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Moar Fanservice?

Thanks for your feedback, RB33.

Congratulations for being the moderator, by the way.

Thanks brother.

Sorry I haven't been able to catch up on your updates frequently. Busy work sched and all...

And so...we begin again with a new chapter...

Code 13: Redline

At Irohazaka, the atmosphere tonight could only be described as being unnervingly tense. Saburo’s lead over Setsuna was still strong, and they had already reached the third checkpoint. A crowd gathered at the next hairpin were speculating the outcome of the race.

“Man...did you hear about what happened at the first hairpin?”

“Yeah...man, that’s some sick shit...the Gripping Maiden...overtaken on the first turn...I really wanna believe this is bullshit, but judging by the news from checkpoint no.2, this really is happening…”

“Quit being so negative, you people! This is only half of the race! It’s not over until it’s over, okay? I am sure Setsuna can make a comeback soon! She’s been beating outsiders like this guy for months! Come on! Don’t give up!!” An enthusiastic fan shouted. However, the crowd as a whole wasn’t convinced.

“I wanna support Setsuna too, dude. But the guy we’re up against is a completely unpredictable driver, have you forgotten? Bloody hell, I’ve seen so many 180SX drivers but not one of them can last this long...”

“Here they come!!!”

Their chatter was interrupted by the sound of Saburo’s 180SX. The 180SX arrived at the hairpin. They could only watch in shock as he dispatched with the hairpin and accelerated away, some 40 meters ahead of the RX-8.

“ ....No way...!”

“You gotta be shitting me...” The man couldn’t help but tug his hair in disbelief. “This...this is just insane...”

“What the hell just happened? Why is Setsuna so far behind?! This NEVER HAPPENED back then! What the f**k is she doing? What is going on here?!”

It wasn’t just the crowd that was stressing out. Setsuna was getting desperate as well.

“Why?” Setsuna questioned, her palms were shaking, moist with sweat. She was slowly giving in to the growing panic. “This isn’t right at all...what am I doing wrong exactly? This doesn’t make sense! My settings were supposed to be perfect. And I’ve been using the correct set of tires, so why am I being left behind? What is it that I lack?” Unable to come to terms with what happened, she could only watch as the Nissan slowly increased the gap even further.

In the lead, Saburo could tell that the RX-8’s cornering was getting sloppy, probably due to the tires, but he didn’t let his guard down. “How long will it take for her to give up...I guess there’s little point in pondering about that now...my tires aren’t responding as sharply anymore either."

Arriving at the next hairpin, Saburo braked slightly early, trying to preserve the front tires. As he turns in, the RX-8 prepares to brake. When she noticed this, Setsuna tries to take advantage of this and closes the gap briefly, but this move disrupted her rhythm instead. She accelerates too early, forcing her to correct the oversteer, letting the 180SX get away.

The news that the distance between the two cars had widened yet again spread to the Parking Area like wildfire.

“I don’t believe it...the 180SX is already 50 meters ahead of Setsuna...!” One member of the gallery gathered at the peak said, his voice barely audible from the shock.

“Just who is that dude? His pace is at the level of the fastest here!”

“If he is, I better apologize for mocking him...that guy just decimated --

“S-shut up, dude! That guy is just a nobody!” A fan abruptly interrupted. “I know, Setsuna must be going easy on him! There’s no way she can lose so easily! This is all just an act! A fluke, I am telling you!”

“Seriously, a fluke? Since when did Setsuna ever go easy with her rivals?”

“...well! That’s....that’s because…“ Out of excuses, he could only reluctantly accept the truth.

“Give it a rest man...Setsuna is getting burned. We better learn how to swallow this fruit of truth...even now I still can’t believe that guy is actually doing all this. He made it look a bit too easy, in fact...”

“Heh....”Finally accepting reality, a faint chill ran down his spine at the thought of Saburo’s pace. “...To think I even said things like ‘he won’t last 5 hairpins’ back then...now I feel stupid...”

Slightly further away, Sakuya and Hatori were chatting by their cars as they listened in on the race updates.

“So Princess, what do you think of this race now?” Hatori asked with a small smirk.

“Game over. That’s what I think.” Sakuya replied dismissively, taking her hat off to brush her hair aside.

“Even Defense Line’s so called “ACES” cannot escape the rookie mistake of overlooking a rival’s potential.”

“Well, they’re no different after all. But I am still interested in what will come after this...I figured by the time our Prince is done with that poor girl, their Irohazaka Ace is going to be dead pissed about what happened.” Hatori chuckled at the thought.

“Whatever happens, Saburo won’t be fighting alone, that much I can tell you. I’ll be there for him when things get hairy. I have nothing against the Defense Line jocks, but their ridiculous discrimination against outsiders needs to stop, that’s for sure.”

“I am with you on that. Might as well give them a piece of my mind about this. I never was too keen on the whole pride-defending crap. Pride is just subjective anyway, there’s no point holding on to it so much.” She shook her head gently and turned her gaze away from the increasingly worried fans with a narrowed smile.

Back to the race, both cars are almost nearing the forth checkpoint. Saburo increases his pace further down the small straight, arriving at the consecutive hairpins. His higher exit speeds meant that he is almost 60 meters ahead of the RX-8 now.

“...No...! This can’t be happening...! I can still do this...!” Setsuna assured herself as she prepared to mount a charge through this section.

The first hairpin arrives. Saburo clears it with relative ease. However, Setsuna’s braking and throttle control had become less delicate. She was pushing even harder, desperately trying to close the gap. The hairpins were too tightly packed for the chance in distance to be seen, but evidently, it was taking its toll on the tires. As Saburo reached the fifth hairpin, the RX-8 was starting to show signs of oversteer.

“Oh no! The tires!!” In trying to keep pace with the Nissan, she had fallen victim to her urges, and was now fighting the steering exiting the fifth hairpin. Setsuna threw caution to the wind despite knowing the state of the tires. She charged into the sixth hairpin with the RX-8 barely stablised. The car entered the corner sideways, and with no grip at the rear, it lost control, spinning out in a cloud of smoke.

“Gah!!”

“Oh...!!" The crowd fell silent after the smoke settled, with only the distancing sound of Saburo’s 180SX.
Panting, Setsuna slow recollected her thoughts. “...Haha...I’ve lost. I guess I really have misjudged your abilities, Saburo Misaka...I should’ve known better...there were fast drivers out there too that can outmatch me in terms of skill...This must be what the price of being overconfident is...it sure is painful to swallow, but I’ll take it.”

Getting out of the RX-8 after shutting off the engine, Setsuna checked the rear tires. As soon as she realized they were shot, she couldn’t help but laugh slightly. She had made the simple mistake of pushing the tires too hard. As she laughed, members of the crowd came over to check on her.

“Hey, Mikami...you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“It’s okay...I’m fine, don’t worry.” Setsuna shook her head slightly.

“ ....But the race...”

“Haha...I’ve lost. Sorry about that, everyone...”

At the peak, the news of Setsuna’s loss was met with shock and doubt. The inaudible murmurs from the crowd only served to confirm the local’s worse fears.

“Setsuna…lost?”

“She spun out at the end of the third checkpoint!”

“Her legendary streak...snapped in half just like that...”

In the parking area, Saburo’s victory reached the two girls. On hearing the news, they simply smiled at each other.

“Well, that’s that. Thoughts?”

“Was there ever any doubt? Like I said, it was over back there. Saburo did what needed to be done to shut these people up. They better think twice now before screwing with outsiders.”

Before Hatori could respond, Sakuya’s phone rang. The caller was Saburo, much to her delight.

“...Yes?”

“Let’s go. We’re finished here.”

“Alright...but what about –“

“We’ll talk later. I’m tired. At the usual spot, okay?”

“Sure thing...” Hanging up, she turned to Hatori. “Let’s go, Four-eyes. The usual spot.”

"Alrighty! One down, five to go."

As the girls got back to their cars, a familiar face ran towards them. It was the same person who mocked Saburo. He stopped Sakuya before she could leave.

“Hey, wait...!”

“ ...hmm?”

“Just...who are you guys? What business do you have here, exactly?"

“...Call us Anti-Defense-Line team if you want. We’re just here to race the aces, nothing else.”

Without waiting for a response, she jumped into the JZA80 and drove off, followed by the JZA70. The “Anti-defense line team” coolly left Irohazaka and its devastated locals, disappearing into the night.

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

3:04 AM, July 5th. A manor deep in the heart of the Kanagawa mountain was illuminated by the scarlet moon. Its garden was dimly lit by countless streetlamps. At the centre of the manor’s front yard was a paved route that leads up to the front doors, with an ornate fountain positioned in front. The only sound that could be heard outside the manor was the quiet and gentle splashes the fountain made.

However, inside the manor, all was not tranquil. In the large main hall, a butler was pacing around the doorway. He was dressed in a black uniform, and looked to be in his 40s. Even so, he looked to be in good shape, though he was barely fitting in his tight suit. However, the expression on his face suggested that he was currently going through greater discomfort than just tight clothes.

“Where is mistress?”

His pacing quickened when he glanced at his watch. It was now 3AM in the morning.

“What could possibly be taking her? …Damn that man, at least provide a decent explanation when you make such a sudden request.” The butler’s concern was taking hold, his polite façade slowly crumbling.

After a few more minutes, an engine’s heavy rumbling broke the eerie silence. On hearing this sound, which was accompanied by occasional barks from revving the engine, he walked towards the reception desk and checked the CCTV monitors on his laptop. The car heading up the drive was a black GT-R R34. Even in the dim light, he could make out the dented rear bumper.

“Mistress! Finally...! And that R...oh dear.” He then opened a new window on the laptop. It was a data logger. He skimmed over the data displayed onscreen, before noticing a red warning in the corner of the window. It read, "Warning: Engine Temperature Too High". Letting out a soft sigh, the man enjoyed a brief moment of relief before calmly heading outside.

He waited at the field with a pot of water in hand as the manor gates glided open. The R34 rumbled down the path. The pungent smell of burnt rubber and oil grew stronger as it approached. It was so foul that the butler considered retreating to the manor and greeting the driver there.

The driver pulled over next to the butler, and slowly opened the door. The girl behind the wheel had her hair tied in twintails. The tips were doused in her sweat. Her clothes were also in disarray; the elegant black cloth was simply wrapped around her pale, slender shoulders like a blanket.

Greeted by this sight, the butler’s willpower was further challenged.

“I have returned, Koizumi. Ah…I see you have prepared water for me.”

Koizumi bowed slightly without a word. Having dispensed with the greeting, he immediately lifted the bonnet and poured the cool water into the radiator. Steam erupted from the engine bay the next instance, hiding the girl's slightly irritated face. She could do nothing but watch as every drop of water went towards cooling off the GT-R.

"Mistress, where have you been exactly? Would you be so kind as to explain where you have been for the past two hours? Unless I am mistaken, the curfew for tonight was 1AM."

"I was bored. Is wanting to breathe in some fresh air outside the manor not a good enough reason? Rather, should you not be feeling happy that I have taken an interest in the outdoors?" She snapped back, feeling even more dehydrated after watching all the water evaporate in front of her eyes. "Also…your concern over the car's wellbeing is appreciated, but to tend to it first even when I am currently in this state is making me question your loyalty."

"That wasn’t very subtle, mistress. Although your interest in the outside is a good thing, I doubt Master Tatsuya would appreciate this lack of tolerance." As the steam subsided, his looked towards his mistress. Her eyes were fixed on the pot he held in his hand. Finally understanding why she was behaving strangely, he let out another small sigh. "If you wish, mistress, I shall prepare tea once we return to the manor."

To Koizumi's offer, she simply nodded dismissively and turned towards the manor. "As for my brother…I could care less of what he thinks of me. Do not bring him up in conversation if it is avoidable."

As they walked up the small staircase to the manor, Koizumi suddenly stopped and eyed the black GT-R behind him.

"Pardon my stubbornness, but what exactly did you do in the last few hours? I refuse to believe you were just cruising. Ruka, the heart rate monitor showed that yours was spiking, and it was around the same time the car started overheating. That could not have happened if you were driving alone. Were you racing? If you were, what did I tell you about keeping calm?" The butler's voice suddenly tensed as he let his curiosity take over.

"Let’s just say that I have found a new playmate…can we end it at that and continue tomorrow?" Ruka responded wearily. After such a night, the last thing she needed was to be interrogated like this.

"A new playmate, huh?" Koizumi snorted at the response, clearly not impressed. "The car's telemetry showed multiple spikes in lateral G forces, and the damage at the rear could not have been made by simple driver error. Quite a playmate you have there. Now, mind elaborating?"

"…"

"Ruka, answer me. What. Happened?"

"Enough!" The relentless questioning finally got to her. "…it's either 'Mistress' or 'milady', I may allow for some freedom in how you address me, but do not call me by my name out of habit. Prepare my bath as soon as you’re done putting my car in its rightful place. I expect everything to be done within 10 minutes. The tea can wait." She tossed the car's keys at Koizumi and walked away.

"...Yes, milady."

The young mistress made her way into the manor. Her footsteps echoed through the hallway. The sound of her heels clattering gave the already tired girl a severe headache. Her eyes felt dry and she was slightly regretting sending the butler off, as she now had no one to help her to her room. As she walked, she sifted through the eventful night she had. At the thought of the rush of emotions that had completely overwhelmed her at the end, she couldn’t help but smile at that novel feeling.

By the time Ruka had arrived at her room, her eyelids were already trying to weld themselves shut. Her frail limbs ached and her joints felt stiff. She stood in a daze in front of her bed for a good few seconds, then finally focusing enough to slide out of her top. Before she could change properly, she had collapsed onto her bed. Listening to her heavy breathing, fatigue soon took over again and lulled her to sleep.

After parking the R34, Koizumi made his way to Ruka’s room. To his surprise, the sight that greeted him was not the impatient lady he knew, but an extremely tired girl. She was sprawled on her bed, her clothes were unbuttoned and lay wide open, and she was sound asleep. He could tell that she still hadn't recovered, as her body was still tinted in a sickly pink, and there was a small pools of sweat forming at various exposed parts of her body. Smiling fondly, he tucked her into bed, adjusted the air conditioning in the room and left as quietly as he could. He then takes out his phone, and quickly dials a number as he walked.

“Finally, you call.” The male voice on the other end snapped moodily before recomposing himself. “Spare me the formalities and cut to the chase.”

“Tonight’s run was 4 minute and 2 seconds, 3 seconds slower than her simulation’s best time. As for her progress in simulations, it’s currently 213 wins with 34 losses.”

“Good...that’s all I need to know for now.”

“…So, what’s this all of a sudden? Calling out of the blue and having me send that sheltered princess out there to race some random. Did I also mention the damage done to my car, and that she looks even more of a ghost than usual? I think you owe me an explanation.”

“What’s this? Showing concern for her now, of all times, are we?” The man effortlessly smoothed over Koizumi’s complaints. The voice carried on, speaking in a light, mocking tone. “Did you think that the peaceful days of sitting around, pouring tea and watching her play video games was all there was to this? Do as you’re told, without question. This conversation is over. Carry on with your duties, butler.” The line was dead before Koizumi could respond.

“...Yes…’sir’...” He uttered beneath his breath. Gritting his teeth with irritation, the butler headed towards the garage. He was still fuming, the words that the man spoke to him echoed in his head. Unable to bear it, he grabbed a wrench from the garage table. Just as the rage was about to boil over, he hesitated and took a deep breath.

“… Unfortunately, I can’t allow myself to enjoy the luxury of throwing violent fits in this environment.” Koizumi told himself with a regretful smile on his face. He then closed the garage doors, and began repairing the damaged GT-R.

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

2013, July 6th.

Although it was barely a night ago, the news of Saburo’s victory had already left Irohazaka, spreading to the rest of Tochigi. The pass had lost the tense atmosphere from yesterday, with workhorses parked where the high performance machinery once were.

