"Delicious!"
I looked up. Every time I did, the Professor would grab a tissue and vigorously wipe my mouth. If I did it myself, I could clean it with a gentle touch, but it seemed the Professor wasn't skilled at wiping someone else's mouth.
My lips fumbled under the Professor's rough touch that pretended to be gentle.
I winced, thinking my lips might get squished. Still, the Professor smiled with satisfaction, apparently pleased with how clean my face was after the forceful wiping.
My lips felt a bit sore, so I touched them. At least they were clean—nothing came off on my fingers.
After eating stir-fried udon with Karen and cube steak with the Professor, plus various other foods, my money had dwindled quite a bit. I had 50 Rill, then spent it, received another 50 Rill, spent that too, and nearly emptied my pockets.
Well, I still had some left.
About 42...
I jingled the coins in my pocket and looked up.
I'd let my guard down. An unexpected expense had appeared. Being originally human, I sometimes forgot I was now a Demon God.
I wanted to think "I should know better after living like this for over a year!" but it was hard to constantly remember that no matter how much I ate, I never felt full.
I only stopped eating when the people beside me said they couldn't eat anymore. While I enjoyed eating various foods with others, it was disappointing that I had no limit.
After stopping and looking around, I paused briefly before letting out a sigh.
"Let's go to the booths now! They have Bumper Cars."
I pulled the Professor's hand and looked toward where Karen was. Just as we were all heading toward the event booths, I felt a vibration against my chest.
Startled, I stopped in my tracks and looked down.
I pulled out the phone from my inner pocket and realized Sera was calling.
"...Hello?"
[Urr, where are you? I'm about to head over with Aria.]
"I'm going to the event booths with the Professor and Karen right now."
[What? No, Aria! It's your fault we're late! They're already at the event booths! We'll be right there! Don't do too much without us!]
With that, Sera abruptly hung up.
"Huh?"
I stared blankly at the screen after the call ended so suddenly. The call end screen soon returned to the usual lock screen.
"Who was that? Sera?"
The Professor tilted his head as I stood still holding my phone.
I nodded, answering in a dazed voice, and the Professor asked another question.
"What's wrong? Did she say she's not coming to the Academy today?"
"No, she said she's coming, but I was surprised when the call suddenly ended."
"I see."
The Professor urged me to keep walking, saying that was fine then. Karen gently grabbed my shoulder and guided me forward. As I walked ahead, almost being pushed along, I looked up at Karen.
"Karen."
"Yes?"
"Do you like Bumper Cars?"
"...Bumper Cars?"
Karen made a face that suggested she didn't understand what I meant.
And that expression soon changed to shock.
"W-wait... I've heard of Bumper Cars as an amusement ride, but I've never heard of this kind of Bumper Car before?"
Motorcycle models made of cardboard. They would be neither proper toys nor impressive sculptures elsewhere, but this was a world where magic existed.
The bicycle wheels were a bit jarring, but it was still impressive to see them start up with mana as if they were real motorcycles.
[Welcome to the Bike Club! We've made motorcycle models out of cardboard for safety. This creates an innovative design that prevents serious impact when colliding. You normally don't get to experience collisions on regular bikes. Experience thrills you can't find at any amusement park! And if you don't want to crash but still want to show off your driving skills, try zipping around avoiding those trying to crash into you! The permitted area is quite spacious!]
It was a large space. The perimeter was padded with mats to prevent serious injuries from collisions.
The club staff member holding the microphone was trying to convince curious onlookers that it would be fun. They had prepared quite a few bikes. While the wheels might be expensive, the cardboard itself was readily available if one was determined enough.
Compared to regular Bumper Cars with solid bodies and rubber bumpers to reduce impact, this was definitely something new.
A cardboard body that could be destroyed, except for the wheels. What amusement park would ever hold such a destructive event? Intrigued, I looked at the Professor with sparkling eyes.
The Professor's reaction wasn't positive.
"Even if it's just cardboard..."
He looked at the prepared bikes with an appalled expression.
