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> Accel Code, A not-so-complicated tale of racing :)
Rin
Posted: Mar 13 2015, 08:58 AM
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Code 30: Growing Bonds

Jiro calmly gazed up at the clear blue sky above Hakone. Like the silence which accompanied this stunning view, the warm, empty sky seemed to stretch on forever. The gentle summer warmth soothed his mind, and even if it was for but a brief moment, the pressure of racing, of living up to people's expectations, was lifted off his shoulders.

"Even if I say that…"

His hands in his pockets, he casually began pacing around his Impreza, eyes still staring deep into the sky above.

Who's expectation was I trying to live up to anyway? If anything, quitting Wangan was to get away from expectations…

His mind thought back to the events of the meeting with the defense line. He could not have been more out of place, yet he had so boldly stood with a cool defiance against some of the fastest people of this region.

"Either fight along side us, or get out of our way, these are the choices that face all of you here."

A co-operation…huh. What they expect from me, I don't know. What I expected from myself, I don't know either. Maybe it was just the tension, or the people there…whatever it was, I'm now…thrown right back into the fireworks.

"…Either way, today's so…calm. It’s a nice break from the usual city life, I guess." Jiro took a seat on the hood of the Subaru, letting a gentle breeze sweep up his trench coat's tail.

Breaking the serene silence, a yellow RX-7 peered over the horizon. It was a familiar sight to him, yet he still felt his heart flutter slightly whenever he saw it. Its driver was, of course, the person responsible for his nervousness. Teacher, friend, perhaps even a crush, Emiko had, in a very short time, become a person of great importance to him. As a racer, or otherwise.

"…Just as I was really enjoying the solitude." With a soft smile, he got on his feet and began walking towards the Mazda as it pulled over beside him. "Emiko~!"

Quietly, the timid driver of the RX-7 stepped out. Her simple dress, coupled with a short skirt which fluttered daringly in the slightest of breezes made for quite a sight. The faint blush on her face only made the scene all the more charming.

"Hmmm…So this is why you're late?" Jiro quietly ran his eyes over the embarrassed girl's form, a gentle smile on his face. "Did you do this just for me?"

Hearing his teases, Emiko's face further lit up, an evidently rosy red. She felt a tingling shudder as another soft breeze swept across the land.

"I appreciate the effort, especially when it's so bold. But still, that's…" Jiro paused as he fixed his eyes on Emiko's exposed legs. "…Not a lot of skirt."

"D-Don't stare so much…" Finally, the shy girl broke her silence and stuttered. Her eyes still avoiding Jiro's gaze, she shuffled uncomfortably and patted down her fluttering skirt.

"Thank you for the feast. But…that's enough." With a sigh, Jiro slipped his arms out from his trench coat's sleeves. In a single dramatic flutter, he wrapped the coat around Emiko's shoulders, letting its long tail cover her exposed midriff. "It'd be bad if you caught a cold or something. Who else is gonna teach me how to drive?"

Her face flushed beet red, Emiko clumsily stuttered a quiet "thanks" before retreating back into the RX-7.

"Y-You know the drill by now, right?"

"Yes, of course. I'll follow as usual. Try to let me keep up, it's not fun if I can't see you."

Jiro grinned and, without taking his eyes off the yellow Mazda, got into his Impreza and set off.

--

Fuji Speedway drift park, 9AM.

Yamato glanced up at the damp, misty scene before his eyes. The small ribbon of tarmac, normally blanketed by tire smoke, lay abandoned. Empty.

Parked behind him were two cars. Closest to him was, of course, his own Mark II. Although it had been just over a week since he got it back, but he was already used to its new, black on pink livery.

Nice and…not subtle. Just as it should be. It’s like a tribute to Ayase, if anything. Look at this thing…

He couldn't help but smile at the ridiculous livery, the giant GT-Wing with its endplates protruding from the already wide body. The entire package felt so very right, so very daft yet so undeniably purposeful. Seeing the empty track in front of him, he felt the urge to drive surge through his blood.

Shame I can't just let loose…not this morning. Maybe next time.
With a small smile, he cocked his head back, eyeing the second car in the pack. Parked beside his Mark II was a familiar pink Toyota. Its left panels were still unpainted, contrasting the vibrant pink of the rest of its body with its flat black surface.

"Alright, you lot! Tidy up all your wiring rubbish, we've got work to do. This is the goddess' car we're talking about. Since I'm tasked with setting it up, I won't accept anything less than perfection!"

Ignoring the snickering and protests from the crew, Yamato climbed into his Mark II and prepared for the first shakedown of the day. The damp air clung to his hands as he shuffled in his seat. Calmly, he took a deep breath. His hand hesitated, frozen in place, just before twisting the ignition.

