Chapter

chapter02 · 072-ep64

Episode 64: Riding the Shinkansen

I was awake before the alarm went off.

Five o'clock. Outside, still dim.

From today — Tokyo.

I bolted up out of my futon and checked the luggage I'd already checked three times last night. One more time.

Clothes. A week's worth. Toothbrush. Charger. Drone. Mom's indigo chest guard, gauntlets, and greaves.

And — Tva's katana, packed in its shinai bag.

"Alright."

Backpack on, shinai bag over my shoulder, I left the room.

In the hallway, I ran smack into Seina.

"Morning, big bro. Tokyo!"

"Morning. Tokyo!"

"TOKYO!!"

No reason for it. We just both yelled it.

Seina was already fully dressed. Hair tied high, phone hanging from her neck, and on her back a backpack bigger than the rest of her.

"What's even IN that thing?"

"Clothes! For wearing in Tokyo!"

"A week's worth?"

"Fourteen outfits."

"You're wearing two a day?!"

"It's Tokyo!"

Downstairs in the living room, big sis was drinking barley tea.

Black cap pulled down low over her eyes, sunglasses stuck in her chest pocket.

"Big sis, what's with the outfit?"

"Disguise."

"You won't get spotted?"

"Probably."

'Probably,' she says.

Nagoya Station was packed, even this early.

The first day of the Obon break. The Shinkansen platform was jammed with people heading home and people heading off on trips.

"Whoaaa......"

"Big bro, don't get separated!"

"That's my line."

Big sis — with all her Clan trips to Tokyo — slipped through the crowd without a hint of hesitation.

Seina and I scrambled along behind her, for dear life.

At a platform kiosk, we bought ekiben.

Me: a miso-katsu bento. Seina: a hitsumabushi bento. Big sis: three ten-musu.

"Miso-katsu first thing in the morning?"

"Gotta eat Nagoya before leaving Nagoya."

"That makes no sense — and I totally get it."

Seina nodded, dead serious.

A white Shinkansen glided into the platform.

"It's here."

"It's here!"

Seina hammered the shutter on her phone.

I took a few too. A few was the plan — somehow it turned into about ten.

First Shinkansen since the middle-school trip.

Reserved seats: three in a row.

Window. Middle. Aisle.

"Window seat!"

Seina and I yelled it at the same time, and put our hands on the window seat at the same time.

"Big bro, give it up!"

"Nope."

"I have never been to Tokyo, you know."

"And I'm basically a first-timer too."

"You went on the school trip though!"

"That was Kyoto."

And while we were bickering in the aisle, big sis — wordless — sat down in the window seat.

"Huh?"

"Big sis?!"

"Mt. Fuji's on the left."

Big sis pointed out the window.

The window was on the right.

"Huh?"

"This seat — no Mt. Fuji. Other side."

"Then why'd you book this side?"

"Three in a row — this was the only side left."

That was all. Eyes closed again, big sis stayed right where she was.

Seina and I looked at each other.

"When Mt. Fuji time comes, let's step out to the aisle and go look from the other side."

"Yeah."

So in the end: big sis at the window, Seina in the middle, me on the aisle.

The Shinkansen started moving, slowly.

The Nagoya platform flowed backward. The buildings flowed. The speed climbed, and climbed.

"WHOOOA, it's fast—!"

The scenery out the window flew past at a speed I'd never seen.

Paddies. Rivers. Mountains. Paddies again.

Kind of like the paddies at Toda, I thought.

Seina had spread her hitsumabushi out on her lap, eyes shining.

"Big bro — first thing when we get to Tokyo?"

"Drop the bags at the hotel."

"And then?"

"Harajuku?"

"Harajuku!"

Seina threw a fist pump.

"Crepes, walk Takeshita Street, then cross Shibuya's scramble crossing, then pancakes, and at night — night views!"

"You're doing ALL of that in one day?"

"We are! We've got a week, but day one is ALL of it!"

"You gonna last?"

"YOU'RE the one who has to last!"

Across the aisle, the lady in the next seat was giggling at us.

A little embarrassing. But — fun.

I opened the miso-katsu bento.

The smell of sweet-spicy miso drifted out, soft and warm.

"Ohh, that's good!"

"One bite."

"Trade you for hitsumabushi."

"Okay."

Big sis, eyes closed at the window, opened exactly one eye.

"......I'll give you one of my ten-musu."

"Huh? Really?"

"You two were already trading."

Apparently she'd wanted in.

Around the point we passed Shizuoka, Seina bolted into the aisle.

"Big bro — Mt. Fuji!"

The two of us flattened ourselves against the window on the other side.

Beyond the glass, a big mountain.

Summer, so no snowcap. But its outline stood crisp and clear against the blue sky.

"HUGE!"

"It's huge."

"Photos!"

"On it."

We took photos, bowing again and again to the people across the aisle.

Back in our seats — big sis was looking at her phone.

On the screen: a photo of Mt. Fuji.

When did she even—

"Big sis — you took one?"

