Under the cover of night.
A black shadow tore down the road at blinding speed.
It moved like lightning, so fast that anyone watching could only catch a blurry afterimage.
Only the thunderous roar of a mechanical engine drifting through the air revealed that this was actually a motorcycle in motion.
A few scattered zombies wandered onto the pavement. The bike could have easily swerved around them and kept going.
But the rider had zero intention of dodging.
He didn't even turn the handlebars—instead, he twisted the throttle harder.
The cold machine beneath him roared even louder, like a raging beast.
Bang!
The motorcycle ran straight over the zombie and kept speeding away.
All that remained on the ground were several piles of foul-smelling meat paste.
At the outer entrance of the Takagi estate.
A makeshift barricade over ten meters long—built from wooden planks and iron railings—had been hastily erected to block the advance of zombies in the current emergency.
"This is Yamanoi. Anomaly at the entrance. I hear what sounds like a motorcycle engine. Send reinforcements immediately."
Behind the barricade, the middle-aged guard heard the distant roar and instantly grabbed his walkie-talkie to call for backup.
"Yamanoi, aren't you being a little too tense?"
"It's probably just some reckless local bikers or delinquents. There's a ten-meter-long barricade right there."
"Unless he can fly, he'll definitely stop when he sees it."
"Once he stops, just wave your gun around and scare him off."
"Alright, alright. Don't get too worked up. We're heading over now."
Listening to the voice on the walkie-talkie, Yamanoi still felt uneasy for some reason.
He glanced down at the weapon beside him, then remembered reinforcements were already coming, and told himself he was probably overthinking it.
"Yeah… maybe—"
But just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a sudden change made his heart leap into his throat again.
"No—wait! Holy shit! He's actually flying?!!"
Yamanoi stared in utter shock as the motorcycle launched into the air right in front of the barricade. He was so stunned he even forgot to raise the gun in his hands.
In the night sky.
A black-haired boy carrying a pink-haired girl soared across the bright moon, forming an absolutely breathtaking scene that burned itself into Yamanoi's eyes forever.
His mouth hung wide open as he stared upward. He would probably never forget this sight for the rest of his life.
Whose youth was this?
Of course, it belonged to Shuya, who was bringing Saya Takagi home.
In truth, Shuya's motorcycle skills were only average, and there was no ramp in front of the barricade that could launch the bike into the sky.
Logically speaking, with a ten-meter-long barricade blocking the way, crossing it should have been impossible unless driving a large truck or a modified armored vehicle.
But unfortunately for physics—Shuya had cheats.
When technique wasn't enough, Nen would make up for it.
Shuya simply used Emission-type Nen to release aura outside his body and gave the motorcycle a gentle push from below.
At the same time, he used Enhancement to wrap the bike in Ko and protect it.
And just like that, the motorcycle flew even without a ramp.
Newton: "Well said. I'll let you off this time. But remember—if you dare violate the laws of physics again, I have more than enough strength and methods to push open my coffin lid."
With a sharp screech, the motorcycle landed.
The tires instantly compressed flat under the impact.
Just as they were about to rebound, Shuya forced the bike into a perfect "Divine Dragon Tail Swing."
The tires scraped violently against the ground, leaving a long, curved black skid mark in an instant.
The moment the motorcycle stopped, Saya hurriedly let go of Shuya like her butt was on fire and jumped off in a panic.
She staggered to the side, clutched her throat, and dry-heaved.
She had almost thrown up tonight's dinner.
From the corner of her eye, Saya shot Shuya a look filled with lingering fear.
How can someone make a passenger motion sick on a motorcycle?!
Before today, Saya had always scoffed at the idea.
After this terrible experience, she finally understood how wrong she was.
If she ever got the chance, next time she would fight tooth and nail to make Shuya use a four-wheeled vehicle instead.
"Who are you?!"
At that moment, the guard Yamanoi finally snapped out of his daze. He quickly grabbed his gun and pointed it at the two of them.
Hearing this, Saya stopped dry-heaving and hurriedly shouted, "Don't shoot! It's me—Saya Takagi!"
She knew very well that Shuya wasn't particularly fond of her family.
If this guard accidentally provoked him, she didn't dare guarantee Shuya wouldn't act.
"It's the young miss? Thank god, it's the young miss!"
Yamanoi froze for a second, then quickly realized—the surname "Takagi" was exactly the name of the family that owned this estate.
Remembering that the Takagi family had a daughter who was still in school, he immediately recognized the pink-haired girl.
He spoke into the walkie-talkie, "False alarm, no need for reinforcements. The one who returned is the Takagi young miss. Please inform the master and madam."
With the misunderstanding cleared, Saya let out a huge sigh of relief.
Before long, a group of people came walking over from inside the estate.
"Mom!"
Saya immediately ran over and threw herself into the arms of the purple-haired woman leading the group.
Shuya carefully observed the woman Saya had called "Mom."
Yuriko Takagi!
Yuriko Takagi had light purple hair and wore an elegant purple dress. Her figure was curvaceous and alluring—her perfect proportions actually seemed even better than her daughter's.
The skin she exposed was as white and delicate as milk.
A luxurious crystal necklace rested on her elegant neck, yet it didn't look flashy at all. Instead, it gave her an air of mature, intellectual grace.
Standing next to Saya, she didn't look like her mother at all. The two of them looked more like sisters.
"So this young man is Shuya-kun, the one who brought Saya home? She must have caused you quite a bit of trouble along the way. On her behalf, I'd like to thank you."
After greeting her daughter, Yuriko turned her gaze to Shuya and spoke with perfect etiquette.
"I did no such thing!"
How can you sell out your own daughter like that?!
Saya looked at her mother with resentful eyes.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but when Yuriko's eyes landed on him, Shuya felt like her gem-like purple eyes sparkled even brighter for a brief moment.
"It was just a fair trade. There's no need to thank me."
Shuya shook his head, dismissing the strange feeling. "I've already delivered the person. Just give me what I asked for and I'll be on my way."
He had no good feelings toward the Takagi family, so he had no intention of staying long.
As for Yuriko Takagi herself?
She was indeed very beautiful—almost like a more mature version of Saeko.
But he had zero interest in married women.
It was the same principle as in games. No matter how good or valuable someone else's max-level account was, he would always prefer the account he raised himself from the beginning.
"Mom~"
Seeing that Shuya was about to leave, Saya immediately grew anxious and looked pleadingly at her mother.
Her eyes seemed to say: Do something! My almighty mother~
A mother knows her daughter best.
Yuriko gently patted Saya on the back, signaling her to calm down.
Then she turned to Shuya and said warmly:
"Shuya-kun, why don't you come inside and sit for a while? I'll have someone bring you what you need. Besides…"
"I actually have something I'd like to discuss with you. Would that be convenient?"