As I made my way to the platform, I dropped by the toilet just in case. It was going to be a
forty minute journey so I thought it might be best to keep myself prepared. I washed my hands
and looked myself in the mirror. On the other side of the dirty mirror, a white light shone upon
my re ection. I was pretty sure I had grown taller and was more of an adult now than I was six
months ago. I was embarrassed that my jaw had grown a little red from the cold outside. I was
going to see Akari soon.
At rst, I couldn't nd a seat inside the train on the Saikyou Line because it was full of people
heading home. I leaned against the wall towards the end of the carriage just like a number of
others and gazed at the adverts, out the window and occasionally took a glance at the passengers.
I just couldn't calm down and my eyes were looking everywhere so I didn't feel like reading the
science ction novel I had in my bag. A girl was talking with another high school girl standing
in front of her. They seemed to be friends. They both wore short skirts that revealed part of
their bare thighs and rouge socks.
"What about that guy?"
"Who?"
"You know, the one from Kita High."
"What? Him? You have some weird tastes."
"No way. He's totally my type."
They were probably talking about a guy they had met or an acquaintance. Even though I
wasn't the one they were talking about, I felt somewhat embarrassed. I turned my eyes away
from them and while making sure the letter was still there in my pocket with my ngers, I gazed
out the window again. The train had been running on a high bridge for some time now. It was
the rst time I was travelling on that line. The way the train swayed and the noise it made on the
move was dierent from travelling on the Oda Line and strangely, it had made me anxious. The
dim setting winter sun dyed the skyline a faint orange, a row of buildings can be seen lined up in
the distance. The snow hadn't stopped falling. I wondered if I was in Saitama now. The town
seemed to be packed closer together than the familiar scenery around it. All the tall buildings
and apartments at the centre looked as if they were buried into the ground.
Along the way, the train stopped at Murashiurawa Station to let an express train pass.
"Would any passengers who are in a hurry please switch to the opposite platform," said the
loudspeaker. About half of the passengers got o and made their way there including myself
who followed at the end. To the west were a number of railroads. Snow continued to fall and
accumulate while the small setting sun could occasionally be spotted between the clouds, its
light shining vividly on hundreds of roofs. I gazed at the scenery and suddenly remembered I
had been here before.
Yes, it wasn't the rst time I had been on this railway.
Just before elementary three, I had been on this train before from Oomiya to Shinjuku with
my father when we were moving to Tokyo from Nagano. I was used to the rural scenery of Nagano and the completely foreign scenery here had made me anxious. At that time, as I gazed
out the window at the scenery where there were nothing but buildings and realised that was
where I was going to live, I had become so worried I had felt I was going to cry. Even so, ve
years had passed since then and I was now thinking to myself that I managed to live through
that. I was still only thirteen but I don't think that was too much to think to myself. Akari had
supported me. I prayed that Akari felt the same way during those years we were together.
Oomiya Station wasn't as big as Shinjuku Station and was just one big terminal. I descended
some stairs from the Saikyou Line then back up another ight of stairs and made my way through
the crowds as I headed to the Utsunomiya Station for the interchange. A strong smell of snow
lled the station now and everyone's shoes were soaked with it making a slushing sound as they
walked. The Utsunomiya Line was over owing with people making their way home too and long
lines were visible there. I stood somewhere away from the queues and waited alone for the train.
I wasn't going to get a seat anyway even if I joined the queue. For the rst time I had a bad
feeling. It wasn't long before an announcement was made.
"Would passengers please note that the train on the Utsunomiya Line heading to Koyama,
Konomiya will be delayed by eight minutes due to the snow, "the announcer informed us.
I don't know why I hadn't taken into account the train could be late too. I took out my
memo again and looked at my watch. I had expected to get on the ve-four train but it was
already ve-ten. I shivered as if it suddenly got colder. Two minutes later, I didn't feel any
better even when the long whistle sounded and the warm lights shone from the other train.