A faint glare moved across the horizon, followed by the steady rattling of a rotary engine. Although the entrance to the course was only a hundred meters or so away, the fog had completely hidden the new arrival.

“…I thought we reserved the track today…?”

Yamato narrowed his eyes and quietly fired up the Toyota. He gently crept up the pit lane, slowly making out the outline of an RX-7.

…Could it be…?

The details of the car hidden by the fog slowly came to light as he approached. With each inch, he became increasingly certain. The widebody, its wing, and finally, the hint of teal that peered through the translucent grey of the morning.

It was, no doubt, the car from that night.

But before he could further inspect the Mazda, its idle engine erupted into life. High pitched revving shattered the silence. Tires screeched. In the brief chaos of its launch, Yamato instinctively floored the throttle. Both cars fired out of the pit lane with their rear tires alight.

To have beaten her, or at least, to force her to give up like that…I might not match you, but I’ll take one round to judge if you’re really so amazing…

Strengthening his grip on the steering wheel, Yamato fought the twitching brought about by the uneven tarmac. With a sharp tug of the handbrake, the Mark II slid onto the drift course and entered the first corner with full opposite lock applied. Yamato delicately controlled the drift, very aware that the rear wheels were only inches from the edge of the track.

Inside the RX-7, Kyle watched the Mark II’s dramatic entry into the first corner with a small smile. He had narrowly avoided a collision with the Toyota, its front bumper nearly clipping his rear.

“…Hey, hey…what’s this, first there was that crazy short tempered girl, and now we’re not even going to bother with introductions? Things just get more and more wild on this trip…”

Lightly tapping the throttle, he wrestled with the Mazda to keep it on the inside of the course. Directly behind him, the sound of the 1JZ rang in his ears.

It’s no rotary, but I do love that sound…here though, it only reminds me how damn awesome that guy’s entry was…

The two cars seamlessly transitioned from the exit of the first corner to the entry of the next, the gap between them as tight as ever. With his eyes fixed on the eye candy that was the Mark II’s fresh livery, Kyle nearly missed the transition onto the back straight. Violently, he tugged the handbrake and flicked the RX-7 the other way. Despite how close they were, the sound of his rotary revving right at the 9000rpm redline and the 1JZ’s smooth howl from behind was enough to bring a smile on his stressed face.

Kyle’s clumsy exit allowed Yamato to get ahead. Still sideways, both cars continued their smoky dance through the slow, wide corner that marked the end of a lap.

“That’s…” Yamato grunted as he twirled the steering wheel, preparing to straighten up. A sudden pop from behind broke up his calm. The Toyota speared uncontrollably into the path of the RX-7.

Both drivers reacted instantaneously. Yamato gave his all to accelerate the Toyota towards the unused run off area of the course. Kyle reacted by veering away from its path, before quickly spinning the RX-7 around to wait for Yamato.

As the Mark II came to a smoky halt, Yamato sighed and got out. “As I was saying…that was quite a warm up.”

“…And that’s probably why you shouldn’t use worn out rubber.” Casually strolling through the grey fog and tire smoke, an accented voice replied. “Both on track and in bed. Take it as a life lesson from someone with more experience in both fields.”

“I wouldn’t vouch for that. I’m pretty certain I’ve got the edge on the track. In bed…I’d rather not find out.”

Taking a confident step forward, Yamato and Kyle moved through the settling remains of the morning mist. The sight that greeted them could only be likened to seeing a splitting image of themselves. Both wore a thin, charismatic smile on their face. Both exuded a rough yet gentlemanly charm. It was less of a first encounter, more a reunion with a lost brother.
“Kyle.”

“Yamato.”

Exchanging names in briefest, quickest manner possible, the two drivers continued to stare into each other’s eyes. A tense silence descended on them.

Not for long.

“…Pfft.”

Kyle cracked first. Struggling to keep a straight face, he quickly dropped the act and extended his hand.

“Alright, that’s enough, no more western-style stand offs, I can’t handle the corniness.”

“Neither can I, to be honest.” Reaching out to Kyle’s hand, Yamato closed his eyes and softened his smile. “Nice to meet you, glad to see we’re on the same page right away.”

“The pleasure’s all mine…really…that entry…that’s some balls you have! You were so close to screwing it up as well!”

“Mhmm, mhmm. No need to worry, it was all a fluke.” Yamato grinned stupidly as he said that. “Still. As said. Nice to personally meet the man who managed to escape from her tantrums.”

