"New riders to the back with Hiiro! Old riders to the front with me! But no funny, speed-demon business, all right?!" Nagisa shouted from atop her motorcycle. It was almost comical, such a little girl on such a large bike, but anyone who knew Nagisa knew motorcycles were in her DNA.
"Pfft! You're one to talk!" Tsubaki scoffed beside her, sitting atop her own motorcycle. "Why, just the other day, I caught you doing wheelies up and down the street for like half an hour without pause!"
"Hey! We got little ones this time 'round!" Nagisa snickered. "Gotta be extra safe for them!" She cocked her head at Towa, Miiko, and Hayate. The one thing all three of them had in common was that their interest in motorcycles was born after taking a ride with Nagisa.
"Oh, Nagisa, you really do have a magic, Midas touch for motorcycles, don't you?" Hiiro chuckled fondly and tilted her head, eyes drifting shut.
It's not just Towa, Miiko, and Hayate. None of the rest of RONDO were really into motorcycles either. At least not until…
Now, Nagisa had enough fellow motorcyclists to start her own biker gang of DJs. "Don't get me wrong, solo riding can be a blast! But there's something about riding in a pack… We just gotta try it!"
They also roped Rika into it, the only one who'd been into motorcycles without Nagisa's influence.
"Wait! Since when were you a biker?!" Tsubaki shrieked the first time Rika rolled up with her large, purple motorcycle.
"High school!" Rika replied with a big, cheesy grin to match Nagisa's.
Tsubaki could only look back and forth between her and Nagisa, shaking her head at the same time. They really ARE the same person, aren't they?
"Now, we're gonna need some blockers, so who wants to volunteer?" Nagisa clapped her hands, taking command of the conversation once more. "And for those of you who don't know what blockers are yet, they're the ones who ride ahead to block off any intersections or car-heavy areas so they don't accidentally separate us from one another, or cause any sort of accidents or collisions!"
"Oooh! Oooh! Pick me! Pick me!" Rika jumped up and down, waving both hands in the air. She didn't always like being a blocker because of the stop-and-go nature of it, constantly speeding up to intersections only to break right in the middle of them until the rest of the biker gang passed through, but the silver lining was that she then had an excuse to speed because she had to get to the next intersection before the rest of her gang did.
Towa also volunteered, the most practiced of herself, Miiko and Hayate. While the latter two had only ever ridden with Nagisa, Towa actually had a little experience motorcycling alone thanks to her promotional work for the Cyber Police film. In fact, the bike she rode that day was designed to resemble the "police motorcycle" she rode for the film promotion.
Aoi and Tsubaki also volunteered to be blockers as two of the more experienced riders compared to Miiko and Hayate. That left Nagisa and Hiiro to act as the front and back of the pack, and unlike the quartet of blockers, that was where they would remain for the entire duration of the ride.
"Then last, but certainly not least…!" Nagisa continued with a dramatic, flourishing wave, "Peaky P-key!"
Right at that moment, an ambulance drove up behind the little biker gang, five heads sticking out of it. Kyoko was in the driver's seat, one hand on the steering wheel as she smirked through the front windshield. Shinobu sat beside her, wearing thick, round glasses and a fake mustache, a microphone on the dashboard sitting between her and Kyoko.
"Yuka! That's dangerous!" Esora chided the blonde as she struggled to take photos of everyone, hanging almost halfway out of the vehicle. Even though it was slowing to a stop, they were still moving fairly fast, and once Kyoko reached a complete stop, there was a risk of Yuka being jerked forward by the momentum. But a moment later, Esora stuck her head out the window as well, bringing her little frog-puppet, Esoran, with her.
"Hello, everyone!" Esora made the puppet say, its little green arms waving excitedly.
"Just in case there are any… accidents. We have the Esorambluence!" Nagisa declared proudly.
"What's with the frog puppet, and why is Shinobu…?" Tsubaki began in deadpan.
"Announcer!" Nagisa replied, beaming broadly. "She and Yuka and Esoran are going to broadcast and narrate some of our adventures since they have to keep an eye on us anyway! Shino's in her reporter outfit! That's what the mic and Yuka's cam are for! And Esoran's the cohost!"
Once again, Tsubaki could only sigh quietly, but as embarrassing and extra as Nagisa could be, the vocalist could not deny the growing, twisting feeling in her stomach. So, this was really, really happening… They were all about to race through the streets together! Now, it wasn't actually going to be a race—a rare, responsible Nagisa was quite adamant about being acutely aware of the new riders—but the excitement that filled the air was still intense, and even Tsubaki wasn't immune.
