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Tell us when he looks like he's posting Chapter 5.

*sets up sniper's perch near Rin's house to monitor story's progress*

*takes out a cookie*

*eats cookie*

You've said this twice now.

I know the progress, but I'm still not telling you!

I don't think that'll help

(by the way, I had been out of reading this for a while so no on-site review for now...also no video.)

This post has been edited by TouyaShiro on May 25 2013, 04:34 PM

Chapter 5 is almost ready to be published. It'll come tomorrow or so. You guys wait for a little more, it won't take long.

- Mikoto Misaka, editor in chief, AC dev team

This post has been edited by +-!mma_N00B-+ on Jun 1 2013, 08:12 AM

Want to know what it's like in the dev room? Well, here's an excerpt from that glorious Skype group that I call "Rin's Workshop".

Here's a few keys to note just in case:
Names
rche_pride ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ - The Aurum Moon トウヤ白 - Yours truly
御坂 三郎 - Ze author, Kurokami Rin
Timezone is UTC+9:30

---

[6/1/2013 9:13:32 PM] rche_pride ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ - The Aurum Moon トウヤ白: Currently page 18. Still no sign of Saburo's [FLEEP]s anywhere.
[6/1/2013 9:14:03 PM] rche_pride ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ - The Aurum Moon トウヤ白: You think he threw them out of the window when he was driving up the mountain? XD
[6/1/2013 9:17:38 PM] 御坂 三郎: DUH

---

That conversation took place when I was editing the original document before handing it over to Andre. Also censored for obvious reasons.

And look at you being all official, Nena!
kakkoii~~

Something tells me that Chapter 5 is going to be extremely long...

you're right, a total pain in the ass to proofread...

- Mikoto "I am not a redhead Gundam pilot" Misaka, editor in chief, AC dev team

You seem to be spending more time on Simraceway than trying to obliterate me for my general incompetence, Trinity.
And, I'll restate it as many times as necessary (thank you Metal Sonic): I WAS ON A FLEEPING TIME LIMIT AFTER MY SLACKERY (a fact which has hurt my school results for years now), so I focused on the grammar side of things during the editing! I had enough on my plate when I read and re-read each and every line to see how they processed in my head!

(Of course, I invoked a case of *can't follow my own advice* yesterday by attempting to overwork myself past midnight, something I advised Rin to not do. Might be infectious considering how things played out today...jkjk love you all~)

I felt like racing myself rather than reading a racing story, so I went to SRW.

I'll get chapter 5 ready to be published ASAP.

- Mikoto "Nena Trinity is just my roommate" Misaka, editor in chief, AC dev team

*enters room with a jar of choco-chip cookies*

*sits down*

*opens jar*

*eats cookie*

OMNOMNOMNOMNOM

*stalks everyone in the room outside in the bushes*

dis gon be good~

-joins benny-

This post has been edited by Jammy on Jun 2 2013, 06:27 AM

...and so, it begins. MANY THANKS, ANDRE. You really helped me in this...

Code 5: Blackening

The air on the night was tense and the atmosphere became heavy with silence. Saburo was clearly not in the mood to deal with what was placed in front of him. Sakuya pulled her cap down slightly to hide her eyes and conceal her expectations. She could only tell that what happened from now on could very well leave a mark on the stage tonight. Vanessa just reserved her smile slightly and stayed next to Saburo while the three of them faced off against the trio led by the man that he unintentionally defeated a few days ago...

“Remember the time when you managed to overtake me on that same mountain pass several days ago?” Souichiro asked, glaring at the brown-haired young adult. Saburo didn't seem to be impressed by his presence one bit; if anything else, annoyed.

“...”

He recalled that time when he drove through the Happogahara pass when he went fetching parts for Sakuya on Onizuka's shop. That Mazda Roadster that he passed was definitely the same Mazda he overtook during that time when he was on a hurry.

“...So what if I do? What do you want?” Saburo clearly didn't want to rile up any drama with the same man that he accidentally defeated.

“Well it is what most drivers with pride would want; a rematch with you, the 180SX driver that I once lost to.” Souichiro replied. “I see you still haven't fixed your Nissan's front end. No way that there are other drivers that would be willing to drive a damaged car like you do...so stop feigning ignorance. And no, I'm not going to buy any stories claiming that you never raced me before...”

“Here's the problem – I did not race anyone, and I didn't have the urge to either.” Saburo reasoned back, hoping to talk some sense into the rather upset driver in front of him. “I was just in a hurry to fetch something for my friend on the shop of the end of Happogahara. Nothing more, nothing less. Your Mazda happened to be in the way so I just passed through it and got over with what I needed to do so I could go home and rest. I have no intention to declare rivalry against anyone... so I'm not sure what your point is here, declaring a rematch on a match that never happened before.”

The crowd on the parking lot then started murmuring on each other, feeling suspicious as to who was the person Souichiro is confronting.

“My man here's got a point, you know?” Sakuya added, standing beside Saburo with her hands stuck in her track jacket's pockets. “Clearly this is just a misunderstanding. Last time I recall, my friend here didn't even race anyone for months. So what's the point, really?”

“Quit being a smart-ass, kid! And stop lying to me!” Souichiro obviously didn't buy the story. Who would even believe someone that had such skills drove like hell on mountain pass just to fetch a friend something on some shop built near a parking lot? Just imagining it seemed absurd enough on Souichiro's point of view.

“You obviously were trying to stomp on my pride while I let my guard down on you, just because you were driving a busted car! You took advantage on me being careless and I lost because I took you too lightly...so you just used that and knocked me off easily and steal a cheap win! That's what it's about, right?”

“You can believe what you want, but I told you what I know... and clearly you're not making any sense.” Saburo scratched his head in annoyance. He knew that it wasn't going to be that easy when it comes to convincing him that he had no intention of racing anyone to begin with.

“This had nothing to do with whether it's making sense or not anymore, kid. What matters now is that my pride's been shredded thanks to you. And I had to recover it by all means. As a proud racer that has worked hard enough to gain recognition on this mountain, I will not stand by the fact that you beat me when I let my guard down like that. That's why you have to race me in a legit match and once again prove to everyone as to who is a better and faster driver, using our cars on the same mountain path. This is where the truth will unveil itself; whether you or I am the better man. You will race me with your pride on the line, as well as my pride as the member of Speed-Buster on the line too.”

Saburo was now irritated by that remark, since that was the point at which Souichiro was so mistaken he could no longer keep quiet about it.

“Oh yeah, sure...thanks for telling me that. Who are you now, my brother or my dad? I do what I want, and what I want isn't your business. Also, here’s another problem: I am not a racer, so I don't see why are you still so upset over one loss when I wasn't even racing you in the first place. Can’t you see it’s just one big misunderstanding here? I don’t have any ill feelings against you, so I just don’t see why are you so upset over a single, silly loss due to your carelessness.”

“That’s not the point!”

“Then WHAT is the point here? You tell me.”

“Calm down, Sabby!” Vanessa stepped in and grabbed Saburo’s hand. Saburo didn’t mind as he certainly didn't feel like Vanessa’s direct approach seemed to be a bother, compared to standing against arrogant drivers. Vanessa then asked the MX-5 driver.

“Look... misunderstanding or not, you guys want a race, right? So how do you plan to do this again?”

“One race, outbound. The winner takes the glory and respect, and the loser goes home. Me against your friend here in his damaged 180SX.” Souichiro declared with a serious look. “This time we go all out, no holds barred.”

“What about us, Souichiro?” The FD driver asked.

“It’s alright, I’ll handle this punk myself.” Souichiro said with an arm raised to keep his member at bay. “You two don’t need to do anything for now...”

Saburo turned his attention back to the petite brown-haired girl, slightly confused at her intentions.

“...what are you doing, Vanessa?”

“Yeah...I am all for direct approaches and all that, but don’t you think this is a bit too straightforward?” Sakuya added, as even she believed that what Vanessa did wasn’t exactly a good idea.

