Hayashi Megumi’s change of heart

Happy New Year!

It might be a bit too late to say that.

A fluffy scene floated into my mind.

That scene was of Yamamoto and this girl going on a motorcycle ride together. The image of them riding along a mountain road, smiling warmly at each other.

…I have to stop that at all costs.

I mean, that’s practically a couple already!

I’ve got to put my foot down and shut this down.

Because this guy, despite everything, is weak to pressure and gets obsessed easily!

If he even gets on a bike once… it’s over.

He’ll definitely get hooked on motorcycles!

I can say that with certainty!

Yamamoto will surely get obsessed with bikes… going on rides every weekend, scouring online auctions for bike parts whenever he has a spare moment, and then dipping into his savings!

Once he’s that deep, he’ll naturally start consulting this Nene girl about bikes… which means their relationship will get way too close!

No way!

Absolutely not, that can’t happen!

“Eek…”

When I shot another glare at this Nene girl, she let out a small squeak of fear.

“Your face is kinda scary, you know?”

Yamamoto said to me, sounding exasperated.

“So what? It’s got nothing to do with you, does it?”

“…Fair point.”

“Y-Yamamoto-kun!?”

Maybe I intimidated him too, because Yamamoto just gave up.

If it’s like this, he won’t ride a bike… and he won’t get hooked either.

“Bikes are pretty expensive, aren’t they? You’d probably end up burning through your savings if you got obsessed. You should absolutely give up on it.”

Since I came off a bit too harsh, I hurriedly rattled off a reasonable excuse.

“That makes sense.”

“Right?”

“N-No, it’s fine! Custom parts come in all price ranges, you know?”

“Really?”

“Huh?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve managed to get by without relying on consumer loans.”

“Oh, really?”

“…”

He’s into it!

Yamamoto’s totally into it!

Normally, Yamamoto would’ve said something like, “If you’re barely avoiding consumer loans, that’s a red flag!”

And this Nene girl, even though she was trembling under my glare, is still trying to rope Yamamoto into this?

Is she the type who gets so excited about her hobbies that she just has to drag others into it?

This is bad…

This is really bad…

If this keeps up, these two are going to get close!

↑ The person who encouraged Yamamoto to make friends

“But bikes can slip, unlike cars, right? Isn’t that dangerous?”

Feeling like things were heading in a bad direction, I spoke up.

“If you prioritize safe driving, bikes are surprisingly stable.”

“Gas prices are going up too…”

“W-Well, how about I recommend a fuel-efficient bike?”

“…”

“Hey! What do you think? Come on! Come on!”

…She’s trying to make him buy one.

This girl is seriously trying to get Yamamoto to buy a bike!!!

It felt like I was dealing with an aggressive, uninvited real estate agent.

Maybe this was a losing battle from the start.

Debating about something I know nothing about… maybe I never had a chance to begin with.

“You know, when I was a kid, I used to watch a lot of tokusatsu shows.”

Yamamoto, who’d been quietly observing for a while, finally spoke up.

“So, I’ve always had a bit of a thing for bikes.”

…It’s over.

I’ve lost.

With Yamamoto already admiring bikes, he’s probably made up his mind after hearing this Nene girl’s pitch.

He’s going to buy a bike.

“…Well then.”

“Yeah.”

Yamamoto nodded deeply.

“For a moment, I thought it sounded cool, but I don’t need it.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

For the first time, I had the same reaction as this Nene girl, both of us staring at Yamamoto’s smug face.

“…Wha—”

“Why?”

“You can’t work while you’re riding a bike, right?”

“…”

“…”

“On a train, you can work while you’re moving.”

What was all that back-and-forth about?

I wanted to say that, but seeing Nene’s stunned expression, I thought to myself, You were staring out the window the whole time we rode the train together, weren’t you?

“…I see.”

“Yeah.”

…Well, whatever.

For now, the whole thing about Yamamoto buying a bike is off the table, so that’s that.

“…I was kinda hoping the three of us could go on a ride together someday.”

“Hm?”

“Huh?”

“…Three of us?”

“Yes.”

I get Nene and Yamamoto, but who’s the third person?

“…Oh, I meant Hayashi-san too.”

“I’m not buying a bike, though.”

“Right. So, maybe you could ride behind Yamamoto-kun.”

“Ride behind him?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“Well, no point digging up a dead conversation.”

“…Hey, Yamamoto.”

“Hm?”

“Why don’t you buy a bike?”

“Make up your mind already.”

Yamamoto looked a little exasperated at my words.

Is the heroine starting to turn into a bit of a klutz?

Things are getting fun! (First post in about a month)

Just four days until the book version comes out!

I’d be thrilled if you all picked up a copy!