"Alright, here's the deal," Yuzhou thought for a moment before speaking. "Pick one with a basket first."
"Okay…" Riku reluctantly set the flashy mountain bike back in its place and chose a plain bicycle with a basket—something practical for carrying groceries.
After paying, he glanced back longingly at the cool mountain bike, unable to hide his disappointment.
"Boss, I'll take this one too," Yuzhou suddenly said, pulling out the mountain bike and handing over the money.
"Yuzhou, you… what are you doing?" Riku asked, confused.
"This one's a gift." Yuzhou smiled as he pushed the mountain bike toward him. "You helped me with the bank card and apartment paperwork, and I never properly thanked you. Consider this my way of repaying the favor."
"Thank you so much!" Riku's face lit up with joy. He didn't bother with false modesty; to him, Yuzhou was already a true partner. Besides, he knew that for Yuzhou, this wasn't a big deal.
Hopping onto the mountain bike, Riku was grinning ear to ear as he pedaled. Yuzhou could only shake his head with a chuckle before mounting the plain basket-bike. Together, they headed back to the park where Laiha was training.
When Laiha saw Riku ride in on a bike without a basket, she paused mid-move, her expression instantly exasperated.
"Riku, where's the basket?" she asked, already guessing the answer.
"Look at this, Laiha! Isn't it cool?" Riku showed off, still beaming with pride.
"I asked—where's. The. Basket?" Laiha pressed, ignoring the "cool" part entirely.
"Right here," Yuzhou answered as he arrived a moment later, rolling in on the practical bike.
"Eh?" Laiha blinked. "Why did you buy two?"
"Oh, that mountain bike's a gift for Riku," Yuzhou explained casually. "This one's the grocery hauler."
"…Fine." Laiha sighed and gave up, shaking her head.
But just then, a woman suddenly rushed toward them, leapt onto the parked basket-bike, and with a hard push, sped away like lightning.
"The hell?!" Yuzhou froze for a second, almost hearing the faint whisper of "a working man could never be a working man" in his ear.
Then he bolted after her.
"Stealing my bike right in front of me? You've got a death wish!" Yuzhou roared, pulling a frying pan out of nowhere as he sprinted.
"His speed… it's faster than the bicycle!" Laiha gasped as she watched.
One hand gripping the frying pan, Yuzhou quickly closed the gap with the thief.
"I'm going too!" Riku shouted, pedaling hard to catch up.
With a leap, Yuzhou blocked the path, grabbed the handlebars, and forced the bike to a stop.
The woman's head suddenly morphed into that of an alien before snapping back to human form, clearly trying to scare him off.
"An alien, huh? Perfect." Yuzhou sneered. He'd faced far worse—this little trick wouldn't shake him. With a swing, he brought the frying pan down on her head.
But in a flash, a glowing blade appeared in her hand. Swish! The frying pan was sliced clean in two.
"A lightsaber?" Yuzhou's eyes widened. The weapon looked strikingly similar to Hikari's Light Sword from the Ultra Galaxy Legends incident.
And then he remembered. In the original timeline, this exact event happened: Riku bought a bike, only for an alien on the run to steal it.
And on her… was a Little Star—Hikari's Little Star!
That was why she could wield a Light Sword powerful enough to cut his pan in half.
Without hesitation, the alien slashed again, aiming at Yuzhou's feet.
"Wait—!" he cried, but it was too late. The glowing blade cleaved into the concrete, blasting shards upward and sending Yuzhou flying back.
Taking the chance, the alien jumped on the bike and sped off.
"Yuzhou, are you okay?!" Riku skidded to his side, panicked.
"I'm fine." Yuzhou brushed off the dust and stood. "But she's carrying a Little Star."
"What?!" Riku's eyes widened. A Little Star… on a random bike thief?
Just then, a car screeched to a halt beside them. A long-haired woman in a uniform stepped out, eyes lighting up when she spotted Riku.
"Riku! It's you!" she cried, running toward him with joy.
"Moa!" Riku exclaimed, instantly recognizing her. He rushed forward, and the two embraced warmly.
Yuzhou looked away politely, though he already knew who she was: Aizaki Moa, Riku's childhood friend. Back then, Riku had practically grown up in her home.
Now, however, Moa was an AIB agent—tasked with hunting down aliens who violated interstellar law on Earth and deporting them off-planet. Together with her superior, Zenna, she was currently chasing the very alien who had just fled.
"Moa, give us a ride!" Riku said quickly. "Our bike was stolen!"
Soon, the four of them were in the car—Zenna driving silently, Moa in the passenger seat, while Riku and Yuzhou sat in the back.
"That woman—she was the one who stole your bicycle?" Moa asked.
"Yeah!" Riku nodded eagerly.
"As it happens, I was already chasing her." Moa nodded seriously. "She caused a traffic accident just earlier. And since I work for NikoNiko Life Insurance, incidents like this also fall under our jurisdiction."
"…Life insurance?" Yuzhou's mouth twitched. The cover story was outrageous—but surprisingly convincing. And "NikoNiko" did sound… oddly cheerful.
"By the way, is this your friend?" Moa glanced at Yuzhou.
"Yes," Riku said firmly. "He's my partner—Yuzhou."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Aizaki Moa, Riku's childhood friend." Moa smiled politely and introduced herself.
"Hello, Miss Aizaki." Yuzhou nodded in return. "Pleasure to meet you."
Meanwhile, Zenna kept his eyes on the road, lips sealed, his expression unchanging.
"…What a cold uncle," Yuzhou thought to himself.
But he knew who Zenna really was: once a warrior of Planet Shade, a race infamous as cosmic guerrillas. Unlike his kind, however, Zenna had chosen a different path—becoming an AIB agent devoted to peace and order.
The alien who stole the bike was a Pit People refugee—unlike the originals, this one loved peace. Even when she struck with the Light Sword, she had deliberately avoided hitting Yuzhou's body, aiming only to drive him back.
The real reason she was running was because the Little Star's energy had awakened her sleeping Eleking, causing chaos. She wanted to lead it somewhere far from people.
But AIB had marked her as a reckless alien who caused accidents and endangered Earth's peace. For that, she was to be captured and deported.
"…Talk about injustice," Yuzhou sighed quietly. "That alien's more of a good guy than half the humans I've met."