Chapter 113: Prox

Max found Finn in a corner of the huge field, the place still crowded after class, students scattered everywhere in small groups, some sitting on the grass, some laughing loudly, some packing their bags while the evening sun stretched long orange shadows across the ground.

All this while he wanted to take him to TUM but after getting followed by Jeanne for so long, he had dismissed the idea, now all he wanted was that Finn could buy her some food and he could get rid of her for now. Jeanne walked right beside him like a quiet shadow, close enough that their sleeves brushed once in a while, eyes fixed only on him.

’I don’t know why she keeps insisting on being with me?

Max narrowed his eyes a little, then walked towards Finn with long steady strides, hands in his jacket pockets. Finn was this time actually flirting with a girl, leaning slightly forward, talking fast, trying too hard. She looked average at best but the way she was blushing and fixing her hair, Finn was sure to get that game.

” Finn ”

” Damn it, Max!! ”

Finn, seeing the giant Max coming his way, cursed under his breath. Max was too handsome and because of him, he was not getting any chicks. Finn tried to play it cool with the girl, shoulders straight, acting casual, but she saw Max and her eyes went wide instantly, her posture changing like someone important had just walked in.

Max was tall and very handsome compared to the average Tom, Dick & Harry, his shadow almost covering Finn from the side, but seeing Jeanne beside him calmed the girl down a little, like she assumed Max was already taken. Finn, with an angry face, walked ahead and had to tilt his head up to look at Max.

” Max, I am getting a woman, for fuck’s sake, where is our brotherhood man?!! ”

” Listen, you need some loyal girl, not girls like this who judge by looks ”

” Yeah, whatever, easy for you to say, you got hot girls all over you ”

Finn was frustrated seeing the girl leave, whom he spent twenty minutes pursuing, and seeing Max’s faint smile pissed him off a lot.

” So, what can I do for you? ”

” This is Jeanne, can you take her to a big grocery store? ”

” Why me? You take her, she’s your girl ”

” Come on dude, I’ll owe you one ”

” Sigh! Alright ”

Finn was a little pissed because of Max he lost a chance to flirt around, but you can’t be mad at a friend that much. Max stepped forward and patted his shoulder firmly, steady and natural, like the decision was already made. Jeanne stood quietly beside Max the whole time, almost touching him, watching his face only, like Finn didn’t even exist.

” You said your hotel room has a separate kitchen, right? So learn to cook ”

Max gave Finn ten hundred-euro bills, clean notes folded once, pressing them into his palm without making a show of it, like it was nothing. This way he was spending money and doing charity at the same time, helping your friends is a must. This Jeanne was too spoiled for her own good, so he wanted her to learn from this. Jeanne nodded her head then said.

” B…But I can’t cook ”

” Yeah, you didn’t hear what I said, learn to cook ”

Max patted her head lightly, more like correcting a kid than teasing, and a fake smile formed on his face. Finn, seeing them flirting around, wanted to vomit, disgust clear on his face.

” Let’s go Princess, I’ll drop you off at your hotel, Max you owe me one ”

Finn glanced at Jeanne lazily, then glared at Max. Max only nodded once with a small smile and turned away first, already walking like the matter was finished. Jeanne pouted her face but still followed Finn, glancing back at Max one last time, understanding he was helping her more than she realized and deserved.

Max didn’t wait for Finn and Jeanne to vanish from his eyes, he went directly to the parking lot, cutting through the path without looking back, hands already pulling his keys out.

The evening air was cooler now, the campus lights slowly turning on one by one. His bike looked deep red in the falling sunlight, the paint almost glowing like liquid metal, sharp and aggressive among the dull scooters and bicycles around it. Showing his ID, he entered the lot, this time there was another student at the booth who didn’t give a shit about Max or his bike, barely glancing up before waving him through.

The side stand snapped back the moment he stood the bike upright as he activated his god-tier skill, the machine settling under him like it was alive. The bike and he became one, the world became slow, sounds stretching, movements dragging, if Max had to guess, he could say when he touched his bike the world almost slowed down four times for him. Every small detail became clear, the distance to the gate, the angle of the ramp, the people walking far away, all measured in an instant.