“Oh, her. Ayase, right? That really cute but completely insane girl from Friday. How can I forget-”

“You agree too, right?!” Yamato jumped at hearing Kyle’s description of her, firmly gripping his hand and nodding in complete agreement. “It’s a crime how damn cute she is, and if you ask me, the temper and insanity only makes her even more lovable and amazing! Truly, she is the one, the only goddess of our roads! Even if the world turned against her, I alone will pledge to stand by her side~!”

“…E-Eh…okay. You lost me at the ‘goddess’ bit.”

“Oh please do try to keep up dammit, if you can’t match me then you can’t hope to get her attention!”

“Who said anything about that? And nevermind that for a second.” Kyle took a deep breath, pulling his hand free from Yamato’s clammy palms. “I…can sort of see where this is going.”

“…You can? That’s amazing, given how I don’t know where this is going-”

“Shh. Let your brother from another mother finish speaking for once. She came to me within days of me beating that scumbag of an ace. It was revenge of sorts. So…I then beat her, and now you- her crazy stalker- have come to me within days of that happening. Tell me you see a sequence here.”

“I do…and you’re wrong. I’m not out for revenge. If anything, it’s pure coincidence we met at all. By the way…Revenge? What’s that about? I didn’t know she had anything connections with the line here as well…”

“Eh? She didn’t tell you then, I guess. She’s got a score to settle with that guy. She looked upset that time. I mean, really upset. Her glare that time was more frightening than her shoving later on. It’s the only time I’ve regretted winning a race…well, the second time.”

“Second?”

“Having to beat her. Or else I’d probably be in hospital right now.” Kyle turned around and walked away. “Anyway, I’ll be leaving now. I did sneak in, after all. Next time, remember to lock the gates. Hope your goddess recovers from her mood swings, else she’s a hell of an unreliable god.”

“Heh. Before you leave, mind giving me your number? As you say…she’s pretty moody right now. Something’s wrong and…I want to help. Even if it’s very little, very trivial. I want to dig deeper, I want to help her out for once.”

“If she didn’t ask, it’s best not to. Our all-too-brief meeting tells me she’s not one to take intrusions too kindly.”

“Does it look like I’d back off because of something like that?”

“…Nope.”

Kyle smiled and flicked his business card at Yamato before climbing into the RX-7.

“If it’s for that cute girl and her devoted admirer, I’m available anytime.”


---
“Hey…”

Outside a small apartment block in Tokyo, a young girl was perched on a guardrail, watching disinterestedly as her boyfriend toiled away underneath his Nissan Z31.

“…Oi, Kuni~”

“Don’t call me that, Kaori. We’re not in primary school, you know.”

“But you’re not even listening to me~”

Kunitaro pulled his head out from beneath his car just in time to see Kaori’s cute, dissatisfied pout.

“…That’s really cute. Like…diabetes-inducing levels of cuteness. I should keep on ignoring you from now on, I like that look on your face.”

Without waiting for a reply, he quickly ducked his head back under the Nissan again.

“Hey, come on~ I’m so bored of this…” Kaori hopped off the guardrail and took a seat beside Kunitaro. With a teasing smile, she reached across and gently whispered:

“If you’re so into racing…should I get into the game too?”

“Sure-…wait what?”

Kunitaro felt his heart freeze and instantly slid out from under the car.

“No. End of discussion.”

“Ehhh? Why not? Come on…it could be fun~”

Wiping the oil from his hands, he softly gripped Kaori’s exposed shoulders and stared sternly into her eyes.

“Fun? It’s dangerous, you know? I’ve already lost someone important to this game…if I lost you as well-”

Upon realising his concern, Kaori placed a finger over his lips. Her irritated expression softened into a gentle smile. She understood all too well why he was tense.

“That’s so sweet of you…but don’t let me hear the end of that sentence. Nothing like that’s going to happen.”

She rested her weight on his body, letting him embrace her tightly.

“So certain of yourself, eh?”

“Hey, just who do you think I am? Did you forget who taught me to drive? For me to not be decent at driving despite the two most important men in my life to being so into it…that just won’t do, you know?”

“Ah yes…your dad. He was…much like you right now, actually.” Kunitaro hugged Kaori’s body closer to him and rocked gently, like one would with a newborn. “That is to say…famous amongst a small circle of perverts, old and young alike.”

“Oh shut up! You see, now you’ve gone and spoilt the mood…it was so sweet as well!”

“You’re not denying it thoug-ouch ouch, alright alright, I’ll be serious, just no pinching please~” Kunitaro jokingly whimpered as he tried to pry Kaori’s fingers from his arm. “Seriously though…I don’t think you’ve thought this through.”

“Eh? Oh, if you’re worried about the car…”

Kaori let her sentence falter, instead turning around to look Kunitaro in the eyes. Her cheeky smile gave away her intentions all too easily.

