Perhaps due to her personality she found something to complain about with everything
C’mon Mutsuki Let’s play this one next
Still she seemed to be enjoying herself as she kept tugging on his sleeve
Is this like what Micha rides
Her interest turned toward the line of motorcycle machines
It was a racing game that allowed up to eight people to play at once
She hopped onto one placed her bag on her thigh and grabbed the grips They were coordinated enough by now that Mutsuki inserted two coins climbed onto the next machine over and explained how to accelerate turn and brake Let’s start with a simple course Choose the automatic transmission andthat red bike is easy to use
They began the game on the practice course a beginner’s motorcycle and the easier transmission mode
The automatic transmission means you only have to twist the grip to pick up speed But if you go too fast you can’t make the turns so watch out Good good Start by trying not to crash or fall over Oh oops Like this
Yes Very good
He slowly drove alongside her on the screen as well as on the machine
Hmm Motorcycles are fun Maybe I should borrow Micha’s sometime
You need a license for a real oneWait Does Micha have a license
Oh that was close I’m not going to fall over anymore
Good good Make sure to lean to the side when you want to-oh
His heart skipped a beat when she tilted her machine for the curve and her skirt flipped up revealing the spats-covered thighs below
Due to her personality she had gone too fast and crashed a lot at first but she was noticeably improving with each lap That may have been thanks to her superhuman athletics Before long she was no longer crashing and actually making it around the curves even if just barely At the end of the tenth of twelve laps she was about as good as your average player Did you see that Mutsuki I didn’t crash again
That’s amazing You aren’t spinning out even at your top speed You’re a proper player now
Heh heh Well a human game isn’t about to give me much troubleWhoops
She almost crashed while giving him a proud look but she continued reducing her lap time
Mutsuki was not very athletic and it had taken him a long time to get used to this sort of game so he was jealous
Heh heh heh heh
A smile of victory filled Ange’s slanted eyes
(She’s so cute)
That was his honest thought
She naturally left a powerful impression but the harsh side vanished when she smiled leaving
only the cute side Only the cheerfulness of a sunflower and the purity of the blue sky remained
Once he noticed he could not keep his eyes off of her
The two of them crossed the finish line at the same time
Hm It’s already over
It was a twelve lap race Well Did you have fun
Yeah No I mean a bit I guess
Her eyebrows rose in defiance but she still looked cute
As the boy climbed down from the machine his cheeks were loose with self-deprecation
Wait said the girl You’re supposed to use this to race right In other words to see who’s the fastest
She put her hands on her hips and pulled her chin back to give him a challenging upwards look
Eh You want to race
Mutsuki checked but no one else was around It looked like they could play twice in a row
I’ll have a pretty big advantage since I’ve played this game a lot
I’ll take that handicap
Hm Fine then
He climbed back on and inserted two more coins
Don’t you dare go easy on me And don’t make any excuses if I beat you
Fine fine
Mutsuki realized he was mostly just enjoying playing with her instead of trying to get along with her He selected the same course the same bike and the same transmission
No going easy on you you said
Eh Ange don’t kick it They’ll get mad at us
Mutsuki left the motorcycle section while worried about the looks the employees were giving them Ange stomped off after him
Shut up
I-I play that game a lot You did really well for your first day
I’ll admit I went a little overboard when I lapped you the fourth time but that was because you told me not to go easy on you
Shut uup You’re making fun of me aren’t you
She shouted angrily back and Mutsuki was too weak-willed to say anything more
Ange may have been good for a beginner but Mutsuki had been able to drive alongside her and give her instructions The difference was like night and day His mistake had been truly not going on easy on her without giving any thought to her pride I’m never riding a motorcycle again Not even Micha’s
She seemed thoroughly pissed after being so badly beaten
Sigh
The boy sighed at how poorly this was going
At the same time he was in a fairly decent mood
He was certain the two of them had grown a lot closer over the last while
Ange was still holding onto her prize bag as she moved on ahead Mutsuki could not help but laugh quietly before jogging back to her side
Hmph
Even the way she exaggeratedly turned away seemed cute
After leaving Game Master City they returned to the mall corridor Evening was shifting to night and the number of customers had grown a bit
Hey Ange
That Lazy Bear cushion will be moved to the opened machines in a while so how about we come back for a rematch then
She slowed her quick pace and faced him Her reddish-brown hair fluttered behind her as she did
This time you can win the prize
Merely imaging herself defeating that loathsome crane on her own was enough for her normal
lopsided frown to melt and curve upwards
But it quickly stiffened back up
I-I don’t really want that so it doesn’t matter
She stomped off again
Mutsuki laughed again That was when Ange noticed the boy had been smiling all this time She gave a sullen frown
And what do you mean ‘in a while’ It’s not like we’re going to be together for that long
Her tone was ice cold
Really
Didn’t Micha tell you The angel headquarters down here on earth are searching for a countermeasure against the demons and FeTUS If we can restrict the influence of those two groups you won’t need a bodyguard Then I’ll be freed from this annoying job Oh yeah I did hear that
If the other angels could defeat those moving machines and that black water he would no longer have to live with those two angels He could return to his family Micha had explained that the night before But when he thought back something about that bothered him
I see So after that I won’t be able to see you and Micha anymore
That felt sad even if he had only met them the day before so the tone of his voice dropped
The girl glanced over at him but she groaned and wrinkled her brow awkwardly when she noticed his expression But she quickly bristled with annoyance
That’s right I’ll be leaving soon and then we’ll be strangers again
She pointed at his nose and raised her voice
It felt less like she was actually angry and more like she was trying to break the gloomy atmosphere
The boy was used to being yelled at but it shocked him when she began shouting in public
Naturally they drew a lot of attention
Just to be clear every minute and every second I have to spend with you is an annoyance
S-sureUm Ange
Besides why do I even have to be your bodyguard You’re pathetic and perverted so I’d never want to have anything to do with you if it wasn’t for the Serpent’s Eye
SorryBut could you keep it down
Not only was she yelling quite loudly in public but she was calling him pathetic and perverted
More and more people started looking their way so he was of course embarrassed
But he could stand embarrassment He could bear with the half smiles in those strangers’ eyes
Like I told you before I hate hate hate people with no delicacy and no shame
Yeah you told me that yesterday Anyway-
I just can’t stand this Stop getting carried away and acting like we’re friends or something