“Trust me...it’s better this way.” Vanessa smiled. “I mean come on... these guys were hell-bent on you for whatever you did a few days ago, right? I didn’t get the full details and all about what’s with all these drama, but I can pretty much tell where this is heading. This seemed like the better option, because if you ignore these guys... you would probably never hear the end of it by tomorrow.”

“...”

Much as Saburo didn’t want to listen to Vanessa, she had a point; if he ignored Souichiro and his gang with so many people watching, the annoyance would only get worse when the Speed-Buster team starts calling him names for things that he never intended; and of all things, it had to be this big fiasco! Saburo could only take so much irritation as far as he was concerned. And so, this only meant that he had to make the right choice before any of this drags on any further.

“Fine... you just need one race and you’ll stop bothering me, right?” Saburo changed his mind and accepted the race, thinking this may really be the best solution. There was definitely no reasoning with hot-headed people like Souichiro; if he didn’t settle this quickly, it will be just like Vanessa said - he will never hear the end of it...

“Heh... I see you’re no coward after all...” Souichiro smiled, hearing his acceptance on the race. “You’ve no idea how much I waited for this... I’ve been practicing like hell since the last time I lost to you. I can assure you that it won’t happen again. I am going to give you the race of your life...”

“...whatever.” Saburo shrugged it away and crossed his arms. He clearly didn't give much attention for his opponent's claims. Before he turns back to his car, he quickly remembered to ask one more question. “So who are you again?”

“Makoto Souichiro. And in return, what's yours?”

“... Saburo Misaka.”

Saburo turned his back to the car with Vanessa and Sakuya following him to prepare for the race, while Souichiro felt a strange force just hit him in the gut. It was like a gentle breeze, but it was cold enough to make him shiver just for a split second before he composed himself.

Souichiro knew there was something unusual going on, even though nothing really happened other than him and his opponent trading their names before the race. Even if it was just a brief moment, he felt it; his opponent was not going to be as easy as he thought. Something on his body was telling him that the race is not going to bode well unless he fully gave his concentration on the machine. This was no longer a drive-by experience...this is the real thing, and if he loses this, there’s a high chance that he will be a laughing stock to the ring of street racers across the Tochigi prefecture. Just the thought of that alone made Souichiro clench his fist so hard he could feel his fingernails attempting to impale the skin of his own palm...

“Yo... you okay there, Souichiro?” The turtle-neck wearing driver asked. He can see a hint of nervousness written on his face, even though Souichiro remained somewhat calm and focused.

“Nah, I'm fine.” Souichiro insisted. Deep down, though, he knew he had to win this for real, because this was going to be a moment of truth for him. He walked towards the Mazda Roadster and checked on the tires of the car. He thought quietly as he caressed the rubber of his car. “Tires have been prepped on a fresh set...car is set on for a sharper torque pickup...brakes have been swapped for better stopping power. I am in top form tonight...no way am I going to lose...even if that guy may have a bit of skills, I have the better car here. I won’t lose.”

Saburo didn’t rush his final checks on the car. The tires swapped by Sakuya were obviously the ones he needed to get the job done. Vanessa walked towards Saburo while he was examining the tires and brake pads.

“So...Sabby.”

“Speak.”

“How did you get into this... grudge thingy with that Souichiro guy?”

“It was pretty much a misunderstanding, and obviously the other guy is too much of a egotistical numbskull to listen to reason.” Sakuya answered the question for Saburo. The redhead knew that her mellow friend wouldn't be bothered to explain the tedious story twice. “Boys really get riled up easily on losing a race sometimes, well... not like Saburo here, but eh... many of the boys care about their streaks a lot just to make a good impression for the crowd. So yeah... pretty much the same old issue of popularity and ego.”

“Well bummer.” Vanessa chuckled. “Must’ve sucked to be a popular racer here.”

“That’s why I never cared about being a racer in the first place... I don’t want to deal with this popularity shit and I don’t want people to get the wrong idea just because I drove a bit better than others." Saburo replied before getting into the 180SX and starting its engine. He opened a window since he knew Sakuya needs to tell him something.
“So how do the tires feel for you?” Sakuya asked confidently.

“Exactly what I wanted. I owe you for this...” Saburo said gratefully, though without a smile. “...thanks.”

“Well... you won’t expect anything less from me.” Sakuya chuckled, gladdened by Saburo's gratitude. “Be sure to win and smoke that poser’s ass...this time for real.”

“...will do.” Saburo nodded calmly as he closes the window on the car and drove to the starting line.

The Roadster was already gone by this point with the other two cars following it. Sakuya and Vanessa watched the cars disappear into the road. The spectators had their eyes on the dented 180SX following its opponent on the end of the outbound side.

“In hindsight, I could’ve wished him luck...” Vanessa sighed as she leans back on her Megane.

“Screw luck!” Sakuya snapped back, leaning on her red Supra RZ. “Who needs some stupid luck when he’s got skills?”

“Heh, you've got a point there.”

Vanessa knew luck can only push a driver so far. Besides, it really is the truth to every drivers’ impression -- who needs luck when a person is skilled enough to secure a win?

“I’ve been thinking though... can’t you at least give him any advice on how to tackle against his rival? I mean... you must’ve known something about that Souichiro guy, being a local and all right?”

“I don't have the full details yet, to be honest.” Sakuya rubbed her neck gently. “Speed-Buster is just a team that has made it to the Representative Line Division recently, so it’s still quite a new team. Fresh out of the block, even.”

“Representative Line Division...? What’s that?”

“It’s the codename used by local drivers here that made the cut as drivers that represent the strength of a certain mountain stage. Every mountain has them.” Sakuya took off her cap for a moment and brushed her hair sideways before putting it back on. “These are the drivers which matter, you could say, when it comes to testing your limit as a street racer here. Some are good, some are bad, and some are... well, ugly. I don’t want to get to the ugly part... point is, these are skilled drivers that deserve recognition.”

“So Speed-Buster's pretty much paranoid of losing the recognition after the news of Sabby beating them spread on the net? Well that explains a bit.” Vanessa stared at the crowd as they were pumped up to see what type of race is going to happen soon. “So what about Sabby? He in this... RLD thing too?”
“Nah... Saburo is never the type of person to care about being deep into racing and crap. He just happens to get caught up on street racers on their usual practice runs and creates misunderstandings, that’s all. But you know how street racers in general are -- you beat them, legit or not, and they will come back and find you for seconds. Street racers are stubborn bastards after all, and some of them aren’t pretty ones, if you know what I mean.”

“I don’t think I WANT to know...” Vanessa chuckled nervously, scratching her head. “So you think Sabby will win? How good is he exactly?”

“Oh, he will... Speed-Buster doesn't have a guy that can take him on, I can put good money on that. Saburo is simply a driver that is unorthodox in every aspect. He's an all-function guy with no showy tactics whatsoever, and he never hesitates once he decides to do something. He’s gotten through a number of non-legit races before, so he can pretty much handle the small guys like Souichiro. They aren’t exactly a huge team yet, so it should be easy.”

“Huh... well, I wanted to be confident in him too... but I haven’t seen him drive, so I wouldn’t be able to tell.” Vanessa uttered, still feeling a bit unsure of her new friend’s abilities. "But... wouldn’t hurt to be optimistic, right?”

“Just wait and see...for now we’re just part of the audience.” Sakuya said, crossing her arms. “Then again, it’s not Souichiro that bugs me right now... those two may not keep quiet about this, whether they win or lose the match tonight.”

“What about them?”

“Those two blockheads never shut up about anything if there’s something big going on around Speed-Buster. I just don’t want them spreading bad rumors about Saburo or us.”

“Hmm, maybe you're right about that.” Vanessa shrugged.

On the starting line at the beginning of the outbound side of Happogahara, the two cars were being lined up. The FD driver was preparing for countdown at the middle of the road. The crowds were cheering on as if there was a concert happening at the parking lot and, with the exception of Saburo, the atmosphere was growing intense.