“…No way. You’re not considering that relic of a Sierra, right?”

“Why not? It’s a good start, and if people still recognise it, they won’t come and hassle me when you’re teaching me the ropes.”

“No…if anything, you’ll be one of the most talked about people on the pass within moments of your arrival. Yeah…if he didn’t tell you, I’ll tell you now. He’s that famous. People still bring him up every so often. Up there…he’s probably more famous than you are.”

“Ouch…it hurts to be the super cute idol I am and be less famous than some retired old man…but at least once I establish myself, I’ll be pretty unique.”

“If you’re talking about being a super cute, trendy pin up girl for the community…then sorry to say, you’ve been beaten there too. By someone in the same industry too. I think you’d be very familiar with her.”

“Eh? Who is it?”

“Ayase Tsurugi.”

“Ah…her, huh.”

“You know, ponytail girl, sometimes features on the front page of fashion magazines and all that.”

“Yes I know, I just saw her yesterday…Ah.” Kaori’s voice faltered slightly. She shuffled around nervously, trying to piece her thoughts together. “Hey…I’m not one to get into gossip, you know that right?”

“Yes.”

“S-So when I do…it’d probably be a big deal…right?”

“Yup. Most likely.”

“Well then…” Kaori paused, cleared her throat, took a deep breath. She looked Kunitaro in the eyes before continuing to say:

“Remember that night at Hakone, you said something dangerous would happen before we left? Apparently, afterwards, she went insane in a race.”

“How so?”

“Just look it up in your own time, it’s not the point I’m getting at. Anyway, people were scared…like, properly. There was something really, very wrong with her that night. And almost as if to confirm it, Ayase just walked out of a job yesterday.”

“…Eh? That’s it?”

“D-Don’t just dismiss it! It’s a pretty big deal, you know. When I saw her…it was pretty shocking. Her hair was just…a mess-No, as a whole, she just looked completely trashed. Like, bad hair day times Monday blues with a touch of insomnia. When I saw her walk out of the studio, she was a ghost. Completely without presence, her mind just somewhere else entirely.”

“Sounds serious…” Kunitaro gave a short reply, trying to think of a logical explanation. “Maybe she was just not feeling well?”

“Nah…even when she’s sick, I doubt she’d leave without saying a word. She’s pretty reknown for being super tryhard when it comes to these photoshoots-”

“…Don’t call people try hard just because you skip practice at every given opportunity-”

“Shut up~!”

---

- To be continued -

This post has been edited by Rin on Apr 30 2015, 06:07 AM
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Rin
Posted: Apr 12 2015, 11:12 PM
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Code 31: Pressure and Cope

Ayase opened her eyes.

Just like that, she was thrown into back into reality.

Or is this the nightmare…

She couldn’t tell.

Her past truly haunted her every living moment, awake or asleep.

Bzzzz.

Bzzzz.

Through the chilling silence of her tattered room, her phone’s vibration echoed into her ears.

How long has it been…

It should have been a week. One week since she buckled under the pressure of her own expectations. One week since she relapsed into utter depression.

One week ago today, the day ‘Ayase Tsurugi’ was crushed. It was already a vague recollection. She remembered seeing herself in the mirror, a worn out, bitter, hate filled shell. A carbon copy of her high school self.

”No amount of makeup or praise can fill this empty void…”

She remembered thinking that.

She remembered the sound of something shattering. She remembered how she just cracked. How the negativity just crashed her will to do…anything. All she could do was run.

So I’ll…do just that. I’ll run. I’ll disappear. Surely…even I can manage this much…right?

She saw herself, a ghost, lifelessly walking out of the studio. Without a sound, without opposition. She simply slipped away.

Yet…even this quiet retreat wasn’t tolerated…
Within a day of her leaving work, the defense line consolidated their plans for their counterattack.

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…Yet it just descended into hurling abuse at me from high ground.

All this was a few days ago.

Yet it felt like an eternity had past.

She was weak, tired, sick of it all.

Beyond the drawn curtains of her room, she could hear the faint sounds of life outside. Carrying on without her. Leaving her behind.

Who knows…maybe it’s better off this way. Let the world find me…and let them search for my perspective of this one sided slaughter.

“Ayase.”

In her pitch black, empty room, she heard a familiar voice call out her name. It may have been muffled by the door, but this voice, she could never mistake for anyone else’s.

“…I guess it was a matter of time, huh. How are you, Mayumi? Doing a damn sight better than me, no doubt.”

“So you are here.”

Ayase couldn’t deny, hearing this voice brought a smile to her face. It was a brief, fleeting relief, but it was something.

“At least someone cared enough to search here”, or something like that…No shit I’d be here. Where else did you think this loner could go.

“Yes…I am.”