"All right, everyone, are we ready?!" Nagisa finally asked, strapping on her element, engine roaring to life. Man, I will NEVER get riders who don't wear THESE babies! She grinned. Maybe some people thought the helmets were clunky, ugly, and stupid, but Nagisa disagreed. Aside from the safety factor, if one had enough creative and dramatic flare, they could make their helmets every bit as awesome, customized, and flashy as the bikes and chain-studded leather jackets they wore!
And that rumbling, purring engine? Sweet, sweet music! Nagisa revved the engine again just for good measure, feeling the solid grip of the handlebars beneath her touch. Grinning from ear to ear, once she could see in her rearview mirror that all of the rest of her riders were suited up and ready to go, she raised a fist in the air to begin the final countdown. "Dig! Delight! Direct…!"
"DRIVE!" Every voice, even the five in the ambulance, bellowed out in delight as the motorcycles shot off down the empty city street.
ooo
"Woo-hoo-hoo-HOOOO!" The noise Towa made was halfway between a laugh and a cheer as she reveled in the wind rushing past her. Racing parallel to her, except several lanes over, Rika made the same noise, even lifting her hands off the handlebars to stretch them out as if they were wings. Towa wasn't quite so bold just yet, but the adrenaline from being on a real motorcycle that she controlled was truly out of this world!
Riding with Nagisa was fun, and the bike for the Cyber Police film was cool, but the former meant all she had to do was sit back and relax, and the latter could only hit about 50KPM. This bike though…? Towa laughed again, even throwing her head back a little as she easily hit 70KPM and kept going. She reached her intersection seconds before Rika, but only because Rika's was a little farther down the road. They flashed each other thumbs ups as they came to screeching halts in the middle of the road.
Gah! This is so SURREAL! In any other context, Ibuki would've absolutely laid into her for so many traffic violations, but today, she was immune to all of it. Today, she was supposed to block traffic! And sure enough, cars were already pulling into the lanes blocked by Rika and Towa, confused as to their presences smack in the middle of the road. But silent questions were answered only a few more seconds later as the rest of the biker gang went roaring through. First was Nagisa, then Aoi, then Hayate, then Tsubaki, then Miiko, then Hiiro, then the Peaky Esorambulance.
Rika waved excitedly as they barreled by, and as soon as Hiiro sped past, but before Peaky caught up, she flashed another thumbs up at Towa and they both took off once more, giggling and shrieking with delight, quickly leaving a small crowd of confused cars in their wave.
Ha, ha! This is the best thing ever! Rika thought to herself, unwittingly echoing Towa's sentiments from moments before. I get to legally speed!
On and on the little biker gang raced, and several times, they passed other riders. Whenever that happened, every biker would lower a hand towards the ground, sticking out two fingers in an upside-down peace sign. Of all the things she'd learned about motorcycles thus far, that greeting was perhaps Hayate's favorite. Unlike all the others, she would take both hands off of her handlebars to flash a double upside-down peace sign, expression completely flat as she coasted down the streets with only her thighs gripping onto the sides of the bike.
Hehehe, Kokoa would probably say that my brain is as backwards and upside-down as these biker peace sign greetings! She'd nearly had a fit the first time Hayate rode into her driveway on a massive motorcycle. Eyes bugging out comically, the shorter girl could only gawk and gasp.
"WHERE THE HECK DID YOU GET THAT?!"
"Nagisa," Hayate replied calmly, flashing Kokoa her usual two peace signs as she dismounted the bike. Kokoa's eye twitched. "Oh, by the way, we're probably all going to go out riding each other soon," she added airily, and Kokoa's eye twitched again.
Did you have to say it like—wait. WHAT?! Of course, eventually, Kokoa let Hayate go. Kokoa wasn't going to try to control Hayate's life, after all. But it certainly hadn't been an easy send off, at least not for poor, mildly traumatized Kokoa. "Just… be safe, and don't be too much of a dummy! Wear your helmet and keep your eyes on the road!"
Hayate's eyes drifted shut as she smiled, thinking happily of her caring and overly-worried girlfriend. Her hands were still by her sides as she continued to flash the biker greeting.
Woah! How is she doing that already?! Towa marveled as she raced past, noticing the girl's closed eyes and hands-less handlebars. Especially at the speed she was going, Towa was reluctant to take even one hand off her handlebars. She was blocking again, but this time alone. Since they were on less-populated roads, there was no need for more than one or two blockers, and they alternated.
