Welcome! Crows in the Highbrow

At Shimbashi station, the passengers eagerly waited for the arrival of the Manabi Express. They had been standing on the platform for over half an hour, and as time passed, they grew more restless. When the train failed to arrive, they began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering what was causing the delay.

"Excuse me, do you have any information about when the train will arrive?" a woman asked a station attendant.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We don't have any updates on the situation," the attendant replied with a sympathetic smile.

Frustrated, the passengers began to create a ruckus on the platform. They shouted and demanded answers, wondering how much longer they would have to wait. Some even threatened to file a complaint with the railway company.

Meanwhile, in the Chairman's office at the East Japan Railway Company, the Chairman was on the phone with the police, trying to gather information about the situation.

"I don't understand. Why hasn't the train arrived at Shimbashi station?" he demanded.

"We're not sure, sir. We're currently investigating the matter," the police officer replied.

The Chairman sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Please find out what happened and keep me updated," he said before hanging up the phone.

He turned to his assistant, Rasya, who was standing nearby. "What do you think happened, Rasya?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, sir. But I'll inform the other stations that the train won't be arriving and arrange for refunds and alternative trains for the passengers," she replied dutifully.

"Good idea," the Chairman said with a nod. "Let's hope this gets sorted out soon."

Meanwhile, Jon and his friends were engrossed in their first game. They had been searching for a door for what felt like hours, and they were growing weary.

"I don't understand why this compartment is so long. How can there be no end in sight?" Ashya complained, feeling tired and frustrated.

Jon thought for a moment before replying, "Maybe those weird people have some more ability not to let us find the door."

"That's not fair," Ashya protested.

Just then, they heard a voice from the front. "Jon, Ashya, I found it!"

Excited and relieved, Jon and Ashya ran towards Germon, who had found the door. As they approached, a bright light from the ceiling turned on, reflecting off the center of the door.

A puppet appeared in front of them and said, "Welcome! Crows in the Highbrow." "Wow, this is amazing!"

Jon exclaimed, marveling at the puppet.

Ashya smiled and said, "We finally found the door. Let's see what game we are going to play."

Ashya gazed at Puplet and asked, "But who are you?" Puplet looked at her and introduced himself as the host of the game. "My name is Puplet," he said.

Jon was surprised and asked, "Wait! Wait! Are we gonna turn into crows before playing this game or are we already crows?" Ashya rolled her eyes and replied, "Argh! Not at all, idiot. It's just a silly name for this stage."

Germon, who had remained silent until now, interrupted the bickering and said, "That's enough. Now both of you stop the crap." He then turned to Puplet and asked, "Now tell us, what do we have to do?"

Puplet took a deep breath and began to explain the rules of the game, "So in this stage, you will answer all three riddles, but you have only one chance to answer each puzzle and with a time limit of ten minutes."

Germon was curious and asked, "What if we lose that chance?" Before Puplet could say anything, Jon interrupted with a chuckle, "We'll all turn into crows!"

Ashya quickly reacted by covering Jon's mouth with her hand and said, "Stay like this until they've finished talking."

Puplet cleared his throat and answered Germon's question, "Nothing! You will all be sent where the other people are and they will lose hope of escaping from here."

Puplet then disappeared, leaving the group in shock. Suddenly, a screen on the door lit up with a message.

Changing scene, a policeman from the East Japan Railway Company walked in with a report regarding the Manabi Express. "Excuse me," he said, "I have some news about the missing train."

The Chairman and his assistant were taken aback by the news. "What happened?" asked the assistant.

"We don't even have a proper answer right now but the train completely disappeared from the spot," replied the policeman.

The Chairman said, "Okay! Thanks for the report."

Before leaving, the policeman said, "If we find anything, we will inform you and you will too."

As he left, the assistant asked the Chairman, "Sir, what could it be?"

"I don't know," replied the Chairman, "but leave me alone for a while." After she left, the Chairman closed the door and went to his bookshelf. He pressed a book in the third row, and a secret room opened, which he entered.