“Let’s talk. You know, like we always did back then.”

“…What would that solve? I’d cry my eyes out, you’d have wasted your time listening to what you already know and by the next day, it’ll be the same deal all over again.”

A hollow silence fell.

Within this silence, Ayase’s thoughts rampaged.

One goody two shoes to balance out the heap of shit that filled the rest of the class. That’s…what I was. I thought if I worked towards that…they might come to ignore me…hell…even respect me.

Such naivety…


A tear fell. Another day has passed and Ayase still sat frozen, the endless misery flowing throughout her mind. Her mind looped through various low points of her short life. In the worst of times, the two hour long classes that filled her days were best likened to trials. Not just from the hostile pressure from her classmates, but from the hopelessly misguided teachers who she had so foolishly attempted to turn to.

“It’d work out eventually”, they said.

Haha.

What a f**king joke.


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The lonesome female buried her head in her arms, her body curled up. Ayase's eyes turned to the searing white gap in the blinds, watching it flicker as the curtains swayed softly.

In the grim silence, she glanced at the calendar. Since that day, it had remained untouched. Her eyes followed the ray of sunlight across her desolate room.

And here I was, sulking in the corner of my room, and I realized they were right. I'm a fool for giving them what they wished for when what they truly wanted from me was my disappearance from the world.

Tick.

Tock.

The endless, monotonous sound of time slipping by echoed in her ears. At this point…even that had failed to register in her mind. In this room, time had truly stood still.

At this rate, even if it's some arch enemy I could hate, I'd ask for help in what could hardly be called a voice… Anyone… please…

Another knock on the door broke up her thoughts. Another bothersome attempt at trying to reach out to her, yet another attempt at helping her escape the past.

"Oi, Ayase. Even if that’s the case, you can't hole up in there forever, you know! By the way, some friends invited me out for dinner, want to come along?"

Mayumi's words fell on deaf ears again. Within her room, all Ayase could feel was a heat pouring out the holes in her shattered heart.

"Even if we grow up…we'll always be friends"…pah. If being friends included turning against me…you lot were perfect.

And here I thought… after so long, after starting this job, after getting into racing… I could finally live a proper life… What a fleeting dream that was…


Another tear fell.
----

“…Well.”

Jiro’s eyes quickly scanned the parking area. Compared to the height of the event’s popularity during its second week, the attendance tonight was barely half that. It seemed that, with the loss of the Aristo’s wild antics, it had taken with it the daredevil spirit that drove this challenge.

I suppose between the Z and the Aristo, most casual drivers have been scared off. The thought of losing your car to random act of violence is understandably not a nice one.

The Hakone challenge was nearing its ending phases. With only the strongest and most determined drivers remaining, the cars parked in front of him now were his actual competition.

“How long has it been…two weeks? It’s only a month long, this challenge. They’ve not been doing very well, my guys.”

”My guys…would that be the touge drivers or the Wangan drivers?”…please, no one ask that question. I’ve debuted on the other side. Jiro Sumihada Mark II. Or something.

“S-So anyway…”

Emiko tugged Jiro’s shirt sleeve and tried to continue her explanation in her typically embarrassed voice.

“These are the people you’ll race…don’t worry, they’re not all out of your reach.”

“You certain about that? I’m pretty sure the only people left after the recent antics are those who know they’re fast enough to outrun danger, and those who’re generally just reckless and dumb enough to take their chances.”

“W-Well…even so…I-I believe…you…c-can…” She shrank back into his shadow as her courage ran out before she could complete her sentence.

“…Heh.” Jiro sympathetically pet her head, smiling an understanding smile. “Well, if you believe I can do it, I’ll certainly try to live up to that much. I get to pick the rival though, or you’d probably toss me into a race with the fastest guy here.”

“…B-But even so…y-you’d work it out…”

“…No, no! Never! There’s confidence then there’s just sending me off to die, neither of which are particularly pleasant for my newly bolstered pride. But if that ever happens, I can rely on sensei here to get revenge for me, right?”

An all too familiar silence fell as Emiko’s answer became too bold for her tiny ego to utter.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” With an understanding nod, Jiro turned his attention back to the neatly parked row of racers in front of him. “So, from your…probably limited knowledge of these guys, who should I aim for?”

Emiko faltered slightly as she carefully scrutinised his options, before pointing at a grey Supra RZ.

“S-Start off with him.”

“Hmmm…I’ll do it, so don’t worry, you sold me. But, for reference, why him, of all the cars here? There aren’t that many, granted, but still…why the Supra, out of the five cars?”

“Ehh…”

“Or is it a matter of the driver?”

“…Y-Yeah. He’s conservative enough for you to take on without much luck.

