Ch.BONUS(Side Story 1) Eri the Rider (1)

Time flew by quickly after graduation.

“Turning twenty doesn’t really change much.”

I said.

“That’s the life of a web novelist.”

Mika gazed out the window with a distant look in her eyes.

That’s right. We were busy writing. While Mika was focused on a single work, I was juggling three different stories in rotation. Because of that, I spent all my time writing except when I went to the dojo for training. Now that the monsters and the hidden world were gone, having time to write was a stroke of luck.

Since I was earning enough income, I decided not to go to college. The fact that there wasn’t anything I particularly wanted to study also played a part.

‘An arts-related department…’

There were certainly literature departments here, but I didn’t feel like going. Having attended a creative writing department in my previous life, I had no illusions about it. The truth about arts departments was that those who were going to succeed would achieve results and drop out on their own. Those who stayed and graduated without incident were proof they hadn’t achieved anything. (Personal opinion)

‘My wives were strongly against it too.’

They were worried I might cheat if I went to college. So I decided not to go.

Dropout in my previous life, just a high school graduate in this one. I decided to accept that college just wasn’t in my destiny.

——–

Taiga had entered a technical school to learn auto mechanics, and Umi was continuing her activities as a full-time illustrator and fashion model.

“Koo…”

Umi had fallen asleep, abandoning her drawing tablet.

Tina and Kana had gone somewhere together saying they were going to train, Aiko-san was busy with temple management duties, and Aki had sensibly gone to college. Because of that, the house was quiet.

Kirtan was drunk in the corner, having ignored my advice from yesterday to stop drinking… Anyway, our home was surprisingly peaceful.

“And Violet is working as a designated driver.”

I unconsciously muttered that narration.

“Who’s working as a designated driver?!”

Violet immediately jumped out through a dimensional door. Coming out just to object was so like her.

Our first wife, Eri, was facing a historic moment today.

She had gone to the driving school for her first driving test and road practice. Since I had gotten my license right after graduation, I didn’t go with her to the driving school.

‘But getting a license in Japan is easier than in Korea…’

To be precise, there were pros and cons. The first test, similar to the theory test, was harder than in Korea. But the practical test was much easier in Japan. Japanese drivers generally moved quite gently on the roads. Even when driving at 40 km/h, no one honked. Everyone was incredibly courteous.

For a super driver like me who could handle driving in Busan, Korea, getting a license was a piece of cake.

*Thud-!!!*

Speak of the devil—Eri opened the front door and came in.

“I’m back, Shota!!”

Eri wore a triumphant smile.

“You failed, right? Must have been tough. Come in and rest.”

I said with warm eyes.

“Why do you assume I failed?!!! I passed!! The first test!! And I passed the road test too!! I have a license now!!”

Eri immediately held up her driver’s license.

“Wait… you passed?”

That was unexpected.

“Yes!! Now I just need real practice!! The driving school staff praised me! Said I have amazing talent!”

Eri exclaimed.

“Eri… that staff member was a man, right?”

I sighed as I spoke.

“Um… yes. He was very kind.”

“That’s… because you’re pretty.”

Men tend to flatter pretty women. It was the same back when I played online games. At offline meetups, pretty women would be included in raids or competitive matches even if they were terrible. Even if they just mashed 111112222 on the number keys, they’d get all kinds of praise and ass-kissing.

“Oh my…”

Eri seemed quite pleased to hear me call her pretty.

“That’s right. He was acting weirdly flirty, but when I said I had a husband, he immediately clicked his tongue.”

Eri said.

“See?”

I replied. I know all about it. And… it might be rude to say, but Eri was quite the type that older men would like. She had a healthy, firm, and bouncy figure. Skinny girls were more popular among guys in their early twenties. (Strictly personal opinion)

“In that spirit!! Shota!! Let’s go for our first drive!!! I need to spend time driving to improve my skills!!”

Eri shouted.

“Huh? Me?”

Honestly… I wasn’t keen on it. I had a feeling that if I sat in the passenger seat, I’d end up backseat driving. And then the mood would be ruined. I could see the future perfectly.

“Umi! Umi! Come with us too! How about a drive, the three of us, for old times’ sake?”

Eri woke Umi up.

“Mmm…? Is Eri driving?”

Umi immediately sensed the danger. This kid… so perceptive.

“Eri, stop. In the worst case, we can’t increase the death toll to three. If only I go… we can reduce the casualties to two.”

I stood in front to protect Umi.

“Why do you assume we’ll die in a car accident?!!!”

Eri immediately objected.

“Eri… you’re honestly not the type who can drive well.”

I said. The last time she rode a bicycle in the park, she had an accident.

“That’s not true! I did really well!”

Eri shouted.

