2.5

 "If we do not hurry they will gain on us. Is this time to play around?"

 "I d-don't wanna hear that from y… Time out, seriously, wait a…!"

 They'd been racing through run-down streets for the last five minutes, but the

girl was running well ahead of him, showing no sign of losing her breath. On the

other hand, Subaru, never one to hold up for long sprints, was about to collapse

from exhaustion. At first, he had been in front, but his endurance issues soon

switched their positions.

 "I'm convalescing, so this is really pushing it… But we're in a pretty bad spot.

Doesn't look like many people live here… You have any ideas?"

 The other group was a fair distance behind them. However, they were in one

long alley, so slowing down meant it was only a matter of time until they were

caught. He'd have liked to get on a thoroughfare, but all he could see was a

maze of other back streets.

 "It is not my problem! Everything I set out to do turns out well for me. I do

not think deeply about things, for I do not need to. I need only trust in this

fact."

 "Yeah, well you lost at rock-paper-scissors to me earlier…"

 At least they hadn't bumped into a dead end, but that didn't improve their

predicament.

 Right in front of the winded Subaru, the girl suddenly came to a halt.

 "—Mm, this is indeed rather vexing."

 Subaru, still holding her hand, also stopped. He looked at her, wondering

what the deal was.

 "Hey, we don't have time to stop here. If we don't put in as much distance as

we can, they'll catch up with…"

 "—I have lost interest."

 "I see, you've lost intere… Wha—?!"

 Subaru was in utter shock at the girl's unbelievable statement. She returned

his gaze, apparently bored.

 "I said, I have lost interest. In the first place, why must I run? I shall decide

what I do myself. I absolutely shall not be forced to do anything because of

what lowlifes say or do."

 "Th-that's easier said than done, you know?! That ain't gonna fly in a situation

like th—"

 "Mm, I have decided. You shall have the honor of carrying me."

 "No thanks!!"

 As Subaru crossed his arms in a clear sign of refusal, the girl scowled as if he

was putting a damper on her mood.

 "The honor of carrying me is not for just anyone to receive. Only a man who

does not know fear would reject such a thing."

 "Do I look like a macho man that can carry someone and run?! Even when I

was at full strength, it took everything I had to carry a girl with way fewer style

 points than you! And I'm about worn out now!"

 As Subaru used the remains of his energy in protest, the girl shot him a look of

scorn, but he couldn't use what he didn't have.

 Her games led them to a stalemate costing them precious time. That was the

thought in his head when, out of the blue, he heard an aged voice.

 "It's been some time since I've seen you. What are you doing here?"

 The speaker's large frame emerged from the darkness. Subaru lifted his gaze

to a typical height for making eye contact, but found himself staring at this

man's chest. He raised his gaze even farther to his ugly, balding head.

 —A familiar and very muscular old man gazed down at Subaru and the girl.

 "Gramps is here to save the day! We can win this—!"

 "You're quick to annoy someone who hasn't seen you in a while. I'm leaving

you here."

 "Wait, I really need your help! It's, like, the tenth crisis I've had in the last

month!"

 "That's too many!!"

 As they exchanged banter in lieu of greetings, the giant—Old Man Rom—

peered at Subaru and the girl.

 "What, in more trouble, are you? Causing a ruckus with a woman? Quite the

adventurer you are."

 "Do not look at me so rudely, you filthy gnarled tree."

 "Hey, I'm ribbing him, too, but that's really harsh!! Don't say that to the old

man giving us a get-out-of-hell-free card! Don't take it personally, Old Man

Rom. We've just got a little case of excessive honesty here!"

 "You certainly are good at wearing a man down. Hurry and hide!"

 Subaru covered the girl's mouth before she could spew insults again and

rushed toward the place Rom had silently indicated. There was a pile of scrap

wood there that seemed able to comfortably conceal two people.

 Subaru pushed the girl down first before squatting himself. She looked like

 she wanted to complain about the dust, but his hand over her mouth managed

to keep her silent.

 "We're okay on this end, Gramps!"

 "No, you're not… I'll hide you with my body. If they see you it'll be trouble for

me, too, so don't move."

 Grumbling all the way, Old Man Rom hid them completely behind his huge

body. A mere ten seconds or so later, a commotion of footsteps came from a

nearby alley—

 The leader of the men shouted, "The hell, I thought it was the brats, but it's

the old man! Shit!"

 Old Man Rom fielded the foul language with a serene expression.

 "What? You shouldn't surprise your elders like this."

 Old Man Rom hadn't put any special invective into his sentence, but the

displeasure of a giant like him carried a force all its own. The entire group

shuddered, the leader included. But one of the members of the group pointed

at Old Man Rom and mocked, "Hey, wait, it's Grandpa Cromwell. Hey, should

you really be talkin' smack to us here?"

 The furrows of Old Man Rom's wrinkled face deepened further in a bitter

response.

 "I do not like being called that name."

 "Get outta here, old man, or we'll bust up your loot cellar and make you the

laughingstock of the slums."

 "That place has gotten incredibly dirty over the years. If you destroyed it

entirely you'd be doing me a favor. So how about I do as I please?"

 "Yeah, fine. Now, Cromwell… Did you see two brats runnin' this way?"

 "I didn't see them. Do you know where my blond daughter is?"

 "Beats me. You picked her up off the street, so what's the big deal? Man,

goin' senile must suck."

 The men waved farewell, laughing derisively as they noisily left the area. Old

 Man Rom watched their retreating backs, biting his lip as he held back his

anger.

 As Subaru watched his face through a small gap, he couldn't help but feel bad

for him. He was glad that Old Man Rom was friendly for their belated reunion,

but he seemed a little different from the Rom Subaru knew.

 "Hww wong rre…"

 "Mm?"

 A whisper-like voice interrupted Subaru's thoughts, prompting him to look to

the side. Right beside him was the beautiful girl, so close they were practically

breathing the same air, her mouth still covered by Subaru's palm.

 "…you gonng to cvrr my…MOUTH?!"

 Chomp.

 "—Yipe!!"

 At the merciless bite, Subaru let out a high-pitched, puppy-like yelp that

quietly echoed through the nook in the back of the alley.