“…Ok, final question.” Jiro softly pinned Emiko down on the side of the Impreza, his small smile now a wide grin. “How many times have you beaten everyone there?”

Emiko looked away shyly, her face blushing bright red.

“U-uhh…”

She unconfidently raised two fingers, still trying to avoid eye contact.

“…Well then. That explains it. You were very confident about my chances…now I know why.”

“A-Are you…a-angry?”

“No, why would I be? It’s just that…” Jiro paused and pulled back, sliding his hands back into his pockets. “Well, if even you can speak with this much certainty, what do I have to worry about?”

- To Be Continued -

This post has been edited by Rin on Apr 30 2015, 06:07 AM
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Kenzz
Posted: Apr 16 2015, 01:40 AM
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Good to see you're still dedicated after this time.
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Rin
Posted: Apr 30 2015, 06:07 AM
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Code 32: Determination of Futility

Akina, 10am.

A vivid green blur sped through the pass, rapidly approaching the five consecutive hairpins which defined the course. Vanessa stared down the flowing set of sweepers unblinkingly. Her thoughts were steady. Simple, clear reflexes. Minute twitches at the steering to keep the nose heavy Renault on the racing line without inducing understeer. Precise, smooth throttle control to capitalise on the downhill momentum she built.

6000…6500…

She carefully eyed the rev counter as the needle charged up towards the redline. With the turbo was working at full force, the tiny 4 cylinder engine gave a compressed scream, making short work of yet another gear. Although she never paid much attention to the intricacies of shifting at peak power, she was leaving nothing to chance now.

I don’t care how miniscule the change…how minute the difference…I’ll do whatever it takes to win!

Gritting her teeth, she eyed the first of the hairpins with a calm determination. Very slightly, she adjusted her line, letting the Megane edge closer and closer towards the outer edge of the three lane wide road. Her approach was perfect. Completely in line with her previous runs, she had left herself with half a lane on her outer side.

Vanessa jumped onto the brakes. The Megane tipped forward as the car reacted to the violent deceleration. As the corner approached, she held her breath, restraining herself from turning in. With a quick flick, the Renault dived down into the corner. She counter steered slightly as the rear skied outward, before quickly tucking the nose in. With a sudden, dull thud, the inner wheels dropped into the gutter. Vanessa grunted as her steeled resolve was upset by the unrefined concrete surface. The Megane rushed through the apex of the hairpin at a staggering pace. As soon as the road opened up ahead of her, Vanessa gave a firm tug, wrestling the car out of the gutter.

If I lose this one…I won’t be needing this thing either.

The Renault fired out onto the short straight, staggering slightly as the car balanced itself.

So, give me everything you’ve got!

---

“…Vanessa…”

Aoi’s S13 pulled over beside Vanessa’s Megane at the base of the mountain, having been completely left behind within moments of passing the first corner.

“Oh, you’ve made it down here, at last.”

“It’s completely stock, I wasn’t expecting to keep up, even if I gave it my all.”

“Well…” Vanessa grabbed her phone from the dashboard and showed Aoi its screen. With a slightly breathless grin, she smiled confidently as beads of sweat fell from the tips of her hair. “Fastest run today. Ever, even.”

“W-Wow. 3:14…” Aoi looked at the string of numbers before her with a complicated expression.

That’s…over a second faster than her previous run. I didn’t see much of it, but there’s very little left in either the driver or the car. No. Certainly, the car is the limiting factor here. She’s already hot on the heels of some slower GT-Rs, no doubt. But even so, reaching the speed of Adachi’s R32…in this…

The reality was all too painful. There was no realistic chance of victory. 300hp could only do so much, no matter how much of the corners were cut and no matter how smooth your driving. The power difference alone could make up for it.

“I’m not that shabby, eh?” Taking a seat on the warm bonnet of the Renault, Vanessa let out a relieved sigh. She closed her eyes, letting the tension and shock settle. In her ears, she heard her heartbeat, she felt it pulse nauseatingly, each beat swaying her body back and forth. She felt the warm, restless sense of achievement rush through her. She let out a tired, genuine smile and crouched down beside the front wheel.

“H-Hey, are you okay? Can you stand?”

“Ah…ahaha! I’m…fine. Feeling better than ever.” Vanessa laughed and waved dismissively at Aoi, instead focusing on the Megane’s wheels. The spokes were badly scratched from its slight knocks against the edge of the gutter, no doubt caused by her jerky overcorrection. “…Oh dear. I’ve made a mess of these pulling off that stunt, haven’t I? Ah…damn.”

