More Worried About the Motorcycle Than His Father

After school, Shinnosuke said goodbye to the others and went to the office to wait for Eikichi Onizuka. The two quickly gathered their things and left the school.

"Is it far?"

Onizuka glanced down at his watch and asked.

"It's on the backstreet. We can get there in five minutes by car."

Shinnosuke's face turned pale when he heard that, and he hurriedly waved his hands.

"That's not too far. Let's not drive! We can take a nice walk there. Gas prices have gone up!"

Eikichi Onizuka thought about it and decided that made sense. Gas prices kept rising, but his salary never did.

"Sure, let's walk."

After walking for over half an hour, they came to a place called the Ryuji Repair Shop. Onizuka stepped inside, and Shinnosuke hurried after him.

The interior had a distinctly retro style, and the place was clean. It looked more like a bar than a repair shop...

Shinnosuke looked around, growing more fascinated by the moment! Suddenly, he spotted a figure with a ponytail crouching on the floor, repairing a motorcycle. Onizuka stepped forward.

"Yo, Ryuji!"

The man turned around, revealing a handsome face behind a pair of glasses.

"Whoa! If it isn't Eikichi! What brings you here all of a sudden?"

Onizuka and Shinnosuke were led to seats at the bar, where Ryuji served them each a cup of tea.

Onizuka pointed to Shinnosuke beside him and said,

"This guy asked me to bring him here to buy a motorcycle... Here, Nohara, this is my friend Ryuji Danma. He owns this shop."

Shinnosuke greeted him. Ryuji Danma then took a sip of tea and said, standing there,

"Hello, I'm Ryuji Danma. By the way, Eikichi, this kid's your student, right? No matter how I look at him, he doesn't seem old enough to have a license..."

Eikichi Onizuka shrugged helplessly.

"What can I do? I can't control him. This guy's the boss of the school."

Ryuji Danma was quite surprised to hear that.

"You sure can't tell by looking at you. Even Eikichi can't do anything about you!"

Shinnosuke smiled bashfully.

"All right, kid, follow me. What kind of bike do you want? For Eikichi's sake, I'll give you my lowest price."

Shinnosuke thanked him and followed Ryuji Danma to the warehouse behind the shop. His eyes lit up as soon as he entered!

Motorcycles of all kinds came into view. Every one of them had been cleaned up to look like new. It was clear how well Ryuji Danma cared for motorcycles.

Shinnosuke approached an American cruiser. The moment he saw it, he couldn't walk away.

Though its body was streamlined, it didn't look light; instead, it gave an impression of rugged bulk. A massive air filter was exposed, and the V-twin engine looked even wilder. The exhaust pipes curved downward, their openings pointing straight at the ground!

Ryuji Danma inserted the key and started it. The engine's roar echoed through the warehouse!

"I found this guy under a highway interchange a few years ago. It was badly damaged at the time! After I brought it back, I spent four whole months repairing it! I poured a lot of effort into every screw on it..."

Ryuji Danma looked at Shinnosuke and smiled.

"The only flaw with this guy is that it doesn't have papers, so it can't legally be ridden on the road. Guess it really is suited to people like you who aren't accepted by society!"

Shinnosuke gently stroked it, his eyes full of infatuation.

"Mr. Danma... how much do I need to pay to own it..."

Ryuji Danma watched Shinnosuke quietly. He could tell that the kid truly loved motorcycles, and that made him feel gratified.

"Seven hundred thousand... If it had papers, seven hundred thousand would only buy you two tenths of it."

Shinnosuke was stunned. Of course he understood what the bike was worth! He had thought Ryuji Danma would give him a considerable discount for Eikichi Onizuka's sake, but he hadn't expected it to be this cheap! He'd even been prepared to borrow money from Inoue Ryushi and the others!

Without another word, Shinnosuke hurried to pay and sign the contract! Watching from the side, Onizuka had mixed feelings. Damn, how could kids these days casually pull out hundreds of thousands like it was nothing... Then again, Ryuji sure made money fast...

Ryuji Danma then generously gave him a helmet and gloves. Shinnosuke hurried to take the bike for a few test laps, and the faint vibrations and roaring engine thrilled him!

Onizuka was happily chatting with Ryuji Danma, and Shinnosuke didn't want to interrupt. He thanked them both again, then hopped on the bike and sped away.

When Shinnosuke got home, he parked the bike in his backyard. Hearing the noise, Misae and Hima-chan both poked their heads out.

Seeing the beautiful motorcycle in front of her, Misae spoke with some concern.

"Shin-chan... where did this bike come from... Don't tell me you..."

Shinnosuke brushed his mother off, then took off his shoes and went inside, leaving Misae staring in disbelief and Hima-chan curiously circling the motorcycle.

After work, Hiroshi Nohara also spotted the motorcycle parked in the yard. His eyes lit up as he walked around it, looking it over. Then he turned to Misae and asked,

"Misae, whose bike is this? It's beautiful!"

Misae wore a complicated expression as she replied,

"Shin-chan said a friend lent it to him to ride... but..."

By then, Hiroshi was in no mood to listen to the rest. He rushed inside to ask Shinnosuke for the motorcycle key!

"Quick, Shin-chan, give me the key! Let Dad try it too!"

Shinnosuke looked at him strangely and handed over the key somewhat reluctantly.

"All right... be careful and don't break it!"

"Oh, don't worry! Your dad was an excellent rider when he was young!"

Hiroshi snatched the key and rushed into the yard to try the bike. He turned the key, and the engine instantly erupted with a tremendous roar. Hiroshi's face turned bright red with excitement!

Still uneasy, Shinnosuke hurried outside to check, only to find Hiroshi as excited as a child. Just as Shinnosuke was about to speak, Hiroshi twisted the throttle. With a tremendous roar, the bike shot forward and slammed straight into the wall!

"Waaah!"

"Ahhh!!!"

Hiroshi Nohara screamed as he was thrown straight off! Seeing this, Shinnosuke also cried out and ran forward!

Hiroshi rubbed his backside and said,

"I'm fine, Shin-chan. Don't worry!"

But as soon as he said that, he saw Shinnosuke run straight to the motorcycle lying on the ground, tears welling in his eyes and his face full of distress!

"You little...! Are you more worried about the motorcycle than your own father??!!!"

Shinnosuke paid him no heed. Only after checking the bike carefully and finding nothing wrong did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Misae watched the father and son expressionlessly from the side, then turned her head and spat...