Chapter 114: Sayoko's Thoughts
Fortunately, this area wasn't a bustling street or a student-heavy zone. It was more of an out-of-the-way hillside area with minimal traffic.
Yuta didn't pay much attention to his motorcycle.
When he noticed that the distance between him and the speeding sports car ahead was shrinking, he assumed that Belldandy had used her abilities to slow the car down.
As he gradually approached the car, Yuta called out to the two people inside, "Hey, you two! Pull over now!"
"The brakes… they're not working! Help me, Yuta!" Sayoko's panicked voice rang out.
Beside her, Sayoko's friend screamed frantically, "Pull the key out! Hurry!"
At the start, the car had functioned normally, but just as Sayoko and her friend were discussing ways to approach Yuta, the car suddenly accelerated uncontrollably. No matter what they tried, it wouldn't stop.
"Shut up! Just shut up already!" Sayoko roared, wishing she could kick the woman out of the car.
Her friend was completely useless. Who in their right mind thought pulling the key out was a solution? How did someone this dim even get a driver's license?
However, Sayoko wasn't in much better shape herself. Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest, and the wind whipping through the car stung her face painfully.
Yuta, hearing the suggestion to pull the key out, immediately shouted back, "Don't pull the key out! That'll make it worse!"
Simply turning off the ignition without removing the key won't lock the steering wheel, but pulling the key out while the car is running could cause the wheel to lock, disabling power steering.
Many emergency systems inside the car also require power to function. Pulling the key could make things far more dangerous.
Realizing that trying to explain this to them was a waste of time, Yuta knew he had to act fast. If he didn't do something soon, the next curve in the road could be their final resting place.
"Belldandy! Take control of the motorcycle!" Yuta instructed, entrusting the vehicle to her. Since Belldandy didn't rely on conventional driving methods, she should be able to manage.
Belldandy nodded, seamlessly taking control of the motorcycle, adjusting its speed as needed.
With her handling the motorcycle, Yuta made his move. Without hesitation, he decided he needed to get onto the car himself to deal with the situation directly.
As the motorcycle closed the gap with the car, Yuta didn't jump but instead grabbed onto the vehicle's frame and maneuvered himself onto it.
"Don't move!" Yuta ordered as he quickly squeezed himself into the cramped space between the driver's and passenger's seats. He took over the steering wheel, sharing the seat with Sayoko.
Sayoko let out a shaky sigh of relief, though she was still visibly tense. Her friend, too, was frozen in fear, unable to say a word.
Yuta gripped the steering wheel firmly, shifting gears to reduce speed and carefully pulling the handbrake. As the car slowed slightly, he guided its side to scrape against the guardrail lining the road.
The screeching sound of metal grinding against metal filled the air as the car's paint was stripped away, but the vehicle's speed gradually decreased. Finally, with a piercing screech, the car came to a halt on the roadside.
It wasn't until the car stopped that Yuta felt the weight of his fear catch up with him. He couldn't believe he had just jumped onto a runaway car.
Exhaling deeply, he turned to check on Belldandy, who had safely parked the motorcycle and was now walking toward them. Only then did he feel fully at ease.
At that moment, Sayoko clung tightly to Yuta, much like a drowning person latching onto their rescuer. Yuta's first instinct was to knock her unconscious just to make her let go.
"It's okay now. Let go of me. I need to get out and stretch my legs," Yuta said, trying to calm her down. Although this incident partially involved him, Sayoko's reckless actions were a significant contributing factor to the disaster.
Sayoko finally regained her composure after hearing Yuta's words. When she saw the car safely stopped against the roadside guardrail, a genuine sense of relief washed over her.
Belldandy approached, and upon confirming that Yuuta was unharmed, she too felt reassured. "Are you all okay?"
"We're fine," Yuta replied curtly.
Not wanting to deal with any more forced interactions, Yuta gently removed Sayoko's hands from him and climbed out of the car. Once he was on solid ground, he felt a deep sense of relief.
Taking Belldandy by the hand, he led her a short distance away.
"Belldandy, what should we do about Sayoko? If we leave her and she ends up being influenced by the force again, what then?"
"I'll set up a protective barrier on her," Belldandy explained. "It should reduce the force's influence. As long as she doesn't come into direct contact with us, there shouldn't be any issues."
With that, Belldandy cast a defensive barrier around Sayoko to shield her from the disruptive force.
Sayoko watched Yuta talking with Belldandy in the distance, and a surge of frustration bubbled within her. Why is he paying attention to her when I'm the one who needs care the most?
Glancing at her so-called friend, who had fainted after finally feeling safe, and then back at Yuta—the man who had just rescued her from a life-threatening situation—Sayoko quickly got out of the car.
"This time, I'll admit defeat. You can have the car!"
Sayoko had realized there was no way she could win Yuta's heart within just three days, especially not someone as outstanding as him. She didn't want to keep pushing forward based on a bet, either.
As for the sports car, she couldn't care less about it.
"Yuta, my leg hurts so much. Could you take me to the infirmary?" Sayoko walked over, her tone pitiful as she pleaded with him.
Yuta glanced at her leg, noticing the scrapes from pressing the brake pedal so hard earlier. It was summer, so the injuries were quite visible.
"Well, I could, but what about your friend? Is she okay?" Yuta asked, looking at the unconscious woman in the car. She seemed to be another senior from school, though he didn't see the need to get to know her.
"She's fine. I've already called the police, and they should arrive soon. I'm still shaken up and don't want to talk to them," Sayoko replied dismissively, clearly unwilling to deal with the situation further. She intended to leave her friend to handle it.
Yuta glanced at Belldandy, who didn't seem inclined to refuse. She wasn't the type to turn down a request like this, especially in front of Yuta.
Seeing no objection from Belldandy, Yuta figured this might be a good opportunity to test if the force-reducing barrier was working, so he agreed.
"Alright, we'll take you to the infirmary."
"Thank you!"
Yuta let Belldandy sit behind him on the motorcycle, while Sayoko took the side seat meant for passengers.
"Sayoko, are you sure about leaving your car behind?" Yuta asked, still a bit concerned about her vehicle. It was far better than his motorcycle, after all.
Sayoko, sitting on the motorcycle, looked at Belldandy hugging Yuta tightly from behind and couldn't help feeling envious of her position.
"It's fine. I don't need it anymore."
Yuta could only marvel at how extravagant Sayoko's life must be. People who could casually discard a sports car like this truly lived in a different world.
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