九

When I open my eyes again I find myself in a familiar place. Ashi-Toku station is a station with only two platforms, one each for trains going either way on its singular line.

I just did this. These thoughts are ever fresher than the first time I realized this wasn’t the first time I’d had them.

Hori inputs the code ‘A5’ on the vending machine to produce a cola for her brother. I hop up to check what brand it is. Just cola.

Hori maintains her grip on Keisuke in a very escapable manner, just the index finger and thumb curling around his wrist, the other three fingers flying free.

2 minutes until the train on platform 1 arrives.

The train strikes Hori at precisely 14:52 pm. The siblings bump and bounce as they skid down the platform. If you squint your eyes, their blood trails look like a series of repeating ‘二’ kanji. Keisuke's body bounces a bit more easily, leaving a shorter stroke.

Blood and sugar don’t mix.