Chapter 22
Minako continued walking by her lonesome until she heard someone holler out to her.
"Hey, Minako-san!" She heard. She turned around and saw Shinra. He hurried to her.
"Eri-san has detention again, doesn't she?" he guessed with a smile. She nodded.
"Are you walking home with me?" she asked.
"Nah, I'm looking for my beloved, I thought I saw her speed by here." he explained, looking left and right, hoping to spot whoever he was trying to find. Minako shot a puzzled look.
"A girlfriend?" She muttered. Shinra chuckled.
"Well, sorta; I hope to be!" he replied jubilantly. Then he let out an annoyed outbreath. "Speaking of her, I wish I could just find Celty already."
"Celty?" she tried to repeat. Obviously whoever he liked was not from Japan. Out of nowhere they heard what sounded like a wild stallion. A horse, in the middle of Ikebukuro? Suddenly a shadowy figure sped down the street. A young rider rode a lightless pitch black motorcycle. There was no shine on the bike, as if it wasn't made of metal. It was a sight to see. Minako stopped to gawk at the rider and her bike as she passed by, her bright yellow cat helmet standing out from the blackness.
She was suddenly snapped out of her daze when she heard Shinra complain.
"Hey, that's her! Darn it Celty!"
"That's her?" Minako asked. He redirected his attention back to her.
"Yeah, she's so cool. She's a dullahan." he said. "If you're wondering what a dullahan is, it's kinda like a headless horseman; cool right?" he said very nonchalantly, as if it was normal to say that his girlfriend had no head.
"She's headless?" Minako repeated doubtedly.
"Yeah, I'm being honest! C'mon to my place if you don't believe me!"
#
Shinra dragged her along to his home. Like her he lived alone besides Celty. His father was in the U.S and so was his mother. They were doctors of the eccentric kind. The two waited idly, waiting for the supposed headless girl to return. Soon enough she had arrived back. Shinra eagerly sprang up from his seat to greet her.
"Welcome home, Celty; were you looking for your head?" he inquired. She nodded. Celty then tilted her head confused, noticing the guest. Minako had her doubts that the black leather cladded woman before her was actually headless. She couldn't see past the black tinted glass of her bright yellow helmet, she could only see her own reflection staring back at her.
"Oh, this is my classmate from school, Minako Nagatani. Minako meet Celty." Shinra introduced. Celty made a simple and polite bow to her.
Without even a simple 'nice to meet you' Minako suddenly dashed forward and sucker punched the helmet. It was sent flying across the room. Underneath that helmet was nothing. Nothing but half her neck and a black eerie smoke emitting from where her head should've been. The roles were switched; Minako didn't seem scared or surprised at all but the body winced back, arms crossed in front of her and shaking scared.
"Celty, are you alright?!" Shinra asked concerned, quickly rushing to her aid. "Minako what's wrong with you?!"
Minako paid no mind to his questions.
"You really are headless." she whispered under her breath.
Minako then walked over to where Celty's helmet was knocked off. Luckily there was no damage to the helmet. She handed it back to Celty, who reluctantly took it back. Minako made a simple bow.
"I'm very sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to check if you were really headless. Now I know for sure. It was very nice to meet you, Celty-san." Minako replied, leaving without anything else to add.
#
Celty sat at the computer monitor with a writing program open. She quickly typed away, asking Shinra about the girl who had punched her helmet off.
[Shinra, who exactly was she? Why did you bring her?]
"Like I said she's a friend from school." he replied.
[She doesn't seem normal to me.]
"Well, she's kinda like a delinquent."
[That doesn't explain her behavior though]
"I told her how you were headless and I brought her home to prove it. She's pretty odd so far that I know; she knocked away your helmet to see if you were." Shinra said.
[She's kind of scary.]