Urban System in America-Chapter 153 - 152: Birds. Deadly Birds

The car glided smoothly through the city streets. Inside, a quiet tension hummed—oddly comfortable for Rex, but wildly chaotic for Daisy. Morning light filtered through the windshield in soft streaks, casting a golden glow across Rex’s face and making his already sharp features look unfairly perfect.

Daisy told herself not to look at him. She really tried. But every now and then, her gaze betrayed her—stealing a glance, then quickly darting away like a guilty child caught sneaking a cookie.

Trying to ease the silence, Rex glanced over with a relaxed smile. "So, first time we’re actually talking, huh? Feels weird after months of sharing classes." ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Daisy smiled faintly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, it does. Guess we’ve both just been doing our own thing."

"Right?" Rex laughed. "You’re always with your gang, and surrounded by fans."

"And I thought you were allergic to human interaction," she teased.

Rex gave a mock wince. "Ouch. But not entirely untrue."

The conversation was flowing now, light and effortless—until Rex’s eyes, just for a moment, drifted her way. Just as Daisy turned slightly in her seat, her collar shifted... and well, he saw more than he meant to. An illicit glimpse of soft, untouched skin, the absolute forbidden territory.

His eyes widened and he was a bit distracted, suddenly his hands jerked slightly on the wheel.

The car swerved.

"Shit!" Rex muttered, straightening the wheel just in time as a chorus of honks erupted behind them.

"Wha—!" Daisy let out a startled yelp, and for a second, it felt like her soul tried to escape her body. She grabbed the door handle like it was a lifeline, heart thudding so hard it might just punch its way out of her chest.

Her voice came out high and panicked, "W-What was that?! Are you okay?!"

She stared at Rex with a mix of panic and are you trying to kill us?! written all over her face. Her breath came out in quick little puffs, like she’d just finished running a marathon.

"Y-Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Sorry about that," he coughed, attempting a cool shrug that did nothing to cover the way his hands were still stiff on the wheel. "Just, uh... got distracted for a sec."

Daisy stared at him, trying to calm her racing pulse. "Distracted?! By what?!

Rex froze. His brain scrambled for an answer, any answer — because he sure as hell couldn’t say "Oh, I accidentally caught a glimpse of your forbidden territory and nearly died." Yeah, no. That was a fast track to getting slapped into next week.

Then, salvation came in the form of a random bird flapping past the windshield.

His eyes lit up like he’d found the Holy Grail. "Uhh... birds," he said, nodding way too seriously. "Yeah. Birds. Sudden flock. Nearly took us both out. Very dangerous."

He added a dramatic glance at the sky, as if more were coming to attack at any second.

Daisy blinked. "...Birds."

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"Deadly ones," he insisted, voice full of conviction. "Feathers everywhere."

Daisy squinted at the perfectly calm sky ahead. "...Then why can’t I see it?"

"It’s already gone," Rex replied without missing a beat, eyes on the road like a soldier fresh from battle. "Vanished. Like a ninja bird. Quick. Efficient. Deadly."

She turned slowly to look at him, one brow raised in pure suspicion. "A ninja bird?"

Rex cleared his throat, maintaining his poker face. "Yep. They operate in flocks of one. Very rare."

She stared at him for a moment too long, clearly not buying it, but also too speechless to argue.

He kept driving, lips twitching as he tried not to smile.

Finally, she huffed a tiny laugh through her nose, folding her arms. "You’re either a terrible liar or a dangerously good one. I haven’t decided yet."

He flashed a crooked grin. "I like to think I’m mysteriously unpredictable."

"You’re something, alright."

He kept his eyes forward, hands gripping the wheel like his life depended on it. But... temptation was a cruel thing.

He snuck another glance.

And she caught it.

Daisy blinked, a flicker of confusion crossing her face—until she followed the trail of his eyes.

Down.

To her slightly loosened collar.

Her eyes widened. In a flash, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, cheeks igniting like someone had cranked the blush setting to maximum embarrassment mode.

"W-What are you looking at?!" she squeaked, voice a mix of panic and outrage.

"N-Nothing!" Rex blurted, way too fast to sound convincing. "Just... driving! Very seriously driving!"

A thick, awkward silence filled the car. Even the GPS seemed too shy to speak.

Daisy narrowed her eyes suspiciously but didn’t say another word. She turned her gaze to the window, the tips of her ears a telltale shade of red.

Inside, her thoughts were chaos.

Agh! Daisy! Why this shirt?! Why today?! I knew I should’ve gone with the hoodie!

And yet... a tiny traitorous voice in her head whispered,

Wait. Did he really almost crash... because of me?

Meanwhile, Rex was mentally slamming his head into a wall. Bro. What are you doing?! You nearly crashed. Over cleavage. Get it together. You absolute idiot.

