CH 72

We had a test run. Bennyboy also came along in his Char, apparently being curious. I watched the whole show from atop my Ryoku.

Thinking it’d distract the driver if someone watched and talked to them from the side, I added a 【Talking Char】 function to the navigational system, so the explanation of the functions should pose no problems.

＊

Sword – as might be expected from him being an Allrounder – managed to drive the camping car without a hitch.

“That one goes like lightning, doesn’t it?”

“Bennyboy, yours is for transporting goods, so the freight would be shaken around if you went too fast. Also, if a huge bug went on long trips at high speed, people would fall into panic, right? Sword’s car is a toy. Since it’s intended for him to have some fun around here, I fiddled with it to my liking.”

“I s’pose that makes sense.”

After driving normally for some time, Sword’s car jumped.

“Whoa!?”

I mean, it’s a Kn○ht Rider, so a jumping function is a must!

“D-Didn’t it f-fly just now?”

“That’s why I told you that it’s Sword’s personal toy. It’s completely removed from the idea of transport. Also, it’s jumping. Jumping.”

“Haah?”

After having jumped several times, its wings came out as the flight time had apparently become too long.

“Whaaa!!”

Sword’s car flew off with a buzz. Gradually the inertial flight time stopped and the speed dropped, resulting in a relaxed flight.

Bennyboy stared with his mouth agape, completely dumbfounded.

“Don’t fly up too high~! You’ll draw too much attention~!” I informed Sword while empowering my voice with a booster spell.

After flying around for a while, he apparently had his fill, and landed on the ground again. Then he drove his car over to us, and stopped. I got off Char with my Ryoku.

“How was it?”

“I haven’t heard anythin’ ’bout it goin’ to jump!” He thundered.

Contrary to my expectation of him enjoying himself, he was startled, it seems.

“Should I remove the function then?”

“Nah, just leave it there.”

So he did have a blast after all.

“Also, you mentioned a ［Bike］ or somethin’ like that?”

“Yep. In the language of this world you’d describe it as Two-wheeled Golem, I guess. Let’s see…I think I’ll name it ［Bronko］. It means Vaulting Horse.”

Bennyboy was shocked.

“Just a sec, Indra. Aren’t you pampering Mr. Sword way too much? Building something that’s far more amazing than ancient golems and readily giving it to him just like that…in the first place, Mr. Sword doesn’t even need it, does he? He can run much faster than a golem, right?”

Apparently well aware of it himself, Sword quietly averted his face as he was unable to refute.

“Now, now, he’s taking care of me in various ways, and I like building stuff. It’s not like he forced me into it. I made it and gave it to him on my own accord, so don’t be so bitter about it.”

Bennyboy sighed deeply, “…Somehow, you’re totally like an adult. Men, you see, never stop being little boys, but you don’t follow that rule at all.”

That’s because I’m a woman.

＊

Next, the bike test run.

Seeing Bronko after it was unloaded by Ryoku, the two men howled, “”Uuoooooohhh!!””

The frame imitated that of a fully cowled tour bike, just with a conspicuously futuristic style. I colored it piano white – Sword’s personal color – and accentuated it with black – Sword’s eye color. For the frame I properly used metal, and even coated it!

However, since it’s not like it’s powered by an engine and gasoline, half of it is hollow!

“Awesome! It’s so friggin’ cool! The hell’s this!? I can’t believe my own eyes!!”

“You can build such stuff ‘s well!?”

Leaving aside Bennyboy’s exuberant praise, Sword’s comment is rather rude, isn’t it?

“Actually I’m surprised that you guys consider it cool. I thought you wouldn’t understand the artistic appeal behind this.”

“”I don’t wanna be told that by someone who builds insectoid golems!!””

They retorted in sync.

＊

Shaking their comment off, I explained, “It uses biometric authentication. It’ll start up if you touch the handle.”

Sword straddled it, grabbed the handle, and turned the switch on!

“Whooaa! It’s glowing!”

Lamps went on all over the frame.

“Wow, this is amazin’. I’m gettin’ totally hyped here!”

“Glad to hear. It doesn’t matter which side, but if you twist the grip towards yourself, it’ll speed up, and if you twist it the other way, it’ll slow down. If you let go of it, the speed will be locked, but continue to drop over time. You’ll find a lever close to the right hand grip. That one’s the brake. Don’t grab and screw it around with a jerk, okay? You’d experience an impact that would be far worse than a horse suddenly stopping mid-gallop. Since it’s dangerous, it’s set to limit the speed at first.”

I gave him a run-down on the operation.

You can release the speed limit with the left footpeg. It has three stages: 『Normal』, 『Speedy』, 『Ultimate』. For each stage you have to lift the footpeg while pinning down the level at the left hand grip. Once the bike stops, it returns to 『Normal』. Otherwise it’d leap up when departing. Etc., etc.

“…Moreover, it’s a hidden function, but this bike can 『Jump』 as well. If you reach under the right hand grip with your thumb, you’ll find a button. Press it while keeping the timing in mind. Depending on how strongly you press it, the jump power will change. When you dismount the bike, press this stop panel over here. Stands will come out. Also…it’s wrong to merely sit on the bike and steer it with the handle. The trick is to tightly keep the bike’s seat between your thighs and bend the bike to the sides by shifting your center of gravity.”

“Gotcha. I’ll practice.”

Sword immediately got started.

＊

Oof, nothing less of an S-Rank adventurer. He’s already driving it quite proficiently despite being a beginner at it. It makes me slightly envious.

I want to ride it as well, but since I made it for Sword, my feet won’t reach the pegs thanks to my loli body! And here I had thought that I might be able to rebuild it for my own use if he’d said that he doesn’t want it!

“How nice, so damn nice! Always pampering only Mr. Sword～”

Bennyboy looked super jelly.

“…I don’t really mind building one for you as well, but that thing is really dangerous, you know? Sword might survive a fall, but any ordinary human would definitely suffer heavy injuries, and if unlucky, die on the spot.”

“Ugh～ I can’t ride such a fearsome magic horse! Or rather, is the danger of being thrown off smaller, the less ferocious it is in comparison to a magic horse?”

……

Is it…?

I can’t tell.

“Oh well, whatever. I’ll build you one.”

“Yahoooooo!” Bennyboy danced in joy.

“But, since it’s going to be dangerous, I want you to wear boots, knee and elbow protectors, and a shock-reducing helmet.”

“Whoa, I’ll be just like an adventurer. But, who cares. It’ll be cool as long as I think of it as a magic horse. I’ll ride it while wearing powerful shock-absorbing armor.”

In the background, Sword had probably shifted the mode after completely mastering the driving. Letting the bike race across the plain with a loud vrooming, he casually pulled off a slalom track, and occasionally let the bike leap and jump.

……Don’t tell me that having built a Char for him had been completely for naught…!?

＊

Later on I also finished Bennyboy’s bike. It’s a version with the same shape but gray on piano black coloring!

“Wow! So flashy!”

“Because it seems like it’d fit a playboy.”

“Hah?”

I’d planned to use the reverse color scheme of Sword’s bike, but since that’d have become way too garish, I toned it down. Of course I plan to make mine blue-green. But, currently I’ve got no time to play around with bikes.

Next I must turn my attention back to the restaurant again.