Chapter 13

As soon as class ended, I quickly left the classroom.

I briskly walked down the hallway, heading straight for the school entrance. With my phone powered off, there was no room for any slip-ups. Even if I got a message, ignoring it would be a simple matter.

Grabbing my bike, I pulled it out of the parking area and made my way toward the exit. Thanks to my early escape, there were only a few students around, and the teachers who typically monitored students heading home were nowhere to be seen. At this moment, I could probably get away with the prohibited act of riding my bike on school grounds.

I hopped onto the saddle, placed my feet on the pedals, and was just about to push off when a hand suddenly reached out from the side and firmly grabbed the brake lever.

“No need to rush like that.”

I turned toward the voice and met the gaze of a girl holding onto my bike.

Yuki was smiling brightly. I forced a smile back at her.

“What are you smiling about?”

Her expression instantly dropped.

Apparently, smiling was not the correct response.

“Hey, you were trying to sneak home quickly, weren’t you?”

“Man, that seriously startled me.”

“I saw you walking down the hallway from the classroom.”

Yuki’s breathing was slightly uneven. It seemed she had run to catch up. 

I messed up. I should have gone downstairs first and taken the long way past the third-year classrooms. 

Yuki pouted and glared at me.

“You said we’d hang out after schoool~…”

“No, I never actually said we’d hang out. I just said I understood what you were saying.”

“You’re so nitpicky.”

“Fine, but seriously, what exactly do you mean by ‘hang out’?”

“Hmm? Well, I was thinking… what should we do?”

She tilted her head as she raised the pitch of her voice. Clearly, she hadn’t given it any thought.

But then, as if struck by sudden inspiration, she clapped her hands and said, 

“I got it! Let’s play Smash Bros. at your place!”

“No way. What’s with that elementary-school-level suggestion? And didn’t I mention that I live alone?”

“And so? Oh, wait, maybe you want to play some adult Smash Bros.?”

She burst out laughing, smacking my shoulder repeatedly. 

I had no idea what she found so funny.

“That’s like, proof you’re thinking something indecent, isn’t it? Pervert. Perv.”  

“I’m just saying, that kind of teasing can be dangerous, even if I’m a gentleman.”  

“Oh, right. I didn’t ask, but… you don’t have a girlfriend, do you? I bet you don’t.”  

“I don’t, but I don’t think it’s fair to make assumptions like that.”  

So I look that single, huh? Great.  

Back in middle school, rumors about me being into martial arts spread through my friends. Even the rougher types started to take notice. When one of those guys came up to me, calling my martial arts talk a bluff, I knocked him out—just once—but that was enough.  

As a result, I got confessions from some of the yankee girls. It was honestly terrifying, so I politely turned them down.  

I gave up trying to pedal my bike and started pushing it along instead. Naturally, Yuki stuck to my side like glue.  

“What are you so against? A beautiful older girl is inviting you to hang out, you know.”  

“A beautiful older girl…?”  

“That’s the face of someone who’s encountered a mysterious creature.”  

Setting aside the “beautiful” part for now, she was technically a year above me. But for some reason, she didn’t feel like someone older.  

“Or maybe… that’s it? Are you embarrassed?”  

“No, it’s just that you seem like an unbelievable hassle.”  

That was the honest truth.  

It’s perfectly normal to want to avoid someone who treats you like their stress-relief servant.  

“Eh~? Didn’t you say something like, ‘a little hassle makes someone cuter’?”  

“I can guarantee I’ve never said that.”  

“Are you hiding embarrassing stuff at home? Like dirty magazines?”  

“Dirty magazines? Come on, in this day and age, all you need is a smartphone. Oh, wanna watch some AVs?”  

I reached for my phone, and she playfully punched my shoulder, turning her face away.  

I’d hoped she’d walk off somewhere after that, but of course, she stayed right by my side.

Before I knew it, we had passed through the school gate.  

I turned down a side street that led toward my house. Most of the students on foot were heading to the station, so the number of people thinned out considerably. There weren’t any places to hang out in this direction.  

“This is my first time coming this way~,” Yuki said, glancing around at the streets.  

She seemed dead set on following me all the way home. I was getting fed up, so I decided to ask.  

“Why are you following me so much?”  

“Because it’s boring if I just go home. And I’m curious about where you live.”  

“What a slacker. Go join a club or something and enjoy your youth.”  

“Eh~? But clubs are exhausting. What about you, Naito-kun? Are you in a club?”  

“I’m not.”  

“Boomerang~. Guess you’re a slacker too.”  

“I’ve been working part-time until recently. Pretty hardcore, actually. But I quit.”  

I’d mostly been working early mornings and evenings at a convenience store.  

During summer break, I worked nearly every day, no matter the time. Some regular customer once said, “You’re always here—do you have a twin or something?” A real knee-slapper, that one.  

At least I managed to save up a decent amount of money.  

I never officially informed the school about the part-time job.  

If they found out I’d been working enthusiastically during my suspension, it’d probably lead to an even worse punishment. So I quit before that could happen—just when I was thinking about leaving anyway.  

There are people who can diligently repeat the same tasks and those who can’t. Apparently, I belonged to the latter group.  

“Sla-ker ker-sla sla-ker~♪”  

Yuki started singing some weird little tune, clearly having the time of her life.  

Meanwhile, my irritation was about to hit its limit. I mounted my bike, only for Yuki to immediately grab the hem of my jacket.  

“You’re trying to run away, aren’t you?”  

“It’s just a pain to push the bike while walking.”  

“Okay, how about we ride double!”  

“Oh, nice—sounds pretty youthful.”  

“Wait, why are you suddenly so into it?”  

It’s one of those things every guy wants to try at least once—riding a bike with a girl.  

Now, I too could join the ranks of the youthful and reckless.  

“Like this? Like this?”  

“Probably something like that.”  

Yuki awkwardly sat sideways on the bike’s rear rack.  

Despite being the one to suggest it, she’d never actually done this before.  

“Is this even going to work? Are you sure?”  

She kept double-checking from behind.  

Something about her posture seemed off, but I didn’t really know how it was supposed to look either.  

I started pedaling, only for her to immediately shout, “Wait! Wait! This is dangerous! I’m gonna fall! This is impossible!”  

“Maybe it’s harder being in the back? Okay, I’ll switch. You pedal, and I’ll sit in the back.”  

“Wait, is it normal to make the girl pedal?”  

We swapped places.  

I sat on the rear rack facing forward, but the bike didn’t seem eager to move anytime soon.  

Giving it a little push with my foot for momentum, Yuki finally managed to get the tires rolling.  

But almost immediately, the bike wobbled uncontrollably.  

“Nope, nope, nope! Too heavy! I’m gonna crash! I’m gonna die!”  

I got off the rack, and Yuki’s bike rolled gently into the curb, tapping the guardrail with the front wheel before coming to a stop.  

She turned around with a look that said she had so many things she wanted to say.  

“See? Only true youth enthusiasts can pull this off. It’s impossible for amateurs.”  

“What the heck are ‘youth enthusiasts’ supposed to be?”  

I had a theory. Maybe this was something you needed to train for.  

You probably had to hold onto each other from behind to maintain balance. Either hugging or being hugged—a high bar to clear, in more ways than one.  

Especially for someone like me, who’s always been pedaling alone through life.

TL: Are there training center for this stuff? Have you guys ever rode doubles?