In the afternoon, in the parking lot behind the video store.
Two-way Runner 1[1]—a sports car perfectly symmetrical front and back, with identical front ends on both sides—stood parked as two women faced it. One wore long socks, the other short; one of them also bore rabbit-themed devices on both wrists.
"Ah—! This! This is simply! A perfect creation!"
A voice full of wonder rang out.
It was the rabbit-human Alice speaking.
She stood in front of the car, her small mouth slightly agape, and the small display screen on her belt, which showed her mood, was now flashing the brightest smiley face symbols frantically.
Alice circled the car again and again, her slender fingers carefully caressing the symmetrical hood, her fingertips trembling slightly with excitement.
"Amazing! These absolutely symmetrical curves! These perfectly identical angles on both sides! Even the number of spokes on the wheel hubs is precise to the smallest detail!
The front and back are symmetrical like a mirror image! I have never seen such a perfect vehicle!"
Alice's voice was somewhat excited, like a traveler discovering a treasure chest in the wild.
To her, the aesthetic value of this car far surpassed any top-tier supercar.
"Haha~"
A light laugh came from behind Alice.
Ukinami Yuzuha, with her striking red twin pigtails, held an umbrella in one hand and covered her mouth with the other, watching Alice's mesmerized expression with a mischievous gaze.
The fluffy tanuki, Kamanosuke, perched on her shoulder, also poked its head out, revealing a grinning expression.
"Hey, hey, Alice, isn't your reaction a bit exaggerated? What, did this car hit you right in the heart? Did it make your heart, which yearns for symmetry, pound wildly?"
Yuzuha teased with a grin, even making an exaggerated gesture of clutching her heart.
Alice completely ignored Yuzuha's teasing, her attention was entirely on the car.
"Yuzuha, you don't understand! I've never seen such a perfect vehicle, the one who invented it must be a genius artist."
As she spoke, she finally managed to briefly tear her gaze away from the car and looked seriously at Rin.
"Rin, can I ask this master to custom-make an identical car like this? I'll pay whatever it costs. Immediately."
Rin, seeing Alice's desire to take the car home, lazily yawned and casually tossed the car keys. "If you like it so much, it's yours."
"Eh?!" Alice was stunned. Such a precious treasure, and Rin just gave it to her?
"I haven't driven this car anyway, and it's just collecting dust sitting there." Rin's tone was light, and she added. "All the paperwork is complete, you can just drive it away."
Alice's cheeks instantly flushed, and on her belt's display screen, a few shy little symbols suddenly appeared next to the smiley face.
"This... how can I accept this! It's too valuable! Rin, I can't take something you love."
"Oh, come on, Alice, this is a rare opportunity!"
Yuzuha reacted quickly, putting an arm around Alice's shoulder, interrupting her refusal, her red pigtails playfully swaying with her movement.
"Rin is being so generous, if you refuse again, you'll seem like a stranger! Besides—"
Yuzuha winked slyly, looking at the symmetrical car,
"What a shame it would be not to take such a cool car for a spin and test its performance right? Let's go! I'll drive, I'll take you two for a ride!"
She invited enthusiastically.
Rin nodded. "Sure, I'm free anyway."
Alice was still a bit dizzy from the gift, but seeing Yuzuha already in the driver's seat, she finally nodded, blushing.
"Al... alright. But..."
She paused, pointing to the back seat of the car.
Although, in reality, this car had no distinct front or back.
"I want to sit in that back position." She specifically emphasized, "The one facing away from you two."
"Huh? Why?" Yuzuha was puzzled.
Alice pointed to the socks on Yuzuha's and Rin's legs.
"If I sit next to you, my gaze will constantly... constantly fall on your asymmetrical socks, and that feeling is too unbearable! Sitting with my back to them, out of sight, out of mind."
Yuzuha chuckled. "You got me! Alright, alright, you sit in the back."
After the three got into the car, Rin casually sat in the passenger seat, while Alice carefully settled into the back seat, facing away from them.
Yuzuha excitedly gripped the steering wheel, and the tanuki Kama jumped onto Yuzuha's lap, finding a comfortable spot to lie down.
"Hold on tight!"
Yuzuha's lips curved into a mischievous smile, and she stomped on the accelerator.
Two-way Runner 1's engine roared, launching forward instantly.
"Ah—!"
Alice was caught off guard, her body thrown backward by the inertia, letting out a short yelp of surprise, looking extremely frightened.
However, contrary to the expression on her face, the display screen on her belt, representing her mood, was still a brilliant smiley face.
Yuzuha drove the vehicle at full speed.
Miyamoto Yumi, a female traffic police officer on duty by the roadside, was originally writing a parking ticket for an illegally parked car.
The strong wind from the speeding vehicle directly lifted her skirt.
"Whoa!"
Miyamoto Yumi was startled by the sudden movement, nearly dropping her ticket book.
Due to the angle, she only saw the front end of Two-way Runner 1, the one facing her, as it sped past.
She instinctively rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things.
"Was... was that car... going the wrong way just now?!"
This was her first reaction, as the car with front ends on both sides was so deceptive.
But she quickly realized.
The car wasn't going the wrong way, it was driving forward with its front end facing backward.
"N...Nani?! Dri… driving backward?! And so fast?! This is clearly a provocation against theTraffic Police!"
Miyamoto Yumi's blood pressure instantly shot up, and her professional instinct made her immediately jump onto her police motorcycle, blare the siren, and twist the throttle to the maximum, giving chase.
She shouted exasperatedly through the megaphone.
"That car in front! License plate XXXX! Pull over immediately! You are suspected of dangerous driving, stop at once! I repeat! Pull over immediately!"
Hearing Miyamoto Yumi's shouts, Alice immediately tensed up. She turned her head, worried. "Yuzuha, it's the traffic police. Pull over quickly! It's too dangerous for us to drive like this!"
"Oh, Alice, you're just too much of a goodie!"
Yuzuha glanced at the relentlessly pursuing police motorcycle in the rearview mirror, and instead of slowing down, she accelerated with even more excitement.
"Where's the fun in stopping now? And we're in the fast lane, so stopping casually is even more dangerous! Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"
Before her words finished, Yuzuha floored the accelerator.
Two-way Runner 1's engine roared, instantly reaching the maximum speed limit for that road.
Kama's fur was blown backward by the strong wind. It rubbed its head against Yuzuha's thigh, seemingly expressing a small protest, but its paws still firmly gripped Yuzuha's clothes.
[1] It's the Dual-direction Rush-to-meet number 1. i change it to Two-way Runner 1