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Interesting in-between race chapter... More please

Don't worry, Arby, there's certainly more coming. Take a hint if you can.

a taste of things to come...

Come on, now, you didn't even try 8D
Personally, I'd look at the progression of PUBLIC SPEED ENFORCERS if you want to try and decipher anything.

Update may be a bit longer than expected due to slight writer block. :V

We could help you but you just won't post there. Hmph.



Get over there and get the Mad one to help, no one has a block with him around.

f**k you Rinwhore, I'll delay AC development by approximately 12 hours and leave because it's already midnight and I'm still sitting in this net cafe.

Aight...maybe I will. Thanks man. =)

Whoops, sorry, he's gone.

I wasn't exactly clear with my last statement... its supposed to be "more please at the soonest possible time."

I'm just reassuring you. I'm more surprised that nobody's commented on the fact that I know more than I let on, despite my constant nudgenudgewinkwink nature.

I may not be the man himself, but I certainly have an idea that I know what his readers want. (Look at the previous sentence just to make sure you know I know.)

What will be the obligatory review+video this time, I wonder...?

Yep, saw those little hints. I was just a bit slow when I saw those earlier due to lack of coffee hahaha

I'm available all day and yet you ddin't ask me shit Rin.

mataku...

Don't you know enough? ^.^
Eh, I'm sure an idea will come eventually.

Idea often comes from most unpredictable situations

With the constant "hints" I'm dropping, I may as well be Omochao.

(yes you got your next video you happy now)

Updates please!

^ What he said.

Rin, you are way over on your time extension of two days after the PM. This is not acceptable and any further delays shall earn you a day in detention because you are a bad boi.

You better listen, Rin... Misa- ehem, Onboy, rather, has lots of "things" in his dungeon (;

That's you you're talking about, don't push your fetishes onto me Noob. Save your creepiness for the other side.

Tralalalalaaaa

I thought you guys were reviewing a new chapter :3

Sorry to give you false hope, but the most we can say is that things will only get better from here…whenever Rin gets around to taking the first step to make it happen, that is.

Okidokies

*looks around for more cookies and coffee*

Aw, snap...guess I couldn't make it to the battle after all. Ah well, might as well let you all read some slow-ass development as I get more time to buy a new chapter along. Huehuehue...

Code 4: Gear Resonance

It is only 10 minutes away before 9:30 PM. The entire mountain pass on Happogahara is slowly crammed with an impressive amount of people that desired to witness tonight’s gathering on street racers performing. It is still a free-activity period for this moment as numerous cars were trying out on short distance of the entire course to test out their driving skills, most of them including proper lining and handling on their machines. Drivers were literally trying to find an ideal setting on their cars’ adjustments on the type of tires used to the height of their machines to adapt to the uneven, bumpy roads of this area.

It was not long before that, a familiar car is heading its way towards a parking lot near the outbound side of the course itself. The entire gallery near that area were surprised to see the car seems to be rather beaten up on the front end and yet the car still seemed to be moving just fine, even though it’s hardly pretty at all.

“Huh...what’s with that Nissan?” One of the female audience commented. “That car seemed so...beaten up.”

“Whoever is driving that thing sure needs to learn how to take care of his machine...ouch.” Another man added in agreement.

“My, what a shameful car...if that guy is racing, I feel sorry for him...”

“Yeah, no one’s stupid enough to sic a damaged car against a real car in a mountain stage of all places...that’s just stupid.”

Everyone gave the same cold impression to the Nissan 180SX, none of them were impressed by the car at all due to its poor condition. But inside the car, the driver could've care less on what they think because the sole reason why this driver arrives is not to race at all. The brown-haired young man blinked his eyes and looked towards the vacant spots on the nearest parking lot.

It was then there came another familiar car, a car that isn't common in the eyes of locals that is parked at a very open spot on a parking area . It was none other than the lime-green hot hatch car. The driver inside the Nissan recognized the car immediately. He knew that only one person would be driving that machine and the person is certainly not from the locals.

The Nissan 180SX then moved in to the parking lot where it is on the same spot with that foreign car with the diamond logo.

While parked next to it, the driver is leaning next to the car and she was almost anticipating the arrival of the driver inside the black Nissan. She was wearing a big smile on her face.

The driver shut off his car's engine and walked out of the machine and faced the rather cheery driver of the hot hatch car that is next to his.

