The four Precures stepped out of their train, pausing to admire Beika city.
"Oh my sky! We're finally here! IN BEIKA!!" Sora squealed. Looking all around, she bounced from one spot to another so fast, it appeared she was teleporting.
Tsubasa beamed at his friend's excitement. "I know, right? It's nice to travel to another new place."
The bluenette hummed in agreement. Before Beika, Sorashido City was the only area Tsubasa and Sora visited outside of their faraway home. The thought of exploring Earth more never crossed their minds, being happy and content with their friends in Sorashido City. After receiving an invitation from the Saotome sisters to Beika, the two Skylandians were thrilled and accepted it without hesitation.
"Check out those buildings! They're sooooooo tall!" Tilting her head back, Sora scaled her eyes toward the very tops of the huge structures.
"I concur." Tsubasa said, peeking at his watch. "Anyway, it's 9:10. We ought to get going."
"Before we do…" Ageha whipped out a selfie stick and phone from her purse. "Let's take a picture to capture our first arrival in Beika!"
Sora and Mashiro were thrilled by her idea and, along with Ageha, looked at Tsubasa to see if he's on board.
Feeling the stares directed at him, the boy glanced at the three girls before shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, I guess one photo won't hurt."
"Awesome!" Turning her back to the train station, Ageha beckoned her friends to stand in front of her. Sora and Mashiro stood on Ageha's left and right respectively, while Tsubasa squeezed himself between them. After placing her phone on the selfie stick, Ageha stretched it out, so all four of them fit on screen. She then swiveled the stick in different directions to get the right angle, lighting, and background.
"Alrighty, everyone! Smile on three. One… two… three…"
"Cheese!" They flashed their biggest smiles as Ageha pressed the shutter button.
"How does it look?" Mashiro asked with an anxious face.
Sora, Mashiro, and Tsubasa huddled around Ageha to see her phone.
"Hmmm," Ageha playfully tapped her finger on her chin. "I'd say… this is a perfect photo!" The three teens hummed in agreement.
Reaching into his backpack, Tsubasa pulled out a map and unfolded it.
"According to the map," He placed his finger on a spot on the map, tracing it in a certain path. "If we cross this street, take a right, then a left around the corner, and continue straight, we should arrive at the hotel in 10 minutes."
"Got it," said Ageha. She outstretched her hand to Tsubasa. "Now, let's join hands again! Can't risk losing any of you in these crowded streets."
Tsubasa cringed. As much as he admires Ageha, he really doesn't want to join hands in public again. It was uncomfortable enough to do that around hundreds of people at the Sorashido train station. But thousands, even millions, of them in Beika city? He'll never live it down.
The boy's mind scrambled, thinking of another, less embarrassing way to travel together.
An idea popped into his head. "Actually…" His voice stopped the girls from linking hands. "Why don't Ageha go behind Sora, Mashiro, and myself? That way, she can keep a better eye on us if we're in front of her."
Ageha closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She then opened them and gave him a smile.
"Sure, Tsubasa-kun! If it makes you more comfortable, I don't mind." Sora and Mashiro also agreed with her.
The orange-haired boy internally sighed with relief. It's great to have friends who truly understand how he feels. Now in the new group formation requested by Tsubasa, the four friends quickly made their way to the crosswalk. They arrived just in time for the cars to stop at a red light, joining many people crossing to the other side. The second Ageha stepped onto the sidewalk, she and her friends suddenly heard a loud voice.
"LOOK OUUUUUUUT!!!"
Turning to her left, Mashiro saw a male teenager charging toward them at lightning speed. He had dark-brown skin with a baseball cap worn backwards over his dark-brown hair. With a green backpack slung over his shoulders, he wore a white shirt, green vest, beige pants, and light brown sneakers. Before anyone could react, he crashed hard into Mashiro, Tsubasa, and Sora, causing all of them to fall onto the ground. Ageha stood shell-shocked at the scene in front of her. Sora lying on her side, Tsubasa buried under luggage, Mashiro and the male teenager sprawled over each other. When the bluenette got up and started to remove the luggage, Ageha snapped out of it and went to assist Sora. Meanwhile, the dark-skinned teen, on top of Mashiro, carefully untangled himself from her and helped her stand up.
"Oof… I'm sorry. That sure was a nasty fall. Are ya hurt?"
"I'm fine, thanks." Mashiro said, dusting her dress. "What about you?"
