Vol 2 Chapter 8 (1/2)

Season 2, Episode 8

Episode 8:

Just a year ago, she’d never ever ridden a bicycle before.

It was just one of those parties that celebrated the start of yet another financial year, and somehow, she found herself talking to the president of a bicycle manufacturing company.

They talked all night, with topics spanning from politics to the current situation of toilets in j.a.pan, and amidst all this, Nades.h.i.+ko was. .h.i.t with a realization.

She’d never ridden a bike before. Ever.

Like, she’d been on cars before, that was her usual mode of transport, and sometimes she’d walk for her training. She’d taken the aeroplane and the boat, and once upon a time even sat on the bullet train. Then of course, there were the cruises and luxury trains when she travelled abroad.

But despite being able to list out an impressive amount of vehicles, Nades.h.i.+ko could not truthfully say she’d sat on a bicycle before.

This was intriguing indeed. She had to try it.

Ordering her servant to purchase a bike for her, Nades.h.i.+ko hastened to try it out. She had hear tell that it took quite a while to master the skill of balancing on a bike. But of course, being the genius that she was, it took her all of two tries to get to grips with the whole thing.

Since then, she’d take her bike out with her on her morning jaunts, past the area where she normally jogged, into commoner’s territory.

It was refres.h.i.+ng to see herself being able to peddle a vehicle and move it along her desired path.

And then –

The idiot commoner’s idiot car just flew out of a bend so idiotically that it was hardly her fault that she fell down in fright.

Her reflexes, brilliant as ever, propelled her quickly to her feet, but even as she made to chase after the car, her plan got caught in a snag. Her bike had been broken. No matter how furiously she peddled, her bike wouldn’t move.

It was like cycling on air.

Around her, she could see commoners staring at her.

It was so embarra.s.sing that she felt her head start to spin.

No, it wasn’t possible. How was it that this had befallen her, the great Nades.h.i.+ko? And in front of unworthy commoners, no less.

It was all that bicycle’s fault. Stupid, stupid –

“Hi there, would you like me to fix this for you?”

A voice, out of nowhere, broke through the haze.

Squatting down in front of the bicycle, the boy proceeded to give it a thorough check.

“As I suspected, the chain’s gone lose.”

Following his finger, Nades.h.i.+ko could make out some sort of metal chain that seemed to dangle from her bike.

Hmm.

Grabbing the pedal, he started to turn it.

“And just a little bit here…”

A loud crack, and the chain seemed a lot less loose around the edges now.

He took the pedals out for a test drive, moving them in circles, watching as they emitted a creaking noise indicative of gear contact while the bike’s wheels turned in tandem with the pedals.

It was amazing.

For the first time in her life, Nades.h.i.+ko had nothing to say. It was as though she had forgotten how to speak.

To her, his handiwork seemed almost G.o.d-like in its glory, simple though it was. He had saved her. And that in itself was worthy of praise.

He smiled, seemingly satisfied with his work.

In that moment, he was the coolest guy on earth.

She’d have stopped him, just to thank him of course, but he clearly had no time for her. Brus.h.i.+ng off the dust, he got up and headed off on his own merry way with a quick goodbye.

“d.a.m.n, I’m late!”

He was muttering as he swept past her.

And then, things went back to normal.

Nades.h.i.+ko rode home and kept up her bicycle. Following this incident, she somehow just happened to search for him, somehow just happened to locate the high school that he was going to next spring, somehow just happened to change her own plans for high school, and just somehow happened to b.u.mp into him on the day of the entrance exam.

“Oh, what a surprise!”

“… Sorry?”

He had forgotten all about her.

–

Carrying Nades.h.i.+ko on piggy back, Shun headed towards the nurse’s office in the Celebrity Course building.

Surrounding him were the Red Star Lily Squad, all of them equal parts worried about Nades.h.i.+ko and equal parts wary of him.

It was his first time in the Celebrity Course building. The walls, the rooms, the tables, heck even the toilets, they were, for lack of a better word, breath taking.

Shun felt like a tourist in Europe – new, foreign and utterly overwhelmed.

“…Ugh…”

The weight on his back s.h.i.+fted. Nades.h.i.+ko started to stir.

“Nades.h.i.+ko-sama!”

The Red Star Lily Squad were on their toes immediately.

Turning around, Shun was greeted with Nades.h.i.+ko’s rather blank stare. Her eyes were unfocused, looking as though she had just taken a jog down memory lane in her dreams.

“Are you alright?”

…

His voice by her ear seemed to jolt her awake.

Pus.h.i.+ng hard against him, Nades.h.i.+ko screamed.

“Y-You insolent –“

Shun dropped Nades.h.i.+ko to the floor.

Her cheeks were stained red, as though she had run a marathon or something.

“W-Why are you carrying me?”

“Hey, don’t look at me! You were the one who refused to let go.”

“W-What are you saying? You rascal!”

Shun couldn’t have felt more wronged.

“After the match with Rosalie, you fainted, remember? Then, when I went up on stage to try to chase after her, you grabbed hold of me so hard, I couldn’t get away. Even those girls had a go at prying off your fingers, but nothing worked, okay? You were just –”