“Hey, Sabby! So you DID show up after all huh?!” The brown-haired girl exclaimed cheerfully. She is now sticking her hands inside the pockets of her hoodie as usual.

“...you sure seemed to be in high spirits as usual, Vanessa.” Saburo replied with his usual mellow to say, he was still somewhat pleased to see her because he did have some questions for the petite girl after all.

“So I take it that you will be practicing for a period here?” Saburo asked, looking at the green car that she is standing besides on.

“Yup! My Renault is more than ready to tackle some tight corners here in Happogahara. Thanks for the tip during the outbound run this morning, by the way! They really helped a lot! Haha!” Vanessa chuckled. She stares at the tires for a short moment before turned her eyes back at the heterochromatic young man. “I've prepped the tires on this just in case I need second runs for some consistency in mastering the course. Heh...not too grippy and not too hard, so it oughta last me for a few runs at least.”

“Huh...good then. I am just gotta wait till the place clear out a bit first...there's too many people here at the time being for me to do anything...” Saburo turned his attention towards the few other crowds that seemed to have noticed his arrival. They were apparently giving suspicious eyes to him; wondering who he might be, but Saburo only played it cool and try not to pay any heed. Why should he? Their impressions are of no concern to him whatsoever. He is simply here to do what needs to be done before he leave Tochigi area to work on whatever he may have planned.

“Fine...then I guess you and I can chat here for a little longer if anything else.” Vanessa shrugged as she sat back on her Renault. “Say, why not sit next to me, Sabby? I don't mind the close-contact, ya know?”

“But I do. I'll be fine just leaning around here.” Saburo shot back coldly as usual, doesn't seemed amused by Vanessa's standing offer. Of course; much as Saburo admits deep down she is a rather sociable and quite alright young lady, but he hardly knows her; so just for the sake of keeping a consistent sociability, Saburo decides not to take his chances on getting too close to someone that he still don't quite know well enough. “So...when did you come here? A long time ago?”

“Nah, I am here just like...30 to 45 minutes before you came, I guess.” Vanessa replied. “Thing is; this place is easily crammed the moment when the sun goes down. Seriously, I can't even get a good parking spot and ended up parking my car here. So what are you doing here, Sabby? I see you haven't fixed that front end yet..hey, are you sure it's okay to keep driving a busted car like that all the time?”

“Just leave my case, Vanessa.” Saburo denied. “I'll worry about my things alone, thanks for the concern. And I am just here for some typical practice runs, and I am still waiting for someone here...she's late, as freaking usual...”

“She?” Vanessa prompted, curious. “Who is she exactly? Your friend? Wait...don't tell me...” Vanessa giggled with her hands clasped together like a cheery girl excited to listen to some juicy romance gossip, much to Saburo's annoyance.

“Screw that. She's just my friend...and she's a tuner. I figure by now she'llprobably look for me around those parking lots...guess that's probably why I still haven't seen her yet.” Saburo sighed, scratching his head.

“Ah...so she's a tuner huh? I'll like to see her myself...heh.” Vanessa rubbed her hands. “I'll definitely like to see how she check on my Renault. I mean, I am fairly confident with my skills and car's tune and all, but I am curious as to how the locals here tune their cars.”

“I don't think it will go that well...she's not exactly someone that can easily be convinced unless she likes you and all...” Saburo said without much hope, he never did had any optimism when it comes to dealing with his spunky tomboy friend.

“That won't be a problem.” Vanessa smiled with a narrowed eyebrow on her face. “Anyway, thanks for those early navigation that time on the shop, by the way.

“Don't sweat it...” Saburo turned slightly away from her eyes as he looked on the crowd's inaudible chatter. “So how did you find driving in this course? I heard you got your first win quite well in Saitama prefecture that night...”

“Oh, I am in the news now? How did you know that?” Vanessa clasped her hands with her eyes glittering about with excitement, again – much to Saburo's annoyance. “I am becoming famous now?”

“...Not quite. But you did stir up some hype on a forum of local drivers here known as the Japan-Series Racing SV Community.” Saburo explained. “People in Saitama have been talking about you a lot...”

“Really? Like what?” Vanessa hopped from her car and lean next to Saburo on his black Nissan 180SX. “Do share what you know at least!” Saburo took a few steps away from his spot as he didn't want to stand too close to Vanessa just yet.