However, the serenity was short lived. From afar, the sound of tuned engines broke the silence. The source of the disruption was a white and olive Toyota Soarer. Behind it was a pure white Nissan S15. The pair slowly pulled up at the Parking Area, enjoying the summer breeze as they waited for each other to get out.

The driver of the S15 looked to around twenty years old. He had brown hair and green eyes, an unusual sight in Japan. The Soarer’s driver was definitely in his forties. His messy, cropped black hair and thick stubble gave him a rough image, especially when compared to the tidily dressed youth.

“Hey dad...what do you think of my progress back in Happogahara?” The young man eagerly asked.


“Hmm?” The Soarer driver, however, didn’t share his enthusiasm. Without much consideration, he responded with a quiet grunt.

“That practice run a few days ago on there. Was it good? Did I improve?”

“Tomoyuki, you’re too concerned about your own abilities. How many times must I tell you to never gloat about your progress?”

“What, I was just asking if I improved!”

"You shouldn't ask. I can only say that I expected a lot more from you. Your footwork back there was sloppy, and you still haven't conquered your fears in going through turns at high speed. The moment you hesitate, your opponent will leave you behind. Got it?"

"...hah... yes, Kuniaki seeenseeeiiiii. "

“But regardless, you remedying that weakness and eventually get to a higher level is only a matter of time.”

“Thanks dad. By the way...” He glanced towards the clear skies above, staring at the abstract clouds as he changed the topic. “Have you heard of what happened around here last night?”

“What happened?”

“The Defense Line...”

“...Ah, yes. The absurd system that has been around the mountains for some time now...”

“Well...someone just breached that Defense Line. Believe it or not, from what I hear it’s actually a normal guy with a black 180SX.”

On hearing that, Kuniaki could only stand in silence. The thought that someone would challenge the defense line was too intriguing to ignore. Clearly interested, he shuffled closer towards Tomoyuki, waiting for him to continue.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but rumors like these fly very fast once they spread. Setsuna Mikami, the Gripping Maiden with the RX-8 got burned last night...” Sighing in disbelief, he let his head drop slightly at the depressing thought. “Some even said that the battle was over before they even reached the goal line at the bottom. So many months worth of a winning streak, and the guy shot it down like fishes in a flimsy barrel.”

“Indeed... This man sure strikes me as a very interesting individual. Most of the people nowadays in the world of street racing were too afraid to even stand up to anything since the Defense Line system was placed in the stage. Things were so much simple back then...it’s a shame.”

The conversation stopped for a moment as Kuniaki took out a packet of cigarettes. Tomoyuki watched his father with a disgusted expression as he fumbled around searching for his lighter, muttering about the days before the defense line. As Kuniaki reminisced, he lit the cigarette and inhaled gently. Before his father got too carried away, Tomoyuki picked up from where they left off.

SPOILER

“I am dead sure the last Ace is going to be very angry about this. Never have once in their career has an outsider beat them at the course they were assigned to. They really were that good. My only regret is that I couldn’t be the first one to have the honor in lighting those guys’ pride ablaze with my S15. I’m confident that I can still give them a run for their money if I had the chance.”

“There you go again. Confidence is good, but you get overconfident too easily, son. Still...I am very interested in this kid too. If fate allows, I’d like to meet him myself.”

Hearing his father’s increasing interest in Saburo, Tomoyuki’s face brightened slightly, though still slightly disgusted at the nicotine fumes blown his way by the breeze.

“Well fate obviously is on our side, dad. Something tells me that he WILL show up tonight. If he’s planning to tear the Defense Line a new one, I am sure he’ll come back here for seconds.”

“Hmm, you have a point. Let’s check him out tonight then.”

“There’s a rumor that he has a team too, but I can’t be too sure yet.”

“A team huh...very interesting. Hmm, guess this whole ridiculous system is going to be shut down if they keep this up. But I am not holding my breath just yet.”

“Haha, same here...anyway...let’s go for a practice downhill run from here. Once we’re done, we can go grab some breakfast maybe?

“Sounds good enough for me, son. Let’s go...”

Much to Tomoyuki’s relief, his father finally tossed his cigarette aside as they got into their cars. Both cars quickly left Irohazaka’s Parking Area, charging down the pass at full throttle.

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

The time was now 5:02PM. The long period of inactivity was broken by the arrival of a sole car. It was Saburo’s 180SX. He arrived at the parking area and quickly examined the road conditions.

Staring at a pile of dry leaves by the gutters, he evaluated the result of his race with Setsuna. Given how severe a blow to their pride it should have been, the chances of a race with a defense line member should be very probable.

With nothing better to do, he thought back to the conversation he had with the two girls after the race. The spot they met up at was an abandoned factory. Sakuya started the conversation.

“So...what now?”

“We’ll have to deal with the next Ace. Knowing that we snapped their streak like a twig, they’ll definitely show up tomorrow night. The only question would be who...”

“Well, I am good for anything. But just remember, if that BCNR33 guy shows up, you’re going to need a better set of tires at least.” Hatori replied, showing slight concern for once.

Saburo searched his memory, trying to recall who this threat was.

“Shin Imai...”

“That guy? I thought he was over at Happogahara now.”

“You were misinformed, Princess...that guy is still around Irohazaka. And thanks to the little stunt we just pulled, he will definitely have a reason to stay here.”

“…Humph.” Sakuya pouted and crossed her arms, clearly irritated.

“Whatever. It won’t matter.” Quickly moving on, Saburo picked up the conversation. “We’ll just have to squeeze in as much practice runs as we can by tomorrow during the afternoon. But chances of seeing him would only be 50/50, even with our actions tonight. I am not holding my breath that anything big will happen tomorrow night but let’s just hope things will go somewhat according to plan.”

“Whatever happens, I am with you, as always. Heh.” Hatori patted Saburo’s shoulder as she walked to her car. “You did great tonight.”

“Yeah...Anyway…I’m tired.” Sakuya announced. “Let’s sleep early so we can work on the practice plan with more time to spare.”

“...Good work, then.”

With that, the party of 3 disbanded for the night.

Saburo ended his reminiscing there, focusing back to the present.

“With Sakuya and Hatori done with their part, I suppose it’s all up to me now...I’ll just text them on what to do next...”

After sending the text, he quickly put his phone away.

“..Might as well head ba—“

Turning back to the Nissan, he suddenly heard a rasping engine note approach from further down the pass. There was no doubt that this was a highly tuned car, as there was the unmistakable chattering of a turbo as the driver lifted off the throttle. It soon revealed itself to be an Evo X, modified with widened arches and a GT Wing. However, that was not the most notable thing about it. The most…notable thing about it was its paint. The Evo was wrapped in gold chrome. It stood out like a sore thumb, and things only got worse as it got closer to him. The gold was reflecting the afternoon sun straight at his eyes, temporarily blinding Saburo.

“WAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” A hearty laugh erupted from somewhere within the intense light. He can barely see, but he clearly heard the strange sound of grunting.

“ ...?” Still completely confused by this sudden development, he tried to at least look into the direction of the driver. However, unbelievably, the driver was looking down at him from the roof of the car.

“I have finally found you, O Dark One!!” His sight slowly recovering, Saburo can just about see the owner of the Evo cross his arms very proudly after such an hysterical act.

“Who are you supposed to be?”

“HUMPH! I got no name to offer for scoundrels like you! Streets are for good-natured souls to use and YOU are not one of them! HIYAHHH!!“

After another wild laugh, this bewildering person showed off his amazing agility again. Somersaulting over Saburo with absolute confidence, he landed skillfully before striking a pose. He stretched an arm out, pointing to the sky, and pulled his other arm back, showing off his muscular body.

“I am the Golden Soaring Dragon with Broken Fangs, The Defender of the Innocent Road Warriors, The Protector of the Mountain Legends and Myths; The Adored Hero of Street Legends, The Golden Machine of JUSTICE -- HIIRO YOSHIDA, AT YOUR SERVICE!!!”

SPOILER

“...You just told me your name.” Saburo could only cringe slightly at Hiiro’s needlessly grand self-introduction. He sighed and shut his eyes, waiting for a response.

“Oh...umm...”

“Also...I think you got the wrong idea. I am not the Dark One...”

“Oops...! AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Please forgive me, my dear friend!! I have completely and utterly mistaken you for my nemesis back there due to your car! Haha! My sincerest apologies, really!”

“...So what’s the deal with this...hero thing you’re going on about?”

“Well, as mentioned in my epic introduction, my name is Hiiro Yoshida, and I am an Ally of Justice.” Hiiro paused slightly, smiling proudly at the self-proclaimed title. “Recently I have been keeping track on my records in holding the peace and order of this mountain along with the fellow good men in the Defense Line. Those brave warriors really are something worth respecting of, don’t you think? They make you race and battle for something to believe in! It truly is an exquisite feeling!”.

“…” Saburo didn’t respond, still thinking over Hiiro’s words.

“What’s the matter? You look like you lost your best friend there, young man.”

“Never mind...but what is this...Dark One you’re talking about again?”

“Well, as you can see. My fellow comrade sister in arms; Setsuna Mikami, the Gripping Maiden has been defiled! Defiled by a dark one so foul that her loss against him can be said as worse than losing her purity! WHAT BLASPHEMY! This is inexcusable, and to top it off, this evil villain has to commit such felony in my homeground, Irohazaka! I will find this Dark One and cleanse his evil with my golden machine of justice, that Evo X right there!” Finishing his grandiose speech, Hiiro’s arm lashed out towards his car, pointing at it proudly.

“…Well, it sure is...something.” At a loss for words, Saburo was half convinced that the person in front of him definitely suffered Chuunibyou.

“HAHAHA! My Evo X has never lost to any evil before, my friend! And The Dark One would be no different! I shall avenge my fallen comrade and clear her good name for the sake of other brave warriors in this stage if it’s the last thing I do! Say...are you also part of the warriors supporting the cause of our glory?” Carrying on with his exuberant rambling, the “Warrior of Justice” now focused on Saburo.

“...Actually, I am just here to carry out my duty and do what needs to be done. Nothing more.”

“Ah, so you’re taking an initiative I suppose? That’s good! And...hmm....“ Hiiro exaggeratedly moves his head as he scans Saburo’s appearance. “Even though you’re dressed in the darkest color known to man, through your eyes I can still see a flicker of justice burning inside you! You have great potential, my friend. I am quite impressed!!”

“…What?” Thoroughly lost by now, Saburo gave up trying to understand what the heavily built man in front of him is saying and simply played along. His head was hurting from trying to keep up.

“Well then, I am glad to have you as my new ally of justice! Now let me ask ye, what art thou known as?”

“ ...Umm...”

“Speak up, friend! No need to be shy!”

“...Saburo.”

“Very well then, my friend, Saburo! We shall meet again!!” Hiiro turned around, brushed his hair back and marched back to his Evo. “Much as I love to stay, I must be off!! May the Flames of Justice guide you to your true destiny, my new friend!!”

The golden Evo X took its leave equally noisily, but soon, Saburo was alone in silence again.

“I think I just shaved off 50 years worth of my life…” Saburo sighed. His head felt sore and he was slightly thrown off his pace. Burying his head in his hands, he tried to put that encounter behind him and focus back on preparing for tonight.

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

In Tsuchisaka, the sky was clouded over, obscuring the beauty of the setting sun. However, this didn’t really matter to the locals, as they were too busy practicing or chatting with each other. The usual crowd of tuned machinery occupied the Parking Area. Everything from Honda Civics to Mazda RX-7s, with all forms of modifications, was present. With a calm breeze blowing in, the mood here was comparatively more light-hearted than in Irohazaka. Things were shaping up to be a typical street racer’s gathering tonight as well.

At the corner of the Parking Area was a small team of four men. Their cars consisted of an Nissan Cefiro, a Nissan Z31, a Toyota Soarer and a Toyota Verossa. This strange line up was made stranger still by their paint. They were all in an eye-searing yellow, a yellow so vivid that most locals couldn’t even look towards their direction. Their drivers sat at a bench, two were in a serious debate, and another two were watching a couple argue.

"Kunitaro, The girl over there. She's just like your girlfriend, eh?"

"My girlfriend? No bro, this girl doesn't seem to pull insane logic out of her ass and spew it everywhere. It's just your daily lover's quarrel. Nothing to see here."

"Yeah, but she's a looker though. Would hit like the fist of an angry god, mmm."

"I... have no idea what you're talking about." Kunitaro shuffled away slightly at his friend's remark. "Anyway, Tsukioka. What do you think of that last race back then?"

"Oh, the one yesterday? It was alright I guess... but I think that team could’ve done better."

"Yeah..." Upon hearing the new topic, the two other drivers joined in their discussion.

"Well, based on the knowledge of those members in the team I expect more actually. It was honestly quite...underwhelming, despite their initial gusto and supposed skill in making consistent times. Especially that guy in the EG6. There’s no reason why his run is only so average with that amount of tuning done."

"Kotoku, it was very clear that they lack knowledge necessary to transgress humanity’s simplicity. Such tactics certainly won’t work if they were to face true drivers with more versatility."

“...By that, you mean drivers like you, Kantaro?”

"Exactly, my friend!"

"...you’re hopeless." Kunitaro sighed heavily as he shook his head.

"Says you, asswipe!"

"Umm, guys?" Tsukioka quickly changed the topic before things got physical. "Speaking of good drivers, there's this one guy I'm very intrigued about. You guys heard of that black 180SX recently?

The chatter stopped briefly, everyone’s expressions clouded over until they realized who Tsukioka was talking about.

“...Yeah. I heard of him. He’s good.” Kunitaro remarked, smiling slightly.

"I know. Heh...it’s really a fresh change to see someone finally take a stand to this system. After so many years of their ‘governance’ in the mountain stages they occupy throughout the Japan, it’s getting a bit controversial as to whether they really work at all as defense in pride. Saburo Misaka must’ve shared a bit of the same idea with us too."

"Well, if we’re talking about him then it’s clearly an entirely different case. Through the clips of his battle against the Gripping Maiden I can conclude that he has approximately 95% mapped out the course in his head as a recall memory of some sort that allow him to tackle on the technical hairpins on Irohazaka so easily without the fear of sudden low-speed section. You cannot just expect to come out unscathed from every hairpin with good eyes on braking points alone. He’s definitely got a different air around him than most of the chumps back there in Tochigi that is under the Defense Line’s category."

"Oh please. Details schmetails. I know why he’s good, unlike you, Mr. Encyclopedia." Kantaro quickly dismissed the detailed analysis. "He is definitely a descendant to an old alien species of the wisest kind?. That, or he must be chosen by the ancient ones to bring back the true balance to this pitiful excuse of a world known as the “Racer’s Sanctuary”. Heh."

There was a long silence, everyone was left speechless by his unique theory. Before Kantaro could carry on spewing more nonsense, Kunitaro interrupted.

"Okay, sorry to obstruct your river of superstitious bullshit, but Kantaro, you're creeping me out. To think how long I put up with your nasty talk of nonsense. Seriously it’s getting a bit out of hand. Quit talking like that, would you?"

"Say what now? You never complained back then, and even if you've had this condition, it's behind you already, right? So what's the big deal?"

"IT'S EMBARRASSING!" Unable to restrain the embarrassment of his past, Kunitaro buried his face in his hands and stuck his fingers in his ears.

"Fine! Let’s race then. You and me, Tsuchisaka outbound. One go. You win, I keep my mouth shut or in check at least. I win, you’ll suffer so hard that you wish an alien would abduct your ass right here on the spot. How about it?"

"...Whatever. I’ll do it."

"Hah, beat you then, jerkbag!"

"Beat me off, moron. I am gonna smoke some sense into your goddamn head."

Kunitaro and Kantaro didn't even bother with a countdown, and proceeded to drift around the parked cars in their immature attempts at slowing each other down with smoke.

"Hey, wait for us...! Jeez...!" Tsukioka complained, coughing from the heavy smell of burnt rubber in the air.