"Eh, this is nothin' compared to what I've been through." The dark-skinned teen merely brushed it off.
The two immediately went to where her friends were and helped unbury the boy from the heavy pile, before they picked up their belongings.
"Good to see everyone's unharmed!" said Ageha. "But, next time…" She gazed at the dark-skinned teenager with a concerned smile. "... try to watch where you're going."
"Gotcha," He replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "My friend's always scolded me for leaping before looking. Said it would come to bite me back one day. Guess today's the day."
"Why were you in a rush, anyway?" Sora asked.
"That's because…" The older teen froze in mid-sentence. Eyes widening with realization and sweat running down his neck as he whipped out his phone.
"9:20?! Oh, SHOOT! She's gonna KILL ME!!"
He grabbed his backpack from the ground.
"I gotta go! Nice meeting you all. Bye!"
With a panic-stricken face, the dark-skinned teen ran across the crosswalk, leaving the four Precures dumbfounded.
"Well, wasn't he interesting," Ageha commented.
"I'd say," Tsubasa added. "Speaking of a 'rush', we're in it, too. Let's be off."
Mashiro nodded. Taking a step forward, she felt something solid touching her foot. She looked down to see a thin, metal water bottle on the floor.
Where did it come from? It's not Mashiro's, and it doesn't belong to either of her friends. It also wasn't here when they crossed the street. Wait…
A sudden memory clicked into Mashiro's head. Right before the collision, she saw the same water bottle on the side of the dark-skinned boy's backpack.
But if that's true…
And the bottle's with Mashiro…
Then that means…
Uh, oh.
Alarmed green eyes shot up at the older teen who already made it to the other side.
"Wait!" Mashiro cried out. She snatched up the water bottle and went after him, leaving her suitcase and friends.
"Mashiro?! What are you doing? Stop!" Sora called out to Mashiro. The bluenette tried to follow her, only for Tsubasa to stand in front of her.
"Sora, no! Don't cross! Look!"
He pointed to the traffic light, showing an orange hand and a countdown from three. Once it reached zero, cars and trucks began moving again, making the crosswalk uncrossable. One second later, his friend would've ended up roadkill.
Ageha instantly pressed the traffic light button and waited with the two Skylandians.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mooooon!" Sora muttered. She stared hard at the red light. "Hurry up and turn green, would you?!"
She tries at least to see where Mashiro is. However, there were too many vehicles, big and small, driving back and forth, blocking the trio's view of the other side. Because of that, they couldn't tell whether Mashiro was still there or on the move. Hopefully, it was the former. If not, they are in a serious pickle.
Everyone's reactions were different while they waited. Sora running in place. Tsubasa tapping his foot nervously. Ageha holding her friends by the shoulders in quiet reassurance.
After what it felt like ages, the signal to cross appeared. Immediately, Sora shot off like an arrow, articulately avoiding bumping into pedestrians. But it was too late. Mashiro was nowhere in sight.
"Mashiro!" Sora yelled. Swiveling like a periscope, she frantically searched for her friend. Unfortunately, there were dozens of people standing or walking around, none of them whom she recognized as her friend.
"It's no use, Sora," said Tsubasa, who finally caught up with the bluenette along with Ageha. "There's too many people here. She must be somewhere else. Ohhhh, I hope she's alright!"
"I'm sure she is," Ageha puts on a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll call Mashiron." With that, she used her phone to dial Mashiro's number.
Suddenly, the three heard a ringtone very close by. Confused, they turned their heads to the source, which is Tsubasa's book bag.
"Tsubasa, did you get a phone?" asked Sora.
"No, why would I need one? Unless…"
The boy looked down at his bag and Ageha looked down at her phone before looking at each other in horror. Taking a deep breath, Tsubasa slowly reached inside his bag, hoping their fears weren't true. Soon, his hand brushed against something vibrating between books, he drew it out. The moment the two laid eyes on it, their breaths got caught in their throats.
It was Mashiro's phone.
With the caller's name, Ageha, on the screen.
The phone continued to ring until Tsubasa ended the call.
Sora couldn't believe her eyes. "Th-that's Mashiro's phone. Why do you have it, Tsubasa?"
"I… I don't know. This is really, really bad." The trembling panic grew in the boy's voice with each word. "Without her phone, Mashiro can't call Ageha. That'll make it harder for us to find her in time."
"In time? For what?" Sora asked.
