A/N: This one's based on a real news story!

Chapter 2: SAGA BLUE PROJECT

Sitting in the recording studio, I pick up a copy of the West Japan Newspaper. Back in the day you wouldn't catch me dead with one of these things. Giving a fuck about the news was a guaranteed way to out yourself as the worst kind of normal. And of course, every idiot in my neighbourhood was in on it. It's like a cult. You buy in each month, and for all that cash you get the pleasure of having a little bundle of sliced up tree shoved through your mail box, all so you can sit down on the floor in front of the TV and waste your day, every day. Yeah, no thanks.

But now I'm on the radio, and on the radio they expect at least a little news. When I started they told me that I'd get to pick the stories, but today they handed me this. I mean, it's not the worst thing they coulda picked. I just hope Sakura isn't listening…

"I wonder how many of you guys out there know this fun little fact," I begin, as Lily pores over her copy of the paper, "From 2012 to 2017, Saga prefecture was the worst prefecture in all of Japan for traffic accidents. We're talking the kind where someone crosses the road and gets hit by a car."

Or a truck…

"Now," I continue, "they did start trying to solve the problem in 2017. You might've seen it. Those blue lines along all the crosswalks? That's what they call the Saga Blue Project. Apparently the blue makes drivers concentrate or something. Guess that's why you've never been in any traffic accidents, huh Shrimpy?"

She puts down her paper, "With my sparkling energy, I can't help but stand out! There's no way they could miss me!"

"So if they were aiming for you, it'd be a guaranteed hit?"

"Not if you were the one driving."

I give her my nastiest scowl, "Anyway, this year we've finally started to see some changes, and now Saga's only the third worst in Japan, which is…"

Lily jumps in, "A big improvement! And-" even though no one can see her (this ain't TV, after all), she gives the audience a radiant smile, "-if we all work together, we can keep lowering the number more and more!"

I add, "If that doesn't convince you, nothing will! Though just in case, let me say this: I'm gonna make it my mission to personally uppercut every idiot who hits someone with their vehicle this year. So keep the numbers down, or else I'll have to break my knuckles on your jaw - and that'll really piss me off."

I can hear the guys in the back groaning in unison as I swear.

"Time for another song, don't you think Number 6? This one's for Number Zero, who couldn't come in today cos she had to house-sit. Thanks for holding down the fort, bud. Hope you like foreign music. The song is This Fire by Killswitch Engage."

Lily's arms dig into my waist as I bike us back home on my new wheels: a Kawasaki Vulcan 750. I won it in a bet. Some heckler at GEILS made fun of my hair, said I wasn't a real yankee. He was tall, stacked like a body builder. Must've felt real tough. Probably didn't expect me to leap off the stage mid-set and get up in his shit. Then he played his hand: he bet I couldn't beat him in an arm wrestling contest. He offered to give me his bike if I won, but if he won, I had to be his girlfriend for a year. A guy like that, only girlfriend he's gonna get is Rosie Palm you know what I'm saying? He should be grateful I didn't tear his arm clean off.

"Saki-chan you're going too fast!"

I twist the throttle and up the pace, "You're a bigger baby than Sakura."

We zip round a corner, the whole bike leaning heavy to the right, then the left round the next corner.

"Saki-chan!"

Now we're on the home stretch, straight along the coast and up to the dusty mansion we call home.

I can feel Lily's heart slamming against my back, "Slow down! It's dangerous!"

"Trust me, I know what I'm-"

I hear the truck before I see it, beyond the red light at the intersection.

"SHIT!"

I squeeze on the brakes till my fingers hurt. The wheels screech on the tarmac as the truck's horn bellows into the night, reverberating in my ribs. There's no dodging it now. It's right in front of me. The only way out is under.

"Hold on tight, Shrimpy!"

"SAKI-CHAN I HATE YOUUUUUUUUUUU!"

I skid the bike round and wrench us down so that we're almost parallel with the tarmac. One of the handlebars sparks against the road as we shred between the truck's massive wheels, past the roar of its engine and out. I try to get the bike upright but by this point it's too late. We crumple into a lamp post and scatter onto the sidewalk. The whole thing is over in seconds. The truck is gone, its rumble just a distant hum in the darkness. I get to my feet.

"Well, shit."

The bike is fucked. Like, truly fucked.

Lily brushes down her skirt, "Look at all this dirt!"

"It'll wash out."

"Oh my god, your bike!"

"Technically it wasn't mine."

"That's even worse!"

"You saw me win it, Shrimpy."

"We were just on the radio talking about road safety, too! What if someone sees us?"

"Well," I grin, "Guess that means we better get out of here quick, huh? Do they still have payphones nowadays?"

Turns out they do, in convenience stores. We find the nearest Family Mart and phone Shades. Naturally, he's pissed. Not pissed enough to take me off the radio though. Not that he could do that.

He takes us home in silence. Tae's waiting for us at the front door. She gives me a slobbery hug.

"I'm glad to see you too!"

Tae never judges me, even when I'm being a fucking idiot. She's the definition of unconditional love. After I get in I drag on my PJs and sit down on top of my futon. Lily is still pouting.

"C'mon Shrimpy, I said I'm sorry."

"Stop calling me Shrimpy."

"Lily-"

She looks at me, and I can see in her eyes that she's serious, "I know we're zombies, but we still die if we get blown up, you know?"

"Hehe, worried about me, are ya?"

"Ugh."

I shuffle closer to her and sling my arm around her shoulders, "Hey, seriously though, I'm sorry. I mean it. I shoulda paid more attention."

She gives in and leans her head against my chest, "Yeah, yeah."

"I do mean it."

"You're never gonna drive safely."

"Danger is in my veins, girl."

"So is stupidity."

"I ain't stupid. I'm just smart at the shit that actually matters."

That gets a snort of laughter out of her.

I add, "You know that I'm right."

Silently she stands up, then with a poorly-hidden smile says, "Goodnight, Saki-chan."

"Night, Lily."

I pull the covers half up my torso, throw my hair out of the way, and close my eyes.

Gonna miss that Vulcan 750.

A/N: The news story in question is about the SAGA BLUE PROJECT, which you can find by searching those words. The one I found was about kids drawing hot air balloons in chalk on one of the blue-coloured crossings near the prefectural hall. Not sure it would've helped Sakura much though :D The story is also from May 2019, (just) after Saki takes on her radio job!