"Why do these ones look totally different from those ones?" Saki asked, pointing to two sections of blowtorches.
"I think those ones use butane, and those ones use propane," Maria answered.
She picked up one of each. "I wonder what the difference is…"
The three girls stood in the middle of the metalworking aisle. Their cart was full of various tools for shaping and welding as well as one weapon. They had a portable band saw, a press brake, a small die grinder, a meter stick, a small rubber mallet, and an electric nail gun with plenty of compressed air tubes and nails.
"I'd just use what you know," Maria suggested. "Whatever you used to make your old ones."
There was a chiptune ringtone behind them. Ai pulled out her phone. "It's Lily." She pressed a button and put it up to her ear. "Hello?"
The two turned to Ai.
"Oh, Junko! No, I'm still at the hardware store," she answered.
Saki shrugged and looked back to the torches. "I'll get a propane one, then." She put back the butane torch and put the other one in their cart.
"I'm still undecided," Ai said into the phone. She turned away from the other two.
She stood up. "I think this is everything. We'll get scrap metal from the junkyard."
"You think so?" she asked Junko. "Hmm, I might. If you think it would look good, I guess I'll come see."
Saki turned back to Ai and raised an eyebrow. "What's she asking, Ai?"
She put her hand over the receiver and turned back to the others. "Junko found a color she thought would look good on me," she answered.
"Cool. Go for it."
She uncovered the receiver. "Sure. I'll come check it out. Have Lily text me where you are." She paused briefly. "Okay." She paused again and blushed. She turned away from the other two and spoke softly. "Love you, too."
Saki snickered softly. Oh man, that's so cute!
Ai shut the phone and looked back towards her, flustered. "D-don't laugh!"
"I wasn't!" she lied. She was still smiling.
Maria rolled her eyes with a smile. "Alright, you two. Let's go." She grabbed the cart and started pushing it towards the front. "You think we can get these back alright?"
"Most of that stuff will fit in our bikes. I'll just hold the rest in my lap. We'll drop Ai's nail gun off at the house then go to the junkyard. There's one nearby that seriously has a ton of scrap just laying around."
"Don't forget to get your puffy jacket," Ai reminded her. "You don't want to ruin another shirt. You already got stabbed through one."
"Right." She put her hands in her pockets. "I wonder what Korosuke is up to now…"
"Who cares?" Maria asked. "They act like they're hot shit, but they're all stupid."
"Damn, you got that right," she laughed. "You know, every single one of them used a weapon. And none of them even knew how to use 'em."
"Really?" Ai asked.
"Yeah! One of them was using a pickaxe!" she laughed. "You can't use a pickaxe as a weapon! It's too damn heavy! Damn, Korosuke. So stupid."
"They really piss me off sometimes," Maria said.
"Same."
"You know what pisses me off?" Ai asked.
"What?"
"My birthday was three weeks ago. We were revived two weeks ago. That means I'm gonna have to wait an entire year until my next birthday." She groaned. "I died in August! That means when I finally turn 27, it'll have been a year and a half for me since I had my last birthday!"
"Oh damn, I hadn't even thought about that…" Saki put her hand to her chin. "Hey! Cool! My birthday gap is only six months!"
"Screw you," Ai scowled.
Maria laughed. "It's weird to think that you two are legally adults."
"We're legally dead," she reminded her.
"Well… yeah, but… if you were still alive, you'd be way old. How old is Junko?"
"Fifty-four," she answered.
"She could be a grandma!" she laughed. "She's twice your age, and you're dating her!"
"H-hey! Physically, we're only three years apart!" Ai yelled defensively. She was blushing brightly.
"Whoa, we can blush through the makeup?!" Saki asked. "That's awesome!"
"Huh? We can? I am?!" She covered her face with her hands.
Maria laughed. "It's so weird to think that you guys are all zombies. At first glance, no one'd be able to tell."
"Yup. Kinda makes you think," Saki said as she put her arms behind her head, "if this is what Shades was gonna do, it might have actually worked."
"Ha! Maybe if any of us actually wanted to do it," Ai reminded her.
"You think Sakura's still looking for us?"
"Maybe. We haven't seen her since we rescued Lily."
"Maybe she gave up," Maria suggested with a shrug.
"Yeah, she was way too preachy to give up, I think. She's probably still out there looking for us."
Saki laughed. "She's not a threat to us anymore. She never was, really. First Sakura, now Korosuke… nothing can take us down!"
Sakura awoke as the door to the apartment opened. She looked up to see her roommate walk in. It was too dark to see anything aside from basic shapes, but she could tell by her hair. "O-oh! Misa-san! Good morning!"
Misa gave her a confused look. "Morning? It's two in the afternoon, Sakura."
"Oh. Good afternoon! Why are you home so early?"
She walked into the kitchen. "I'm getting some more ice packs," she answered as she opened her fridge. She reached in and pulled out two ziploc bags filled with water that had frozen.
"Ice packs? Did someone get hurt?"
Misa lifted one of the bags to her forehead and shut the fridge. "You could say that, yes." She winced as the ice touched her skin. "Several of us."
"What happened?"
"We had a run-in with… a certain troublemaker last night. She landed some hits on us."
"Oh! Is there anything I can do to help?"
She smiled. "You're too kind, Sakura. You're already doing more than enough."
She tilted her head in confusion. "I'm already doing more than enough? What does that mean…?"
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." She chuckled softly to herself. "Get some rest. If all goes well, your training will be completed tonight. You'll need that to capture Saki Tuesday night."
Her question flew out her head. "Right!" She laid back down on the couch and closed her eyes. I'm going to get them back!