Germon, Ashya, and Jon gathered around the circular table at the first stage, waiting for the first riddle to be presented. Germon took the lead and read the riddle with great emphasis, "A composite triad, cursed to rotate in different ways. The shortest rotates the slowest, and the tallest rotates the fastest. Tell me, what are they?"

The room fell silent as Germon's words hung in the air. The trio's minds were racing as they tried to decipher the riddle's meaning. Germon broke the silence and suggested, "Let's dissect the riddle into parts to make it easier to solve. First, 'A composite triad, cursed to rotate in different ways'. Does that ring any bells?"

Ashya replied matter-of-factly, "No." Meanwhile, Jon had another idea, "Why don't we ask the Triads?"

Germon ignored Jon's suggestion and continued to quote the riddle, "The shortest rotates the slowest, and the tallest rotates the fastest."

Annoyed by Germon's repetitive quoting, Jon interjected, "Don't just waste time reciting it, Germon."

Germon smirked at Jon's comment and approached the screen. He opened the writing section and jotted down the answer, followed by another riddle.

Ashya, visibly surprised, asked, "Wow! The first one is solved, but what was the answer?"

Germon replied calmly, "Why don't you ask Jon?"

Jon, slightly embarrassed, admitted, "I don't know. You say you've answered it."

Germon explained patiently, "The answer is the clock hand. The three hands are joined together. The hour hand, which is the shortest, rotates the slowest, while the second hand, which is the longest, rotates the fastest."

Ashya exclaimed, "Ah, I see!"

Eager to move on to the next riddle, Jon asked, "What's the second riddle?"

Germon cleared his throat and read out the second riddle with great drama, "It appears in the darkness, disappears when the light arises, leaving no trace, giving hope for the morrow."

The trio sat in silence, trying to decipher the meaning of the riddle. Suddenly, Jon had an epiphany and blurted out, "I know! I know! Cockroaches!"

Germon and Ashya chuckled, and Ashya probed, "But how does that give you hope?"

Jon shrugged and retorted, "I'm just saying sometimes laughing is good for health. I don't think people like you would understand that."

Ashya challenged Jon to solve the riddle, "Alright, why don't you give us the answer then?"

Jon took a moment to think and then struck a deal with Ashya, "If you answer it correctly, I won't bother you for two hours."

Ashya confirmed, "Are you sure?" "Yes,"

Jon replied, sounding quite confident.

At the East Japan Railway Company, the man with a balbo beard and a Rolex watch got out of his car and approached the receptionist. "Excuse me, where can I find the chairman?" he asked.

The receptionist replied, "I'm sorry, sir, but the chairman is currently busy. Please wait here."

Ignoring her, the man proceeded to search for the chairman. The receptionist picked up the phone and called Rasya, the chairman's assistant.

"Rasya, there's a man here looking for the chairman. He's not listening to me," she said. Rasya responded, "I'll be right there," and quickly made her way to the reception area.

Meanwhile, the man had found the chairman's room and was knocking on the door angrily. "Open up! I don't care how busy he is, I need to talk to him," he shouted. Rasya arrived just in time to hear the man's outburst.

"Sir, the chairman is currently unavailable. Please wait here," she said calmly. The man turned to Rasya and said, "You intend to come in my way?"

Rasya replied, "I don't want to, but the chairman is busy at the moment. You can't go inside." The man grew even more agitated. "I don't care. I've left an important meeting to be here. I need to know where my son is," he said, frustration evident in his voice.

Just then, the chairman emerged from his secret room and opened the door. "Mr. Tarahashi, what are you doing here?" he asked, surprised to see the man.

The chairman then invited the man into his office, and the man wasted no time in getting to the point. "I know all about the train. Tell me where my son - Germon and his friends are," he demanded.

The chairman explained that the train had vanished without a trace, and the police were investigating. "We don't have all the information yet, but we're doing everything we can to find them," he said.

