[Free Chapters On P@tr3on!! From Chapter 241-245!]
[How To Get Them? Just Become A Free Member!!]
The cold winter afternoon wind rushed in through the slightly open window, whipping Maruzensky's long brown hair into a wild dance.
Kuroha sat in the passenger seat and instinctively raised a hand to steady his own hair.
"Feels like… it really has been a long time since I went out for a drive like this…"
He watched the scenery outside flicker past at high speed.
The exhaustion built up over the last four days of "deep waters and raging fire" seemed, in that moment, to be blown away a little by this pure, unadulterated sense of speed.
"Wooooh——!!"
Maruzensky let out an excited cheer as she smoothly turned the wheel, threading the car perfectly through a gap in the traffic.
"How is it, how is it? My driving hasn't gotten rusty, right? Super amazing, isn't it!"
"…"
Seeing the speedometer already creeping close to 100, Kuroha's expression twisted slightly.
"It's… very impressive," he commented honestly. "But are you planning to test the speeding limit on every single road in Tokyo?"
"Eeh~ Yu-kun, you're so stiff!"
Maruzensky puffed out her cheeks in mock displeasure.
"A supercar has to be driven like one, you know!"
That said, she still obediently eased the speed back down.
With practiced ease, she steered toward a nearby high-speed ring road.
Kuroha, seated beside her, quietly watched that wild and alluring side profile, muttering internally.
So, we're getting on the highway.
Let's see it then.
This so-called supercar that makes people more scared than horse girls—just how scary is it really?
Right now, his physical abilities far surpassed those of any known active horse girl.
He was, without question, the strongest human in the world.
If he couldn't handle this…
Then Maruzensky would legitimately qualify as another kind of "world's strongest."
Very soon, the red sports car shot into the high-speed ring road like a loosed arrow.
The smile on Maruzensky's lips became even more unrestrained as she suddenly floored the accelerator.
"VROOOOOM—WHIIINE——!"
The deafening roar of the engine instantly climbed to a terrifying intensity!
Kuroha felt a surge of force, several times stronger than before, slam him back into the seat.
The scenery on both sides blurred into streaks of light.
On the dashboard, the needle lunged upward—
150… 180…
In the blink of an eye, the car brutally broke past the 200 mark, and it was still climbing higher.
Yet the fear and discomfort he'd expected never came.
Kuroha only felt… incredibly thrilled.
"Wooooooh——!!"
He couldn't help but shout.
Maruzensky heard his laughter through the rushing wind and glanced over in surprise.
It was her first time seeing someone in her passenger seat who wasn't tense or terrified—
But instead, like her, had eyes shining with the same excitement and joy.
The two of them only shared a single brief look in that storm of speed.
And yet, a strange, indescribable sense of connection welled up between them.
So that's how it is.
Now I finally get why, every time we met, she always wanted to drag me out for a street run…
Maruzensky suddenly understood.
"Hahahahaha——!!"
"Woooohoooo——!!"
The next moment, the two of them broke into unrestrained, joyful laughter at the exact same time!
Maruzensky no longer held anything back.
Her slender hands gripped the wheel as she let this red steel stallion tear toward the horizon.
Their delighted, cathartic laughter echoed high above the high-speed loop for a long, long time.
…
After doing several satisfying laps around the ring road, the red supercar finally glided off the highway.
But instead of heading toward the originally planned date spot, it took the nearest exit—
And rolled straight into the parking lot of a rather stylish-looking hotel.
"Screeech—"
The car came to a stop.
"Maru…zen?"
Kuroha looked up at the clearly-couples-only hotel in surprise.
"According to the plan, we still had a lot on our schedule today…"
He spoke as he turned to look at the driver's seat—
And his tongue suddenly froze.
Maruzensky was breathing a little heavily, her face flushed with a suspiciously deep shade of red.
Whether it was from the high-speed thrill just now…
Or… something else entirely, was hard to say.
Click.
With a swift motion, she unfastened her own seat belt.
"There's no schedule."
Her voice was short and a bit rushed.
"It'd be a waste of time… all that stuff, we can do together later too."
As she spoke, Maruzensky turned her head.
Those blue eyes, at such close range, were burning hot enough to melt him.
"Right now…"
She leaned in toward him, closing the distance on her own initiative.
"I don't feel like 'playing' anymore."
Click.
Another sharp sound—she'd undone Kuroha's seat belt as well.
Before he could react, Maruzensky had already pushed her door open, hopped out, and rounded the car in quick strides.
She pulled open the passenger door, grabbed Kuroha's hand, and all but dragged him out of the car, heading straight for the hotel entrance without a backward glance.