“...Like how you recognized the course in Shoumaru Pass in just two runs total.” Saburo said. “Seriously, under normal circumstances, that would be an unlikely outcome since not even locals managed to memorize the course so quickly. I actually saw a few clips of you driving...and you sure seemed to be doing this for quite a long time...did you happen to practice a lot before on closed tracks around here?”

“What? Like Tsukuba Circuit? Nah...not here. At least not yet!” Vanessa chuckled with her tongue stuck out while scratching her head. “But I did practiced a BUTTLOAD before on other countries before living here for a moment. And my dad's the one that pounded the basics of traditional racing into my head when I was still 17. So...yeah, you can say I've been on to this for a fair amount of time; IF you consider 2 years as...long. Haha!”

“Closed-track practices for 2 years...? Where?”

“Germany. That place is FAMOUS for forging fierce drivers, I tell you! Especially that famous track that I just loooove driving on!”

“You mean the Nordschleife? Now that's surprising...” Saburo uttered with an unamused face. He knew that track was the most famous one of all in the world of racing. “Where is your home originally? I mean...you're clearly not from here...”

“Stockholm, Sabby.” Vanessa claimed confidently. “And you knew the Ring' huh? Sweet! And yep, my dad used to bring me there driving around the tracks everytime when he's free. I wanted to drive those track cars there, but the officials won't let me since I am clearly still not a pro-racer yet. So I ended up driving everyday using this Renault Megane. You know; the R26.R version.”

“...” Saburo listened as he stares on to the car's red rims and the lime-green paintjob. The Renault is clearly on top condition and seemed to be ready to do a few more runs. “Is it tuned?”

“Nah...everything is normal.” Vanessa shrugged. “My dad never liked the idea of me driving a souped up car even though he trusts my driving. He just thinks I am not quite ready for it yet. But I am aching to drive one though!”

“There is a risk of it of course, but I know where you come from...” Saburo agreed, crossing his arms. “So knowing that you practiced regularly at closed-tracks before for the past 2 years...I take it that's how you managed to memorize the roads well? At least your lining was somewhat impressive to me for a non-local.”

“Yep. It's basically...what you call it...a total recall or whatever. It's kind of a strong memory on a particular thingy, actually.” Vanessa said. “I just love driving so much that I always seem to map out the lines on a course easily due to them sharing similar rhythm in my orthodox driving style. I guess you can say that driving around the mountain passes seemed to be a bit reminiscent on how I do apex driving on tricky closed-tracks before and I just...imagine them as the same and drive accordingly. Of course; the risk of damaging my car is there due to bumpy roads, but still! If I had to memorize the roads while think of the best line that seemed to be the only possible solution for a record line forging, it'll be too late before I manage a secure winning position with a more consistent driving line instead. That's why I can memorize the course easily so long as that course is somewhat familiar in my usual rhythm when I am driving on closed-tracks in the past.”

“Huh...well at least you managed to find your benefits on track-driving-training routines. Not a lot of pro-racers understand that concept easily. You're nineteen years old, yes?” Saburo asked.

“Yup. And what about you?”

“...Twenty.”

“Ooh...guess you're my senior then.” Vanessa giggled. “But for pro-racers, seriously; I just don't get why many of them still don't quite seem to get their driving rhythm correctly even though some of them have been driving a heck of a lot longer than I have...they'll still make mistakes. I wonder if I could be an exception?”

“Umm...no.” Saburo disagreed. “Not even legends like Barrichello or Mario Andretti are safe from a perfect winning streak in their careers. Defects are bound to appear eventually when there comes a time when you hit a limit. You just got to keep refining your strong points and correct your mistakes if you make them...”

“Sounds like something a veteran would say. Heh.” Vanessa smiled. “So what about you? You ever raced anyone before? I think not...judging your car and all...”
“...No.” Saburo insisted.

Soon not long after, the crowd seemed to have taken notice of something or someone arriving. A loud engine sound can be heard from afar and seems to be heading its way towards where the two drivers were. The gallery all watched as a car made it way towards the entrance, of course; they made room and got out of the way when that large red Toyota made its way towards the parking lot. The car revved twice before it turns and move towards to the open parking spot where Saburo's 180 and Vanessa's Renault are parked.

“...oh no.” Saburo sighed with a palm applied to his forehead.

“Oooh...a Supra! That's a beautiful sounding one too!” Vanessa smiled with excitement. “Just gotta love the sound of that nuclear-reactor engine! Hehe!”

“Nuclear reactor...?”

