Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Kawasaki Ninja

The air was chilly—but it wasn't unbearably so. A cold wind blew over my face, lightly stirring my hair.

I huddled under my coat, keeping my eyes down, waiting for the bus that should have arrived by now. The howling sounds of the wind through the trees blanketed all other noises around me. The sounds echoed pleasantly inside my ears. In fact, it seemed like the tree branches were the only things that kept me company.

It wasn't that late at night—not for a city this size. However, the peaceful atmosphere made it seem much later than it actually was. The lighting from the street lamps cast a dim glow over everything. Every so often, the lights of passing cars flickered weakly at me as if to say 'hello' and then vanished into the distance.

After finishing my classes for the day, I had set off straight to the nearest mall to buy some ingredients for the week.

The money wasn't an issue anymore now because of my new job. I decided to go for some high-quality ingredients rather than something cheap that I was buying before that usually didn't last very long.

Which obviously wouldn't be available in some corner store—the sort of place I'd usually shop at. No, I would have to spend a few more yens and go somewhere like a supermarket. Some of the dishes I watched online that I wanted to try for myself all seemed quite expensive as well. So I decided to splurge this time and buy them. It was already well past six o'clock when I left. With my simple shopping list written down, I took off from home.

Unsurprisingly, I underestimated how big a supermarket was and wasted quite some time trying to find the things I wanted to buy. In the gigantic building maze, getting distracted by the many things I saw along the way were the main culprits—especially around the cosmetics section.

By the time I finally finished my shopping and reached the register, it was already nine o'clock. Then, when I left the supermarket behind, dragging a plastic bag stuffed full of groceries, it was already dark outside. Looking at my watch and checking the commute schedules online, I realized that the last bus would be arriving soon.

That's how I ended up waiting for nearly half an hour—standing right in front of the bus stop on a nearby road.

Waiting for a bus to stop by, I debated on whether or not to book a taxi instead of just standing here. Being a college student who doesn't have much experience in big cities, I had no idea what the reasonable waiting time was.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden, jarring sound of something roaring past my ears. Turning towards the sound, I saw a black motorbike zooming towards the bus stop, tires squealing ominously. The bike whizzed past me but soon slowed down. Steadily continuing to turn, the bike came back as I stood there dumbfounded—so fast that I thought it would crash into me before slowing down right in front of me.

There was a bit of panic in my heart as the stranger turned toward me. The deserted streets of Tokyo are a dangerous place for men alone after dark. My hands started to tremble slightly out of fear—a mix between anxiety, shock, and nervousness.

The fears were all unfounded, however. The rider pulled up next to me and stopped the bike right in front of my feet. The engine switched off, making a sound like sand pouring out of a jar. It was then that I realized something familiar about the bike.

It's the same one I see on campus whenever 'she' goes past!

"...Hirano-kun? What are you doing here?" said the girl as she took off her helmet—her short hair blowing around in the wind, getting stuck all over her face as she did so. The light from the street lamp illuminated her face, making it look even more intimidating than usual. Her cheeks looked redder than usual, making them stand out all the more on her pale skin. "Did you lose your way or something?"

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There was no way I wouldn't recognize her. Even for someone like me, who kept himself out of the usual affairs happening in college, Akane Tomoe was hard to forget. She was arguably the most famous person on campus—a celebrity if you will. Being a senior student at such a prestigious university and de facto leader of the Sports Committee certainly had its perks. Not to mention that she was also the captain of the Institute's baseball team.

"Oh...Hello there, Tomoe-Senpai," I replied with my voice trembling from the cold wind. "What brings you here?" It'd been some time since we last met in person. Our first meeting was when she acted as a guide during our orientation period on my initial week of being a freshman.

"Haha, well, I like taking my bike out for a ride whenever I get bored. There's nothing quite like riding through the city at night," she answered, trying to tuck her wild, short hair whipping around her face. Her piercing gaze landed right on my face and then on my shopping bag.

"Huh? What's all that stuff you got there?" she asked curiously.

"Oh...um...Just some stuff for home," I answered with my voice getting a bit shaky, still feeling on guard even though we have had contact several times before—as well as seen each other several times too. Although most guys in my situation would feel the same way.

Dressed in a black t-shirt and an equally dark pair of denim pants, with boots that looked like they came from an adventure film. A leather jacket draped around her shoulders that matched her motorcycle. She looks as if she was straight out of one of those extreme sports videos I watched at one point. Her motorbike—a Kawasaki Ninja, pitch black and lifeless with the engine turned off.

"Okay...but what are you doing at this hour? It's kind of late, isn't it, Hirano-kun~?" she asked as her gaze drifted down toward my feet, where I stood wearing sneakers.

I nodded my head in response and explained the current predicament I'm currently going through: "No...it's just that the bus still hasn't arrived yet." I shifted my feet a little on the ground, shifting the weight of the groceries slightly while looking behind me to check if a bus was coming.

"Ehhh~," she replied, exasperated, biting her lower lip. The wind blew at her hair, causing some strands to tickle the side of her face—fanning it back and forth with her mouth half-open. With a sigh, she pushed her hair away from her eyes and tucked it behind her ears before continuing, "How about I take you home then? I'm heading back that way anyway. I'm not in any rush. so I don't mind dropping you off."

"No! It's fine really, it won't be a problem at all. The bus will probably arrive; If not, I'll just book a taxi or—," I tried to object before she cut me off mid-sentence.

"Don't worry about it. I'm taking you with me, I insist." And with that said, she took the grocery bag from my hands and placed it on top of her motorbike. "Taxis don't come around this way much. This is where everyone takes their bikes or public transportation, so you're better off riding with me."

"No, I couldn't possibly impose..." But before I could get out another word, she was already on the bike and giving it a kickstart.

"What kind of girl would I be if I left a boy standing alone in the middle of the street at night?" she continued, glancing back at me with a smile. "Consider this a favor from your...onee-chan," she added with a wink.

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