The meaningless farce ended at dawn.
4:30 AM.
Once again, Garden Gale saw a basketball court at four in the morning—though this time, there was no purple-and-gold jersey to be seen.
Honestly speaking...
Tonight's club outing felt inexplicably absurd.
Yes, absurd. Completely absurd. That was Garden Gale's strongest impression. She'd inexplicably ended up at a club watching Air Shakur's performance, inexplicably been chatted up by an overly friendly stranger, and inexplicably got caught up in the autograph drama at the end. Did any of it really matter? Sure, there was a moment of pretense when that fan girl gazed at her with admiration—but it felt like everything tonight, whether it had happened or not, wouldn't have changed a thing.
Confusion took root inside her.
Garden Gale couldn't grasp what Air Shakur had intended.
She quietly studied Air Shakur's face in profile, sharp and angular. Air Shakur rested her chin on one hand, silently watching the fleeting cityscape beyond the car window. Dawn was approaching, and Tokyo's streets were waking up with scattered early pedestrians. After a night spent awake, an emptiness lingered between them.
"What's wrong?" Air Shakur turned suddenly, noticing Garden Gale's stare, a gentle smile on her lips.
Garden Gale hesitated, then shook her head. "No… nothing."
"Oh, but did you know?" Air Shakur looked back out the window, not letting the conversation end. Her voice danced playfully as she continued, "I can read minds."
Garden Gale almost laughed aloud at that. Read minds? Please, she herself could claim to have a magical system—
Which she actually did have.
Seeing Garden Gale's suppressed laughter, Air Shakur brightened further. Holding up one slender finger, she cheerfully declared, "Hmm… let me guess. Right now, you're probably thinking, 'Did tonight have any point at all?' Am I right?"
Huh…?
Garden Gale froze in shock.
She actually guessed correctly? Could Air Shakur really have mind-reading powers?
Impossible! No way!
She hastily convinced herself it was pure coincidence.
But seeing Garden Gale's stunned reaction, Air Shakur chuckled softly again. Tonight she seemed exceptionally cheerful; that delinquent persona had peeled away, replaced by a sunflower-like warmth radiating genuine joy.
"Your face is really easy to read," Air Shakur admitted sincerely.
Garden Gale resolved to work on her poker face immediately.
Let's see her guess next time!
Though Garden Gale remained silent, Air Shakur collected her thoughts and spoke again, softly but firmly: "But, you know, life doesn't really have a meaning—at least that's what I believe. People are born, age, get sick, and die, all within a hundred years."
Garden Gale listened quietly, letting the words flow.
"So what exactly has meaning? Some people devote their lives to noble causes; others live selfishly. The world is filled with all sorts of people doing countless things. For me, I just want to live doing what I love most—calculating, working for what should rightfully be mine."
"That's it."
"Going on stage to perform makes me happy. Winning races and training hard makes me happy, too."
"Loving what you love… that's incredibly cool. I genuinely hope you can feel that too. I'm not trying to say, 'Hey, look how cool and amazing I was on stage tonight!' It's nothing like that. All I want to say is that loving what I love—that's what makes me happiest."
"Next, I'm going to put my all into winning the races I enter."
"Mm—it's just like that."
Even the taxi driver glanced curiously through the rearview mirror at the pair engaged in deep philosophical conversation.
Well, it wasn't exactly a conversation.
Only Air Shakur had been speaking—Garden Gale had remained quietly on the receiving end.
"Maybe I already know your personality pretty well," Air Shakur continued gently. "But still, I want to say… People aren't watching you nearly as closely as you think. It's mostly your own 'spotlight effect' making you nervous."
"But maybe I'm just meddling too much—if so, ignore me."
Air Shakur smiled warmly again, her bright expression completely mismatched with those shark-like teeth.
At last, Garden Gale broke her silence.
"Thank you," she said earnestly.
It was the most sincere reply possible—no sarcasm, no hidden meaning—just pure gratitude toward Air Shakur. She'd been gentle, careful not to embarrass her, even claiming she was overthinking things to spare Garden Gale's feelings. Her kindness practically overflowed.
Then, unexpectedly, the taxi driver chimed in.
"Maybe it's not my place to say this, but…" He cleared his throat before continuing softly, almost singing, "Boldly move forward, don't look back."
"It's something my mother used to sing when I was little, to encourage me. At your age, it's normal to hit a rough patch. Life isn't a straight conveyor belt—there are mountains and valleys. Just keep moving forward boldly, without turning back."
When mentioning his mother, even the quiet driver's expression softened visibly.
Perhaps the world wasn't as harsh and thorny as Garden Gale had imagined.
Maybe instead…
It was kind and gentle.
"…Thank you," Garden Gale repeated once more, her voice steady.
She clenched her fists tightly.
She wasn't sure what else to say or even think.
Beside her, Air Shakur gently brushed back some stray strands of Garden Gale's wind-tangled hair, tucking them carefully behind her ear. Without saying anything more, she withdrew her hand and silently gave Garden Gale the space she needed.
Garden Gale stared quietly at the passing skyscrapers outside the window.
"Win the Wakagoma Stakes," Air Shakur said softly. "I genuinely think you deserve to stand on a much higher stage… maybe even the highest."
Garden Gale finally broke her silence again.
She nodded slightly but resolutely.
"I will win."
I absolutely—absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely—will win!
[Bond with Air Shakur has reached a critical threshold.]
[Reward Skill]:
Sonic Blast LV.2
[Reward Skill]:
Rhythm Rule
The Selas System's voice once again chimed in at the worst possible moment.
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T/N: awww air shakur might just be best girl.... OMG ID LET HER BITE MEEEEE