Of course, you have no idea what a train actually is, but telling her this fact at face value would undermine all of your efforts up to this moment. So you simply shrug in indifference.
"As you say."
Mami gives you a strange look at that, before seemingly dismissing the issue and shaking her head. "Let's get going, then."
The sudden surge of magic next to you catches you unprepared, and you tense as a blinding golden light envelops Mami for a few seconds.
When it finally subsides, the strangest human you've met in a while stands in the same spot with her clothes completely changed, now wearing an outfit you could consider more standard for a human.
She turns and looks at you expectantly.
…
You raise an eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"
Your acquaintance gives you another odd look. "Aren't you going to change? You know…" she gestures vaguely at your favorite and only dress you have, and you frown.
"Why?" You ask, perplexed at her reasoning. Perhaps she thinks you are capable of performing the same feat? Then… "I am comfortable with my current attire."
Her eyebrows rise in uncertainty. "Oh," she says, apparently not knowing what to make of your words. "If… you're sure?" She makes her way to the entrance, turning to give you a small smile. "Follow me, then. The station isn't that far."
-=-
Most of the humans you encounter in your path either glance at you in confusion before going their way, or stare at you in even
more confusion, proceeding to point their phones at you once the shock of the apparent
impossibility of their situation wears off.
You are getting a tad annoyed, to put it mildly.
Unexpectedly, Mami seems the most uncomfortable one of the two of you as you venture through the jungle of glass covered towers and stone buildings.
"I knew it was a bad idea…" She mutters, sighing as you stop at a particularly large interception, mechanized vehicles of all colors and sizes speeding in front of you, a veritable sea of humans all around you.
You eventually arrive at a large rectangular building, masses of people going in and out of its entrance. Inside, a row of waist-high gates in the middle of the room restricts further movement, a strange metal arm only letting people pass one at a time.
Mami gestures for you to wait at one of the many seats provided, going to the side of the large room for an unknown purpose.
Your eyes dart around as you wait for her to come back, remarking every little detail you manage to perceive.
A sickly middle-aged man in a suit manages to snare your attention, and you watch with concern as he sways unsteadily on his feet with shortness of breath, passing some kind of card in front of one of the waist-high gates. A flash of green appears to indicate that it is now open, and you watch in befuddlement as he stumbles his way through the station, never
quite collapsing on the floor, the humans around him completely ignoring his woes.
You consider yourself quite smart, but you believe the irrational actions of humans will forever remain outside your realm of understanding.
Mami returns a few minutes later. "Here's your pass," she says, handing you a card similar to the one you'd seen earlier. "I charged it with a few trips, though I doubt you'll be using it much," she comments, eyeing your attire for some reason you fail to decipher.
Regardless, you bow your head in gratitude. "Thank you."
She smiles at you. "Don't mention it," she tells you, bringing a hand to her hips. "Just... consider it an apology for being so rude to you earlier."
Mimicking the actions of those around, you pass through the gates after Mami, and you marvel at such weirdly useful and specific technology as the light flashes green and you push onwards.
Exiting the building, you find yourself outside again, with a crowd of people standing on a platform raised a few meters above ground.
You manage to stay near Mami as she expertly weaves through the tide of bodies, emerging on the edge of the platform only a few moments later.
"Mami?"
She turns to look at you in the small space you have managed to snatch for yourselves, giving you a patient smile. "Yes, Lavenza? The train will be here any minute now."
You avert her gaze as you think of a way to frame your doubts. "Are there any locations that could be considered... interesting?" you inquire. "I'm afraid I remain ignorant to this town's attractions."
Mami considers your question, biting her lip in uncertainty. "Mitakihara isn't really a city that has those kinds of things," she says. "Apart from the big mall in the Upper Downtown district, I suppose there's also the shrine?"
"A shrine?"
She nods, suddenly looking slightly crestfallen to your eyes. "Yes. An old-fashioned shrine near the main park that's still being maintained by the city." She looks away from you. "I used to go there for every New Years. People still talk about it from time to time..."
A decidedly awkward silence falls between you as the conversation dies a premature death, Mami's usual tranquil expression replaced by a blank mask of emptiness.
You don't like her like this.
The sound of clashing metal alerts you to the arrival of the fabled 'train', and you watch in quiet astonishment as an enormous, multi-layered steel vehicle travels down a set of tracks, its separate carriages bobbling unsteadily as it stops in front of the platform.
Slowly opening its gates to reveal an empty interior, Mami latches onto your wrist as the flood of humans starts advancing, and you let yourself be pulled by her as you hurriedly enter.
Its interior is nothing extraordinary. Plastic seats at its sides, metal bars sprouting off the floor and ceiling, its small handles swaying with leftover momentum.
Mami drags you both into a pair of empty seats as the carriage slowly fills out, most of the passengers having to stay standing as the tide subsides and the doors close.
A female voice resounds through the vehicle as it starts moving once again, but you ignore it as you notice a small ripple of magic just out of your view. You frown as a strange-looking white creature languidly walks towards your seats, stopping in front of your feet.
It looks up at you with beady red eyes, swinging its strange large appendages to the side as it tilts its head in what you believe is confusion.
Greetings.
A prod at your psychic defenses makes you purse your lips as you reflexively overpower and crush the unwanted intruder, countless training sessions with Margaret having implanted into you the importance of mental barriers.
The small animal stops all movement at that, its head slowly righting its tilted angle to peer directly at you.
Nobody else seems to have noticed the thing's presence yet, Mami being too busy staring out the window to see it.
Who are you?
Another prod, this one so gentle you could have completely missed it without actively looking for it.
What do you do?
[] Let your barriers down a little. You doubt such a small creature can conjure up the power to actually harm your mind.
-[] Then snatch it up.
--[] Declare it is now your new pet.
-[] Ask for its intentions.
-[] Do something else?
[] Don't budge. Appearances can be deceiving, as you well know.
-[] Ignore it. It seems to be working just fine for everyone else.
-[] Kill it.
--[] How?
-[] Do something else?
[] Write-In.
-=-
The Rat Is Confused.
Btw, you won't be able to actually communicate with Kyubey if you don't let your defenses down. You won't be leaving him free reign of your mind, you'll open it up just enough to hear the telepathic message.
] This is obviously a cat. A psychic cat.