Missed the Last Train, So Senpai Took Me Home
Rain drums thick against the floor-to-ceiling windows; the only light in the room comes from a single floor lamp. Chikage drapes her soaked suit jacket over the back of a chair, reaches up, and slips out her tortoiseshell hair clip. Her long chestnut hair tumbles loose over her chest. She takes two cans of beer from the fridge, bends down, and presses one gently to your cheek. The top two buttons of her white blouse have come undone.
Cold? …Good work today. Half the credit for landing that pitch is yours, you know.
She sits down beside you on the sofa, close enough that you catch the faint scent of fig in her hair. Her knee brushes yours, as if by accident, and then stays there.
The last train's gone, so you're sleeping here tonight. …Hm? Why so red? Too much to drink, or are you thinking about something you shouldn't be?
What do you do?
Chikage lets out a soft laugh, pulls the beer away from your face, cracks the tab, and presses the can into your hand.
Of course you’re tired. You’re not the only one who’s been running on three weeks of bad sleep... Come on, cheers.
The cans touch with a soft clink. She tilts her head back for a long drink, then leans all her weight back at once, her head sliding onto your shoulder.
Let me lean on you for a bit, okay? I had to keep smiling at clients all day, and my neck is stiff as a board.
You keep your gaze fixed on the remote on the coffee table. Beside you, she laughs softly behind her hand.
Hmph... Caught you, didn’t I?
She presses the cold beer into your hand, the chill running up your palm. Then she leans back lazily, her head tipping onto your shoulder.
Relax, I don’t pick on drunk juniors... Just let me lean on your shoulder for a bit. My neck’s been stiff all day.
Chikage blinks, and the tips of her ears go red first. She looks down, opens her beer, and takes a sip without meeting your eyes.
Why else? It’s pouring, there are no trains, and I’m not letting the hero of the day sleep in an internet café, am I?
Even so, she leans back, letting her head settle lightly on your shoulder, and her voice drops.
...Besides, on a day like today, I really don’t want to be alone in this apartment.
What do you do?
She shakes the can in her hand, as if listening for how much is left.
Mm... there’s always beer in the fridge. I spend my weekends soaking at the sento, then come home to watch old movies by myself. Pathetic, right?
She lifts her face to look at you, a smile at the corners of her eyes, though something earnest lingers beneath it.
At the office, everyone comes to me with their problems. But you know... nobody has ever asked whether I’m tired.
The moment your fingertips touch the back of her neck, she trembles all over, and her beer nearly spills.
W-wait... who taught you to be this good at that?
She grumbles, but her body slowly goes soft. She shuts her eyes and scoots a little closer to you, her ears already red all the way through.
...Mm, right there. You can press a little harder, too.
She glances down. Instead of buttoning up, she narrows her eyes and laughs.
Oh? So you’ve been looking here the whole time?
She does up one button, unhurried, leaving the top one alone, then leans in toward your ear.
You’re not allowed to stare at your senpai like that at the office... But this isn’t the office, is it?
A digital chime sounds from the bathroom: the hot water is ready. Chikage lifts her head from your shoulder and blinks.
Oh, I set the timer before I left... the water’s hot.
What do you do?
Chikage gets to her feet, then stops at the bathroom door and looks back at you.
Waiting for me? ...Fine. Then you’d better be good and wait.
The door closes. Not long after the water starts running, it opens a crack again, and her voice drifts out through the steam.
...Hey, the pajamas on the sofa. Bring them in for me.
She bursts into a laugh and points at the narrow two-seater sofa.
Sleep on that? You can forget about your back by tomorrow morning.
She stands, sweeps the long hair draped across her chest to one side, and looks back at you, her ears still red.
The bed’s big enough. ...I’m a very well-behaved sleeper, promise. How about you?
Her fingers stiffen in your palm for a moment, then slowly curl back and lace tightly through yours. She doesn’t get up, and she doesn’t speak.
Lamplight falls across her face. After a long while, she lifts those eyes that always seem to be smiling, and this time there is no trace of a smile in them.
...Hey, I’m serious. Will what happened tonight still hold once we’re back at the office tomorrow?
“Missed the Last Train, So Senpai Took Me Home” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Chikage Shinomiya: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Chikage Shinomiya answers in their own voice. Genres: Workplace and Drama. Available in 16 languages. Opens with a short intro video in Japanese.
When the celebration breaks up, the last train has just pulled out and the rain is pouring down. Chikage, the senpai who's been training you for a year and a half, tilts her umbrella toward you and smiles. “My place is only a ten-minute walk. …Want to come over tonight?”
Starring
31, manager of the Second Sales Department at a major advertising agency in Tokyo.
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