A fuzzy vision flickered through my head.
In it, I saw Yamamoto and this girl going out on a motorcycle trip together. They were winding along a mountain road, smiling sweetly at each other in perfect harmony.
...I had to stop that. I had to stop it at all costs.
I mean, that's basically what couples do!
I was the only one who could put a stop to this.
Because, despite everything, this man is a pushover for pressure and has a dangerously obsessive personality!
If he ever gets on a motorcycle once, it’ll be the end...
He’ll undoubtedly get hooked!
I could say that with absolute certainty!
Yamamoto would fall for bikes, spend every day off touring, use every spare second to scout for custom parts on online auctions, and then start draining his savings!
Once he was that deep in, he’d naturally start asking this Nene girl for advice... which meant they would get close in no time!
No!
Absolutely not! I wouldn’t allow it!
"Eek..."
When I fixed this Nene girl with another sharp glare, she let out a tiny shriek.
"Your face is terrifying right now, you know that?" Yamamoto said, sounding exasperated.
"Is it? Shouldn't that be none of your business?"
"...Right."
"Ya—Yamamoto-kun!?"
Yamamoto seemed to give up on me, intimidated as well.
With this, Yamamoto wouldn't be getting on a bike... and he certainly wouldn't get obsessed.
"Motorcycles are pretty expensive, aren't they? You'd get so obsessed you'd start dipping into your savings. You really should just drop it."
Since I was being far too unpleasant, I rattled off a plausible-sounding excuse at high speed.
"That's a fair point."
"Right?"
"I—It's fine. Custom parts come in all sorts of price ranges, from budget to premium."
"Is that so?"
"Eh."
"Yes. Even I’m barely managing to stay away from consumer finance loans."
"Huh. Is that how it is?"
"..."
He was interested!
Yamamoto was incredibly interested!
Usually, he would have said something like, 'If you're on the verge of needing consumer finance, then isn't that a sign you should stop?'
And besides, was this Nene girl really still trying to recruit him even while she was trembling in fear of me?
Was she the type who just had to involve others in whatever she liked?
This was bad...
Really bad...
At this rate, these two were going to become friends!
(This, coming from the person who egged Yamamoto on to make friends.)
"But motorcycles are prone to skidding, unlike cars. Isn't it dangerous?" I asked, sensing the situation was slipping away.
"If you're mindful of safety, motorcycles are surprisingly stable."
"Gasoline prices are rising, too..."
"I—In that case, should I show you some bikes with great fuel efficiency?"
"..."
"Right? How about it? Come on! Come on!"
...She was determined to make him buy one.
This girl was seriously intent on forcing a motorcycle on Yamamoto!
It felt like I was being subjected to the aggressive, unannounced sales tactics of a real estate agency representative.
Perhaps I had been fighting a losing battle from the start.
Trying to debate someone in a field I knew nothing about... maybe there was never a chance of winning.
"I used to watch a lot of tokusatsu shows when I was a kid," Yamamoto said, breaking his silence. "So, I guess I’ve always had a bit of a longing for motorcycles."
...It was over.
I’d lost.
Now that he’d admitted his childhood longing, Yamamoto would surely make his decision based on what this Nene girl was saying.
He was going to buy a bike.
"...In that case."
"Yeah."
Yamamoto gave a deep nod.
"I thought it sounded good for a second, but it’s actually unnecessary."
"Eh."
"Eh."
Yamamoto’s brazen declaration caused both me and the Nene girl to have the exact same reaction for the first time.
"...Wh—"
"Why?"
"You can't do any work while you're moving on a motorcycle, right?"
"..."
"..."
"You can get work done on a train."
What had the entire exchange up to this point been for?
I wanted to scream that at him, but as I glanced at Nene, who looked utterly dazed, a thought occurred to me.
When we took the train together that one time, you spent the entire ride just staring at the scenery outside.
"...I see."
"Yeah."
...Well, whatever.
For now, the idea of Yamamoto buying a motorcycle had vanished into thin air.
"...I was hoping the three of us could go touring together someday," Nene murmured.
"Hm?"
"Eh?"
"...The three of us?"
"Yes."
I could understand Nene and Yamamoto, but who was the third person?
"...Oh, I meant you too, Hayashi-san."
"I have no intention of buying a motorcycle."
"I know. So I thought you could just go tandem riding on Yamamoto-kun's bike."
"Tandem riding?"
"Yes."
"..."
"Well, there's no point in digging up a dead conversation," Yamamoto sighed.
"...Hey, Yamamoto."
"Hmm?"
"Why don't you try buying a motorcycle?"
"Which side are you on?"
Yamamoto looked at me with a look of pure exasperation.