[129] Blue as the Sky, Sunburned and Lonely, Sipping Tea in the Bar by the Roadside

[129] Blue as the Sky, Sunburned and Lonely, Sipping Tea in the Bar by the Roadside

Chapter 129: Blue as the Sky, Sunburned and Lonely, Sipping Tea in the Bar by the Roadside

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We drove around Japan for hours. Ai was an inexperienced driver, but she refused to let me drive. Not that I minded, her slim waist was a fine piece to grab for hours to end.

Thankfully, as a fast learner, she caused no further accidents. She did have a few close calls, but we managed.

For lunch, we stopped at a cheap roadside restaurant and grabbed Champon. After we filled our tummies, we were on our way once again. This time, I finally managed to sit back in the driving seat.

“So where does mother dearest want to go next?” I asked as I put my helmet on.

“Where did you take Tsubasa to? Take me to those places too. To begin with, I asked for a bike date to visit the places you took her to. So take me to those places.” she said as she sat behind me, her arms wrapping around my chest. It was a warm feeling.

“Hey, you realize you sound like you're competing with Tsubasa right now?” I said and she slapped my back.

“Not at all. I'm just making sure that the places you two went to are safe. Well safe for Tsubasa, you'll be fine I'm sure. Poor girl, I feel bad for her, she got dealt by the short end of the stick because of LoveMy.” She said, “Not only did her man get stolen by three girls, she's not even officially his girlfriend.”

“Oh...” I paused. So she knew of Tsubasa and my relationship?

“Yes, I've been knowing things,” Ai said, pinching my ears. “I just didn't know how to confront you on this since you're a philanderer by nature, it's nothing new to you anyway.”

“Fair.”

“You probably don't even care about them either, having lived as long as you- ah.”

I turned to look at her and she paused. Due to my helmet, she couldn't see my expression, and I'm glad she didn't. The disappointment in my face, to hear something like that from her, would have hurt her.

I turned ahead, let out a sigh, and pulled the throttle. The bike roared and shot like a bullet. The wind hit our helmets as we continued our drive, but this time in silence.

* * *

In the evening, we stopped at a magical place. Lake Kawaguchi. I hadn't come here with Tsubasa, but we came nearby. Since I was here with Ai, I didn't want to miss the sunset of this place.

The Mt. Fuji was a clear picture from here as the sun smiled above it. The evening sun was descending in the west as it cast an otherworldly light over the world.

We took off our helmets and watched it. Ai got off the bike, but I remained atop it, my eyes focused on the mountain.

Goddess Sakurahime, the Goddess of Mt. Fuji was at the peak of that mountain. If I was with someone other than Ai, I'd have gone to visit her. But I didn't want to waste this date’s limited yet precious time.

In silence, Ai and I watched the sun dip behind a mountain range. The world's light retracted and the moon's darkness began to sweep over us.

A gentle wind fluttered the leaves, as well as my blonde hair. Ai’s hair fluttered more as she turned around to face me, a hesitant look on her face, “...Are you mad at me?”

“No,” I said. “Why will I be mad?”

“You've been all silent the entire ride, as well as the last couple of minutes,” with a soft tone, she said.

“Well, it's safer to drive without talking all the time. As for the sunset, it was too breathtaking to interrupt. I'm talking to you now, am I not?” I told her.

“Yet you're talking in such a... flat tone. So dry.” She said, “I... I’m sorry, Aqua. I shouldn't have said that.”

I sighed, “No need to apologize for that, it is a common thing to assume. If I'm as old as you think I am,” and I doubt she realized just how old I truly am, “it's understandable to assume I may not have the heart left to love someone new.”

“W-which clearly isn't true, since you're here with me, so I shouldn't have said such a stupid thing.” She walked up to me and looked into my eyes, “Instead, I think... it rather shows how much you care. Because of the effort you make yourself go through to please them, to create genuine interactions. Despite having done it over and over again, if all you wanted was body and not heart, you could have gotten more than one can count anytime.”