They drove on in silence, both pretending like that didn’t just happen.

Rex kept his eyes locked on the road like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Daisy, on the other hand, stared out the window with the intensity of someone trying to manifest another dimension.

But the air between them?

Yeah... it was definitely not the same anymore.

After some time, Rex cleared his throat and, in an attempt to shift the tension, began humming a soft, random tune. It was gentle, with a strangely nostalgic rhythm, like a lullaby you felt you knew but couldn’t place. The melody floated through the air, light as the breeze slipping through the cracked window.

Daisy blinked in surprise and turned to look at him. Completely forgetting the embarrassment for a moment.

Seeing her like this, Rex raised an eyebrow and asked "what? Did I sing too badly?"

"No, no...That was really pretty," she said, glancing at him. "What song is that? I’ve never seemed to have heard it before."

Rex shrugged casually, keeping his eyes on the road. "Just something I made up."

"What? No way."

She raised a brow. "You made that up? Come on, be serious."

He smirked, eyes still on the road. "Dead serious."

It wasn’t a lie... not entirely. In his past life, it was someone else’s famous ballad. But in this life? No one had written it yet. So, technically, it was rightfully his.

Daisy narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced. "You’re telling me you just came up with that? That sounds way too polished to be something you just made up.

Rex, internally: Well yeah, because it is real. A hit from my past life. But who’s gonna know?

He clicked his tongue and leaned back in his seat, doing his best "cool composer" impression. "Believe it or not, I wrote it. It’s mine. Still a work in progress, though."

"Well, I am a man of many talents." Rex gave a dramatic sigh. "But alas, underappreciated."

Daisy’s expression shifted to one of reluctant amazement mixed with heavy suspicion. "Mmm-hmm. Sure. Totally buying it."

"You wound me, Daisy," he said dramatically. "So little faith."

She smiled despite herself. "Sing it. Properly this time."

"Sing?" he blinked. "Now you’re just being greedy."

He glanced at her, then gave in. "You really want to hear it?"

She nodded.

Clearing his throat and humming again—this time letting his voice gently rise with soft lyrics, letting the melody linger in the space between them.

"Like petals caught in summer rain,

I found you once, and lost again.

But if the winds would bring you near,

I’d hold you close, forever here..."

Daisy blinked, momentarily stunned. The gentle melody wrapped around her like a hug, warm and nostalgic.

The world outside the car blurred into a quiet background as the notes filled the cabin. Time seemed to slow, and even Daisy, with all her inner chaos moments ago, simply listened—resting her cheek lightly against her fist, eyes on the window, lips curled into the faintest smile.

For a while, everything felt still. Peaceful.

Then, just as the tune was starting to swell—

Rex abruptly stopped.

"...That’s all I’ve got," he muttered, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Didn’t finish it yet."

In truth? He forgot the rest.

Daisy turned her head to him, blinking. "That’s it?"

"That’s..." she started, then stopped. "That’s not something that seemed ’just’ made up."

"It is, I swear," he said, all innocence. Then he coughed. "Well... except I only came up with it until there. Kind of forgot the rest."

She stared at him.

"You forgot your own lyrics?"

"Yup," he nodded solemnly. "Creative block."

She chuckled. "Still. Promise me one thing?"

He glanced at her. "Hmm?"

"Promise me you’ll finish it one day," she said, poking his arm gently. "And when you do, I want to be the first to hear the full version."

Rex gave a dramatic sigh, then looked at her with mock seriousness. "Alright, alright. I solemnly swear, Lady Daisy."

"Sorry, original singer, and composer" Rex thought, with a perfectly straight face. "But I’m stealing this one. For love, for art... for survival."

Then, as if that wasn’t enough to soothe his nonexistent guilt, he doubled down.

"In fact," he added internally, "you should be grateful! I’m not plagiarizing — I’m preserving. Yes, preserving your sacred art, rescuing it from the clutches of time and fate. I am but a humble vessel, carrying your divine melody to a world that’s never known it."

His expression turned solemn, like he was doing something noble — no, holy.

"This is not theft... it’s a cultural service."

And just like that, with the mental poise of a man who just justified stealing Mozart’s symphonies to impress a girl, Rex nodded to himself proudly.

"I’m doing the Lord’s work."

He threw a quick glance at her, watching as she turned to the window, cheeks faintly pink, a smile lingering.

Honestly, who could say no to a request from a beautiful girl?

Then, suddenly sensing something, he turned his gaze briefly to the "you" breaking the fourth wall, and added with a sly grin:

"...Only you guys. Yeah, you—reading this while giggling alone. That’s why you still don’t have a girlfriend."

(End of Chapter)