Minoru cursed inwardly; he didn't have time to argue with Ryuuju, and that old man was crossing a line.
"There's no time," he said hurriedly.
"Hey, at least explain what's happening."
"What are you doing? Get off, Ryuju."
"Huh...?" Momo frowned, "This is my favorite bike of course I'll come with you. Why should I trust my bike to you, sensei?"
Minoru looked at her as she took a seat in the back, "Fair enough..."
The corner of her lips curled up, "Can you drive this thing? If not, I'll take the wheel."
"Yeah..." Without hesitation, he swung a leg over Momo's motocross bike, hand dancing over the throttle. The engine growled to life, its roar echoing through the air. "...hold on to something."
"Wait a sec... Humm... There's nothing to hold on to on this kind of bike," Momo argued, looking at his back before boldly wrapping her arms around his waist. "Alright, go ahead," she added, an unamused expression revealing her lack of inhibition.
Still maintaining a poker face, he pondered, 'What's up with her...?'
Minoru sensed a "pressure" against his back, but he dismissed it, focusing on shifting the bike gears. With a forceful yank on the throttle, the rear tire screeched in a desperate search for traction. They catapulted out of the building at breakneck speed.
Anyway... what the hell just happened? Why are those two treating the rest of us like background characters?
The delinquents were well aware that Ryuju Momo was a tough nut to crack, not someone easily handled. Don't even ask about trying to get close to her—tons of idiots who tried to make a move ended up in pretty sorry states.
"That asshole! He got a hug from Ryuju-sama!"
"Fuck! This is unfair!"
"Yamamoto! What should we do!?"
The boys looked dumbfounded. How... How did this guy get a hug from our boss just like that!?
Masa, momentarily dazed, turned furious. Even though he was Momo's top dog, how did this injustice happen to him?
"Ojii-sama won't be happy hearing this news," he grumbled, looking at the building entrance unhappily. "Let's kill him."
---
Meanwhile, Momo's underlings cursed Minoru. He rode the bike as fast as he could; the road was mostly dirt, not asphalt, but thankfully, Momo's motocross bike could handle it.
In the back seat, Momo clung to Minoru's back, curiosity etching her face as she wondered about their destination. Peeking over his right shoulder, she could feel the rushing wind intensify with its speed, "Hey, where are we go—watch out! Hard right turn up ahead, slow down! Slow down!" Momo's panic surged at the looming sharp turn, her grip on Minoru tightening further, inadvertently exposing her fear of being a passenger rather than in control.
Yet Minoru remained calm. "Hold on!"
He let down his right foot, the rear tire sliding to the left as the bike entered the corner. He expertly controlled the bike, turning the handlebars to the opposite way. Minoru pulled the throttle again as they hit a fairly straight road.
Momo watched in amazement as Minoru repeated the move at every corner. Her anxiety eased as she observed his skill.
Watching from the back, she thought. 'Damn, he's good—better than me.' She had initially assumed Minoru's riding skills were average, but he was a pro at riding a dirt bike like this.
"Sensei! Where are we going!?" she asked loudly over the roaring exhaust.
"Cow Farm!" Minoru replied, his eyes focused on the road.
"The heck? a farm!?" Momo looked away from the road to his face as if confirming something. Then she asked, "Farm? What's going on there?"
As they emerged from the dense forest, a vast open area and a meadow unfolded before them, welcoming their arrival. Minoru skillfully maneuvered the dirt bike toward the farm's open gate, coming to a sudden halt in front of the bewildered group responsible for the farm's upkeep. Their faces turned pale, clearly caught off guard by the unexpected arrival.
Disembarking from the bike, Minoru and Momo approached the group. Recognizing him, the chief hurriedly ran towards Minoru, panic evident in his voice, "Sir! We had no idea what just happened! Someone opened the gate without our knowledge!"
Concerned about the escaped cattle, Minoru inquired, "Are all the cows escaped? How many of them?" To his question, Momo gasped, anxiously scanning the surroundings.
"Twenty-one, sir!" The chief replied breathlessly. "The cows broke free not long ago, and they were heading towards the main building. This isn't good, sir! Throughout winter, they've been confined to the barn, but someone turned on the sprinkler, making them cold and stressed. Ah, I don't know how, but suddenly, the barn gates opened, and it's not an ideal time for them to be outside," he explained as Minoru narrowed his brow.
"Sensei! There's a large crowd in the auditorium!" Momo shouted, realizing the gravity of the situation.
A welcome ceremony was scheduled in the main building complex, and the potential danger posed by agitated cows could be catastrophic.
Assessing the situation, Minoru thought, 'Cattle are moody creatures which is, they go berserk when their mood gets messed up. And I had no idea Henry was this batshit crazy about a test, and that woman is probably smirking at my situation.'
From the beginning, Minoru already duplicated the system in the principal's room and the purpose was not to get control but so he could detect something like this. He knew that the principal had control over all facilities, including the farm, with just a single click.
Frustrated with this yet still calm, he considered using Ryuju's bike but deemed it too unstable for handling cattle.
Bullets? Contemplating a gun as a potential solution, he hesitated, realizing the repercussions and potential cancellation of the event in this non-gun-friendly country, and the academy didn't have such thing as arms security since it's illegal.
And what if he let this be and let the outsider do the job?
Judging by the situation, this Academy was as secure as a presidential meeting. Minoru was aware of the numerous men strategically positioned outside the academy. Hailing from influential families such as Shinomiya, Shijo, Yukinosita, and even foreign figures from troublesome kingdoms, they were all here to safeguard the Second Princess, Teresa de Luxemburg.
