The train car hummed steadily beneath him, its windows washed in a dim amber glow from the streetlights rushing by. Nagisa sat tucked into a corner seat, knees drawn up slightly, the collar of his hoodie pulled up just enough to hide the bottom half of his face. His short pigtails loosen slightly when the train hit a bump, but he didn’t bother adjusting them.

Across the aisle, a pair of businessmen argued softly over something on a laptop, their words muffled by the rhythm of the train and the occasional squeal of metal tracks. Nagisa's fingers fidgeted with the frayed hem of his sleeve, the motion absentminded, almost subconscious.

He wasn’t particularly tired. Just... heavy. That kind of weight that doesn’t come from a long day, but from carrying around too much of yourself for too long.

In the window, his reflection looked back; slim face, sharp blue eyes, and hair, despite the length of it, he was satisfied with the way Kayano had styled them for him. Made him feel connected to a friend, even if he never really knew much about her.

He looked away from the glass, gaze drifting instead to the faint reflection of the night city passing by. He liked this part, where no one really looked, and no one really asked. Where he could just exist.

— I wonder if I’d be different if I’d grown up anywhere else...

The thought barely finished forming before he dismissed it. Not worth the spiral. He pulled his hoodie up a little higher and let his head rest against the window, cool glass pressing against his temple.

The next stop was still ten minutes away. That was fine. He didn’t mind the in-between.