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Dusk painted the city's night sky while the dark clouds blanketed the moon and the stars, as if lulling the world into a deep sleep. The sparse lights barely illuminated the cityscape, turning the familiar roads into a different realm. As the time ticked past midnight, the denizens of this otherworld could finally roam the streets.
In the parking lot of a run-down shopping mall, a gathering of street racers filled the empty space. A hodgepodge selection of cars were parked, showing off their owners' personal taste. From classic American muscle cars, sleek European sport cars, to souped-up JDMs, every single one of them demanded the attention of anyone who passed by. The rumbling engines, the scent of tire smoke from cars doing burnouts, and the booming, bass-boosted music from the massive stereo in the trunk of a hatchback turned the dead, empty space into a world that couldn't exist in daylight. For the street racers who lived for their cars, this was their world.
A lone blue Corvette C06 entered the parking lot, the neon parking lot lights reflecting off its black top. Its engine let out a low rumble, notifying others to make way for it.
On its driver seat, Nerissa scanned the gathering with an expectant look in her eyes. After a long week of office work, blowing off some steam like this helps her to recharge. She couldn't help but look forward to the race itself. The money from winning the races is just the gravy on top for her.
Well, there is something else that could make the day better. But it wasn't like that person would always come to this place.
Nerissa drove her car toward an organizer that she recognized the most. Her blue-on-blue suit certainly helps with catching her attention, a far cry from everyone's casual attire. She rolled down her windows and called out to her, "Hey, Warden. Got a race set up?"
The organizer turned toward Nerissa and responded, "Oh, it's you. We're still setting up the perimeter, but it should be ready in no time. There's one spot left. You in?"
"How much?" Nerissa asked.
"Just the usual." The Warden raised her left hand with all five fingers raised. A smirk hung on her lips as she added on, "Some racers might walk out once they find out you're joining. But maybe they'll stick around if you up the ante."
"Sure, why not? It'll all come right back to me anyway," Nerissa said confidently as she went through her glove box and counted her cash in hand. As she did so, she asked, "Anyway, are we clear from the cops? I heard they've been ramping up their patrols recently."
The Warden waved off her concern as she raised a walkie-talkie in her hand, "Relax, we're still under the radar. Besides, if anything happens, the guys setting up the perimeter will let us know immediately—"
Before she could finish her words, the walkie-talkie in her hands crackled to life. A panicked voice rang from it, "Warden, a squad of police cars is heading your way from the commercial district! You gotta bail out now!"
"Wha— We only used this place for two weeks and they found out about it already? Come on!" The Warden grumbled.
"So we're not having that race, then?" Nerissa snidely remarked.
The Warden rolled her eyes and ignored her comment. Instead, she took the megaphone next to her and shouted through it, "Attention, the cops are on their way here, so you better haul ass! If you get caught, then blame your shit ride or your shit driving skills! And remember—you don't know me!"
With those parting words, she glared at Nerissa and clicked her tongue. "What, you got more snarky comments to say?"
"Maybe?" Nerissa hummed lightly.
The Warden groaned with a scowl, "Oh, fuck off. Just get out of here already."
"Sure thing. Have a good night, Warden!" Nerissa playfully waved her goodbye before rolling up her windows.
"You think I can have a good night after this shitshow, you bitc—!?"
Screeeeech!!
The squealing tires cut the Warden's complaint short as Nerissa took off from the parking lot. The cars around her had also begun to leave in a hurry, fearing having their cars impounded by the police. The chaotic roar of engines and spinning tires filled the parking lot as their gathering was cut short. Nerissa swiftly left them behind and sped through the streets.
"Hmm, I wonder if she's on patrol tonight..."
Despite the race being called off, a smirk remained on Nerissa's lips. A hint of anticipation glinted within her eyes, waiting for someone who might just make her night.
**************
Meanwhile, a squad of police cars sped past the empty streets of the city without turning on their sirens. Determined to catch the street racers that plagued the city, they moved in stealthily to avoid being noticed.
The radio in the police car crackled into life as the person behind it spoke, "Our intel finally pinpointed that those street racers have been gathering in the abandoned mall's parking lot. Catch as many as you can and show these street rats what happens if they continue to plague our city!"