'Should I ask her? No...'
He wondered if he should seek help from Maki as she was still indebted to him. But still, he'd lose his position. There's no option for that. No doubt, he must take the job himself.
"Chief!" A distressed voice came in a hurry. "The horse! We can't control Yuuya; he's too strong! I'm afraid he'll escape in no time!"
"What!?" The chief exclaimed. "Lock him up no matter what!"
"T-That's impossible, sir. Did you forget what kind of horse he is? No one can control him except the founder himself, Chief!"
The chief glanced at Minoru. "Sir, what should w—?" Minoru interrupted.
"That's it." Minoru had an idea. "Take me to where you parked the horsebox." He stared daggers at the chief, making him gulp nervously. "I'll handle Yuuya."
"I beg your pardon?" The chief looked dazed as if he thought Minoru was crazy.
"You heard me. There's no time, show me where he is now."
The chief was somehow more nervous to refuse him than to handle the horse. "Y-Yes, follow me."
Minoru nodded as they went to Yuuya's horsebox.
"HUH!?" Momo blurted out, totally thrown off by him strutting away. "Hold up! Sensei, that's way too risky!"
Momo had zero clue what the heck his seemingly nutso plan was, but she felt this itch to step in and shut it down.
"Hey, wait! You should know that a lot of teachers end up messed up, spending their days stuck in the hospital for what? All because they're greedy and wanna take this Academy for free," Momo remarked, striding alongside Minoru.
"I've heard about it a million times. Thank you," Minoru replied all cool, like he was saying, 'Nah, I'd win.'
"What...?" But all she got was this meh response. "Ugh, whatever..." She didn't want to seem bothered like she gave a damn or something, and he was too arrogant. Yet, she was somehow curious about this as she followed him to see what was going on next.
With no time to spare, they arrived at a slick black horsebox that looked expensive. It appeared to be custom-made for the horse, adorned with the elegant Shuchi'in logo on each side. At the back, a large Roman numeral IX indicated the identity of its owner.
He thought, 'IX? I see...' Somehow, he was glad that Yor had given him a heads-up.
A loud bang echoed, and six men stood up, nervously gripping batons in their hands. Minoru's gaze fixed sharply on the black horsebox back door from where the sound emanated.
Minoru touched his left ear. "This is Yanagi, we've got a situation. Over."
(A/N: From chapter 22, Yuuya IX is the descendant of General Sumiragi's horse, the founder of Shuchi'in.)
---
Under the fast-growing trees, Gotoh Hitori pondered the recent conversation with Yanagi-sensei. "Ah, assessing the situation. He might be just like me..."
Hitori considered Minoru as one of her kind, someone who prefers dark places to conceal themselves from what she referred to as the so-called people. The forest, with its specifications aligning with her taste, earned her approval.
"Eh?" Glancing down at her feet, she noticed the gravel trembling, accompanied by vibrations from the ground. "Earthquake?" Being Japanese, she was accustomed to small earthquakes, but the ground continued to tremble more intensely over time. What was happening?
Moooooooooooooooo!
The loud sound caught her off guard, "...e-eh?" prompting a clear question to cross her face. Slowly turning back, she noticed the ground shaking even more, but that wasn't the real issue, because... a herd of cows running rapidly toward her. Run Hitori! Run!
"HIYAAAAAAAAA!" Freaked out, she hollered, "C-C-C-Cows!" Panic set in, her face turned pale as she ran for her life, guitar in tow.
"Why? Why!? All I wanted is...." The pursuit of friends, band members—her simple desires—but now, she found herself being chased by a herd of angry cows!
---
Two petite, fluffy creatures could be seen engaged in an unusual activity: horseback riding with a dog. It was a heartwarming sight, a rarity on the bustling streets of Tokyo.
"Oh my, look at them!" exclaimed the cute Onee-san, giggling at the spectacle, with others around echoing similar sentiments. "Are they playing horseback? So cute."
"Hope no one takes a picture and spreads it on the internet," Ruby muttered, burying her red face under her oversized hoodie. However, there was a more pressing concern.
"Anya, why are we getting slower?" Ruby inquired, prompting Anya to look down at Bond. "Huft! Borf!"
With a resounding thud, Bond landed, his large belly hitting the ground. Visibly exhausted, he slipped into a deep sleep. "Peak of laziness," Anya remarked, dismounting from Bond. "We'll switch dogs." She pointed towards an apartment.
Confused, Ruby glanced at it. "Is this the secret base?" she wondered. [Compared to my house, this looks... hm, average?]
Anya gasped as she read Ruby's thoughts. That's nuts, having always considered Teresa's place luxurious, she thought, 'Then where does Ruby live, a big castle!?' She nodded, expected from the bossman.
Anyway, "Let's go. Bond, wake up!" Anya attempted to drag Bond, who was half-asleep, and the three managed to reach Teresa's apartment.
"Do you have the key?" Ruby asked.
"Here." Anya handed Ruby a card. "Got it." Familiar with the process, Ruby unlocked the door without any issues.
Bang! Bang! Bang! "Kyaa!" A loud noise startled Ruby.
Anya gasped, realizing they needed to hurry. "We must hurry, Ruby!" This was the future Anya had foreseen, and if the dogs were behaving like this, they had to act quickly.
Gulping nervously, Ruby agreed, realizing the urgency of reaching Shuchi'in before being caught. She slowly opened the door and peeked through a small gap. The room fell silent the moment she opened it. Wondering why, her eyes widened upon seeing the scene inside. "What is that?"
---
A/N:
I want epic reveal! Mwahahaha! okay bye