CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: TICKET TO RIDE

The air smelled like fried oil and faded neon blended with stale coffee, like the kind I used to drink from convenience stores in West Virginia.

 The sun was already casting long shadows, but there was still enough light to make out the grin on his non-descript face.

 And there he was.

 Sitting alone at one of the outdoor tables, sipping coffee like the universe wasn't fraying at the edges just a few blocks north.

 The bus driver.

 Same faded blue cap. Same aggressively plain face, and same jacket that looked like it had more years than I did. He had one leg crossed over the other, staring out at the street like he was watching a play no one else could see.

 His eyes flicked toward me as I passed.

 "I was beginning to wonder when I'd see you again, kid."

 I turned towards him.

 "What in the world are you doing here?" I asked, perplexed.

 Shion gave me a strange look. "You know this guy?"

 I nodded. "He's the bus driver. The guy who brought me here through the tunnel."

 He gave a half-shrug. "Yeah. That's true. I bring most of the students to Crescent Moon Academy through the tunnel. It connects to the mainland, and it's the fastest way unless you take a boat."

 Shion rolled her eyes. "I arrived through mail."

 The bus driver snorted a laugh. "First time I've heard that. But I don't recognize you, so maybe you did."

 I shook my head. Nothing around Shin'yume gave me easy answers.

 "But what are you doing here?" I asked. "I didn't expect to see you off the bus."

 He just grinned and held up his stained, off-white mug. "I'm finishing my dinner and then going home to my kids."

 This guy has a family waiting for him back home.

 "You looked lost when I picked you up. Scared. Like someone had kicked your world sideways. I thought, 'geez, poor kid.' I mean, some kids look nervous on their first day at Crescent Moon, but you were on another level."

 He looked at Shion who was standing, arms crossed, to my side. "You seem like you're starting to figure things out for yourself okay."

 I could feel Shion rolling her eyes.

 "No," I found myself saying. "I'm, like, really far from okay, and I think if I pretend anymoreI'll lose my mind."

 "Ryu?" I heard Yuki ask.

 But it was Shion's hand on my arm that made me jump.

 The bus driver, though, just nodded like I said I got a B in gym and my aunt was going to give me ten bucks.

 "Yeah. I get that. Welcome to high school, kid. It's hell."

 I sputtered. "Spatial District Schools? That can't be real!"

 He frowned. "I didn't pick the name."

 I pointed towards the top of the hill. Towards Crescent Moon Academy. "Do you know that the school overlooking your town is full of monsters? Literal monsters. I go to school with them every day."

 He shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. "Do I know it? Kid, did you forget you're talking to the guy who dropped them off there?"

 I blinked. Incredulous that he could be this calm about it. "And you're okay living here?"

 He sighed. "You know what? This past weekend, I gave my seven-year-old her allowance and let her older brother walk her to the konbini to buy some of those weird raindrop cakes and Ramune. The thing that worried me the most wasn't that they'd get stomped by an oni. It was the traffic on the main road."

 Shion's grip on my arm tightened a bit. "What are you getting at, Ryu? You go to school with them every day. What are you worried about now?"

 I scratched the back of my neck. I had so many questions I wanted to ask this guy, but it would be impossible with Shion here.

 Heck, I wasn't even sure how much I could ask this guy without looking like a complete idiot. But I needed to learn if I ever wanted to get back home.

 "How does that work? Isn't anyone worried at night that some jorōgumo is going to start webbing everyone up?"

 Shion scoffed. "Wow, Ryu. Racist, much?"

 The bus driver raised an eyebrow. "No. Why would they? Didn't you read the letter that Crescent Moon Academy sent with the invitation?"

 I didn't get a chance. "No. I probably didn't."

 "Oh my god," Shion said. "I knew it. You are an idiot."

 The bus driver winced. "Yeah. If you didn't read about the academy, but you applied to come here anyway? Yeah, kid. I'm inclined to agree with your dangerous-looking friend."

 Shion's face lit up with a smile.

 I put my hands up. "Hang on. Just a second, okay? Fine. Yeah. I'm an idiot. But no one gave me a rulebook, and I can't keep pretending I know what's happening. So please… just explain how this works. How does Shin'yume exist with a school full of yokai and… people like.. me?"

 Shion took a breath. Then she did something I'd never heard her do.

 She coughed. "The student handbook?"

 I winced like I'd been cut. I hadn't even considered a student handbook.

 Then, the bus driver thought about it for a second. "You stay in town, don't you. I bet you've got a room at the school-sponsored onsen, Shin'yume-sou."

 He whistled. "I'm sorry about that."

 Yuki huffed. "Gracious, that's rude! I happen to like the onsen."

 He took a final sip of his coffee. "But, if you're staying in town, then they probably didn't tell you about the curfew."

 Shion crossed her arms. "I didn't know that you never read the welcoming material they sent with the invitation. That explains so much! Why you were on your way to orientation hours early. Why you were just standing in front of the Crescent Moon gates like a lost puppy! Ha! What a dope!"

 She playfully shoved me.

 "I've got to agree with Shion, for once," said Yuki. "That's pretty square, Ryu."

 I saw the bus driver check his watch. I was running out of time.

 "Does the student handbook mention the tunnel?" I asked.

 That made him stop. "What about the tunnel?"

 Finally, I was getting somewhere.

 "Does the handbook say why I can't get near the tunnel?"

 I saw the bus driver's shoulder fall. "What in the world are you doing trying to get near the tunnel? What're you trying to leave or something?"

 Maybe. I didn't say anything. I let him continue.

 He shook his head as if I'd just asked him a riddle. "Why would you want to leave? I mean, you must've done something incredible to get an invitation here."

 I blinked. "What? Does that make me special or something?"

 I ignored Shion's chortle.

 The bus driver sighed. "I mean… on one hand, yeah. But on the other? Kid, everyone is one spiritual awakening, dream interpreting, or discovering that 'magic' is real. So, no. You're not special. Anyone could get an invitation to Crescent Moon Academy." 

 Anyone?!

 The bus driver looked at his empty coffee mug, probably wishing for the whole pot.

"Yes, kid, everyone. You learn magic exists? You're in. Find out that your dad's a leprechaun? Congratulations, you're in. Have a spiritual animal bonded to you?"

 He stopped right there.

 "I mean, everyone does. Some people have a wolf, or a phoenix, or a chimera… if you're alive, you've got one. And if you tap into it? Congratulations… you're in. Invitation comes in the mail. Most people read their invitation before filling out the application for admission. But, once you return your application, you're in."

 He looked at his watch once more.

 "Hey," I said. I had no clue how to follow that up though. "…thanks. Sorry I should've just read the handbook."

 He shrugged again. "It's fine. Heck, you remind me of my oldest son. He's already applying to academies. No invitation from Crescent Moon, but I'm okay with that. Most locals send their kids there, but my son wants out of here. Good luck to him."

 He stood up and pushed his chair in. "Take care, you two. And, kid, don't mess with the tunnel, okay? One kid thought he was hot-stuff, tried to sneak onto the bus one evening. Suiren-san caught him… do you know what happens to students who break the school's rules?"

 I shook my head.

 Shion took a sharp breath. "Noppera-bō!"

 The bus driver nodded. "If you're not expelled from Crescent Moon Academy, then you join. For good."

 I felt my fingers lace around Shion's. I needed something to hold.

 "Hey, good talking with you kids. Ryu, right? You seem like you're figuring things out. Shion?"

 She cocked her head a little.

 "Take care of your friend, okay? He seems a little dim."

 She smiled pleasantly. "Oh, don't worry, sir. Nurturing is second nature to me."