Chapter 46
Chapter 46
The afternoon was wind-warm and sun-bright, the roadside plane trees flashing silver undersides in the breeze.
On a quiet street, Kakayan's pink ponytail whipped wildly as the bike's front wheel jerked left and right. Her fingertips clung to the handlebars; rubber tires hissed against the asphalt.
"Stop staring at the ground."
Jiang Li walked half a step behind, steadying her with a hand on her shoulder. Only then did she dare creep forward.
"Mmph... don't let go, okay?"
Kakayan glanced sideways, voice clipped, a tremor of softness underneath—fragile to the point of breaking.
"Don't lean too far forward or the front wheel will get away from you."
Jiang Li matched the bicycle's slow roll, coaching as they went.
Maybe it was the memory of her previous tumble; she was wound tighter than a watch spring.
Her gaze stayed welded to the handlebars, as though the bike would fling itself sideways the instant she looked away. Even with Jiang Li right there, she wobbled like a reed in the wind.
"Relax. If you're stiff, you can't balance."
"I—I am relaxed."
Reassurance did no good. No matter how she tried, the bike seemed to have a mind of its own, swaying stubbornly.
On the seat, Kakayan's pretty face flickered between resolve and panic. Purple eyes under her fringe blurred, lips pressed into a trembling line.
(*﹏*)
In the end, Jiang Li caught the bike as it tipped, saving her from the ground.
"Jiang Li, this thing's impossible."
He helped her off the saddle, her mood plummeting. "Whoever invented the bicycle clearly wanted to torture people."
"Any brilliant suggestions?"
Jiang Li hid a smile. Bicycles had been beloved transportation ever since they'd arrived—now this newly-minted Earthling was trash-talking them.
He waited for whatever excuse she'd invent. Kakayan slapped the seat, indignant.
"Two tiny wheels under a seat this high? Zero sense of safety. Anyone would fall—absolutely would fall!"
She hammered the last words, begging him with her eyes to agree.
"Kakayan..." Jiang Li scratched his cheek, laughter in his voice. "Don't tell me—are you a complete klutz at sports?"
Come to think of it, every outing ended with her begging for a break, and Jiang Li had never seen her exercise a day in her life.
Poor stamina plus zero training—classic athletic-disaster profile.
"R-ridiculous!" Kakayan slipped into a Three Kingdoms accent. "I'm just a slow learner. How dare you say something so awful!"
"You're the idiot, Jiang Li!"
"If I still had my magic, I'd never need these mortal contraptions!"
"It's your design that's flawed! Bicycles shouldn't have two wheels!"
Jiang Li waited until she'd ranted herself out, then said calmly, "Bicycles were invented in the eighteen-hundreds. Those two wheels you're insulting? Humans have ridden them for over two hundred years."
He paused, then added, "Since the day it was born, that bicycle's basically your contemporary. Might even be older than you."
"What did you just say?!"
Kakayan's fine brows snapped together.
The next second, Jiang Li watched her hand slowly curl into a fist; violet eyes flashed and cut toward him.
Huh? The athletic klutz wanted to pick a fight?
Jiang Li's surprise lasted a heartbeat before reflex caught her flying punch.
Miss Witch's fist was cool—maybe because girls' body temperatures ran low. The hand resting against his own was soft and icy, like top-grade silk in midsummer.
Seeing her attack so easily neutralized, Kakayan's brows twitched. She ducked her head, presenting Jiang Li with the back of her pink head.
Reminded so bluntly, she'd begun to recall that she'd never been good at sports... but magic had always been so convenient she'd simply forgotten.
Admitting it to herself was one thing; letting Jiang Li laugh at her was another. A witch never yields to a Hero!
Even with her hand trapped, Kakayan's urge to fight hadn't died. She stretched her neck, pink hair aimed like a battering ram.
"..."
Jiang Li regarded the feline head-butt brewing before him.
After a second's thought, he abandoned defense and opened his arms, letting Kakayan crash into him.
She slammed into his chest, her pink ponytail whipping across his face—the only casualty.
Realizing what she'd done, Kakayan jerked back, hugging herself and retreating two steps. She glared, crimson rising on her delicate cheeks; her bitten lower lip looked startlingly red.
Adorable, frankly.
"Finished?" Jiang Li's mouth quirked. "Then let's get back to practice."
Kakayan sighed, eyes on the sky, her ponytail drooping like a wilted flower. "Bicycles are too dangerous. One misstep and you're bruised head to toe."
"I'm right here holding you," Jiang Li said, amused.
"But you won't always be." Kakayan eyed the bike warily. "Then I'll end up a mess."
"If I'm not beside you, it'll mean you can ride."
"How could that happen?" Kakayan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Two wobbly wheels—no sense of safety at all. It's a death trap."
"Yet here I am, riding just fine," Jiang Li countered.
"You're you—Jiang Li, the Hero. Of course it's different."
Her tone made it clear she was hunting for a graceful exit. Jiang Li had an answer for every excuse, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.
Maybe he'd been too hard on her. Everyone had weak spots. Kakayan's magic surpassed most mortals'; naturally she'd lack somewhere else.
If she feared the bruises, he shouldn't force her.
"You don't have to push yourself," he said gently. "Everyone's bad at something. If you'd rather not, we'll go home for dinner."
"Really?" Kakayan blinked up at him.
She opened her mouth—
On the far end of the street, a seven- or eight-year-old kid zipped past on a kid-sized bike, backpack bouncing, a bulging white plastic bag swinging from the handlebars.
...
Kakayan watched the child vanish in a breeze of dust.
After a pause she spoke.
"Jiang Li."
"Mm?"
"Hold the bike one more time."
"All right."