The red-haired woman driving an Aston Martin DB11 in a police wrap calmly tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she kept her eyes peeled open. Her heart pounded in anticipation, wondering if a certain car would show itself tonight.
'I haven't seen that Corvette in a while... Where is she?'
Before she got lost in her own thoughts, a flood of headlights sped past the intersection in front of her. The radio in her car immediately rang out, "They're fleeing! Goddamnit! How did they know?!"
A command rang out, "Everyone, spread out with a partner! Report any high-value targets through the radio!"
Their sirens blared out together as a wave of police cars spread out, determined to catch as many street racers as they could. As the officer turned her steering wheel, her eyes constantly scanned the swarm of cars speeding off, searching for a specific car. Her ears perked up, listening for any reports of that car on the radio. All her senses worked overtime until she spotted it on her left.
A lone blue Corvette with a black top, racing straight into a highway in the distance. Its taillight bends into a trail, mocking those it left behind.
She immediately announced over the radio, "Officer Bloodflame reporting! Blue Corvette spotted! Requesting permission to go after it!"
"Permission granted. Be careful with the new car, officer."
"Got it. Taking off!"
With the permission secured, she immediately pressed down on the gas. The engine of the Aston Martin DB11 revved into action as she sped off toward the Corvette by herself.
From a different car, a trainee officer questioned, "Um, is it alright for her to go by herself? Aren't we supposed to go in pairs to chase them down?"
The senior officer next to him answered, "You probably don't know because you just got into this squad. That Corvette's a bit special, you see."
The trainee officer tilted his head. "Special? Why?"
The senior officer began explaining, "Once that car goes onto the highway, nothing's stopping it. Tons of officers from our squad had tried to chase it down, recklessly pushing their cars past their limits. At the end, they either blow their engines or crash their cars."
The trainee officer cowered. "C-Crash?"
"Well, no one has died so far. But it sure deterred anyone from chasing it. Well, anyone but her."
The senior officer paused for a moment before asking, "You're probably wondering why Officer Bloodflame seems to be getting preferential treatment even though she hasn't been here for that long, right? Not only did they allow her to use the parts from the seized street racers' cars, but she's even allowed to take that brand-new Aston Martin as her patrol car."
"N-Not really! But... I was kind of curious when I saw the car for the first time, I guess..." the trainee officer mumbled quietly.
"Hahaha! It's fine. All of us would do anything to ride something like that. Who said I don't want an Aston Martin myself?" The senior officer chuckled for some time at his own jest. "The answer is simple, really. It's because she's the only one who has the guts and skills worth that treatment. She had caught dozens of street racers by herself even before getting that Aston Martin. Hell, even the street racers already recognized her by now."
The officer's gaze lingered on the lone police car, desperately chasing after the runaway Corvette.
"Right now, she's the only one who stood any chance at catching that car."
**************
The Corvette entered the highway, cruising along without any worries, as if daring any pursuer to chase it. Behind the steering wheel, Nerissa nervously tapped her fingers, her eyes constantly glancing toward the rearview mirror. On her collar hung a walkie-talkie, its frequency set to a channel only one other person knows of. She patiently waited for that special someone, the woman who had long since captured her attention.
Not too long after, the flashing siren of a police car reflected in her rearview mirror. Red and blue lights blinked, revealing a car that she had never seen before. Her eyes squinted as she examined it.
'An Aston Martin DB11 as a police car? I guess they're just blowing our taxes on anything these days. Well, let's just think of this as a warm-up... Huh?'
Before she could dismiss the car chasing her, she noticed something in front of that car. Attached to its bumper was a bullbar, one with a red line striking down its right side. Her heart immediately thumped with excitement once she recognized that trademark.
"Hah, I guess we're skipping straight to the main course, then!"
Vrrrrrrm!!!
The roar of the V8 engine reverberated across the night, announcing its' awakening. The needle on the tachometer trembled along the redline before the shifting gear brought it back down. The chase between the two cars finally began, with the city highway as their arena.