"Well well, spunky as always...heh. Oh well. This could be an additional session for my data-collection." The Z31 and Verossa left the Parking Area in the most dramatic way possible. With the entire Parking Area looking in their direction, there was nothing for it for the two left behind. They quickly sprinted to their cars and set off in hot pursuit. The four friends charged down the mountains, using their rough skills as best they could on the tight course, leaving Tsuchisaka buried under their tire smoke.

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

At Sadamine, the atmosphere was lively as ever. The chatter that filled the air gave the normally quiet mountain pass a festive feeling. There was a Q&A session for novices to the street racing scene at the side of the Parking Area, where everything from advice on visual modifications to tuning for outright pace was discussed in great detail.

In another area of the PA was a car show, held by Driver’s Utopia. The people gathered around each entrant’s vividly liveried car. Notable entries included Hello Kitty liveried GT-Rs, Tron-themed RX-7s with neon wheels, and even an iron-man inspired chrome Fairlady Z. Among the crowd gathered next to a selection of pink cars were Ayase and Mayumi.

“These cars sure are...quite colorful.”

“Oh please, I’ve seen much more tasteful ones. These are just overboard. I can’t believe some would vote for the one with a big-ass double-layer wing.”

“ ...yeah, that one was outright ridiculous. But I guess people like that sort of thing since there’s at least 40 votes placed on the box. Haha....”

“Pah! Some people have shit taste. It’s repulsive! If I were to decorate my Evo, I would’ve easily won the contest at the tip of the hat!”

“Hell, you would win all the prizes, from Third down to the Grand Prize.” Ayase replied, speaking in monotone. She rolled her eyes and distanced herself from her arrogant friend.

"No shit! ...wait a sec, are you being sarcastic?"

"Take a wild guess, you damn breast monster." She snickered bitterly as she eyed her friend's voluptuous body with slight jealousy. Mayumi frowned slightly, annoyed by the remark, but didn't respond.

"Say...where’s Vanessa?" Ayase looked around, trying to find the fluorescent green Renault within the crowd.

"Off for one last uphill run. She wants to check if the tires are up to the job."

"I see.."

"Well, she’ll make it back soon enough. Let’s just enjoy the parade while we wait for her to return."

While waiting for another few minutes for Vanessa to complete her run, the two friends strolled through the parking lot, a pink Altezza caught Ayase's eye.

"I think that Altezza deserves a bit of recognition. It’s really tastefully done, I must say."

"Oi, forget about that...guess who's here."

"Aoi!"

" ...oh, it’s you. Sorry, I was too busy taking pictures..."

"No, it’s okay...we’ve finished our preparations for the event anyway so we’re just chilling here...

"Yeah...and not to mention we’re on LATER queue for the time-attack event. That means we have to wait at least half an our or so after the clock hits 9:00 PM. This stinks...!

"Do forgive us for the delay though...it’s just that we cannot risk doing this the same way closed tracks do time trials due to limited space in mountain pass. Regardless...I am sure you will do well in this event."

"Well...hope that’s the case."

"Oh look! She’s here! It’s really her!!" A person near the parking area exit shouted. More people started cheering as they saw the approaching car. The car in question was none other than the latest hot topic of Sadamine, the fluorescent green Renault Megane R2.6R.
"Wow...she sure has gotten quite a boost in popularity since her debut, huh? Whatever happened to dissing outsiders, Mayumi?"

"Don’t ask me. I am every bit as surprised as you are. I know some of them have begun respecting her since her race at Sadamine were made public but I never knew her following would have become so large...this is impressive, I must say."

Vanessa slowly emerged from the sea of people surrounding her, and parked the Renault beside Mayumi's Evo VI. She got out, and after greeting the crowds with a quick wave, went to greet her friends.

"Yo, how are you all!"

"You seemed to be in high spirits, kiddo!"

"Yeah...what’s with the warm treatment now?"

"Well, let’s just say some guys have been a little wrong about me. Haha! I could really get used to the nice treatment here! Saitama is not really as bad as I thought after all!"

"Keep running your mouth like that and this stage will drop you into its darkness, Gaijin. Of course, I'll be the one to send you on your way."

"...!"

The wild cheering halted as everyone turned towards the source of the voice. From behind the crowd, a girl with shoulder length hair strutted towards them. She had her hands in her maroon hoodie's pockets, and had an almost boyish scowl on her face. Adachi, also referred to by the locals as the "Slayer", twisted her expression into a confident smirk.

"...You again. You just don’t know when to quit pestering me, do ya?"

"Not until I've made my point, you cocky brat."

The crowd circled around the girls after Adachi forced her way through. Some of the crowd watched in anticipation as the atmosphere intensified. Others simply took the chance to sneak a few snaps of the models while they were facing off with Adachi. Noticing the sudden shift in attention, the Drivers Utopia camera crew quickly grabbed their equipment and prepared for a live stream.

"You’re the one that is being hostile all the time for all the wrong reasons. I mean seriously, what’s your problem?"

"This stage belongs strictly to locals, even you know that. Young outsiders like you have no place and business to drive around here and show off just because you have a more expensive import machine."

"Seriously? All the fuss just because I am NOT born in Japan?" Vanessa responded in disgust. "That’s pretty racist, ya know? I thought Japan’s a free country. You’re really settin’ up to be quite a bad example of the people around here who are at least a lot more civilized than you."

"Shut up!" Adachi clenched her fists and took a step forward, looking down at Vanessa. Vanessa responded in kind, her cheerful expression turned foul. She scowled seriously while looking Adachi in the eye. This serious air around her was unprecedented, and her friends could only stand back and watch how the situation would unfold.

SPOILER

"...Or what? I'm in the middle of schooling the ignorant here, I don't see why I should stop just because you can't accept reality."

"Tonight will be when you realize just how naive it is for you to think we can be trampled by outsiders so easily. It’ll take more than just a lousy Gaijin to beat us in our stage, I’ll give you a schooling so hard that you’ll never deny us of our skills with your arrogance. This is not a THREAT. I GUARANTEE YOUR DEFEAT!

"Suit yourself, Adachi. Road’s over there and it’s only around 20 minutes before we start. Just hope you won’t need to toss in some Mac ‘n’ Cheese on those words you just spout once I am through with you."

"Good thing I won’t need to, you wise-cracking-smart ass. A GT-R is far more dangerous than you know...and even you should realize just how much of an icon my machine has become around the world. You’ll realize that it’ll take more than just skills to get the better of me and my ultimate road-killer. Hot-Hatches are NOTHING before the R."

"Ya know... you talk real crazy for a b*tch who owns such a big-ass car with so little history backing you." Mayumi had heard enough. She was struggling to stop herself cringing at Adachi's increasingly delusional ramblings.

"...say what?" Adachi flinched slightly before narrowing her eyes and glared at Mayumi. "Say that again...I dare you."

"I didn’t stutter, did I? My gosh you truly are a circus freak show. How about you put your money on where your ignorant pie hole is, if you’re so confident that your precious GTR is gonna waste my friend here? If you've not got enough skill to back your words, why don't you just go f**k yourself and stop wasting everyone's time?

"...Hey, Mayumi. It’s okay. I can --" Vanessa tried to regain control of the situation, but she was cut off.

"Hush, I’ll handle this. Adachi, if you lose tonight’s match, you won’t pester my friend anymore. Got it? I could give a flying f**k about what you and your kiss-ass members do around the streets, but watching Vanessa endure your melodramatic horse shit? Grow up."

Everyone was left shocked by Mayumi's sudden outburst. Ayase seemed especially worried, and tried to talk her out of carrying on before the situation escalated further.

"Fine then. It’s a deal. Better yet, let’s amp this up. Vanessa Anderrson! If you lose tonight’s battle...you quit racing forever and never show your face here at Saitama. If I lose, I’ll give up my GT-R and leave Saitama for good as well. Sounds fair?!

A step late, Ayase shook her head slightly in mild disbelief. The locals were also thrown into a frenzy by the high-stakes bet. While Vanessa considered this offer, Aoi approached her and gave her view of the situation.

"Vanessa...I think you better decline...this is too risky..."

"What’s wrong? You gonna chicken out?!" Overhearing Aoi's words, Adachi shouted at Vanessa, hoping to provoke her into a race. "Or are you confident enough to take on a GT-R with that hatchback of yours?"

After another pause, Vanessa finally stepped forward and faced Adachi with a straight face. Her eyes were serious, and she wore a confident smile.

"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!"

This response sent the crowd into further chaos, the sounds of cheering and gasping echoed through the mountain. The same could be said for the viewers of the stream. The chat box was rapidly filled with cheering from supporters of both drivers. Adachi was also slightly surprised by Vanessa's response. She recollected her cool before responding.

"...Heh. You’re stupidly arrogant...but at least you got guts..."

"I could say the same thing to you. Let’s get this over with. Shall we?"

The crowds cheered wildly as the two drivers moved their cars into position. The road was soon cleared and the anticipated battle between Adachi's R32 GT-R and Vanessa's Megane was soon underway.

"...are you sure you can handle this?"

"Relax. know what I am doing, chill out, okay? Just wait and see... I got a little surprise up my sleeve for emergencies like these... IF something does go wrong that is."

- つづく -

And so a number of new developments have started to show up:

1) Saburo & Co. are starting to get rather notorious with their rivals.

@Rin
Did you and your dev team get the name of your protagonist from a certain WWII Japanese ace pilot?

2) A battle-butler (and a seemingly capable one at that) shows up... and... it would be interesting to see what he can show later in the story...

3) It was only a matter of time before a Large Ham of a character shows up hehehe

all in all a good read and looking forward for more

Nah. I actually got the name originally from a character in .hack//G.U. series. xD

Since the name is pretty easy to remember. LOL (Aside from the fact it's from a character that is actually a male using a female character inside the game itself...)

But eh...you're referring to Saburo Sakai, yes? XD

You've no idea how much I get that from some of my fellow Ace Combat fans when they read my work at first place .

As a fellow Ace Combat fan, flight simulator/ aviation enthusiast, I can see what you did there

Amazing chapter again!

And is it me or did the writing became a lot more simple?

Eitherway, I am starting to enjoy the company of all these interesting new characters.

Back in Ruka, I really wonder...what is there to tell about her story with her butler...and possibly that mysterious man on the phone? Knowing that she is able to give even Kagerou a run for her money, I am sure something big is gonna happen in future...

Hiiro is such a hillariously GAR hero-wannabe! XD and the Evo X is just too much...GOLDEN CHROME?

And boy, didn't he realize that he's talking to the 'Dark One'?

On the other hand, I wonder if the father/son duo would be something much bigger in future? They sure look interesting enough too...almost reminds me a bit of the Kogashiwa family, but that's only as far as father guiding a son from afar instead of close up like this one.

Finally, Vanessa vs Adachi...oh god, the hype build since the last few chapters has reached to such a climatic point that it feels like a Krakatoa eruption is gonna take place once the next chapter arrives. Please make race live up to the hype, Rin! I really can't wait to see Vanessa give Adachi a good schooling of what it means to respect people equally!

Adachi is too arrogant for her own good and she needs to be TAUGHT a lesson. BAD!!

All in all, this is such an eventful chapter. Keep it up, Rin!

Well, with such an eventful chapter, if things get too wordy, things might get quite hard to follow. This chapter did set a record of having the most scenes ever, so I can only assume some arrangements were made to get everything in without writing something overly hard to understand.

mmhmmm…well, that's my guess.

Here's your feedback, mah boi~~

And dayumn, Ruka be a lovely ojou-sama that we all want to see her as. Sure hope we get some sweet action of her and her butler in future~

And Hiiro be MANLY, yo! MANLY HEROES FOR THE WIN! Seriously though, we need more manly heros in racing stories as they are slowly dying out and being replaced with pretty boys whom were even more sensitive than insecure girls.

Vanessa vs Adachi...The HYPE HAS BROKEN THE METER AND EXPLODED! WHOO!!

Be sure to give LOTS of action worth the wait for their face off, kay, Rin?! XD

Love you, and keep up the good work! <3

I am curious though....any info about Saburo's mother? Cause reading back again, there seemed to be a mention of her being special back in the days when she's active as a racer. I am actually intrigued. :3

You'll know the answer later.

Anyway, time for update. Sorry for the late delay, people.

Code 14 - One-Way Road

 At Sadamine Pass, the once spread out crowd's attention was now solely focused on two cars, Vanesssa's Megane and Adachi's GT-R. Adachi revved up the RB26, sending the crowd wild with excitement with every howl from the R32's 400hp engine. Even the weather seemed to be affected by the atmosphere, the night gales growing stronger with each passing second.  
 
Vanessa kept the Renault at idle, not at all concerned by the difference in power compared to the R32. She glanced across, and her eyes met with Adachi's. There could not have been a greater contrast between them. Unlike Vanessa, who kept her cool and even flashed a smile at her rival, Adachi's eyes were burning with hatred. The desire to protect the local's pride was now secondary to her overwhelming determination to thoroughly humiliate Vanessa. That she dared to smile so nonchalantly agitated Adachi so much that her nails were eating into the steering wheel.     
  
"Look at these people, all blinded by that fancy outsider’s car just because she learns quick...but soon everyone will see truly how inferior you are once I ripped that mask off your arrogant face..." Adachi muttered to herself as she locked her eyes onto Vanessa, who was chatting away with her friends, completely relaxed despite the upcoming race. 
 
"A bit windy, don’t you think?" Vanessa asked as she cocked her head to the side in a cute gesture.  
  
"Wind like this won't affect the car, so just drive as you would normally. I'm not sure what stupid plan you have in mind, but know this." Ayase paused for a moment as she brought her face closer to Vanessa. "Don’t do anything risky on the earlier part of the race. Even if you can’t keep up, there’s no point wasting the tires' grip."      
  
"I know that." Vanessa pulled her face back and took a deep breath. "Well, I may not be an AWD expert, but even I know that nothing good will come out of a dragged on race with a car like the GT-R.                                                                            
  
"The car isn't the only factor here, kid. You gotta take advantage of your rival’s emotions too. Clearly she’s shackled by her desire to smoke your ass. When someone’s obsessed with something, they’re bound to make mistakes by acting rash and stupid. And when you’re in a car like the Skyline, you know damn well nothing good will happen if you let your emotions get the better of you." 
  
"Haha, I sure had that same thought too. Since she’s been calling me names all these times. Just makes beating her sorry butt all the sweeter though!" Settling back into the bucket seat, Vanessa gave a confident smile to her friends once more. "Her petty insults don’t even faze me, knowing just how hopelessly obsessed she is." 
  
"Vanessa...whatever happens, please try not to damage your car or hurt yourself too much." Aoi finally spoke up as she noticed Vanessa readying herself for the race. "I really don’t see what’s the point of all the discrimination..." 
  
"Aw, don’t worry, white bird!" Before Aoi could finish voicing her concern, Vanessa interrupted. "I can handle this blonde-dyed twat by myself. I promise I won’t push myself too hard, kay?" 
   
"…Alright then...do your best." Reluctantly, Aoi stepped away from the Renault.  
  
"Alright, step aside, I'm gonna do the countdown now!" Mayumi announced at the top of her voice, becoming the focus of the crowd. Proudly strutting between the two cars, both arms raised, openly flaunting her ample chest and seductive body to the cameras as she aligned the two cars at the start.  
   
"Umm...Adachi..." Megu hurriedly ran up to the R32 for a last minute conversation "What if you really --" 
  
"Shut up." Adachi swiftly dismissed Megu's question. "I won’t lose. Don’t you dare doubt my abilities. I am your leader and I won’t let our team’s reputation rust away with me losing in front of these people. Got it? I’ll show that midget just how out of her league she is. She’ll learn the true harshness of racing on the streets...!!"  
  
"...this is so not like you, Adachi..." Megu whispered under her breath as she slowly backed away from her leader.  
    
"10 SECONDS TO BEGIN!!!" 
  
The crowd whooped and cheered wildly at Mayumi's announcement. Ayase simply watched from afar while Aoi tried to take more photos of the two cars.  
                                                                    
"9, 8, 7, 6, 5!" 
 