Saburo felt that the hype was too much and unnecessary. To him, such things like a race out of a misunderstanding don’t deserve such attention. But it’s not like he has any choice. Now that he has decided to do it, he has to endure the discomfort and stress all the way to the end. All it takes is just one race and he will be able to call it a day.

On the other side, Souichiro seemed to be all pumped up. His eyes were literally locked on his prey; the car that is lined up next to him. Like a predator waiting to strike, Souichiro focused all his concentration on waiting for the right time to floor his accelerator pedal while revving his car hard.



“...why is he still not preparing for the race?” Souichiro thought anxiously. He thought for sure that Saburo would at least rev on his car for a hot start once the race begun, but strangely he was just sitting idle there, not moving an inch. “Is he not taking this battle seriously? Don’t screw with me... someone like him who has no regard for the importance of a racer’s pride don’t deserve to drive at this stage... I’ll send his broken car and the last bit of his racing spirit down the ravine of this mountain! Just wait and see, Misaka!!”

“...”

Saburo remained calm and his mind is currently blank. He only has one thing on his mind, and that is to finish the race as quickly as possible and split with his friends before more unnecessary drama ensues. Muting out the noise of the crowd and the engines, he can tell the path is already clear for him to go at anytime.

Meanwhile on Souichiro’s side, a Silvia driver walked towards him, wanting to talk about something.

“So Souichiro...how do you plan to win this race tonight?”

“I am going to go all out. No holds barred.” Souichiro boldly answers. “I will attack first. If I can't keep the lead, I’ll stick close and observe his driving from behind, pressure him until he screws up and finish him off, or I will leave him in dust once I have the lead and he somehow can't keep up with me at the starting point. Either way, I will not show any mercy to the same person that I lost to before. Tonight is the night where we remind the crowd on how we managed to get into the RLD.”

“Yeah... I got the same feeling too, Souichiro... it’s the reason why I've supported you up until now!” The driver said with a fist clenched with determination. “Don’t lose to that punk with that damaged car, DESTROY him!”

“You don’t even need to ask. Just watch me do the killing here and rejoice.” Souichiro smiled confidently as he closed the window. With the other Speed-Buster member preparing to start the countdown, everything was now ready to be set off with a bang.

“COUNTDOWN IN 10 SECONDS!” The FD driver shouted. Everyone is cheering loudly at the Speed Buster’s NA6CE Roadster. Souichiro revs it loudly to intimidate his opponent. Apparently, it doesn't affect Saburo. He slowly opens his eyes and grabs the steering wheel. He engages the clutch, moves the gear shifter to the first gear and holds on to the E-brake while waiting for the start. His right foot was already gently holding on to the accelerator pedal as he is not planning for a hot start like the Roadster is doing.

“10... 9... 8...” as the FD driver counts, the crowd followed along, so loud that the noise can be heard clearly even inside the cars of both drivers.

“7... 6... 5... 4...” Souichiro turned sharp and serious, clutching on the steering wheel while waiting for the remaining seconds to go...

“3...2...1...” Saburo, on the other hand, remained cold as ice as he had no reason to waste any energy for the hype he finds useless.

“GO!!!”

Both cars blasted full throttle as the crowd watched the two machines shoot off from the starting line. The Roadster made a short burnout and left quite a dark trail. The 180SX however, left a faint trail on its end.

As they continued on to the first corner, they were both neck to neck. But once the first corner’s entry arrived, Saburo let go off his gas pedal slightly earlier and hit on the brakes without stomping it by force as he lets the car’s lateral G force pulls the machine gently through deceleration, allowing the Roadster to take the lead as Souichiro stomped on the brake pedal a few seconds later and steered hard, doing a powerslide on the first curve. Once they got through the exit, the Roadster now had the lead while the 180SX stuck on to its tail by a good 15 meters.

“And so it begins...Souichiro’s retribution battle.” The Silvia driver thought, his arms crossed. “Soon this mountain will see that the win from that man named Saburo Misaka was just a fluke. He won't stand a chance against Souichiro in his top form, especially because tonight, he’s got his sights solely on his prey. And that man is driving a damaged 180SX of all things! So many factors are against him...how hard can this race be?”

“So...Yamada...what do you think of this race?” The Silvia driver called the rotary machine owner’s name from afar as he walks towards him.

“Souichiro is attacking first. I am sure he will be able to shake off that dented 180SX. He’s been practicing on this pass for a long time. You should know that too, Sakisaka.” Yamada replied. “I don’t know how much skill that man named Saburo Misaka has, but when it comes to driving style, Souichiro has the advantage due to him being a brave driver.”

“Heh...you’re right.” Sakisaka agreed, looking at the road ahead of them. “In this course, courage is the key to maintaining your rhythm. If you’re not bold enough to tackle aggressively, you will stall your chances of winning and fall behind. This mountain pass is steep and has lots of uneven road paths with winding layouts all over it. You’ll need confidence and courage to get the pace and rhythm to your favor. And that’s also why Souichiro won't lose.”

“Yeah...he may not be a pro, but his skills are at least up to that of a refined traditional racer.”

The 180SX remained glued to the rear of the Roadster. Both cars accelerated to a rather quick 80 km/h while crossing over a few consecutive curves before heading to the first hairpin on the right side. Once both cars entered the hairpin, they prepped on going the outer lane.The 180SX reserved some space on its position while the Roadster went all the way outside, plowing through the hairpin under second gear. Souichiro was steering so hard that he was having a bit of trouble keeping the wheel stable under his grip. Saburo on the other hand calmly maintained his distance behind. The Roadster made a wide powerslide all the way through the hairpin, while the 180SX hugged the corner at the middle of the tarmac as if it was in sync with the layout of the hairpin itself. Saburo's driving left the audience in awe.

“D-did you see that?” One of the male spectators asked his girlfriend.

“Yeah! That lining was unusual! You told me that out-in-out was the best line, right?” The female asked in doubt. “But look at how that black car is going! It feels so...stable! Sure it’s slower, but unlike the Roadster that seemed to twitch a little on the exit, the black Nissan is gunning it out smoothly! This race is going to be a close one, isn't it?”

“I certainly think so... whoever is driving that dented 180 has got some good footwork!”

As the 180SX sticks close to the Roadster by a good 20 meters, Souichiro can feel the pressure slowly building up. He can tell that on the last hairpin, seeing his rival blitzing through the curve without any problem. Despite the fact that his Roadster is accelerating a bit faster, the black Nissan remained on his rear, giving him a rather uneasy build of stress.

“Calm down... this is still just the beginning of a race.”

Souichiro glanced for a second on the rear mirror.

“I admit you’re rather good with the wheels, but this doesn’t mean you have the advantage here. I’ll still win in the end...the one with more courage will prevail. Playing it safe all the time could easily cost you any race.”

“...”

Saburo observed the rhythm of the Roadster. He can tell that his rival was indeed a very aggressive driver, but nothing he couldn't handle. Another thing he noticed is that, compared to their previous encounter, the Roadster and its driver had become a lot faster. Of course, this was simply due to the fact that this was an actual race, rather than an interrupted practice run. Saburo knew that Souichiro won't make the same mistake twice, despite his dramatic attitude. He opted to maintain his current pace and watch his rival try to pull away.

As the two cars continued towards the next hairpin, Saburo noticed that the Roadster's rhythm looked somewhat strange. It was as if it was eager to move faster due to the driver's heavy footwork. He believed this may only be his own imagination as he could tell the driver was already going full throttle from the start, so why the spurt motion all of a sudden?

“You’re good, Misaka, but I still has the advantage here. Like I said before...”

