With the rustling sound of brakes, the long, narrow train came to a stop in front of Uesugi Tetsu.
Before boarding the train, there was one more thing to do.
Uesugi Tetsu looked at the ticket-checking box beside the train door. The rust on the iron box was far heavier than that on the train itself, proving that no one normally used it.
This time, he had boarded with a ticket.
That made him a noble passenger, rather than a "stowaway" who had forced his way aboard without a ticket and had to worry about his life.
Uesugi Tetsu dropped the torn ticket in his hand into the black opening marked "Ticket Check."
After waiting several seconds, he saw the remaining half of the ticket slide out from below together with a transparent token, making a clinking sound.
Uesugi Tetsu picked up the token and discovered that the faintly glowing token was a "Passenger Certificate."
The back of the token stated that as long as he carried the glowing token on him, he would never encounter danger aboard the train, no matter what happened.
Even if the train became full or lost power, it would have nothing to do with him.
--When he had unlocked Kisaragi Station long ago, the information Uesugi Tetsu had received said that he needed to get off immediately if either of those situations occurred.
"Things really are different when you have a ticket."
Uesugi Tetsu smiled, hung the certificate around his neck, and swaggered into the carriage, which held a fair number of passengers.
Click.
As he entered, the passenger count on the electronic display changed from "8" to "9."
Ignoring the monsters and demons in the carriage for the moment, Uesugi Tetsu happened to see that the row of seats facing the door was