Chapter 33: Chapter 33: I. Am. Speed!
"Oh, Leon."
The Orange-blonde haired girl dressed in a prim attire and donning a gentle and bright smile addressed me.
"It's a pleasant surprise! Are you doing well? Heading towards the Airbike racetrack?"
She was followed by a tall, well-built tanned black-haired boy. I knew him, mostly because Angelica showed me the list of participants and so-called 'top players' of the race.
Dan was his name, I remembered.
Other than him, there were two more who were behind the girl, but I didn't know their names.
"Hey, Clarice. Good to see you too. And no, we were actually headed to the stalls to get something to eat. But we'll go to the observation room after that once the race starts. Wanna tag along?"
I offered casually. But the girl smiled apologetically.
"I wish I could. But my retainers have to do some pre-race chores and I wish to be there to support them."
The three boys with her smiled at that gesture.
"I see. Well, all the best. See you later, then?"
"Yes, thank you. I'd love to meet and have a chat later."
I nodded in response and Clarice turned to greet Angelica.
"Angelica, good to see you too."
"It's good to see you as well, Miss Clarice."
"Just Clarice is fine."
The two smiled and Angelica nodded in affirmation.
"I wish your team the very best."
"Thank you. I'm sure my retainers appreciate it."
The boys following Clarice curtly nodded in affirmation.
Olivia only got a small and polite greeting as it was the first time they were meeting but Clarice was respectful and polite to her as well.
While all that was happening, I felt a pat on my shoulders and turned to see the tan-skinned boy, Dan, looking at me.
"Got a sec? I want to talk in private."
I blinked, not sure what he wanted with me.
"Kay."
I shrugged and followed. The others noticed it, but nobody seemed to object to it, though Olivia did look a little worried. I just gave her a reassuring smile to assuage her concerns.
…
"So, what's up?"
I asked, my hands resting in my pockets and my body using the back wall as support as we found a sparsely populated area nearby, a bit away from our groups.
The boy's expressions were pretty neutral as he observed my actions.
I didn't even need to use <Observe> as he soon acted.
He bowed, his torso and head almost parallel to the ground.
"I wanted to thank you for helping my Lady back then."
'Ah.'
I realized what he was talking about. That evening when I found a drunk Clarice walking in the Academy's park.
"Yeah, no problem, man. I just did what was right."
Any memories of taking blackmail material at the time were ruthlessly shoved to the back of my consciousness. Yeah, nope. I never thought of such things. Definitely wasn't me. I'm a good and honest man who would never stoop so low. Never!
Ahem.
"Still, you probably don't realize but you really saved her. When she came to her room that day, she looked much better. Still very much drunk but she didn't feel so… so hopeless. Like she had gotten the weights off her shoulders and found a new ray of hope."
I nodded though he couldn't see it as he was still bowing.
"Yeah, must have been hard for the poor girl. But she seems to be doing much better now."
The boy lifted his head up and I could see a genuine and grateful smile on his face.
"That she is. She moved on from that past and is trying to live her own life. I… I am truly grateful for that. She told me what you said to her. And it was something nobody, nor I or even her own family, could do at the time. So, once again, thank you."
"You're welcome. You can stop bowing, though. It's getting kinda awkward."
He straightened up in response and now stood tall, a bit taller than I who had gained a fair few inches in the past couple of years.
"Right then."
We stood in silence for a few moments, and I started wondering if we should go back now that he was done.
"So, uh…"
He began, causing me to focus on him.
"I heard my Lady gave you one of the airbikes."
"Mm-hm. It was pretty fast. Much less bulky compared to the models they use in the competition as well. I liked it."
I answered more or less truthfully. That Airbike was a pretty expensive gift for sure. I wasn't an ass enough to not show my appreciation for it, even if I barely used it and the complement about its speed was from my test drive of the modified version which was probably much faster than its original counterpart.
"Yeah, man, I'm kinda jealous. That model was one of the top lines."
"Mm-hm."
The conversation seemed to be dragging out a bit, making me realize I don't do very well with people who're not Angelica, Olivia, or Ava. I didn't have any male friends in this world. That was by choice, but still.
"Name's Dan, by the way."
"Leon."
I nodded and replied in kind.
"So, you interested in racing?"
"Hn? I suppose."
'Does racing in videogames count?'
"You any good with it?"
"Can probably beat the ones I saw there racing with ease."
I easily answered, almost in a reflex. Good thing I could back up those words easily.
Heck, I could simply sit around, not do anything, and let the combat auto-drive AI and NOS boost win me the race. Not that I was going to cheat that much in a simple race. There'd be no fun in winning a simple race with other kids like that. That being said, I could still easily win. I was confident of that.
"Hoh? That's some self-confidence you've got there. Why didn't you participate in the race?"