The man was not satisfied. "Find out what happened and get my son and his friends back. I don't care what happens to the other passengers. He's my only son, and if anything happens to him..." he threatened.

The chairman sighed and said, "I understand your concern, Mr. Tarahashi. We will do everything in our power to find your son and his friends."

The man replied, "For now, I'm leaving because I have a meeting in ten minutes. I will come back for answers."

The chairman ordered Rasya to inform the families of the passengers on the train about the situation.

Rasya questioned this, "But sir, won't this cause problems for us?"

Looking outside, he loosened his tie and replied, "What else can we do? They should know what's going on."

Ashya was intently staring at the screen, pondering over the answer to the riddle. Meanwhile, Jon was taunting her relentlessly to make her feel inferior. Ashya appeared to be onto something as she opened the writing section and jotted down her answer, which turned out to be correct.

"So what was the answer?" Jon asked with curiosity.

Ashya replied confidently, "The answer was a dream. It appears in the dark – which means – night. It disappears when the light arises – means – morning. Leaving no trace – means – no memory or barely remembering. Giving hope - to see it again. If we connect them then the only word which matches this is DREAM."

Ashya then presented the third riddle, "It has the power to create the world but whenever the door is closed. When the door is opened, it disappears. Everyone has it, tell me what it is?"

Germon and Jon were stumped and couldn't come up with the answer. They began discussing the possibilities when Ashya suddenly remembered the time limit.

"Oh shit! We forgot that there's a time limit too. Germon and Jon, just two minutes left. Please sharpen your mind otherwise we will get erased and won't be able to save the others," she cried out in panic.

Germon, who had been observing Ashya's every move, came up from behind and checked the screen. He quickly scribbled down the answer which turned out to be correct. "The answer was imagination. It is the only thing that has the power to create a world when the eyes are closed that refers to the door. It disappears when we open it," Germon said, beaming with pride.

Thinking they had completed the challenge, the group relaxed. But suddenly, the puplet reappeared and announced, "Sorry! I forgot to say something but when you complete all three riddles, the special riddle will be unlocked and you only have five minutes for that." The puplet then vanished.

"If that puppet comes again, I'll break it," Ashya said angrily. Germon read the special riddle, "This is the last one, now join all the previous answers to find that common answer."

Jon stood up, his curiosity piqued. "That's interesting!" he exclaimed.

Germon noticed Jon's enthusiasm and asked, "You seem to have aroused your interest."

Jon smirked and replied, "No! But I can't see my friends worried."

"The first answer was the hand of the clock, then the dream, and the last the imagination. And the common thread connecting them may be the future," Jon explained.

Germon asked, "How can you be so confident?"

To which Jon replied, "Instinct."

"Dude, just explain it. Don't worry, we still have three minutes left," Germon requested.

Jon explained, "Look, the first hands of a clock are associated with time. And we know that the future is a type of time. Then the second dream is not logical, but if we see, we humans aspire to fulfill our dreams in the future. That means that it is also connected. Finally, imagination, we imagine ourselves in a future event. This too is linked to the future."

Germon and Ashya both looked at each other, agreeing with Jon's explanation. Jon approached the screen and wrote down the answer, F-U-T-U-R-E.

The bulb above the screen lit up green and the door opened, allowing them to proceed to the next stage of the game. As they continued on their journey, Germon asked, "Done?" Jon zipped up and replied, "Yeah! I'm totally out."

Ashya was surprised, "When did you drink so much?"

Jon chuckled at their reaction to his confession. "What? I was thirsty," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Germon and Ashya shook their heads in disbelief. "You could have at least left some for the rest of us," Germon said, his tone slightly annoyed.

Ashya chimed in, "Now we don't have anything to drink for the rest of the journey. You really are an idiot, Jon."

As they entered compartment number twenty, they noticed a sudden change in the air. The atmosphere felt heavier, and they couldn't quite put their finger on why. And they suddenly got split from each other.