"Don't wander too far, McQueen. You'll get kidnapped."
"Do I look like a little girl to you?"
One can see a pair of trainer and trainee walking side by side in the bustling city of Tokyo. The trainee's uniform became the center of attention. She was from the prestigious Tracen Academy, an academy that is, basically, a household name. It's hard to find anyone who doesn't know about Tracen Academy in Japan. The young man isn't safe from the stare either. Sure, he wears what your average Joe would, but if he is close to a Tracen student, then he surely is no ordinary man. They're either a couple or this is a crime scene. Nothing in between.
The young man's hand on the girl's waist doesn't help his image either. It only helps to enhance his image to either end of extreme. A boyfriend taking care of what is his or a criminal holding a frail girl at gunpoint. Literally nothing in between.
"So which store is it?"
"It's over there."
McQueen was scrolling through her phone like a madman just a second before this, searching for a confectionery store that had anything resembling an event. To invite a man to a store that sells sweets without any special occasion is like asking him for marriage, right? At least that was what McQueen thought.
I can't marry him yet! He is still not worthy of the Mejiro name! He still looks like he'll stab random people on a whim! I need to fix him fast before I graduate!
"New menu items, huh… This better not increase your weight, or I'll ask Oguri to follow you around and eat all your dessert."
"Are you the devil?"
"I never claim I'm not."
The pair enters the store, and a whiff of sweetness quickly fills their noses. The inside was filled with people eating all kinds of desserts, and some were lining up to order their desserts. The young man doesn't know if this was because of the new menu item or if this store was just that good.
"Uuhmmm… I don't think there's an empty seat, trainer. Let's buy one to go."
"No, we have a seat."
The young man grabs the light pink-haired Uma and drags her toward one end of the store. The Uma wonders where the man is going as she can't see even a single empty seat. Well, except for one seat that is only used by a single man.
We are not going to join that random man, wouldn't we?
It is as McQueen thought, the young man stops at the end of the table from where the lonely man sits. The man has black hair with streaks of dark purple running through it in a few places. His violet eyes silently stare at the pair. He is wearing an azure intricate shirt with white buttons and black lines. It looks less like everyday clothing and more like what an RPG character would wear. His long, dark blue coat doesn't help him with the image either. On the other hand, his navy jeans move the needle slightly to the other end of the spectrum.
Although there is one thing that would lock the needle to the extreme…
And that item is the katana that he put next to him on the seat. It doesn't look like a tourist or fake katana. McQueen is sure of that. The intricate design, length, width, gold tsuba, and everything about the katana feel legit. McQueen had been given a real sword in ceremonies before, so she knew what a real sword feels like.
"Trainer, I don't think we should—"
"Relax, McQueen."
Her trainer's confidence as he sits down across from the man, making McQueen think that he knows who this person is. That assumption is challenged though, as the black-haired man stares at the red-haired man across from him. The red-haired is smiling smugly while the black-haired stays silent when someone is invading his territory.
They have to be friends, right?
"Do you think cats get shit stuck on their papillae when they lick their own butt?"
"WHO THE FUCK STARTS A CONVERSATION LIKE THAT!?! I JUST SAT DOWN!!!!"
Yep, they're friends, alright.
The black-haired young man's intimidating aura turned 180 degrees quickly after his question. He is just as stupid as her trainer, McQueen thought to herself. McQueen's hesitation to sit down next to her trainer quickly fades away as she puts her plump butt on the cushion.
"You ask weirder questions. You have no right to yell at me."
"There was a buildup before I asked those questions. I don't blurt them out without context."
Fufufu~~ Hearing him this loose is nice.
McQueen grabs the ordering tablet and, with great care and consideration, places her order. Ordering the dessert had taken her more brain cells than anything in her life before. She then passed the tablet to her trainer.
"If you want an example of an oppressed society, then it has to be The Cars universe, right? I mean, fuck your dream! You can't be a racing car if you're born from a parent of tractors, right?"
"Weren't tractors cow in that universe?"
How did the conversation get here?!?! HOW MANY PAGES DID I MISS?!?!
McQueen could only scream in silence as Igo Heita talked with the black-haired man. Igo puts in his order on the tablet without even looking at it as he continues his conversation with the black-haired man. Their conversation hops from one topic to another like a sugar rush kid running through the playground. McQueen couldn't even hope to keep up with their conversation, as when McQueen had registered a topic, they already jumped through 5.
"Uuh… Trainer, do you know this man?"
McQueen asks a question she should've asked when they first met. Her main intention wasn't to know his name, but to give her brain a break.
"Oh yeah, you don't know him."
"It'll be more concerning if she does know me."
"He is Dya Bethals. A person I know."
"Can't deny that."
"I would make a great lawyer."
"I—I see…"
I can't follow anything about them… It's like I'm trying to understand Goldship's mind.
"Excuse me, your drinks have arrived."
A waitress came in with several glasses of drinks on her tray. First was a strawberry shake with a sundae floating on its surface. The sundae is decorated with a chocolate syrup trail, sprinkles, and a cherry on top. The second drink is a chocolate milk with a chocolate ice cream float that is also sprinkled with chocolate. The last one was a black coffee. The waitress quickly put the first drink in front of McQueen. As for the second, she puts it in front of the red-haired young man and the black coffee in front of the black-haired young man.
"Enjoy~~ Your dessert will come soon."
As the waitress leaves, the young men silently grab the others' drinks and drag them in front of them. Their movement was so synchronized, McQueen wonders if they actually share the same brain.
"Have this happened before?"
"Yeah. All the time."
Igo nonchalantly answers as he drinks his black coffee.
"The number?"
"Tenth cup of the day."
"You're addicted to it."
"You're one to say."