“…Vanessa…”

“Say…Can I ask?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think…it’s worth it? All this. Just to settle the score with a sore loser.” Glancing up at her friend, Vanessa raised her hand above her head, hiding her eyes from the fierce summer sun. Her voice had calmed, the rush had settled in. “I’m pretty certain I’m going to be losing more than just these nice wheels…hell, worst case scenario…I’ll lose the car…maybe even my life. Driving into gutters like that, I doubt this thing would hold up if I did it every day. Do you think…I should’ve let it go?”

“I think…” Aoi turned her gaze away from the blue skies to look Vanessa in the eyes. “You’ll make the right decision when the time comes.”

Scene 2

Jiro began his lonely walk towards the grey Supra with a cool, open smile on his face. The parking lot being as vacant as it was, his bold stroll stood out to the gathered and chatting wangan racers.

The line up was impressive, to say the least. Besides the Supra, the group featured the usual handful of tuner cars, though largely dominated by Mazdas. The car that caught his eye, however, was a deep purple coupe. Although it revealed itself as another Mazda on closer inspection, he still could not identify what it was. Curiosity took over, as his eyes drifted off the Supra and towards the purple car.

“Hey…over there.”

The supra driver broke off from the cheerful chatter, pointing at Jiro’s casual approach.

“Right, quickly. Before he gets too close, who wants to bet that he’s here to challenge us? One of us, who it is doesn’t matter, just…one of us.”

“Well what the hell else could he be here for? To ask for directions?” One of the drivers interjected with a small grin. “Here’s a better bet, who do you think he’ll be after?”

“Bzzz. Wrong question again.” Another driver entered the conversation. “Really, the answer to that is simply…the most attractive person in this group. Isn’t that obvious? We’re all just extras, she’s the one who’ll get all the attention, even if that’s exactly what she dislikes.”

“You make it sound like she’s not around…come on, at least acknowledge her existence. We’re not doing too well but that’s the least you can do. She even went out of her way to show up for once.”

“It’s fine, isn’t it, Shion~” From within the small circle of racers, a young girl spoke up. “I’m not one to stress over such things. Though really…this is becoming quite a farce, if I may say so myself.”

“Hey, Yukari…You know, you call the shots, and I would never question your final decision…but really, being so whimsical finally got your ass handed back to you.” Shion sighed and rested her hands on the low roof of her RX-7. “How about cutting your losses and pulling back? You belong back in Tokyo, where you can really work that twisted mind of yours, what with all those back roads you so readily force people into. The same goes for a lot of our guys too. They’re just not used to the utter lack of space here.”

“Give me another week. One more week, let them do their thing for another week, and if I still can’t get what I want, we’ll go back, mmkay~?”

“…Still searching?”

“More like…still finding for a start point.”

“It’s been…how long? Ten years? I don’t know if you were lucky or not, running into that trio that night. How were you even certain it’s them? And if you were so certain, why didn’t you go up to them? You’ve been making this needlessly complicated. Also, ten years…do you think he’ll still remember you? It’s not uncommon for memory loss to occur-”

Just give it up…is what you’re trying to say, right?”

“I-Well…yes. It makes keeping up with you a touch easier, it means we don’t have to go through all this, and letting go of him would let you move on in life. You’ve thrown so much away in this search…I think it’s time you let it go, before it takes anything more important.”

“Yeah, yeah…Whatever you say. But…” Yukari turned her glance to the clear night sky. “I’ll end this search when I feel I’ve got my money’s worth. I won’t involve you or any of the crew, so just bear with it. This week will be the last…so let’s just see how much damage we can do.”

“Hey~!”

From afar, a cheerful shout came from the other drivers.

“They’re starting! Supra against Impreza, you girls wanna watch?”

“Well then…” Shion turned to Yukari, looking her in the eye with a soft, understanding smile. “Give that some thought. If, on the rare chance, you feel you need a shoulder to cry on, I’m always available.”

With that, Shion turned back to the small group and gave her usual, tomboy response.

“Let’s see what this guy’s made of then!”


----

“…So.”

Saburo sighed with a tired voice, reclining into the passenger seat of Sakuya’s Supra. The Toyota cruised through the silent Hakone downhill aimlessly, its engine barely awake, idling in 5th gear.

“What’s the plan for tonight? Just…drive around, picking fights with locals, business as usual?”

“Not really…It’s about time we headed back to Akagi, since all the hype’s dying down. Just thought I’d take this chance to enjoy this road at a…slower pace. It’s a nice break, isn’t it?”

“I guess. Though really, wasn’t this trip a break anyway? To need to take a break from…the break, it’s not done you much good, to say the least.”

“This and that are two different things entirely, and before you complain, you seem in greater need of all this downtime.” Sakuya replied in a soft voice as she glanced around the empty road. “Don’t get too used to not having to do all the driving, these peaceful times are going to be over for you very soon.”