I shrugged.
"Didn't want the kiddies to lose morale. It'd be unfair to everyone else if I did. Because then it'll be confirmed that I'll win it."
Of course, that wasn't the actual reason. I was just too lazy to participate. But I decided to do some casual banter instead of stating such a lame ass reason.
The guy smirked competitively in response, giving me some bad déjà vu.
"Hah! Are you sure it's fine to brag that much? It's not that easy to win the race, you know? There are some pretty decent racers in the competition."
He was still being polite, but I could sense an ounce of irritation at my casual proclamation.
What could I tell him? I was just that much overpowered compared to everyone else.
"Eh. Fact is fact. Nothing we can do about it."
I shrugged with a smirk of my own.
"Are you two not done, Dan, Leon?"
We turned to look at Clarice who was approaching us, followed by the rest of our two groups.
"Ah, we were just discussing about the Airbike race. According to a certain someone…"
The guy crossed his arms with a challenging smile as he looked at me.
"… if he had participated in the race, he would have easily won."
Everyone turned to look at me and I just shrugged in response.
"It's true."
"Oh? Then why did you not participate in the competition, Leon?"
It was Clarice who asked, genuine curiosity written on her face. Angelica piped in as well.
"Indeed. If you had told me, I could've entered your name for the first year's representative race."
Olivia seemed to be in on the idea as well.
"Yes! I would have cheered for you!"
Aww. That adorable girl.
I smiled wryly in response.
"I did mean what I told Dan here. It'd be unfair to everyone else. Me and my Airbike are too good for this competition."
It sounded like bragging, but it was the truth, damn it.
"Really now. Then it's a shame you didn't participate. I'm sure a lot of people would have loved to see you participate."
Clarice replied with an earnest smile, easily maneuvering her words to neither agree nor challenge my claims.
"Eh. It doesn't matter now."
I shrugged, hoping to end this conversation here and now. I wasn't planning to brag about my driving skills. Not sure why I started bragging—I mean, stating facts. Dan seemed to have raised my competitive spirits a bit. But it was slowly dying down now.
"Hmm, I think I can pull some strings to allow you in the finals."
Angelica muttered, pondering.
[The Airbike is parked and ready, Captain. Should I bring it?]
'Et tu, Eris?'
"Ah. You don't have to go that far for me. Like I said, it doesn't matter now."
I spoke, hoping to assuage both the blonde and the AI. Yet I also realized I sounded like chickening out. That bugged me a little.
"Oh, but I think you should, Leon!"
"Yes, I agree."
And I was now being pushed forward by the combined might of Clarice and Angelica.
'Dang it. Why did I open my stupid mouth? You reap what you sow, dumbass.'
The annoying bit was that I was so free at the moment that I didn't have a good excuse to reject the proposal. Especially since Angelica was going so far as to do a little favoritism and probably use her name and position to get me in. No way they would've allowed new entries now.
This sort of thing was quite common here in the Academy. But since I was no saint, having used bribery and stuff myself to get what I wanted, I didn't want to comment negatively on it. All things considered, it was pretty nifty.
"Just do it, bro. Surely you're not chickening out now? Why not put your money where your mouth is?"
Dan's words tried to tickle my nerves. I was pretty sure he had intentionally said it to rile me up and accept it. The man just seemed brimming with that competitive aura.
"Hmm… Whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you guys."
All three girls seemed happy at my decision and Angelica immediately excused herself and started dragging our group to get me registered, forgetting all about the stalls selling sweets.
"Well then, I guess I'll see you later, Clarice. And see you guys in the race track, I guess."
I gave a curt greeting to Clarice before leaving, and a nod to everyone else which they responded in kind.
"I wish you all the best, Leon."
Clarice beamed a cheerful smile as I was dragged by both Angelica and Olivia.
Both girls seemed really excited at the prospect of seeing and cheering for me me the upcoming race.
I also noted that Eris had left the moment I accepted, seemingly having gone to get my Airbike.
Maybe she was also interested in seeing me race.
…
… On second thought, I think she just wanted to see the Airbike's performance rather than caring for the actual race. Seriously, she liked her toys way too much—wait, that came out wrong. Never mind.
***
So, I wasn't aware of a few things.
Apparently one could use one of the Academy Airbikes for the race if they didn't own one themselves. And a lot of racers were using said Airbikes. The exceptions to it were people like Jilk who had the money to afford it and Dan and his group who were the retainers of Clarice whose family made them. There were a few others with their own airbikes, but a fair majority were using the standard Academy Airbikes with little to no modifications.
So, I felt a little bad for them that I was going to use the Airbike modified by Eris. Just a little bit.
This thing was simply too overclocked and overpowered.
I whistled, looking at the Airbike painted in metallic grey and blue colors.
