A small "special" to tie things up here.

Again no musical reference, it's Devil Devil again.

The station didn't have that many people around. Most of the time, it'd fill up at very particular times due to office workers and sometimes school students as well. It also only filled up for certain stops, so it's not like there was any need for people to go into the same wagons or stay close to each other.

That's not the reason why Yukinoshita Haruno did it, after all. It'd have been all too easy to come up with a believable excuse. To make herself stand out less, start out with a better tone. However, whether she refused to do so or thought it was not necessary was out for debate. As the blond young man was concerned, he'd simply been followed all the way out in his attempt to leave Chiba. And she simply let herself sit right beside him, crossing her legs like she hadn't just forced them into close proximity in spite of the wagon being mostly empty.

"…" Her smile remained the same, although she didn't stare at him. She fiddled with her phone and that apparently made the young man more nervous. It made for a strange scene, one that the few passengers around were all too happy to ignore because of the lingering silence. Yet behind the cap, it was obvious that something was happening.

"I didn't think we'd go in the same direction." The boy chuckled after they both let the vehicle keep moving two stations after getting on. His tone had more assuredness now, but it still remained somewhat uncertain. Still on guard.

"We're not." The elder Yukinoshita assured him, still with her eyes on her phone as the younger guy had to swallow the pill of her amused tone. She made no attempt to hide her amusement, but the distance that her body language gave off made it seem like she was ignoring him.

He moved his finger rhythmically, touching his legs as a new station appeared in their vision. The silence hadn't become any less uncomfortable, and people didn't seem to pay them much attention while the younger guy struggled to keep his nervous tics in check.

Then, when there were only two people on the farther left and one on the right, the woman put down the phone and her expression transformed.

Her smile looked fake enough that one could've tried to peel it off her face, like a sticker. And her sidewise glance meant that she could keep her voice down and no one would notice the toying tone that came so naturally out of her.

"Do you come here often?"

"Not really." The blond replied with some reservation.

"Funny, it looked to me like you knew exactly where you were going." The woman looked away, seeing the person to their right pick up their phone and give them their back "I thought you were the traveling type, like me."

The younger guy didn't immediately know what to answer.

"Do you like going on trips?" He finally asked after some consideration, keeping his eyes level so that the cap would block his gaze from her own.

"You can say that." The elder Yukinoshita's smile became more pleasant "Sightseeing is a hobby of mine. I'm always on the hunt for something new and exciting to happen."

That last part sounded very targeted, so the blond looked up to see that she didn't have her attention on him.

Strange, vexing. A little creepy too, how it'd seem like she didn't notice his existence while jabbing at him with her tone alone. But whatever else the guy might be thinking was masked by the thin line that he made while pressing his lips together.

"Sorry to disappoint. I'm a pretty lame person." He fixed the cap, doing it with a lot more certainty than any other thing he'd done so far "The overseas look is just a curiosity."

"Your looks?" The elder Yukinoshita fully turned to him, tilting her head a little to get a better look at him "Ah, I guess you're kind of cute. Yes. What about it?"

The boy looked back at her, a bit put off by the nonchalant way she gave him a glance over and returned to mostly ignoring his presence. She looked beautiful. The dangerous aura oozing out of her might've deterred most people from looking too much. But she was unmistakably beautiful. Sure, she might be dressed in a simple style that didn't draw too much attention. But even her clothes didn't look out of place on her. She had no makeup that he could distinguish, and although her eyes were cold there was something there that simply drew people in.

He cut off the eye contact when their sights clashed.

"You must think I'm flattering myself." He chuckled in a low tone.

"Showing your good side is not a bad thing. Rather, I'm of the idea that too much humility is boring. What's wrong with showing off from time to time?"

The smile that appeared on his face was a wry one.

"It's not the same with guys."

"Guess not." She nodded to herself, crossing her arms beneath her chest area. He avoided staring again "But it's also rarer, maybe that's why. Have you considered modeling?"

Was that supposed to be a compliment? It didn't feel like one.

"It's not for me."

"Yeah, fair." She looked at her nails, like she wanted to make sure they were pristine "People see you around and assume you'd be into these things. They don't really get that there's more to us than a pretty face."

Again, his only reaction was to chuckle awkwardly. It looked like she was just mouthing off, keeping a unilateral conversation where she didn't care about his answer.

It still felt like she was implying something, it just was too obtuse that it didn't make any sense.

"For instance, I have a friend that has a terrarium. Beautiful thing, really well kept. He has several small critters in it. Some ugly, some cute. He sprays it with water every day, cuts the sprouts that look about to wither, and just really likes to keep it alive and green." She gave him a side glance again, momentarily acknowledging the presence he was trying to conceal by making himself smaller "It's the only thing she's passionate about. The only thing that brings her joy, because life is so mundane that these little critters are the only thing that make it feel like time isn't just passing by."

His expression became blank for a moment.

"I thought you had a male friend?"

"Did I say that?" The woman tilter her head "I don't think I did."

Okay. Now, that felt like she was actually being more forward. If only because she gave him the dirty eye before continuing. A glimpse of barely a moment, but one that made him close his hands as the woman discharged some of her wickedness on him.

"Anyway. The terrarium is nothing important. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The critters might die if she lets them go, because they're so used to being fed and cared for. But that doesn't matter." The elder Yukinoshita chuckled "She still despises pests. Bugs that shouldn't be there, breaking the frail equilibrium. She's a person, but little vermin whose only purpose is take advantage of her hand will still mess things up, because the critters in there are not suited to combat them. She hates them."

The vehicle arrived at another station, and the two of them were left alone.

"Now, she went on a trip and begged me to take care of it. I don't care much for it: I don't like the lizards or insects bumbling around. But, she's coming back at some point. She actually went to get a little happy fellow that'll be center piece of the terrarium." She didn't look at him again, but her smile had turned cold and haunting. Her eyes were devoid of any warmth too, but not in the way a predator does not care about the well-being of its prey.

Rather, the gaze reflected on the window of the wagon felt like that closer to what the guy saw when he looked at the mirror.

"And you see, she's still my friend. I can't disappoint her. I'll keep looking after these things until she comes back, because I care." She closed her eyes, and when the wagon began to slow down, the woman had turned back into a pretty lady with a bit of a scary vibe because of how unapproachable she looked like.

"…What does that have to do with me?"

The monster chuckled.

"From one wandering soul to another? I'd suggest getting better pet projects." She shook her head while getting out of her seat "Don't lock yourself with responsibilities that you'll regret messing up. Okay? Just an onee-san's wisdom before I say goodbye."

She turned around and offered him her hand.

"Yukinoshita."

He blinked at it.

"Sounds familiar…"

Her smirk turned a bit more sadistic.

"Figured as much." She moved her hand to make a wave, not bothered by his refusal to take it "Take care little guy. Don't let me find you again."

When the vehicle started moving again, it felt like her piercing gaze followed him even beyond the confines of her body. Even though she'd stayed in the station.

The young man decompressed, sinking into his seat so much that his butt left the seat and his lower back protested at the strange position it had to maintain.

He probably had never seen someone leave behind a message so clearly without uttering a word about it.

Last warning.