Sota and the others were strolling down the streets, the casual hum of their chatter blending with the bustle of the city.
"We need to find a new studio…" Tatsuya grumbled, his eyes scanning the city streets.
"Yeah, but where are we gonna find a good enough place?" Yasushi muttered, noticing Sota was unusually distant, his focus drifting somewhere else.
"Hey, Sota, what's up with Saeko?" Yasushi asked, trying to pull him back into the conversation.
"Dunno. Haven't heard from her," Sota replied, a rare hint of unease in his voice.
It's been quite a while now. I wonder if she's alright.
"How the hell did you mess that up?" Tatsuya chuckled, amused.
"I didn't," Sota snapped, defensive.
"Come on, man, spill it. What happened when you brought her home?" Kaito pressed, curiosity written all over his face.
"Not your business."
"Still, how did you manage to unimpress her like that? She even saw you at the concert, and I swear, you were on fire. I don't know what else could impress her if not that," Kaito said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Cut it out already," Sota snapped as they turned into an alley.
"Why are we here anyway?" Yasushi asked, looking at Kaito.
"There's this guy here who said he'd tune up my bike a bit. We agreed to meet here," Kaito explained casually. The others exchanged confused glances.
"Why not take it to a proper shop?" Tatsuya sighed.
"The guy's got a good reputation and he works cheap," he responded with a shrug.
"Yeah, I'm sure you'll love the quality," Sota muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
It wasn't the first time Kaito had made a bad deal and got scammed. He probably wanted them to come along for backup.
When they reached the guy's spot, the first thing Sota did was check the bike. It seemed fine.
But the guy was trembling the moment he spotted Sota. Odd, considering Sota wasn't the most intimidating one in their group. The guy tried to avoid his gaze.
"Hey, Kaito, this is just a kid," Tatsuya remarked, eyeing the guy, who was clearly trying to look older with some poorly applied fake facial hair.
The kid froze, then took a few steps back. Before Sota could lock eyes with him, he mumbled something about paying later, then hopped on his bike and took off in a flash.
It only took Sota a second to realize.
Wait a minute, he looked like… A sense of urgency rushed through him.
"I'm gonna need this for a sec," Sota said quickly, grabbing Kaito's bike, his voice firm, eyes still fixed on the guy. His mind was already calculating the fastest way to catch up.
"I need to see his face again," Sota muttered under his breath, narrowing his gaze. Is it really him?
And just like that, Sota was off, pushing himself into high gear.
"What the hell is this psycho doing with my bike?" Kaito shouted, chasing after them. The rest of the band wasn't far behind, jumping into the chase.
The kid was fast, leaning into the bike, pushing the limits. The wheels screamed as he sped through the crowded streets.
"Hey!" Sota shouted, but the kid didn't stop. He already had a head start, weaving expertly through the traffic.
Sota gritted his teeth. No way was he going to let him slip away. No matter how skilled the kid was, Sota couldn't be shaken off that easily. He'd sharpened his skills in dangerous street races back in his younger days. His body was used to this. He zigzagged through the alleyways, narrowly dodging pedestrians and parked cars, his eyes locked on the target.
Soon enough, a couple of cops joined in, chasing them down the alley for causing a ruckus.
Then the kid pulled a move Sota didn't expect; he jumped off the bike and bolted into an alleyway. Without missing a beat, Sota followed.
The kid scrambled up a fire escape ladder, heading toward the rooftop. Sota didn't waste time. He pushed off the ground, his foot slamming into the wall with explosive force, sending him upwards as if gravity had no hold on him. In one fluid motion, he ran up the wall, effortlessly leaping between the two facing walls - he wasn't a stuntman for nothing.
In a blink, he was on the rooftop, gaining precious seconds, each step bringing him closer. His heart raced, but his movements were precise, the distance between them closing. All he needed was to see the kid's face.
He bounded across the roofs, leaping over gaps and making sharp turns. Finally, Sota caught up. He dove, tackling the kid lightly, pulling him into a quick embrace to prevent him from falling into the cops' view.
"Gotcha…" Sota said, breathing hard, holding him tight. "You're pretty good for a kid."
"I'm not a kid," the guy muttered, pissed off. Sota couldn't help but laugh.
With a swift motion, he pulled back the kid's hood, inspecting his face. His suspicions were confirmed—this was definitely Saeko's brother.
"Does your sister know about your little side business?"
The kid glared at him. "What would it take for you to keep your mouth shut?"
Sota sighed, rolling his eyes. "I can't be bribed, kiddo'."
