Darkness that came after the red-tinged twilight.

Warm streetlights twinkling in the academy city streets not yet fallen asleep.

A time when cold stars pour down from the sky visible beyond the World Tree’s branches.

Towards the outskirts of the academy city.

There were those racing towards that horizon.

Dozens of illegally modified ether  bikes occupying the road side by side. Like dozens of remora sharks swimming attached to the surface of a huge fish, they were marching proudly surrounding one massive  vehicle.

Vrooooom―!!

Vroom―vroom―

Woooong―!!

Large exhaust pipes.

Noise spewed out with every run.

Heat coming in between the legs.

Although they were  bikes clumsily modified to run on illegally obtained ore instead of officially approved ether conductive ore, their crude and rough appearance rather appealed to the delinquent students.

Perhaps due to the chilling sense of liberation felt from being bound to nowhere?

Like kites with cut strings in a typhoon, the delinquent students endlessly race on the road. And they were advancing while brandishing weapons in the air or shouting wildly.

Among them, two who were most obsessed with speed and racing to take the lead. The speed of those two  bikes was truly worthy of being called reckless driving.

“Kyahahahaha―!!”

“Yeehaw―!!”

“Kukukk―!! Hey! Your engine sound is killer today―?”

“What? Can’t hear you!! Speak louder!!”

“Your engine sound!! It’s even more killer today!!”

“Kyahahahaha―!! Well, since the young master said it’s the last request and gave us lots of illegal ether ore. I sneaked some last night without the boss knowing and put it in mine―!!”

“What? Kukuk!! You’re really crazy, aren’t you? If the boss finds out, you’ll really disappear without a trace in the slums!! Kukuk…!!”

“Ah~ I don’t care, I don’t care!! I’m satisfied as long as I can ride now―!!”

Vroom― vroom―

Vrooooom―!!

As if showing off whose  bike was more monstrous, the two pulling their throttles and making noise.

Amidst the noise, there was a strange sound piercing their ears.

Ching☆

Ching☆

Strangely irritating.

A suspiciously lovely  bicycle bell sound.

Ching☆

Ching☆

The two delinquent students who were in the midst of reckless driving looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

“…?”

“…?”

Since the two were far ahead racing recklessly, except for their companions and the large  vehicle behind, there should normally be no one around the road.

It was strange.

“…”

“…”

Ching☆

Ching☆

Even amidst the noisy engine sounds, the lovely  bicycle bell sound doesn’t fade away. It kept coming at the same volume.

To be precise, it was getting louder than before.

Ching☆

Ching☆

As the two were looking around like that, a high school girl with flowing pink hair cut in between them.

A red afterimage.

Whoosh――

A red  bicycle starting to overtake between the two recklessly driving  bikes. There was a pink-haired girl with a brown-haired girl riding behind her.

The pink-haired girl riding a bicycle at an unbelievable speed greeted in a leisurely voice.

“Hello―☆”

“Huh?”

“Eh.”

“What on earth…?!”

“Are you crazy?! Catching up to bi-bikes while riding a  bicycle?!”

“No, now she’s overtaking?! What is this―?!”

Swish swish swish swish swish―!!

Clack clack clack clack clack―!!

Like a piston vigorously reciprocating in an engine, the bicycle pedals moving with transcendent leg repetition speed.

The afterimage left by the red body and the eerie sound of the chain rotating.

Swish swish swish swish swish―!!

Clack clack clack clack clack―!!

Truly a terrifying sight.

When the two delinquent students were flustered seeing that, the girl with a suspiciously lovely smile let go of the handlebars and took out swords from the bag hanging behind the  bicycle with both hands.

Woooong―

With an ominous sound, the swords in both hands are covered in red ether. And then they swelled up like balloons and heated up.

The pink-haired girl, with a bright expression, thrust those weapons that had heated up like bombs into the front wheels of the two  bikes.

“Here goes―☆”

Crunch―!

Between frantically rotating wheels.

Swords thrust with precise timing into the empty space.

A gap difficult to hit even by chance.

The two delinquent students screamed in shock.

“Uwaaaaaa?!”

“Nooooooo!!”

And then explosion.

Booooom―!!

Red flames and scorching heat.

Exploding leaving acrid smoke and tremendous scattered debris.

The two delinquent students soaring up like rockets flying towards distant space.

The delinquent students who were riding the two  bikes soared into the sky.