"You really went ham with this thing, huh."
I spoke to my invisible companion who was performing some final minute checks on the thing.
Currently, we were in the air bike hanger/storage area where Eris had driven my bike to.
Not sure what the few people present here thought when they saw my Airbike seemingly driving itself to the location.
… Yep, I wasn't going to deal with that mess.
It wasn't me, people. Must be your imagination.
[All tests done. Everything is 100% functional.]
"Great. Then we should be good to go."
I picked the helmet of my driving gear from a tool table nearby and wore it, locking a few mechanisms in place to hold it still.
The helmet had its face completely covered and the 4 holes it had were more for aesthetic and sensory purposes than actual viewing. No, instead, it had an in-built HUD to let me see.
(Image)
The black and grey gear with white highlights was sleek and fit me quite well, except in one area.
I swear all of the suits Eris made for me had the crotch area too tight. I wasn't sure why despite my complaining about it several times in the past. I didn't think she was doing it intentionally. I mean, she had no reason to, right?
Right?
… Anyway, other than that stuffiness, it was a good fit and felt comfortable to wear. Also, probably looked more like an armor rather than a racing gear. It was certainly able to take a lot of beating and was bulletproof, fireproof, and reduced kinetic impacts in case of a sudden fall or impact.
"Let's go, Eris. Time to see what your baby can do."
[It won't disappoint.]
Eris's confidence was clear. And so was her pride.
"I know."
I smiled, though it was hidden by the headgear.
***
"Ladies and Gentle soyboys, it's time for our final race!"
The announcer's loud voice reverberated through the loud crowd, raising the already present excitement higher.
All the racers, including me, were ready in our positions. Due to my last-minute entry—Angelica actually managed to get me in fairly easily—I was at the very last. Not that it mattered.
My entry had caused a fair bit of commotion but when you're a friend of the one who is spearheading the Festival Committee and is the daughter of a Duke who is hell-bent on entering you in the race, it's laughably easy to get entry. As a wise being once said: The power of Nepotism and Favoritism is strong with this one. I hadn't really thought about how much Angelica favored me until now but she sure did.
I observed a few of the racers, mentally pointing out known ones like Jilk, who was the third from the start, and Dan, who was in the second position.
Other than them, none were of note in my head.
"Well then. How do I make it actually fun and not completely one-sided, predictable, and boring?"
[What do you have in mind, Captain?]
Eris, who had fit herself a little above the HUD of the bike asked.
"Hmm, let's see…"
***
-Angelica-
She and Olivia stood in the Observation room, watching the race about to begin from up close.
"Go, Ian! You can do it!"
Hearing Olivia's cheery voice she smiled and was ensured that it was the right decision to convince the others in the committee to let Leon join in on the race.
It wasn't easy, but she had enough power and sway here to make her friends' wishes into reality. This was the least she could do after all she had received from them, especially Leon.
"It's starting."
She murmured to herself, closely observing the race, and silently wishing for Leon to win this race.
"Racers, get ready! In 3…"
She watched with bated breath as the countdown began. Even from up here, she could hear the roaring of the Airbikes, somehow able to pierce through the loud cacophony of the audience.
"2…"
"… 1… GO!!!"
And with that, all the Airbikes rushed ahead, the racers accelerating forward with all their might.
.
.
.
Well, all except one.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"Wha?"
"What's going on? Why isn't that last one moving?"
Everyone present in the Observation room seemed confused by the turn of events. The race had started promptly, and every racer was zooming ahead, trying to outmaneuver the other competitors, and taking the first place which had already been occupied by the racer Dan, followed closely by the second place Jilk.
But back at the start line, one lone racer lay still, not moving one bit from his position.
She frowned, unsure of why Leon wasn't moving from his spot.
"It seems there's some issue with the last racer or his bike. He's not moving at all! At this rate, he's practically lost already! A real shame!"
"Did something go wrong with his bike?"
She murmured to herself, wondering what could have gone wrong. She didn't have time to meet him before in the Airbike hanger since she was occupied with her own work. So, she didn't know whether he got his Airbike checked prior to the race or not.
"Um, Angie. What's happening? Why isn't Ian moving?"
She turned to look at her fellow blonde who seemed equally confused and worried.
"I'm… not sure, Livia."
Her frown deepened as she saw the racers about to reach the halfway point already while Leon just sat there without moving.
'Why is he—?!'
Her musing was cut short when the Announcer announced the racers reaching the mid-way point and that's when it happened.
***
"Aaaaannndd the racers have reached the mid-point, ladies and gentlemen! The chase is hot, but it looks like Dan Fia Elgar will once again take the champion trophy! But it's still not fixed yet as Jilk Fia Marmoria continues to shorten their gap! This is going to be a close call!"
"Alright, Eris. It's show time."