Adachi once again shifted her focus to Vanessa, glaring at her with an even more intense hatred. The calm and confident expression Vanessa wore compounded Adachi's rage, so much so that it drowned out all other noises. Her only focus now was to completely destroy Vanessa's reputation as a racer. 
                             
"…4, 3, 2, 1, GO!!!" 
  
On Mayumi's signal, both cars scrambled off the line in a flurry of revs and tire smoke. The R32 hooked up instantly, catapulting ahead. The Renault struggled to get its power down initially, but Vanessa quickly shifted into 2nd to control the wheel spin. 
 
"And there she goes..." Ayase casually walked up to Mayumi and watched as the two cars disappear into the darkness. 
  
"Welp, let’s hope the kid has the bite to back up her bark..."  
 
Standing further away from the two models, who were starting to attract a small crowd on their own, Aoi's camera had stopped clicking, and her normally peaceful face had started to cloud over with concern.  
                                                                                                                                
The race continued as the cars charged downhill. Adachi, in the lead, attacked the first corner at full speed, making the most of her advantage off the line. Vanessa was slowly falling behind by 10 meters, the Megane simply unable to match the GT-R on the straights.  
  
"Heh, as I thought...there’s no way you can catch up with the raw power delivered by this monster. To hell with your memorizing ability! In Sadamine and Shoumaru, I am untouchable. You have no hope in hell, outsider!!" Adachi laughed confidently as she shifted up into 5th as quickly as possible. The R32 begins to pull ahead once again. Vanessa tucks in behind the R32, only just closing the gap due to the draft. 
 
"Whew...this is rough. So that’s why the GT-R’s feared. That thing sure can fly in straights. But I already know that...so I won’t get demotivated so easily, punk!" After reassuring herself, Vanessa gritted her teeth and prepared to take the first corner.  
  
Going into the left hander, the R32 dived for the apex, violently shifting the weight to the front in a late braking move. Adachi going all out without hesitation, as well as her extremely aggressive line left the spectating locals in awe.  
  
"Wow...! Such dynamic handling! The R really is a monster machine!" A member of the crowd gasped as he watched the GT-R brush the inner guardrail.             
  
"I think I just saw flames coming out of the exhausts just now! That thing’s exit speed is insane!" Another man from the crowd shouted, his tense voice barely audible over the sound of tortured tires and the GT-R's howling engine.  
  
"It’s no wonder why Adachi is feared! That thing’s literally a rule-breaker in street racing! Look at the thing go!"  
  
"Wait...here comes the other one!"  
 
Barely a second later, the high revving Renault arrived, hot on the heels of the R32. However, what surprised the crowd was that not only was the Megane able to keep up, its corner speeds seemed to be even higher than that of the GT-R. Vanessa carefully adjusted her steering, coming perilously close to clipping the inner barrier, before quickly straightening the wheel and setting off in pursuit of the GT-R, with the gap noticeably smaller after just one corner. 
  
"Whoa, that car’s...." 
  
"Oh man! That thing just plowed through the curve and closed the gap like that! Just how many horses does that import have?" 
  
"It must’ve been tuned to perfection, that’s for sure. You have to work real hard to actually keep up with a GT-R on mountain roads, especially with an FF." 
  
The two cars battled on in a relentless game of leapfrog, the R32 pulled away in the straights, but the Renault would close the gap under braking. However, there was no escaping the fact that Vanessa was closing the gap at a phenomenal rate. Under pressure, Adachi's driving became increasingly erratic, straining her tires even further in the hope of keeping the heavier R32 in the lead. Vanessa watched as the R32 struggled for grip, backing off the throttle slightly and controlling the tires. Exiting the tight series of corners, the road opened out to a long straight. Vanessa backs off slightly, letting the R32 rocket away towards the hairpin ahead.
                                                                                                            
"Humph...as I thought, the R is faster through these wide sections. In the end an FF is still just an FF." Adachi sneered confidently, watching Vanessa disappear in her hear view mirror. "Even with strong tuning done to that engine of yours, it won’t match the raw power of this thing. And on low speed hairpin exits, this car is FAR superior to every other machine! I’ve readjusted the gears to match the low speed section, just for this battle!" 
  
"Please tell me I was right..." Vanessa muttered to herself. She was watching the R32's movements very closely, keeping a set distance away, waiting for something to happen.  
 
At the hairpin, the crowd watching waited with baited breath as the echoing engine roars grew louder. The R32 peered over the horizon, its headlights blinding the audience. Adachi braked hard, but something was clearly wrong. The speed she carried into the turn was far too high, and the GT-R was struggling to lose speed. Pitched forward, brakes screaming, Adachi overshot the corner entry and was barely able to avoid hitting the crowd. Seeing her run wide, Vanessa instantly took action. She effortlessly slid into the inner lane, hugging the apex as she watched Adachi understeer into the outer lane.   
  
"No you don’t!!!" Taking advantage of the new adjustments, Adachi wrestled with the steering wheel, fighting the understeer as she fired out of the corner, barely scraping the outer guardrail. She breathed a sigh of relief, but with the Megane now only 5 meters behind, she was struggling to find her rhythm again. 
  
"Dang it! I should’ve known...gear ratio readjustments. Alright, that didn’t work out...next plan!" 
  
Vanessa couldn't lament over the failure to take the lead for too long, as the R32's newfound acceleration meant that she was getting left behind on corner exits. The battle reentered its previous rhythm, the distance between the two cars kept at a steady 5 meters. Soon, they arrived at a tight and narrow series of corners. The cars zipped through the rough and scarred tarmac without letting up at all. Adachi adapted to the change in pace almost instantly, though to the eyes of the onlookers, it felt like she was still battling the GT-R at every corner. Vanessa was having a hard time keeping up. She could hear the car's bodywork scrape against the rutted road, and the much stiffer Megane bouncing her around didn't help either. All she could do now was try and close the gap and aim for a second chance.  
 
 Both cars quickly reached the last corner of the first section, and  what lay ahead was a long straight leading into the 2nd section. Seeing this as her chance to finish the battle once and for all, Adachi tried to escape the Renault, being cautious of her braking zones this time. She managed the R32's slight understeer, and as soon as she caught sight of the road opening up… 
  
"You’re done, Gaijin! Know your place!!"  
 
Adachi mercilessly floored the throttle, though the R32 was still not properly positioned yet. The instant burst of power overpowered the rear tires briefly, before launching Adachi down the straight. Vanessa could only sit and watch as all her effort to close the gap was demolished in a single moment.  
   
"...It’s no good huh...guess I’ll have to make do with keeping up...the next checkpoint is a high speed section, and I can’t do much with such a power difference." Vanessa sighed, adjusting her line to mimic Adachi. 
 
At the peak of Sadamine, the crowd were gathered around a laptop, watching the live coverage while listening out for updates from the radio. 
  
"The R32 is leading strong, but the Megane is still putting up a fight. They have a gap of 40 meters between each other!" 
  
On hearing the update, the silent crowd quickly became a mass of inaudible chatter, everyone giving their prediction of the race. Aoi watched the crowd debate, while listening in to Ayase and Mayumi's conversation.  
                                                                                                   
"As I thought, the R is just too much on straights." Mayumi sighed, taking a seat on the Chaser's bonnet.   
 
"Thank you, Captain Obvious. And who gave you permission to sit here?" Ayase replied in a mocking tone, nudging her friend on the shoulder playfully. "Given how large the power difference is, even with the engine tune up, it's no surprise. I’d rather have her deal with the curves since that’s where the R32 is lacking, well...where this R32 is lacking, at least. And the driver definitely not the brightest either.." 
  
"…Which is why this battle isn’t a 100% lost cause. I for one am willing to put my money on the kid since I know she’s not too stupid to make choices that would ruin her own chance of winning." Mayumi concluded confidently.  
  
"...don’t overdo it, Vanessa..." Aoi whispered as she slowly turned her gaze down the road, praying for her friend's safe return.  
  
Beyond the first checkpoint, the R32's confident lead was slowly increasing, the high speed section heavily favoring Adachi's new adjustments. After a series of gentle corners will be the end of the second sector, marked by a wide hairpin. Both were giving it their all, everything from their line on the road to the timing of their gearshift was judged with incredible accuracy, leaving nothing to chance. Despite Vanessa's efforts, clipping every apex, minimising steering inputs and shifting as near peak power as possible, the gap between the cars refused to shrink.  
 
"This is bad...I am already on the limit and I still couldn’t keep up. Heh...if it wasn’t for the draft I would’ve been left in dust by now...as I thought the R is a traction monster. However..." Vanessa gripped the wheel tight, the usual confident expression returning to her face. "There is no miscalculation...the rear tires of the that GT-R are clearly giving in."  
 
The R32 charged down the final straight of section two, squirming slightly as Adachi relentlessly accelerated out of the previous corner. Adachi was confident that this was her victory. Beyond this point, the Megane will be left for dead. As such, surely the victor can be allowed the pleasure of a bit of showboating? Thinking that, she allowed the R32 to squirm, letting the power overwhelm the rear tires to please the crowd. On seeing Adachi's R32 roar down towards them, the crowd gathered at the hairpin started whooping in excitement. 
 
Vanessa readies herself as the hairpin approached, adjusting her line slightly so her car was centered to the road. Gritting her teeth, she makes a final adjustment to her line and, as soon as the R32 braked, she made her move.  
 
"Here goes...!!"  
  
The R32 braked hard, keeping to the outer lane for an out-in-out approach. Vanessa on the other hand tried to kept her lining centered, concealing her movements from Adachi as best she could.  
  
"Not many people can clear this wide hairpin as fast as I can...!" Adachi smirked boastfully, not paying any attention to Vanessa. "Even now I am going beyond 150 km/h! That Gaijin can never match the cornering speed of this machine! The traction this has is far beyond that of any potato FRs out there!" 
  
Sure enough, the R32 held on to its lead, despite Vanessa's best efforts, keeping her car at a steady 140km/h, still observing Adachi as she pulled away. Both cars dashed towards the third section, but the sound of tire squeal was rapidly echoing through the mountains. It was the unmistakable sound of understeer. Vanessa couldn't help but snigger slightly. The window she was aiming for had finally opened. 
 
"Whoa! The R32...is slowly being caught by that green car!" The commentators remarked in shock as they watched Vanessa's advance on live stream. 
  
"Just how fast is THAT machine? How can a GT-R be slower than that small car in corners! The R32’s traction should’ve overpowered that thing!" Disbelief and awe filled the parking area as the news of Vanessa's potential victory spread.                     
 
Leading the race, Adachi allowed herself to take a glance at the rear mirrors.  
 
"What?! No way!!" The stubborn and unyielding Megane was getting closer by the second, as though it was mocking her efforts to shake Vanessa off.  
  
"Don't let your sense for your tires get sloppy yet, blondie! You’re still too young to be smokin’ rubber on the streets!" Vanessa pushed harder, closing the gap further still. Adachi's car was becoming increasingly wayward, the swaying from Adachi's corrections compounding the situation. The Megane, on the other hand, still had decent tires which were definitely fairing better with less power.     
  
"…after clearing this hairpin, her R32’s tires will give in, but it’s not like I have much left either...even this sets of tires I chose has a physical limit...if I had to make a move it’s gotta be very soon or I will be screwed. Come on...just give me an opening!" Frustration was building up, Adachi was still doing all she could to keep the Megane behind her, determined to hold out until Vanessa burns out her tires as well. 
 
Exiting the curve, the Renault caught up even more. This time, the gap closes up to just 15 meters, much to the shock of the crowd. That a front wheel drive car could be so resilient was unprecedented to some of the locals, more so when it's being driven by a foreigner.  
 
Adachi, too focused on managing the GT-R, thought she had lost the Megane, and was still smirking confidently. 
  
"Heh...how is that for handling curves, outsider! There’s no way you can--" She quickly glanced behind her as she settled down on the straight, the realisation that she was losing her lead cut her cocky speech short. "...no bloody way!" 
  
There was no doubt, this was Adachi's worse nightmares played out in real time. A foreigner mounting such a fierce assault on her turf, and she was completely powerless against it. In denial, Adachi tried to find her rhythm again, but the R32's deteriorating handling was making it impossible.  
  
"Gah, you freak!!" Abandoning any hope of finding the rhythm, resorting to the GT-R's power to maintain the gap. She exited the corner and fought the car as it struggled to put its power down, accelerating to over 150km/h in a quick burst. 
  
"Come on...make a mistake!!" Vanessa piled on the pressure, exiting the corner at an even higher speed than the Nissan. 
 
"I won’t allow myself to get humiliated by you in front of these people...!!" Adachi forced the R32 sideways and floored it, 400hp overwhelmed what remained of the tires and once again the gap increased, only to be lost again at the gentle sweepers that lead up to the third section. The tires were barely coping with the high G corners, allowing the Renault to make up all the time lost in the straights.  
 
The cars raced down the third checkpoint, heading towards a challenging kink in the pass. It was a hammerhead section where most the crowd had gathered, and was renown among the locals as the corner that tested the true skill of drivers, due to its steep and narrow nature as well as high entry speed.  
 
"The next checkpoint has that stinking hammerhead. I remember the first time I nearly crashed that place..." Vanessa remarked, thinking back to her first run with slight embarrassment. "In her current state, she’s no different to how I was then...I can only hope pressing on is gonna upset her already unstable emotions. With my car in this state, I really can’t muscle my way through that big-ass engine, so it'll be my best bet."  
  
Both cars blasted down the narrow road at over 160km/h, Adachi having a few near misses with the guardrails as she tried her best to block Vanessa. As soon as the corner came into view, both slammed on the brakes with everything they had, trying to counteract their momentum from the downhill charge. 
  
"Please don’t fail now!" Entrusting everything to the Megane, Vanessa held onto the brakes until the last possible moment for maximum trail braking effect. The outer tires were giving in under the huge pressure as the car veered about, unsettled by the surface of the road. The R32 was fairing worse, barely able to turn into the corner. Despite everything, Adachi could not avoid leaning on the railings to take the corner.  
  
"Oh shit!!" Adachi fought the wheel hard, trying to avoid the concrete and the spectators as they scrambled away from the road. 
  
"As I thought, her car’s got way too much power and weight....in a critical situation such as this, not even 1000 horses can save you from the treacherous terrain of this pass... But if I don’t take advantage now, I might as well join her in the accident...!!" She laughed off her nervousness, focusing on nursing her car through the gap created by the crash.  
  
"NO! This can’t be happening!!!" The R32 continued to grind against the guardrails, spraying spark in the face of the cowering spectators. "NO!!!! I can still fight!! This isn’t over-" 
  
A sickening crunch echoed into the depths of the mountain.  
 
The GT-R, still going 100km/h, buried its nose head on into the guardrail. Adachi's world blurred out, feeling a very blunt impact pound her in the forehead before it dissipated into the darkness. The car was stopped instantly, smoke gushing out of the front. The R32’s front hood was cleaved inward down the center. 
  
"Well, that’s what happens if you add power irresponsibly, I suppose..." Vanessa spoke softly, cruising the rest of the way to the finish line.  
 
The stunned silence from the crowd gathered around Adachi was unnerving. They were all still in a state of shock after witnessing the dramatic end to the race. No one dared to speak, and no one dared to move. It was only until they realised Adachi's injuries that they snapped out of their daze.
                                                                                
"Everyone, we gotta get her outta there!!" The crowd hurriedly wrenched Adachi from the wreckage, before finally calling for help.  
  
"W-WHAT?! Adachi’s R32 crashed at the third checkpoint’s hammerhead section!?" The commentary finally spoke in a voice of outrage.  
  
The news pricked the ears of everyone present. The murmurs of fear and worry spread throughout the parking area. Shock was the only way to describe the expression on Ayase and Mayumi's face.  
  
"Is she alright? I see, what about Vanessa Andersson? ...oh alright...thanks...for the report." The member of staff turned to the crowd. "Adachi crashed on the third checkpoint..and Vanessa has reached the final checkpoint all by herself...the race...is over. Vanessa won." 
  