“The 2JZ engine, silly! What else is there to be impressed about more than anything about the Supra?! Other than it being an RWD of course...but these things are BEASTLY! I love em'!” Vanessa chuckled. “The engine is literally a nuclear-reactor! There's almost no end to how much power you can churn out of that thing!”

“...right.” Saburo figured how she got the reference. After all, anyone who is a car buff would know the wonders of a 2JZ engine. Most of them almost doesn't need much effort to exceed even 1000 horsepower, let alone over 800. They are literally monster machines if the tuner knows what he is doing on the car. Supras have always been a feared car model since a long time ago, just as how the drivers generally fear the Skyline GT-Rs or the modern GTR-35.

“So who's that Supra? Someone you know?” Vanessa asked curiously.

“Damn right it is...” Saburo said with an unamused face as the red Supra made its way towards the parking spot. The car shut off its engine as soon as it made its first succeed attempt in parking on the spot. The driver got out and it was a redhead tomboy. She was wearing long red pants and black track-jacket with a black hat that seemed to have a few badges on the right side of it. One look and Saburo immediately recognized the face of that spunky green-eyed tomboy.

“Sakuya, I told you to bring a truck, didn't I?” Saburo began, in a rather frustrated tone.

“Yeah, and I didn't listen! You know me!” Sakuya laughed, her hands stuck inside her jacket's pockets as she walks towards Saburo and lean on to his other side of the Nissan 180SX. Vanessa noticed her as she threw one of her arms around Saburo's shoulder like a really close friend or at least like a spunky girlfriend. “Sorry that you had to wait for me though, I mean there's just too many people tonight and I kinda have to crawl my way through the parking lots to look for you.”

“So eh...this is --” Saburo got interrupted before he finishes his sentence.

SPOILER

“Hello lady, what's your name?” Vanessa asked, this time sticking her hands into her pockets and with her eyebrows narrowed accompanied by her usual sarcastic smile. “Are you Sabby's friend?”

“Oh, who's this?” Sakuya asked Saburo in return, instead of answering Vanessa first. “And I am Sakuya Ishiyama, this cute boy's personal tuner AND his partner in crime on any race activities around here. And who might you be, kid?”

“Oh so you're Sabby's tuner?!” Vanessa was pleased that she gets to meet Saburo's partner finally, unfazed by the sarcastic remarks thrown by the readhead. “Well, I am his new friend, Vanessa Anderrson! And I came from Stockholm to transfer in living here for a short while due to personal circumstances. Pleased to be your acquaintance, Miss Ishiyama!” Vanessa bowed in an almost fake and comedic manner, yet she doesn't seem to have any problems in doing just for the heck of it.

“Oh! So you're the one that beat the crap outta that Adachi chick's team member on Shoumaru huh?” Sakuya exclaimed. “Pleased to meet you then. Heh...!”

“Yup...gee, news sure spread fast here doesn't it?” Vanessa said. “One race and BAM! I became a news headline in a forum! Guess Sabby is right after all!”

“Sabby?” Sakuya prompted with an eyebrow raised. “Has a nice ring to it...but I still prefer to call him Prince, heh.”

“Stop with the nicknames, you two.” Saburo sighed, mildly tapping his own forehead with a palm again with a melancholic face. “Say, have you brought it with you, Sakuya?”

“Of course! But seriously, you could've just stopped on to my garage instead and I'll have it prepare in no time rather than coming here and bring the tires to you.” Sakuya suggested. Saburo knew exactly how to answer that.

“You knew why I cannot do that.”

“Of come on, I just wanna check on that front end of your car! I could easily fix that, ya know?” Sakuya insisted. “One of the lesser gripes I have about you is that you always keep things to yourself and you never share your problems with anyone.”

“...” Saburo just gave the silent treatment as he clearly has no comment about that matter. “Prep the tires later...I am gonna take a practice run for now.”

“What, you're planning to use that set up to now?” Sakuya asked, her eyes locked on the rather half-worn tires on the Nissan 180SX. Clearly there were already turning flat and seemed as if the grip on all four tires are already lost. “You do realize if you push anywhere near 80 on this course, the tires will get shot before you cross the first checkpoint, right?”

“I know. That's what I am planning to do.” Saburo said with a straight face.

“What?” Vanessa prompted, slightly confused. “But what's that supposed to mean?”

