The bus slowed as it approached the terminal.
Keita had not been paying attention to the route, but the growing crowd outside and the movement of other passengers made it clear they had reached some kind of train station. The vehicle came to a stop with a soft hiss as the doors opened and people began to stand and file out in an orderly, completely normal manner.
Keita remained seated for a second longer. Then he stood.
Following the others felt like the safest option, even if he had no idea where he was going.
The bus terminal was connected to the train station. The area was filled with store signs and people walking with purpose.
He, however, had none.
It felt almost artificial after what had just happened.
Keita stopped in the middle of the pathway, his eyes moving across the space without really focusing on anything. His thoughts were still catching up, replaying the fragments of the blade, the door, the voice, and the way Seijiro had said his name without hesitation.
He needed information. More importantly, he needed something that made sense.
The internet cafe was just outside the station. It wasn't hard to find. At a station this big, internet cafes are usually one of the first things you find next to the lines of street vendors and izakayas.
Keita stepped in, paid using his phone without speaking much, and was directed toward an empty booth. The chair creaked slightly as he sat down. He looked down at his phone and saw the red line on the battery icon.
He needed to charge his phone immediately. He had left the house without his wallet or any money with him, and his phone is his only way to survive. He was glad his mother had charged his e-money, so he at least could survive financially.
Physically, though, it was still up in the air.
He looked around his booth and found a charging cable provided by the facility and plugged his phone in. He then turned to the computer and opened the browser.
The forum was loaded with the same layout. Same nonsense.
He scrolled through dozens of threads. Nothing. No one was talking about the rare "phenomenon." No one mentioned distortions or people appearing out of thin air with ancient weapons and clear homicidal intent.
Keita slowed his scrolling. Now that he thought about it, that part made sense. If someone had successfully transmigrated, they wouldn't be here to post an update. "Arrived safely. World has magic. Weather is nice."
That was not how it worked.
He leaned back slightly, exhaling through his nose. He opened the chat window.
Still no reply from KuroUsagi07. The icon remained unchanged: Offline.
Keita returned to the search bar. If the forum had nothing, then the answer had to be somewhere else.
He searched for the eclipse and the earthquake. News articles appeared immediately. Reports were consistent: a strong tremor, some structural damage, and a few minor injuries. No fatalities. No mention of anything beyond what could be explained.
Everything was… normal.
Keita stared at the screen. It felt wrong.
He leaned back in his chair, the tension in his shoulders finally beginning to surface now that he had stopped moving.
He massaged the bridge of his nose, then a few seconds later a thought appeared. Keita straightened slightly. The words from the samurai replayed in his head, clearer this time.
I am Seijiro, warrior of Lord Shinoda.
He turned back to the keyboard and started typing again.
Search: Seijiro samurai Shinoda
Results appeared, though not many, and most are unrelated. So he refined the search.
Search: Lord Shinoda clan history
This time… Something appeared.
The Shinoda clan was a minor shogunate. Not powerful enough to dominate, but strong enough to be remembered.
Keita scrolled down, and his eyes slowed as he read.
The clan had been destroyed. Not by politics, but by a total massacre led by a more powerful Tokugawa shogunate. It was an ending that had closed their name out of history.
Keita leaned forward. There was a detail, small but specific.
The massacre had occurred during an eclipse.
He stopped reading for a second. He went back, checking the sources. The wording varied, but remained consistent. A solar eclipse that ancient records described as "the day when the moon swallowed the sun."
Keita stared at the screen. He leaned back slowly, as his mind began arranging the pieces again.
An eclipse. An earthquake. A samurai from a dead clan. He knew my name. He had a mission.
"…That's not a coincidence," he muttered quietly.
The conclusion was formed whether he wanted it to or not. Something had connected. He hadn't been transferred out, but something had been let in.
The door had opened just long enough for a variable from the past to enter the present.