Chaos and uproar reverberated through the mountain on hearing the announcement. Shock, disbelief, relief as well as overwhelming happiness and sadness spread amongst the people.  
  
"...Well damn...never knew it'd end like THAT." Ayase laughed bitterly, getting into the Chaser. 
  
"...Can’t say we didn’t warn her about being overconfident..." Mayumi replied in an indifferent tone, walking towards her Evo to make a quick getaway before the crowd started to leave.  
  
"Thank goodness..." Aoi could only breath a sigh of relief, "Vanessa is alright..."  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
           
9:57 PM at Irohazaka. The night was eerily still, clouded over and a heavy atmosphere of anticipation hung over the parking area. The distant sounds of drivers practicing echoed up the pass, providing a fitting backdrop to the small groups of racers engrossed in discussion. 
 
But the center of attention was focused around a team of three, with a following similar to that of an idol, the three men were swamped by people. Behind the three men were their cars. Lined up side by side and gleaming immaculately under the streetlights was an orange Nissan Z32, a dark blue R33 GT-R and a black Honda S2000. The crowd cornered the three, everyone hoping to catch a glimpse of them. From answering simple questions to shaking hands and signing autographs, this three man team coolly marched through the crowd, some answering their fan's questions, while others simply stayed silent. 
 
 The youngest of the three, also the most active in mingling with the fans, was the man in a turtleneck, Genma Sakamoto. A burning charm exuded from his prideful face as he smiled and signed autographs. Shin Imai, the cold and calm driver of the R33, left Genma to the crowd. Approaching team leader Mutsu Busujima, Shin took his hands out of his pilot-jacket and rested it on the S2000 driver's shoulder. They silently observed Genma as he made his way through each of the fans.  
 
"Hahaha, one at a time, ladies. No need to rush. That’s right. I have nothing but time!" The crowd of girls went wild once more as he turned to pose for a photo. Watching the entire ordeal unfold, Genma's team mates could only feel a sense of fondness for the ever-popular poster boy of the Defense Line. Other drivers too looked towards Genma, but with mixed emotions among the crowd.  
  
 "Look at them. They all look so tough and invincible when they’re together like that." A man from the crowd commented with a slight hint of jealousy in his voice.  
  
"Yeah. I wish someday I can be part of their big circle." The person beside him answered in a demotivated tone, nodding slowly. 
  
"The proud feeling of being able to protect your home ground from outsiders like a warrior...heh. How I wish I can be like that too..." Another member of the crowd looked towards Genma, his eyes full of admiration for the defense line drivers.                                                               
  
"Genma is just so handsome!! Sigh...how I wish I was her girlfriend." A racer commented, watching her friends disappear into the crowd as they joined the frenzy.  
  
"Hey, he’s probably got tons of girlfriends already." 
  
"I don’t care! That man is just awesome! I am willing to take the chance!" She pouted slighty before jumping in to join the hype, leaving a generally bitter mood around the isolated boys. 
  
Behind the idol-levels of attention the poster boy of Irohazaka was getting, Shin and Mutsu were busy discussing more important matters.  
                                 
"I cannot believe Setsuna went down just like that...just who is this Saburo Misaka anyway?" Shin began, his voice as quiet as possible to keep the discussion private. 
  
"Be on the lookout for a black 180SX. That’s our target. If he shows up tonight, we WILL give him a direct warning." Mutsu replied sternly. He glanced towards the empty forth parking slot, narrowing his eyes as he recalled the name of the person who was now missing from the team. "Setsuna’s downfall was not unexpected. She lost simply because she underestimated this man. But rest assured, we won’t make the same mistake." 
  
"So how is she now?" 
  
"She is under probation. Unless she can prove her worth the next time she go against him or his comrades in future, I have no use in keeping her on the team." 
 
"Humph. Cruel as always, Mutsu."  
  
"It’s the rule of us Defense Line Aces. We only keep those that serve as shields for our respective stages. Anyone who falls out of line with that can stay as commoners here."  
  
"Well, whatever. But if that guy shows up tonight...I will personally dig his grave and shoot his streak down right here, burying it for good. Setsuna and I may not be well acquainted but she’s still a comrade." 
  
"Do as you wish...just don’t let up on him..." 
  
"I know..." Shin grumbled in an irritated manner.  
 
From the bottom of the pass, an indistinct echoing of engines broke up the chatter in the parking area. Everyone was silenced as they waited for the approaching cars to peer above the horizon, waiting for the three pairs of headlights to come close enough to be identified. However, the three aces steeled their expressions, having no doubts as to who was arriving. 
  
"...this engine sound..." Shin looked across to his team mates, and seeing Genma nod as if confirming his suspicions, he grimaced and directed Mutsu's attention towards the approaching cars.  
  
"Well well...look who’s about to show up." Getting up, the two seniors of the defense line made their way to the entry of the car park, ready to meet the unwelcomed visitors. From the horizon came three cars.  
 
On the left lane, a red wide-body Toyota Supra RZ, beside it is another Supra, a purple JZA70 Turbo A. They silently advanced down the road, a worried chatter spreading towards the car park as they approached. But they were seen as secondary to the eyes of everyone around. The car driving between the two lanes of the road was the center of attention. A black Nissan 180SX that exuded a presence like no other, giving off an intimidating sense of purpose that was felt by everyone. It rumbled through the parking lot and headed directly towards the three men, ignoring everyone else around.  
 
"Oh crap, it’s him!"  
  
"The same 180SX that wrecked Gripping Maiden!" 
  
"Oh great, here we go...!" 
  
The crowd, shocked by this sudden development, watched as the 180SX's door swung open. The infamous figure stepped out. Brown hair, heterochromic eyes, trademark annoyed expression. There was no doubting who this was. Saburo Misaka, the first racer to deal a blow to the pride of the Defense Line. Behind him, the drivers of the Supras got out and exchanged a quick greeting with each other before joining Saburo.  
 
Silently examining the crowd, Sakuya narrows her eyes and takes in the hostile atmosphere, paying very little attention to the glares aimed at them.  
  
"Well well...aren’t we glamorous?" Hatori chuckled sarcastically as she stretches her arms after the long drive.  
  
"Zip it, Four-eyes. This isn't the time." Sakuya hissed with a stern voice. She then turned her gaze towards the three men walking towards them. The crowd went wild once again as Genma finally finished his autograph session and joined with the rest of the defense line drivers to meet Saburo.  
  
"Genma!! Show that jerk who’s boss!!" 
  
"Imai!! Don’t lose to those bastards!" 
  
"Show them that you guys are the real deal!! Don’t let them mess with us on our turf!!!" 
  
"Yeah, show them you’re the heroes of this mountain!" 
 
Completely unaffected by the one sided support and cheering from the locals, Saburo made his way through the empty parking lot, with an irritated expression on his face.                                                    
 
"Sakuya...Hatori... I’ll handle the talking. No complaints, okay?" 
  
"But Saburo..." Sakuya protested, but before she could finish, Hatori interrupted.  
  
"No worries, Princess!" Patting her on the shoulder, Hatori pulled Sakuya away from Saburo.   
 
"...okay then." Sakuya sulked before backing away to watch from afar.  
  
Saburo confronted the three Aces, the tension reaching its peak as they came within arm's reach of each other. The weight of the atmosphere was so great that it quashed all of the cheering, no one daring to interrupt the face off.  
  
"That’s the guy who destroyed Setsuna....tch, bastard..."  
  
"How dare he...! Messing with our idols like that! Who the hell does he think he is, trampling on other people’s turf?" 
  
Ignoring the crowd’s cold glares as they circled around him, Saburo finally let out a sigh, sliding his hands into his pockets and smirked at the situation he has landed in.  
  
"Oi...oi...what’s the big idea here, throwing a parade for you lot and your false heroic? I came all the way here to look for the guy responsible for messing with the roads...and for all that trouble, what do I see? Three pitiful looking losers who take themselves too seriously." 
  
Hearing this bold remark, the locals were instantly at a loss for words and, seeing the reaction from the three aces, decided collectively to back off.

SPOILER

                                     
   
"You’re not funny, kid." Mutsu stepped in. He glared straight into Saburo's fearless eyes. His cold, resolute expression unfazed by Saburo's taunt.            
  
"You clowns are the only ones being funny here." Almost immediately, Saburo set about taunting the aces again. 
  
"Do you really think winning against Setsuna Mikami alone prove anything significant?"  
  
"Humph, for a monkey that looks like he suffered a serious case of insomnia, you sure talk big, don’t you?" Genma sneered as he brushed aside a small strand of hair from his eyes.  
  
"...don’t think you can get away with humiliating the Aces." Shin joined in, his prideful voice echoing through the car park. "I am just waiting for a chance to teach you a lesson."  
  
"You see...no one here in this gallery likes you, leave alone bothering to play nice with you, especially considering what you did on the 5th of July. So what unpleasant mess are you going to bring this time in the middle of our meeting, kid? 
  
"Take a guess." Disregarding Mutsu's question, Saburo simply replied in a sarcastic tone, not even bothering to elaborate. 
  
"Watch it, newbie!" Genma barked, unable to stand being toyed with.  
  
"Bite me." Again, Saburo dismissed the Ace's complaints and carried on with his interrogation. "Which one of you here is the one named Shin Imai?" 
  
The locals were now completely fixated on the confrontation. Saburo's blunt approach surprised many of them, but the mixed reaction from the defense line was equally unexpected. Irohazaka fell silent as Saburo's request rang in the car park. Letting out a small sigh, Shin gave in and spoke up.                                                                  
"...I am. So you’re going after me next?" He looked into Saburo's eyes briefly and sternly, as though challenging him.  
  
 "You’re not very bright, are you, kid?" Mutsu laughed coldly. "Do you even realize just how little chance you have against us? Shin Imai and his R33 cannot be compared to Setsuna in the RX-8. I am curious as to what makes you so confident." 
  
"Predictable as clockwork. Your lackeys always have the tendency to run their big mouths off before failing miserably. Somehow I doubt your double goons here would be any different." 
  
"What was that?!" The hot blooded Z32 driver spat, outraged.  
  
"You did not just said that..." Shin sighed in disbelief, reaching across and grabbing Genma's clenched fist before he had a chance to raise it.             
  
"Humph...if you want to go against us so much...then tell me...what is it that you hate about us that makes you want to pick us off, one by one?" Still unfazed, Mutsu retained his calm expression as he tried to discover more about Saburo's motives. 
  
"No particular reason...I just don’t like you lot hogging the stage with fake heroics...that’s all." Saburo shrugged. "Quite frankly, at first I didn’t give a damn, but after years of watching you lot doing the same stupid charade over and over again...I am sick and tired of the whole defense line system...especially when you keep forcing it onto people who had nothing to do with it at first place." 
  
 "Humph! Weak ones should stay back and stop blocking our paths! That’s the rule of this world. If no one governs these monkeys, there’ll be no order on these public street." Genma reasoned passionately, raising his hand and voice as he spoke. "Don’t you see? There’s no true freedom in this world unless you’re willing to accept it! And clearly, you’re in no place to speak of heroism here when you barely even possess any!" 
  
"...You guys are pathetic, you know that...?" Saburo sighed, his cold expression twisted into a slight sneer. "You talk about heroism, yet all I see here is a few sad individuals with a bit more power at their disposal posing, as leaders in front of the weaker ones. That being what made you clowns so weak at first place." He ruffled his hair and cracked his knuckles nonchalantly despite the serious surroundings.  
  
"Why you?!" Genma had heard enough. To have his pride to be repeatedly trampled on by this brazened outsider was beyond unacceptable. He brutally grabbed Saburo by the collar of his shirt, his handsome face contorted with rage.  
  
"That’s enough, Genma..."  
  
 Stopped again, Genma pushed Saburo away in frustration. Face bright red with anger and eyes flared with rage, he stormed away to Shin's side.                         
  
"This conversation is over...Saburo Misaka, right?" Mutsu asked as he turned his back to Saburo. 
  
"If you can climb your way up to me...To reward your dedication and courage in decimating the Defense Line...I’ll let you know two pieces of useful information that will serve you well in the future. Fair enough?" 
  
"Whatever. I don’t give a shit. So are we gonna race now or what?" 
  
"Humph…" Walking away, Mutsu let out an uncharacteristic smirk. "Genma...Shin...we’re leaving..." 
  
"Just like that?" Grabbing his leader's arm, Shin couldn't help but question why they pulled out.  
  
"I got his email address through the logs of the BBS. Once we’re ready to make a move on him...we’ll send him the challenge. The meeting is ruined thanks to him and we’re not 100% ready yet either."  
  
"Tch...fine then...stupid punk." Genma spat as he glared at Saburo from afar. "He thinks he can steal my thunder just like that? I’ll definitely make that monkey pay for this tenfold...!" 
 
Getting into their cars, the three aces of the defense line made their way out of the car park. Unsatisfied, Genma vented his frustration on the Z32's tires, doing donuts and burnouts at the entrance and smearing the parking area in a thick fog of smoke. After the locals had stopped cheering from the rare spectacle of seeing their ace relieving himself of his frustration, the focus soon fell back to Saburo, Sakuya and Hatori.  
                                                                                                                  
"Ah crap...they ran away, Prince." Hatori teased, chuckling in Saburo's ear. "So what do we do now? Chase them?" 
  
"...Those punks sure talk big. How fitting for these self-righteous bastards." Sakuya commented in disdain.  
  
"Leave them be. At least we made contact with them...For a meantime, we’ll focus on preparing our machines...there’s nothing for us to do now that our targets are lost. Let’s leave..." 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Sadamine, Saitama. The time was now 10:30 AM, but despite the early hours, the mountain was already echoing to the sounds of high performance cars. The hype and shock from yesterday's battle had already worn off, and the main event, the time trials, were already underway.  
 
At the peak of the pass, Aoi waited, camera in hand, for a chance to take a snap of the cars charging through the finish line. She watched calmly as an R34 Skyline roared across the line. It had broken the record for the 4WD category, and there was an uproar as it entered the pits. Wanting to take a better photo of it, she leaves her post and chases after it. The R34 was tastefully modified, featuring a Nismo R-Tune body kit with a Z-Tune bonnet. The aggressive look was further emphasised by its silver RE30s, complimenting its Bayside Blue body. Getting up close, Aoi spotted the name of the driver on the rear quarter window.                                                    
 
"P. Walker…I'll remember that name." Aoi whispered as she glanced up to the skies. 
 
From afar, a familiar howl of a highly tuned engine accompanied by the high pitched squeal from hard braking and tortured tires echoing up the pass brought Aoi's focus back to the task in hand. Hurriedly heading back to her position by the finish line, she made it just in time to see the competitor clear the last corner.  
 
The car that shot out of the corner was a Toyota Chaser. It squirmed slightly as the driver skillfully controlled the car's urge to carry on oversteering, and blasted pass Aoi before she had a chance to take a photo. A quick glance at the timing gear showed that the Chaser had completely shattered the previous record in the RWD class, and was placing in the top 50 of some hundreds of participants.  
 
Aoi breathed out in disbelief and approached the Chaser for a proper photo. It sat on Enkei RPF1s, which were emphasised by the Kunnyz fender flares. The side skirts were carbon fiber, its beautifully simple form left bare and unpainted for the world to see. However, the most...eye catching feature of all was that the entire car was finished in the brightest possible shade of Passionate Pink imaginable. There was no doubt in Aoi's mind, this car was driven to the top of the leaderboard by none other than Ayase Tsurugi, the very same person who was happily modelling for fashion magazines a few days ago.  
 
After searching the area briefly, Aoi found her friend. She was drenched in sweat, her clothes clung to her well proportioned body but she seemed to be too busy arguing with someone to care.  
 
"Dad, how many times have I told you to replace those goddamn brake pads?! I told you I can't brake for shit if you leave my car unmaintained like that!" Ayase roar at the top of her voice at a middle aged man. He was crouched on the road just inches away from the Chaser's razor sharp canards, with a slightly perplexed look on his face.  
 