"Let's go do something fun together now…"
"Trai~ner~"
The peerless beauty kept looking back as she walked, her face glowing with happiness.
Kuroha was practically half-pulled, half-run into the hotel.
Of course, before going in, the two of them did put on hats and masks.
After all, whether Kuroha or Maruzensky—never mind Tokyo, they were both nationwide celebrities.
Stepping into the lobby, they were greeted by soft, tinted lighting and a faint wisp of fragrance in the air.
The front desk clerk had clearly seen countless similar scenes.
With a knowing look, they very quickly got things processed and handed over the room card.
Maruzensky almost snatched the card out of their hand and tugged Kuroha straight into the elevator.
"Ding——"
The elevator doors slid shut.
In the small, private space, only the sound of their slightly uneven breathing remained.
Kuroha glanced at the brown-haired big-sis beside him.
Her horse ears twitched restlessly in tiny movements, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement and tension.
Under the warm elevator lights, she was especially hard to look away from.
Those blue eyes were misty with nervousness; she didn't dare meet his gaze and instead stared fixedly at the changing floor numbers.
Feels like… aside from Sakura Chiyono O, I'm always the one getting pushed down first…
By this point, Kuroha would have to be dense beyond hope not to understand what Maruzensky wanted.
Click.
They stepped out of the elevator, swiped the card, opened the door, then shut it quickly behind them.
The beauty in the white dress pulled Kuroha along, and in a dizzying spin, the two of them toppled together onto the soft bed.
Right after that, however, Maruzensky went completely quiet.
She buried her face in the pillow and didn't move at all, leaving only the tips of her ears exposed—and glowing scarlet.
Kuroha lay on his side next to her, propping his head up on one hand as he watched her "ostrich" act with amused eyes.
"What's wrong? You were in such a rush just now. We're already at the finish line—why'd you suddenly clam up?"
"…"
At his words, Maruzensky's body trembled a little.
She turned her head slightly, lifting her face from the pillow.
That stunning face was so red it looked like it might start dripping, and her blue eyes flickered with shyness as she murmured,
"I-I… don't know… what we're supposed to do next…"
In Central Tracen Academy, in terms of seniority she ranked just behind the Chairwoman and Hayakawa Tazuna—a true "great senior" horse girl to nearly everyone still active.
Yet right now, she was acting like a girl next door on her very first date—bashful and adorable.
Though, if you only counted men… this was actually her first date.
"Pfft…"
Kuroha finally couldn't hold back his laughter.
"D-don't laugh!"
Maruzensky protested in a flustered mix of shame and anger, her tiny fist thumping weakly against his chest—without much strength at all.
"Okay, okay, I won't laugh."
Kuroha caught her little hand, still smiling.
He looked at her, something warm and doting flickering in his eyes.
"It's fine. I'll take it from here."
…
What happened after that was nothing for outsiders to know.
All we need to say is: they booted up their Switch 2.
First they played a few rounds of Mario Kart, then went straight to the main event—Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Very soon, Kuroha helped Maruzensky raise a new Eternal Flower Floette.
But unlike the Eternal Flower Floette Sakura Chiyono O had at the time…
Chiyono's grinding hadn't gone on very long, so her Pokémon had only been level 80—just a bit livelier thanks to youth and a few extra Energy Shards.
Maruzensky's, on the other hand, was at least level 90, and fully 6 IV.
Thanks to such a high starting level, Kuroha's road to the Hall of Fame, blocked by her team, became exceptionally difficult.
But this was Kuroha.
The man who, on an internet connection a fifth as fast as everyone else's, had once cleared a Pokémon game in a single night—
A true Pokémon god-tier player!
So, after just three hours—
The Hall of Fame screen displayed Kuroha's character and the Pokémon he'd used.
Champion. They were the champions!
…
Not long after, at the hotel entrance—
Kuroha walked out in his casual clothes.
Even as Champion…
The price of that victory was having to go out and buy lunch.
The "Gym Leader" who'd been defeated was currently sprawled out on the bed, not even in the mood to lift a finger.
"Even after losing the Three Goddesses' blessing and dropping quite a bit in stats, Maruzensky still isn't to be underestimated."
Kuroha rubbed his waist and abdomen, which had just endured a "fierce battle."
He'd won, but the opponent's counterattacks had been more than fierce enough—fitting for a level 90, 6 IV Mega Pokémon.
Though the date hadn't followed the originally planned schedule at all…
The result was still pretty satisfying in its own way.
Well… it wasn't bad.
Looking at Maruzensky's stubborn, unwilling-to-lose temperament, though—
Even with the progress sped up like this, it didn't seem likely they'd be going home tonight.
Thinking that, Kuroha's lips curved into a small smile as he headed toward a nearby restaurant.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]