Chapter 26: Test Drive

The sound of the—magical—engine purr echoed through an empty street in the city of Bac. Elena had lead Meisatsu and Ayame there, knowing the area saw little traffic

Since the Magi-Mobile had yet to be ridden, it had been rolled over the cobblestones to this spot.

Meisatsu hoisted himself onto the seat, gripping the handles. He throttled it, savoring the roaring—magical—engine. It still baffled him how they managed to replicate an engine roar with magic…

“Alright! Let’s do this!” he shouted, fixing his eyes on the end of the cul-de-sac–like stretch ahead.

As a precaution, Meisatsu activated his suit—The Dark Night—which nimbly wrapped around him. An all-black cape billowed gracefully.

Just for a little extra defense.

Elana strolled up to his side. “That’s one nifty armor ya got there!”

“Thanks! It’s new!” he replied, a wholesome pride exuding him.

“And earlier, you called this thing a motorcycle? A Darely…” She trailed off, unable to remember the full name. “How about ya just call it the V2?!”

“I uh…” Contemplating the suggestion, Meisatsu weighed his options.

It’s shorter. Easy to remember... Guess I’ll go with that…

“Yeah, V2 sounds nice.” He then steadied himself, eyes locked on the cobble stones ahead.

Clasping her hands tightly, Ayame was on edge, ready to swoop in and save him from any accident. “Do your best, Satsu!!!”

It’s only a test drive…

Throttling the handle, the V2 began to roll, slowly. The numbers ticked upward.

001… 002…

The runes seemed to glow and oscillate a little bit faster around the figures as they increased.

Meisatsu muttered to himself, “So it works just like a speedometer…”

He gave the throttle another twist—

003… 006…

—sending the Magi-Mobile lurching forward, nearly knocking him off and draining a bit more of his magic in the process.

Ayame almost rushed to him, but held herself back when she saw he was still saddled on it.

“Phew…” She sighed, as a hand pressed atop her—soft—chest in relief.

Elena, on the contrary, was ecstatic. She was hopping and skipping in little circles, overjoyed that her creation actually worked.

The V2 picked up from its crawl, rolling forward at a steady pace. Meisatsu had only ever ridden a bicycle before, but it was somehow enough to give him the basics.

As he neared the end of the street, he cautiously turned the handles, making a curve. Until—

A tickle in his nostril. A sneeze…

“Atchooo!” The forceful reflex action twisted his hand on the throttle, shooting the V2 forward.

In a split second, Ayame moved. With one hand she caught Meisatsu before he could hit the cobblestones. With the other, she cast a spell that stopped the Magi-Mobile in its tracks—though part of her was tempted to just let it crash into a wall. Still, the race mattered more. And Meisatsu’s happiness even more so.

“Are you alright?!!” Elena screamed, sprinting toward them, her chest moving in a subtle, rhythmic bounce.

“Yeah! I’m…” She ran past him, heading straight for the V2. “Fine…”

Meisatsu watched in bewilderment as Elena pet her creation, like one would a beloved animal. He could relate because, that's exactly how he treated his Glock. Then he realized he hadn’t hit the ground. A single arm held him steady, straddling him.

His eyes panned upward to Ayame—her expression deeply unsettling, a somewhat depraved grin curled at her lips…

Ignoring her freakish strength, he wriggled out of her cradle and cleared his throat. “That was on me…”

“Try to be a little more careful next time, Satsu. You scared the magic right outta me just now…” Ayame pouted, her tender lips pushed forward.

“Sorry…”

Elena, still petting the V2 as though it were alive, chimed in. “Oh, Meisatsu, you’re good too? Great.”

“Thanks for asking…” he muttered back halfheartedly, before climbing on again and speeding away from her.

✦✦✦

Hours of focused practice passed. Circling the street again and again, he decided to push the pace.

009… 015…

Pleased with the results, Elena suggested he was ready for an open-road test. This time through the city’s main streets, right among the crowd.

She and Ayame would follow from above, guiding him toward an even wider stretch where he could finally test the V2’s maximum speed.

“Look at that!”

“I’ve never seen anything like it…”

“He’s wearing weird armor. But—I think I’d get one myself…”

Those were the whispers rippling through the streets as people gawked at the strange display. Their eyes stayed locked on Meisatsu’s black cape—woven as if from pure darkness—fluttering majestically behind him..

Both his cheeks reddened from all the attention.

Still, Meisatsu pressed on at a steady pace, weaving carefully around pedestrians atop his V2, while above him Ayame carried Elena, guiding his path.