“Uwaaaaaa――!!”

“Aaaaaaa――!!”

Whoooosh―!!

The two who had soared into the sky. Leaving only faint screams, they gradually flew away into the darkness and disappeared.

Twinkle―!

At the last moment, they shone like stars.

* * *

Alvit muttered blankly.

“…That was an amazing flight.”

“…Well, this much is nothing for high school girls, right? They’ll suffer for about a week though―!”

“By the way, I’ve been wondering, why is your  bicycle so fast, senior?! This really isn’t a normal speed―!!”

“Red Hare originally increases movement speed―☆”

“No, what’s that… Haah… I shouldn’t even ask.”

I grabbed the  bicycle handlebars again and adjusted the speed.

Because I heard the engine sounds of the following  vehicles chasing from behind.

Vrooooom―!!

Vroom― vroom―!!

Woooong――!!

After witnessing the two leading  bikes being taken down in such an absurd way,

The hostility of the delinquent students riding the  vehicles following behind felt like it was piercing the sky.

Whoosh―

As I gradually reduced the pedaling speed, the distance with those following behind grew closer, And the vaguely felt sensory information became more accurate.

‘Hmm… It seems there are hostages in a large trailer-like  vehicle…’

The sound felt from the vibrations of the large  vehicle.

Information grasped through the subtle tremors and presence of the vehicle.

The cargo compartment in the back was divided by partitions.

‘Hostages, and guards I suppose.’

A place to confine the kidnapped ones. And 5 delinquent students watching in case they try to escape.

‘Riffraff who can barely handle [Basic Ether]. I can leave this to Alvit.’

“…”

I glanced at the cargo compartment of the large vehicle where I sensed a particularly sensitive presence from inside.

Though blocked by walls.

-Twitch…

I could sense it through their presence.

Most of the hostages were giving off confused presences, and among them was one who was particularly startled and twitching.

‘Judging by the presences, it seems they’ve loaded about 10 kidnapped students. Seeing one reacting sensitively like a beastkin, moving their ears, that must be Rota.’

During my turbulent first year, I often beat up beastkin who came at me, so I knew well how they startled.

As Rota was a sensitive cat beastkin, she would likely wake up faster than others from hearing the noise.

‘I was worried because Rota’s story had particularly tricky timing.’

I was inwardly relieved that I could rescue her in time.

But these hostages here can’t be all of them. The numerous hostages that the shopping district person witnessed are probably at their base.

‘From now on, I should think of this as a bonus stage for the diligent Alvit.’

It would be perfect if we rescue them too while we’re here.

Thinking that, I continued pedaling. My legs moving leaving afterimages faithfully performed repetitive motions, adjusting the  bicycle’s speed.

Not knowing my inner thoughts, Alvit sighed from the back seat, looking at the results of what I had done.

“Haah…”

The following  vehicles slowly approaching even now, filled with anger.

They were full of angry voices from numerous delinquent students.

“Who the hell are those bitches!!”

“Those bitches!! Looking at their coats, they’re from the Union!! They’re Union trash!!”

“Catch them!! Get them!!”

Vrooooom―!!

Vroom― vroom―!!

Woooong―!!

But perhaps due to the debris from the two  bikes blown away earlier, some  bikes were falling over while trying to avoid it recklessly.

“Aaaaaack?!”

“Ca-can’t avoid it…!”

“Gaack―!!”

“Uh, uh, uh――?!”

Screech―!!

Boooom!!

Bang!!

Bang!!

Rhythmic collision sounds like applause. As a bonus, there was also a chain collision accident where numerous bikes amicably became one.

Delinquent students flying off and fainting with the accident.

The road had truly become a complete mess.

Alvit praised my ether operation technique that had made them like this.

“Senior… That’s really a strange ether operation method.”

“Wow! Thanks for the compliment!”

“It’s not a compliment!! It’s just a waste of weapons and ether!! Unless you’re lucky enough to stab it into the wheel like before. Most people would avoid that level!”

“But it succeeded―☆ Yes! I’m truly a girl of fortune―☆”

“Ugh…!”

“By the way, Alvit☆ That large  vehicle over there~ Something~ Something~ My girl’s intuition is really hitting me―☆ Could you go up and check it out?☆”

Normally I would have teased more leisurely, but unfortunately, this wasn’t a situation to be so relaxed now.

