You've come this far already, so it would be a waste to turn back now. You make the decision quickly, and not a moment too soon, as an opening in the crowd lets Kichirou finally step aboard one of the train cars, with you following close on his heels. There's an empty corner off to the left that you instinctively make a beeline for; fortunately he seemed to have the same idea, and once again you're left sitting across from him, watching in uncertainty while he's completely oblivious to your presence.
Soon enough, the doors close again, and the train begins pulling out of the station, buildings and streets passing by the windows at a swift yet steady rate as it begins to make a broad circuit. Instead of digging back into his manga, Kichirou props his head up to stare out at the passing view with a bored frown, idly tapping a finger against his knee. You find yourself wondering what's on his mind, but a more pressing question quickly comes to mind - now what? At first you just wanted to see him, make sure he was okay, but even now that you apparently have your answer, it still feels like there's unfinished business here. The sensation is an oddly familiar one - walking into a room only to forget why you went in there, and having to come back five minutes later after remembering again. But this is more important, and soon enough, he'll likely be back at school…
You turn away to watch the view as well, seeing the cityscape pass by - only to be replaced by darkness when the train passes into a hillside, the shadowed tunnel walls making your own reflection clear in the window's glass. Ah, that makes sense. Still, you hesitate.
Should you do it? Nel wanted you to keep your ghostliness a secret from the other magical girls, and your magical girl side secret in general, but would this really fall under either? And Death certainly never asked you to hide away… And what about Kichirou? You glance over at him, then down at your lap. You want someone to talk to, someone familiar, but would it be unfair to him to show yourself? If he tried to talk about it, people would think he was crazy - if he didn't think that about himself first. Your mind flashes back to the Manga he'd set aside; Werewolf Hunter was it?
Still, despite your unease, your loneliness wins out, and you begin to consider just how best to make yourself known. The train's already left the tunnel, again, your reflection gone, but maybe you don't need it… Standing up to instead sit beside him, you try to place your hand on his shoulder - though the train's sudden deceleration as it approaches the next station turns your movement into more of a hard shove.
Oh, great. Kichirou turns around, rubbing his shoulder defensively while searching for the perpetrator, only to be surprised at the lack of anyone in his vicinity. Grumbling under his breath with a frown, he pulls his hoodie over his head and draws the bag with his Manga closer, before returning to staring out the window at the crowd of people waiting to board.
Once the train gets moving again, the train car is considerably more full, leaving you frustrated. Trying to catch his attention now is only going to cause a scene. Plus, the next stop is pretty close to home, so you have no doubt that's where he'll be disembarking…
Fortunately, there's another hillside fast-approaching. This tunnel is much shorter than the last, but you take full advantage of the opportunity this time. Leaning close and putting a finger up to your lips in a shushing gesture, you wait until your reflection is visible in the window again to put your arm across his shoulders. It's just for a moment, but at the way he jolts, eyes going wide, you know he saw. Withdrawing as he whirls on you, you open up the paper bag just enough to let the siblings on the cover of Werewolf Hunter stare up at him, then let it fall closed again, watching him nervously.
Kichirou stares blankly at first, down at the bag, then the seemingly-empty seat beside him. Reaching up to touch the shoulder you'd accidentally shoved, his expression shifts, still unreadable but distinctly different. He turns to stare forward, hands on his lap, and shakes his head as if to clear it.
Then suddenly he turns again and pushes his palm out, nearly shoving you out of your seat altogether. You squawk and flail to keep your balance, grateful once again nobody else could see that, but the point's been made - even if Kichirou can't see you, by the way he's staring in your direction, face as white as a ghost, (hah!) he clearly knows you're here.
His reverie is soon broken by the PA system, announcing again that the train is pulling into the next station. Kichirou quickly grabs his bag, gingerly stepping into the aisle as if expecting to run into you, then scurries to the opening doors. You wince, wondering if you made the wrong decision, but push through the sudden surge of self-doubt to hurry out onto the platform. Your brother is already making his way down the stairs to the sidewalk, not slowing for a moment and forcing you to run to catch up.
It isn't until you're a block and a half away from the station that he finally slows to a halt, giving you much-needed respite. You're not far from his school, in a cluster of small eateries and storefronts that break up the domestic conformity of the neighborhood's endless rows of homes. You're standing in front of an unused building, the dark and empty interior with a single cubicle in the far corner just barely visible through the reflection of the brightly-sunlit street, your reflection clear to see, yet Kichirou isn't looking that way. Staring at his back, perhaps a bit nervously, you find yourself holding your breath as you wonder how he'll react.
"Are you here, Nee-san?" He finally asks, sounding lost. You simply give him another awkward shoulder-pat in response, and he glances to his side, freezing as he finally takes in the window. You smile and wave sheepishly, much like with Midori on the rooftop yesterday. For his part, Kichirou stares at your reflection, brow furrowed, as he blindly reaches over to grasp your arm.
And then he slugs you, hard. "Are you an idiot!?" He demands, "Why'd you have to go and die just like that? I miss you! Mom and dad miss you! What did you think you were doing, not looking where you're going when you cross the street? And now you show up as a ghost or a figment of my imagination acting like nothing's wrong!?!? Jeez, I never thought you could be so rude."
Taken aback at his sudden tirade, you take an unconscious step backward, clutching your shoulder even though it didn't really hurt, and you think you blink slight disbelieving tears out of your eyes. Yet strangely enough, you feel more relieved than anything else, grinning slightly at the almost exasperated tone in his voice. "I'm not just a figment, I'm pretty sure," you say with a shake of your head, only to remember he can't hear you.
"Sorry," he mutters, looking away. "I just… needed to get that out of my system, I think. I know it's not your fault, and… and if you are real, I'm glad you came to see me." He peeks back at the window to check that you're still there. "I really hope I'm not going crazy…"
As for you, you're just trying to figure out how to communicate with him. There is no convenient notebook and pencil present, and you know Kichirou is terrible at the back-writing game, so your usual go-to options aren't available. And since when did this become 'usual?' you ask yourself, before shaking your head to clear the thought; not important. The important thing is, how to talk, without transforming in broad daylight?
Your eyes fall on the bag he's still holding loosely, and an idea forms. Making sure he's watching in the reflection again, you gesture for it; after a moment of confusion, he realizes what you mean, holding it out toward you hesitantly. You reach in, grabbing both manga, and quickly flip through them, scanning the dialogue bubbles for keywords. It isn't ideal, but finally you manage to find a few relevant bits, and drag Kichirou closer to the window so he can see what you're doing. For his part, he's staring at the manga in shock, and you realize belatedly that it looks like they're levitating in midair. Whatever, just a further way to prove you're really here.
Holding the manga up to the window, you flip back and forth between pages, pointing to different panels and specific words, making sure he's following along. Spirits, afterlife, unusual case from the Werewolf Hunter book, then meeting later, can't talk from Power Sentai Riders. His brow is furrowed, but he nods in understanding, looking down at his feet before glancing back up toward you. "How much later?"
How to respond?
> Afternoon (You should have a little time after his school lets out… Though there is the risk of him seeing too much if Nel calls on you mid-conversation.)
> Tonight (You can talk to him for a bit before heading up into the mountains, and the only limit to your time then would be the train schedule.)
> Tomorrow (Your evening is already way too packed; if he can wait for another day you should be more available, provided nothing else unexpectedly comes up.)