Saki turned on the bike and looked down at the dashboard. All the analog gauges spun to life before her. She bit her lip. Okay, good… the wiring is okay… but are the lights? She pressed a button and the gauges were instantly backlit. She sighed in relief. "Thank god," she muttered to herself as she turned the gauges back off. She wiped her brow, smearing the makeup she was already sweating through. She stood up and stared down happily at her handiwork. "Yo, Maria! I think yours is done!"
Misa's former bike was unrecognizable. Instead of the round, smooth red and purple body it had originally, it now wore a slim crimson body that left much of its engine exposed. The seat was higher and had a back to it, its rear was pointier, and its front was propped up at a sharper angle and was more rigid. The suspension had also been replaced so it sat higher above the ground and the bottom of the engine now could be clearly seen. It also had completely different exhaust ports, but only two of them actually served their intended purpose; the others were for show. It was a completely different bike.
"Wow! Awesome!" Maria gushed. There were stars in her eyes.
"Go take it for a test ride," Saki said. She tossed her the keys. "Actually, go get one of the other bikes while you're at it. I gotta start on theirs." She turned and looked at her own bike, which she had been modifying simultaneously. Guess I gotta do the wiring in that one, too…
She climbed onto her bike and leaned back in her new seat. "Alright!" She revved her engine. "Crap! That's a lot louder than before!" she yelled.
She turned back to Maria. "WHAT?!"
"I SAID IT WAS A LOT LOUDER NOW!"
"WELL, YEAH! THE ENGINE IS EXPOSED!"
"HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TALK WHILE RIDING IF WE CAN'T HEAR EACH OTHER?!"
"HAND SIGNALS!" she shouted, wiggling her fingers. "I'LL TEACH YOU THEM LATER! GO BACK TO THE HOUSE AND BRING ME ANOTHER BIKE!"
She nodded and sped off.
Phew, I'm glad it works. She turned back to her own bike, on which she had sprayed the first layer of paint hours prior. Welp, time to get spraying.
Maria pulled into the driveway and turned off her bike. "Whoo!" she cheered excitedly to no one in particular. She took a happy breath and stepped off. She walked along the front path to the house's porch to find Junko on the steps staring into the sky with a smile on her face. "Oh, hey Marshmallow!"
She looked at her warmly. "Maria-san!"
"Whatcha up to?"
"I'm relaxing," she explained. "It's been so long since I could just sit outside and enjoy myself." She looked back up to the sky happily.
She looked up at the afternoon sky. It was slightly cloudy and birds were chirping. "Well, Saki wants you to go at the junkyard so she can start working on your bike."
She closed her eyes. "Ah, I see." She took a deep breath of relaxation. "Then let's go." She stood up and stretched, taking her time getting herself ready.
"You're really slow for a biker, you know that?"
She opened her eyes and looked towards her. "I feel it's better to enjoy life as you live it. Or, rather, enjoy death as you live it, since I've already died." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her key.
"You think I should bring the others?"
"Oh, they're busy at the moment. It's best not to interrupt them. I could grab one of their keys, though, so we can take their bikes."
"Yeah, sure."
She turned and walked into the house. She sat down in the genkan and started removing her boots silently.
"So… I guess you guys all just live here now. With Lily's dad."
She looked up and smiled. "Yes, it's nice, isn't it?" She slipped off one of her boots. "I'm very glad at least one of us still has living relatives."
"You don't have any?"
She looked down. "I've been dead for over thirty years. I have no idea where any of my old family is."
"Huh? Old family? You mean you have a new one?"
"Well, Saki, Ai, Lily… I don't really have anyone else." She slipped off her other boot and stood up. "I guess I kind of consider them my family."
"Oh."
She turned and walked up the stairs. She turned the corner and knocked on the bathroom door. "Ai, Maria and I are taking your bike to have Saki modify it," she said through the door.
"Okay," Ai replied.
"Are you gonna do mine, Junko-chan?!" Lily asked excitedly.
"Hey! Be careful!" Ai yelled. "If you move too much, the dye will mix in with the rest of your hair!"
"No, not yet," Junko replied. "We'll do yours once she's done with mine and Ai's."
"Lame," Lily sighed.
Junko turned walked back into her room and took Ai's key off the dresser. Then she walked down the stairs, handed Maria the key, and started putting her boots back on. "How is your family?"
"Tsk!" Maria sulked. "Who cares about them?" She turned away from her.
She frowned in pity. "You aren't on good terms?"
"Hell no. I don't wanna talk about it."
She finished putting on her boots, stood up, and walked out onto the porch. "Are you sure? Talking about it will probably help quite a bit."
She sighed and leaned on the porch railing. "I'm fine."
Junko glanced at her concernedly. After a long pause, she spoke softly. "If I were you, I'd appreciate the family you've got now. You never know when you'll suddenly lose them." She looked down. "I wish I could have spent more time with my parents before I died."
She turned in confusion. "Huh? But you've got a new family."
"That doesn't mean I don't miss people from the old one," she said. "I have no idea where they are… They could be deceased… I miss them very much." She stared at the ground sullenly.
Maria stood and watched her awkwardly. "I… s-sorry…"
She looked back up at her. "Sorry for what?"
"Sorry you… lost your family. It must be hard."
"Thank you." She looked up to the sky. "It is quite upsetting, but I can't keep thinking about the past. No one else is." She looked back at Maria and smiled. "Enjoy death as you live it, right?"
"R-right."
"Your parents care about you. You shouldn't take that for granted." She turned and walked down the steps. She turned into the garage and disappeared. A moment later she reappeared with her bike. "Well, this one is Ai's. You can tell by the large scratch on the left side." She stuck its key in the keyhole, turned back around, and walked back into the garage.
Maria walked down the steps, sat down on the bike, and looked behind her to see Junko walking out another bike. "You ready?"
She sat down. "Yes." She turned on her bike. "You lead the way."