"Those 'goddamn brakes' never failed me once in the whole six years I've owned it, yet they start failing the moment you get hold of it, are you sure it's not just you? I know you've been taking an interest in boys lately, but just because you can't get them doesn't mean you can just take it out on the car, sweetheart." Dusting himself off, Ayase's father adjusted his aviators, let out a sigh and started work on the Toyota, with his daughter still complaining in the background.  
 
Their little spat had drawn quite a lot of attention towards them, and the locals chatted amongst themselves as they watched on. Some of the crowd recognised the idol and were busy admiring her, while others had their eyes on the rather scrawny man. They recognised him as the owner of Osmium Racing and tuner of some of the fastest four door cars in Japan, Hidekazu Tsurugi.   
 
Diverting her attention away from Ayase's uncharacteristic and one sided bickering, Aoi carried on taking photos of the record breaking Chaser. Seeing Hidekazu make adjustments to the suspension, Aoi politely shuffled away from the car. She smiled faintly at the sight of Ayase's relentless complaining and Hidekazu who simply turned a blind eye to the noise.

SPOILER

 
"Anyway…last night sure was quite a show. Never thought it would subside so quickly though..." Finished with her moaning, Ayase turned to Aoi, hoping to kill some time while her dad toiled away.  
  
"Well...the locals that supported Adachi definitely didn't like the result. So there’s no blaming them for this." 
  
"Pretty much." Ayase stretched her arms and frowned slightly when her joints clicked. "At least I think before I act." 
  
"...hmm." Not too convinced, Aoi's eyes wandered around as she tried to move the conversation onwards. Her eyes landed on the small man poking out from under the Chaser.  
 
"Oh, tell me you're nearly finished with what you're doing there, I want to do the downhill now." Already tired of waiting, Ayase started her complaining again. She squatted down by her father's side and pouted as she waited for him to reply.   
 
"Almost done, young lady...can’t rush my final checks." Hidekazu groaned as he struggled to get out from under the car.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Letting out a sigh, Ayase changed the topic. "Good thing Mayumi isn’t here yet... at last, fresh air and a peace of mind. Also, how's Vanessa doing right now?" 
  
"Don’t need to worry about that child. After all, she did defeat that...Adachi or whoever you call that GT-R woman, right? GT-Rs and their drivers sure have changed a lot compared to my days on the streets." Taking a seat on the road next to his daughter, the 50 year old man reached for a can of beer as he reminisced. Before he could open it, Ayase snatched the can from his hands and tossed it out onto the course, where it was promptly crushed by a passing racer. Hidekazu slowly took his aviators off, staring at her with a stunned look in his eyes.                                                              
 
"…Anyway." Ayase swiftly moved on, pretending that nothing had happened. "Yeah, she did win, but sometimes I can’t help but feel she’s being too risky for her own good."  
   
"You're almost like her big sister, Ayase...always so concerned about the younger ones, even though you're hardly in a position to comment." Hidekazu teased after recovering from the shock of losing his drink.  
   
"Hey, get off my case, car maintenance is your job, not mine. My job is to look pretty and smash records for you because the only thing you'd smash would be your bones." Unaffected by his teasing, the model replied nonchalantly before she turned her eyes to the finish line once more.  
  
Cheering and hooting could be heard further down the pass, and Vanessa emerged from the trees and crossed the finish line, laying down an impressive 4:08.155 on her uphill run. A light beep from a flat screen TV showed the updated leaderboard, placing Vanessa 11th in her class.   
  
"Wow...impressive." Ayase commented after a quick greeting. She quickly scanned the times on the leaderboard, noticing that Vanessa's even faster downhill time of 4:01.333 had landed her into the top ten.    
  
"Yeah...that’s a Gold division time, according to this scale." Aoi joined in as she took in the information flashing up on the screen. "She's really improved her time after spending a few days constantly practicing here."  
  
"Well then, you better come in the top five at the very least, Ayase. If you can't even manage that, then I guess you're job from now on is just to look pretty. I'm sure your mother knows my tastes well enough to dress you up properly." Hidekazu smiled at Ayase lecherously before feeling a very blunt impact cripple him. Ayase had executed a textbook roundhouse kick, her shoe firmly planting itself into Hidekazu's stomach. He writhed around barely able to make a noise, as though he was gagging on the pain. Ayase ignored her father's antics, her face bright red from the teasing.   
  
"Still…" Catching his breath, Hidekazu slowly got up, still slightly dizzy from the powerful kick. "Her Megane is by no means powerful, so you can claw back a lot of time in the high speed sections."   
   
"I know that. It’s just that being placed under same category, you can still perform on such a level. It’s impressive.  
   
Vanessa hurriedly parked the Megane next to the Chaser and rushed out, eager to chat about the days' progress with her friends.   
   
"She’s a feisty one..." The old man couldn't help but feel his age seeing Vanessa's cheerful behaviour.   
   
"Well...I wish she can direct her energy more sparingly if possible..." Aoi quietly replied before approaching the ecstatic girl. She truly wished that Vanessa would calm down sometimes, her attitude made it awfully easy for her to get caught up in other people's problems. 
 
"Hey, Ayase! Did you see me there?!" Vanessa eagerly asked as she left the cheering crowd behind. Much as she enjoyed being the center of the attention, there was only so many compliments she could take before it became too much for her ego to bear.   
                                                                           
 "I only saw the result of the run. And color me impressed, kid. You have quite the talent for memorizing the course, it seems."   
   
"Thanks, hehe! Anyway, it’s your turn later...are you ready?"  
   
"Well, we're waiting for this man over here." Ayase casually pointed to her father, who had managed to sneak a drink despite being under her stringent watch. "Say hi to Hidekazu Tsurugi, my shithead of a father."   
   
"Hello there!!" Cheerful as usual, Vanessa openly approached the slightly red-faced man, not knowing what to expect.   
   
"Greetings, feisty one." Hidekazu replied in a lazy voice, resting his can of beer on the Chaser's hood.   
   
"Me?"   
   
"Yeah..." Taking his time to savor the beer's taste, Hidekazu paused for a moment before he started talking again. "What happened to Adachi though? You know, that R32 girl you beat last night? I heard there was an accident, yes?"  
   
"At the hammerhead section. Seriously, even I was shocked, but I managed to avoid a direct crash with her. I bet she must be pret-ty pissed by now even in hospital. She’s wounded, and her R’s trashed, but the parts are always replaceable if you’ve money. No hard feelings though." The hyperactive girl answered in a very energetic voice. She spoke so quickly, Hidekazu struggled to decipher her rapid speech.  
  
"Are you a fan of hers?"  
   
"Pffft...As if!" Laughing heartily, the tuning veteran brushed his hair aside and flashed a charming smile to the girls. "I am not interested in brats...even if I was, no other brat would interest me more than my brattiest of brats, right Ayase?"   
  
Vanessa couldn't help but laugh at the rare sight of Ayase's face flushed red with anger.    
 
"Forget about her. Who cares what a sore loser like her thinks anyway...she’s beaten and that’s that. Let’s move this on, shall we?" Having taken enough damage to her pride for one day, Ayase grabbed the Chaser's keys and fired up her pride and joy again.                                                    
   
"I suppose I am glad that such individuals are still present here...people who are special in this ‘world’..." Aoi whispered to herself before quickly taking a few more photos of her friends around the Chaser.

The ex-demo car of Osmium Racing was finally ready to perform its second run of the day. Lined up on the downhill starting point, Ayase performed a few more checks while waiting for the countdown to start.

"Easy on the brakes, Ayase. Don’t go melting the fresh pads your dad just on!" Vanessa teased as she backed away from the car. The counter had reached 30 seconds, and the crowd started cheering again on hearing the 1JZ in the Chaser rev up.   
   
"Hey, braking like a racer is my nature. Even if I can’t control it, I’d try if I could!" Quickly getting a last response in, Ayase shouted back at Vanessa at the top of her voice before settling down.   
   
"Just don’t do anything risky...it’s important to break the record but care for the car..."  
   
"Make sure the brakes last more than just this run, girl!"  
   
"No problem, dad. I know what I am doing..." Smiling confidently, Ayase rolled the window up focused her mind once more. "and just watch, Mayumi's gonna eat her words after watching me smash the crap out of her previous record time!"   
  
The counter ticked down to 0, and the mountain of Sadamine trembled to the sound of 520hp being unleashed onto the pass. 
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
7th of July, through the thick layers of cloud, the sun slowly set over Mt. Akina. The only sound at the pass was that of birds chirping as they hurriedly scrambled back to their nests before night came. At the parking area, the locals were slowly rolling in for another night of action. Two cars, a lightly modified Suzuki Swift and a more heavily tuned Honda Civic, were pulled over at the side of the road. Their drivers leisurely chatted away while waiting for more people to show up.          
 
"Did you hear? Some guy just challenged the Defense Line Aces in Irohazaka last night in the middle of their meeting!" The Suzuki's driver began as he took a sip of coffee from the can in his hand.  
 
"You’re kidding! Who’s that?" Intrigued, the driver of the Civic sat upright, eager to hear more.  
  
"No idea...but I heard he’s got a team and he’s driving a 180SX."  
  
"As if taking on those guys isn't hard enough, he's planning on using a RPS13? Is that guy stupid?" The Civic driver frowned, looking at his friend with disbelief in his eyes.  
  
"Stupid,  bold or both." Peering over his shoulder, the Suzuki driver took another sip of coffee as he looked down the road behind him. An indistinct noise could just about be heard, but he paid it no mind. "Either way, he’s crazy if he thinks that car is gonna match the leader’s machine. Mr. Mutsu is a very versatile driver with that highly tuned S2000. He knows that course like the back of his hand...this is gonna be so one-sided..." 
  
Their idle chatter was disrupted by a high revving engine approaching from further down the road. A dark blue Suzuki Cappuccino darted past the two drivers, its exhaust note crackling and barking as it downshifted and entered the first corner.  
 
"Say, have you seen that Cappuccino before?" The Swift's driver asked, raising an eyebrow. 
  
"Nah...we don’t see cars like that nowadays. Too old. It’s getting a bit more like the AE86..." Getting off the Civic's bonnet, the driver of the EK9 replied with a sigh.  
  
"Yeah, but it’s featherweight can make it quite a formidable weapon on twisty mountains roads...I wonder who’s driving that thing?" The driver of the Swift took a breath, looking at the coffee can with a bemused expression.  
  
The Cappuccino zipped down the long straight, its engine happily revving at 8000rpm as the car nears the first corner. Shifting up to fourth gear, the driver kept accelerating into the corner. Braking and tipping the steering wheel gently, the driver of the tiny Suzuki finely adjusted her inputs. The Kei car's nose darted into the corner and, with barely any oversteer, clipped the apex and gracefully accelerated down to the next corner.    
  
"Mhmm...no speed loss in third gear...this should do..." Giving a simple analysis of the car's performance in the first corner, Musoku Shiranui brushed her light blue hair aside before focusing again on the task in hand.  
 
Arriving at the first hairpin, Musoku brakes firmly before quickly shifting the car's weight as she turns in. Her delicate feathering of the accelerator pedal allowed the petite Suzuki to effortlessly four-wheel drift through the hairpin, shocking the small crowd of spectators that had arrived.                              
  
"Whoa...such a small car and it can drift so wildly!" Watching in awe, the crowd couldn't help but be impressed by the skill displayed in that single move.  
  
"Who’s the driver? Is he a top stringer Defense Line Ace?" 
  
"Not sure...but that person is really skilled behind the wheel." 
  
The Suzuki continued its shakedown, but it did not go unnoticed. Seconds after Musoku sped by, a bright yellow EG6 Civic made its way to the hairpin. It carved its way through it with minimal effort, and set off in hot pursuit of the Cappuccino. 
  
"That’s...! The Yellow EG6!" 
  
"It’s him! The Yellow Ring!!" 
  
The yellow Civic continued to close in on the Cappuccino, though it wasn't until the distinctive sound of a VTEC engine came within earshot did Musoku realise she was being chased down. Glancing at the rear mirror, she can just about make out the Civic from the headlight's glare.                                                                                                                                 
"A yellow EG6...? Huh, never seen that one before back then. Well, I am not racing anyone technically, but this is still an important test. So..." Musoku paused as she quickly shifted up to fourth. "I won’t budge from this position!" 
  
The Cappuccino shot away from the EG6, marking the start of the race. Both cars attack the second hairpin at full speed, both coming within centimeters of the guardrails. Beyond the hairpin was a left turn that leads to yet another hairpin. Having no intention of slowing, Musoku flicks the nimble Suzuki into a gentle inertia drift, while the Civic backed off slightly to keep to the racing line. Both cars exit at very high speeds, again missing the guardrails by a hair. Heading into the hairpin, Musoku takes a more conservative line, staying centered to balance the car from the maneuver from the previous corner. The Civic continued to push hard, clipping the apex and rapidly closing the gap. 
  
"Well dang...this is gonna be tough..." Musoku watched as the Civic closed in, breaking a cold sweat as she smiled nervously. "But I like collecting data. I’d definitely like to see how this driver measures up...his grip-oriented driving is so impressive..." 
 
 Sparing no extra time to admire the yellow Civic's driving, the Cappuccino tried to escape the EG6's grasp. It had caught up most the distance and was now only a meter away from the Kei car. The pressure had increased substantially, but Musoku focused on trying to lead as best she can nonetheless. 
  
"Alright....two hairpins after this...what should I do next?" Musoku wondered as she organised her thoughts before preparing for the next set of corners.  
 
Both cars were no more than 10 meters apart, and at the entry to the hairpins, both braked as late as they'd dare. The Cappuccino four-wheel drifted through the hairpins, while the EG6 tucked its nose into the inner lane, and the pair of them launched into the next straight having taken the hairpins flawlessly.  However, fast as she was, the Civic was still closing in on the Suzuki.  
 
"...Impressive! I am pushing it hard already and the Civic is still keeping up. I can devise a plan for this section...but what will it be?" Reassuring herself, she began thinking of the different tactics she could use to spread the gap. 
  
As both cars sped down the straightaway at over 150km/h, the difference in power was starting to become obvious. The 200hp in the Civic allowed it to further narrow the gap, and at the end of the straight, the only thing Musoku could see in her rear mirror was the yellow of the EG6.  
  
"It’s useless...I can’t go any faster...!" The young girl quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead, feeling slightly nervous now. "Front wheel drive has the edge of acceleration here...I might have misjudged this driver’s sense in handling the machine...just slightly." 
 
Both cars braked and clipped the apex at the left kink, the Suzuki again sideways through the high speed turn. Determined to use this to her advantage, Musoku applies minimal brake pressure to trim speed slightly, fighting the car's urge to spin from such a daring maneuver. The driver of the Civic let out a small smile of admiration as he watched the balancing act in front of him. However, it was not enough to make him back off. Through the consecutive S curves, the gap did not increase at all, despite Musoku's efforts.                                                                                                                                                                                   
"...Oh dear...this is bad... No gap increase at all...!" Running out of options that allowed her to preserve the tires as well as leave the Civic behind, Musoku grew increasingly agitated. "Okay....time to readjust my strategy." 
  
At the end of the series of S curves was a very sharp hairpin that lead to the third checkpoint. Braking late and hard, the Suzuki was unsettled by the sudden weight transfer and veered left, into the corner. Taking advantage of this, Musoku tries to shuffle the car towards the apex to make up for lost time. But before she could recover, the sound of the Civic's B16 engine rang in her left ear. There was no mistaking it, the slip up had cost her dearly.  
  
"Oh no...! As I thought, in terms of traction and acceleration, that car is just too much...driving such a small car at this point isn’t helping much either. After this is a high speed section where he can step on the gas as long as possible...he’ll surely overpower me. Might as well give him the lead...I cannot risk damaging this car now...!" 
  