“Hmm…”

With a disinterested grunt, Saburo turned his gaze up to the cloudy night sky.

”Now, just try and stop me.”

So I said. Of course, the reality is, I probably won’t last a second against them right now, even with the best luck in the world.


He understood all too well how much he still had to learn, how much work still need to be done in order for both him and his car to reach the level of Kanagawa’s defense line.

It’s probably for the best that I didn’t take Sakaki on…Not least because of, well…

Saburo turned his glance back to the Supra’s functional interior, letting his thoughts trail as he listened to the 3S-GTE’s smooth burble.

I’ve got to hand it to this girl. Even willing to put her pride and joy on the line for my sake…even when my own resolve has been half hearted at best until very, very recently.

His monologue came to a halt at that point. Saburo frowned, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, and fumed at that thought.

Why is that? Why…when I’ve always been so dead set on my actions so far…why did my resolve falter? Stress from all this attention? Even after so long? No…that’s not it.

The nature of his hesitation puzzled him. Or rather, it’ll be more accurate to say it intrigued him. Certainly, hours of sleepless nights were devoted to ‘thinking his way’ out of the issue with Kagerou Kouka, but equal hours were placed on routing the source of his reluctance to proceed.

When did things start going wrong…when I first heard of that girl? When I was beaten in Tochigi? Or was it even further back? Back when I first struck a chord with the community, when I won my first race against the defense line, back when I lost to that old man?

He sighed deeply, the memories of his short but rich experience in the past few months slowly coming back to him. He watched the highlights of these memories flash before his mind, a vague blur of the most intense seconds of racing he had experienced.

In all these cases, there was one weak, but definite similarity.

He had felt the desire to be faster. He wished, in one form or another, under the guise of whatever emotion it may have been, for victory in a swifter, more effective manner.

…Is it really something that shallow?

Saburo had his doubts.

I’ve not been one to care for such…trivial things. Is it really just speed? Something so focused, so…meaningless?

He understood the reasoning behind his desire to become faster, of course. Among many things, he wished to be less of a burden. The fact that, despite his tough act, he still heavily depended on Sakuya just to keep him updated with current affairs is proof enough of how hopelessly reliant he was.
If it’s for her sake…to repay her for all that she’s so unquestioningly and unreservedly done for me…

“Say…” Sakuya’s soft voice dragged him away from his monologue. “Mind telling me what happened that night? After you two shook off those racers, what did Hatori say to you?”

“Eh? Uh…It’s…S-She didn’t say anything in particular. Nothing that you wouldn’t expect from that girl. Though it’s rare to see you refer to her just by her name…Did something happen between you two again?” Saburo stumbled over his words, trying as best he could to avoid the topic.

“Tch. It’s nothing.”

“It’s not like you to keep things to yourself…if anything, that’s telling me more than if you just talked about it-”

“It’s nothing. You know, you don’t like it when I nose into your business too much…show me that much respect this time, and stay out of it.” Sakuya replied bitterly. The Supra’s engine let out a rough snort, cutting off Saburo’s slowly forming response to her cold sulking.

“…Hmph. Have it your way then.” Saburo turned his glance away from her, relegating himself to watching the tarmac rush by in the Supra’s side mirrors. The view outside was largely pitch black, only broken up by the glimmer of light reflected off the mirrors placed high at the side of the road.

Silence.

Having thrown her fit, Sakuya dropped the Supra’s engine down to idle once more. It only served to make the lack of activity all the more apparent.

…Was it always like this…

Saburo frowned and stared hard into the mirror. Only now, in this silence could he truly appreciate how alone they were. The road was empty. Disconcertingly so.

But…I’m pretty certain…

A glaring flash filled the mirror. Not enough to blind them, but that was not the issue.

“…Sakuya. Save the pouting for later-”

“I get it.”

Dropping a gear, the Supra was awaken once again. Down another gear. The inline four’s muffled howl became a shriek. The revs surged as the twin turbos spooled up. Within seconds, the digital display was reading 8000rpm and Sakuya had to shift up. The Supra thundered down the road, amassing speed at a relentless rate.

Saburo watched on the sidelines as this happened, awestruck at the completely foreign levels of acceleration the Supra possessed. The high strung engine screamed its way to the red line once more, their current speed was well above 200 kph.

But even when faced with such savage pace, his confidence was half hearted at best.

Behind them, after all, was a true monster.

Within the blinding white of its headlights was a deep shimmer of crimson. The low, squat shadow that chased after them was only too recognisable to him.

In their brief exchange, they had confirmed his worst fears.

They had no doubt.

The Scarlet Devil had arrived.

- To be Continued -
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