Hollow

Less than few minutes later and they arrived at their destination.

The vehicle quietly touched down in a secluded location on the outskirts of town. The area was quiet except for the occasional hum of machinery. The team started to get up from their seats and prepare themselves.

They had landed on a parking lot reserved for flying vehicles. The night air was quite cold, being around 8°C inside the city due to heaters being present all over the city. It was fully empty and this was because the Kusonoki conglomerate had gone the extra mile to ensure their mission's success. They had arranged for the entire train station to be privately rented out for an hour, eliminating the possibility of any disturbances or interference from pedestrians.

Kazu, who was the first to get out, took a moment to step out first and check their surroundings. Everything seemed to be clear for now. He turned back to his team.

"Come on out, everyone."

The rest of the team quickly filed out of the vehicle, joining Kazu outside. Sachiko being the last member left in the vehicle gently shook Hiroshi awake who was still in DnD.

Hiroshi's eyes slowly fluttered open as Sachiko tapped him awake. He gave a small, groggy sigh before sitting up in his seat, shaking off the last remnants of restfulness. "Hm..? Are we there yet?" He asked, sounding sleepy.

Kazu, who had been leaning against the vehicle, responded to Hiroshi's question. "Yeah, we're here. You slept the whole ride."

"Ah..." Hiroshi said with an acknowledging nod, his voice still a bit groggy. "I see."

He wiped the last bits of sleep away from his eyes, sitting up completely now.

Hiroshi then walked out of the car – sniffing the air like a dog.

"Ahh, the air quality is even better here, we're in the outskirts of kobe, right?"

Kazu nodded. "Yeah, we are. This is the train station."

The train station itself was built like a grandiose cathedral, towering over them with its majestic architecture. The building's exterior was painted white, with numerous tall spires rising up towards the sky. The domed roof was made of pure glass, allowing daylight (if there was any) to stream in.

Tall stained glass windows depict scenes of trains zooming across the countryside, while bronze statues of soldiers and citizens are placed along the exterior walls. The station's entrance is a pair of large ornate bronze doors, decorated with all sorts of carvings.

This station was quite old, it was build in 2045 so it had been 64 year's since it was build.

Inside, the main hall is equally impressive, with a high-arched ceiling. A beautiful, intricate mural depicting the history of the railroad industry was painted on it.

The floors were made of marble, inlaid with colourful marble tiles in a geometric pattern. A row of gold-trimmed benches lines the walls, providing seating for waiting passengers. Several glass booths and counters are arranged along the walls for administrative tasks and ticket purchases.

A bronze statue of a soldier stands in the center of the room, his solemn gaze watching visitors as they come and go. Walking over and inside the building, their eyes widened.

It was truly marvellous.

Hiroshi, Kazu, and the rest of the team walked over to the far right side of the train station, where an elevator was located. This elevator would take them directly from the main level down to the actual train station below.

There were two levels to this station —

Old fashioned bullet trains and underground super sonic trains — their destination was the latter. After a small bit of walking, they arrived at the elevator, Kazu led the way, pressing the call button. The doors slid open with a soft sound, revealing the well-lit interior of the lift.

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One by one, they entered the elevator, the space feeling rather cramped with so many people inside. However, the elevator was quite roomy, having been specially designed to accommodate more people than usual.

Once everyone was inside, Kazu pressed a button on the sleek metal control panel. With a soft hum, the elevator began its descent into the depths. They all felt a slight drop in pressure as the elevator went downwards, the sound of machines growing louder as they got closer to the underground levels and in less than 20 seconds, they arrived.

The elevator came to a halt, the doors sliding open again to reveal the expansive main lobby of the underground train station. It was just as impressive as the first floor. The main difference was that there were more futuristic train cars here, waiting in the large underground station.