Souichiro steps on the accelerator further as he reaches on the second hairpin on the wider part of the road at the left side. “You need to be brave to be fast.”
The Roadster tackled the wide hairpin with a rather fast speed of 80 km/h at third gear while skidding through. Saburo braked for a moment before steering mildly to keep his cornering angle consistent. He hit the hairpin at a more moderate 70 km/h. It was a grip-oriented corner and his lining was once again centered on the middle of the road all throughout the corner, from entry to the exit. Once he moved to the outer lane from the momentum of the corner, he slowly gunned the accelerator and closed the gap back to 15 meters.

“Shit, that guy is still climbing on to me... Now what?”

Souichiro could almost feel the car breathing down his neck from the roar of the SR20 engine from behind...

Meanwhile...

A large crowd can be seen at the four snake hairpins, expecting the two drivers to charge towards their location. Many of them were already preparing their cameras, phones and video-recorders to record the race while anticipating how the battle with turn out. Sakuya and Vanessa were walking towards the direction of a spot at the four hairpins, walking downwards across the bushes.

“Hey, Sakuya...”

“What?”

“I’ve been driving on this area for a bit ever since I arrived at Tochigi prefecture. This area’s filled with a combination of uphill and downhill slopes and the road width varies wildly. It’s kinda hard to find an ideal line on a tricky course like this. Compared to Shoumaru Pass, which is a lot narrower, this course seems to demand power and lining more than a good rhythm. How did you and Sabby overcome this course?”

“Well... if you want me to explain everything, I’d rather keep it short. It’s really just a matter of utilizing the car’s power and suspension settings, not to mention ride height - they have to be just right. Lining wise, so long as you know the grip limit of the tires you use, the results won’t have much difference regardless of which line you take. Forging an ideal racing line though -- that’s another story.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought... I'm still racking my brain to look for one here.” Vanessa scratched her head. “All things considered, I never really used the full potential of my tires before so I wouldn’t know. So what kind of lining will Sabby use on this course? He’s been here for a long time, yes?”

“Heh, you know what they say about out-in-out method, right?”

“Isn't that the most orthodox method of getting a proper lining on corners?” Vanessa prompted, based on what she knew about the most used driving method. “So what about it?”
“Saburo has a rather... unusual way with how he deals with it.” Sakuya answered with a slight smug smile.

“Define [unusual] if you may?” Vanessa prompts again, this time with a sarcastic smile.

“Well... Saburo just pressures his opponent long enough for him to slip up. No matter how skilled a driver is... as long as they cannot overcome the fear of looking at the rear mirror while leading, he or she cannot fully concentrate. That will often lead to the driver screwing up easily and repeating mistakes.”

“Mhmm...but, that sounds a bit too normal if you ask me. Is there anything special about the method he uses?”

“Nothing special at all. In fact, what he did was common sense.”

“Eh?”

“Hot-headed drivers like Makoto Souichiro tend to never let their eyes off their opponent even if they lead, and Saburo simply uses that factor against them. If Souichiro wants his opponent to look at him and he wishes to assure it, all Saburo does is give him what he asks for. The twist? He gives a HELL-sized lot of it. You should’ve known that the chaser is always at an advantageous position so long as the runner is unable to escape quickly, yes?”

“Oh...! Now I get it.” Vanessa snapped her finger. “A skilled driver can easily copy the rhythm and speed range of the runner even if he may not be fully confident of his own skills. Mimicry plays a factor when you can’t compensate with pure skills alone. Then there comes the part where both will see who has a higher level of familiarity of the course layout to finish the race off.”

“Exactly. Saburo’s lining focuses mostly on the center of the road. That way, his opponent never knows for sure whether he is attacking or defending.”

“Middle of the line? As in right on the centerline spot? Gee, that’s a bit of an odd and risky move.” Vanessa raised an eyebrow. “Risky, but it may be effective if you wish to conceal your intentions. I oughta try that sometimes...”

“Easier said than done, kiddo.” Sakuya chuckled. “You’ve no idea how many tries it took for Saburo get it right.”

“Is it that hard?”

“Duh. Anyone would be hesitant on using racing lines to get perfect clipping points. Not Saburo, though. He just focuses on playing stealthy and smart until his opponents slips up, at which point he will just accelerate and disappear before the opponent knows what hit him.”

As they reached the fourth hairpin’s bush area, they stopped and watched the road. The crowd gets larger and larger as the minutes pass by.

“Let’s watch from here.” Sakuya requested. “They should be here by any second now...”

Meanwhile, another familiar figure was standing near the two of them - a brown-haired girl. She was also expecting the race tonight as much as everyone else now.

“...So what kind of driving are you going to show me this time, Mr. 180?” The brunette thought.

“Here they come!!”

A man shouted from afar, alerting all three of them together as they watched the roads above them. The headlights started to appear from afar and the echoes of their machines’ engine sounds grew louder.

Within a few seconds, both the leading NA6CE and the trailing 180SX had crossed towards the straight that leads to the iconic four snake hairpin sequence. The crowd was pumped to record the footage. They moved their cameras carefully to capture every second of the battle that was unfolding before their eyes. The 180SX was firmly sticking behind the NA6CE.

Souichiro could almost feel the sweat on his palms as he tightened the grip on the steering wheel even more. Saburo was holding his position still, until they came close to the entry of the first hairpin...

“...!”

Saburo found a line to overtake his opponent on the inside. He steered to the right and started to accelerate forward, poking the 180SX’s damaged front end towards the rear bumper of the Mazda Roadster. The people were shocked when they saw this attempt to overtake on that spot as it was a deadly move.

“Overtaking on a sharp hairpin like this? What is he thinking?!”One of the spectators shouted, surprised at the sudden attack. The 180SX climbed towards the car’s rear bumper, almost crossing half of the entire Mazda’s position.

“Oh no you don’t!!”

Souichiro knew he would be passed unless he took desperate measures against his opponent. Sakuya and Vanessa could clearly see that Saburo’s 180SX headlights were already slowly overtaking, even though they still could not see the car directly.

“A bit too early there, Saburo...but that could be just an act of precaution.” Sakuya thought with a smile. She is confident that her friend will be able to make it, even though it was a critical point.

Saburo continued his attack. Souichiro tried to block him off the road by purposely allowing his car to be nudged if Saburo dared. Then all of a sudden, a loud thud could be heard. Souichiro felt like he was pushed sharply. The crowd went into another state of shock. They couldn't believe that the black Nissan just pulled a very aggressive move - the 180SX nudged the NA6CE that refused to give way for passing on the second hairpin as they slowly came out of the exit. As a result, the Mazda Roadster slowed down due to the driver suffering a short moment of shock while Saburo took the opening left by his assault and punched his way out of the spot, grabbing the neck-and-neck position.

“That Nissan driver’s out of his mind!! Is he not afraid to damage his car further?!”

“I've never seen anyone that had the guts to actually try a maneuver like that! Even pro-racers are hesitant to do that sometimes!”

The audience was again thunderstruck by Saburo's audacity. Vanessa, Sakuya and even the brunette could hear the bang from the second hairpin...

“That’s just like him, doing what he thinks is the best to do just to settle things.” Sakuya said.

“That’s Sabby banging up the Mazda? Ouch...even I don’t have the guts to do that.”

“Yep. But that’s not the reason why the 180 was so dented like that in the first place...”

“...did that guy just...?” The brown-haired girl thought as well. She could definitely tell that either one of the two drivers just knocked on each other to force a room for a pass. But she can safely assume that the 180SX was still chasing, as the driver left the impression that he was not one to easily choose to lead first without consideration. Thus, she made a decision on assuming that it was the 180SX attacking the Roadster.

On to the third hairpin, Sakuya and Vanessa saw that the 180SX had poked its nose out and was going to make a pass on the entry as the NA6CE tried to recover from the shock, but to no avail.

“Think it’s going to be that easy?” Vanessa asked.

“Just watch. I’d rather not answer.”