The Cappuccino retreated to the outer lane and allowed the Civic to pass. Musoku tried to take a quick look at the driver's face, but it accelerates away too quickly for her to make out anything of any worth. She only caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a good-natured smile and a distinctly masculine frame before he moved out of her sights and opened the gap to 10 meters.
                                                                                      
"Too bad...I can’t really see his face...but he’s quite a driver. I’ll give him that..." Musoku sighed with admiration. She avoided hard acceleration to preserve the engine, and was slowly falling behind as a result. Regardless of what she tried through the corners, she couldn't close the gap while nursing the car's engine and tires.  
  
"Oh well...things aren’t going as planned, but at least I got some data from the EG6. Guess I’d call it a day here..." Breathing out a sigh, Musoku lifted off the accelerator and watched the bright yellow speck disappear from her view. She pulled over at the side of the road and got out to watch the Civic make its way down the pass.  
 
"Unbelievable. The drivers on Akina really impresses me...my first unofficial race and I already lost so badly." Despite her loss, she was visibly satisfied, smiling contently as she turned her gaze up to the darkening horizon.       

- つづく -                                                 

This post has been edited by Rin on Jan 23 2014, 08:45 AM

Wow! Finally! AN UPDATE!

But dang, Saburo really is such a different protagonist/hero figure. Unlike most of the racing manga where the hero/heroine usually got challenged, Saburo challenged others instead as aggressor. Really is quite a nice switch out of many stereotypes out there for anime protagonists these days. xD

And is it me...or does Saburo reminds me a bit of Accelerator from Index series? O.O

Next...we have Ayase's scene. Ayase looks amazing there at the pic and her dad sure is hillarious. xD

And I am glad Vanessa made it to the cut of the event...I wonder what happened after the race with Adachi from that crushing defeat?

And Musoku's first race! And she's already battling a top stringer racer there...talk about bad luck. :/

But I guess she got something from the loss at least...so it's not all that bad.

All in all, another amazing eventful chapter! Keep it up, AC DEV TEAM!!!

You guys seriously rock.

WOOHOO!

It's finally up!!!

And I gotta say, I can't admit that I didn't expect Adachi to get burned so easily from her arrogance of so-called driver's pride or local pride or some superstitious crap. xD

It's funny how many antagonistic characters here pose as usual heroic stereotype found on most shounen manga and yet the heroes are more sided to being anti-heroic or simply chaotic good. >:3

Glad that the casts' storytelling can be so varied and filled with interesting twists that it's a refreshing change from the usual hero stuffs.

Too much of that, and this story will be a complete Dullsville. LOL

Keep it up, guys! You're all doing ACE!!!!!! <3 <3

Thing is...with the pacing as it is right now...I am not even sure if we can make it through 20 chapters...thanks to my lousy time-scheduling.

This post has been edited by Rin on Jan 29 2014, 07:05 AM

Lol, do I see a Paul Walker tribute there? P.Walker?

Unless you're hiding some hideous hiccup that you've yet to tell us, we can definitely make chapter 20 in a few months.

And Akiko, yes, we're a bit late, but it is. A blue R34 driven by a P. Walker, I don't know, were we being a bit too obvious with that one?

This post has been edited by Onboy123 on Jan 30 2014, 09:48 AM

I see that you're still going strong with your story, Rin. Keep up the good work, man.

For the past few weeks I've been reading this and it always kept me entertained to no end. I really want to see this story continue on till the very end.

But try not to drag it too long though. Make it short and impactful and above all, memorable and your story will be solid.

Keep it up, bro.

Well, that's what we're planning to do. So no worries, bro.

Time for the awaited update... =)

Code 15: Awakening the Chaos
8th of July, 12:31 PM. It was yet another busy Sunday afternoon in the capital city of Tokyo. Daily life carried on, the bustling streets filled with the sound of people and cars idling the afternoon away under the cloudy skies. In the window bed of ward 104, a man in his twenties slowly opened his eyes and, after a brief moment of disorientation, glanced at the uneventful sky.

"Well..." The man yawned. His body was heavily bandaged, especially his arms, one of which was in a cast. Even so, he tried his best to cover his mouth. "It’s been quite a while now...I wonder what happened while I've been out cold?"

Bleary eyed from just waking up, the man fumbled around for his crutches, blinded slightly by the glare of the afternoon sun. Groaning as he finally managed to get up, he sat facing the window, taking in the peaceful scenery and watched as the infamous Tokyo traffic crawled by.

"I should be able to leave the hospital anytime now...my wounds are all healed and I am just waiting for the nurse to give me the results..." Putting the crutches to his bedside, he tried to stand. Clumsily, he found his balance and took a slight step towards the window.

It may have been Sunday, but the hospital was surprisingly quiet. Making the most of this rare silence, the man took a deep breath and decided to head down to the hospital garden while waiting to check out. Before he could leave his ward, however, indistinct chatter boomed down the hallway and reached his ears. Frowning slightly, he focused his mind on deciphering the conversation. The voice was definitely familiar, yet try as he might, no names came up from his memory.

"Yo, that guy is in this room, right? Dang it! Let me through! I gotta see if that ass is still in one piece!!"

"Wait, sir! Please, you can’t just rush into a patient’s room like that!" Despite the nurse's protests, the thundering footsteps didn't seem to slow at all.

"Oh shit....here we go..." Seeming to finally recognize the voice, the man let out a heavy sigh and carefully placed his palm on his forehead, readying himself for what's to come.

Right on cue, the door flew open with a shattering bang. The energy dispersed into the walls, shaking the entire ward, much to the nurse's surprise. Ignoring the shocked glare he was getting from the passing doctors and nurses, he charged up to the man standing by the window. He was an African-American, wearing a sleeveless jersey that showed off his wide, muscular build. With his face tinted red with anger, he began without so much as a greeting.

"JIRO! You asshole, the hell were you thinking? Crashing your car without me looking?!"

"Hey, don’t look at me like that, Tyrone. After so many years of not meeting this is how you greet me? Also, what do you mean 'without you looking'? So it would have been fine for me to crash if you were there to watch me go into the wall?" Jiro laughed bitterly. He rubbed his forehead again, his focus drifting away to the night of his accident. His face paled slightly when he recalled the sickening moment when his pride and joy was reduced to a pile of scrap metal. The smell of alcohol from the day found its way to his head, forcing him to take a seat on the bed.

"Don’t give me that! You always get yourself into trouble and yet I'm always there to bail your sorry ass out. Now move your fat ass, I even brought your car with you." Tyrone grabbed Jiro's bags and pushed his way pass the nurses to the car park. The injured man sighed weakly as he finished signing off the remaining paperwork, before slowly limping after his friend. Quickly leaving ward 104, the nurse headed towards the lift to perform another routine check up.

The patient inside ward 400 sat motionlessly. The room was almost completely silent, the only noise being the humming of the air conditioners. There was not even a ray of light within the room, the blinds were tightly shut, blocking out the sun.

Hugging her knees, the patient stared blankly at her casted right foot. Her short straggly blonde hair peered out messily from her bandaged forehead. In this sorry state, if she didn't know better, the nurse would have easily mistaken her for a corpse.

"M…Miss Adachi…" The nurse hesitated. Her words were quickly lost in the silence.

Unable to take the darkness any longer, the nurse opened the blinds. Adachi remained motionless, barely flinching from the sudden overexposure. The unnerving lack of reaction sent an uncomfortable chill down the nurse's spine. She gripped the window ledge and turned her attention towards life outside. "Isn't the weather nice today?", "Oh wouldn't it be nice to spend such a nice Sunday at the park?", "Ahh, that really hot new doctor is looking at me, what should I do~?", casual thoughts like these filled her head and distracted her briefly from the oppressive stillness.

However, her eyes eventually fell onto the hospital entry. She caught a glimpse of Jiro as he slowly clambered into the passenger side of an Impreza hatchback, finished in Subaru's signature blue. She couldn't help but feel slightly angry at that, the sight of a man who had just recovered from a near fatal accident jumping back into the world that nearly took his life.

"Miss Adachi, how are you feeling today?" The nurse tried once more to break the silence, but to no avail. Adachi carried on staring blankly at her feet. Her thoughts were confused and slow, but her mind eventually settled in, and began recalling the fragments of chatter that reached her ears moments after her crash.

"After all that talk about her crushing Anderson's streak...hahaha!! What a joke! Look at how she crash and burned!"

"Pfft…Pathetic! After so many months of practicing and boasting about her protecting the pride of the racers and now she can't even save herself!"

"These are the words of your followers, Adachi." Megu's familiar voice echoed in her head. Yet it had lost all the haughty pride and energy from before. Only disappointment and pity remained in the deadpan voice Adachi heard. "They're people who had once looked up to you. They had all watched your every step, they placed their confidence in you and have all been let down by you in the very end."

"No…I was just careless. I cannot possibly lose to the likes of her!" Even in her current state, Adachi refused to accept reality. "S…she just got lucky, that's all. Mark my words, once I get out, I'll give her the pounding she deserve with everything I have…!" Reassuring herself as she hugged herself even harder, her face twitched and twisted into something that resembled her usual confident smile. It was a hollow and fragmented smirk, her composure was nowhere to be found in the forced expression.

"Hah! Disgusting! She shouldn't even show her face here anymore if she knows what's best for us locals! She's brought shame to us all!"

"Forget about Adachi and her stupid team! Vanessa's the real deal here! Let's all turn and support her!"

Agreed! She's a better driver AND a lot cooler too in person than that pretentious Adachi! Boy am I glad we get to have someone worthy of supporting!

The harsh words Adachi recalled from the moments before the crash carried on, mercilessly smearing her wounds with salt.

After all your talk, this is all you have to show for?

Adachi stopped her struggle.

"Ah…" She realised.

All this had happened because she grew overconfident. She had placed too much emphasis on the wrong things. She focused on the unnecessary and this was the result. "Protecting the locals"? "Become the fastest of the mountains"? They were never the issue. The issue was always clear…

Crush the scum that dare take Saitama's mountains for their own.

"I…If that's the case…t…then all I need to do is…"

Yes.

Defeat her.

Destroy her.

Let her feel this pain, this humiliation. Drag her into this darkness, and watch her collapse.

This time, leave nothing to chance. Pound her to the ground. Leave nothing left. Tear her reputation apart.

This time…

"…I will absolutely destroy you."

An intense wave of emotion tore through her silent form. Hatred. Jealousy. Outrage. The overwhelming weight of these feelings savagely crushed any lingering self-pity. She clenched her teeth, so hard that they screeched as they grinded against each other. A gravel sound that could barely be recognised as a voice leaked out from her throat.

"…a…ah…ARGH…AARRRRRRRGHHHH!!!" Her body shook violently, the rapidly overflowing fury accompanied her voice, which had become a horrifying shriek. She wildly stabbed her chipped and blunted nails into the bed. A searing pain stabbed at her head. Her eyes dilated, her world was dyed crimson.

"VANESSA!!!!!!!!!" Adachi let out a roar that reverberated into the heart of the hospital. She grabbed the table by her bedside and in a single sweeping motion, sent it flying across the room. The metallic sound of metal and glass shattering boomed down the hallway, accompanied by Adachi's barbaric howling.

"DAMN YOU!!!! DAMN YOU, b*tch!!! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!!!! YOU!!!!"

The nurse, finally snapping out of her daze, barely escaped the barrage of furniture hurled her way and scrambled out to get help. Other nurses soon took notice, and hurried to ward 400.

"Someone call the doctor here and bring a tranq!" One of the nurses shouted out to the corridors.

"O-Okay! Please restrain her until then!!" With a quick nod, she sprinted off to find a doctor, leaving the other nurses to approached the patient.

"AAAAAAARRGGGHHHH!!!!!!" Crying out in frustration, Adachi arched her back and howled to the skies. The overflowing anger scorch her every blood vessel, her hands were cut and her body shaking. Yet the only thing she felt was a murky darkness that rapidly infected her, overpowering all sense reason.

"Adachi!" The nurses slowly surrounded her, and tried to reach out to her as they cautiously approached.

"You’re just recovering! Control your emotion-Gah!" Without warning, Adachi lunged on one of the nurses, knocking them both onto the floor. Still gripping onto the nurse's collar, Adachi brought her viciously twisted face close, so close that the nurse could see the madness reflect in her eyes.

"Please calm yourself-"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!" Adachi screamed at the top of her voice. Releasing her grip on the collar, she tossed the nurse aside and turned to the others. "I DON’T WANT ANYONE’S PITY!! I JUST WANT MY REVENGE!!! WHERE’S MY KEYS?!! WHERE IS IT!?"

Hurried footsteps reached ward 400. The doctor arrived, syringe in hand. He gestured slightly, instructing the nurses to hold Adachi still. They struggled and grappled with her, the rampaging "Ace of Saitama" still resisting. Seeing her show signs of weariness, the doctor unhesitatingly grabbed Adachi by the arm and injected the tranquilizer into her.

"Guh.....why...you...!" Before Adachi finished her sentence, her world was engulfed by darkness and fatigue.

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

"WELCOME TO KANAGAWA, BOYS AND GIRLS!" A cheerful man announced at the top of his voice, getting out of his yellow Z31. To his left and right, a group of equally yellow cars. Taking a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, Kunitaro turned to the three other drivers by his side, too engrossed texting on their phones to listen to him.

"Yeah, that's great. Now run along and play nice, I'll join you later." Responding absentmindedly in a deflated voice, Tsukioka carried on texting, still inside his Soarer.

"I'd join you, but this area may be under the watching eyes of wyllipayne agents, so scout out the place and if you make it back alive, I'll come out." Kantaro peered out of his Verossa, his narrowed eyes darting around cautiously.

"Oh for god's sake, spare me your alien crap already. We came out here for a change of pace, and this is you two want to spend the time?" Looking at the two shut-ins beside him with disdain, Kunitaro sighed. "And here I was hoping we could try breaking free from his shadow…looks like we've still got a long way to go before anything like that happens...right, Takahiro?"

Looking up to the scarlet moon with a heavy heart, Kunitaro settled down at the peak of Tsubaki Line. Sat on his Z31's bonnet, he ran his delicate hand through his messy maroon hair. The cool breeze pushed against his broad shoulders, flipping up the hood on his jacket. Kunitaro adjusted the hood, and carried on watching the clouds.

At the foot of Tsubaki Line, the parking area was busy as ever. The gales were strong and the summer heat still radiated strongly off the roads. Despite the uncomfortable heat, the parking area was filled with people. However, the usual lively chatter was replaced by an almost academic atmosphere. The night echoed to the voice of just one man, standing in the circle formed by the numerous racers. The drivers sat on the bonnet of their cars, listening intently to what he had to say. The cars in question were a selection of Civics, MR2s and Silvia S15s, all stripped out and dressed up with racing grade equipment.

"A lot of applicants sure showed up today, eh?" The driver of an S15 turned to the racer next to him and whispered under his breath. The yellow Silvia, dressed in a URAS body kit with a GT wing, gleamed immaculately under the dimly lit night.

"Yeah, no kidding." The owner of an EK9 Civic replied. It was finished in a black and white racing livery, with "#Kanjo" scrawled on the door with a marker pen. Its square stance gave off a sense of purpose, the wide racing slick tires proudly poking out of the flared front fenders. Inside, the Civic was equipped with a roll cage, and a white hockey mask was placed on top of the dashboard. The owner carried on speaking as he quickly checked Instagram. "Everyone seemed to be eager to join the Defense Line these days."

"It’s already quite fortified as it is though...I am not sure why the Aces wanted to request even more racers to join. I mean...what difference would that make? The drivers still won’t be able to breach through the line."

"It’s probably because of the rumored Z nowadays. But I am not sure if there are other factors influencing this, but that Z is definitely one of the reasons." An MR2 owner joined in the conversation. He shuffled across the bonnet and whispered quietly to not draw attention to himself.

"Rumored Z?" With a curious expression, the Silvia driver frowned.

"You didn’t know? The blood-red Z33 that seems to be running rampant these days. And I heard the guy’s still around, looking for new victims." The MR2 driver paused and narrowed his eyes as a mischievous grin crept up on his face. "Who knows…? He could show up today and… BANG! GAME OVER!" He clapped his hands together like he was catching mosquitoes, just a hair away from the Silvia driver's ear. Sniggering at his frightened reaction, the two drivers threw playful punches at each other.

"Geez, guys. You actually believe that?" After they had settled down again, the Civic driver continued the conversation, still browsing his phone. "Those rumor threads started on the BBS are nothing more than that, mere rumors!"

"There are videos uploaded there as proof, you know? I wouldn't bet on it being a fake. If there’s that many witnesses, I am sure there’s some solid truth behind it..." Before he could finish, the figure in the center of the circle cleared his throat and, in a deep, bellowing voice, began addressing the racers.

"Listen up people! You are all here for one reason, and one reason only. To see if you are worthy to join our ranks in the Defense Line." In a grand voice, this figure captured the attention of the now dead silent crowd.

"Now, before we continue, allow me to introduce myself...I am Yamada Hayashi. As one of the Defense Line’s seniors, I will supervise you lot under the direct orders from the three founders. Needless to say, I will also be your instructor and adviser from this point onwards." His coarse voice softened as he introduced himself, making sure he was heard by every driver present. After a brief pause, he began pacing around the circle, eyeing every driver for any hidden potential.

"Simply standing here means you have been given a privilege that very few organizations can give you. The privilege to be among the strongest, fastest racers in Japan's streets, and to be able to protect our pride under that title. This is an opportunity that not even the professional racing leagues here can provide. Acknowledge that fact, and uphold the honor of the Kanagawa region with that in mind. Failure is not an option!" Letting his words embed itself into the minds of the crowd, he paused again, and took in the awestruck silence.

The previously chatty racers were now sitting upright and alert, puzzled yet motivated, with a strange warmth welling up inside as they came to terms with what they now represented.

"With that out of the way..." Yamada's pacing stopped and in a strong, abrupt motion, pointed at the group of three who had finally stopped their chatting. "You! What’s your car and profession?"

"My car is a Silvia S15 Spec R, sir. And I am a regular office worker! I spend a lot of time outside work to hone my skills-"

"Good." Before he finished, Yamada had already moved on. "What about you, the one with glasses?"

"I am a college student. I like to do mechanic studies and driving is a passion of mine! I drive this MR2, sir."

"Passable. And you there, tall one. What about you?"

"I-I am a regular garage assistant, sir. I help to tune cars with my colleagues in a nearby garage near Kanagawa Prefecture, sir. I am currently driving a Honda Civic EK9."

"Perfect." Yamada faced the three novices with a strict glare, and an equally strict smile. "I still have a few more to look out on, but you three...I am going to keep an eye on all of you. You show some promise and I am glad that you’re here. Now, let’s get this detail out of the way."

From his pocket, the defense line senior pulled out a few bundles of wire before tossing them to the three drivers.

"Umm...what are those, sir?" The Civic driver asked as he struggled to untangle the wires.

"Trackers made for supervising your progress as you practice on mountains. It's defense line standard equipment. This tracker will record your speed and position on the course. Everything will be recorded for me to see. First step to improvement is to admit that you always make mistakes. There is no shame in accepting your flaws."

"I...see, sir. You’re right..."

"Hurry up, we're running behind schedule. Don't forget, the eyes of many influential people will be watching your every move so do what you can to impress. First impression is essential in securing your connections with the Defense Line Aces."

"Oh...and Yamada...sir...what about...the rumored Z?"

"That...is not your concern for now, young friend."

"Huh? But...!"

"Listen. The red Z may be a raging beast, but I can assure you that he won’t be bothering us tonight." In a soft, reassuring voice, Yamada spoke, looking at the concerned racers in the eye. "We are on high alert here and messing with our meeting is equivalent to walking into a lion’s den."

"Y-yeah...the Z may be strong...but the Defense Line is even stronger. I have faith with you on this one, sir." A nervous voice came from the direction of the Civic driver.

"Regardless, you must now begin your first trial. Let your driving do the talking here, and prove to me, no...to us, that you are a worthy candidate in assisting our noble cause of protecting the mountains."

"Yes, sir!" Answering in unison, the three drivers responded with the defense line's pride now running deep in their blood.

"Now go! Same goes for you lot!"

Dispersing and beginning their run up the pass, the defense line freshmen soon began to settle in and enjoy their playful initiation run. The S15 took an early lead, the MR2 followed close with the EK9 just slightly behind. The three were still finding their rhythm, but soon had left the remaining racers behind.

"This is great! I never felt so confident before! Environment really change a person, huh..." The S15 driver glanced in his mirror, his two friends were now just small specks.

*The MR2 is following back with a bit of pressure from behind due to the EK9 catching up*

"Ugh...what’s with him? He’s like a different person ever since meeting with Mr. Yamada!" Feeling the pressure from behind, the driver of the MR2 began pushing harder, fighting the car's sliding. "I have to...try harder! If I can’t even win against him...no way I can win against that...Z!

The three cars continued towards the peak of Tsubaki line. The sound of their tuned engines grew increasingly faint, and soon the tension-filled roads faded into darkness once more. Chatter soon filled the air again as the locals gave their impression on the latest recruits, but before they could settle down again, the night's calm was shattered again by an approaching car. A high revving shrill resonated through the pass. A sound that, at this point, was almost synonymous with terror.

A scarlet flurry rushed past the gallery. The air it displaced raised wild gales, showering the crowd with the fallen leaves on the road. Sparks trailed behind vividly, the crimson haze's underbody scraping against the harsh road surfaces.

"Did...did you just see that car?"

"T-that’s....."

"No doubt about it...that car is...!"

In Tsubaki Line's parking area, Yamada sat in the back of a Nissan Elgrand. Its plush leather seats were rearranged to face each other. Resting on his seat was a laptop, monitoring the progress of the racers and feeding the information to the TV at the back of the Elgrand. Displayed on the Smart TV was a map of Tsubaki Line, with three color coded triangles moving up the pass, with another four behind them. Live timing was distributed evenly across the screen, keeping track of each defense line racer currently on the course. The current fastest was the yellow Silvia, shown onscreen as the yellow triangle. It was a second ahead of the rest of the pack by the first checkpoint. Before he could settle into his seat, his phone rang, much to his irritation.

"Speak." The commanding voice spoke. "Hmm...? What? It’s just one car, don’t worry about it." Hanging up, he dismissed the call and relaxed again.

"Still…Why would one car cause such a fuss?" Yamada muttered, eyeing the map with a narrowed glare. "Unless…" His grip tensed as he abruptly paused. The image of a destroyed S13 flashed into his mind. He vividly remembered the first time he saw the Silvia's remains. Not one panel on the car was undented, but the rear was heavily damaged even so, with red marks scarring the original paint. There was a small chance that the person responsible for that wreckage was the one mentioned on the phone…but even so, Yamada avoided dwelling too deeply into that matter.

Meanwhile, the defense line drivers obliviously carried on their practice session. The Silvia and MR2 playfully drifted around the slower corners, while the Civic gave chase only a few meters behind. Watching as the cars accelerated up the pass from the hairpin, the crowd seemed entertained by the new drivers. They chattered away, placing bets on which of the newest racers would advance the quickest.

But before the dust had even settled, another car had charged through the hairpin. It was a red coupe with a slightly damaged front bumper. Drifting through the hairpin in a similar manner to the cars ahead, it set off in pursuit of the fading rear lights.

"Huh..? This engine sound...it sounds...different." Diverting his attention briefly, the Civic driver glanced back at the rear view mirror. "Must be imagining things..."

However, his doubts were growing. The noise was becoming increasingly apparent, and the road behind him was also getting brighter with each corner. Another glance behind confirmed his fears. Advancing towards him at a relentless pace, he was staring Kanagawa's nightmare right in the face.

"…! That's…!" His heart skipped a beat. A sickening tension gripped his ribcage, and the steering wheel was juddering from his own shaking. "…N-no matter, t-this is deep in defense line territory, not even you would dare pull any stunts in front of this crowd…r-right?"

He wasn't fooling anyone. The tension coiled and twined around his chest. There was nothing for it, he had to escape, even at the cost of his teammates. Narrowing the gap between him and the two cars in front, he slowly began to catch up. The crimson haze disappeared into the fog behind. Carving through corners in violent dives, the Civic desperately tried to shake off the monster hidden in the mist.

"I'm already going over 140 km/h! No way I'm still considered slow here, am I?" Regaining his confidence, his driving smoothed and he steadily closed in on the MR2. "Even for you, this should be enough to keep you off my ass!"

Then…

"Gah!…Wh-what the hell?!"

A blinding light flared up behind him. It was so bright, he could hardly see ahead anymore. High pitched howling came from behind. With the road ahead no longer visible, he backed off the accelerator.

Shunt.

The car behind rammed straight into the Civic. Swerving to the side of the road, he finally caught sight of it. It was a Fairlady Z, and even from a distance, he could make out every strand of its driver's golden hair.

"...Heh!" Splitting her doll-like face with a sadistic smile, the scarlet devil, Kagerou Kouka, began the slaughter.

"Gah!! You freak!! Dammit!! Come on, EK! MOVE!" Panic took over, the Civic swerved back onto the racing line once more. The roads straightened, leaving him with nowhere to run. Accelerating as hard as it can, the EK9 tried to escape the Z's fearsome grasp. His grip on the wheel tightened. If he could just make it to the next corner, he had a chance. That was all he needed to escape.

In the Fairlady, Kagerou pouted and played with strands of her hair as she tailgated the Civic. Growing bored of trying to comb her hair, she clicked her tongue and dropped a gear, pulling up next to the EK9. Letting out a bored sigh, Kagerou glanced across at the driver of the Civic.

"NO! Don’t do that!! Stay away from me!!!" The Fairlady pinned the EK9 down, he couldn't pull away and to brake now would be the ultimate cowardice in front of the aces of Kanagawa.

Seeing his terrified face, she looked back apathetically, and mercilessly slammed the EK9's rear into the guardrail.

Shunt.

Shunt.

Shunt.

The EK9 was smeared across the railings. Sparks flew with each heavy impact. What remained of the Civic's black livery was scarred with red. Its wheels, now poking out of the collapsed fenders, were wobbling from the endless beating. The G forces rattled the Civic driver's head, causing him to yank at the wheel wildly as he blindly tried to counterattack…

---
[connection lost]

In the Elgrand, these two words flashed on the screen where the black triangle once was. Frowning slightly, Yamada took his phone out, just in time to receive a call.

"…Yes?"

"You're watching this, right?" A hurried voice asked. Sounds of rustling and crackles from the wind could be heard in the background.

Yamada didn't respond.

"Be glad this wasn't anything beyond a bit of needless showing off. I'm sure you've not bothered to explain the…flip side of joining us. The reason why big names like Setsuna Mikami have suddenly vanished without a trace."

Still silent, the senior defense line member could do nothing but bury his troubled face in his hands.

"Well, anyway, I'm going to go check out the reaction at the peak. Keep watching, you'll have a lot of explaining to do later, so at least try and come up with an excuse. See ya then…if I'll see you at all."

Ending the call with that ominous message, the unknown caller turned towards his teammate, who was enjoying a smoke while leaning on his yellow Evo V. Parked in front of it was another Evo. A black Mercedes 190E Evo I, dressed in an Evo II body kit.

Signaling to leave, the Evo V driver breathed out a puff of smoke before getting into his car.

"Let's go." The Mercedes driver announced, putting his phone away. As he walked towards his car, the deathly silent roads were disturbed again. A pair of headlights sped past them, too quickly for him to make out what is was. In no rush to chase after it, he tapped the Evo V's roof and slowly got into his car.

The two Evos pulled out of the hard shoulder and began their charge to the peak.

Further ahead…

“Dammit...! That thing caught up so quickly!!" Quickly looking back at the rear view mirror, the driver of the MR2 felt the pressure radiate towards him as the Z homed in again. 100 meters, 50 meters, 30, the Z relentlessly clawed through the corners to close the gap.

Entering the third section, the MR2 driver fought to keep the car balanced as he drove right at the limit of grip. The rear tires, showing slight wear from the earlier antics, were giving in. The undulating road only compounded the issues. Unable to get away, the Toyota was soon within attack range as they arrived at the next corner. Slamming on the brakes, he began fighting for grip again.

An impact punches through his seat. The Z shoved the MR2 into the corner, paying no heed to its braking.

"Ugh!! Damn you, freak!!" Fighting off as hard as he can, the MR2 shoved and tussled with the Z33 down the short straights. "I guess I really shouldn't have joked about it, huh. Even so, I won’t let myself get taken out so easily! I may not be able to bring you down, but I'll fight to the very end!"

[connection lost]

"Another down?" Yamada punched the interior of the Elgrand. "I guess it's as that asshole says. I can only be grateful that they're not racing officially." Laughing dryly, the stressed man got out of the dimly lit Nissan. Taking a deep breath of fresh mountain air, he felt a weight lift off his forehead and cool off his sweaty body.

"The flip side of this establishment…the cruel, indifferent law of the Line, huh. It's been a while since anyone was in any danger of that...I guess we have been too relaxed. They're close to finishing now, well, those that remain. I'll take a walk for now."

Sliding the Elgrand's door shut, Yamada began pacing around the now desolate foot of Tsubaki Line.

On Tsubaki's roads, all that stood between Kagerou Kouka and the peak was a sole, yellow S15. It was battered and bruised, the once gleaming yellow body was now in a pitiful state. The fragile canards were chipped and blunted, and cornering was further affected by the frantic driving.

"No...you won’t...take me like those two....! I can...control myself-GAH!!"

Another heavy shunt shook the S15. Twitching and squirming from the impact, the Silvia lost more time, allowing the Z to regain its composure again.

"You monster!!! DAMN YOU!!"

With nowhere to go, the Silvia pulled to one side, letting the Fairlady move across and take the lead.

"…Heh!" Kagerou sneered as she cracked a sadistic smile.

----
[connection lost]

"…That's…" Speechless, Yamada faced the Tsubaki Line map in shock.

It was a wipe out.

A massacre.

A slaughter.

Not a single car was spared.

Staring at the desolate map, Yamada reached for his phone once more.

---

"Aaand...that’s that. Now then, guess I’ll call it a -- oooh!! Who’s that who’s that?" Kagerou's already cheery voice brightened. In her rear view mirror, a pair of headlights approached. It's shape was indistinct, but the high-pitched howl gave it away. There was no doubt in her mind, this was the very same car as last time…

"...Ehehehe...to think I hit the same jackpot twice...so you’re here again...!! PERFECT!!"

Snickering wildly, Kagerou backed off the throttle to allow the car behind to close in. From the thickening mist, a pitch black R34 GT-R emerges.

- つづく -

This post has been edited by Rin on Mar 4 2014, 03:25 AM

Somebody's in need of loony hospital admission....Dat kanjou spec Civic..nice touch of a osaka's racing sub-culture..Not much that i can complain..Overall...nice chapter to read...

And its official... we now have a pair of loonies: Adachi and Kagerou (Red Z driver). which maniac will win? Is a lunatic's pure unadulterated lust for revenge stronger than a destruction-derby glutton's wanton need for wholesale massacres?

Is ketchup a suitable partner to ramen? Do meat buns go well with soy sauce?

Stay tuned and find out in Rin's next update XD


@Rin
Interesting twists there brother, keep it up. You got a lot of people hooked

I'd just want to point out…Adachi still belongs in Saitama (though a hospital for whacks would be a nice substitute, as ben suggested) and Kagerou's in Kanagawa…my geography isn't particularly good but I think that's still quite a distance away?

We'll never know if Kagerou get's tired of her old hunting ground and look for fresh meat in other areas

Rest assured there's still plenty left out there. No matter how it's been made to look it, Kanagawa's not all her's. There's still that score to settle…whoops, am I tripping up?