The Ludicrous Escapade Pt.3

Little Lie

A few more days of riding later, you, Johnny, and Gyro found yourselves crossing the fifth stage goal.

"Seriously?! I didn't win again?!" Gyro was staring at the board that very clearly showed that he had gotten fourth place.

You looked at the names above your teammates'. "Wow. Norisuke Higashikata got second? I guess he survived getting stabbed in the chest, then. I wonder if Hot Pants healed his wounds, too."

Johnny looked down at the map in his hands. "The next stage is going to be pretty cold and snowy. We should probably get some winter clothes." He turned to you. "Do you want to go shop around together?"

"Yeah." Gyro slung his arms around both yours and Johnny's shoulders. "Let's go take our horses to the stables and start looking around."

"Oh..." Johnny was hoping to just go alone with you. You had seemed a bit out of it since the last fight and he wanted to make sure you were okay. He also had some other things he wanted to talk to you about. But he supposed he could wait a little longer. "Okay..."

"Sure, let's go, then." Your eyes scanned the cheering crowd while the three of you headed toward the stables.

Funny Valentine wasn't anywhere in sight, not that you really expected him to be out in the open with everyone else. If you were going to decide to accept his offer, you'd have to meet with him that day. And while you certainly didn't want to accept such a deal, you did want to keep the option of using him to return to your universe open.

"So, what exactly do we need?" Gyro decided to write out a list to better keep track as you all began the trek to the market. "Long sleeves? Blankets? And I guess I'll need a new belt. Y'know, since somebody decided to put a hole in mine. It was custom made and everything, too."

"I needed to make a steel ball." You were pretty much repeating what you had told him after he saw his belt when waking up. "It's not like I could've used the water. It only lasted you a few seconds even when you're way better at Spin than I am."

"Yeah... I am pretty great." Gyro tapped his chin with his pencil. "I'm sure I can find someone who makes belts." He flashed you a grin. "Maybe we could even get matching ones."

You shrugged, "If you really want to..."

"We should get some more teas, too." Added Johnny. "I've found out that drinking different teas helps my nails grow back faster. I want to try out some more."

"I'll add it to the list, then." Gyro scrawled it into the notepad before freezing in his tracks. "Wait. I need to go take a piss." He jogged off to find a place to do his business, leaving you and Johnny alone.

"So... (Y/N)." Johnny looked up at you. "About what I said the other day..."

It was then that Diego showed behind you, slipping his arms around your waist. "Well, if it isn't the love of my life."

"Diego! What are you doing here?!" Johnny raised his hand, ready to shoot the Brando.

Diego batted his eyelashes innocently, keeping his hold on your firm as you tried to pry off his arms. He was clearly using his dino strength. "I just happened to cross the finish line a moment ago. And when looking across the sea of people, who else do I see but my darling (Y/N)?"

Diego then dropped his voice to a whisper. "One of Valentine's men is listening in." You followed his gaze, indeed seeing the grey haired man from the other day. "Come on, just play along for a little bit longer."

"I dunno Diego." You massaged your temples, feeling like you were on the verge of a headache. "After sending your dinosaurs after us like that a few days back, I don't think things are gonna work out between us anymore."