"How are things on your end?"
"Everything’s fine. My two students have been rushing to finish their first drafts, but the workload is still manageable."
"What day are you arriving?"
"The day after tomorrow. I’m on the 3:40 PM train, direct from the Imperial Capital to Brighton Central Railway Station."
Richard walked out from the kitchen doorway, the cup of black tea still in his hand.
"Are you coming alone?" Mother asked.
"...Not alone."
"How many of you?"
"Two of my students are with me, Sofia and Clara."
"Didn’t you say you were just stopping by on your way through?"
"That was my original plan," Isabella said, sounding a little helpless.
"But Sofia packed her bags before I could stop her."
"What about the other one?"
"Clara missed the Christmas Lantern Festival because she had something else to do, and she felt bad about it.
When Sofia roped her into it, she just went along with it."
Mother laughed out loud.
"Are your two students always this attached to you?"
"They are a bit clingy," Isabella had to admit. "But they’re both good kids, so I can’t just shoo them away."
"I’ve already booked our accommodations and a restaurant.
I ate there once when I passed through Brighton two years ago. They make a pretty good venison pie."
"Venison pie?" Mother tried to recall. "The one on New Street?"
"Mhm, it’s three blocks from the hotel."
"With all the arrangements you’ve made for this trip, there’s practically nothing left for me to do."
"You just have to show up with Richard and Evelyn."
Mother agreed with a smile.
"What about my brother-in-law?" Isabella asked.
"He’ll most likely have to work overtime the day after tomorrow."
"...Until what time?"
"His team is rushing to finish a batch of boiler blueprints. He probably won’t be back until after 8:30. The rest of us can just eat without him. Don’t worry about it."
"Phone calls are expensive. See you the day after tomorrow. We’ll meet on the platform."
The receiver was hung back on its brass hook.
It was already past eight o’clock when Rogers got home.
"Dad!"
Evelyn rushed out of the kitchen, holding up half a Pajin Cake. She was saving the other half for herself for tomorrow.
"Want some?"
"Did you let your mom try it?" Rogers had thoroughly learned his lesson from last time.
"She tried it."
"What about your brother?"
"He tried it, too."
Only then did he relax, taking the Pajin Cake from his daughter’s hand.
......
「Brighton Railway Station.」
There were a few more people on the platform than usual for a weekday afternoon.
The station usually only had a few local passengers at this time of day. The 3:40 PM direct train from the Imperial Capital to Brighton was what brought a small wave of travelers.
The announcement for the train’s arrival hadn’t sounded over the broadcast yet.
Evelyn stood next to her mother, stepping on the yellow painted line at the edge of the platform with her left foot, then pulling it back, stepping on it again, and pulling it back again.
"Why can’t you stand still?" Mother frowned.
"I’m nervous."
"What’s there to be nervous about? Your aunt isn’t coming to test you."
"I know."
"If you know, then stop fidgeting."
Evelyn stood still for a moment, then started bouncing on the balls of her feet again.
Richard took the handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to his sister.
"Wipe your palms."
Evelyn looked down at her palms and saw that a thin layer of sweat had indeed formed.
"...How did you know?"
"You’ve been fiddling with the hem of your dress."
The announcement sounded soon after.
"The 3:40 PM direct train from the Imperial Capital to Brighton, arriving on time."
A white light appeared on the tracks in the distance, followed by the front of the train emerging from the tunnel.
After the train came to a steady halt, the carriage doors opened one by one.
Isabella appeared at the door of the second carriage. Her gaze swept across the platform, and she quickly spotted her sister’s family of three.
Mother hurried forward a few steps, her arms spread slightly.
Isabella set her leather suitcase on the ground and walked over to embrace her sister.
Mother rested her chin on her younger sister’s shoulder, and Isabella gently patted her older sister’s back a few times with her left hand.
Richard stood to the side, not wanting to interrupt.
The boost from his [Perception] allowed him to clearly see their current state on the Ether Layer.
His mother’s residual circuits lit up faintly upon contact with her sister.
The hug didn’t last long, only a few seconds.
To an outsider, it was just an ordinary hug between sisters reuniting after a long time.
Evelyn suddenly blurted out from the side.
"A-Auntie..."
She had meant to say, "Hello, Auntie."
But the "hello" came out as a small grunt, the kind you make when you bite your tongue.
"Ugh..." She covered her mouth with one hand.
No one else on the platform noticed, but Isabella heard it.
Isabella released her sister and turned to look at Evelyn.
"What’s wrong?"
"I b-bit my tongue," she mumbled into her palm.
"Pfft..." Isabella couldn’t hold back a laugh.
She reached out and gently patted her niece’s head twice.
"Your brother says you’re a genius baker."
"..." Evelyn was a little embarrassed, stammering and unable to speak.
"I’ll have to verify that for myself later."
"Mhm..."
"That red dress you’re wearing today is very pretty."
"M-Mom bought it for me."
"Your mom has always had good taste."
Evelyn nodded, her face red, her hand still covering her mouth.
Only then did Isabella turn back to look at Richard.
Richard stepped forward and took the leather handbag from her.
"Auntie, was the journey all right?"
"It was fine." Isabella lifted the suitcase and handed it to him.
"Nothing eventful happened. Sofia was being very noisy, so I hid in the second carriage. Out of sight, out of mind."
Richard lifted the suitcase with one hand. Thanks to the synergistic effect of his multiple Skills, he couldn’t feel its weight at all.
"Where are my two senior classmates?"
"Over there." Isabella gestured toward the front of the train.
Outside a carriage toward the front of the train, two young women were getting off with their suitcases.
The taller one in front, with light-golden hair draped over her shoulders, came jogging over in a flash.
"Mentor!"
she shouted as she ran.
The one behind her was much slower.
She was a head shorter than Sofia, and her long, dark brown hair was tied back with a ribbon.
The girl walked with small steps, carrying her suitcase, and would even proactively step aside for other disembarking passengers.
Isabella waved at Sofia from a distance. "Try not to run into anyone."
Sofia didn’t stop until she was right in front of Richard’s family. She first gave her Mentor’s older sister a serious bow.
Then she turned to Richard.
"Hello, Richard!" she said, enthusiastically extending her hand. "I’ve heard your voice on the phone, but I didn’t expect you to be so handsome in person."
"Thank you." Richard shook her hand.
"Evelyn!" Sofia turned, and Evelyn was perfectly enveloped in a big hug.
"H-Hello!" Evelyn was caught off guard.
The slower-walking graduate student finally arrived.
"Hello," she said, bowing first to Mother. "I am Mentor Isabella’s student, Clara Faffield."
"Hello." She also nodded at Richard.
"Hello." Finally, she nodded at Evelyn.
"Clara... you don’t have to be so formal," Isabella said softly from the side. "This isn’t the research lab."
"Yes," Clara replied.
"You must be tired from the journey, right?" Mother asked Sofia.
"Our Mentor wouldn’t let us sleep on the train," Sofia said with a wronged expression. "She said we might sleep past our stop."
As they chatted, the group walked out of the railway station, where a horse-drawn carriage was already waiting.

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