As he attached the straps on his chin his legs were already pushing the bike backwards, boots guiding it precisely, turning the handle just enough. By the time he dropped his visor, the bike was perfectly aligned toward the exit, no wasted movement, no readjustment, just start and go.

BRRRrrrr BOOOM

The dry engine roared to life and the sound slammed against the concrete walls. The parking lot guard who was looking at his weird way of unparking froze for a second, eyes wide. Max smoothly started the bike and rolled the throttle hard and clean, the front wheel lifting slightly as he shifted his weight backward, the bike jumping forward like it had been kicked.

The bike sped up like crazy and his slowed vision helped him navigate accurately among the students, gaps opening and closing in slow motion for him alone, bodies moving like shadows while he slipped between them without even brushing a sleeve. In seconds he was already at the gate and out of the university before Finn could even see this bike, Jeanne only catching a red blur tearing past the road. Seeing the red streak disappear into traffic shocked her, then a small smile formed on her face without her realizing.

” Damn! That bastard is fast ”

” Why are you cursing your friend? ”

” Ah! Come on, Princess, this is the way friends talk ”

” Is that so? ”

Jeanne tilted her head, her eyes looked confused and she was pondering something, then she quietly opened the door and sat in Finn’s car naturally.

…

Max pushed the bike to 120 KPH, the engine screaming deep and sharp under him, wind slamming against his jacket and helmet, buildings and trees stretching into long streaks on both sides, the road flattening into a straight line as the speed kept climbing. The world around him began to slow again the moment his hands settled on the bars, like someone turned time down for everyone except him, cars crawling, pedestrians moving like shadows, even the flutter of leaves clear to his eyes. Every distance, every gap, every reflection on the asphalt became sharp and readable.

Then he saw a street limit sign where it said 60, and there was a red signal soon glowing ahead. In his slowed vision it felt far away but he already knew the exact stopping point. He rolled off the throttle smoothly, squeezed the front brake hard and clean, his body sliding forward over the tank, knees locking tight against it, boots pressing down for balance. His arms stayed firm but controlled while his weight transferred fully to the front, forcing the rear wheel up into a sharp stoppie, the tire screaming lightly against the road as he balanced the bike on the front like it weighed nothing.

He stopped the bike in two seconds, straight and perfectly aligned with the line, then gently lowered the rear wheel back to the ground without a shake or wobble. He used his legs and weight to do that, guiding the frame like it was part of his own body instead of metal and rubber, calm and exact, not a single wasted movement.

’God Tier Skill for a fucking reason.

WHISTLE

” Handsome ”

A sharp whistle cut through the air from the sidewalk, clean and loud. Max thought no one saw what he did as he was too fast and almost saw ahead of them as his time was way slower than them, his stoppie clean and silent to his own senses, but soon people started to click photos of him, phones coming up one after another, camera sounds popping, and the ones who whistled were actually a girl group, young, around his age, standing near the crossing with drinks in their hands.

As he was stopped at a red light he glanced to the side, visor still down, engine rumbling low like a beast waiting to run. Seeing a familiar face among them was a little shock but a happy shock, he found his friend Blanka among them, standing a little apart, and she was not taking his picture. From far she gave the vibe that she was taken, arms folded, watching quietly instead of fangirling like the rest.

Max pulled his visor up with one hand, smooth and casual. People on the side of the road thought he was showing off for the girls, but Blanka saw Max’s eyes and instantly recognized him and her eyes gleamed with happiness, the calm mask breaking in a second.

Max gestured her to get behind him, two fingers flicking back over his shoulder without even calling her name. The engine kept idling steady. She seeing him gesturing smiled brightly and ran to the road, hair bouncing, bag swinging, not caring about her friends shouting behind her.

” Blanka, I thought you’ve a boyfriend ”

” This is my boyfriend ”

Blanka happily yelled back to her friend and she sat behind Max, swinging her leg over the seat naturally, then tightened her hands around Max to show how intimate they were, chest pressed lightly to his back as she locked her arms around his waist like she belonged there.

” How cute ”

” Oh my god, they are too hot together ”

The girls whispered and giggled while still taking photos, the deep red bike growling under them, Max steady on the bars like none of it mattered, eyes already back on the road, like this attention was normal and the ride was more important than the crowd.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep