JUST A CRASH - BUTTERFLY CROSSING

27. Devoted

Cold steam comes out every breathable Shuji. The surrounding people were staring at him strangely, which crazy person was sitting outside in this cold temperature?

Even if you wear a coat and scarf.

Ding

Ding

Ding

News notifications that are set by him come unpretentious. Shuji read one after another but the whole preached the same information. Number of visitors, weather forecast, and so on.

Shuji sat on the steps of the station without caring around. His eyes were glued to the screen of the phone that had not changed for whatever he was staring at. I don't know how long it's been.

Maybe one, two hours?

Is it time for my train to go? Shuji muttering.

Ding!

Deftly his finger pressed down and he read as if in fidelity.

[Fierry debris trail found. The officers moved to the location at.].

Shuji repeated the title before reading the news as if his heart was stuck in his throat.

Shuji jumped, his eyes red, reading every word he wrote. “No...,” each letter is like a direct tear of his heart.

[ …. An unprecedented frozen storm hit the ship. The wreckage began to be seen but officers struggled to find it in the extreme weather.]

“...No... Sweet, Oh.” Shuji squirms at the side of the stairs with a choked cry. “This sure is a joke.” Shuji refreshed it a few times without any changes.

The future he had been waiting for full of hope suddenly turned dark unexpectedly.

Shuji shuffled up and ran into the station. Without a ticket he tried to break through the gate.

“Pak, please don't be careless!”

The station attendant who saw Shuji's movements with his observant eyes immediately acted.

“I've bought tickets, let me ride now. I have to go up now!” the girl is waiting there. He could not rely on the officer to search. Shuji can't do much, but he can do anything for the woman he loves. He believed himself to be even worse than those people.

He must go there and watch with his own eyes.

The officer who was holding Shuji was aware of his unusual circumstances. He thought this guy broke through to commit suicide.

“Pak, we'll let you in. But why break through?” Actually, even though the train schedule has not arrived, people can still enter the gate as long as there is a ticket; whenever the hour. It was obvious this person understood but the panic made him behave recklessly.

“Cek, check, here's my ticket.” Shuji immediately thrust his phone. Almost pushed him in the officer's nose. But what the guard saw on the phone screen was only the face of the news that happened this afternoon.

The officer understood.

“Pak, we understand.” The officer immediately gave a signal to the other officer. From far away, the sound of the shinkansen announcement will arrive.

Shuji did not wait for the officer and tried to escape.

“Pak, wait a minute!”

“I can't wait!!” Shuji half shouted. Although there was rarely any chaos at the station, what Shuji did was not to make people crowd. They were still in and out and processing the journey unhindered. Some just stopped in curiosity before walking back.

So cold and stifling.

Shuji tries to run into the train but is stopped. He only took a few steps forward to get inside.

Wh why?

Why is it that when he wants to try like this, the universe gets in his way?

The thing he wanted to hug tightly was like he was about to escape his grasp; and he was powerless to defend it.

Why not let him get in an accident? Why should the girl?

Could it be You? Sweet God?

Could it?

Shuji watched as the train door opened and people came out. He just had to exert his strength to escape from the strength of this guard and darted inside. And he'll get to the orange faster.

But no matter how hard he tried to escape, these people did not allow himself.

“Lease! You fools don't understand! I have to go now, he's waiting for me!” Shuji wriggled until his clothes were undone. "I'll sit well, I swear! Let me get on the train!"

“How long once!” one of the officers exclaimed. Who would believe you would sit well in this state?

No one listened to Shuji's call.

Even if Shuji was let in, it was not possible to be with people in public spaces. The three officers who were holding him were already hit in the nose because of Shuji's deflection.

How could this skinny man have such great energy?

A medic approached and injected a sedative into Shuji's arm. Revengefully Shuji stared at the medic, scaring him to shudder.

"How dare you." Shuji shows her canines which can be directly slapped by one of the officers on her head.

"I've been injected you're still hitting me!" Shuji called out inadmissive.

"His brain was still fine." seeing Shuji's still high energy, the attendant nodded at his comrades and one by one released their grip.

That way? I can't do anything about it.

Who can help me if I'm not alone?

What about Sweet? 

Shuji asked nanar inwardly.

You're the sweet God, don't shut up.

Save Sweet.

I'll pay with anything.

My soul sacrificed too.

I promise I will take care of Sweet wholeheartedly. I promise to be a good man on this earth.

Please, please.If You, the Lord of the Oranges truly exist, save him and let me swear to make You my Lord too.