“I… just want to improve my driving skills quickly. We’ll have children later… and then I’ll need to drive them to kindergarten.”

Eri said.

“Eri…”

What a thoughtful idea. Such sweet words were a bit of a cheat key.

“Okay. Let’s go. Where to?”

I asked.

“Hmm… let’s go to Chiba Prefecture. We can have a beach date at Tokyo Bay.”

Eri said.

“Chiba Prefecture?!!”

Going to another city? My anxiety grew.

“Let’s go. Please?”

Eri begged me.

“Alright. First…”

I immediately grabbed paper and pen.

“Eri, sit next to me. We should write our wills before going to avoid disputes later.”

I said with a meaningful look.

“No!! I’m really good at driving!!!”

Eri threw away the paper.

“Shota, have a safe trip. I’m… too busy to join you.”

Mika immediately pretended to be writing diligently. Pretending to be busy was a bit annoying, wasn’t it?

——–

In the end, I got into the small compact car like a cow being led to slaughter. It was a car that Shotaro-san had transferred to us as an engagement gift. Though used, there was no better car for a beginner driver. You shouldn’t drive an expensive car from the start anyway. You’re bound to scratch it or have accidents. Plus, it was an automatic, so there was no risk of fumbling with gear shifts. And being a compact car, it was small and easy to park. If a car is too long or big, parking becomes a hassle.

In short, it was the textbook definition of a beginner’s car. It could be called the “Gabung” of the car world.

And… there was also a cheat key in the form of signs. Cute signs saying “Beginner Driver” and “Baby on Board” were hung on the back of the car. People tend to be considerate to newbies. In the worst case, I could pretend to be a baby to evoke sympathy. That’s my specialty.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

Mika started the engine. But her voice was unnecessarily solemn. Anyone watching might think she was boarding a mobile suit rather than a car.

“Checking surroundings! Confirmed!”

Eri checked the front and sides according to the manual.

Then she turned on the blinker… checked if the wipers worked… confirmed the seatbelts… checked the handbrake, forward gear, and other manual procedures for about five minutes.

Yes, that’s the proper procedure.

“Can we start moving now?”

But from the passenger’s perspective, it was honestly too much fuss.

“If you don’t check these things, you lose points!”

Eri was still in license exam mode.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Eri pressed the accelerator.

Vrooom-!

The compact car started moving at about 40 kilometers per hour.

Ding!

“Guiding you to Chiba Coastal Park.”

Following the navigation map, Eri drove the car.

She drove better than I expected. It helped that Emoshita was rural. There weren’t many variables since few cars were around.

“Hehehe. How is it?”

Eri asked with a proud expression.

“Eri, everything’s fine, but… your face is too close to the steering wheel. Lean back against the seat and look more broadly. More broadly.”

Only her expression and tone were confident. Eri was driving with her face practically buried in the steering wheel. Plus, her body was trembling. It made me nervous just watching.

“Shut up!!”

Suddenly Eri accelerated sharply. Eri… you’re very nervous. At least it was just her tone that accelerated sharply. If she had accelerated the car like that, we’d be in big trouble.

Vrooom-!!

“Next, entering the highway.”

At the navigation’s words, I felt relieved. Actually, highways were easier than city streets. They were basically straight roads and wide enough that you wouldn’t hit anything. Having escaped the winding city streets, we had overcome a major hurdle.

Vrooom-!

Being on the highway, Eri seemed to gain some confidence. Her body became less tense.

“That’s it, Eri. That’s the feeling. Remember it.”

I also felt quite relieved.

“Next… turn right.”

After driving on the highway for a while, the navigator’s voice was heard. We needed to turn here to head toward Chiba.

But… Eri just kept pressing the accelerator. She seemed intent on driving all the way to the horizon on the highway.

“Wait… Eri?”

“Recalculating route.”

The navigator’s dry voice spread throughout the car.

“I… don’t like taking curves…”

Eri said with dull eyes.

“We’d have to drive on winding city streets again… Chiba will have more people than Emoshita… I’m scared…”

Eri looked at me with tears welling in her eyes. But those eyes were tinged with madness.

“I… want to drive on highways forever. Let’s go to the end of Japan together, Shota.”

Eri said.

“What nonsense is this woman spouting?!!!”

I had to shout loudly enough to be heard over the car.

“Help!!! Someone kidnapped me!!”

I banged on the car window and shouted.

“Shota!!! What should I do!! I love highways too much!! I just want to keep driving at a constant speed on straight roads like this!!”

Eri shouted.

“This is a serious case of highway addiction!!!”

I yelled at Eri, but she ignored it and just kept driving.

The current Eri… wouldn’t listen to anyone. I immediately realized we were screwed.