“I want to find out how much can a set of almost worn-out tires hold on before changing another set. There's just something I need to find out of it. Nothing special.” Saburo explained as he notices the road on Happogahara is slowly cleared of cars and doesn't seem so packed with people anymore for the moment.

“Eh, you mean you don't know yet?” Vanessa is certainly doubtful at this point. But it didn't stop Saburo from doing what needs to be done.

“Of course not...most of the time I always change my tires before it even wears out around 80 percent. I never get to find out how long can the remaining 20 do...and that's what I am trying to find out now.” Saburo turned his eyes back to Sakuya. “Now then, can I expect you to get the tire-change prepared when I get back?”

“Well, consider it done if that's what you want.” Sakuya fixed her hat for a moment as she sighed. Certainly Sakuya is not a kind of person that ask too much questions on something so long as it is pretty straightforward. “But eh...I kinda hope you'll use racing high-grip tires instead for a swap this time.”

“Give it a rest, I am not racing anyone tonight.” Saburo denied calmly. He knows what Sakuya is planning when she said that and he is not going to let that happen just yet. Saburo then got up from his car and enters the driver's seat, Sakuya and Vanessa moved out of the way, knowing that he will start the engine and move from the spot soon enough.

“Well, we'll be waiting for you up here then.” Sakuya said as she stand next to Vanessa, whom is currently sitting on the hood of her Renault Megane.

“Don't hold your breath for me.” Saburo shot back sarcastically with a stoic look.

“Have fun then, Sabby! I'll be the next in line soon enough as you get back!” Vanessa waved as the black 180 started its engine and slowly moved away from the parking spot as it heads towards the roads of the Happogahara pass and slowly disappeared from their sights.

“Well, there he goes...say, mind if you let me check your car for a while?” Sakuya asked, feeling slightly excited when she saw the Renault Megane that Vanessa is sitting on.

“Oh sure! I'll love to see what you think on the car!” Vanessa accepted the offer almost instantly. “Not that there's ANYTHING done on it before; but still! I'll like to see what can be done to soup up the car a bit! I always feel the potential doesn't stop from it being a nice FWD car.”

Vanessa moved out of the way and popped the hood on the car. The machine reveals itself towards Sakuya's eyes as she stares at the idle, turbocharged Inline 4 motor.

“Well well, I see the car isn't tuned in anyway yet. Still, nothing surprising here.” Sakuya remarked. “That means you get to choose either going twin-turbo or supercharge or even a twin-charge.”

“Twin-charge? Sounds interesting.” Vanessa let out a mischievous smirk. “To be honest, I've yet to see anyone attempting a twin-charged Renault Megane before.”

“...hmm, nah.” Sakuya waved her hands in denial of her own ideas. “Depending on how much power you're aiming, those ideas may not work out.”

“I am aiming for...let's say...350 to 400 at max?” Vanessa rubbed her chins. Hearing that alone immediately gave a resolution to Sakuya's thoughts and she replied easily.

“Then you don't need anything done on the engine pretty much.” Sakuya shrugged.
“Huh? Really?” Vanessa scratched her head, obviously doesn't seem to understand Sakuya's decision. “Then what do you propose, Ishiyama?”

“Just leave it to me to get you a custom-made exhaust manifold and a new exhaust system and you should be able to do with no problem.” Sakuya suggested as brief as possible. She could have given a much more specific option but she can spare the technical talks on another time probably. “There are TONS and BUTTLOAD of other upgrades I can do for your car so long as you have enough cash, but eh...I don't think you want to break the 300 barrier yet.”

“Really? How you know the power output o my car?” Vanessa gasped in shock, it seems almost surprising that Sakuya can tell the current power output of her Renault was in fact, below 300 horsepower. “I mean the Renault I am using now only had about...250 horses.”

“Well, in a super-twisty course like Happogahara or Shoumaru pass, going beyond 300 is already pushing your luck with your life, kid.” Sakuya insisted, pulling down her hat slightly as she leans back on her Supra that is on the other side of the Renault. “I love pushing muscle power on cars, but even I know when is the time you stop being an idiot and consider your own safety. I don't mean to say you don't have what it takes to wield that kind of number, but let's just be realistic here...you don't want to go anywhere beyond 300 on Happogahara, trust me.”

“I uh...see.” Vanessa chuckled nervously, obviously she gets what Sakuya meant by now. “Well...I guess maybe I oughta listen to you for now then, expert.”