Saburo hit the brakes on the exact point where he believed was the current best position. He steered on the inner lane of the road, blocking the Roadster in return. Souichiro started swerving slowly outside the outer lane due to tire wear. And on the exit, before another hairpin, Saburo quickly steered back and let the rear bumper slide outside slowly from a drift. He went through the last hairpin, passing Vanessa, Sakuya and the brown-haired lady, securing the lead after overtaking the Roadster. It was a nicely-positioned attack and Saburo managed to nail it without any problem.

“Well, he sure made it look like a cakewalk.” The brown haired-girl uttered, while everyone was in shock. One of the male audience overheard her and walked closer to her.

“Umm...why would you say that, miss? Is it that easy?”

“What are you, stupid?” The brunette shouted back. “Of course it is! That man is obviously the type of driver that you won’t be seeing anytime here because the lot of you are just too scared to trade paint to prevail in a battle. The first general truth of racing across the street is that it will never be a fair game, so you do what needs to be done to survive and win. It’s weird how the many of you guys are just loafing around waiting for challengers to take advantage of you. That’s pussy shit!” “...Gee, cold much?” Vanessa chuckled at the brown-haired girl’s remarks.

“Glad to see someone’s on a same page with me.” Sakuya added to her agreement as she slowly walks down to the bushes where the brown-haired lady is standing, followed by Vanessa from behind. “So I take it that you knew what happened too?”

“Well, it’s great tire management, alright. I’d give the black Nissan driver that.” The girl brushes her hair aside. “Compared to that Makoto Souichiro that looked like a complete tool on that Roadster, it’s embarrassing just seeing him slip up on the tires when he’s swerving outside like an understeering pig on that machine. And here I thought the guy would at least put up a decent fight against the Nissan.”

“Well, it’s a shame he wouldn’t let me fix the front end though.” Sakuya insisted. “That guy’s been driving that poor thing for far too long without proper care.”

“You know him?” The lady asked, curious.

“Why yes, I am his mechanic, dammit!” Sakuya declares openly.

“A mechanic? Wait a minute...that emblem....” The girl recognizes the emblem on Sakuya’s track jacket and her hat as it was written [MUSCLE BROTHERHOOD]. “...you’re on that community too?”

“Hell yes of course! I was member number 2 for crying out loud!” Sakuya said again. “My uncle’s the one that reserved the spot for that position as the mechanic ambassador of the entire organization!”

“Uncle...? You don’t mean you’re...”

“I am an Ishiyama, duh!” Sakuya chuckled. “Sakuya Ishiyama of the Muscle Brotherhood! So who might you be, brunette?”

“Look, I got a name, so don’t get all smart-alec on me okay, Ishiyama?” The brown-haired girl piped up, facing Sakuya just as confidently. “Name’s Mayumi Itoh and I am what you’d call an unamused spectator in the stage of Tochigi Prefecture so far...at least until I met the 180SX guy that is...who’s the driver behind the wheels?”

“Well, Mayumi...if you wanna know, the driver is a really, REALLY cute guy that Sakuya has dibs on.” Vanessa jumped in to the conversation.

“...Vanessa! You don’t have to speak it out loud!” Sakuya snapped back, her face flushed a pink with a narrowed scowl. “Anyway, the driver’s my close friend. Name’s Saburo Misaka, a 20 year old semi-anti-social guy that is not your everyday run-of-the-mill driver. And FYI, he’s not exactly thrilled on the race, I can assure you that.”

“Ah...I see...anyway, so YOU’RE Sakuya Ishiyama? Well, I only hear about you through a friend of mine constantly when I mentioned I want some parts for my Evo and all...but I didn’t realize that the person I longed to meet is actually closer than I think!” Mayumi chuckled, offering a handshake to Sakuya, which Sakuya took gladly as she grabbed the palms of the brunette and nearly squeezed it as hard as a stress ball... “...ouch, some arms you got there.”

“Don’t mention it. And your friend mentioned about me? What about it?” Sakuya asked.

“Well...it’s a long story...”

Back to the race, the audiences were recording intensely at the tunnel entrance at the third checkpoint area where two cars are already closing in. Saburo was leading while Souichiro chases franticly in desperation for a counterattack, though there seemed to be a slim chance of that happening as the gap between two cars are now on about 30 to 40 meters.

“Whoa! Here they come!!” One of the female audience exclaimed at the presence of the two machines that are now entering the hairpin that is leading to the tunnel. The 180SX was crossing the tunnel first, followed by the NA6CE desperately. In terms of rhythm, needless to say; Saburo had the edge as his line was smooth yet unusual as his car was entering all the way from entry to exit on the exact middle line, while the NA6CE was trying hard on the out-in-out method but seemed to struggle now due to moderate tire wear level.

“Oh god! Look, Souichiro’s actually struggling against that dented 180!” A man said in disbelief. Once both cars passed through him, he can tell that the result is going to become clear soon enough.

“Tire management seemed to be the key-role here after all...don’t get too intense out there, Souichiro...” Another calm man thought in his mind. He was apparently a lot more calm than many of those shocked audiences, as if he can already tell that Souichiro was in fact; starting to lose his cool and the race altogether.

As the race goes on, Saburo is still calmly focusing on his footwork as he steered left and right in rhythm according to the layout of the twisty course. The road from here on is narrow and pretty much downhill, so if he needs to finish the race quickly, it has to be now.

“This is bad...my tires are giving in.” Souichiro thought as he can clearly tell the rear tires are overheating, not to mention there aren’t much grip left either on the front tires. “That guy’s Nissan is still fine. But why is it that his lining is so weird? Is that really a better way to go faster? I am already doing things the way a pro racer would do, but why is it not enough?”

While pondering as to where did Souichiro go wrong, Saburo is looking for an opportunity to make his move. There weren’t much left to go before the final checkpoint, and Saburo knew his tires are not going to hold out any longer, despite him saving the grip on the rubber as much as he can. No matter how much a driver tries to save or preserve the tires on his machine, there will always be a physical limit as to when the tires give out after a period of full-throttle driving. Saburo is fully aware that if he don’t use the chance that he has yet to find, the battle will draw out longer than expected and he will be in sticky trouble.

As they continued the race, Saburo found a point where he can finally step on it once they reached a curve just before the last checkpoint line.

“...!!” Saburo stomped on the accelerator and finally shifted his driving attitude...

Once the 180SX hugged the inner line of that curve and crossed the checkpoint, the black Nissan finally disappeared as it plowed through the corner at such speed that it felt as if the car was entering a near suicide curve. Fortunately, the saved grip on the rubber managed to hold on to the momentum of the cornering force and Saburo stabilize the car back from that grip cornering on the exit as he continued accelerating on, leaving the NA6CE behind gradually, meter by meter...

“Oh shoot! That guy’s already doing it!!” Souichiro noticed that Saburo has declared a full-on attack on that sudden critical moment and tried to follow on in his full-throttle position, but the moment he did the same thing, it was too late. Saburo’s 180SX is already 60 meters ahead, and it is still pulling away as the rhythm and pace of the Nissan became more and more aggressive.

Saburo just pressed on the attack as he continued to feather on the accelerator accordingly to the less-twisty layout of the course from this point, allowing him more time to hold on the high-speed pace and maintain his rhythm even under sharp acceleration. He knew if he had to finish this correctly, he will have to use up all the remaining grip at this section and he must not leave any margin of errors and sloppy footwork.

The 180SX is now 90 meters ahead of the Roadster and it is still pulling away while the NA6CE can no longer keep up even though the car is traveling faster than before. Souichiro realizes that the tires are no longer gripping the road the way it should be and his reflex is saying that he can no longer push the car harder than now or he will risk breaking the car first before getting any fighting chance to overtake back.

“Dammit...I am not gonna let you -- “ Before Souichiro can even finish his sentence out loud, the black Nissan faded from his sights entirely...and it is no longer coming back. His foot is no longer pressing the pedal hard as he was completely stunned by the fact that the 180SX is no longer in front of him...