Nerissa took the walkie-talkie and spoke into it, "Nice ride, Officer Bloodflame! You sure the paint on that thing's dry already?"
"..."
Only static passed through the walkie-talkie. Amused by her silence, she continued, "Does the car not fit you or something, officer? Seems like you're focusing really hard on driving it if you're not answering me. Or are you just smitten by my voice and got lost in—"
"Can you be quiet for five seconds? I was in the middle of answering the radio," a voice finally came through the walkie-talkie, one that brought a smile to her face.
"Good to hear you again, officer. I thought my walkie-talkie was broken for a second there," Nerissa mused.
"Do you think I want to talk to you in the first place?" Elizabeth's voice rang coldly.
"Oh, are you sure about that? But wasn't it you who agreed to this deal in the first place?" Nerissa asked smugly. "Weren't you going to keep learning how to race from me until you can catch me?"
Elizabeth's silence resumed once more as Nerissa reminisced on their first meeting a few months ago.
**************
Nerissa parked her car on the shoulder of the highway. Her eyes lazily gazed toward her rearview mirror, where the highway lights broke past the night sky, revealing the car crash behind her. She calmly watched over it, as if what happened wasn't her fault.
To be honest, it wasn't really her fault, was it? She didn't ram into it or anything like that. The police car just tried to follow her recklessly with their poor excuse of a car and ended up skidding into a guardrail on a curve. It happened many times before, and it'll continue to happen as she continues to race in the future. She was sure that those police officers knew the risk of chasing after her in their barely tuned cars, so they should be prepared for this kind of outcome.
'Well, this one was rather fun, at least.'
Compared to the other police cars she had been chased by, this one had some guts. It tried to compensate for its low power by using up the inside and outside lanes on the highway's wide curves and keeping as much speed as it turned just to keep her car in its sights. A reckless move that can only be done with blind determination.
But no matter how much bravado the driver might hold, it was a different matter if the car itself couldn't keep up. After doing several turns like that, the car eventually gave way and lost its grip before crashing into the guard rail. Thankfully, the bullbar and the engine bay took the brunt of the crash. The bullbar in particular was barely hanging on—its right half thoroughly torn by the guard rail.
'Quite lucky. If the angle was a bit off, the guardrail would've gone straight through the windshield and killed whoever's driving that thing.'
Whoever chased her had quite the guts and luck to survive this far. With how fun they had made her night, wasn't it right for her to make sure they were alright? After checking that no other police cars were chasing her, Nerissa called for an ambulance and reversed her car right next to the wreck.
She rolled down her windows and called out lightly, "Whoever was chasing me, are you alright—Whoa!"
Nerissa quickly ducked below the window when she noticed something peering out of the wreckage's driver side—just in time to dodge a taser shot directly at her. One of the electrodes went above her head while the other bounced off her car.
Upset by the sudden attack, Nerissa screeched, "What the hell?! Is this really how you're acting to someone who's trying to help you? Shit, did that thing scratch my car? Oh, you're so dead if it did!"
A weak cough came from the wreckage. "If you're trying to help me... then you should've stopped when I turned on the siren... you lunatic..."
On the driver's seat was Elizabeth, holding a taser that barely missed Nerissa earlier. A trail of blood flowed from her head as she stared daggers toward Nerissa. Anger, shame, and helplessness swirled intensely within her gaze—different from the usual fear and shock from those who barely survived a crash.
Her heart thumped for a moment before Nerissa commented, "Seems like you're alright if you can still spout things like that. I already called an ambulance, so just hang tight, okay?"
"To think even a street rat like you would pity me... This day couldn't get any worse," Elizabeth muttered hatefully.
"Calling me a street rat is a bit too far. I have a respectable job when I'm not racing, you know?" Nerissa replied with a pout. "Say... I was wondering about something. Care to entertain me while we wait for the ambulance?"
"...Whatever." Elizabeth spat out. She could tell that the woman next to her would prattle on even if she told her to stop anyway.
"What did you think of right before you crashed?" Nerissa asked. There was something that she needed to know after seeing the officer's gaze earlier.