An hour later, they were all in the garage, surrounded by disassembled bikes and tools that had been kept hidden until now, with an agitated Saeko, clearly struggling to process the news.
"Have you seriously been using our garage for shady business like this?" she snapped, her voice full of fury. "What the hell is wrong with you?Do you want to end up like your father?"
The guys stood awkwardly, caught in the middle of the heated argument, doing their best not to eavesdrop, but it was impossible with the yelling echoing around them.
"I just wanted to help somehow!"
"There's no need for you to make money, especially not in illegal ways."
"Stop pretending everything's fine. I know how hard you're struggling, handling everything on your own, barely making ends meet."
"It's not your job to worry about."
"It is. I'm sick of you treating me like a child. I can help. If you'd just let me."
Saeko's face flushed with anger, shifting uncomfortably as she realized the guys were witnessing their fight.
"Wow, this place is so dope," Kaito said enthusiastically, looking around the garage. He was the only one who seemed unaffected by the quarrel, completely distracted by the place. The others exchanged incredulous glances, and Sota tried to drag him away, but Kaito persisted.
"I mean, look at this. Isn't it just perfect for us?" he continued, unknowingly shifting the focus from the fight to the garage. It was as if they had just now truly noticed the garage. Yasushi snorted in realization.
"What are you talking about?" Saeko narrowed her eye, trying to figure out what was going on.
Yasushi and Sota exchanged a meaningful look.
"Can I make a bold offer?" Yasushi spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. "Would you consider letting us rent the garage?" he asked.
Saeko looked taken aback by the suggestion.
"For what?" Saeko asked, completely confused.
"We've been looking for a place that could work as a studio for us," Sota added.
Saeko wanted to protest, not needing their charity.
"Everyone would benefit," Yasushi added, his tone convincing.
"Of course... as long as you don't need it for anything else," Tatsuya added immediately.
"Ah, what a bummer, then I guess I can't go on with repairing bikes here anymore," Her brother let out an exaggerated sigh, clearly faking his fuss, earning a sharp look from Saeko and a few amused chuckles from the guys.
Well, it would one way to earn some more money.
As she slowly calmed down, she couldn't deny how much they could use this offer. Seeing that the guys genuinely needed the place, not just out of pity, she nodded.
"Alright," she agreed, surprising everyone. Her brother let out an uncontrollable cheer, his excitement getting the better of him. Even Saeko felt a bit of relief.
Despite everything they'd just heard, they didn't treat her any differently. There was no judgment. She was grateful for that.
"So, now that everything's settled, how about you two let me take care of those bruises?" Saeko said with a tone of bossy authority, though the slight smile tugging at her lips betrayed her. She gestured at her brother and Sota, who exchanged conspiratorial looks, knowing there was no escaping her care.
In a few minutes later they were all sitting in the livingroom.
"We're not kids, you know," her brother grumbled.
"Says the guy who can't handle disinfectant without wincing," Sota teased, flashing a grin as Saeko tended to him, clearly enjoying her care. Her touch was gentle and precise. Though he didn't push the boundaries into flirting, the satisfaction on his face was hard to miss.
"Can't help, you look like someone threw you out of a moving car… twice," she said, shooting his brother a sharp, cold glance, her tone dry but tinged with amusement.
"That lunatic chased me like a maniac! I was running for my life," Jiro protested, his voice defensive.
"Maybe you shouldn't have run like some criminal on the loose," Sota quipped, smirking. "But, I'll give you this—you were pretty impressive."
Jiro perked up instantly, a grin breaking through his scowl.
"You weren't bad yourself with that crazy wall-running stunt. That was insane!" He laughed.
Saeko rolled her eyes.
"Oh, you have no idea of half of it," Kaito bragged. "He's a professional stuntman."
"Really? That's your job? You actually make a living doing that?"
"Yep," Sota replied with a shrug. "For example, I did the motion capture for some characters in that game," he added, pointing to a game case on the shelf.
Jiro's jaw dropped. "No way! You've gotta teach me some of that moves!"
"Great," Saeko sighed, shaking her head. "Just what I needed —for you to be a bad influence on him."
As frustrating as it was for Sota to distract her brother from his studies with things like this, it was still nice to see Jiro so excited. When was the last time she'd seen him this fired up? Sota certainly had a way of getting people riled up, didn't he?
Sota raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. We'll see what we can do." He didn't dare push back further—not with Saeko glaring at him like that.
"Honestly, I didn't expect my sister's friends to be so... cool. I figured they'd be boring, stuck-up adults—y'know, like her."
Sota leaned back casually, smirking. "If you think Saeko's boring, you clearly don't know your sister at all."