...Stay Awake..

7:15P.M. Tachibana Station Platform. The train is still 45 minutes away. The platform is high and exposed. The early night air is cold, and the wind has picked up, whistling around the steel girders.

Characters:

HASHIMURA YUTA (15): Seated, outwardly serene, using his composure as a final, silent defense.

KARUIZAWA RIN (15): Standing, raging internally, but forced into cold, strategic silence.

(Rin bursts out of the stairwell door and onto the platform. She scans the area, fully intending to unleash her fury and force him to take back the money.)

(She spots him immediately. Yuta is seated on a different, smaller metal bench—not the one they shared earlier—facing the tracks. He is sitting with the same crossed arms, his spine perfectly straight, his eyes calmly closed, his face a perfect picture of unfazed, controlled stillness. He looks completely unaware of the recent chaos, as if he is mediating on a mountaintop.)

(Rin stops dead. The sight of his effortless composure, juxtaposed with her own inner turmoil, fuels her rage but also forces her to recognize the futility of another outburst. The cold, strong wind hits her face, whipping her long hair violently around her head. The physical shock helps clear the remaining adrenaline.)

[MONOLOGUE - KARUIZAWA RIN]

He’s mocking me. He's won. He knows that his silence and his money make me feel helpless. I will not give him another show. I will not let him see me break again.

(She forces her breathing to slow. The raw anger settles into a cold, hard resentment. She looks for an alternative place to wait, but the platform offers only two benches.)

(Rin makes a choice born of stubborn pride. She walks to the opposite bench—the one that they shared—and sits down, their backs now turned against each other. Her bag is placed firmly on the bench beside her, claiming her territory.)

(They are now seated on two separate benches, their backs perfectly aligned, creating a solid, impenetrable wall of silence between them. The wind blows hard between the two figures, carrying the tension of their unspoken war.)

(TIME PASSES: The only sounds are the whistling of the wind, the distant rumble of other trains, and the clicking of Yuta’s watch as he discreetly checks the time.)

[MONOLOGUE - HASHIMURA YUTA]

..She's back. And she's silent. That's a form of victory for her. I will maintain my guard. I will not move. I am the post she is anchored to. I am the silence that protects her.

[MONOLOGUE - KARUIZAWA RIN]

..He's still there. I can feel him. I can feel the weight of that paid meal pressing down on me. I will find a way to pay him back. I will send him a registered letter with the money. I will make this interaction a transaction, not a favor. He will not control me.

(Rin closes her eyes, not in meditation, but in exhaustion. The fight is over for now, leaving only the dull ache of hatred and the cold vigil of the passing time.)



7:20 PM. The icy wind whips across the deserted area.

(Five minutes passed in utter silence. Rin remains seated on the opposite bench, her back to Yuta, her eyes tightly closed. The cold wind is harsh, but the firm, comfortable metal of the bench, combined with the deep exhaustion of her mentally taxing week, begins to work against her.

[MONOLOGUE - KARUIZAWA RIN]

I hate him. I hate this bench. I hate that I ate the ramen. I hate that he saw me flinch. But the silence is... quiet. It's safe. I haven't been this still since... I can't remember. I should be studying. I should be reviewing the history dates. The Meiji Restoration... (Her voice is getting weaker, slower) ...I need to wake up. I can't sleep. Sleep is weakness...

(Her breathing deepens, slowing down. Her head lolls slightly to the side, leaning against the cold pillar beside her. The mental guard she's maintained for three years is finally collapsing under the weight of hunger and stress.)

[MONOLOGUE - KARUIZAWA RIN]

..Must stay awake... must stay awake... the history... the dates... I won't let him win... (Her mental voice trails off into an indistinct, slow haze.)

(SOUND: The cold, metal bench that Rin is sitting on emits a sudden, loud CREAK as her posture shifts entirely in sleep. The sound is startlingly loud in the quiet station.)

(Yuta's eyes, which had been closed, snap open instantly. The sound of distress and the sudden break in the silence immediately push him to full vigilance. He turns his head slowly over his shoulder.)

HASHIMURA YUTA

(His voice is low and cautious, pitched just above a whisper) Karuizawa-san... everything okay?

(No response. Rin’s head remains slumped. Her body begins slide more towards the side, the deep, exhausted sleep causing her to slowly slip sideways off the bench.)

(Yuta, recognizing the danger, pushes himself up from his bench. He takes two silent, swift steps toward her.)

(He sees her clearly: her entire body is tipping forward, her arms limp, her head falling directly toward the dirty, concrete platform floor—a guaranteed collision that would surely injure her.)

