid any 'misunderstandings.' I need to use the facilities anyway, so why don't you wait on that bench?"
After a quick break, Tachyon began the task of calling home. Her smartphone had been buried deep in her suitcase, and she had to rummage through her belongings on the bench to find it. Once she had it, she stepped away. She clearly didn't want him overhearing.
Tanagami sat on the bench, but it was in the shade and bitingly cold. He moved into a patch of sunlight. Seeing him move, Tachyon instinctively took a step further away, making him smile wryly. Even if he couldn't hear the words, he could see the dynamic; she was alternating between looking annoyed and laughing.
He couldn't hear the conversation, but on the other end of the line, Tachyon's mother was a whirlwind.
"Hello? Mom?"
"Hello! It's Mother. What's the occasion? New Year's? Are you coming home?"
"Well, about that. I'm spending the New Year with my Trainer."
The mother's voice jumped an octave. "Your Trainer?! You mean Mr. Tanagami?"
"Yes. He was going back to his hometown, so I decided to accompany him."