One Year Later

8 | Ready for the Road

a "just in case" content warning— this chapter uses a few gay slurs.
it makes more sense in context, but some people just aren't comfortable
reading those under any circumstances, so bear that in mind.

Mondo was lucky that the streets of the little town he lived in were relatively empty. His newly-modified motorcycle was parked in what was nearly the middle of the street, and two of his friends stood beside it.

"What a beauty!" Kazuichi whistled. "The paint job really sells it. It's no wonder the detailing took so long."

Mondo grinned and patted the side of his bike. Several of his men had had to work on it over the course of several days to achieve the level of detail and luster that they had. It looked absurdly expensive.

"I thought ya might be able to appreciate it. Figured you'd wanna be here for the test run, too, seein' as ya did half-build the damn thing."

Kazuichi nodded.

"Hell yeah! Let's see her in action!"

Mondo and Kazuichi were sufficiently pumped up and ready to go. Naegi, on the other hand, didn't seem to know why he'd been invited. He awkwardly adjusted his hair (the strange antenna at the top).

"...I understand why the two of you are so excited, but why did you invite me along,  Mondo-kun? I still don't know anything about motorcycles."

Mondo's eyes glistened in a way that Naegi immediately disliked.

"Well, the sidecar is for Chi, n' you're one of the smallest dudes I know."

"Of course," Naegi sighed.

He objected, at first, to getting in the little contraption. If it hadn't been tested yet, how was he to know that it would stay secured? But Mondo begged and Kazuichi prodded, and so he was left with little choice in the matter.

"There's nobody in the road, man. Don't be such a baby," Mondo teased. Naegi contemplated retracting his agreement for a split second.

"If we needed somebody as small as Fujisaki-chan, we should have just called up Kuzuryuu-san again," Naegi muttered as he climbed into the sidecar. Kazuichi laughed.

"Careful!" he warned. "That guy may be tiny as hell, but if he hears you, you might wake up without a kidney!"

"Or worse," another voice commented. Mondo jumped and turned to face it.

Kazuichi screamed.

"K-K-Kuzuryuu! It was—" Kazuichi pointed at the sidecar. "It was Naegi! It was all him!"

"Wha— don't just throw me under the bus!"

"I see you haven't changed much, Kazuichi," a fifth person chuckled as he strolled casually up to the group. Mondo grinned at the sight of him.

"Hajime!" Mondo called. "Yo! Haven't seen you in friggin' ages!"

Kazuichi tried to cease his trembling under Fuyuhiko's gaze, took a deep breath, and threw his hands behind his head.

"Wh-What's up, baby gangsta?!" He teased, forcing a smile. "W-We weren't expecting—"

"Don't fucking call me that! Jesus, you're worse than Owari!"

"O-Okay, I'm sorryyyyyyy—!"

For whatever reason, Fuyuhiko had appeared out of nowhere, and for even less explainable reasons, he had Hajime Hinata with him. Naegi, who had gotten along with him very well, excitedly scrambled out of the sidecar to give him a quick 'bro hug'.