I overslept. Bloody hell.
Being woken up by Amamiya Tōru on the train was absolutely the worst.

I lit up my phone screen.
The time displayed on the home screen read ‘20:07’.
We’d left the mall around 18:30, and boarded the train about fifteen minutes later, so I must have slept for quite a while.

Why didn’t Amamiya Tōru wake me up?

　That was my immediate thought upon waking. But Amamiya Tōru seemed somewhat flustered herself, and the first thing she said to me was “Sorry”. Looking closely, her eyes weren’t fully open either. I realised instantly we’d both fallen asleep.
Given that I’d been the first to drift off, I certainly couldn’t complain to her.

I decided to get off at the next station where the train stopped.

　Checking my messaging app, I saw a barrage of notifications from my parents.
It was well past the time I’d normally be home, so I’d obviously caused them extra worry. I marked my mum’s message as read, intending to explain the situation, but she called immediately.
I excused myself from Amamiya Tōru and answered the call.

“Ah, Mum, sorry, I overslept—”
‘Masaki!? Thank goodness! You weren’t caught up in some incident or anything?! You’re safe, right?!’
“Ah, yeah. I’m fine, Mum. I just overslept on the train.”
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake! This is the first time you’ve not been home by this hour without any word from you! I was terribly worried!’
“S-sorry.”
‘Well, anyway, it’s the main thing you’re safe. Overslept, you say? Where are you now?’
“Er, at ○○ Station.”
‘But that’s the wrong line! Why on earth would a train go there? Wasn’t that the train you usually take?”
“Well, I was… out with friends at the mall, and I meant to change trains at the station near school. …But I just… stayed on.”
“Friends? You were out with friends? …So, are you with those friends now?”
“Er, yeah.”
“…That’s good, Mashiro. I’d assumed you were all alone at school, so as a parent, I’m a bit relieved. So, can you manage to get back home somehow by catching the return train from that station with your friend?”

I’ll probably get told off by Mum when I get home.
I can tell by her tone. It’s been ages since Mum sounded this happy. Come to think of it, maybe I’ve always been a worry for my family.
Even when they asked about school, I’d just ignored them before.

Sorry for always worrying you.
And thank you for always supporting me.

　Maybe I should tell my parents something like this when I get home today.

I am loved by my parents.
Feeling that through such a brief call made me a little happy.

That’s why I noticed immediately that something was off about Amamiya Tōru watching me like that.
The temperature difference I felt between us.

The current Amamiya Tōru, though she should be nearby, seemed to grow more transparent by the second, as if I might lose sight of her if I looked away even for a moment.

“(Come to think of it, does Amamiya Tōru not need to contact her parents?)”

My overactive imagination began to run wild.
It’s not good to pry into other people’s family affairs. But right now, I desperately wanted to know what kind of people her parents were.

And I wanted to meet them.

‘Hey, Mashiro? Are you alright? Can you make it back?’
“Ah, um, hold on a sec. I’ll look it up now.”

For some reason, Amamiya Tōru had taken a step away from me.
I took a step closer to her.

“Just a moment, Mum.”
‘Right then!’

She took another step away from me.
So I took another step closer to her.

Step back.
Close the gap.
Step back.
Closed the gap.

And then I took Amamiya Tōru’s hand.
　I won’t let her retreat any further. If she escapes, another tiny splinter grows in my heart.

“………What is it, Mashiro?…… Let go of my hand.”

Perhaps because I’m on the phone with Mum, she says to me in a small voice.
Quietly, in a low voice.
Understanding that this is a clear rejection from her, another splinter grows.
It feels like it might bleed.

　Holding my phone as far from my face as possible so my mother on the other end wouldn’t notice, I whispered back to her.

“Then please don’t run away.”
“I’m not running away.”
“You are. You’ve been trying to pull away from me this whole time.”
“That’s…”
“……… Sigh. If you’ve nothing else to do, look up what time the next train leaves here for the station nearest the school.”
“……”

Amamiya Tōru remained silent, head bowed, not uttering a single word.

Seeing her like that, I sighed.
My mere action made her body flinch.
…It wasn’t like her. She seemed more transparent than ever, yet this wasn’t like Amamiya Tōru.

What was she thinking to give off such an aura, as if she might vanish any moment?

　I let go of the hand I’d been holding, saying into my phone, “Mum, just wait a moment.”
As I released it, I felt a momentary tug, as if she wanted to hold on. But it lasted only an instant; after that, she pulled her hand away of her own accord.

Once again, she tried to put distance between us.

So, before she could, I stroked her head.
Amamiya Tōru seems to like having her head stroked.
To reassure her. To calm her down.

Honestly, calling this a ‘friendship’ is far too twisted.

But neither of us surely wants to lump it all together as a ‘money arrangement’.

My face grew hot.
With a flush still on my cheeks, I decided for now to continue gently stroking Amamiya Tōru’s head.