"Good morning, Mister Heita. It's been quite some time."
"I'd like a tasting."
"I'd be happy to. Young miss, I'll be asking for your assistance."
"Eh? Uh? Mhh… Suure…?"
McQueen wasn't sure what help she would bring to the table, but she is excited regardless. The man inside the room is dressed in a three-piece suit with a black vest, a white shirt, and a red butterfly ribbon. The way he talks and his intonation indicate that he is very well-versed in serving people. Any one-star restaurant would be elevated to three stars if he were the waiter.
"I know your fondness for rigid upper, but I can wholeheartedly endorse the new breed of mixed upper. The ankle-high and the normal."
The man walked to the shelves beside him and picked 2 shoes from the wide variety. He put the shoes on the table, and the young man grabbed them to inspect them thoroughly. Letting his hands wrap around the upper of the shoes and testing how they bend.
"Three layers with a rigid outside, flexible inside, and a layer of foam in between. Ensuring the runner easier time putting them on or off, while giving them grip during races. And I know you appreciate the custom eyelets."
The young man can be seen testing the man's words as he pushes the inside wall of the shoes. He feels the foam in action as the air escapes when he pushes and returns afterward. Feeling satisfied, he put the shoes back on the table.
"What's next?"
"I need something fresh. Juicy."
"Fresh… Juicy…"
The man behind the table looked into the distance as he repeated those words. He can be seen racking his brain that will suit the needs of the young man, and soon enough, he lifted one of his eyebrows. He turned around, picked one of the shoes from behind him, and gave it to the young man directly instead of putting it on the table like before.
"A new experimental PEBA-based midsole. Able to return energy up to eighty-seven percent while also being five percent lighter than most PEBA-based midsoles."
The young man put his hand inside the shoes with his palm squarely pushing against the bottom. He pushes down onto the table, feeling his energy being absorbed by the midsole, and then lets go. The way the midsole quickly springs back onto his palm, even with him needing to pull, tells him all he needs to know. He put the shoe on the table after feeling satisfied.
"Can you recommend anything for the end of the night? Something light, but robust."
"May I suggest… a titanium alloy-based?"
The man once again brought a shoe from behind him and handed it over to the young man. Igo Heita quickly turned over the shoe to inspect the metal underneath.
"Custom nails to prevent galvanic corrosion. Textured belly should the turf get… wet. A medieval classic with a modern touch."
The young man let his fingers run through the metal of the horseshoe, feeling the small teeth and pattern of the shoe biting into his skin. Any advantage would help, regardless of how small it is. He also doesn't want the teeth to be so big that McQueen might trip if they dug too deep into the turf.
Feeling satisfied once again, the young man put the shoe on the table before uttering the next word.
"Desserts."
"Mmhh~~ Dessert."
McQueen couldn't miss the joyful expression on the man's face. She wonders why. Her trainer was asking for dessert, so why did that make him so happy?
The man behind the table brought out a black box. It wasn't just an ordinary black box, even McQueen knows that. The wall of the box is 10 centimeters thick, and it was made out of wood. Whatever kind of shoes are in there have to be so precious to be kept inside rather than being displayed like the other.
The man grabbed the top of the box and opened it wide, letting everyone in the room see what was inside.
Shoelaces?
McQueen was baffled when she saw shoelaces inside the box. They were tied and packed between foam, like how companies usually ship out electronics.
The young man extended his hand inside and grabbed one. He untied it and let it flow freely. He put both of his hands on one of the aglets before letting just one hand run its fingers to the other aglet. He rubs his fingers together afterward, attempting to feel any residue from the material of the laces.
"I'll take this one."
"Perfect."
"Can you make it based on an existing shoe?"
"I sure can. Do you have a reference?"
The young man brings out McQueen's shoes and give it to the man.
"Where would you like to have it sent?"
"Tracen Academy. One week."
"Excellent."
The young man grabs McQueen's hand before turning around and walking away. McQueen was worried about his new boots, but decided to trust her future husband. His reputation is also at stake here, and no one loves himself more than him.
"Mister Heita."
The man behind the table calls out to the young man, making him stand in place. The young man slowly turns around to face the man once again.
"Do enjoy your party."
The young man replied with a silent nod before continuing his way with his future wife.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Who was that?"
"A shoe salesman."
"Don't act as if he were just a mere salesman! He's clearly not!"
Back inside the car, the young Mejiro lady couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.
"And why didn't you pay him?"
"They're professional, McQueen. They take pride in their work and would only accept payment once they believed their work deserved it."
"So, a true gentleman, unlike you."
"... You know what? You deserve this."
"What are you doing?!"
The young man grabs McQueen's body and pushes her down. His bigger body covers McQueen's smaller body in its entirety.
"No one can help you know, McQueen."
"Why you!? Pervert!!"
McQueen's tone and actions are completely different. Her hands are on the young man's chest, but instead of pushing him away, they're gripping her shirt. Her legs are near the young man's stomach, but instead of kicking him on the abdomen, they're circling his waist.
The young man looks like he has the situation in control, but with the teenage girl being stronger than him, it's quite the opposite. In her mind, no one is escaping this car unless one of them gets pregnant, and McQueen was willing to be the father.
"Now~~ What will I do with you~~?"
"Kuh! If you want to put your baby in me, then just do it already!! Pervert!!"
McQueen cursed herself for getting cold feet this morning. She had fully intended to use the underwear she bought when she went shopping with Dober, but alas, she chickened out of it.
"Now~ Now~ That's the main course. I want to eat an appetizer first."
"Kuh!! Bastard! Just do it! Don't drag it on and just do it!!"
MAKE MY DREAM COME TRUE!! JUST DO IT!!
"You begging for it makes me want to drag it on and on and on and on~~"
"You monster!"
"Hehehe~~ Now taste this!! Thousands of kisses!!"
"Aaah!!"
McQueen was expecting her lips to be smothered by the young man's saliva, so she was understandably confused when his lips landed on her cheek. Is he that dysfunctional that he doesn't know where to kiss?
"I've always wanted to do that ever since I saw how bloated your cheeks get every time you eat desserts. Now I will use you as a pillow for a nap!"
*Twitch* *Twitch*
To say that McQueen was disappointed was an understatement. She is currently arguing whether to take the offensive and do it on her own. The young man is hugging her body and resting his head beside hers. All she needs to do is roll around and pin him down.
"Sigh… You're a disappointment."
"Freaking rude~~ Did I really deserve that from a single kiss on the cheek?!?!"
"Yes."
McQueen decides to stay down for now. She can have him anytime she wants, so there is no rush. McQueen relaxed her body, but still circled her legs around the young man's waist, and circled her arms around his body.
"Sigh…"
This doesn't feel bad at all.