“...disappear.” Souichiro realized that it was too late. His NA6CE can no longer keep up as the tires are almost shot on all fours, while the black Nissan accelerated ahead sooner than he expected, and he was late in responding to it. Souichiro can only slow down his car and sighed in disappointment with a slight smile. “...Right, I see now...it’s my loss...”

Back at the four-snake-hairpins, Sakuya and others were chatting about many things while waiting for the race results from those that kept in touch via mobile phones.

“What the?! Souichiro has lost?!” One of the male exclaimed as he was talking on a phone, literally surprising Sakuya, Vanessa and Mayumi altogether. “How much margin?’

“Welp, conflict resolved.” Sakuya shrugged with a sigh of relief. “I expect no less from Saburo when he got serious in finishing a job.”

“...5 seconds margin?! You’re kidding, right?” The male was shocked in disbelief at the results. “Oh...I see, so that’s why...Souichiro is okay, right? Did he crashed? No...? Oh, thank goodness...alright then...” The man then shut off his phone and the crowd was in silence as they cannot believe that Souichiro, the member of Speed-Buster just lost a race against the damaged 180SX.

“Well, that does it...Saburo Misaka sure is a driver worth taking notice...thanks for the talk by the way, Ishiyama...and you too, Anderrson.” Mayumi said, crossing her arms before she brushes her hair aside again. “Actually, I wanted to look forward to battling either one of you someday in future...it’s been too long since I have someone worth setting my sights on.”

“Hah...you just met the person you always look forward to tune your car, and already you’re declaring friendly battles with me? Some guts you have there, Mayumi.” Sakuya taunted, her hands on the pocket of her track jacket, as usual.

“It’s always good to be competitive, Ishiyama...” Mayumi said with a grin. “And if it’s okay, I’ll like a run with you next time, seeing how amazing your friend has proven himself to be.”

“Don’t forget that I’ll always be more than glad to take a tough local head on!” Vanessa piped up with a thumbs up.

“Anytime you’re ready then, Mayumi. I’ll be waiting...now I am just gonna wait for that guy to come back.” Sakuya turned her eyes back on to the road as the crowd is starting to talk about how Souichiro lost and how the black 180SX driver has skills that surprised them. And not long after that, her cellphone rang. Sakuya grabbed the device and saw the image that it was none other than Saburo. “Ah...speaking of the devil prince...” She opened the phone and answered the call.

“Hey Saburo! Good job on the run! So how does the news tires feel?” Sakuya asked with a smile on her face, she was working hard on not getting too excited by the victory actually. Then again, why should she be excited, when she knew Saburo had a strong fighting chance to begin with? Thinking that again just eased her mind more. “Think you will make it back here for another run?”

“I think not...the tires are already quite burned here...but it’s working just like I expected. So you have my thanks for that...you did great.” On the goal line, Saburo was already out of the car and is on his phone, talking to his redhead tuner. “Tell Vanessa that I won’t be joining her for another run if she plans to practice more for tonight. I’ve had enough action for one night.”

“Alright then, guess you’ll be resting on the parking area near the inbound side?” Sakuya asked.

“...nah, I am driving back to the parking lot where your car is parked...thought that maybe we could’ve go home together...assuming you don’t feel like staying any longer.” Saburo asked, scratching his head while leaning to the 180SX that is now sitting idle with its engine turned off.

“Hey, if you don’t feel like staying, you could’ve just went home instead of waiting for us.” Sakuya said. “I mean...you’re here because you wanted to do a test-run originally before heading off somewhere, yes?”

“...yeah.”

“So, go and take some rest while you can leave me with Vanessa here work on something else. And just so you know...I am coming with you tomorrow, whether you like it or not.” Sakuya said with smile. “I don’t know where you’re heading, but you can tell me tomorrow if you come to visit me at the usual spot.”

“...” Saburo knew Sakuya would definitely come along since the time he told her that he will be leaving Tochigi. But nonetheless, he didn’t fully rejects it as he knew something good may come out of this as well, even though he has yet to know what it is. “Fine, do what you want then...”

“So, great work again today! Have a good rest and thanks for using the tires I got for you.” Sakuya said happily as she turns her back to Mayumi and Vanessa, whom are still talking about things under inaudible tone. “And if the Speed-Buster guys ever come looking for you again, tell them that they’ll have to go through Sakuya Ishiyama first, even though I know they wouldn’t dare to come for seconds after their [boss] cocked up in racing you tonight.”

“Don’t worry about that...and one more thing, Sakuya...”

“Hmm?”

“...Fix the front end of the car tonight, if possible.” Saburo said the words that pretty much made Sakuya’s heart fluttery inside for a few seconds before she composes herself again. “But if you can’t, then do it tomorrow. I’ll be at your garage around 6 to 7 AM.”

“Screw that! I can do it tonight!” Sakuya shot back immediately. “Just tell me what else you want. ANYTHING!!”

“...I just want the front end fixed. Nothing else for now.” Saburo said in a calm tone, obviously trying to make Sakuya calm down. “Anyway...I am off to your garage now then...thanks.”

“No...thank YOU, Saburo!” Sakuya smiled happily, holding her phone firmly. “You’ve no idea how long I waited for you to ask me to do that...! But I am glad you did. Anyway, just leave your 180 at my garage and I’ll fetch you home if you don’t plan to stay with me for tonight, kay?”

“...Sure. I’ll think about it.”

Sakuya shuts off the phone and kept it inside her pocket as slowly as possible. She took a deep breath and sighed with her face flushed red slightly.

“Stupid Saburo...” Sakuya thought. “...making me wait so long.”

“So, who’s that on the phone?” Vanessa asked. “You sound very happy for some reason...and why’s your face red?”

“Wha? Oh...it’s nothing...!” Sakuya said, slightly nervous. “And well, Saburo and I will be gone for tomorrow since we may be going somewhere far away from Tochigi.”

“Expedition race traveling maybe?” Mayumi assumed.

“Sorta. But Saburo didn’t gave me all the details...kinda wished that he did though...”

“Well then...if you’re leaving, then I guess that leaves me and Anderrson here.” Mayumi says.

“I thought you were leaving?” Vanessa prompted.

“...I change my mind. I think I’ll go for a spin here...and I wouldn’t mind some company, if anything else.” Mayumi turned around and walk back to the P.A. that has her vehicle parked on a vacant spot.

“So...I guess we’ll be seeing each other again next time, Sakuya.” Vanessa shrugged with her usual sarcastic smile. “Tell Sabby I said ‘well done’.”

“No problem at all.” Sakuya walks away from the two of them as she slowly heads back to the very area that she parked her Supra on, followed by Vanessa. “It frustrates me that I don’t get any action tonight, but I might as well save it for another day with Saburo...”

Back to Saburo, as he yawned for a moment before he opened the car’s door and head to the driver’s seat again, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Saburo glanced at the rear mirror and it shows that it was the very same person that he outran, Souichiro.

“Say...Misaka. Mind if I ask you a question?” Souichiro requested, his face seemed calm and somewhat disappointed, it seemed as if all the intensity on his expression has faded that time after the loss.

“...Just shoot it.”

“Why is it that I still couldn’t chase you even though I have a lighter machine advantage?” Souichiro questioned the loss. “I mean...in terms of power, I shouldn’t be too far off your car’s mark and not to mention you’re driving a damaged car....of all things...is it because I am slower at the corners?”

“...” Saburo was rather less surprised by the fact that Souichiro isn’t aware what is it that truly made the loss inevitable for his rival. “Tire management and cornering momentum. You can learn a lot from revising these two...that’s all I need to say. You’re not slow by all means, just that you’ve too much unnecessary movements on the start that cost your tires...badly.”

“...My tire management and cornering momentum?” Souichiro prompted in doubt, while the 180SX started its engine and drove off right at the moment Saburo finishes talking. Souichiro tried to follow up on the car but to no avail as it has already disappeared into the roads.

“...” Souichiro then slowly realized his mistake as he sighed and watched the night skies...

---------------------------------------------------------------

On the next day...