It's just like a dance! Aoi thought as she and the others passed Towa. Aoi saw Towa kick her "police bike" into gear a moment later, and Aoi did likewise. She was the next blocker. Then it would be Rika's turn, then Tsubaki, then back to Towa. They moved with such flawless, flowing coordination, even though they could only communicate in gestures. The synchronization of the gang was truly something to behold.
"Hey, Tsubaki!" Aoi managed to catch her vocalist's eye and ear as they passed each other. Aoi flashed her an upside-down peace sign and Tsubaki returned the gesture, silently thanking her lucky stars that her helmet obscured her face.
Aoi looked… really hot as a motorcyclist. Black leather jacket with silver chains. Lithe body. She was hunched forward so intently. The dark helmet with blue roses painted on the side. Even the visor looked like something out of a sci-fi film, and Aoi wore it so well. In fact, Tsubaki nearly missed her turn to block because she was more focused on Aoi than getting ahead to the next known intersection on the road. It was only when Hiiro revved her engine from behind that Tsubaki remembered.
Oh, shoot! For a second time, she thanked her lucky stars that her helmet concealed her blush, and then she more than happily sped away from Aoi and Hiiro, even surpassing Nagisa. The vocalist could still see Hiiro in her rearview mirror though. Oh, shut up, Yano! She could tell Hiiro was smirking at her, even though Hiiro's face was also hidden behind a helmet. If she could've seen Aoi's though, she would've only seen a serene and slightly lovestruck smile. If only Tsubaki knew, Aoi thought she was equally captivating as a biker girl.
I'm so glad we did this! RONDO's DJ thought. Now that I've seen this side of Tsubaki… I'd love to ride with her more often! There was nothing Aoi loved more than Tsubaki's fire, her passion and love. She loved seeing that competitive and courageous streak in her vocalist, and she would've gladly done anything to see it again. Maybe Tsubaki would even be down to have a real race someday? The thought alone made Aoi's heart race with exhilaration, and there were butterflies in her stomach, although she did not fully understand why.
Perhaps the most overt miraculous sight of all, though, was little Miiko Takeshita. If they thought Nagisa looked silly and out of place on a big, bad motorcycle, Miiko was the same trope taken up to 11. Not only was she tinier than Nagisa, but the bike she chose was massive, and of course, it looked like something almost out of a horror show. There were flames and red stripes that looked like blood painted down the black sides, and there were skulls decorating the larger plates of metal.
"It's just like riding a horsie!" she cried cheerfully as she suddenly reared back on the bike, gripping the handlebars and pulling it up.
"MIIKO!" Tsubaki's own bike wobbled as she nearly lost concentration, watching the little girl do a wheelie down the long strip of road.
"Wheeeee!" Miiko cheered. There was a tiny, silver bell hanging at the very bottom of the bike, a gremlin bell, so named because its ring was meant to ward off any street or road gremlins threatening the riders' fun times. In Tsubaki's case, though, even a bell wouldn't have helped. And the thing about the gremlin bells, they had to be gifted, not purchased. Miiko's was a gift from Nagisa, the bell shaped like a skull.
"Used to be gramps', then he gave it to me. But since you were one of the first to take a ride with me, as well as you being like my new, honorary lil sis, I want YOU to have it! Now, I know it's probably not the cutest or prettiest bell you've ever—"
"I LOVE IT!" Miiko's squeal temporarily deafened RONDO's guitarist, but they both parted ways with massive smiles on their faces by the end of it.
The same held true now, for the moment Nagisa noticed Miiko's wheelie in her rearview mirror, coupled with Tsubaki's shriek, she grinned behind her helmet and chuckled savagely to herself. Two could play at this game! And then three, and four, as Rika and Hayate did likewise.
Insane… They're all… insane! Tsubaki could only shake her head and grip her handlebars even tighter.
Behind her, Hiiro gave everyone in front of her a worried smile. Oh, Nagisa… As long as everyone stays safe… I hope…
Although they wouldn't know it until the ride was over, Yuka, Esoran, Esora, and Shinobu were getting in excellent photo ops and commentary moments while Kyoko chuckled and kept on driving the Esorambulence after the mad biker gang.
AN: Rode my first motorcycle yesterday, hope to do a training course and get licensed in the not-too-distant future. I don't think they'll ever be my main mode of transportation, but man was it fun!
Also, obviously, I chose the characters based on everyone I could find who was confirmed to have ridden a motorcycle (either in any of the animes or the game). If I missed anyone, let me know!