Lifting up his left arm, Tsubasa showed her his watch, which read 9:35.
"To get to our hotel before 10 am. It's mandatory for all of us to check in at the same time, or else they wouldn't accept our reservation. If that happens, we can't stay here and…"
"We'll have to go back home." Sora finished softly.
Sora's fears spiked through the roof and into the sky. What if Mashiro is lost forever in this big city? What if she gets into a bad accident? What if she gets kidnapped like Ellee? Or worse, what if she's…?
The bluenette shook the "what if's" from her head. "I don't care how long it takes to find Mashiro or if we miss the check-in. We WILL find her." She declared, looking at Tsubasa and Ageha with determined eyes. "To always help friends despite the worries, fears, and doubts… That's what a hero is!"
The two nodded with pride at their friend's unwavering loyalty. While Sora was more than happy about the trip, nothing is more important than her friends and their well-being.
Tsubasa looked up at the adult. "Ageha, please contact the police. We'll need all the help we can get."
"One step ahead of you," She said with a grin, already dialing another number on her phone and putting it to her ear. "Don't you two worry. They'll bring her back safe and sound before any of us can say 'Scandinavia'."
While Ageha's phone rang, Tsubasa stared at Mashiro's phone in his hand. "Mashiro, wherever you are, please be okay."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before Mashiro knew it, she was running back across the street with the bottle in her hands, ignoring her friend's desperate calls to her.
While she was halfway across the street, the dark-skinned boy made a sharp left turn and barrelled down the sidewalk. Once Mashiro's feet hit concrete again, she followed him as fast as she could.
Mashiro feared she was at a disadvantage. With his head start and faster speed, the pink-haired girl worried she'll never catch up to him.
One glance at the water bottle, though, steeled her resolve. Even though Mashiro's not the most athletic person, she couldn't stand by. The older teen lost something important, and it's up to her to return it. It's the reason why she went after him in the first place.
As Mashiro continued running, a strange feeling unexpectedly crossed her mind.
This feels so familiar:
The fast yet steady movement of her legs…
The wind blowing her hair back…
The thin object in her right hand…
The person running ahead…
Of course! Her first relay race!
Mashiro remembered it as clear as day. When Sora was chosen as captain of their class's relay race team in the Sports Festival, she requested Mashiro to participate, too. Shocked and bewildered, the pink-haired teen insisted someone faster be picked, until the bluenette explained that the baton pass is the key in the relay race, claiming Mashiro is the most capable. Seeing that Sora trusted her in handing the baton to her, Mashiro accepted the request, even though she hated Sports Day. Sora and Tsubasa then became Mashiro's trainers to hone her running and baton passing skills. Despite her initial struggle, she gradually improved each day, thanks to Sora's training, Tsubasa's relay tips, and their encouragement most of all.
The pink-haired girl decided to put what she learned to use. Soon, she was gaining speed that allowed her to get closer to the boy ahead. Before Mashiro knew it, she was only a few feet away from handing him his lost item. Despite her deep, exhaustive pants from running, Mashiro felt a smile growing on her face.
All of a sudden, Mashiro slipped on her left foot, her joy transforming to horror. Time seemed to slow down as the ground reached up to her, causing her to relive a memory she most desperately wanted to forget.
~ Flashback ~
Ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum
Mashiro's heart pounded heavily in her chest as she nervously saw one of her team members running toward her with the baton. When got close enough, Mashiro started running, her hand outstretched to receive the baton. The instant the baton was in Mashiro's palm, she went into a full run, hearing loud cheers from her friends on the sidelines. Mashiro kept her eyes locked ahead on Sora, the last teammate, who got into position. However, Mashiro suddenly tripped and fell hard onto the ground. Struggling to stand up, she heard the sound of pounding feet of other contestants who rushed past her. Believing she failed her team and friends, the disappointed girl felt like lying on the ground and giving up.
~ End of Flashback ~
NO.
Mashiro's shock in her eyes hardened into determination.
I won't make that same mistake again.
Quickly, she planted her right foot in front of her, stopping her fall. Bent knees and arms, body leaned forward, Mashiro positioned herself the same way Sora did in showing her the starting running position. Taking a deep breath, Mashiro lunged forward, giving her the extra push in this marathon.
Pieces of her memory flashed through Mashiro's head with every push in her legs. Yes, her tumble at the relay made her want to quit. And yet, something inside of Mashiro urged her to keep on running. Immediately, Mashiro rose to her feet and continued sprinting toward a surprised Sora.
