The day before moving to Sombra Café, Timeo had been given clear instructions on which underground station to use to reach Aokusa High School. Although he was transferring in as a second-year student, he intended to stay in the area for a considerable time.
After purchasing his passenger card, it became immediately apparent to him that commuting through the underground would soon become part of his daily routine. Most stations were overwhelmingly crowded, leaving little room for fresh air.
"This is the station," Timeo murmured to himself, observing a train approaching from within the tunnel. "Looks like I made it just in time. Hopefully, I won't be late." After carefully checking to ensure it was indeed the correct train, he boarded—only to find the interior just as packed as the platform.
Passengers stood shoulder to shoulder throughout the cars, while those lucky enough to secure a seat appeared cramped and surrounded by others. "I'll have to get used to this," he thought aloud. "Hopefully sooner rather than later." Turning his gaze toward the window, he watched as the train finally set into motion. After what felt like an eternity, he arrived at Aokusa's station, carefully making his way off the train as the dense crowd gradually pushed its way toward the exits.
Misfortune struck at the worst possible moment. The crowd ahead was too thick, and because of Timeo's polite nature, he ended up stuck inside the train.
"Huh? Hey, I'm trying to get off here!" he called out, trying to catch the conductor's attention. But positioned right in the middle of the car, far from either door, there was no one he could properly reach.
"Oi! What the hell, man? This is my stop too, damn it!" barked another boy about Timeo's age. His voice was loud, raw, and filled with anger—completely lacking any courtesy.
"Move your asses! Get the fuck outta my way!" he snapped, shoving his way through the crowd. An annoyed adult gave him a hard push back, sending the boy stumbling straight into Timeo. Both of them were forced to stay trapped in the overcrowded car.
Things only got worse when the emergency stop button failed to respond, and the train rolled on without slowing down.
"Hey, you fuckin' serious right now?!" the boy roared, slamming his fists against the wall, making the whole section rattle.
"Ain't nobody seein' this bullshit?! Hey! Open the damn doors!" he bellowed, but the other passengers either ignored him or grumbled in irritation.
"Shut the hell up already!" an older man snapped from nearby. "I don't need to listen to your damn tantrums—I've got enough shit to deal with!"
The older man's outburst was enough to silence the teenager, though it was clear he had a lot boiling under the surface. He nearly cursed back but held his tongue. Sensing the situation could spiral if it escalated, Timeo stepped in and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Keep it down," Timeo said calmly. "I get it. I'm pissed too."
The boy glanced at him, interest flickering in his eyes.
"The hell are you?" he muttered, noticing how unfazed Timeo seemed despite everything that had just happened.
"Alright, alright, damn," the boy grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "So you were tryin' to get off too, huh? Guess we're both stuck in this shitshow. The school's gonna throw a fit when I show up late."
Timeo casually slid his hands into his pockets, his demeanor relaxed. With Aokusa's station being one of the final stops, most of the crowd had already filtered out, leaving the cart much emptier.
"You go to Aokusa?" Timeo asked.
The boy shot him an annoyed look but exhaled sharply, trying to keep his temper in check.
"Yeah. You too? Don't remember ever seein' your face 'round. What's your deal?"
As the train continued rattling along the rails, Timeo made his way to the door he had finally reached—only to find it locked, almost as if it had been sealed on purpose.
"I was supposed to transfer here," he muttered, frustration in his voice. "My caretaker already filed all the enrollment papers. Showing up late on the first day... this is a disaster."
He glanced around, hoping to find a way to move to another car, but no luck—the doors wouldn't budge.
"Oh, yeah, I heard somethin' about that," the other boy said, leaning against the wall with a lazy posture. "Teachers were talkin' about a couple new students. Guess you're one of 'em. Damn... unlucky you ended up meetin' me first."
He gave a half-hearted chuckle, then shrugged.
"School thinks I'm some kinda troublemaker 'cause of bullshit I didn't even do. Got reported by some asshole, and I'm still tryin' to figure out who ratted me out."
He kicked lightly at the floor before jerking a thumb at himself.
"Name's Leo. Leo Kobayashi. Dunno if we'll get along or whatever, but guess I can at least introduce myself. Shit."
"Say, you're pretty damn chill, considerin' what just happened," Leo said, eyeing Timeo curiously. "And the next station ain't exactly close, y'know. Ain't you worried about bein' late on your first day?"
He watched, expecting some frustration or panic—but Timeo stayed calm, showing barely any sign of stress.
"Of course I'm a little worried," Timeo admitted, slipping his hands deeper into his pockets. "But I'll just be honest with the school and my caretaker. I'll tell them I couldn't get off because of the crowd. I'm sure they'll understand. It's Japan, after all."
He paused, his tone light but thoughtful.
"I just hope they don't think I tried to skip school. That would definitely screw things up for me."
Timeo pulled out his phone, hoping to check their location, only to realize there was no signal. Traveling through underground tunnels made it nearly impossible to tell how far they had gone.
"Guess you're lucky, bein' new and all," Leo muttered, kicking the floor lightly. "But c'mon, gimme a damn break. This is the second time this week this shit's happened! They gotta start fixin' these goddamn trains already. Doors won't open, stop buttons don't work—and don't even get me started on these adult assholes. No respect, man. Always the same crap."
He scoffed and leaned back against the wall.
"I swear, I might just start takin' the bus instead. Bein' late's better than gettin' crammed in like this every damn day."
Timeo listened closely, his calm demeanor unwavering. Despite having just met, he genuinely seemed to care about Leo's frustration.
"Do you know what the final station is?" Timeo asked. "Maybe we can catch a bus or a taxi back to Aokusa from there."
"Yeah—Aobashi District," Leo muttered, clearly annoyed. "First time I fucked up goin' there too. Ended up late to Aokusa 'cause of these damn trains. There's a bus station nearby, but..." He scratched the back of his neck with a frustrated grunt. "I ain't got the cash right now, man. And there's no way in hell I'm walkin' from Aobashi to Aokusa. That'd take me, what, two hours if I'm lucky."
Timeo glanced at him, then casually pulled a card out of his jeans pocket.
"I'll cover it—for both of us," he said, holding it out without hesitation.
Leo stared at him, momentarily speechless, clearly not used to someone offering help so easily.
"Whoa, for real, dude? Damn," he said, running a hand through his messy hair. "I don't like askin' for favors, but... I could seriously use it right now. Guess I'm lucky I ran into ya. Shit, thanks, man. I owe you big time."
Timeo stayed relaxed, giving a small, easy nod.
"No problem," he said simply. "Pretty sure we'll get there faster this way than waiting for the next train anyway."
To be continued...