"What kind of crazy question..." Elizabeth cursed under her breath before indulging Nerissa's curiosity, "I just thought if I could've done something to stop the car from spinning out. Maybe... maybe I shouldn't have turned too harshly during my previous turns to prevent the tires from wearing out too quickly."
Nerissa nodded her head. "But it couldn't be helped, right? Otherwise, you would've lost sight of me. Isn't there something else that you thought of? Something frustrating that nags in the corner of your heart?"
Elizabeth clenched her fists as she muttered, "...If only I had a better car. One that doesn't rattle when I try to press it to a measly 200 km/h. One that doesn't feel like it's going to float into the air when I take a corner. One that could follow my commands."
Barely suppressing the excitement that threatened to break out, Nerissa replied, "Yes, that's just how it is for a standard patrol car. There's no way you could've kept up with a fully tuned car. Since that was the case, shouldn't there be something else that you wished you could do?"
Elizabeth looked upon the empty highway lanes in front of her through the broken windshield. Memories of her struggle behind the steering wheel played in her mind. The sensation of the machine within her grasp fighting against her intentions grew more vivid with every passing second.
Seeing the emotions contained within the officer's gaze, the corners of Nerissa's lips curved upwards. "What did you wish for when the only thing you could catch was my taillight?" Nerissa asked.
The frustration that threatened to tear Elizabeth's insides as she watched the taillight in front of her getting farther boiled once more.
"I..."
On the final turn, while her car could barely follow her command, there was only one thing that remained in her mind.
"I wanted to catch up."
That trailing taillight, barely visible in the distance, yet burned into her mind.
"I wanted to go a bit faster."
As her foot pressed just a bit deeper into the pedal, as her car finally spun out of control, that frustration burned even stronger.
"I wanted to keep going."
As the impact rocked her entire body, her frustration formed into a fire, branding itself into her heart.
"Was that so much to ask for?" Elizabeth muttered through her gritted teeth as her grip tightened on the steering wheel that could no longer turn.
Nerissa silently watched over Elizabeth. Her desire to catch up, the frustration from her inability to do so, and the simmering rage that resulted from it—Nerissa fully understood it. After all, she had felt the same emotions herself in the past. She understood that the woman in front of her was cut from the same cloth as herself, someone who was destined to keep chasing that sensation of speed. The excitement in her heart continued to beat uncontrollably as she entertained an idea that popped up in her mind.
"Then, would you like to hear my suggestion?"
Before Elizabeth could say anything back at her, Nerissa added on, "Just listen to the whole thing before you reject it. You want to go faster, don't you?"
Elizabeth appeared vexed for a moment, her mouth trembling as she kept her silence. Taking it as her agreement, Nerissa gave her suggestion, "Let me teach you how to race."
"What kind of nonsense—"
"I told you to let me finish, didn't I?" Nerissa cut Elizabeth off, as if she was stopping a rowdy child from chattering on. She took a spare walkie-talkie headset from her glovebox and fiddled with it before tossing it to Elizabeth.
"Whenever you see me on the road, chase me down and turn on that walkie-talkie. I'll teach you how to race through that thing. Only I know that frequency, so no one else will be able to hear us," Nerissa said.
Elizabeth took the walkie-talkie and glared at Nerissa. "And I'm supposed to believe that? Some street racer decided to oh-so-kindly teach me how to race?"
Nerissa shrugged. "It's up to you whether you want to believe it or not. As far as I'm concerned, you're the one who needs this offer more. Do you really think a greenhorn officer with just some guts and luck like you can reach me on your own?"
Elizabeth's shoulders noticeably flinched at her rebuttal. No matter how hard she thought about it, she found the idea of catching this racer impossible. Just how much money did the woman before her pour into that car? How much time and effort did she spend to put that car under her control? Without knowing even a glimpse of an answer to those questions, she felt it was impossible to catch up to her.
If that was the case, then this offer was the only chance for her to reach the taillight dancing in front of her. But still, a sliver of apprehension and distrust remained within her, telling her that this offer was too good to be true.
"...What's in it for you?"
"Hm?" Nerissa tilted her head at Elizabeth's question.