Just look forward when you run!
Those words fueled the fire in her heart to run faster and faster. Though further from the older teen than before, the pink-haired girl again closed the distance between them.
Unconsciously, Mashiro peered ahead to spot a green motorcycle parked near the sidewalk. Standing next to it was a female teenager with neck-length brown hair tied into a ponytail held by a long orange ribbon. She was wearing a yellow shirt with a white skirt decorated with pretty sunflowers and matching orange tennis shoes. Her green eyes narrowed as the girl crossed her arms and showed an annoyed frown. When she heard the dark-skinned guy's approaching footsteps, she saw him and smiled brightly, waving in his direction.
That's why he was in a rush. She was waiting a long time for him to come back after he left her for some reason. The older male teen soon screeched to a halt in front of his motorcycle and started talking to the slightly shorter girl. Mashiro watched as the teen with the ponytail shot the guy an irritated look and chewed him out apparently for his tardiness. He sheepishly grinned and appeared to apologize to her while taking out helmets from the motorcycle.
Mashiro's eyes widened in alarm. She REALLY needed to pick up the pace. If he takes off by motorcycle, she'll never catch up to him. Her body was already at her limit, though. Sweat showered down her forehead and neck like crazy. Lungs expanded and contracted in overdrive, struggling to hold plenty of oxygen. Worst of all, her legs and feet were on total fire, begging her to rest at once. As much as Mashiro wanted to, she couldn't. Stopping even for one minute would definitely leave her nothing but an empty parking space and a dust cloud. So, she willed herself to hang on a bit longer.
When the two helmet-wearing teens hopped onto the motorcycle, the dark-skinned one reached for his keys in his back pocket.
Now or never. Mustering the last of her strength, Mashiro sped right up to his motorcycle. Time seemed to slow down when she raised the hand grasping the water bottle and placed it firmly in his open hand, like when she passed the baton to Sora. Relieved in completing her mission, the weary teen collapsed onto the sidewalk, rapidly gasping for breath.
"Wh-what da…?!" The object in his hand threw the dark-skinned boy off guard. He peered down to find himself holding a water bottle that was supposed to be in his backpack. The male teenager grew more perplexed upon hearing heavy panting and looked further down to notice a pink-haired female face-down on concrete. Confusion made way for concern as he dismounted from his vehicle and removed his helmet, with the other teen following suit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"... Yes, yes. Dōmo arigatō. We'll be there shortly. Bye."
Ageha finished her call with the police.
"What did they say?" asked a worried Sora.
"Well, the police haven't seen Mashiro, yet. But they told me they'll send out a notice to every police box and station in the surrounding area to keep a sharp eye."
"So, what do we do now?" said Tsubasa.
"We wait," replied Ageha. "While the police look for her, I'll look out for you two. Best if we stay here in case Mashiro returns." Spotting a nearby bench, she dragged her and Mashiro's suitcases to it before sitting down, patting on the two empty spots on each side.
"Well… alright," said Tsubasa, sitting on Ageha's left. "But even though the police are searching for Mashiro, I can't help but worry about her."
"I feel that way, too," Sora said. "Still, I trust the police 100%. Upholders of justice and protectors of the innocent, they're like the Azure Guards! I know they'll bring Mashiro back safe and sound."
Her confidence in the police cheered Tsubasa a little. "You're right. We just need to have faith in them."
"Attaboy, Tsubasa!" exclaimed Ageha, patting him on the back.
The orange-haired boy shot a dead-panned look at the adult. "Oi… I told you not to call me 'boy'."
"Oopsies!" Ageha raised a hand to her mouth, hardly suppressing a grin. "That was just an expression. But can you blame me? After all, you are in human form."
"Oh, boy." Though annoyed, Tsubasa eventually cracked into a friendly grin, causing the young teen and adult to laugh. Their laughing fit soon got Sora laughing too, lightening the atmosphere.
As the bluenette rested from her laugh attack, she caught sight of a familiar boy in blue in front of the men's restroom with hands in his pockets and a spaced-out look in his deep blue eyes.
"Is that who I think it is?" Sora said, recognizing him right away. At the twitch of a muscle, she jumped off the bench and jogged to the duo.
