Super Cub Volume 1 Special Story - Second Machine

 The end of volume 1! Thanks for sticking with me until the end. It was nice to see so many people find this translation (even though I feel like not a lot of people know that it exists). Tbh I'm still not sure if I want to continue since there's a lot of volumes but I do want to get to Shii's introduction in Volume 2 so look forward to it in the future.

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By riding a Super Cub, Koguma learned about the existence of the many motorcycle and car enthusiasts who existed in the world.

It seemed that many of these people who poured their money and affection into moving machines had a second car.

It wasn’t always the case that the beloved car that one had acquired because they irresistibly loved it would be able to fulfill the needs of the driver in everyday uses―such as shopping nearby, picking up and dropping off family members, attending a funeral service or weddings where your relatives were there―except for the pure enjoyment of driving.

Some hobbyist cars and motorcycles overheated quickly in the mid-summer traffic, couldn’t stop at any time, or couldn’t carry anything but the operator.

Many of them had an appearance and exhaust sound that wasn’t quite normal by the standards of ordinary people, and of course there were many modified versions of Super Cubs, which were well-known as practical-use bikes as well as hobby bikes.

Many of those people had a second car that they used for daily transportation apart from their own cherished car. The second car, which was like a sub-heroine who supports the main heroine in a light novel and at times had even more presence than the main heroine, was essential for them to keep driving their attractive cars or motorcycles. 

Koguma wasn’t that overly attached to her Super Cub. First of all, she bought her Super Cub to ride around as a hobby as well as to do all of her daily needs. People might think she was poor when she rode it to public places, but that really was the case, so she considered it unavoidable.

However, there was no such thing as a second car in the life of Koguma, where a Super Cub was sufficient.

The bicycle.

It was a city bike she had bought for less than 10,000 yen at a local home improvement store, which she had been riding before she bought her Super Cub.

Ever since she started riding the Cub, she no longer used the so-called “mom bike” that was from a major department store bicycle brand. However, she kept it because it cost money to dispose of it.

In the bike parking lot of the apartment where she lived, there was still enough room for her Cub and bicycle, and it didn’t get in the way when she took her Cub in and out. Therefore, the bicycle was placed at the edge of the parking space, as though its existence had been half forgotten. 

The reason why Koguma decided to ride her bicycle again was the unexpected breakdown of her Cub.

When she was avoiding a Japanese macaque, which could be seen in even Yamanashi when you left the urban areas, she rode her Cub into a tree on the side of the road and broke the lens of her headlight on a tough tree branch that stuck out like a mountain guerilla trap.

The headlight not only had cracks on the glass lens but also on the reflector inside. It was dangerous to ride without lights on the rural roads of Yamanashi, where it got pitch black after dark. Even in the daytime, this was like riding with a sign saying, “Please arrest me for poor maintenance.”

After some research, she found out that the headlight unit, which was the lens and reflector in one unit, was quite expensive if you ordered a new one. Therefore, Koguma decided to fix it with the many used parts that she could find on the internet.

When she did research on the school computer, she found that Cub headlight units were sold everywhere, from individuals to vendors. Koguma clicked on one that seemed to be in good condition and at a reasonable price, and then waited for it to arrive so she could install it.

After she placed her order, she was informed that it would take about a week for it to arrive due to shipping and delivery.

It was then that Koguma regretted trying to fix it cheaply. If she had bought a new one at the Honda parts supplier in Koufu, she would have been able to complete the replacement on the same day. Reiko told her that when had broken her own Cub, she had done the replacement in the parking lot of the parts store right after she bought them. 

A weeklong freeze on the Cub had descended upon Koguma. Even so, her life and time continued to move on, and tomorrow she had to go to school and do some shopping.

Koguma had no choice but to take her bicycle out. She inspected all its parts and found that it was in good shape except for the tires, which were under-inflated after being left unattended for a while. She was not as happy as she was when her Cub was in good condition.

After reinflating the tires and wiping off the dust, she rode her bike down the hill in Shichiriiwa, Hinoharu to the school for the first time in a long time. When she left her bike in the place where she usually parked her Cub, Reiko, who arrived at school at the same time, quickly spotted her who was different than usual.

“What’s wrong with your Cub?”

Koguma looked at Reiko’s Hunter Cub, which seemed to be operating very well, and replied while staring resentfully at it.

“The light is broken. It’s going to take a while before the parts come.”

Reiko seemed to understand what was going on from Koguma’s words. She then poked Koguma’s bike with the toe of her Pecos boot.

“That’s why you’re pedaling?”

Koguma shrugged. 

“There’s no other choice. This is all I have when my Cub is broken.”

Koguma was a little annoyed by Reiko’s too light-hearted “That sucks” when she heard her words. She might be irritated about not being able to ride her Cub. She decided to do something that would make her feel better.

“Do you have a second machine? Something to ride when your Cub breaks down?”

Before she finished speaking, Reiko answered, “Nope!”

“If my Hunter Cub breaks down, I’d fix it before I went to school or eat or anywhere else. That’s why I don’t need a second machine.”

Koguma shook her head.

“Don’t skip school.”

There were many people who ruined their lives with motorcycles. Reiko, who would probably happily join them sooner or later, snickered at Koguma’s sensible scolding.

“So how do you go about buying all the parts and tools you need to fix a Cub?”

Reiko’s expression changed. It seemed that had never occurred to him until now. There was a saying that went, “You don’t have the clothes to go buy clothing,” but not having a Cub to go buy what you needed to fix it was a problem.

Eventually, Reiko knelt down and began to hold her head in her hands. What should I do, what should I do, she repeated. 

It was almost time for class to start, and this was getting a bit bothersome anyways, so Koguma decided to lend her a helping hand.

“Just buy a bike.”

Reiko’s gaze swept over the bicycle Koguma was riding.

“No bicycles. It goes against my principles.”

It was there that Koguma realized Reiko’s problem. The reason why she didn’t have a second machine.

“You don’t know how to ride a bike?”

At first, Reiko seemed to be trying to bluff and put on a bold front, but nodded helplessly as Koguma stared directly at her.

“It’s ‘cause bicycles are weird. You fall over if you don’t pedal, and they have brakes on both handlebars.”

Koguma gripped Reiko’s shoulder and pulled her to her.

“I’ll teach you how to ride.”

Reiko looked up at Koguma. Eyes that seemed to be seeking salvation. Koguma knew.

The eyes that said, “I will rely on this person” would soon turn into eyes that seemed to be looking at a demon.

After school. In the large parking lot adjacent to the bike parking area, Koguma began Reiko’s bike lesson.

Koguma gripped the back of the bike behind Reiko, who was fearfully trying to get on it.

Koguma’s job was not only to support Reiko so that she wouldn’t fall. In the limited time they had to practice, she had to teach her what to do if she fell and how to fall. 

In other words, Koguma’s real role was to kick her down from her side just as she was getting the hang of riding a bike.

She thought that just like the Cub, Koguma’s second machine, maybe Reiko, and probably their relationship wouldn’t break with just that.

Once you rode a Cub, you knew that if something broke, as long as it was made by man, it could be fixed by man.

Reiko was the only friend she had at this high school, and to Koguma, who had little interest in friendships and relationships, she was just another person that was there or wasn’t there, but that was precisely why she thought that it would be better if her life and body weren’t destroyed, even if their relationship was broken.

If Reiko was going to be riding around on a bike like she was barreling along on her Hunter Cub, she needed to be able to protect herself even if she fell somewhere with no one to help her, not in a small parking lot like this one.

No matter how many times she broke her Cub, fixed it, or bought a new one, there was only Koguma in the world who was riding it. Maybe the person in front of her, who may or may not be important to her, was also the only person who existed in this world.

If there was one more thing that Koguma learned from the Super Cub, it was that, unlike machines, there were no second machines for people.

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