Mikey can feel Maya's body pressed on his back, her arms tight around his waist. For some reason, this makes the blond boy's heart beat triple time.
Shit.
So he makes his bike run even faster, accelerating to his swiftest speed. With the girl sitting right behind him, they fly through the dark streets of Tokyo. The winds harshly slap his face but he is used to it. They tangle and muss his hair but he doesn't care. Suddenly, he is tempted to run away from these rumbling unnamed something inside his chest.
Wrong decision.
Why did he decide to ride with Maya anyway? Why did he hate the idea of the girl riding with Baji? Or any other guy?
Fuck.
Forward. Forward. Going left and then right. Without stopping.
There.
Good.
At last. He calms down.
He feels that feeling again-
"Sano-san!"
That sweet, sweet feeling of freedom-
"Sano-san!"
With his bike, he's untouchable. He can go on and on and ride around the world-
"Sano-san!"
Maya! Maya was calling his name. Why? "What?" he asks.
"We've been separated from the others," she answers through the engine's noise.
What?
Mikey looks behind him and at his sides. No Toman member is in sight.
Oh, shit.
He's been riding too fast; he lost his team. He slows the motorbike down and parked at a lot beside a gas station.
"Let's look for them," he said to Maya who just took off her helmet. Mikey stared at her face for a while. She just looks wonderful with or without her makeup on. Maya looks up and their eyes meet. Mikey immediately clears his throat and mutters as he evades her gaze, "Toman must be riding through the south roads. We'll find them soon. Let me buy gas first."
"Okay," the girl replies as she fixes her already perfect bangs.
Mikey buys gas, and when the bike is ready to hit the roads again, Maya suddenly walks away, toward a group of high school kids in one corner of the parking lot.
What the hell is the girl thinking?
They need to find Toman soon and regroup with them. His friends might be wondering why they got separated.
"Hoy, Maya!" he calls the girl but she doesn't respond, just continues her trek toward the group. So Mikey abandons his bike and walks in the same direction, too.
Ah.
He realizes what the girl wants to do now.
A group of high school kids are extorting money from a middle school boy.
"Leave him alone... please." Maya's voice is both frail and strong. Over the days of her training, she has finally realized her hidden strength. But she needs to build up her confidence, too. It was good that she was able to fight and win against the Toman members. Now, this scene will teach her to have a strong heart, too.
Mikey settles near the group and crosses his arms near his chest. So, how will the girl win over three big high school boys? She doesn't need to worry about anything at all, anyway. If she appears to be losing, Mikey could easily beat the crap out of these guys.
"Who the fuck do you think are you?" One of the bullies-a boy with slick brushed-up hair-stares Maya down.
"I-I just think you shouldn't use force and fear to get money," the girl replies as her hands nervously play at the hem of her uniform. But she stares back at the ugly boy. Good.
"Hey! Hey! Tokyo Manji Gang?" Another of the boys-a blond-exclaims. "Check out this chick's uniform. She's wearing a gang's uniform! A fucking girl? What the heck is she? A manager? Cheerleader?"
The three bullies laugh out loud, making fun of Maya and Toman's name.
Suddenly, the middle school boy the three were ganging up against uses the distraction and runs away. Mikey sees a ghost of a smile on Maya's lips. She's relieved. She bows at the three and starts to walk away.
"What the fuck?" The three guys are obviously angry. Those bird-brained idiots.
"You let our wallet go away! You'll pay for this! Don't even think we'll go easy on you just because you're a fucking girl!" Blond grips Maya's shoulder and is about to punch the girl, but she changes into a defensive position and uses her opponent's strength against him. She easily throws him onto the cold pavement. "Shit!" Blond exclaimed, more than pissed. But he isn't able to stand up; immediately, Maya is sitting on his wide chest and delivering a solid punch to his face.
The blond lost consciousness on the floor.
Upon realizing the amazing thing she had done, Maya stands up and apologizes. "I-I-I didn't mean to knock him down! What to do? I'm so sorry."
