Detour

“All the numbers are consistent, and there’s no problem with the chart. I’ll send the slides to you, senpai.”

“Alright, good work, Keshou. I’m also about to finish my report as well. And done. Let’s go home.”

The two men left their office and walked down to the nearest train station together while talking about their current project. As a tire manufacturing company, their company had just renewed their partnership with the government. As such, their division at the research and development department has been tasked to look for optimization for their company’s military grade tire manufacturing. Their conversation somehow shifted from the efficiency of the tire production line to the banknote printing process, then eventually to the recent trend in the fast food industry.

“Are you gonna eat out again tonight, Keshou?”

“That’s the plan,” Keshou Mitsuran answered his senior enthusiastically.

If there was one thing that Mitsuran loved, it was eating. To be precise, he loved trying foods and dishes from various cuisines to find new delicious foods. He would roam the city, whenever possible, visiting shops and restaurants he had never been to before. When he found a new restaurant that piqued his interest on his way, if he had time and money, he would go in without hesitation. Even when dining at a restaurant that he had been to before, he would either order something new that looked interesting, or the dishes that he deemed to be the best in that restaurant. Fortunately, his salary as a researcher at a big company supported his hobby. He can even save enough money to have trips once every few months.

“There’s this shopping district near the transit station, you see. It has over eighty restaurants, and I’m currently working through every single one of them.”

“Wait, isn’t that shopping district outside the station area? So you’re gonna exit the station, eat there, then enter the station again?”

“Well, good food worth a detour. Hey, why don’t you join me?”

“Sorry, but my wife is cooking. Can’t have the missus getting angry,” the senior replied decidedly, glancing at the ring on his left hand. They had already arrived at the station, and were waiting at the platform.

“What about you, Keshou? You have a girlfriend?”

“Currently no. It’s not like I don’t want a girlfriend, I’m just content with my current life, going around the country, trying various foods.”

“Is that so? Well, maybe someday you’ll find someone special in one of your detours.”

“Haha, I’ll keep that in mind for my trip.” Mitsuran went along with his senior’s teasing. In fact, he actually took it as genuine advice. It wasn’t a bad idea after all. And if the girl also enjoyed trying out different cuisines, even better.

“Oh right, you’re taking leave on monday right? Going on another trip?”

“Yeah, sorry for the trouble, senpai.”

“Nah, I don’t mind. You’ve finished your part of the report and the slides. Just make sure you’re ready for the presentation. Oh, and don’t forget the souvenir for the team, haha.”

“Of course, you can count on me for picking a unique souvenir.”

For outsiders, the request may have sounded just like another instance of a senior pressuring their junior who was taking leaves, but both of them know that wasn’t the case. As someone who enjoyed eating, Mitsuran also liked to share that joy with others. If he was with a coworker on his way home when he had a plan to eat out, he would definitely invite them, just like tonight. And when going on a trip, one of his favorite things to do, besides eating of course, was buying souvenirs.

He usually went on a trip every month or two, and every time he did, he would always pick souvenirs for his coworker thoughtfully. He would consider the seasonality and the region's specialty, and of course, he wouldn’t choose the obvious popular choice, let alone a tourist trap. More than often, he would choose some obscure snack that he had never heard before. Obviously, he would try them out himself before buying the bulk for everyone. And when he brought the souvenir to work, he would often tell his coworker the story about the food, like a small presentation. Eventually, Mitsuran’s trip became some kind of an occasion for his division at the office.

“Still, It’s not that often you take leave for those trips. Special occasion?”

“Not really, I’m just planning to visit two cities in one trip. Since it’s summer, I thought there would be festivals and such. I also heard that one of those cities in particular has this cold noodle that they only made during the summer festival. I have been wanting to try those since new year, there’s no way I’m gonna miss it.”

“To go to such lengths, you sure love eating new foods huh.”

“Of course, exceptional cuisine worth a special journey,” Mitsuran replied with a proud smile, as if he just said something profound. In reality, he just recited something that he had heard someone in the office say.

They continued chatting while waiting for the train, which should arrive in a minute or so. Being so engrossed in their conversation, they didn’t notice that a commotion had started on the same platform as they were standing. As they were among the people that were standing closest to the rail, the voice of other people behind them, coupled with the loud voice of the announcement speaker, had drowned the noise of the commotion. The senior is the first one to notice something when the people directly behind them started commenting on the ruckus.

“What happened?”

“Are they fighting?”

“Tch, so noisy.”

There were two men arguing about something. A young, serious looking salaryman and a teenager with dyed hair that was a perfect image of a delinquent. Nobody knew what they were fighting over. Before long, the argument turned into a brawl.

The people standing right next to them started backing up, nobody seemed to try separating them. However since it was still the rush hour on Friday night, the station was crowded. When the fight looked like it would move to one direction, people on that side moved away, as if making a way for the two people grappling each other. The couple started moving toward the edge of the platform, and the crowd of people opened up the space for them, even if just a small one. That small space moved closer and closer toward the edge, until it was only two people away from Mitsuran and his senior.

The sound of the train can be heard approaching, as the salaryman winded up his arm and threw a punch at the delinquent face. The latter took a few steps back from the attack, but tripped on someone else’s bag and fell back, pushing the people right behind him. It created a domino effect of people pushing each other, with Mitsuran at the end of it. Without someone else in front of him, he moved a couple steps and went over the edge of the platform before his senior could grab him. He felt his body falling toward the track, as the train’s horn deafened his ears and its light blinded his eyes. His vision turned completely white and all he could hear was the blaring horn. Before he could make a detour, he ran into a final stop.

Before he knew it, the noises disappeared. All noises disappeared, leaving him in complete silence. However, all he could see was still white. After a while, it gradually turned dark. And then, he heard someone’s voice. Some people’s voices.

“Does it work?”

“It’s my first time seeing it myself.”

“Look, it’s happening.”

“What is it? What is it?!”

“Shush, it’s almost completed!”

Eventually the voices calmed down. His vision was pitch black, as if he was closing his eyes. No, he was closing his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes. He was standing on some kind of platform inside a room made of stone bricks. In front of him, a bunch of people were looking at him excitedly.

“Uhh… hello?” He tried to greet them, while still confused by the situation.

“It’s a guy!” Someone yelled, followed by everyone else cheering.