**

Yasu exchanged information with his colleague at the station office via a walkie-talkie.

In front of him, sat the man who had previously made a riot and was successfully secured. Next to the man stood his subordinates who were guarding with their noses on the stoppers.

“Why your nose?” ask Yasu. His subordinate named Sachihiro did not answer and looked at the man sitting on the chair. Imagining some time ago, Sachihiro could still feel pain in his nose. Without a sound he replaced the already red tissue with a new one.

Yasu doesn't need an explanation. His subordinate was hit by a deadly blow from this man.

“So, your name is Shuji?”

The man called did not answer. His condition which was in acute panic was immediately soothed by sedatives. But the dose is very low and only reduces its strength. The man in front of him could even still walk—only he would not be able to kick or hit as vigorously as before.

Sachihiro reported the information he had received earlier, one of the acquaintances of this man named Shuji was probably involved with an accident on the port ship of N City. The sudden arrival of the frozen storm left everyone shocked and overwhelmed. For eight years these frozen storms have always come with the same features.

The sea temperature had not even reached its lowest point and the storm had already hit.

Yasu sighed and immediately typed on the computer to check Shuji's departure ticket to N City.

“No empty seats. Everyone who buys tickets at these times has the same concerns.” Yasu let out a long breath. Everywhere natural disasters always make people miserable. Must be much grateful.

“Schedule your departure is one hour and a half away.” Yasu said, which managed to awaken Shuji from his daydream.

“One hour and a half?”

“….Yes.” Yasu was silent for a moment. “Can you wait? For now the ship is still searching.” He tried to persuade. “Even if you come there, you won't be able to do anything. The hydrofoil ferry is a powerful ship, you know.” Yasu did not dare to give certainty because he did not know what had really happened. “And there was more than one ferry leaving that afternoon, there was another possibility in the field so you should not be rash.” If there is no hope, people will lose their way.

“….I understand.” Shuji replied after a long time. In this situation he was desperate. The only thing he expected was that uncertain entity. Shuji closed his eyes for a moment. Yasu looked at it and let. As long as this person doesn't make a mess, even going to sleep is fine.

That's when the door opened. Shuji did not open his eyes at all until he felt a disgusting aura that was somehow standing nearby.

Shuji raised his eyes slowly and looked at Yugani. Shuji's lips twitched and his fondness changed in irritation.

“Why are you here?”

The policeman was like a hero who appeared in a crucial moment. But Yugani's current appearance doesn't make Shuji happy at all. The man in front of him looked more like a villain than a hero.

“You made a fuss?” Yugani pulled next to her eyebrows and looked at Shuji's messy appearance. "Ah, I'm here to greet my senior.” Yugani continued, generously explaining then greeting Yasu.

Shuji frowned and watched the interaction of the two.

“Senior, I. I wonder if you can sell tickets to City N to me..”.

“Ah.” Yasu thought for a moment and opened his desk drawer. “You want to visit Port in N City, don't you?”

Yugani was surprised. “You know?”

“News happened this, impossible to make me not know.” Yasu then gave her a physical ticket. “I wanted to keep it for emergency purposes, but since you came.” However, the one who asked him for help this time was Yugani. And Yasu owed this junior a debt of gratitude beforehand.

“I hope your business is smooth.”

“Supparent thanks.” Yugani then walked out of the office.

The exchange took place in front of Shuji's face, which caused the man to round his eyes.

“You...!” Shuji pointed at Yasu after Yugani threw a look of pity at him.

Yasu had no idea what kind of conflict Yugani and this guy named Shuji were in, but this was the first time he had seen his junior blatantly playing people.

“You're a stationmaster, how can you abuse your power like this?” Shuji said furiously. “I'll sue you!” chest up and down. Were it not for his limp body, Shuji would have robbed the table in front of him. Maybe there are other tickets saved?

Yasu also understood that his attitude was not commendable. He gritted his teeth. “I have a debt of gratitude to Yugani.” He sighed, the world is really narrow. “And what I gave you was my personal ticket. You can't blame me on who I gave it to.”

“But still it..!”

“Didn't you go glassy? See how Yugani asked me and you yourself? Making a scene and threatening people. How are people willing to help you?”

Shuji did not listen at all and stared at the door full of fratters. If his shoulder is not in Sachihiro's hold at the moment, he's already squandering out after Yugani.

“Patience and wait your turn.”

Natural disasters happen almost all the time in every part of the world. Giving privilege to everyone who panics will only make the rules messy. Yasu sat at his desk and continued his work, pretending to be oblivious to the sharp glare directed at him.