"......Went to the other side."

"When?"

"While you two were carrying on."

Smug face.

We hit Tokyo Station just before noon.

The moment I stepped onto the platform, the air itself was different.

People. So many.

Nagoya Station had been crowded too — but there was no comparing them.

"Whoaaa......"

"Big bro — hand. Hold my hand!"

"Why mine?"

"I'll get lost! Me!"

"You're saying that yourself?!"

In the end, I grabbed Seina's hand and chased after big sis's back.

Tokyo Station's inside was like a maze. However far we walked, no ticket gates ever appeared.

Somewhere along the way, my feet stopped on their own.

On the corridor wall hung a giant advertisement.

Photos of explorer after explorer in armor. Dead center, a blond man who outshone them all. And below, in enormous letters — a Clan name.

The largest Clan in the country, home-based in Tokyo.

"Whoa — this is..."

"Big bro, you know them?"

"I've seen him on TV. He's an S-rank."

Every explorer in that ad was smiling, oozing confidence.

This is Tokyo, I thought.

In Nagoya, explorer ads were just about limited to a few outside the Guild.

With every stretch of corridor, explorer ads flowed past, one after another. Gear brands. Clan recruiting. Dungeon tour promos.

"Man — Tokyo really does have a lot of dungeons."

"A lot."

Big sis said it from up ahead, without turning around.

"Five times Nagoya."

"Five times?"

"Probably."

'Probably,' again.

The hotel was a few minutes' walk from Tokyo Station, inside a high-rise in Otemachi.

The elevator ran us up to an upper floor in one go.

The instant the doors opened, my breath caught.

The lobby ceiling was absurdly high. From the top of the atrium, a vast white ceiling like washi paper let its light drift down, soft and weightless. The floor was black stone. At its center lay something like a small rock garden, water pooled quietly inside.

It was quiet.

As if the crush of people at Tokyo Station had been a lie — not a sound anywhere.

"Whoa......"

"......Wow."

Seina and I stood frozen just inside the entrance.

Only big sis moved on at her usual pace, striding straight for the front desk.

The moment she pulled off her cap, the clerk straightened up in a flash.

"Ichinose-sama. We have been expecting you."

"Mm."

"We understand you have family with you today."

"My little brother and little sister."

The clerk's gaze flicked toward me — just for an instant.

I think their eyes widened, just barely.

But they said nothing.

Just then, from the back, an older man in a suit came walking toward us.

The front desk staff snapped to attention, all at once.

"Rinka-san. Welcome."

"......Thanks."

Big sis dipped her head, lightly.

The man smiled, gentle — then turned his eyes to me and Seina.

"So these are your little brother and little sister. We've heard so much about them."

"Eh — um, nice to meet you. I'm Ichinose Saku."

"Ichinose Seina!"

"Welcome. Please, take your time and enjoy your stay. ......Rinka-san — the rate, as usual."

"Mm. Thanks."

That was all. The man turned and went back inside.

Seina tugged at big sis's sleeve.

"B-Big sis — who was that?"

"The most important person here."

"The most important person here?"

"We use this place for work a lot. We're close."

"'Close'? And what's 'the rate, as usual' supposed to mean?"

"He gives us a discount."

Smug face.

S-rank is something else.

One room, three of us.

Though "one room" undersold it — it was bigger than our living room back in Nagoya.

One whole wall was window.

Beyond it, a great spread of green. In the valley of buildings, there alone, a deep forest gaped open.

"A forest?"

"The Imperial Palace."

Big sis pointed outside, with her chin.

"......On a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji, too."

"The one from the Shinkansen?"

"Mm."

"Whoaaa — Tokyo. I can see Tokyo! I can see a forest!"

Seina had glued herself to the glass, photographing like her life depended on it.

"......Can I put this on Picsta?"

"Not the inside of the room."

"Whaaat!"

"It'd be a nuisance to the hotel."

"......Okayyy."

Reluctant, Seina settled for shooting only the view beyond the glass.

We set the bags down, and I leaned the shinai bag gently against the side of the bed.

From tomorrow — Tokyo's dungeons.

But today—

"Big bro, hurry! Harajuku!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Takeshita Street in Harajuku was packed, wall to wall.

Seina bought two crepes — and ate them both herself.

Big sis — still in cap-and-sunglasses disguise — bought a single crepe and ate it in silence.

About three times, I caught a voice saying "Wait — isn't that Ichinose Rinka?"

Each time, big sis tugged her cap down just a little deeper.

Seina never put her phone down.

Crepes. Takeshita Street signs. Selfies. Shots with big sis.

Big sis — disguise on, expressionless, nothing but the peace sign.

"You're posting all of that?"

"All of it."

"How many photos a day do you even post?!"

"About twenty, today."

"That's a lot?!"

"Relax, big bro — you're not in them. I never put faces in."

There, at least, she was careful.

Right in the middle of Takeshita Street, a pair of girls stopped in front of Seina.

"......Um — wait. Are you Seina-chan?"