At first, the other two just stare, frozen, at her, and then they start to curse and attack the girl. Trained against surprise attacks, Maya is already in her fighting stance. She dodges the kicks and punches and delivers blows of her own.
Soon, the other two are defeated.
Maya stares at her trembling hands.
She did it.
She used her strength against bullies. Won against them. She's changed and she knows it.
Mikey approaches the girl and places a hand on her curly head. "Good job." When he looks at her face, he sees her crying. Mikey is filled with the urge to place the girl's head on her chest and hold her close when they hear footsteps running toward them.
More bullies?
No.
The bullied middle schooler is with the police. Shit. Tokyo Manji Gang has a bad reputation with the police. Even though they aren't in the wrong, the police won't trust their story and detain them. Mikey grabs Maya's trembling hand and leads her back to his bike. "We need to get out of here!"
He takes the helmet and quickly puts it on Maya's head, carefully adjusting the strap so he won't accidentally hurt the girl. "Come on!" he says as they both sit on the motorbike.
They run as fast as they can.
Then, the bike's engine sputters and they bounce on their seat. The motorbike halts and Mikey is just glad they already outrun the police before this precious bike of his gave out.
"What happened?" He heard Maya ask from behind.
Mikey sighs and gets off his bike. He scratches his head, "Toman will soon cross this path, I'm sure. We like running by the river here. Let's just wait for them here." He points at the nearby body of water and then looks back at Maya. Her head is already free from the helmet. Mikey laughs loudly at her.
The girl's eyes are filled with confusion. She asks, "Is there something funny?"
Obviously, there is. If there was none, Mikey wouldn't laugh his ass off. He points right below Maya's nose. "You have snot running from your nose! Disgusting!" He laughs louder.
Maya immediately wipes the snot using her hand and blushes so hard her face quickly turns beet red.
In Mikey's eyes, she becomes a hundred times cuter.
He stops laughing.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
There goes the wild beating of his heart again. The lights from the streets, together with the rays of the moon, seem to make Maya sparkle. How he wants to hold her close. Just a bit. Just even a bit. Will she be as warm as she looks? Unable to control himself, his hand reaches out to Maya. He pulls her curly head near him as his lips land on the girl's blushing forehead.
"S-sano- san?"
It's as if the time stopped.
Then, suddenly, Mikey seems to wake up. Or at least he realizes what he is doing. With widened eyes, he pushes the girl away from him. His cheeks-no his whole face feel hot. He's pretty sure he's also blushing all over.
"Sorry," he mumbles. You shouldn't kiss someone without consent. Well, he only kissed her forehead, but still...
What the fuck had he done?
Why the fuck did he kiss this stupid, weak girl?
No, Karina Maya isn't stupid nor is she weak. She's a smart, kind-hearted girl who just realized her strength. Mikey admits his first judgment of the girl was wrong. Maya can be trusted and her kindness isn't blind. She can be Emma's friend and Toman's limb. In truth, she is actually very admirable.
And Mikey like-
No!
He will not go that way.
What the fuck is happening to him? Yes, Maya is a nice girl, but there is just no way that Mikey is falling for her, right?
Fuck.
Everything is happening so fast. Faster than his freaking bike.
"Sano-san?" Maya's puppy eyes seem to shimmer like her.
Mikey turns his back and walks toward the river. "Let's wait for the others here." He finds an empty spot and sits on the grass.
Maya does the same, settling beside him.
To Mikey's relief, the girl doesn't talk. They just sit by the river, watching the water and the stars being reflected on it.
Surprisingly, the silence isn't awkward at all. Mikey feels very at ease just sitting here beside the girl. Then, he feels her head fall gently on his shoulder. For a moment, Mikey's body freezes. He glances at her and sees her sound asleep.
Thump.
Thump.
That fucking fast heartbeat again.
One of his hands covers his face. Like he's afraid that someone will see him looking like a fucking tomato.
But he doesn't scream at the girl or wake her up. Just let her sleep on his shoulder, hoping that the Toman members are still far away.