“Hey, no problem, kiddo.” Sakuya shrugged. “I'll see if I can find something appropriate that will churn you a good 250 to 280 horses. That should be more than enough for you to secure a consistent advantage in machine specs wise. If anything else, you won't have problems dealing with standard 4WD stuff like Evos or Imprezas that were tuned lightly.”

“Can you do that for real?” Vanesa asked, trying to assure the hopes that it may be so. “I mean I don't know much about the technical stuffs like you do, but can it be done?”

“Of course, I am not known as an honorary member in Muscle Brotherhood community for nothing, Anderrson!” Sakuya chuckled, flicking on her hat playfully. “Anyway, are you in any team or community yet? Hmm....nah, kinda doubted that. You just debuted here not too long ago.”

“Well, if anyone is wiling to give me a door opened, I'll be glad to.” Vanessa shrugged with her eyebrow raised. Obviously it was not too big a thing for her to be concerned about, but she is nonetheless, still an unknown face in mostly the circles of many locals and it may be about time for her to earn her place in one of the local community rings. “Also, Muscle Brotherhood? Is that a big team of some sort?”

“USED to be. Now it's a huge community for all muscle-car lovers or those that desired raw power.” Sakuya explains. “The founder of that community is my uncle Norio Ishiyama. I am the honorary member due to my tuning abilities being the best there, only second to my uncle of course. Still got lots to learn though...are you interested in joining? Haha!”

“Like I said, if you get a door open with welcome means, I'll gladly enter!” Vanessa laughed with her arms open.

“Alright then, we can talk once the night is over! For now, let's just chat about something else while we wait for the Prince to finish his job and make is way back...!”

Meanwhile, at the sections near the four-snake-hairpins, the gallery was packed there with many drivers discussing about their driving methods while some others are just trying to film some driving footage using their camcorders or phones. Everyone seemed to be pumped to do some personal practice on the course.

Except for one person in particular at a vacant spot near the second hairpin zone. It was a young female with brown hair and a ponytail on the side. She appears to be wearing a cream-colored long-sleeve shirt with a violet scarf. She is also wearing a brown skirt, accompanied by stockings and a pair of black leather boots. Her stature was that of an elegant-looking wealthy lady with fair skin complexion and she is wearing a proud expression on her face, her blue-eyes beaming on the roads as she watched the amateur drivers in an unamused manner.

She was crossing her arms too, her entire body language is telling that she isn't impressed by the drivers at all at their poor display of driving and attempts to drift using the E-brakes.

“Is this supposed to be someone's idea of a joke?” She thought, appalled by the performances from those drivers that spun out on the four-snake-hairpins. “These are supposed to be the locals representing this course? Maybe I did expect too much out of the Tochigi prefecture after all...what a bunch of thrash. And that sort of footwork...that kind of mistake only happens when a trainee can't be confident enough to push it hard on a curve during a driver's test!”

“I don't even know why am I putting such high hopes at first place when I am coming here to see the gathering... What a disappointment. Tch.” She sighed, as she flicks her hair aside. “Maybe I won't be finding what I need to find here after all...oh well, might as well stop looking and just go back home...I am not really interested in the Speed Buster's team either...they still seemed too average to my interest...”

“Hey! What's with that car?” Right beore she turned around and leave, she overheard someone shouting and turn her attention back to the road. She noticed a particular car coming from afar on the above of the first hairpin and the engine noise is getting louder and louder.

“...Hmm? That engine sound...?” The girl noticed there is something unusual when the engine continued howling inside the machine as it travels quickly on the first hairpin's entry point. She gave full attention on the car's motion as the audience watched in disbelief of what they are about to see.

“That Nissan's diving into a suicide curve!” One of the male audience said. “That dent is just gonna get worse if he hits anywhere on that spot with THAT speed! Oh god...this is gotta get ugly...!”

“Yeah man...oh damn...that guy's a total newbie!” Another main added.

“...that's too fast.” The girl thought, glaring at the headlights arriving at the hairpin as the brake-lights lit up. “...he won't recover from that...or would he? This guy is either too bold or just downright stupid...let's see how you crash, idiot.”

And then it happened. The sounds of the tires screeching echoed through the pass as the car made a strong and firm hug on the clipping point of the hairpin and plowed through the curve at a speed of 50 to 55 km/h. And once the car exits out of the hairpin, the car stabilizes itself as the machine vibrated slightly due to the dented front end seemed to be twitching a bit from the rough motion. It was a black Nissan 180SX.

