Act 2: Secrets of the Skies

Segment 1: Frosh Days

Chapter 1-1: Elephant and Castle

Kazuhiko rubbed his eyes as the airplane's lights came back on. He had slept right past the plane meal, but that didn't bother him. It was morning in London anyway, and he needed to move in.

He glanced at his phone. Monodramon was peacefully lying there, wings tucked under its head. It would wake soon enough. He smiled and glanced out the side window as the plane banked to the left. Green fields mixed with low buildings as the plane made its descent towards the runway.

Kazuhiko's neighbour glanced at him and smiled, then whispered a cheery "Morning!" in an English accent. He didn't know exactly where from. He was going to have to get used to strangers greeting him like this. "Morning," he replied. Fortunately for him and his still half-asleep state, his neighbour was busy securing their loose material and had little time to talk.

The seatbelt sign came on. He fiddled with the latch only to remember that he'd belted himself in the whole time. A flurry of activity ensued as people latched themselves in and a few people took the final opportunity to use the washroom.

Minutes later, a roadway passed close underneath them, then came the soft thud and squeal as the plane tires hit the asphalt, followed by the rumble of the engines spinning to slow the plane down. The plane's PA turned on. Ladies and gentlemen, your captain speaking. It's a comfortable sixteen degrees with cloudy skies and faint wind at Heathrow. We'll be tucking in at Gate 31 today, at Terminal 3. If you're connecting to another flight, please make sure to use the Connections desk. Have a great rest of your day, and welcome to London!

As soon as the plane stopped at the gate, a rush of people stood up. Kazuhiko groaned and waited patiently. This was going to be a while to clear, but he wasn't in a rush. After several minutes, he was able to get his carry-on bags and deboard the plane. The hallways were flush with arrivals from their plane, plus another plane that had landed just before them. As he made his way towards the customs desks, though, he filtered into a separate line for fast-track. It was fast enough – he got through in a matter of minutes. The escalators were packed with people and their bags for the two levels down to the baggage carousels.

He got lucky; his bags were some of the first ones to be loaded onto the track. He hurriedly picked up his bags and escaped the crowds. "Right, where to next…" he muttered to himself, looking around. Customs was a relatively quick experience, after making sure his student visa was in order. It was still unnerving. Fortunately, the conversation was short and easy, and he rushed through the hall to find the London Underground. He had considered the Express trains, but he didn't feel the need to spend that money. He had a lot of time.

Kazuhiko went hunting for an Oyster card machine. Was there truly none in the airport? Looks like it would be the desk for him. The early arrival time meant the desk was quiet. He walked up to the desk and said, "A transit card, please."

"Sure, how much would you like to load onto it?" asked the person behind the desk. "Twenty pounds?"

"Uh, sure." He had forgotten to look up how much it would cost to get himself to his destination. He handed over a few twenty-pound notes to cover the cost of the load and the card. He was handed back the card and his change – fourteen pounds – which he pocketed quickly.

"Safe travels!"

"Thanks," he replied, and pulled his bags away. Well, that wasn't so bad. Being around Takaharu and Ryuta had made him pick up better English grammar. He made a mental note to thank them for that later. The Piccadilly trains were smaller than he was expecting, but still recent and clean enough. He dearly wished, though, that whatever was behind the white labels was open. He had seen rumour that there was supposed to be a purple-coloured express service, but it wasn't functional yet.

He stared at the London Tube map, tracing his expected path with his eyes just to make sure it was still up to date. A switch at Green Park to the grey line – he couldn't recall what it was – then at London Bridge to the black line, which he vaguely recalled as being Northern or something. It was the weird one that split in two right through the middle of the city.

The trains were older than he expected, but not terribly old, just a bit small. He didn't look too out of place with his bags either. Plenty of people seemed to be travelling this way. The train rumbled along, announcing station after station. He looked around. There were a few other Japanese-looking people on the train, sure to be people who had been on the same flight, but he guessed most of them were tourists, not students.

If he remembered his information correctly, they'd probably get off at Earl's Court or South Kensington. Kazuhiko sighed and leaned back in the seat. It was going to be a while longer. He glanced at his phone again. Monodramon was still peacefully sleeping away. "Ah, shoot," he muttered, and made sure his wireless earbuds were synced. If he didn't, Monodramon's voice might have carried into the train car. When he put his earbuds in, he could hear the faint sleeping sounds coming from the Digimon.

He grinned. It never got old.

Now arriving at Hammersmith. Change here for the District, Circle, and Hammersmith and City lines. The doors swooshed open, and a load of passengers exchanged in and out. It was, after all, now the morning rush on a Friday. He glanced at his phone again. It had already picked up the change in time zone, and he was now re-living the 16th of September – a Friday.

Maybe he should have taken the express train after all. The train was getting uncomfortably full with people in suits and dress shirts. Kazuhiko figured they were on their way to the centre of the city. He looked around, trying to appear as apologetic as possible. At least nobody really seemed to be bothered.