‘It seems we’ll arrive at these guys’ base soon…’

Alvit was about to say something more, but eventually nodded.

“…We should rescue the people first anyway.”

“That’s right―☆”

Ching―

Ching―

And following the movement of Red Hare slowly approaching the large  vehicle, she prepared to jump off at any time, drawing up ether throughout her body.

The moment we approached to get Alvit close to the large  vehicle.

Suddenly, an engine sound right next to us.

Vrooooom――!!

There was one small fry pouncing on us with a drawn sword.

“Kyaha!! Take this―!!”

Swoosh―!

The small fry was trying to stab Alvit, who was preparing to get up from behind, by surprise.

“…!”

A blade thrusting in like a knight entering a jousting match.

The blade with a sharp blue edge was clumsy, but it definitely contained red ether that could injure Alvit.

“Got you!!”

“No you don’t―☆”

“What do you mean no!”

I narrowed my vision to look at the small fry’s approaching  bike.

‘I see the world of the moment.’

Expanding senses.

Expanding cognition.

Expanding time.

The small fry’s mouth is moving slowly. Dust and wind are felt. All the chaos in the radius is refined.

Perceived as laid out paths.

[Nooooooooo――yoooooouuuu――dooooooon’t…]

Entering the world of the moment, the surrounding noise stretches like a slowly played audio file. And the extreme sense of observing the world comes alive.

A slowed world.

From irregularity to regularity.

A scene where the trajectories of all objects are slowly visible.

Among them, leaving afterimages, going round and round again and again, I look at the front wheel of the  bike the small fry is riding.

Tick―

Tick―

Tick―

I find that moment of rotation, take out one of the practice weapons I brought, and stick it into the wheel of the  bike visible between the afterimages.

And the world begins to flow at its original speed again.

“―Noyoudon’ack?!”

Tick―!

Crash bang―!!

Screech―!!

The small fry’s bike stopped rotating its wheel and tumbled over.

Alvit tilts her head looking at the small fry who suddenly charged and fell over on his own.

This took 0.02 seconds.

I pressed the pedal again, relieved that Alvit was safe.

“Oh my☆ He fell―!”

“What?”

“It’s nothing―☆”

We approached the large  vehicle like that, and continued a long chase until arriving at their base.

* * *

Screech―!!

Bang―!!

“Kyaa―?!”

“Kyaaaack!!!”

“Uuugh!!”

Rota and the students captured as hostages tumble over while tied up from the impact of the brakes.

Rota was just trembling in utter helplessness.

‘What… is going on?!’

It was then.

Creak―

“…!”

Along with the sound of hinges opening, someone entered the cargo compartment.

‘Who is it…?’

Rota felt fear due to the presence approaching her, but when the person who approached removed the cloth covering her eyes, she couldn’t help but be surprised at her appearance.

White coat.

White uniform.

And gentle eyes.

“Don’t worry. We’ve come to rescue you from <Central Prism Academy>.”

A diligent and reliable voice.

The girl with matching brown bob-cut hair untied the ropes binding her.

Rota sighed in relief at those words and said:

“Th… Thank you.”

* * *

At the same time.

In the delinquent students’ base lined with tall abandoned buildings, a huge figure was watching the scene.

“…”

A head with horns reminiscent of a dragon.

And a muscular body overflowing with dark red energy.

An ominous aura endlessly rising.

The suspicious man quietly muttered.

“Huh… The disciple told me to collect the ether from those remaining, but. I suppose this is the extent of the inferior ones’ work.”

Behind the man were students collapsed after forcibly having their ether absorbed. They were the hostages who had been kidnapped by the delinquent students.

Gooo―

The overwhelming aura of the monstrous person.

It was an evil aura that could make ordinary students faint from the pressure if they faced it.

The suspicious man gradually became angry while emitting an ominous aura throughout his body.

“To dare prevent the disciple’s orders from being fully carried out… They deserve to die――”

Boooom―!!

Suddenly, with a huge sound, two small hands appeared from the floor where the man was standing.

Those hands firmly grasped the man’s legs.

“――Hardat?!”

“Yes~☆ I’ve come to apply a balance patch―☆ Mid-boss shouldn’t interfere with early friendship events―☆”

“Wh-What is this?! When did you come?! Aaaah―!!!”

-Aaaaaaaaaaaa…

The huge man was dragged into the hole in the floor while screaming. And silence returned to the room again.