(Yuta reacts instantly. There is no thought of penance, no memory of her hatred—only the primal, protective instinct to prevent harm. He lunges, reaching her just as she begins to slide.)

(He catches her. His right arm slides under her knees, supporting her legs. His left arm cradles her back and shoulders, stabilizing her. He pulls her gently upward, maneuvering her unconscious, limp body away from the ground.)

(Yuta settles her against him. He shifts his weight, carefully letting her head come to rest against his shoulder, tucked safely beneath his chin. Her warm, soft hair brushes his neck. He supports her fully, his posture now the image of quiet, total protection. The hostile distance is gone, replaced by a devastating, necessary intimacy. He closes his eyes, bracing himself for the profound agony of holding the one person he must never touch.)

[MONOLOGUE - HASHIMURA YUTA]

Rin. You are safe. I swear you will be safe.



7:20 PM - 8:00 PM. Forty minutes of silence
Tachibana Station platform. The cold night air. Rin's body is nestled against Yuta's shoulder.

(Yuta remains perfectly still, holding Rin. Forty minutes crawl by in agonizing silence. He doesn't shift, doesn't scratch an itch, doesn't relax his muscles. He is a pillar of self-punishment and protection. Her head is heavy against his shoulder, her slow, steady breath a soft, foreign rhythm against his neck.)

[MONOLOGUE - HASHIMURA YUTA]

..Forty minutes. This is what I owe you. This silence. This safety. I wish I could trade every minute of my change for just this one moment of peace for you. When you wake up, you will hate me again. But for now, you don't have to be afraid.

(Yuta notices the clock above the platform change to 8:00 PM. He sees the glow of the approaching train in the distance. His time is up.)

(He gently shifts his weight, his arm carefully sliding out from beneath her back. Rin groans softly but remains asleep.)

HASHIMURA YUTA

(Whispering softly into her ear) Karuizawa-san. Rin. Your train is here. You need to wake up.

(He tries again, slightly louder, gently shaking her shoulder. Rin only nestles deeper into the warmth of his shoulder, unresponsive. Her exhaustion is too profound.)

(SOUND: The roar of the 8:00 PM Senzan Line train pulls into the station, its doors hissing open.)

HASHIMURA YUTA

(His mind races. He cannot leave her asleep on the platform. He cannot risk waking her here, forcing her to confront the embrace, causing another panic attack, and leaving her to navigate the trip while still groggy.)

(He makes a desperate, final decision. He knows this act will be interpreted as the deepest form of manipulation and boundary violation, but he prioritizes her physical safety above his own reputation and her perception of him.)

HASHIMURA YUTA

(He leans down, whispering a final, desperate apology directly into her ear, his voice breaking with genuine anguish.) I am so sorry, Rin. For everything. For this.

(He scoops her up, lifting her into a 'princess carry'. Rin is light from years of stress-induced minimal eating, and the move is shockingly easy for his newly conditioned body. He holds her securely against his chest.)

(Yuta strides purposefully toward the open train doors. Commuters glance at the handsome boy carrying the sleeping girl, assuming a devoted relationship.)

(He enters the carriage and quickly scans the seats, his eyes finding a secluded spot: a window seat where she would be buffered from the aisle.)

(He gently lowers her onto the window seat, arranging her body to sit upright. He places her bag beside her, securing it with his foot momentarily. Her head lolls forward with the motion of the train.)

(He notices an elderly woman seated across the aisle, observing the scene with a kindly, grandmotherly expression.)

HASHIMURA YUTA

(Bowing slightly to the woman, his tone grave and sincere) Excuse me, ma'am. This is Karuizawa-san. She had an extremely long day studying and is completely exhausted. She missed her stop a while ago. Could I impose upon your kindness? Please ensure she stays on the train until the final stop, or until she wakes up and confirms her destination.

ELDERLY WOMAN

(Smiling warmly, entirely charmed by his apparent devotion) Oh, of course, young man. Don't you worry. She's safe with me. Such a sweet girl. You're a wonderful friend.

(The word 'friend' hits Yuta with the final, deserved irony of the day. He bows deeply one last time, his gaze lingering on Rin's peaceful, sleeping face for just a second—the final memory of her at rest.)

(Yuta turns and rushes back toward the door. The chime sounds, warning of departure. He steps off the train just as the doors hiss shut.)

(Yuta is left alone on the empty platform, watching the train carrying Rin pull away into the darkness. He is trembling with exhaustion and the agonizing weight of the boundary he just violated. He has saved her, but at the cost of giving her one final, undeniable piece of evidence that he is, indeed, a manipulator who disregards her boundaries.)