Project: Socialize

"No one is willing to join..." Muria sighed as the three of us finished making our round in the school and returned back to our classroom.

"Looks like we won't be able to find anyone else today," Loyd grabbed his bag from beside his seat and brought it over his shoulder. "Let's head home for today."

I looked out the window and discovered that the sun was slowly setting in the distance. I then checked the exact time on my phone and discovered that it was already 6:00 PM. I silently cursed the world for the two hours that I lost.

With a silent sigh, I walked over to my desk and picked up my school bag. After flinging it over my shoulder, I then followed after Loyd and Muria out of the empty classroom and into the empty hallway. We then exited from the front entrance of the school and headed towards the nearest station.

As we neared the station, the scenery of the streets around us went from a more residential area to a more commercial area. More and more stores and restaurants popped up on either side of the road to cater to the increased flow of human traffic near the train station. The pleasant aroma of food items could be smelled as we walked by, and I turned my head to observe whatever it was. I didn't pay much attention to the stores other than merely looking at it since I really wasn't in the mood to spend money and waste any more time outside the comfort of home.

Come to think of it, I wonder what Emilia is doing. Since I'm not home, where did Emilia go when I'm not home?

Those questions bothered me but not to too great of an extent. I know that she'll probably be fine so I didn't think of it much after that initial flash.

The train station was starting to enter rush hour, but it was still not at the peak so it wasn't as crowded. However, that does not mean that it wasn't crowded at all. The train station by my school, since it was quite close to the more prosperous areas of Nocsinis, was crowded, although not as bad as the situation at Nocsinis Station itself.

The three of us followed the flow of the crowd to the ticket gates, scanned our phones on the scanner, and walked past it. We then started for the elevated railways that I believe the two of them also took in order to wait for our train to arrive. Once we were on the platforms for the elevated rails, I could hear the sound of a train arriving and also feel the wind that it brought with it as it approached the station. The intercom broadcasted the destination of the arriving train, also warning passengers to be cautious when entering and to allow any passengers that wanted to exit to do so before entering the train car.

"See you guys Monday."

I initially thought that it was my imagination that she might be headed in same direction in me, but my suspicions was confirmed when she entered the same train as I did. It was somewhat crowded in the train car, with no where to sit and not much room left to stand comfortably. This led to Muria and I standing quite close to each other. Because of our close distance and the fact that she was shorter than me, I looked down at her with a hint of surprise in my eyes, and I discovered that she acted as if her actions were quite normal with nothing out of the ordinary.

"You...you don't usually go this way," I commented nonchalantly,

"What would make you think that?" She lifted her head slightly to look me in the face.

"It's just that I don't usually see you go this way," I looked away to hide my awkwardness. "Plus in the past, when we were out together either that time at the movie theater and with your sister, you didn't go the same way as I did."

"I can't go elsewhere before I head home?" She sighed. "If I don't go this way, then which way do I go?"

"I don't know. I don't stalk you or anything."

She then sighed. "Usually, I would stay behind school and head home with my sister since she leaves about twenty minutes after class is over," she started explaining.

"You must really like your sister," I commented, recalling how happy she looked when she was walking with Mura in the rain.

"Well," she blushed. "It's only twenty minutes..." Her voice got quieter in the end as she became slightly flustered.

Yeah. She definitely likes her sister.

"And also," she continued, "I'm moving out with sis."

"You two are moving out?"

She simply nodded in response.

I didn't probe into the situation, knowing that it was none of my business. In fact, she had revealed to me enough personal information already as to why she's headed this way, so I really didn't feel like pressing her for more information. That would make me a real stalker because the two of us weren't technically very close and our relationship can only be defined as an acquaintance. Therefore, it wouldn't be natural for me to probe into her situation. Each family has there own personal issues that they would most likely prefer kept hidden.

I stood there, hand holding onto the hanging strap that hung overhead. I avoided looking at her in order to protect myself from a possible accusation of me being a pervert. However, as more and more people boarded the train, she was pressed closer and closer to me until she was technically up against my body. With one hand grabbing onto the hand rail and the other one over her chest in a protective stance, Muria stood there and avoided looking at me by looking down towards the ground. Due to this, I could smell the scent of her hair as the top of her head neared my face.

This...well...this is a pretty bad situation. I had to control myself from acquiring a reaction, which I did so by singing along to a song from one of the TV shows I watched as a child, reminding myself of the purity and innocence of the past. I then chuckled bitterly, mocking myself for how far I had strayed from that path of complete innocence as I matured and entered puberty.

When the train arrived at Lumina Station, the main train station by my house, I started for the train door, pushing against the crowd.

This is why I hate rush hour...

I cursed under my breath as I pushed along with the crowd, and then when I looked to my side, I was quite surprised to see Muria there. She appeared to be quite surprised as well as she stared at me with a look of shock and genuine confusion.

"You get off at this station?" she asked as the two of us continued walking towards the ticket gates to scan our phone once again before heading for the exit.

"I live in the area," I simply responded, not thinking much about the situation.

This is merely a coincidence. There's no way that we would proceed in the same direction from the station, right? Like there's no way. She must be living in the opposite direction as me. Right. That must be it.

If that is so, then someone please tell me why she's still going in the same direction as me?

I glanced over at her as I walked in front of her and towards the building that I lived in. I discovered that she also looked at me with some concern on her face, probably worried about the same issue as I was. I nervously returned my gaze back to the road ahead of me, passing by numerous pedestrians and cars that drove by on the main road. My heart pounded in nervousness as the high-rise condo that I lived in came into view in the distance, and each step that I took towards the building, my heart rate increased as I discovered that Muria was still with me.

When I arrived at the foot of the tall building that I resided in, I made a turn towards the door. I approached the locked entrance and scanned my phone on the scanner by the door to unlock the glass door. I glanced over my shoulder and was shocked when I saw Muria holding her phone out in her hands while standing behind me. Her face appeared dazed as she stood there, eyeing me with surprise.

I entered the building through the now opened automatic sliding glass door, sighing as I confirmed that her new address will be in the same building as me. All I can hope for is that we weren't on the same floor. Therefore, when Muria and I entered the elevator, I prayed that the floor I chose on the smart screen by the elevator door will not be the same as hers.

I tapped on the smart screen, summoning the floors option. I then touched the on screen prompt for the forty-eighth floor. I slowly looked over my shoulder at her, and then discovered that her outreached hand that was originally supposed to touch the screen for whatever floor she lived in slowly retracted. Her face appeared to have a complicated expression that consisted of conflicting feelings that contained more of uncertainty than anything else.

"You...live on the forty-eighth floor?" I asked with a trembling voice.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded her head while maintaining that same somewhat frightful expression.

Once the elevator arrived at the forty-eighth floor, the two of us stepped out of the elevator. Since on this floor of the building two houses occupy the same floor, I headed towards the front entrance of my house, and Muria headed to the door that was opposite to mine. In silence, we unlocked the door with our fingerprints and disappeared into our own homes.

I leaned on the door after it closed, slowly allowing myself to slip down to the ground. I rested my head against the door and took a deep breath.