Haruka had an extra spring on her step when she clocked out of work. It had been too long since she's been excited to play a racing game at the arcade. It often felt like work blended into her freetime since she was competing against fans.
Why would it be different today? This time she'll be playing for fun against a
friend. No need to sign autographs, take
pictures, or try to show off her skills.
Michiru was always bugging her to go out and make friends. Seems this is a win win situation for everyone.
Haruka arrived at the arcade at 5:15
PM. She sent a text to Sebastian.
"Hi Sebastian
n'Serena Morningstar. It's
Haruka. I've arrived at the arcade. Are you here?
Ready to challenge me in a race?"
Sebastian had been working on something for
a... Would he call them a friend?... and had stayed a little late in the
office, having forgotten about his plans with Haruka. When he received her
text, he texted back simply, "OMW", put his stuff in his red leather
messenger bag, and ran out the door. He stayed just within the speed limit and
arrived at about 5:30.
He strode in purposefully and looked for
Haruka, then decided to shoot her a text.
[Okay, I'm here now. Are you by the bikes
or the cars.]
[Wonderful! Let's race cars first. We can
shift over to motorcycles later.] Haruka spotted Sebastian and waved, hoping
it'll help him spot her.
Haruka smiled as they inserted quarters and
settled into their seats. The car engine roared. Countdown started. "Ready
to have some fun, Sebastian?" Michiru often told Haruka she was reckless
on the road. She should see what Haruka is like at the arcade.
There's no thrill if you don't make sharp
turns last second. Of course, the race is more enjoyable if Sebastian and
Haruka are head to head most of the time. As in most experiences in life, you
have to make the start and end count. Unless Sebastian has some tricks of his
own, Haruka should gauge what kind of driver he is within the first 20 seconds
of the race.
"Ready. Set. GO!"
Sebastian grinned as he spotted Haruka and
sauntered over to her. He normally didn't carry change on him but this wasn't
the sort of arcade that accepted cards, so he'd gone to the bank to get some
quarters. He was relieved she wasn't angry about him being late; normally he
wasn't.
"I'm always ready for fun," he
replied.
The second the race started, they were both
off like a shot. Sebastian was a criminal defense attorney in his day-to-day.
He'd been picked up on DUIs in law school and had been able to graduate by the
skin of his teeth, but ever since his best friend, Trent, had hired him as his
startup's lawyer, Sebastian's driving had followed the letter of the law.
But at an arcade, in a race where there
were no real-life stakes, he was free to let lose completely. His driving
appeared erratic-- drifting in and out of lanes when they *weren't*
neck-and-neck, seeming to only make turns at the last second, and a few times
it looked like he would crash into something-- but he was actually rather
precise. He almost drove like he was trying to lose a tail ("Drive like an
idiot," the wisdom went), but since there wasn't terribly much that could
be done to that end in a racing game, he didn't quite pull it off.
"Having fun yet?" he asked Haruka
as they passed the third checkpoint.
Haruka grinned as Sebastian n'Serena Morningstar inserted the
coins. It seemed he gathered enough change to check out all the games at the
arcade. Of course, they'll mainly stick at this spot. The sign said people can
spend 45 minutes max at each game.
"Woah. It seems I underestimated your
skills. Have you been practicing racing on your phone or gaming systems at
home." Of course she knew he was playing on muscle memory. It takes more
than practice to make swift turns without crashing.
"How many times was your driver's license
revoked? So far, I've experienced that twice."
She laughed as Sebastian zoomed by. "I
am having a blast! About time I faced true competition."
There were two rounds left. Would Haruka
remain number one? Would Sebastian beat her top score?
Sebastian laughed easily. "I've been
picked up for a few DUIs but far enough in between not to have to worry about
my license, and all that was back in Boston anyway. I was a bit of a wild card
in law school."
He spoke while continuing to maneuver his
car. Most of his friends didn't like riding along with him because of how
reckless he appeared, so it was nice to let loose for once.
The fact remained, though, that Sebastian
drove wild for fun every once in a while, and Haruka raced cars as part of her
day-to-day. While they were neck-and-neck for a while, it was ultimately she
who pulled first.
"Good game!" Sebastian said as
"Insert Coin" began flashing on the screen. "Do you want to go
again or try the motorcycles?"
Haruka raised a brow and smirked at Sebastian n'Serena Morningstar' response. "Look at you, being badass. I'm
sure it was also a good way to stand out among your peers."
The adrenaline rush can be addictive. Each
time, trying to reach for higher limits. What if the next wild activity is the
final one? If it is, Haruka hopes she'll go out with a blast. The worst
punishment ever is to get in an accident and be put in a comatose/vegetative
state.
A good life doesn't have to be a long one.
"Phew, that was a close one."
Haruka nearly finishes a minute or two ahead of her competitor. She beat
Sebastian by a mere 15 seconds! "Let's try again. I want to know I truly
beat you instead of just luck."
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