"What are you planning to do by teaching me? Are you going to blackmail me by threatening to release the info that an officer willingly learned from a criminal like you?" Elizabeth asked.
"As if I would do something as boring as that." Nerissa waved off Elizabeth's suspicion before pondering on how to answer her question. "Hm... It just seems like fun, I guess."
"Fun...?" Elizabeth looked at Nerissa in disbelief.
"Oh, I'm not mocking you or anything. Quite the opposite, in fact." Nerissa chuckled briefly. "While racing's fun, driving by myself can get a bit boring, especially if no one can keep up. Whether it be street racers or the police, none of them could really catch up to me. They either crash or chicken out, never appearing before me again."
The corner of her lips curved into a smile as Nerissa continued, "But you're different, aren't you? Someone like you definitely won't be stopped by a crash or two. You'll get back behind the wheel and continue chasing me persistently. It really makes me wonder if it was me or the thrill of speed that you were chasing after."
Elizabeth gulped without realizing it. Each word Nerissa spoke contained an undeniable truth. Even now, she still longed to keep going a bit further, even if it were just for a second longer.
"So, keep chasing me persistently. Desperately chase after my taillight until you can keep up with me, even if it means you have to take my hand to do so. That's all I ask from you," Nerissa requested.
The low rumble of the idling engine and the scent of oil and metal lingering in the air no longer registered to Elizabeth. Right now, the only thing that existed to her was the smile hanging on the street racer's lips, tantalizing as her taillights.
A mumble escaped through Elizabeth's mouth, "You demon..."
"If you want to catch a demon like me, then you'll have to be prepared to fall straight into hell with me, officer." Nerissa chirped cheerfully, as if she just received a compliment. "So, how far are you willing to go to chase me down?"
Nerissa gleefully captured Elizabeth's conflict before noticing the blinking lights of an ambulance in her rearview mirror. The moment they spent together felt too short for her. She couldn't help but wish she had a bit more time with this officer.
"Anyway, just keep that walkie-talkie on you and turn it on when you see me. If I don't hear from you the next time we meet, I'll take it as your refusal," Nerissa spoke as she rolled up her windows. "I really hope you won't refuse, though. Let's meet again next time, officer."
With those parting words, the engine of the Corvette roared as it left Elizabeth behind. She sat silently, watching as the taillight finally dipped through the veil of the night. Even then, she continued to stare into the distance.
That night, she promised herself to never let go of the fire burning inside her. No matter what kind of hardship she has to go through, she promised to keep chasing after that demon.
**************
Nerissa mused to herself after recalling the past, "You didn't regret taking my offer, did you? Not only did you manage to learn how to drive fast enough to catch those street racers, even the idea to take the parts from the seized cars came from me. Now you're driving along in an Aston Martin. Shouldn't you be thanking me instead of being so rude to me? Hm?"
"Urk!" Elizabeth flinched in embarrassment.
Sensing her flustered reaction, Nerissa kept going, "Also, you still kept the bullbar from that wreck every time you changed your car, didn't you? Is it so I would know that it was you behind the wheel? You're kind of a romantic, aren't you?"
"S-Shut up!" Elizabeth shouted angrily, but Nerissa could already imagine how flushed she must be from embarrassment.
"That's totally true, right?! Ahahaha!" Nerissa laughed out loud.
Clenching her steering wheel, Elizabeth cried out, "Shut it already! I'll catch you this time!"
With that ultimatum, she pushed down hard and chased after Nerissa once more. The needle on her speedometer rose bit by bit. 250 km/h, 260, 270... She gritted her teeth as she kept the car under her control. The Aston Martin was definitely much faster than her previous car. Even after blowing through her previous car's top speed, it still continued to accelerate without problem.
However, a slight discomfort remained as she continued to drive. The timing on her corner exit felt off, and the way the car steered when she turned the steering wheel to change lanes was discomforting. The little quirks within her car felt even more pronounced as she continued to chase after Nerissa.
However, the Corvette in front of her remained elusive. Even while she was driving her best, it continued to speed along in front of her, just out of her reach. That short gap between them felt like a bottomless chasm that she couldn't cross. Elizabeth clicked her tongue. Was this really the best she could do?
