Chapter 52: A Ride with Lavendina
Julian pedaled the bike leisurely, creating a refreshing breeze. This allowed Lavendina to enjoy the cool air. During the ride, they chatted.
"Julian, am I heavy?" Lavendina asked softly.
"N-no, you feel very light" Julian replied nervously.
"Hehehe, that’s good to hear~" Lavendina said with a chuckle, then leaned her head on Julian’s back.
Julian’s heart started pounding again, but he tried to stay calm so he wouldn’t fall while riding.
"St-stay calm, Julian... remember you have Anindya!" Julian thought to himself.
Julian began to regulate his breathing. After 5 times, he finally calmed down.
"Haaa... Finally~" Julian murmured.
Lavendina moved her head away from Julian’s back.
"What’s wrong, Julian?" Lavendina asked.
"It’s okay, Ms. Lavendina" Julian said with a smile, his gaze remaining focused ahead.
"GYUT!" Lavendina pinched Julian’s right side.
"OUCH!" Julian groaned.
Julian was immediately startled and lost his balance.
"E-EEHH!?" Julian screamed in panic, while Lavendina pouted, clinging tightly to his waist.
But luckily, Julian managed to regain his balance—and luckily, there were no other vehicles behind them.
"Phew~" Julian felt relieved.
Julian began to pedal his bike slowly, then glanced at Lavendina. Julian found her pouting.
"Wh-why did you pinch me?" Julian asked.
"Hmph! It’s your own fault, why don’t you call me Sis Lavendina?" Lavendina asked in annoyance.
Julian, seeing this, could only sigh and then return his focus to the front.
"Haa... Alright Alright~, Sis Lavendina" Julian said resignedly.
Lavendina’s pouting expression immediately disappeared and was replaced by a sweet smile.
"Hehehe, thank you~" Lavendina said with a chuckle.
Julian sighed, relieved.
"By the way, your smart padlock seems to have a lot of flaws, doesn’t it?" Julian asked.
"You noticed that?" Lavendina asked back.
"That’s right. I noticed the hose’s physical appearance. I thought it was made of metal because it was silver, but it turns out it’s made of flexible rubber... so a thief could still break it with a sharp object" Julian replied.
"You’re right... Next week, one of the companies that partners with our family will release a new hose model—elastic and strong, with a flexible rubber interior that won’t break easily, and a metal-coated exterior. Hear pretty cool, right?" Lavendina asked with an excited expression.
Seeing that the road ahead was quiet and the speed was still average, Julian immediately glanced at Lavendina.
"Are you serious?!" Julian asked with a surprised expression.
"Yes!" Lavendina replied happily.
"Wow, that means the padlock will be even more sophisticated, huh?" Julian asked, still glancing at Lavendina.
Lavendina smiled proudly, her eyes sparkling with renewed enthusiasm.
"Of course!... With the new material, we hope the lock’s security will be increased without sacrificing its flexibility" Lavendina replied enthusiastically.
Julian smiled proudly, looked forward again, nodded as he said.
"Great, that way your family can quickly release your smart lock to the public. Once it’s recognized by the public, it will be a great addition to bike security" Julian said with a proud smile.
"Hehe, just pray that the production goes smoothly," Lavendina said with a soft laugh.
"Aamiin" Julian said with a smile.
Lavendina was immediately delighted by Julian’s words.
"By the way, that means your bike could be stolen at any time, right?" Julian asked.
"That’s right! If the thief had brought a lighter or a sharp object. Luckily, the hose is silver, so anyone who saw it would think it was made of metal" Lavendina replied.
Julian suddenly braked his bike. Then he turned to Lavendina.
"What’s?!, That sounds really worrying..." Julian said, looking at Lavendina with a shocked expression.
"... What if it really gets stolen?" Julian asked worriedly.
Lavendina was a little surprised by Julian’s expression—this was the first time she’d seen anyone worry about her bike. Lavendina smiled and replied.
"If it gets lost, of course it’ll be a hassle. But we’ve prepared a backup system. There’s a GPS sensor that can track the bike’s position, and if anyone tries to cut the hose, an alarm will automatically sound and send a notification to my phone" Lavendina replied, still holding Julian’s waist.
"GPS?" Julian asked, confused.
"Yes, there’s a GPS installed under your seat. That’s why the bottom looks a little bigger. That’s because the foam is used to protect the GPS" Lavendina replied.
Julian lowered his head, looked at the bottom of his seat, and then touched the foam.
"She’s right, I can only feel the sensation of the foam" Julian thought to himself as he kneaded the foam.
Then Julian straightened himself, raised his head, and looked back at Lavendina—whose expression seemed to already know what he was going to say.
"How?" Lavendina asked, her smug smile showing slightly.
"Y-yes, what you said is true" Julian replied with an awkward expression, seeing Lavendina’s smile.
Lavendina began to remove her hands from Julian’s waist, then sat up straight, then lifted her head, straightened her body, and placed both hands on her waist.
"Of course I’m right!" Lavendina said arrogantly.
Julian, seeing this, could only smile awkwardly, then Lavendina straightened her head again and said
"By the way, the GPS is connected to my phone... So if it gets lost, we can just track it through my phone~!" Lavendina said confidently.
"Wow, are you serious?!" Julian asked, his eyes sparkling in amazement.
Lavendina nodded her head with a smile.
"Did that idea also come from that girl named Tia?" Julian asked.
"Yes, Tia is responsible for the equipment, but for the bike design, there’s another team, the automotive team—who for some reason can build and modify bikes however they like" Lavendina replied.
"Hee..." Julian said, nodding his head in amazement.
Julian scratched the back of his head with his right hand as he said,
"...Is it possible I could ask them to help me modify my bike? Hahahaha," Julian continued, laughing, his tone joking.
Julian immediately fell silent at Lavendina’s blank expression. Feeling the awkward atmosphere, Julian finally said
"Just kidding—" Julian said, not finishing his sentence.
"Of course you can!" Lavendina interrupted.
"Eh?" said Julian, shocked.
"You’re Lady Anindya’s boyfriend, so why not try seducing Lady Anindya? Who knows, she might just give in and make your bike cool and sophisticated?" Lavendina said confidently.
Julian paused for a moment, staring at Lavendina with wide eyes.
"W-wait—what do you mean, seduce Anindya?" Julian asked, shocked.
"Of course~!, You’re her boyfriend—can’t you ask for help? Besides, if it works, your bike will look cool, and you can show off to your friends!" Lavendina said, crossing her arms over her chest, as if emphasizing an undeniable fact.
"What do you think I am a kids?" Julian thought to himself, his expression blank.
"What do you think?" Lavendina asked, curious.
"I’ll think about it later" Julian replied resignedly.
"Okay, let’s continue our journey" Lavendina said with a smile.
"Okay!" Julian said.
Julian looked back ahead, then pedaled his bike leisurely.
"If I ask Anindya... I’ll definitely be considered Stingy Guy again, because I don’t have any capital and can only take advantage of her" Julian thought to himself, his expression flat as he stared straight ahead.
Julian let out a small sigh.
"Haa... Forget about the bike. As a guy, I shouldn’t take advantage of a woman—especially if she’s your girlfriend" Julian thought to himself.
~To be continued~