Chapter 53: Tactical Understanding.

” This is delicious ”

Jennifer, now wearing cozy pajamas given by Machina, sat beside Max and was having a Chinese rice bowl made by Machina. She had perfected the art of making prawn rice and a light stir-fried beef with vegetables.

” She is quite the cook ”

Max nodded his head. Machina, wearing a bathrobe, just smiled and ate her fill. She understood Max and Jennifer’s relationship by now. Max simply patted her head after eating his fill, which was a lot.

” I am going to go back to my apartment, Chevy will come back today, she will stay with me for two days ”

Jennifer said as she finished her bowl. She also wanted to pat Machina’s head, but Machina just glared at her. Jennifer was taken aback a little.

” Your niece? ”

” Y…Yeah ”

” I want to make something clear, I love him and no matter what you say, you can’t have him only for yourself ”

Machina said as she looked directly into Jennifer’s eyes. Max’s eyes widened in shock. He was not expecting Machina to talk this loudly all of a sudden. She looked fierce too. He was about to intervene when Jennifer, who was taken aback, smiled gently instead.

” I knew it, let’s go, you’re sleeping with me in my apartment tonight ”

Jennifer held Machina’s hand and tried to drag her with her. Machina looked at Max. Max simply nodded his head in approval, and Machina let herself be dragged. Jennifer took her outside the apartment, then ran back inside to kiss Max one last time before departing for the night with Machina.

*BANG*

” What the fuck just happened? ”

Max, seeing her close the door behind her, was a little shocked but understood that the girls had their own plans. He was clear about his position. He didn’t want to choose. He wanted them all if he loved them. He would have a big family in the future after all.

Max, shaking his head, entered his bedroom, plugged in the new MSI Titan, and studied some basic courses which might come in handy, as tomorrow was his first class. He focused for an hour, then put the Mac into charging. He needed this fully ready for tomorrow.

Setting an alarm for 05:30 in the morning, he peacefully went to sleep. The air was comfortable and the night light looked very cool. As he saw many people playing around on the streets, a smile crept up on his face. His eyes closed.

*BEEP*

Max’s eyes opened when the 05:30 alarm rang. Stopping the alarm, he freshened up, and by the time it was 05:39 in the morning, he was already prepared for a jog. The sun was barely on the horizon when he left.

He came back to his apartment when it was 06:40. After an hour of very fast running, he was barely sweaty. Coming back to his apartment, he saw Jennifer placing plates on the dining table while Machina was cooking something in the kitchen. As he was about to say something to both of them, he saw a little girl walking out of Machina’s room. She looked extremely cute and tiny.

” Hello, little one ”

Max smiled seeing her. She somewhat looked like Jennifer, so he understood she was Jennifer’s niece, who was staying with her.

” U…Uncle Max, hello ”

” Uncle? ”

Max was taken aback a little. He was eighteen, and this was the first time someone called him uncle. He looked at Jennifer, who smirked. She was the one who had taught Chevy to call him uncle the moment she saw him.

” Hi, did you eat your breakfast yet? ”

” Nope ”

Little Chevy shook her head. She was maybe around Max’s knee, so he had to bend his whole body just to maintain eye contact with her. Seeing it was time for his gym, Max ate two egg sandwiches.

” So… what happened to the both of you? ”

Max asked as he ate. The gym class started at 07:00, so he didn’t want to be late. He looked at Jennifer and asked.

” Nothing… Maki will take care of Chevy while we’re gone to the university. I will wait for you to come back from the gym, we can go to the university together ”

Jennifer just shrugged her shoulder casually, while Machina came in and gave him another sandwich, then looked at Chevy’s empty plate and told her to wait for a bit.

” Maki… huh! ”

Max nodded his head. He was no fool. He understood, and sometimes it was better to keep silent. After eating, he pulled out his bike keys and kissed Jennifer first and Machina second. Jennifer didn’t even bat an eyelid at this action.

Getting downstairs with his helmet in hand, Jennifer and Machina wanted to ask many questions when they saw the helmet, but Max just showed his phone where the time was ticking. He didn’t have time.

The bike stood on its side stand in the parking lot. Max had to pause a little just to look at this beauty. If ancient and medieval people had horses, he had his bike. It just looked fascinating and extremely manly.

He put his helmet on and, just like last time when he got seated, the stand automatically snapped back to the bike as soon as he shifted his weight. It felt like pure instinct built inside him, like he was meant to become one with the machine the moment he sat on it.

*Brrrr**CLACK**CLACK**CLACK*

The dry clutch of the Superleggera V4 rattled to life with a sharp metallic clatter the moment the engine fired. The sound echoed violently inside the enclosed parking lot, bouncing off the concrete walls and pillars, turning the small space into an amplifier. The noise was way too loud for early morning. Max immediately understood it would wake half the building, so he rolled the throttle hard and clean, not reckless but precise, the revs climbing in a tight, controlled burst.

The world around him slowed as his vision narrowed, every vibration, every reflection, every inch of space becoming painfully clear. The bike leapt forward like it had been released from a chain, but Max didn’t shift his weight this time. He let the machine carry its own momentum, his hands steady on the bars, fingers feather-light on the clutch and brake, body perfectly balanced with the frame like rider and machine were a single unit.

His reflexes were sharp enough to read distance and timing in fractions of a second. Then, as soon as enough power was drawn, he killed the engine smoothly and silently, letting pure momentum glide him out, steering only with subtle weight transfers, rolling through the lot with almost no sound as if the Superleggera itself obeyed his will.

Coming out onto the open road, he started the engine once again. This time it was in the open, so it made less noise, and he disappeared in a second from that road. His new target was to reach the gym on time and do exercises till 07:35 am. It was already 06:52 in the morning.

He reached the gym in five minutes this time, way faster than taking a cab. The fuel meter didn’t even budge, but what concerned him was the noise this bike was making. It was loud and kind of declared its presence wherever it went.

Maybe that’s why the system gave me the car mission, but I have to focus on Jennifer’s problem first, then the Main mission, then maybe I can think about a car.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep