36 On Why Urban Legends Are Super Beauties

Raising both hands, Kyosuke Hojo tried his best to appear harmless, while a magical smile—the kind Celty had described—reappeared on his face.

It was unfair; no one could bear to lay a hand on him when looking into those eyes.

Celty, who had been about to conjure black mist ropes to bind Kyosuke, stopped mid-action. The dark mist in the living room slowly retracted back into her.

“Are you really not the helper that person sent?” Celty carefully handed the tablet to Kyosuke.

“Really not. I’m the leader of a biker gang. Why would a traffic detective ask me for help?”

As he spoke, Kyosuke pulled out his phone, found the photos Sakura had sent him of the Tokyo Loop racing, and showed them to Celty.

Celty lowered her head to look at the picture of Kyosuke clad in a racing suit, riding a massive motorcycle surrounded by a cluster of delinquents. Then she looked up to see the gentle, captivating smile on Kyosuke’s face. She looked down again, then up once more...

“I can’t tell.”

Although Celty didn’t specify what she couldn’t tell, Kyosuke guessed.

“Haha, I’ve only been a delinquent for less than a week.”

“But it looks pretty fun,” Celty said, pointing at a photo of Kyosuke and his friends riding in formation along the Tokyo Loop.

“Yeah, cruising around with friends is enjoyable. The guy next to me is Kyosuke Maki, pretty well-known in the Tokyo biker scene.”

“Ah! I’ve heard of him—Kyosuke Maki, the one who rides the Scarlet ZⅡ!”

Seeing how eagerly Celty passed the tablet to him, Kyosuke could easily imagine the excitement behind her words.

...

Celty kept asking a stream of questions about the biker gangs, clearly very interested.

As for Kyosuke, newly appointed leader of his gang and only half-knowledgeable, he cobbled together bits and pieces of gossip he’d heard here and there to impress Celty with seemingly impressive talk.

“Next time, want to go cruising with us?” Kyosuke invited.

“Sure!” Celty typed quickly, then withdrew the tablet.

“But you know, I’m—”

“What?”

Celty clutched the tablet to her chest tightly, as if making a decision. Then she turned around, glanced at Kyosuke, and slowly reached up to remove her cat-shaped helmet.

Her alluring body should have been matched by an equally beautiful face. But where her head ought to be was empty—black mist continuously rose from the neck of her snow-white collarbone, as if flames from hell.

“I’m the Headless Rider!”

Seeing the exclamation mark, Kyosuke automatically imagined the cute yet fierce expression and tone Celty must have used.

“Hahaha, Celty, you’re just too adorable!”

“What?!”

After handing the tablet back for Kyosuke to see clearly, Celty quickly pulled it away, looking shy.

What’s up with this guy? He doesn’t find my headless form scary at all—instead, he thinks I’m cute?

---

Celty, the adorable headless rider, couldn’t figure it out. Kyosuke wasn’t like Shiro, who had strange fetishes and liked non-human entities.

So, does he really think I’m cute as I am?

At that thought, the black mist around Celty’s neck thickened and rose faster.

“Don’t you find me scary?” Celty typed, clutching the tablet to her chest, nervously and expectantly awaiting Kyosuke’s answer.

“Scary?”

Kyosuke stroked his chin, appraising Celty from head to toe.

Seeing this, Celty grew even more nervous and straightened her posture.

Scary? I think I’m more like… tempting.

“There’s nothing scary about you. Would you hurt me?” Kyosuke asked with a smile.

“Of course not!” Celty quickly waved her hand.

“Then it’s settled. If you wouldn’t hurt me, you’re a good person.”

“A good person? You think I’m a good person?”

Celty typed, then waved her hand back and forth at the vacant spot where her head should be.

“Hahaha, Celty, what are you doing? You’re too cute—it’s against the rules!”

Celty’s adorable gestures made Kyosuke laugh heartily.

“I don’t even have a head. Can I still be considered a person?” Celty typed.

In search of her lost head, she had traveled through human society, passing from city to city. Unconsciously, she slowly blended into the crowd.

After losing the trail of her head, her purpose seemed to have changed—she was gradually becoming more human.

She worked harder than humans, even without rest throughout the year. She obeyed laws, feared traffic cops, enjoyed watching cartoons, loved cute animals; she helped girls in need and helped elderly ladies who had fallen.

Could such a being truly be called human?

Lately, she sensed that she might have developed feelings for the one she was lodging with. Was it love? Or just simple gratitude? Celty herself wasn’t sure.

That person seemed to love her deeply, but he loved her as a non-human. Rather than loving her true self, he loved the “non-human existence.” It didn’t matter whether she was a headless rider or something else—so long as she was non-human.

Troubled, confused, unable to understand.

But now, sitting across from her was a man named Kyosuke Hojo, who had suddenly appeared at her door. After she revealed her non-human nature to him, he still found her cute? And even called her a good person?

Celty could clearly sense this man wasn’t a pervert like Shiro.

Well, though the person who loved her so deeply was herself, Celty knew clearly that Shiro—who had dissected her with his father at a young age and was obsessed with non-human beings—was definitely a creep among humans.

So, does he truly regard me as a human? Celty desperately wanted to know.

It was strange—this non-human being longed to become human.

---

“Of course!” Kyosuke nodded emphatically.

“Humans aren’t such inconvenient creatures. Ah, sorry, got a bit off track.”

He chuckled awkwardly, then resumed with a serious expression:

“Celty, when I said you’re cute just now, you blushed, right?”

“Huh? If someone says that, of course I’d blush!” Celty typed, then lightly fanned the spot where her face would be, as if cooling her flushed cheeks.

“Ah, I don’t even have a face!” Celty belatedly realized the problem.

“Hahaha, I can see your shyness and blush without a face, so don’t worry about it,” Kyosuke said with a smile.

“But what does blushing have to do with whether I’m human or not?”

Celty asked eagerly, feeling that a question long troubling her was finally about to be answered.

“Of course it does. Humans are the only animals that blush. Have you ever seen any other animal blush?”

Kyosuke was slyly switching the argument. No matter—he couldn’t clearly explain the boundary between non-human and human; all he needed was for Celty to believe him.

“Seems like that’s true!” Celty typed rapidly as the black mist around her neck soared in response.

“See? So there’s no doubt—you’re human!” Kyosuke declared conclusively.

It was that simple? Blushing?

Celty put away the tablet and leaned back on the sofa, satisfied, then looked into Kyosuke’s eyes again.

So gentle—such gentleness she’d never experienced before.

That’s why—yes, the people she encountered either screamed “monster” and fled or stared at her with curiosity.

Even the few who weren’t afraid simply accepted her as a friendly non-human.

No one had ever treated her as human or shown her kindness.

Looking into those gentle eyes, Celty felt her “face” flush again.

“So, Celty, want to go cruising together?” Kyosuke asked once more.

Having spent some time together, he was beginning to like this adorable headless rider—not with romantic love, but a wish to be friends.

Celty was about to type a reply when the door opened.

“Celty, I’m home.”