“Holy...crap. He actually made it, huh?” One male audience on the second hairpin commented. “I can't believe this guy actually still drives a damaged car in such manner...he's got a screw loose, that's for sure...damn.”

“...The hell? He's...actually good...” The girl thought as she gave the black Nissan undivided attention as the car tackled on the second hairpin's entry point. The brake lights lit up almost exactly right on where the girl thought as the ideal braking point as the car shifts the load on the front tires all the way to the rear as it slides gently on the outer line on the entry of the hairpin, and hugged the inner line without steering too much. The girl can see that the driver is holding back his steering range in care of the tires' grip on the front set. “...very good. Huh...now that's surprising. Just looking at it sure as hell seem to make me rethink my mind about saying there are no real drivers in this place.”

As she observed on the black car that is coming straight to where she is standing on the third hairpin, her blue eyes are locked dead on to the driver inside the mirror to see if she can take a quick glimpse as to who may be the man behind the wheels.

Soon, as the car charged towards the entry of the third hairpin as to where she is standing, she finally get to see a glimpse on the driver's face on the front view mirror before the car entered in its braking state while prepping on the outside lane of the third hairpin's entry. She saw the man's face and he seemed to be anything but in an intense mood. The person was driving calmly on controlling his own dented car, not giving so much as a glimpse on the people that were staring at him in awe as he steers the car gently on the third hairpin. The black Nissan hugged the inside of the lane while leaving a bit more of a space without crossing the center line completely due to the tires on the front are starting to give in as smokes are slowly coming out of the spinning rubber on the front end. The load was a lot heavier due to it being constantly downhill from the beginning of the four-snake-hairpins.

“...” The girl watched on as the black Nissan exit out of the third hairpin and proceed to attacking the fourth hairpin by using a much slower entry due to the lining being slightly off from the positioning since the third hairpin. But the 180SX remained stable despite it becoming slower on the pace. It was obvious that the driver is trying hard to keep the tire wear lower due to the tires losing grip rapidly on the front.

“He's good...unlike most of the trash drivers that showed off here a moment ago...” The girl thought with a slight smile. “Guess there's at least something worth looking out for here after all...I'll just stay a bit longer and see if I can see this guy in action soon...his look definitely shows that he means business...heh.”

As the black Nissan headed on to the third checkpoint after crossing the bridge from the curve on the right side, soon there comes another hairpin and Saburo is aware that he couldn't risk his tires anymore at this point and slowed down in his pace. Realizing that the grip on the front tires are fading from his grasp on his steering wheel, he gently decelerates and braked on the entry of the uphill hairpin and hugged the sharp curve without attempting to cross the inner line while keeping a consistent angle of the grip-oriented corner at a speed of 65 km/h.

The audience watched as the car exits through the hairpin while proceed on to the second one that leads to a short tunnel. As Saburo preps his car's position to tackle the remaining hairpin that is still uphill on that point, he noticed something weird. Though he already expected it happen eventually as it's just a matter of time before it shows. The tires are completely shot and the car can no longer grip the road as he steers slowly and came to a slow motion while driving at a dead-slow 40 km/h at the entry of that hairpin as he slowly hit the brakes and stopped directly inside the tunnel on the outer lane, right after the exit of that second hairpin.

“Well...at least I know where the limit is from here on....” Saburo sighed before he turned his car around and slowly drove back on the inbound path and proceed to drive at a slow pace while crossing back on the double hairpins, surprising the crowd as to the sudden halt of the black 180SX.

“Did...did that guy just give up driving?” One of the audience asked, curious.

“I don't know man, his car seemed to have used up all 4 of its tires and he's probably calling it a day and just return to wherever he came from, probably...” And the other person was right, Saburo can no longer drive under the condition of that set of tires. As he continued driving pass the audience, he finally understood the limit of the tires on the car he is using and seemed to have found something else that he wouldn't even bother explaining inside his head.

Now all that he has to do is to return to the spot where Sakuya and Vanessa are waiting and swap out the tires before another run on the course and call it a night. Clearly, the thought of racing anyone is still anything but present in the void mind of Saburo. As he drives back to the parking lot, the car passed through a familiar figure and he seemed to be staring at the dented front end with quite a bit of a focus, as if he is noticing something particular about the Nissan.

There were other people with him along too and they were all glaring at the 180SX as it slowly made its way back to the four-snake-hairpins.