There was no natural sunlight here but the room was quite well-lit, the ceiling lights illuminating the tracks, and the platform. There were many benches along the walls, allowing passengers to wait for their train in comfort, each accompanied by a sign indicating a 150¥ fee. A digital display board displayed the arrival and departure times as well as the departure platform for each train.

There was hardly anyone here, as Hiroshi company had booked the whole place for them.

Kazu led the way towards a platform on the north side of the underground level, where a single futuristic train stood waiting.

It was housed in a transparent, circular tube.

The train was rather small in comparison to conventional trains, made entirely of sleek, silver metal just a few windows.. The tube was made of a thick, transparent material that wrapped around the length of the train like a glass tube.

On the lower level of the train, below the tracks several air cushions were placed. Seats were placed in pairs of two facing the front providing space for up to 100 passengers at once. Passengers travelled in pairs, with their luggage accommodated in designated storage areas at the front or rear of the individual capsules. The overall shape gave the impression of a large bullet lying on its side.

The design ensured that acceleration was always below 0.5g, prioritizing passenger comfort and safety. The name of the train was written in bold, black letters — Kusanagi.

Kazu and Hiroshi approached the transparent capsule, which slid open automatically to the side of the train, revealing the passenger cabin. The train's door, which opened upwards, opened as well, revealing the entrance to the sleek interior. Once the doors of the train and capsule were fully open, Kazu and Hiroshi stepped onto the train, followed by the other team members one by one. The interior of the train was compact yet comfortable with two seats facing the front.

As everyone entered and took their respective seats, The doors slid shut and locked into position, securing the passengers. With everyone comfortable and the train properly engaged with the tube it was in, there was a soft ding, signaling that they were ready to depart. The train jerked gently as it began to move forward, picking up speed rapidly as it accelerated.

Within a mere 2 minutes, the train had accelerated to its max speed of 1220 km/h, just shy of breaking the sound barrier. Inside the capsule, the passengers could feel the slight acceleration as the train smoothly navigated the tracks at a significant pace.

Inside the train, the team settled into their seats. Some team members opted to pass the time by watching movies or programs through their eye lenses, while others were resting.

For a while, only the sound of the train's humming as it sped through the tube filled the cabin. The train was so fast that the surroundings passed in a blur outside of the window, not that it mattered much since there wasn't anything to see since they were underground anyway.

Hiroshi shifted in his seat, stretching his legs as much as he could. The seats were somewhat more cramped compared to ordinary trains, but it wasn't too bad. He glanced at Kazu, who was sitting across from him, looking equally bored.

He was in the mood to talk, so he leaned forward slightly and asked in a low voice, "so, uh... how long will it take to get there?"

Kazu glanced over at Hiroshi as he asked his question. "About twenty three minutes or so" he said, checking a map on his eye lens. "It's a long ride."

Hiroshi let out a small groan, settling back into his seat. "Twenty-three minutes? That long?" he grumbled, slightly pouty. He wasn't really a patient person, and the thought of being cooped up in the train for that long was a bit frustrating.

"... give or take a few minutes, depending on how well the train is performing, and the speed we're going at," he added, leaning back into his chair. "Why? You're getting bored already?"

Kazu gave a light chuckle hearing Hiroshi's pouty remark. "Relax, it'll be over before you know it," he said, amused. "Thirty minutes isn't even that long, you just hate sitting still." He leaned back in his seat, folding his arms.

"I could be chilling in my penthouse right now."

"Lazy."

"Not a good thing to say to your employer." Hiroshi said to Kazu.

"Well I'm trying to build a close bond to you with our casual interaction so you can hire me more often because you know and are fond of me — this is all business."

"Whatever you say."

"Well, you're too blunt about it, you know. Most people have something called tact."

"I don't like putting on a fancy mask and buttering up my words when talking to people. It just feels fake."

"you won't get much far then."

"I've gotten this far." Kazu responded, leaning back into his seat, "Besides, I like to think of it as being an honest, upfront person."

"Sure, Sure. Whatever you say."