It was something that would never be possible with the technology from my original world—truly only possible in a world with magic—and I felt depressed that I couldn't participate.
I was really interested in how magic circles replaced engines.
I had money and could participate... but couldn't ride.
"Karen... enjoy it for me..."
I pouted and handed Karen 10 Rill. Karen frantically shook her head and hands.
"No, no! I'm not good with bikes... and it wouldn't feel right for me to ride alone without you... These things are more fun when you ride together, you know?"
"..."
As she stepped back, refusing to take the money, my coins had nowhere to go.
I wanted to try it too.
I glanced up at the Professor, who gave me a bitter smile. With slumped shoulders, as if unable to resist, the Professor quietly went over to the students and asked:
"Excuse me, can guardians ride along?"
"Oh, yes! Are you going to ride yourself, Professor?!"
The student immediately recognized the Professor, either from his attire or because his face was well-known, and stood at attention while asking.
The Professor shook his head and pointed to where Karen and I were standing. The stiff male student stared directly at me.
"I was wondering if those kids could ride together."
"Hmm, it might be okay if one person is small, but it would be safer to ride separately. Having two people on one bike might actually be dangerous if they bump into each other."
"...Is that so?"
"But we can arrange a session for people who want to ride gently if we gather a few. We have a limited number of cardboard bikes anyway, so we can only use so many per session."
The Professor nodded, seemingly somewhat reassured by the explanation that addressed his concerns.
"Would four people be possible then?"
"Yes, just let me know the time and we'll set aside a slot for you."
The student responded positively to the Professor's questions.
The Professor seemed surprised by this level of accommodation and handed money to the student with a wry smile.
"You're not doing this because I'm a professor, right?"
"Not at all. It's first-come, first-served, and we can arrange for groups to enjoy together at the same time."
"...But I'm not sure if this is safe."
"Our department professor gave us permission."
"..."
The Professor lost his words and just nodded. I didn't know which department it was, but the Bike Club's ability to set up this booth was apparently thanks to that unnamed professor.
"Yay!"
I jumped up and hugged the Professor.
The Professor smiled and patted my shoulder.
"I've paid, so when the others arrive, you can all ride together."
"...I could have paid for this..."
"No, just think of it as Study Group activity funds."
The Professor nodded, telling Karen it was fine. Karen bowed her head in thanks.
Not long after, Sera and Aria found their way here. Sera's hair was slightly disheveled, as if she had rushed over while with Aria.
She could use some brushing.
But first, we needed to ride this.
"Sera! Aria! Come quickly!"
I waved my hands vigorously to hurry them along. They ran over without knowing what was happening and looked at the Bike Club's event.
As the first customers who had just managed to form a group were riding, Sera stared in shock.
"What is that?"
"...Bike Bumper Cars?"
Thud!
The bikes collided. But there was only the sound of boxes crumpling against each other, with no human casualties afterward. When the dull sound occurred and the magic circles prevented the bikes from moving further, everyone stopped and backed away.
In fact, by the time the timeout approached, most people deliberately crashed into each other for the thrill, so that was the typical conclusion.
"The Professor paid for everything! Let's ride!"
I grabbed everyone's hands and pulled them forward.
I climbed onto a bike and grinned as I gripped the handlebars. A staff member approached and gave me instructions.
"Hold on tight here, and put your legs in this part. Inject mana into the left handlebar to start, and into the right handlebar to brake. The speed is quite fast, so be careful not to hurt yourself."
"Got it."
I nodded seriously.
The others seemed to have received the same instructions from staff members, as they all looked up and made eye contact.
The start of the strange bikes—all cardboard except for the wheels.
[Alright, start!]
There was no typical motorcycle noise. At the organizer's signal, three bikes quickly accelerated.
I tilted my head in confusion.
Wait, I just realized I don't know how to inject mana.
While the three others were already speeding along and enjoying themselves, I was left behind, just watching the scene.
"..."
What is this? I want to play too.
In my frustration, I gripped the handlebars and shook them, but all I felt was the unstable sensation of cardboard.