"Sora? Oh no, where is she going now?" Tsubasa left the bench, along with Ageha, as they hurried toward their friend who was talking to the small boy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A large waterfall splashed into Mashiro's parched mouth, drinking heavily like a camel at an oasis. That source of refreshment was the water bottle of a certain dark-skinned teenager who poured it carefully to the thirsty girl. Once she had enough, Mashiro tilted her head up and relaxed in the shade of a big tree she's leaning on.
She let out a big drink-sigh. "Ahhhh! Thank you very much! I thought I was gonna die!"
The two older teens smiled with relief at Mashiro's slow recovery.
"Oh, I haven't introduced myself, right? I'm Nijigaoka Mashiro." The pink-haired female tried to stand up to shake his hand, but the soreness in her legs forced her to plop back down.
Noticing it, the teenager with dark skin bent down to the ground and stuck his hand out for her to shake. "Yer welcome. Name's Hattori Heiji. And the girl next to me is Toyama Kazuha, my childhood friend." He motioned to the same female teenager who gave Mashiro a friendly handshake, too.
"Nice to meetcha!" said Kazuha.
"Likewise," said Mashiro. "Say, are you sure you're alright giving me some of your water? Especially on a hot day like this?" She could feel beads of sweat forming from the heat, worrying he won't have enough to stay hydrated.
"Eh, no sweat," Heiji said, waving it off. "I can always get more. It's the least I can do for ya returning my water bottle back to me. I really appreciated it." Looking over his shoulder, he released a low whistle. "Seriously, I can't believe you chased me all this way. No wonder you passed out."
"Did I run too far?" Slightly recovered from her marathon run, Mashiro gradually got to her feet. "Oh dear, my friends must be worried about me!"
She bowed slightly to her new friends. "Bye, Heiji-kun. Bye, Kazuha-san. It's a pleasure to see you." Mashiro only got two steps out, until a hand on her shoulder caused her to stop.
"Not so fast. Do you even remember how to get back?" Heiji said with a dubious look.
"Why, yes. I'll just go straight down, turn right at the curb, go left… Wait, no. It's across the street, two rights, two lefts, then straight… Or is it left, left, left, right, left?... Uhhhhhh…."
Eyes swirled around in whirlpools of confusion as Mashiro started to panic. "I… I don't remember! I'd better check my phone for directions." Her hand searched the side of her purse but froze when it felt nothing. She patted the area frantically several times, eyes growing wider with each touch.
"What?!" Seeing no phone in her purse, Mashiro averted her gaze to the ground, whirling around rapidly. "Where's my phone?!" Not finding it there either, she faced Heiji and Kazuha with the most anxious expression.
"Have you seen my phone? It's small, white, and has a rainbow charm with clouds on both ends."
"Sorry, I'm afraid not," Kazuha said.
Heiji, on the other hand, had a hand under his chin and an eyebrow raised.
"Strange, I thought it belonged to the boy with the orange hair."
"Huh? Why do you think so?" questioned Mashiro.
"Because I saw it in his book bag when I gave it back to him."
"Say WHAT?!" Mashiro was very shocked by his words. "How can that be? It was in my purse when my friends and I crossed the street."
"Hmmm…" The teenager with dark skin put a hand under his chin in deep thought. "Mashiro-san, who was the closest to you right before the crash?"
"Oh… um… probably Tsubasa. He's the boy you mentioned before. Why do you ask?"
"I have a good idea what happened. When I bumped into ya, it must have been hard enough to send my water bottle flying to the ground. If that's so, the same happened to your phone, but instead it landed into Tsubasa's book bag, given the close distance between the both of ya. Since the phone was hidden and there was so much confusion from the aftermath, no one noticed it unintentionally switched hands, or rather bags."
After Mashiro heard his deduction, her eyes goggled out of her head and mouth flew open for a while before closing.
"It… makes a lot of sense. How did you come with that?"
A confident smirk split onto Heiji's face. "Glad ya asked. I happen to be The Great Detective of the West! I solve all kinds of cases, big or small."
Mashiro looked at the dark-skinned detective with utter amazement, while Kazuha rolled her eyes at him boasting.
The pink-haired girl's bright face faltered. "But if my phone's with Tsubasa, then does this mean… I'M LOOOOOOOOOST?!?" The shock was strong enough to cause Mashiro to jump to her feet.
"Whoa, girl! Calm down." Kazuha held her by the shoulders.
