Marionette

Cosmos, Chapter Sixty Five - Kōryōtaru [荒涼たる]

Maehara was undoubtedly upset with Amaya, and she knew it before she had managed to disembark at Kunugigaoka.

She had remained stuck on that train in a feigned attempt at being someone else, wary of the very real possibility that the moment she moved she could earn Karma's immediate attention. She sat waiting right up until Karma disembarked at Kunugigaoka station, watching his form disappear through the crowd in spite of herself, even as the doors of the train closed behind him.

His quiet form, with slumped shoulders and lowered gaze was a very sad sight to her. He looked so small at that moment in spite of how he always seemed to stand so tall and capable. So much had changed in such a short span of time.

It was crushing, sobering even.

And Amaya found it hard to accept it.

The train had already begun it's journey to the next station along the line, and she had no choice but to disembark as soon as she could and catch a connecting train back the other way.

Amaya could only let out a weary breath when she eventually disembarked just after 12.30pm, and before she had even taken two steps off the platform, her phone still held securely in her hand had started to light up with an incoming call. It was lucky she even noticed; Her phone was still on silent mode, after all.

'Hello?' Amaya greeted after ascertaining that at the very least, it wasn't another incoming call from Karma.

'Maya-chan, where the hell are you?! We agreed for 12 sharp! Twelve!' Barked out an indignant Maehara. 'You're never this late if you aren't deliberately skipping!'

Well... she was right. He was mad.

'I have an explanation, but I'm not giving it over the phone.' She responded quietly, cautiously in case Karma hadn't quite gone very far since he disembarked the train just half an hour ago. 'So you're just going to have to suck it up and wait.'

'Fine, then how far away are you?' Her friend demanded, briskly.

'I just got off at the station.' She offered in answer. 'However long it takes to walk to where you are from there, I guess.'

'Oh, you're not far. Did you want me to come meet you there, instead?'

'No-- stay there.' Amaya cut in quickly. 'I'm already on my way.'

In truth, Maehara stuck out of a crowd like a sore thumb, and anyone with half a brain would guess that it would be her with him, even with her attempt at changing her appearances up.

'Huh? It'll be quicker if I--'

'No, Hiroto-kun.' Amaya cut in quickly. 'I'm not negotiating this.'

'...The hell. Fine.' Maehara muttered sourly as he gave in. 'You better hurry up.'

'I'm trying, damn it! Quit your whining!' She snapped.

Thankfully however, the park Maehara had picked as the meeting place wasn't far at all. It was a handful of moments before Amaya rounded the corner to see its towering skeletal trees shadowing over a small courtyard fountain. It took a minute for her to locate her friend, and she only managed as quickly as she did due to the spoiled muttering she could hear the closer she got. He was standing behind the fountain with his scowling gaze firmly locked upon his phone, and he hadn't appeared to notice her, yet.

He was dressed quite differently to normal, Amaya promptly noted as she quietly snuck up behind him. Instead of his usual, brighter colours he wore outside of school, he was dressed in grey jeans, a dark button-up shirt and a black jacket. Additionally, he also had his hair brushed more out of his face than usual and tucked almost completely beneath a dark beanie.