That was a clear confession, there was no misunderstanding in that statement. I met her pink, starry eyes with my blue starry ones, as hers trembled like the waves on a gentle lake. Ai gulped, her lips shaking as she wondered how to answer, and I noticed a sense of fear in the corner of her eyes.

I wondered what she feared. She liked me, both as her son and also as a man—it’s obvious to me by now. Then what did she fear? Did she fear social taboo, even after the story I told her? Or did she fear how our relationship would change if she gave in?

Or... did she fear me?

I gently let go of her body, as well as the emotional baggage she must feel from that question, and stood up. “Let’s get moving. It’s getting late, we should return.”

-「Three little birds sat on my window, And they told me I didn't need to worry... Summer came like cinnamon, so sweet, Little girls double-dutch on the concrete.」

The sky sang gently as I started up the bike. A new Icon was blooming to connect to my soul, and surprisingly, it was an Icon I didn’t recognize—yet something that felt so close to my existence. What an odd feeling.

-「Girl, put your records on, Tell me your favorite song, You go ahead, let your hair down... Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams, Just go ahead, let your hair down. You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow.」

Why is the Icon singing...? I’m not strong enough for an Icon to sing, yet here it is; it means this one’s extremely overpowered, one that’s also really close to me, yet I’m certain I don’t recognize it.

“What is that sound, Aqua?” Ai slipped into my backseat and asked slowly, looking up at the sky. I felt embarrassed to admit that it was an Icon, something that sang for no reason depending on the host’s mood.

It’s odd how, for all the signs that this was an incredibly powerful Icon, it’s singing [Put Your Records On] as if it’s the ‘Love Icon’. Who gave it the right to romanticize this situation? Who made this thing anyway?

I lied, “No idea, mom.”

My bike shot through the highway as the song persistently followed me just like the moon above it. Ai gently rested her head on my back as we streaked through.

-「Blue as the sky, sunburned and lonely, Sipping tea in the bar by the roadside.」

* * *

The sound of rain dancing against the earth filled our ears, a gentle reminder of nature's presence as the bike moved under it. The rain, relentless in its descent, cloaked the world in a hazy, liquid veil, transforming the roads and landscape into a shimmering tableau of light and shadow.

Just to put it out of the way, the rain did not come because I was heartbroken after a rejection. It’s natural—or maybe something supernatural, I don’t know. It’s not me.

Our bike sliced through the damp air, its tires hissing softly on the wet asphalt. The raindrops peppered my visor and jacket, a refreshing, entirely welcome, sensation that spoke of the inherent wildness of our journey.

To keep Ai protected, I had conjured a shield of wind around us, a bubble of calm that repelled the rain for the most part and kept us dry. I kept it thicker around Ai and thinner around me; I liked the rain, there was a certain thrill to this ride through the storm, a feeling of being alive and at one with the rain that fell so freely from the sky.

We darted through the rainy road, our bike's engine a comforting rumble beneath us. The cool, rain-infused air was a balm to the senses, bringing with it the earthy scent of wet soil and the promise of renewal. Our passage kicked up a misty wake, a fleeting signature on the wet canvas of the road.

But then Ai's voice, soft and cautious, cut through the rhythm of the rain. "Aqua," she said, signaling a desire to pause in our journey through this liquid world. I responded to her unspoken request, easing the throttle and guiding us to the sanctuary provided by the tree's outstretched limbs.

We came to a stop under the banner of a large tree, with city lights in the distance, and at that, the rain around us seemed to intensify. Sheltered beneath the tree, I made the windshield denser and looked back at her.

“Yes, mom?”

“It’s chilly,” she said. “It’s late too. The road is dangerous; if not for us then for those who might accidentally collide with us. So I say... let’s find a hotel for the night, we can return home tomorrow morning.”

I stared at her helmet for a few seconds, unable to see her expression. Then I nodded and turned ahead again. The bike roared one last time as it carried us to the city ahead, where we lodged into a hotel under fake identities.

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