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The funfair painted the sky with neon streaks that flecked Makoto’s vision with light.
“We have to ride on the bumper cars,” said Aoi, heading the group and waving for them to follow after her. She and the other five snaked through the congested pathways until they reached the booth for the bumper cars.
They huddled together at the end of the queue.
“Are we all having a car each?” asked Yasuhiro, blowing on his hands.
Byakuya turned to him. “How many seats do these miniature cars contain?”
“Two,” Yasuhiro replied, glancing up from his hands. “Hey, Togami-chi, have you never driven a bumper car before?”
“I’ve never visited a,” Byakuya twitched his fingers in a finger quote, “‘funfair’, before. How similar is it to actual driving?”
“Why does it matter? I’m pretty sure that I’m the only one with a license.”
Touko prodded her fingers together, shooting a grin at her feet. “I’ll happily be your chauffeur, Byakuya-sama... I’ll ride you anywhere.”
She laughed to herself but Byakuya didn’t seem to catch the connotation.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Byakuya.
Yasuhiro rubbed his finger against the underside of his nose and said, “Y’know, I actually pictured you both getting a Dick Dastardly and Muttley thing going on.”
“Eh?” Touko jerked her chin up and huffed out condensation. “D-Dick?”
Byakuya glared at her and then at Yasuhiro. He held up a fist, eyes determined. “I can drive by myself. It won’t be hard for someone like me.”
They reached the front of the queue.
Aoi quickly counted the number of empty cars in the adjacent arena. Her finger sagged. “Oh no, there’s only five left. One of us will have to sit out or team up with someone.”
“I’ll sit with Byakuya-sama,” volunteered Touko immediately.
“No,” said Byakuya immediately.
Kyouko raised a hand. “I don’t mind sharing.”
“I withdraw my offer,” replied Touko immediately.
“Naegi-kun,” said Kyouko, turning her head. “Do you mind sharing with me?”
“Not at all,” Makoto assured her, momentarily surprised at being included in the conversation. Compared to everyone else, he considered himself rather plain, but he could always count on Kyouko to involve him. Or Byakuya, though he rarely included Makoto in conversations for a pleasant reason.
Byakuya paid for five cars and received an equal number of tokens in return, which he handed out to everyone except Makoto. The six of them ascended, stepping over the barrier and entering the arena. All of them split up to go to their bumper cars, Makoto tagging along with Kyouko and sitting in the passenger seat next to her.
She flicked her token into the slot and gripped the steering wheel. “Naegi-kun...”
He only just managed to hear Kyouko over the blaring music thumping from the speakers all around them.
“Kirigiri-san?” he said.
Kyouko flexed her fingers and muttered, “Hold on tight.”
A voice over the intercom told the riders to get ready to push down the accelerator.
Makoto felt afraid.
Their bumper car jerked to life and Kyouko Kirigiri showed no mercy.
“Sorry!” Makoto called to a winded man as Kyouko drove away, but the apology was drowned out by upbeat music that Makoto couldn’t discern the mumbled lyrics of.
Kyouko veered out of the way of Yasuhiro’s car, homed in on her next target.
Byakuya looked over his shoulder. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “Kirigiri, I swear on the Togami Conglomerate, if you come anywhere near me again-!”
Her car slammed into the side of his, the impact nearly flinging his glasses off his face.
She drove off, already focused on her next victim.
Makoto wheezed. “K-Kirigiri-san!”
“I-I’ll avenge you, Byakuya-sama!” Touko shrieked, zooming past Byakuya who was fixing his glasses.
Kyouko dodged out of the way of Touko’s wrath and collided with Aoi.
“Oompth,” went Aoi, or at least she emitted a noise equivalent to that word, and she uttered it again when Touko rammed into the back of her car moments after.
“Kirigiri-san,” said Makoto again, staring straight ahead. The polished flooring beamed red, blue and green blurs.
She hummed in acknowledgment, missing the front of Touko’s car and spinning in a half circle to give chase.
“You’re... quite passionate about this, aren’t you?” he asked.
Kyouko was headed for Touko’s car, approaching from an angle. “Am I causing your body discomfort?”
“No, I’m fine,” he said with a weak but sincere smile. “I... I think you look cool, driving like this.”
“Oh.” She blushed a little.
They collided with Touko, who screamed and flailed her arms.
“Now there is just Hagakure-kun left,” said Kyouko, narrowing her eyes at the dark cloud in the distance that was actually Yasuhiro’s hair. “Are you ready, Naegi-kun?”
He nodded.
Kyouko bared her teeth. “Pick a god and pray, Hagakure-kun.”
Like Frederick the Great Knight, she charged.
Yasuhiro saw and widened his eyes. “Ksitigarbha!” he yelled, cowering in his seat.
His attempt at escape proved futile.
Everyone’s attempts at escape proved futile.
At the end of the ride, Makoto’s head and neck ached but as he staggered after Kyouko, he decided it was worth it.