"Calm down? CALM DOWN?!" Mashiro's voice turned hysterical. "My friends and I traveled a long way to here for a nice vacation, only for me to split off, run a hundred miles, and end up lost with no phone. If we don't reach our hotel by…" Her freakout paused. "What time is it?"
Kazuha checked the time. "9:40 am."
"...20 minutes, we'll lose our rooms, go back home, and it will be ALL. MY. FAULT!!!"
The pink-haired girl's breaths quickened by the minute from her anxiety of the unfortunate turn of events. This prompted a very concerned Kazuha to gently rub her hand up and down Mashiro's back in an effort to calm her down. It worked as Mashiro's breathing gradually became slower and steadier. She glanced at Kazuha with immense gratitude in her eyes, earning a smile from her in return. Heiji was about to say something reassuring but was interrupted by a loud call from his phone.
"Moshi, moshi." Heiji's face lightened up. "Oi, Ku-Conan-kun! How ya doin'? It's been ages since we last talked...Mmhm...Mmhm... Why yes, she's here with me." He turned his head slightly to Mashiro, who along with Kazuha stared at him with curiosity. "Got it. I'll bring her over in under 10 minutes. Ya can count on me. See ya."
Jumping onto his motorcycle, the detective put his helmet on again. "Great news, Mashiro-san! One of my buddies said your friends are waiting for you at the Grand Sunflower Hotel. So let's go, ASAP." He tossed the other helmet to Mashiro who clumsily juggled it before it rested in her hands.
"Eh, hontou ni?! That's wonderful! Then, there's still a chance." Mashiro was about to put her helmet on but paused mid-air looking uncertain at the older female teenager. "Are you alright with this, Kazuha-san? You and Heiji-kun were about to go somewhere."
"Daijoubu! I can wait. It's obvious that you need a ride more than I do now. Besides, I'm a 2-dan in Aikido." The pony-tailed female got into an Aikido starting posture. "I can take care of myself." Putting her hands on her hips, she let out a disappointed sigh. "Too bad I couldn't use my skills, since a certain high-school detective left me with his motorcycle to chase after a purse-snatcher."
"Ahou, it's dangerous!" Heiji glared at Kazuha. "The thief had a knife AND gun. It was a good thing I apprehended him before he got too far. Besides, someone has to watch my motorcycle while I'm gone. Ya know, in case someone damages or steals it."
"You're the Ahou!" Kazuha retorted, returning an equally annoyed glare. Tailing a criminal, knowing what weapons he had. What if you got seriously hurt? Also, who'd be dumb enough to do something bad to your motorcycle in broad daylight? And in front of dozens of people, including me? Huh, Mr. 'Great Detective of the West'?"
An angry tick mark formed on Heiji's head, clearly showing his irritation at Kazhua's last remark. He was about to argue back when he remembered Mashiro in the corner of his eye.
The dark-skinned detective rubbed his head sheepishly. "Oh, umm… right. Sorry, Mashiro. So, ya comin' or not?"
"If Kazuha-san is fine with it," Mashiro said, placing the helmet over her head. "Then, let's be off." She cautiously sat behind the detective who started his motorcycle, a loud rumble escaping from its engine.
"Hang on tight ta me! This baby can go super fast, so I don't want ya falling off."
"Wait!" Mashiro wrapped her arms around his waist. "How fast are we talking abOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUT!!!!"
Her scream echoed as the motorcycle shot into an incredible distance, sharply turning a corner and disappearing from the street Kazuha was on. The teen with the ponytail just gazed concerningly at the streaked trail and dust clouds left behind by the vehicle, wondering if Mashiro will make it to the hotel alive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Any sign of them?" Tsubasa anxiously asked Sora. She was standing on a platform, holding a hand above her eyes and looking in all directions.
The bluenette shook her head. "Not yet."
The two and Ageha are currently right outside the Grand Sunflower Hotel, waiting for Mashiro and Heiji to show up. Meanwhile, the adult called the police again, letting them know someone found Mashiro and is driving her back as she speaks.
Catching sight of Conan, Sora thought he could use his detective skills to figure out Mashiro's whereabouts. When Tsubasa and Ageha joined her, the bluenette introduced the two to Conan, earning himself a small wave from the boy and a huge bear hug from the adult gushing how adorable he is (much to his dismay). After listening to their story about Mashiro's disappearance and gathering enough clues, he deduced she went to return a lost water bottle to the same guy whom he recognized as Heiji. Wasting no time, Conan called him with his phone to confirm if Mashiro was with him and take her to the Grand Sunflower Hotel. Relieved, the three friends thanked the boy in blue and ran to their original destination.