Now arriving at Earl's Court. Change here for the District line. As expected, a rush of people got off, mostly looking like tourists, only to be followed by a rush of replacement travellers. His station wasn't for a few more, and the train was getting packed now.

And if Monodramon suddenly woke and asked for something, he would look extra weird, being underground and all. Please hold it in, he thought it himself. Agonizing minutes passed. Knightsbridge. Just two more. Hyde Park Corner. He got up after the doors closed. "Sorry about the bags," he muttered to the people around him as he made his way to the doors. People wordlessly shuffled around him to make room for him to deboard. At least they were nice enough to do that. "Sorry, sorry," he continued, as he managed to get near the doorway. Another person was doing the same.

"Student, too, yeah?" the person asked, with an accent Kazuhiko could place as Scottish.

"Yeah."

"Good luck!"

"You too," he replied. Already he'd had two more people than normal talk to him on a flight or a train. He figured he should have been ready for this.

Now arriving at Green Park. Change here for the Jubilee and Victoria lines. "See you!" the other student said and rushed off the train with their bags. Kazuhiko did the same. It seemed the other person was heading to the other line, the Victoria line. He guessed they wouldn't be seeing each other. He filed into an elevator for the Jubilee line, which descended farther than he was expecting. He had no idea the tunnel was this deep.

The Jubilee train was a bit more spacious despite the morning rush. After all, he was now going away from the core. The next station is Westminster. Westminster? He made a mental note to check that out. If memory served him correctly, Parliament was there. He might even be scheduled for an architectural tour at some point in first year for some course fundamentals.

Monodramon seemed to be rousing because he could hear it grunting and moving around. Please not now, he pleaded to himself in his head. He rushed off at London Bridge Station, found himself impressed with the modern design, full platform screen doors, and beautifully efficient use of the glass wall for advertising and signage, then ascended the long elevator ride to the Northern platforms.

Kazuhiko had been expecting something old and worn, but this made the Piccadilly look ancient. It was a nice surprise – previous pictures from older years made it appear dingy and dark. The final leg of his journey was quick, and he emerged at street level. He popped his phone open. Monodramon was still lying there, napping the London morning away.

Should he? Nah.

He started south down the sidewalk and turned onto a side road, passing under a bridge. He could hear – and feel – a train passing above him. The dorm wasn't a long walk away, but there were signs of so much life around as London roused for another day. Students and other young people milled about, and the smells of a whole world's melting pot wafted around. After this, he remembered, he would have to pick up a UK SIM card. His roaming fees were otherwise going to be ridiculous.

"Mmm…" came the groggy voice. He'd made it without it waking up. It was sweet relief. "Did we land?" Monodramon asked.

"A long time ago," he replied. "We're almost at the dorm already."

"Ah… I can't believe I missed everything…" Monodramon seemed about ready to fall asleep again.

"Don't worry, I took some pictures in between. We can go back over them later." He stepped into the building and walked up to the lobby desk. "Hi, I'm here to check in."

"Papers, please," the person behind the desk asked. Kazuhiko handed over a few sheets indicating his acceptance and proof of stay. "Kazuhiko?"

"That's me."

"Key deposit is fifty pounds." Kazuhiko grimaced. That was more than he was expecting, but whatever was needed, was needed. He handed over the cash.

The concierge handed over a few booklets in exchange. "Here's the dorm rules and guidelines, plus a guide on the building and common areas, and your keys. Enjoy your stay!"

He nodded and stopped himself from bowing too deeply. It would look a bit weird. As he turned towards the stairs, he noticed the string of flags hung up on the wall at the windows – one of them being one he was familiar with. They had put up all the flags of the foreign students. Maybe there was more than just him. He would find out soon enough.

The room was small. Smaller, even, than the pictures had made it out to be. He could barely move around, and his tablet bag and backpack had to go on the bed while he sorted out the rest of his larger luggage. Still, it could work. Monodramon being in here, though, would make the space feel even smaller than his bedroom back home – after all, back home he had enough room to leave his work lying around. Here, though…

Monodramon popped out. "Kazuhiko, this place is tiny!"

"I know it is." He started unpacking his autumn clothes. Summer was going to end soon in the UK, and the weather would turn milder very quickly. "But it's the best we could do."

"Ahh, where am I going to sleep?!" It was a good question.

Kazuhiko sighed. If he had a tatami mat, it might have fit, if he tucked the chair as far under the desk as possible. The problem was that he didn't have a tatami mat but a camping sheet, and it was too wide. Maybe it would be fine. He pulled it out of his luggage. "See if this fits?"

Monodramon took it and unfurled it. The sides went up the wall and Kazuhiko's bedframe, but otherwise, it was an okay fit. "It'll work, I guess."

Kazuhiko sighed. He wasn't going to be using this space a lot, then. He worried more, though, about Monodramon. Previously it would have been free to run around the apartment, which was spacious compared to this. How could he keep it in check now? He figured he would have to worry about that later. Right now, he was starting to feel a bit hungry, and he was sure Monodramon would want to eat as well. Noon was upon them.

So, what did South London have to offer?