The Girl on the Railway

"Huh?"
Tetsudo had no words. Who was she and why did she ask to stay over? Wait, she said she ran away from home? Where is she from? He was watching as she balance-walked on the rails towards him.
"I asked if I could stay over at your house. Don't worry, I'll tell your parents I'm a friend from school," The girl said with a smile, as she walked around the rusting rails. The sun shined behind her, but she couldn't look more lonely with her smile.

"But we don't even know each other..." Tetsudo said with a staggered voice. 

"Then... What's your name?" the girl asked.

"I'm Tetsudo."

"Tetsudo... You have a cute name," she said with a smile again. "My name is Yarusenai. You can call me Yai. Now we know each other."
Yai smiled at Tetsudo again, who looked at her with shock in his eyes.

"Let's go, I'm getting cold," she climbed on the other platform. "Which way is your house?"
Tetsudo wanted to say that he wanted to stay a bit longer until the twilight.

"It's that way," he pointed at the bushes. "You can get lost so follow me."
"Okay!"

The forest on the other side looked as unwelcoming as ever, even if the sun tried to light it and make it shine. The rails were still shiny, the wires still reflecting in the sunset, the electric poles were warm and high up, buzzing with their heat and worry. Yai kept walking on the rails with a smile, he uniform looked worn out and a bit dirty, the red bowtie in the middle was missing and there was a tear in the left of the skirt. Tetsudo was looking at her and thought he should ask her some questions to get to know her a bit. Allowing a total stranger in your house is pretty sketchy.

"Where are you from?" he asked her.

"Niigata." "So she ran all the way to Nagano?"

"That's pretty far. Why did you run away?"

"I didn't like my home or parents, or friends, or teachers, or hometown. So I decided to run away."

"Why didn't you like anything?"
For a second, Yai stopped walking and looked at Tetsudo.

"Is this an interrogation?" Yai asked back and laughed.

"It's not okay to let a total stranger in your house," Tetsudo got a bit embarrassed.

"Understandable. I like your wariness, everyone should be wary of everyone," Yai said, as she continued to balance-walk on the rails. "To answer you question... I don't know. Maybe it the dull and anxious life, maybe it was something that happened that broke the mold. I don't even remember exactly. Maybe when I see everyone again, I'll realize exactly why I ran away."

"Then you should go back," Tetsudo said. "I'm sure your parents and your friends miss you."

"That may be right, but...
I don't miss them."

The silence resurged back as they passed through the bushes and got out of the railway. The twilight was fading away slowly, Tetsudo could see the moon. It was a small crescent, kinda cute, the way it looked like it was rocking back and forth. The orange haze of the July evening was slowly coming down and being replaced by the windy and blue night.

"Why were you on the railway?" Yai's question startled Tetsudo.

"Well uh... I like, railways... I like walking along them... When I do, it's like I feel nostalgic for something that never happened..." he said with a flustered face. "But don't tell anyone, you hear me?! You're the only person that has ever seen me there, I'd like to keep it that way."

Yai chuckled and said:
"I won't tell anyone, but only if you let me stay over until your school year ends. So a week."

"A week??" Tetsudo shouted. "Why a week?! I understand a day or two, but-"

"Where do you expect me to go?" Yai cut him off. Her smile faded and her tone got serious. That creeped Tetsudo out.

"Listen, I'm not unsympathetic to your situation, but you can't just ask to say at someone's house for a week!" he defended himself.

"Okay then - where should I go in two days time?" Yai asked him.

"Back home!"

"Can't do that."

"What do you mean you can't do that?!" Tetsudo was stumped.

"I have no money," Yai shouted. "So if I had to go back home, I need to walk a week!"

Tetsudo sighed in frustration.

"Fine, you can stay, for now. But don't tell my mother I go to this railway, okay?"

Yai's sly smile appeared again.
"Deal!"

The two of them walked down the street until they reached Tetsudo's house. There was still no one around, only the windows shined from above their heads, contrasting the blue dress the night wore. Tetsudo's parents were probably home already. "I have a lot of explaining to do in front of them..." he thought and was visibly annoyed. Even Yai noticed this and said:

"Leave the talking to me, I can come up with a great cover-up story!" she said with her thumb pointed at her chest."

"I hope you can..."
He opened the front door.
"I'm home."

"Tetsu, where were you?" said his mother, as she descended from the upper floor. "I was worried, you know. Who were you out with the whole day? I think you need to have an evening hour..." Tetsudo's mom stopped talking. She saw Yai behind him.

"Sorry for intruding!" Yai bowed down.

"Oh my, are you one of Tetsu's friends? I'm Fuuka, Tetsu's mom! Make yourself at home!" she smiled. "What brings you here?"

"Recently my mom has not been coming home,  so I figured I should spent some time with Tetsu! Would you mind if I stayed over a few times?" Yai smiled back wholeheartedly.

"Of course not! I've never seen Tetsu invite a girl over, so this will be a very welcomed change of pace!"

"Okay, okay, no need for this much information!" Tetsudo interjected. "Let's go up to my room! We'll come for dinner in a second!"

"Okay! It's just us three today, just so you know! Your father is on a business trip!" his mother yelled back.

"Again, huh..."

Yai and Tetsu went to his room and Tetsu laid a futon for her to sleep in.
"Why don't I sleep on the couch?" Yai asked.

"It's uncomfortable, you could catch a cold. I'd feel bad."

"Wow, you have a lot of manga!"

"Stop looking around my room!"

"Oh? Will I find something naughty? Is that what you're afraid of?" Yai's showed her sly smile again.

"Shut up!" Tetsu got flustered.

They went down to have dinner with Fuuka. It felt like it went by so fast for Tetsu. The untrue conversations and the made-up stories made for a very entertaining evening. At the end when everything settled down and they all went to bed, the faint moon glow peered through Tetsu's window. He couldn't really sleep. All he could was wonder: "Why did she decide to stay over? She could've gone to anyone, why me? I wonder what happened back then that made her run away...". He watched her as she slept quietly in the moonlight. Where will she go after school ends?