Flames blasted from beneath Ayame’s soles, propelling her forward in the direction Elena pointed.

Ayame smirked faintly. “He looks like he’s enjoying himself.”

“’Course he is. It was made just for him—there’s nothing else like it. Who wouldn’t be happy?”

At last, they descended toward a vast open area on the city’s edge. In the distance, nothing but endless dirt stretched outward, as far as the eye could see.

But Elena explained that beyond the open land lay other cities—still very, very far away.

“’Kay! Just head straight—fast as ya can. Ayame’s here to help if anything comes up.”

A few paces behind her, Ayame nodded vigorously, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

“Alright!” The V2 roared to life as Meisatsu pulled away from them, riding off into the distance. “Let’s see how fast you can really go!”

Ever since the appraisal, Meisatsu had slowly realized that he'd developed a strange knack for sensing weight and speed.

So, he had had decided to compare the V2's speed to the memory of his family’s SUV back home, when he’d once caught a glimpse of the speedometer at 30 km/h.

The V2 surged forward and the wind tugged his hair back. The breeze whipped against his face, and a undeniably pleasant thrill coursed through him. To Meisatsu, it was freedom. An entirely new experience, unlike anything from his previous life.

030…

As the numbers glowed, Meisatsu could instantly tell it was calibrated to the same measurements. “Let’s do fifty!”

050…

The wheels spun, and dust and dirt split in equal halves before the front tire in response. “This is awesome!!!”

“Take it easy, Satsu!!!” Ayame shouted as she watched him shrink into the distance.

“Now for a hundred!” The runes circled the numbers in a blur as the speed climbed even higher.

098… 100…

The rush of air roared past his ears, and dust whipped at his face, forcing his eyes into a squint as he tore across the open plains. “Whoooooo!”

Before his reincarnation, Meisatsu had occasionally dabbled in cars and bikes. He often watch videos that broke down specs and performance on a channel called CarNow.

From that, he knew a Darely Havidson could potentially reach speeds of up to 200 km/h…

And he was determined to hit those numbers. Leaning forward, he twisted the throttle grip, the V2 roaring as it blazed across the dusty expanse.

200… 250… 251…

It’s going faster?!!

The V2 raced across the open space. While its speed climbing, he felt his energy draining, just quickly…

A soft hand caught him mid-fall. Ayame appeared, wrapped in burning flames, leaving a trail of fire as she closed the impressive distance in seconds.

She gently laid the unconscious Meisatsu down, simultaneously releasing her spell holding the V2 in place, before kicking the stand into position.

Meisatsu woke, felling lightheaded. He blinked at two faces looming over him. Ayame and Elena had carried him back to the workshop and placed him on an old sofa.

“What happened…?”

“I think you went overboard with your magic output,” Elena answered. Her voice was heavy, with remorse. “I should’ve warned you…”

Ayame lightly bonked him on the head. “I told you to be careful, didn’t I?”

Meisatsu just nodded gently.

Ayame’s expression softened as she continued, “Well, it’s not like anything would’ve happened to you with me around, so it’s fine.”

Chuckling softly, Meisatsu sat up on the sofa. “I’m sorry for bothering you…”

He gave a small bow.

So cute!!! ran through her thoughts.

He turned to Elena. “You know? I’ve been wondering…”

“Yeah?” She faced him squarely.

“What…inspired you to make these Magi-Mobiles?”

“Oh, I didn’t create them.”

A surprised look flashed across Meisatsu’s face. “I thought…”

“I get the confusion. The truth is, they’ve been around for about…five thousand years.”

Really?! That long?!!

Elena nodded at his shocked expression. “They say the first ones appeared during the time of the Mage Hero. Records suggest he was the one who first proposed the ideas and designs.”

“This is the first I’ve ever heard of that!” Ayame exclaimed. Being well-versed in Hero history—thanks to her research after her brother became one—she was genuinely surprised.

“It’s more like a rumor passed down among us High-Craftsmen,” Elena continued. “The Hero back then entrusted us with the task, believing we’d be able to make it happen!”

The usual bubbly energy had returned to Elena’s voice, banishing the previous somber tone.

An uneasy feeling swelled in Meisatsu. If that’s true… does that mean he’s from…?

After saying their goodbyes, Meisatsu wheeled the V2 down to the inn with Ayame. Tomorrow, they would be heading back to Beetho to prepare for the race.

The night proved unpleasant as sleep eluding him. The possibility that someone else had possessed knowledge of his world lingered in his mind.

He didn’t know whether to feel happy or concerned, but decided to simply continue living his life as usual…