The vast world of online community at the street-racing section was booming with rumors ever since the battle last night between Saburo, the 180SX driver and Makoto Souichiro, the Speed-Buster leader with his NA6CE. Everyone was discussing as how did Saburo managed to steal a win from the team leader while they were also finding ways to make sure that they don’t repeat the same mistake as Souichiro did as they examine numerous short video clips of the race progress.

There were even rumors stated that Vanessa Anderrson, the very person that defeated Adachi’s team member at Shoumaru Pass happened to be at Happogahara and they didn’t even notice that it was her until they saw a parked Renault Megane R26.R.

But little did it mattered to Saburo as he continued to check on the forum posts made on the Japan-Series Racing SV Community at the Recent News section. He was kind of hoping that there may be some news regarding about driving around the mountain passes instead, while seeking new advices or pointers at least so that Saburo may have new insights as to how to refine his driving style for his own personal gain. Sadly, to no avail, all he hear about is just silly hyped rumors about how he managed to defeat Makoto Souichiro and how Speed-Buster [choked] on battling against a dented black 180SX.

“...That’s what these people are talking about all the time...? What has become of this community...?” Saburo thought, appalled by the fact that there weren’t any new driving advices from the usual FAQ sections. “Now there’s nothing but shit on this forum as well...humph.”

As he continued to surf the community’s news section, he then noticed that there is an unusual announcement made with a name that he seemed to have a bell rang.

“...Driver’s Utopia?” Saburo quoted the name of the community as he clicked on the news headline that writes [Driver’s Utopia Time Attack Event now Open for Registration!!].

The content of the page writes...

Driver’s Utopia has officially opened their Time Attack Event across the mountain passes of Tochigi Area and Gunma Area! The long wait is now over and every aspiring street racers are welcome to join this event. Admission is free and we also have sponsor events that can earn you sponsorships, should you be accomplished enough for our qualification time-attack runs.

These are the list of stages that would be part of our Time Attack Event -

- Mount Haruna
- Mount Akagi
- Mount Myogi
- Usui Pass
- Irohazaka
- Happogahara
- Momiji Line
- Enna Skyline

The Photography Section members would also be handling interviews with many well-known drivers across the mountains via live TV, so be sure to watch the LIVE stream of our broadcast by the event day, which is 6th of July 2013.

Be sure to check out on our main website for more information.

Time for registration ends at the day of event itself, so take your time and prepare whatever gear and mechanical adjustments you need to make for your machine before the event begins. Good luck, drivers!!

“Hmm...” Saburo pondered on the content of the news as he highlighted on the day of the event, which is actually two weeks from today. “So it begins again...I wonder if Sakuya would be joining it again...last time she joined the one at Kanagawa prefecture, she completely stole the show on Tsubaki Line...”

Then, not long after, he received an call from an unknown sender. It was a voice communicating request made by a username from the JSR-SV through the chat window.

“Huh? Who’s this...?” Saburo thought as he clicks on the username. It was called [Schrodinger].

“...Schrodinger...the Cheshire Cat?” Saburo recalled the reference used on the name of this user as he simply clicks accept. Much as he didn’t care about unknown chat requests made by strangers, but it wouldn’t hurt if he listens to what they have to say first, only to find out if they annoy him enough, he’ll just mute them out and block them soon, which isn’t too hard.

Saburo locks the door at his own room as he walks back to his desk and pressed the accept button on the window request.

And soon, not long after he heard some noise on the speakers and as it slowly clears out, a man’s voice can be heard.

“Umm...hello, hello? This thing on? Yoo hoo? You there, Little Saburo Misaka?” The voice of the man was rather upbeat and generally light-hearted, which annoys Saburo, needless to say. Saburo grabbed the microphone on his end and connects the CPU’s socket.

“...Who are you? Identify yourself and how do you know me?” Saburo asked, cutting to the chase.

“Ah, you can hear me! Thank goodness, I was dying to get this thing working here, haha!” The eccentric man said out loud as there are some sounds of table being cleaned before he seems to be grabbing the microphone again. “Anyway, my name...is Schrodinger. Of course, you can refer me as the Cheshire Cat too unless the name’s too fancy for you. And...I am here to give you a heads up as to where you’re going to head next.”

“...?” Saburo was rather suspicious as to who the man behind the screen may be, and how did he know that Saburo was going to go somewhere by today? Questions are slowly popping one after another and it apparently made Saburo slightly disturbed about the whole thing. “How did you know I am leaving somewhere? Answer my questions, will you?”

“Don’t rush, buddy. Rushing’s no good for your health, see?” Schrodinger chuckled. “Now...I originally have been keeping track of your little Swedish new friend for a bit of time, and that’s how I managed to find you...and the moment I saw you I knew there’s something...different about you and I thought I might wanna be your observant for now along with Fraulein Anderrson.”

“What is it that you know about Vanessa?” Saburo questioned again, curious about the connection between the two. “What is it that you want to keep observe about me?”

“Progress, friendo.” Schrodinger answered cryptically. “I am interested in the progress of you. Your friends, that means Fraulein Anderrson...and of course, that lovely intense princess that has been known for her fiery temper that has been smitten by you...”

“...What?” Saburo was certain that he knew whom Schrodinger was referring to when he mentioned the princess. “You know about Sakuya...? Alright, who the hell are you exactly? How did you managed to know all of these? Did you also know of what we did before recently?”

“Duh! You three are the new hotness here!” Schrodinger chuckled. “I mean come on, one of you debuted from Stockholm not more than a month and already caused a buzz on the Saitama prefecture, while the other one is an aggressive redhead with a BREATHTAKING issue of intensity on battles that has a brain on mechanics and machines, and then there’s you, the recent enigma that choked that Speed-Buster team and shut them up for a while...what else is there to NOT worth mentioning about you three? That’s why I am SUPER interested in watching you from afar, because I am always into observing potential drivers that has the chance to become professional riders.”

“...” Saburo pondered for a moment there as to what Schrodinger just said and apparently, he isn’t too fond of it. “You sure know a hell lot about us, don’t you...?”

“Well, not everything of course, but hey, I take what I can get.” Schrodinger uttered. “Oh, and good luck in wherever you’re going next, just remember...Shoumaru’s off limits for now due to some...accidents happened.”

“...What?”

“Like I said, Shoumaru’s off limits for the time being.”

“How did you know?” Saburo as he scrolled down the news section and found out that what the Cheshire Cat said...was in fact, real. “...What the hell?”

The news stated that there is a traffic accident involving a truck driver drunk-driving across the Shoumaru Pass and he seemed to have crashed into one of the tighter hairpins where the truck is shown flipped upside down and is already charred and burnt to a crisp as the driver was reported to be severely injured. Due to the incident causing increasing concerns of the safety of the old mountain pass as narrow as Shoumaru Pass, the authorities have decided to temporarily shut down the entry points of the course, not allowing any further access to the place for the time being while the residents nearby were often surveyed and guided to take another route leading them to Saitama prefecture areas outside Shoumaru.

“See? Told you.” Schrodinger said, even though there were no web cameras recording his face, Saburo can tell that he is grinning behind the screen just by hearing the tone.

“...So is Vanessa alright?” Saburo asked, just trying to make sure. There’s no telling just how much the person he is talking to now may know.

“Ah, don’t worry. Little Fraulein is safe as a damsel in relief.” Schrodinger said in a mocking tone, but Saburo was unfazed by it since he at least knew Vanessa isn’t involved on the crash. “Well I doubt she’ll be quiet about this hough...but worry not, I will be keeping eye on her first since she is my first target after all. So you and that fearsome red princess are gonna be a LITTLE bit less of my priority. So...have fun with whatever you’re doing! Oh, and just a reminder, whatever you do...never try and sic that fixed 180 against a white HCR32 with a Metsu sign.”

“...I do what I want and I don’t think you’ve right to tell me what to do, Schrodinger.” Saburo snapped back calmly with an annoyed face.

“Well, just a warning to you, after all...we’re buddies!” Schrodinger laughed. “We can’t afford to leave our friends in trouble when they dive straight into the exciting part, can we? So...take care then!”

“...”

“Ah, and I got a little message for your precious lady in red too!” Schrodinger began again before Saburo tried to turn off the window and close the conversation call. “Her four-eyed BFF is going to pay a visit to her garage soon, so...be prepared for a heartwarming reunion!”

“Tell her yourself...I am not your messenger.” Saburo insisted before he shuts off the call for good, ending the conversation between the two. As he turns around and look at the room around him, which is tidy at the moment, Saburo clears his mind off a few things that just flowed through his mind and he is apparently surprised at just how many events have happened today at this moment when he went online an read on the news further...

“Dammit...why do I feel there’s an invisible burden on my shoulders now...?” Saburo pondered as he lay down on his own bed and watched the ceiling of his own room while the fan is rotating slowly...

“...why am I always dragged into things by people who has high expectations on me...? It’s sickening...what a pain in the ass...”

Meanwhile, at a parking area near the Tsuchisaka pass at Saitama prefecture, all spots were taken by many street-racer vehicles as the drivers were all gathering in a huge number to discuss about something, even though the chatter was inaudible. They were all having rather heavy faces about what they were talking as not long after, it is seen that Adachi was one of those drivers talking...

“So Shoumaru is going to be off-limits...that’s too bad for us all...” Adachi began.

“Yeah...I mean your team was known there recently...sucks that your home course has to be ruined and shut down by some drunkard in a silly truck.” The other male driver agreed. “So this leaves us with only Sadamine and Tsuchisaka at the moment...until Shoumaru is re-opened, we’ll have to work hard to defend the area here from outsiders.”

“Worry not...I already have some plans made just in case we’re assaulted again.” Adachi assured. “My team will be the first one in line to test our new strength against anyone desperate enough to try and conquer our home...”

“Alright then...we too have made our own preparations, but just in case; be careful...” The man said. “I mean...it’s clear that the people are still going on about the fiasco with your team against that Gaijin...”

“Don’t remind me...soon as she made her return again in Saitama’s mountains...our next rematch will wipe her name off the mountain ring, that’s for sure...”

“I sure hope that’s how it will be...”

------------------------------------------------------

Things were going smoothly still at the garage of Sakuya. She is working on the 180SX that Saburo has entrusted to her last night. After working on the machine for so long, the front end was finally fixed and is good as new while she is doing up the finishing touches on cleaning the surface of it.

She managed to pull an all-nighter on the black Nissan and apparently, it paid off as the car seemed to be more than ready to go. Sakuya wiped the sweat and dirt off her forehead as she went and grabbed the car keys on the table that was left by Saburo last night, obviously.

“Now...breathe life into her, Sakuya...” She thought patiently, opening the door of the car and slowly inserts the key into the machine and starts the engine.

The black Nissan came to life and the rev meter rose up for a moment before falling back to a stable idle of 600 rpm that many cars used to have while they’re not moving with the E-brake on. Sakuya revs the acceleration pedal to check on the machine and as the SR20 engine howls aggressively with the sound of the turbine spinning rapidly, Sakuya knew the machine is indeed ready now for return to its owner.

“Whew...now that settles that...all I gotta do now is let him know the good news...” Sakuya shuts off the engine soon after as she leaves the seat and reached for her phone that is placed on a desk. But before she grabs it, the phone rang and it was from a contact with a nickname stated on the screen. It writes “Stupid Four Eyes.” Sakuya grabbed the phone without looking at the screen and just answered the call.

“Hello?” Sakuya began on the phone, then after a moment of pause, she hears a voice that triggered her hair immediately...

“Oh, NOW you call me, you stupid four-eyes! What brings you here all of a sudden?! Out with it!”

- つづく -

This post has been edited by Rin on Jun 21 2013, 07:10 AM

Yay for chapter 5.

I think I found some typos again, but I cbf'd to point it out since I forgot where they were.

By the way, is it me, or are they all getting along a bit too well?

Typos and grammar fails aplenty at the second half. I managed to make the 1st half the chapter better but eh, ran out of time, so I had to rush it like PD and GT5.

- Mikoto "I wonder what this blonde psychic thinks of my psycho-ass redhead roommate" Misaka, editor in chief, AC dev team

You mean Mayumi?

Well, she's only interested in people who aren't exactly stupid, so....you can pretty much say she's sociable only to those she deems worthy.

...... O___________O

This is by far...the longest chapter I ever read...in a story....yet!

But oh gosh, the character developments and events in this chapter...! This chapter is just so full of events that I can easily overlook some typos found on this chapter (at least on the 2nd half).

And with this, Saburo finally shows that he did in fact; cared a little bit for what others want, such as he FINALLY asks Sakuya to fix the dented front-end of his 180SX. xD

Now I see why the car's dented like that though...Saburo sure is a bit of ramfaster, isn't he?

Anyway, I am sure the Speed-Buster won't be bothering Saburo for a moment after Souichiro screws up big on this race...

And as to Schrodinger...I wonder what could this person really want...? He seemed to be some sort of a shady individual working for a third party, I dunno...but he sounds so cryptic that I find it hard for Saburo to trust this person in anything he says... :u

I wish to see Mayumi in action too, along with Sakuya in future chapters. Sakuya is starting to become more and more appealing a character to me. xDD

Finally...Four-eyes? Something tells me that Sakuya had a love/hate friendship with this glasses-wearing buddy on phone. xD

All in all, amazing chapter and by far the best one I've read so far. Keep it up, Rin!

P.S: Please do more EVA Previews!!!

Hey, guys, I just want to get this out of the way while I have it on my mind:
What do you think we should do during the writing process? Since the editing part of this process through me and Andre is a relatively new development in Accel Code, we're trying our best to figure out a routine that sticks. (Or, at the very least, I am. I guess it's my attempt to be organisation-heavy.)
I ask for this because AC development might take a while until we get things going on a consistent routine. However, I know that this still won't result in guranteed consistent updates. *proceeds to look back at the Public Speed Enforcers*
A few problems have arisen within the dev room as well, but I won't speak about it myself out of respect to you guys, and I'll let you two handle it if you want to speak out.

Once again, I ask for your feedback on how we can make this better. We're trying our best to make this a successful and well-presented story!

-The Aurum Moon "Rche is the perfect setup" TouyaShiro- [Group Manager & Assistant Editor (Thank you. Now I'll promptly short-circuit you.), Accel Code Dev Team]
(Do we really have to put this at the end of our messages? :| )

This post has been edited by TouyaShiro on Jun 2 2013, 08:13 PM

Touya, more like Group Manager & Assistant Editor.

- Mikoto "I'm putting these at the end of my messages because I feel like it" Misaka, editor in chief, AC dev team

I wished I actually had Misaki's power now, just to stop you from being so irritating with that end message.

And Rin, I was talking about in general. I was expecting less manners from these guys.

Also, did DK get to your head? You're dropping a few too many EVA references for it to be accidental.

This post has been edited by Onboy123 on Jun 2 2013, 10:02 PM

eh, he's worse than DK.

- Mikoto "I'm doing it again umadbroumad?" Misaka, editor in chief, AC dev team

I'm not mad, I'm curious.

And I thought it was supposed to be "Misaka Mikoto", not the other way round?

Misaka es the surname, fraulein.

- Mikoto "lol touya be mad, guy can't short-circuit me" Misaka, editor in chief, AC dev team

This post has been edited by +-!mma_N00B-+ on Jun 2 2013, 10:25 PM

I don't get the stupidly long middle name though.

And this story has a Dev team? I want in.

Ask Rin about things, I guess. I can't promise anything, but I hear that he's open to contributions.

-The Aurum Moon "Does not understand how electricity works" TouyaShiro- [Group Manager & Assistant Editor, Accel Code Development Team]