CHAPTER 11
After the Long Run
We see Vinny closing in on the inn/hotel they are staying in; it's around 3:52pm in the afternoon, and Vinny looks tired and sweaty.
(Japanese) (Vinny)
"That was harder than I expected it to be; I should take a room quickly to rest."
Vinny parks his bike outside and goes inside of the inn/hotel to get a room. Vinny gets a room good for 1 person, and he then reserves a room good for 4 people and another room good for 1 person for Hikari. Vinny then headed to the room he was assigned to. The one he reserved is named after Hikari for them to know that they already have a reserved room waiting for them, but also they need to pay for it themselves, obviously -_-
(Japanese) (Vinny)
"I want to sleep so bad."
*Vinny gets a notification.
(Japanese) (Vinny)
"Huh? Akari? Oh right, we give our number to each other."
(Japanese) (Akari)
How are you guys doing?
(Japanese) (Vinny)
good, but I left them at the beginning because I want to rest; my back and legs are killing me.
(Japanese) (Akari)
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, but I have a few questions first. Is it because of our trip yesterday that your body hurts? Second, how in the world did you ride that fast!!? If I remember correctly, Haruto said that you have around 4 hours in total of riding, and you guys started at 11:30am, and it's just 4:00pm in the afternoon!! You finished the race 1 hour faster!?
(Japanese) (Vinny)
Well yeah, actually, first of all, no, it's not because of the trip we had yesterday; it's because of how cold it was last night, and I have to wake up early for the accounting for the café, so yeah. Secondly, I am a veteran cyclist—well, not professional, but I have huge confidence in my cycling skills—and yeah, I sprint all the way from the middle to the inn/hotel; it's easy because it's a downhill and flat course. Does this explain everything to you?
(Japanese) (Akari)
Yeah, but I still can't believe it. Anyways, how's your day?
The two have some conversation about each other. Takashi Akari, a senior high school student and also a classmate of Vinny, thinks that Vinny may have developing feelings for her. Akari already has a love interest in someone else, but she cannot confess. She also doesn't know how to reciprocate her feelings to others; this may lead to some misunderstanding, and she also doesn't have experience in loving someone fully. She doesn't know how love really works. The others arrive at the inn/hotel; well, the monster duo arrives first (you will soon see the capability of each monster cyclist when the time is right) while they waited for the other 3. The other 3 arrive 43 minutes late, but they all go inside and ask about the reservation and go to their specific room to rest.
Dinner time arrives, and we see all of them in Vinny's room.
(Japanese) (Ren)
"You guys want something to eat? I will order us some; it's on me this time as an apology for being late earlier, hehe."
(Japanese) (Hikari)
"Why don't we just buy from one fast food place like McDonald's?"
(Japanese) (Kuro)
"Yeah, let's do that."
(Japanese) (Vinny)
"Ren, just order the family pack; it's a good choice and affordable in our group."
(Japanese) (Ren)
"Alright then, it's decided."
Ren ordered the family pack. The squad eat to their fullest; R.I.P. to Ren's wallet. After they ate, they chatted about the upcoming race and how they will perform and who will be the partners on each course. After that, they both go back to their respective rooms to rest and continue their journey tomorrow.
The next day they arise; it's currently 3:00am in the morning. They have to start going back to school using their bikes. Hikari said that they still need to keep riding their bikes—just Kuro, Shin, and Haruto—to master and have a long time with their bikes, while Vinny, Ren, and Hikari ride the bus to school. The trio get to school at 7:22am looking tired as hell; they look like a zombie that goes to war and serves their master at the same time, if you know what I mean. Akari sees them and quickly goes to Haruto to check up on him, while Vinny is going to check on them also but sees Haruto and Akari talking, and Akari looks so concerned about Haruto. At that moment Vinny's heart sinks and he feels confused at the same time; he's asking why he is feeling this way. Vinny then just goes to the classroom, which is more cold than usual, but no one really notices it—no one but Kuro. Kuro then goes to Vinny to talk to him.
(Japanese) (Kuro)
"What's the matter, bro? "
(Japanese) (Vinny)
"Oh, Kuro, it's nothing really; I just want to have some alone time."
(Japanese) (Kuro)
"If you say so, but hey, if you ever have a problem, you can talk to me; we're a team, right? A brother hehehe."
(Japanese) (Vinny)
"Yeah, thank you. I will let you know if something is up."
Kuro then leaves Vinny alone as of the moment. In this moment Vinny is always looking at Akari; Akari, on the other hand are always checking up on Haruto to see, if he really is okay. Haruto and Akari have lunch together and chat always; they also look closer than usual. At that moment Vinny just stares at them; no one notices it, not even Kuro. Vinny just tells the others that he wants to be alone for now. At that moment everyone that is close to Vinny notices that Vinny is more quiet and cold than his usual self, everyone but Akari, who is more focused on Haruto at the moment. With that scene, Vinny's heart starts to hurt little by little; he doesn't know why because he never really understands that he is jealous at the moment. He wants to approach Akari also but cannot bring himself together to face her. What do you guys think will happen next? We will know soon…
To be continued…