Magical Girl Phantom Ascension

You're frozen for a long moment, watching your brother go; even as you mentally debate whether or not to go after Rina, though, something suddenly takes hold of you. As if on autopilot, you impulsively stride across the shop and slip through the doorway before it closes, looking up and down the road in search of Kichirou.

Thankfully, the lunch rush seems to be dying down; there are still lots of people about, forcing you to duck and weave to keep from bumping into anyone by accident, but the crowds have thinned enough that you're able to keep up with your brother, following him at a distance as he makes his way down one street, then another, the paper bag from the shop swinging freely from his hand. It doesn't take long for his destination to become clear, as another corner turned reveals an elevated railway crossing over the road, a block and a half away. Putting on a burst of speed, you follow close behind as he approaches.

Massive concrete pillars hold up the tracks as they thread between the buildings, and a staircase on each side of the street leads up to the train platform. A row of ticket gates awaits you at the top; while he feeds money into the first one, you simply step around to the next one over and awkwardly duck beneath the rotating bars, feeling faintly guilty for the easy circumvention, but mostly grateful for your invisible nature. It's a bit ridiculous in a way, but it's not like you owe them money now that you're dead. Not that anyone would have noticed anyway, as aside from the two of you, the platform is deserted, eerily silent despite the sounds of traffic and pedestrians drifting up from below. Several tall office buildings loom all around, keeping the platform in shade despite the sun's high angle. A flyer posted by the ticket gates is promoting someone or other running for Prime Minister soon, but you don't care enough to spare it more than a passing glance; aside from that there isn't much else to look at, aside from an abandoned coffee cup, some newspapers rustling in the breeze, and faded posters pressed between the plexiglass walls, with a few on the far end spray-painted over with vulgarities.

It's only once your brother takes a seat to wait, that you realize what you're doing. You were supposed to be spying on the bookstore owners, not chasing off on tangents… Still, you think, you know for sure now that they're up to something suspicious, and you'll be going back there later anyway. Right now, you decide, you have a different sort of worry. That thought doesn't quite clear away your hesitation, but it does help.

Sitting down on the opposite bench, you examine Kichirou, realizing with a start that you haven't even seen much of him since your… since your funeral. He's in the middle school's fall uniform, of course, but is wearing a red hoodie over it; you quietly wonder how he's not burning up under those layers. Whereas you took more after your mom's appearance in all but height, he feels more like an even mix of both their traits, though somewhat closer to your father. Mom's albinism has certainly had its effect in making his skin paler than the norm, though it's nowhere near the same extent as yours and doesn't stick out as much. His hair, short but always a tad shaggy, is a dark slate-like shade, though streaked with shimmering silver like yours that gives the grey an almost metallic appearance at the right angles. To your occasional envy he's wound up being tall for his age, (and you've long hated the idea of him inevitably overtaking you), but like yourself his build is still rather skinny and awkwardly bony in all the wrong places. His eyes, though, are exactly the same dark purple as yours, one truly common factor despite your other differences, and much like you he has dark circles developing under them.

You blink. He looks so tired. He's smiling faintly as he opens up the paper bag to pull out his purchases, but he looks more unkempt than normal, a slouch in his posture that you don't remember being there before. You bite your lip, concern welling up, but hold back from doing anything just yet. His sister is dead, you remind yourself, but despite your best efforts some degree of worry still lingers at the back of your mind.

Glancing back and forth between the two manga volumes, he picks one to start reading, and sets the other down on the bench beside him; curiously, you lean closer and crane your head to read the titles. Power Sentai Riders: UltraMegaForce Yes!! is the one he's chosen, to your surprise. He'd loved watching that on television when he was younger, but in the past few years had begun to avoid all association with it, dismissing it as dumb stuff for little kids. You hadn't much cared either way, but it's still odd - and strangely nostalgic - to see him enjoying it again. Evidently he feels the same way, wincing at some parts and nearly putting the book back down, but as he continues to read his expression relaxes, and he begins chuckling quietly under his breath instead of cringing. The color-coded masked heroes stare out at you from the cover, and you find yourself thinking of the rings in Nel's box. The back cover shows a single hero in white and gold, with a cheesy caption questioning if they're a friend or enemy, despite their style clearly matching with that of the others.

The other purchase, you vaguely recognize as a series that's only recently become popular. You never got around to reading it yourself, but you at least have a vague understanding of the premise; something about a brother and sister pair traveling across Japan in the olden days, fighting samurai and various mystical creatures in search of a cure to the sister's lycanthropy.

You don't have much time to dwell on that, as an automated message announces a train's arrival; moments later it does exactly that, sliding smoothly to a stop behind you before the doors all open to let a sudden flood of people pour out onto the platform. Kichirou quickly closes up his manga and packs them both into the bag again, heading toward the nearest train car, though yielding to the crowd as they flood to the exits. Standing up and brushing off your skirt absentmindedly, you glance back and forth between him and the stairs, once again considering your options.

What do you do?
> Board the train (You've already come this far, and maybe, just maybe, you should consider trying to reveal yourself to him in some way. Despite everything else on your plate lately, you have to admit… you miss your family.)
> Turn back now (He seems okay enough, given the circumstances, and if you show yourself now, you don't know how he may react. Maybe it's better to let him grieve in peace for now, and see what else you can find back at the bookstore.)
> Throw in the towel (You think you've got what you needed to know from this excursion, in both regards, so maybe it's time to call up Nel and report your findings, and leave your brother be for the time being.)