[Activating Primary Thrusters.]
The Airbike produced a silent roar as all the lights on it turned on and it was roaring to go.
'Now nobody can say I didn't give them a fair chance.'
I smirked as my eyes narrowed in focus, my hand tightly grasping the Airbike's handle.
"Hey, Eris."
[Yes, Ian?]
"I. Am. Speed!"
I twisted it fully and the world momentarily turned into a blur as the Airbike shot at a speed that left a momentary afterimage behind as it covered 1/10th of the track with just that initial thrust in less than a second.
Seeing the empty track ahead of me, I glanced at the HUD showing my current speed.
[268 KM/H]
[278 KM/H]
[288 KM/H]
[298 KM/H]
It crossed 100 km in less than two seconds and had easily surpassed 300 KM/H while showing no signs of slowing down.
The fun part was, I had not even reached half of the maximum speed this bike was capable of.
[… I don't get it.]
"WOOOO!!!!"
I howled in joy as my adrenaline started rising from the speed, my bike leaving a neon light afterimage behind me. Not that I was focused on that. My attention was on the now visible racers who were quickly approaching—correction, I was quickly approaching them.
"OH MY GODDD! DID YOU GUYS JUST SEE THAT?! The last racer who was still stuck at the start just zoomed past half of the track in just a few seconds! And he's now rapidly approaching the other racers! How is this possible?! That speed is impossible!!!"
In mere seconds, I had not only reached the one in the second last but also overtaken him and the third last, now quickly approaching the fourth-last racer. The two I had left behind didn't even know what zoomed past them as they seemed too busy trying to overtake one another.
The 'road' ahead was blocked by the remaining racers all scattered across the track making it impossible to overtake them without moving.
My smirk became wider as I used my enhanced senses to perform overtakes by zip-zapping past everyone, doing barrel rolls, spirals, and high-speed lane changes.
It was like I was playing a VR bike racing game while in the air.
"Are you seeing this, everyone?! The previously last racer has managed to reach the top 5, quickly approaching no. 3 and 4—Oh, and we just found out the racer's identity! It's none other than the infamous Prodigious Adventurer himself! Leon Alpenwind! Seriously, is there anything he's NOT exceptional at?!"
Ignoring the commentator who was going nuts over the mic, I had my focus on the last few racers up ahead.
My bike reached and immediately passed the 3rd and 4th positions, leaving them in metaphorical dust as I sped through to the two who were a fair distance ahead of them. The top 2, the Green Ranger and Danny Boy.
'Ka chaw, bitches!'
I clicked on the NOS and the world warped.
***
"Ian! You got first place! Yay! Congrats!"
Olivia cheered happily as I made my way to the two blondes waiting for me in the storage/hangar.
"Thanks, Livia."
"Congratulations, Leon. I knew you'd win. But, what happened? For a while, we were worried something went wrong with your bike."
Angelica enquired and I just smiled at her.
"Nah, the bike was fine. I just wanted to make things a bit more interesting for myself, so I gave everyone a little head start."
The deadpan I received from her was hilarious.
Seeing my amused look, Angelica sighed.
"Seriously. And here I was worried someone tried to sabotage your bike. I reckon there'd be quite a few who weren't happy with my actions or who don't like you but can't act directly against you because of your reputation and power."
"Eh, don't worry about it. My Airbike is protected."
'Eris will probably remotely zap anyone who tries to meddle with her pet bike. She's super protective of it.'
"Hmm. If you say so."
"Hello again."
We turned to see the familiar face of Clarice and her three followers making their way towards us.
"Hey, Clarice. Danny boy. And others."
I greeted, causing Clarice's smile to widen and the boys giving me deadpan stares.
"So… Second place, huh? Congrats. At least you beat Jilk."
I smiled tauntingly to which the guy just smiled back.
"Haha, yeah, I lost. You were too fast. That bike must have some serious modifications done on it."
The guy took the taunting like a champ though, causing my follow-up taunts to die down as I just smiled back.
"Yup. Had the best mechanic in the world working on it. So, it turned out to be a beast of an Airbike."
"I see why you were so confident now."
He nodded, easily accepting his loss.
"Well, that's why I said it'd make things boring. Even with that initial head start I gave them, I still had the advantage."
I shrugged.
The two other guys just looked at me dumbstruck, but Dan took it in strides.
"Hahaha, I see. Well, you're still a pretty great racer. I saw the footage just now. Those maneuvers were crazy. I don't think I could pull them off at those speeds."
"Yes. It was quite amazing to see."
Clarice chimed in as well and everyone present seemed to be nodding in affirmation.
I hummed as I thought back to the race.
It was just a little school competition with a bunch of other kids, but I'd admit, it was kinda fun.
We talked to Clarice's group for a bit before going to the stalls together.
***
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