"Relax a little."
A voice soothed her from her headset.
"It's your first time driving that car, isn't it? No need to get so riled up. Cruise along around 170 mph... Oh, I forgot you don't use those. Just keep it around 270 km/h and get to know your new partner."
Elizabeth's grip on the steering wheel relaxed ever so slightly as she took a deep breath. The thoughts muddling her mind faded while she focused on her car. Despite how amazing it might be compared to her previous car, it wasn't her car just yet. She had to recognize every part of it before she could call it her own.
"That car is still stock, isn't it? Take note of your car's little quirks so you can mention them to your tuner back at your station. Remember the current sensation while you're driving so you can compare it after you have it tuned."
With every corner, she learned just how much harder she could push the car. She could feel the car leaning into its outside rear wheel, as if encouraging her to press the throttle and drive hard through the corner. However, changing lanes to avoid the cars ahead of her felt a bit sluggish when compared to her previous, lighter car. Her mind kept track of the small things that bothered her, determined to turn the car into her own.
"After that, enjoy your first experience of the world at 270 km/h."
She took in the view in front of her. The world around them whizzed past before she realized it. Even the occasional cars driving around 100 km/h appeared like stationary pylons to her. The only things that seemed to be moving were just her and the car in front of her, as if the entire world were frozen in time except for the two of them. She could finally take a glimpse of that world she longed for in the past.
"So, how is it?" Nerissa asked. Her voice remained audible in the midst of the rushing winds outside and the roar of her engine. Elizabeth's heart stirred as she struggled to come up with an answer.
"...It's not bad," she replied.
"Just 'not bad'? Come on, don't tell me that's all you have to say!" Nerissa goaded her to keep going.
A smile finally formed on Elizabeth's lips. The fire within her wasn't sated just yet. "I still want to see more. I can't just get satisfied by just dipping my toes into this world."
"Now that's a good answer! You can still go even faster than this in the future, I'm sure of it," Nerissa chirped happily.
"Yeah. Fast enough to catch up to you," Elizabeth cheekily added.
Nerissa smiled as she replied, "I'll look forward to it. Until then, don't lose to anyone else but me, got it?"
Her request sounded like homework given by a teacher, and an unreasonable one too. Why did it matter for a pursuer to remain undefeated? Even if she lost a chase, all she needed to do was win the next time she found anyone that escaped her and capture those street racers. But despite how unreasonable it might seem, she couldn't find herself disagreeing with her high expectations.
"Fine. But I can say the same thing to you." Elizabeth warmly gazed at the taillights in front of her before declaring, "Don't get caught by anyone else. I'm the only one allowed to catch you."
A laughter rang across the walkie-talkie. "Okay, it's a deal!"
Another promise was made under the night sky and the passing highway lights, one that only existed between the street racer and the pursuer, leaving no space for anyone else to interfere. This unlikely connection, one that could only take shape in the form of a high-speed pursuit, lingered precariously as their cars weaved through the sparse traffic in a slalom. They raced down the border between life and death at 270 km/h, as if tonight was their last. For now, who or what they were had blurred into the background of the night, until the only thing that remained was the drive to keep the chase going.
Just as Elizabeth was beginning to get a feel of her car, she noticed a light popping up on her dashboard. The fuel indicator had blinked into life, prompting her to frown in response. "Seems like I'll have to call off the pursuit for today. I'm running low on fuel," Elizabeth announced.
"You didn't fill up on gas before leaving?" Nerissa asked with her eyebrow raised.
"I wasn't even supposed to bring this car with me today. We were supposed to reveal it on the Sunday live news coverage, but I insisted on bringing it for a test run," Elizabeth answered.
"I'll make sure to tune in tomorrow, then. Er, this afternoon, I mean," Nerissa corrected herself. "I guess you'll be taking the next exit, then. Let's meet again next time, officer."
Next time.
Those lightly spoken words felt like a tall order. With how often they go through these high-speed chases, she figured that one mistake would turn such a simple request impossible to fulfill. But despite that...
"Yeah. See you next time."
