The harm is minimal, but the insult is immense.

Hearing the roar faintly coming from behind, Mei Matsubara loosened his grip on the throttle and turned his head to look. He saw Akutsu, his usual composure gone, sprinting toward him in huge strides like a rampaging zombie!

“A- Akutsu?!”

The boy’s expression froze in an instant. Of all the people to borrow a bike from, it just had to be Akutsu’s—how unlucky could he get?

Seeing the terrifying look in Akutsu’s eyes, as if he might tear him limb from limb, Mei Matsubara didn’t hesitate—he twisted the throttle and shot off!

Yet, to his astonishment, even as he picked up speed, Akutsu seemed able to keep up at a pace visible to the naked eye. Was this some kind of joke? Chasing a motorcycle on foot?

“Putt-putt...”

“What the—?!”

As a rhythmic trembling rose up from beneath him, Mei Matsubara felt the bike lose speed suddenly. Noticing the blinking red indicator on the fuel gauge, his heart sank. “Out... out of gas?!”

Watching the rollerblading thief he’d been chasing disappear into the distance again, Mei Matsubara resorted to pedaling the motorcycle with his own strength, using the foot pegs as makeshift pedals. Behind him, Akutsu shouted angrily, “Mei! Stop right there!”

“Huh? You recognized me?!”

Mei Matsubara heard Akutsu’s distinctive way of calling him and looked back in astonishment.

“Pfft. You’re wearing the Evergreens uniform, and you’re so short—I recognized you at a glance. And to think I believed you were different from someone as sneaky and shameless as Mizuki—turns out you’re even worse! Stop right there, you thief!”

Akutsu’s figure, blurred from his rapid sprint, closed in on Mei Matsubara, who was now treating the motorcycle like a bicycle. His face twisted in rage.

“Are you kidding me? With my circumstances, do you think I’d need to steal your bike?!”

Mei Matsubara pedaled furiously, sweat pouring down his face, protesting loudly.

“Mei! You’re dead! Don’t think you can get away from me!”

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself! You think you’re the only one who can run fast? If you can keep up with my rhythm, then try it!”

“Hah! Secret Technique—Superdimensional Flashing Swallow Dance Gale Supreme Flashing Wheel Roar, Fifth Form!”

Their bickering was so loud that even the rollerblading thief up ahead could hear them. Exhausted from running, he glanced back to see the short kid chasing him now locked in a quarrel with another, and grinned.

“Out of the way!”

“Huh?”

The rollerblading thief found himself directly in Mei Matsubara’s path as he pedaled furiously forward. Before he could dodge, the side mirror of the motorcycle smacked his face, spinning him in a full waltz-like turn. At the same time, the broken mirror and Oda Fuyuka’s little fish-shaped wallet flew high into the air!

Behind them, Akutsu, making a far more violent move, leapt over the thief, using his head as a springboard while he was still down, then continued his mad pursuit.

Meanwhile, Oda Fuyuka, worried about Mei Matsubara, had followed the direction of the chase alongside Iwamura Yuna. Concerned for Akutsu, Dan Taiichi had also joined them. Just as they entered the alley, Oda Fuyuka caught two dark shapes falling from the sky. Catching them by reflex, she saw the broken mirror and her little fish wallet in her hands and murmured, “What... happened here?”

“Isn’t this Akutsu’s mirror from his bike?!” Taiichi immediately recognized it in Fuyuka’s arms. Spotting the rollerblading thief sprawled on the ground, he worried Akutsu might be in trouble and dashed over. But as he stepped over the thief, the latter suddenly regained consciousness!

Smack!

Unaware, Taiichi’s foot landed squarely on the thief’s head, drawing a wail. The rollerblading thief fainted once again.

What began as Mei Matsubara’s brave attempt to apprehend a thief had, thanks to Akutsu’s involvement, turned into a wild chase between the two.

“Hey, Mei, that’s my motorcycle!” Akutsu, not even out of breath, ran up to Mei Matsubara’s side and barked at him.

“I told you, you should be training with the team! You can’t rely on just your natural ability—only barely catching up by running, you’ve got a long way to go!” Mei Matsubara’s legs felt numb and unresponsive, yet for some reason, he was having the time of his life. He sped up his pedaling, overtaking Akutsu!

The sight of the two racing down the middle of the road drew the attention of countless bystanders, their curious gazes following the spectacle. Strangely, though, just as their eyes began to focus, the two figures grew blurry once more. All anyone could see were two shadows streaking swiftly by...

Just as Mei Matsubara was about to lose Akutsu at the next intersection, a massive stone barrier suddenly loomed in his path!

“Whoa!” he yelled. With no time to brake, both he and the bike flipped over, crashing with a cacophony of noise. Akutsu braced himself with both hands to stop, and upon witnessing the carnage, muttered darkly, “My... motorcycle...”

After helping Akutsu gather the scattered parts and carry out some basic repairs, Mei Matsubara still couldn’t find one of the mirrors, even after combing the area. While listening to Mei’s account of what had happened, Akutsu sat idly on the ground.

“So, you were just helping a girl from your class catch a thief?”

“You’re really something, you know. What kind of normal person snatches a motorcycle?” Mei Matsubara, still baffled by Akutsu’s logic, snapped back.

“By the way... did we leave that thief behind?”

Akutsu glanced at his bike, now missing a mirror, and realized, “Hmm? Why do you say that?”

Mei Matsubara only then realized they hadn’t seen the thief in ages, but didn’t quite get Akutsu’s point.

“Your mirror probably came off when you collided with him,” Akutsu pointed out.

“Uh...” Mei Matsubara recalled the incident in a flash, scratching the back of his head with an awkward laugh. “Ha... I guess so?”

Akutsu’s gaze turned odd, but Mei Matsubara quickly changed the subject: “Anyway, let’s go back and check. Maybe the thief is still nearby!”

Retracing their steps, they ran into Dan Taiichi. Mei Matsubara learned from Oda Fuyuka that she and Iwamura Yuna had called the police, the thief had been taken to the station, and the stolen wallet was recovered with not a cent missing.

Taking the broken mirror from Oda Fuyuka, Mei Matsubara glanced sheepishly at the unperturbed Akutsu and promised, “I’ll fix your bike.”

“No need. It’s less than a year old—I’ve got warranty.” Akutsu took the mirror and taped it to the broken spot, his tone flat.

“Taiichi, let’s go,” he said with a cough.

As Akutsu and Taiichi left, Mei Matsubara felt a twinge of guilt. Oda Fuyuka, meanwhile, gazed at Akutsu’s tall figure ahead, sighing enviously, “I wish I were that tall and could ride a motorcycle. I can’t wait to turn eighteen so I can finally ride one.”

“Yeah, that poker-faced guy looks really cool,” agreed Iwamura Yuna with a gentle smile.

“Huh...” Mei Matsubara’s mouth twitched as he looked at the girls. He couldn’t help but shake his head. Just because Akutsu was tall, they assumed he was already an adult? They didn’t mean anything by it, but the words stung all the same!