fast lanes ; s, manjiro

05

05

Debts and dates

Walking alongside Mikey, Kazuki found herself in a world painted by the interplay of light and darkness, as the golden glow of the streetlights reached out to caress their figures, casting elongated shadows that seemed to trace their every step. The two strolled through the night's embrace, the streetlights casting a warm and inviting aura on their towering silhouettes. Following Mikey's lead, they made their way to a nearby gas station, where his bike rested after a pit stop, a favour called in.

Amid this unhurried journey, Kazuki's phone remained unrelenting, buzzing ceaselessly since they departed from the shrine, rather a disturbing distraction for their rowdy journey—For the past ten minutes, Mikey had playfully pestered Kazuki with a barrage of trivial yet undeniably bothersome questions.

"How old are you, Bitchy?"

"Say, Bitchy, what's your favourite colour?"

"I heard Baji is your classmate, is that true?"

"Don't tell me you have a boyfriend, Bitchy?"

It had been an interview, almost, if not for her constant shushing and clever topic changes, then perhaps she'd have rambled on every detail of her life to him already. Kazuki'd answer on occasion, but if she didn't feel like it, she'd talk about something else, but she couldn't help but decide her mouth wasn't worth tiring. Among them, mothers guided strollers with their precious cargo, children donned in snug attire braved the crisp air, and youthful individuals strolled alongside their pets on a night walk. And she couldn't help but cringe at the fact a stranger or two must've looked at them and thought they were a couple.

Her phone rang its loud tune again, and she ignored it, letting it ring endlessly. Mikey's exasperation was palpable, his brows furrowing in annoyance as the jarring notes of her phone's persistent ring cut through the air once more. His lips tightened in a mixture of impatience and bemusement as he watched her ignore the call, letting the incessant ringing continue unabated.

"You didn't answer the question, Bitchy! Do you have a boyfriend?" Mikey pestered, his restless energy causing him to hop from one foot to another as they ambled along the pavement.

"Stop calling me bitchy! I have a name!" retorted Kazuki, a playful grin tugging at her lips as she playfully scuffled her slippers across the road. He might have been incessant, but there was no denying his ability to keep her entertained. A girl would be a fool to brush his childishness in irritation.

Just as her phone's clamour subsided, it erupted into sound once again, the ringing resonating throughout the vicinity. With an eye-roll of exasperation, Kazuki decided to do something, finally, powering it down and declining the call, the caller ID revealing the name "Hitaro."