She still wished that simple request could come true.
"Yup! Have a good night!"
With those parting words, the Corvette in front of her accelerated once more, pulling away until she could no longer see it. The sight caused Elizabeth to let out a sigh out of exasperation. "Even after all that, you still haven't given your all, huh?"
She couldn't deny that she felt bitter about it. That speed demon remained close enough for her to chase, but just far enough to stay out of reach. She still couldn't cross that bottomless chasm between them. Forced to watch the gap between them, the fire within her was rekindled once more.
"That means I can still go that much faster, right?" Elizabeth assured herself. Her heart had begun racing before she realized it. This new world ahead of her still held many surprises for her to discover, and someone was waiting for her at the end of it.
"That woman really is a demon... No, much worse."
A demon tricks others to bring them into ruin. However, that woman was different. Her mere existence brought upon omens, whether good or bad. She pulled others into her own world, bewitching those she came across. For that kind of person, rather than a demon...
"A witch. That fits her much better." Elizabeth murmured to herself, a smile adorning her lips.
Those caught under her spell were fated to wreck themselves or continue chasing after her, as if afflicted by a curse. If that was the case, then she would continue to chase her until she could surpass her. For that was the promise they made with each other.
"Still... I wish we could've spent the night a bit longer..." Elizabeth sighed longingly as she took a turn to exit the highway.
Recently, the night she spent with Nerissa felt too short for her. When the time to depart came, she couldn't help but feel a slight pang inside her chest. Before Elizabeth realized it, she began wondering when she would meet her again.
"...! I-It's just that I wanted to catch her as soon as possible, that's all!" Elizabeth quickly corrected herself. But when she caught a glimpse of her flushed expression in the rearview mirror, her steering faltered for a split second. She quickly stopped by the shoulder of the road and took a deep breath.
"That's all... right?"
**************
Meanwhile, the so-called witch continued to speed off into the distance.
"I wasn't too rude, right? Hopefully she won't hate me for speeding off like that..."
Nerissa muttered her words in a low voice, her previous confident self vanishing into thin air. Despite her best attempts to remain calm, she continued worrying over the smallest details after she finished her little rendezvous with Elizabeth.
When she thought about it, she started acting this way after meeting her. Her heart would race whenever they met, she would feel elated the entire moment they were together, and then she would deflate like a balloon when they parted ways. These feelings felt foreign to her, as if she was losing her usual self. However, she couldn't say that she hated it—not with the stupid grin on her face. It was a different kind of happiness she got from the thrill of speed. No, she already knew what kind of happiness it was. She just wasn't sure if it was right for her to say it. The relationship between a street racer and an officer shouldn't go any further than this.
'...But who cares if it's right or wrong? If I say it's right, then isn't it right?'
That line had long since been crossed the moment Elizabeth took that offer. Whatever happens from now on, she will face it head on. The grip on her steering wheel tightened as Nerissa made her choice. She slowed down briefly and rolled down the car windows. The outside air blew through the open window and swept her hair into a mess, but she didn't care. There was something she had to do.
Nerissa yelled out through the rushing wind, "Elizabeth Rose Bloodflaaaame!!! I love you! I really, really love you!!!"
If she didn't let her feelings out, her chest would surely burst. If she didn't let the wind blow onto her face, her cheeks would surely burn from the heat. If she didn't let the rushing air muffle her scream, the entire world would surely hear her confession. The passing highway lights shined onto the racer's bright smile and gleaming eyes. At this moment, she was simply a maiden who finally confessed her feelings.
"Haha, I said it! I really said it! This is driving me crazy, seriously!" Nerissa panicked out loud as she closed the window.
The moment it closed, Nerissa pushed her foot onto the pedal and sped off once more, as if trying to run away from her embarrassment. However, her racing heart and rosy cheeks wouldn't leave her be.
'Keep chasing after me, Liz. Reach me so I can finally say these words to you.'
No matter what kind of end awaits her at the end of this road, she would welcome it, as long as she could convey her feelings to Elizabeth. So she would continue to run, however long it takes. Until those headlights behind her could finally pass her.
- END -