"Huh? Ah — yes."

"I knew it! I follow you! Picsta!"

"Oh — thank you!"

"I LOVE your photos with your big sister! Is Rinka-san with you today?"

Seina glanced over at big sis.

Big sis, mid-crepe, was looking away.

"......That's a secret."

Seina smiled sweetly and put a finger to her lips.

"Kyaa! Can we get a photo?"

"Of course~"

Selfies with the girls, a wave, goodbye.

She was used to this.

Taught by big sis, or picked up on her own — the smile, the way she handled it, all of it flawless.

"You're famous?!"

"Huh? You didn't know?"

"I didn't."

"I've got quite the follower count. My photos with big sis blow up like crazy."

Seina puffed out her chest, proud as anything.

"An S-rank big sister and an ordinary middle-school little sister. People love that gap, apparently."

"'Ordinary middle-schooler,' huh?"

"I AM ordinary!"

Ordinary middle-schoolers, I'm fairly sure, don't get stopped on Takeshita Street.

Big sis finished the last bite of her crepe, then muttered:

"......Seina might be the famous one."

"Huh? You're the famous one, big sis."

"In Tokyo — Seina."

"Really?!"

Seina's eyes lit up.

So my family was nothing but famous people.

We crossed Shibuya's scramble crossing three times.

"Big bro, one more!"

"It's the same crossing as before!"

"But the people are different!"

The pancake shop: one hour in line.

The pancake Seina ordered had whipped cream piled on it like a mountain. Photographing it took ten minutes.

Eating it took three.

Big sis had booked our dinner.

"Where are we going?"

"Up."

"Up?"

She took us to a restaurant on the very top floor of a Marunouchi high-rise.

The moment we stepped off the elevator, Seina let out a sound that wasn't quite a sound.

One wall, floor to ceiling: window.

And beyond it, Tokyo's night stretched out below.

The lights went on and on, and on. Orange Tokyo Tower peeking out between the buildings.

"......Pretty."

Seina had her forehead pressed to the glass.

She'd been running wild since morning — and now, just now, she was quiet.

That lasted — all of ten seconds.

"Photos! I have to take photos!"

Phone up, Seina began firing off shots of the night view. Night views. Dishes. Night views and dishes. Selfies and night views. Big sis and night views.

Big sis, expressionless as ever, peace-signed against the skyline.

Every time a new dish arrived, up went the phone.

"Eat first. It'll go cold."

"One more."

"You said that last time."

"Just one more!"

In the end, it was only after photographing every last plate that Seina finally picked up her fork.

Then — about ten minutes later.

Seina started grinning at her phone screen.

"......Hehh."

"Huh? What?"

"Heh-heh-heh......"

Seina's face was melting.

"Look, big bro...... the likes — they won't stop...... the night-view photo's already over ten thousand likes...... and the comments — 'Tokyo trips look so nice' 'Dinner with Rinka-san, so jealous' 'Seina-chan is so cute'...... heh-heh-heh-heh......"

"Your FACE!"

"Huh?"

"Your face. Your face is the problem."

"It's fine, right now...... hehh...... I'm fulfilled......"

Big sis set down her fork, and muttered:

"......Seina. Face."

"Not you too, big sis?!"

"That is a face that mustn't end up in photos."

"......Hah!"

Seina hastily pulled her face straight.

Three seconds after pulling it straight, she was staring at her phone and grinning again.

Probably, the most mundane one in our family was Seina.

Somewhere around dessert, big sis pointed at something far off, beyond the window.

"Saku. Over there."

"Huh?"

In the sea of lights, here and there, places burned brighter than all the rest.

A white, cold light — nothing like the city's glow.

"Dungeons?"

"Mm. The high-grade ones glow even at night."

I tried counting them. I couldn't.

They were scattered all across Tokyo.

"From tomorrow — I get to go to those......!"

The moment I muttered it, my mouth had curved into a grin on its own.

Big sis glanced sideways at me.

"......You can only enter up to C-rank."

"I know."

"Shallow ones."

"It's Mom's armor — I KNOW, already."

"......Mm."

Big sis said nothing more.

But somehow — just a little — she looked like she was having fun.

And beside her, Seina was still grinning at her phone.

Back at the hotel, Seina was asleep the instant she'd finished her shower.

Of the fourteen outfits she'd brought, she'd worn three today.

I flopped onto the bed and opened my phone.

The list of Tokyo's dungeons. Even the C-ranks alone were many times Nagoya's.

"Which one should I start from?"

Scrolling through, something occurred to me.

Maybe I'll stream.

Dive Tokyo's dungeons from the very first floor. Scenery I've never seen in Nagoya — probably lots of it. And I want to show everyone that, too.

I'd promised Yano photos. I'd promised Fujidou stories.

"Okay."

Tomorrow morning: check the drone's charge.

I switched off the light.

Outside the window, Tokyo's night was still glowing, on and on.

I was too excited to sleep — didn't think sleep was coming, honestly.