"Hey, something's coming this way!" Sora pointed straight ahead at a green motorcycle racing toward them at a breakneck speed.
"Sugoi! Look at how fast it's going." Ageha exclaimed, awestruck. "I've seen lots of motorcycles zooming down the highway, but that one really takes the cake!"
"Ageha! Are you insane?! Run!!" The disguised Puni bird tugged at his friends' arms, frantically trying to pull them away. "Hurry before it crashes into us!
Mashiro, who was hanging on to dear life, moved her head to the side to see her friends up ahead and was horrified.
"Heiji-kun, slow down! I don't want us to crash into my friends!"
"Don't worry! I got this." Closer and closer to the curb, the dark-skinned teenager made his motorcycle sharply swerve to the left and screech to a halt, perfectly parallel parking in between two cars.
Wide-eyed and wide-mouthed, Sora and Ageha stood flabbergasted at the driver's professional driving skills, including Tsubasa who released his friends upon realizing they were in no danger.
Mashiro too was completely stunned, though it was more than the shock of her friends combined. She was frozen like a statue, unable to process what just happened. Riding in a vehicle that went too quick for her comfort with no seat belts or safety equipment, it was understandable. Her shaky hands slowly took off her helmet before her equally shaky legs dismounted Mashiro from Heiji's motorcycle, taking a few stumbling steps before stopping in place. The dark-skinned detective showed concern for the poor girl, hoping the ride hadn't traumatized her.
"Mashiro!" Sora, Tsubasa, and Ageha shouted with a mix of relief and worry, rushing toward her. Soon, Mashiro was bombarded by a barrage of questions, asking if she was alright. Until Ageha raised her hand for the other two to quiet down.
"Whoa, now! One at a time, please. We don't want to overwhelm the poor girl. Mashiron, are you okay?"
"Huh?" The pink-haired girl blinked. Ageha's question seemed to bring her back to Earth. Mashiro felt the shock drain out of her system as she gave her friends a wavering, yet sweet smile. "Yeah… yeah. I was just… shocked is all. Didn't expect the ride to be that fast."
"Thank goodness." Sora sighed with ease. She embraced her friend in a hug. "But please don't disappear like that again! Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
"I…I'm terribly sorry." Mashiro felt super guilty for causing her friends to worry their heads off, even though she had a good reason.
Ageha joined the two in their hug. "I'm just glad you didn't get hurt. You were trying to return a lost item to him, right? Don't ever feel sorry about that."
The pink-haired girl nodded. Suddenly, a white phone was thrusted into her view as Mashiro eyed with surprise at Tsubasa holding it out to her.
"Here, Mashiro. I believe this is yours."
She instantly beamed at the sight of her lost item as she accepted it. "Wow, my phone! Arigato, Tsubasa! I thought I lost it forever!"
"You're welcome. We both can't let that happen, won't we?"
Chuckling, Mashiro extended her arm out to her orange-haired friend who closed in for the hug, her arm resting around his shoulders.
Meanwhile, Heiji smiled at the heartwarming reunion of the four friends. Compared to the joy he felt in regaining his lost water bottle, the overflowing joy in Sora, Tsubasa, and Ageha in finding their lost friend was much bigger than he imagined. There's no doubt these four friends share a strong, unbreakable bond.
Though he didn't want to ruin the precious moment, there's another reason why the detective quickly brought Mashiro to this specific spot. He cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the group.
"Sorry for interruptin' here, but ya have 5 minutes, if ya still wanna check in."
This alerted the Precures big time as they broke off their hug, allowing Mashiro to look at the time on her phone.
"Oh! Oh, my! You're right!" She faced Heiji, placed both hands in front of her, and bowed slightly to him. "Thank you so very much! I wouldn't be with my friends without you."
Her friends followed suit, expressing deep gratitude for the detective's kindness.
"Yer very welcome," Heiji said, with a tilt of his helmet. "Y'all have fun and be safe. Maybe we'll see each other soon." He then rode off, leaving a trail of dust behind.
Ageha glanced down at each of her friends. "Well, what're we waitin' for? Let's go!"
Grabbing their respective luggage, the Precures hightailed it inside the Grand Sunflower Hotel, marking the beginning of their journey in Beika.