32 Its Gotta be a Coincidence (1/2)

”No one is willing to join...” Muria sighed as the three of us finished making our round in the school and returned back to our classroom.

”Looks like we won't be able to find anyone else today,” Loyd grabbed his bag from beside his seat and brought it over his shoulder. ”Let's head home for today.”

I looked out the window and discovered that the sun was slowly setting in the distance. I then checked the exact time on my phone and discovered that it was already 6:00 PM. I silently cursed the world for the two hours that I lost.

With a silent sigh, I walked over to my desk and picked up my school bag. After flinging it over my shoulder, I then followed after Loyd and Muria out of the empty classroom and into the empty hallway. We then exited from the front entrance of the school and headed towards the nearest station.

As we neared the station, the scenery of the streets around us went from a more residential area to a more commercial area. More and more stores and restaurants popped up on either side of the road to cater to the increased flow of human traffic near the train station. The pleasant aroma of food items could be smelled as we walked by, and I turned my head to observe whatever it was. I didn't pay much attention to the stores other than merely looking at it since I really wasn't in the mood to spend money and waste any more time outside the comfort of home.

Come to think of it, I wonder what Emilia is doing. Since I'm not home, where did Emilia go when I'm not home?

Those questions bothered me but not to too great of an extent. I know that she'll probably be fine so I didn't think of it much after that initial flash.

The train station was starting to enter rush hour, but it was still not at the peak so it wasn't as crowded. However, that does not mean that it wasn't crowded at all. The train station by my school, since it was quite close to the more prosperous areas of Nocsinis, was crowded, although not as bad as the situation at Nocsinis Station itself.

The three of us followed the flow of the crowd to the ticket gates, scanned our phones on the scanner, and walked past it. We then started for the elevated railways that I believe the two of them also took in order to wait for our train to arrive. Once we were on the platforms for the elevated rails, I could hear the sound of a train arriving and also feel the wind that it brought with it as it approached the station. The intercom broadcasted the destination of the arriving train, also warning passengers to be cautious when entering and to allow any passengers that wanted to exit to do so before entering the train car.

”See you guys Monday.”

Loyd waved goodbye to us as he boarded his commute train headed in the direction of his house, leaving me alone with Muria standing on the elevated rail platforms. I stood there, waiting for my train that headed towards Lumina to arrive, and I occasionally glanced over at Muria who also waited with me.

I initially thought that it was my imagination that she might be headed in same direction in me, but my suspicions was confirmed when she entered the same train as I did. It was somewhat crowded in the train car, with no where to sit and not much room left to stand comfortably. This led to Muria and I standing quite close to each other. Because of our close distance and the fact that she was shorter than me, I looked down at her with a hint of surprise in my eyes, and I discovered that she acted as if her actions were quite normal with nothing out of the ordinary.

”You...you don't usually go this way,” I commented nonchalantly,

”What would make you think that?” She lifted her head slightly to look me in the face.

”It's just that I don't usually see you go this way,” I looked away to hide my awkwardness. ”Plus in the past, when we were out together either that time at the movie theater and with your sister, you didn't go the same way as I did.”

”I can't go elsewhere before I head home?” She sighed. ”If I don't go this way, then which way do I go?”

”I don't know. I don't stalk you or anything.”

She then sighed. ”Usually, I would stay behind school and head home with my sister since she leaves about twenty minutes after class is over,” she started explaining.

”You must really like your sister,” I commented, recalling how happy she looked when she was walking with Mura in the rain.

”Well,” she blushed. ”It's only twenty minutes...” Her voice got quieter in the end as she became slightly flustered.

Yeah. She definitely likes her sister.

”And also,” she continued, ”I'm moving out with sis.”