“Souichiro, is that the guy?” One of the turtle-neck-wearing drivers asked the man himself. Clearly he was the driver behind the Mazda Roadster. The one that lost to Saburo when he was on a rush in fetching tools for his friend. Evidently, the loss on that night still left a mark on his body as he is still sour over the feelings of being humiliated by that damaged Nissan, needless to say; as it is all written on his face's expressions.

“...Yeah.” Souichiro confirmed it. He couldn't be wrong about the front-end bumper of the car as well as the ominous number registered on the plate of “95-64”, which literally spells [kill] in both languages. “Clearly he is practicing tonight...even though as to why would he insist on using that damaged car, I will never figure out...”

“That guy sure is different, if he's using THAT to be able to measure up to your Mazda...still, using a damaged car to be able to drive like a maniac? Now that's a first.” The other man agreed in disbelief. He seemed calm about it though. “There really are lots of guys in this place, doesn't it? Someone different...”

“Only one way to find out...” Souichiro uttered as he walks back to his car that is parked not too far away from where he stands. And soon they all got into their machines as well and started the engines and drove away from their parking spots.

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

“So that's what you were doing all the time when you weren't at school back then? That's pretty hardcore if you ask me!!” Vanessa was having a fun time chatting with the redhead mechanic. Clearly Sakuya is sharing some of her rather colorful past stories with Vanessa as they were waiting patiently for Saburo's return trip.

As they were chatting still, the black Nissan finally made it back to the parking lot and it's moving in a rather docile pace, no longer seemed to be showing any signs of aggression as the car came to a full stop once it made it to the spot where the Supra and Renault are parked.

“Well there he is...! Let's talk later.”

Sakuya and Vanessa immediately walked towards the 180SX and check on the driver.

“Hey, Saburo...you okay?” Sakuya asked, knocking on the mirror of the door that the driver is sitting on. Saburo responded with a rather dull look as he clearly don't feel like telling much about it. Sakuya of course; knew that he is okay after all. “Huh, guess you're in one piece after all but that was expected.”

“So have you got something figured out on that little run?” Vanessa added on the other side.

“You can say that again...” Saburo replied after he got out from the car as the engine shuts off. “Now Sakuya, just help me prep the tires and we can get this over with.”

“Sure you don't wanna change your mind and maybe find someone to race for tonight?” Sakuya asked again, obviously that only annoyed Saburo.

“No.”

Saburo then walked aside and let Sakuya do her work after she shrugged from his response.

Vanessa then walked back to her Renault as Saburo just stood besides her. Sakuya took out a tool box from her Supra after she pulled the switch that opens the rear-trunk of the Toyota that reveals four fresh new tires that seemed to be that of sport racing class. They were Pirelli branded. One look from Saburo and he knew Sakuya made a right choice at least for his machine.

“Gee, those are some pricey rubber she got there...so she really is making a profit out of the tuning business huh?” Vanessa remarked with a narrowed smile.

“She may have a few screws loose once a while, but she knows what she's doing most of the time.” Saburo concurred as both of them watched on the Nissan being worked on after it is being jacked from the ground by a good few inches before Sakuya undo the nuts on the tires before removing them. The nuts however were already loosen by her wrench before the car was jacked to prevent the tires spinning.

“Now that the spot is getting cleared of drivers, what do you say we take another spin together?” Vanessa proposed. “I mean I do need to get a bit more familiar with this course, seeing as how tricky it still is, despite it being less twisty than the dreaded Shoumaru pass and all...”

“Follow along then, but don't expect me to pay you any mind.” Saburo shrugged, not feeling up to dealing with denying Vanessa's request as clearly she won't budge from it easily. Besides, he has something he needs to get done too, so having an extra car behind or in front of her merely doing casual runs wouldn't have hurt, unless Vanessa is teetering around with her Renault...

“Done deal then!”Vanessa said, feeling as if she succeed in some persuasion but it didn't matter to Saburo. “It would be fun to look at you from behind. I am always curious as to how a good local show their stuffs on this course since it's still a flippin' pain in the neck to figure out a good record line out of this uneven pass.”

“Good local...? Me?” Saburo prompted.

“Of course! Sakuya said on about how awesome you are in driving around this area.” Vanessa chuckled. “And how you're also good on other courses like Momiji Line, Enna Skyline or that Nikko mountain pass which name I kinda forgot halfway...you're a natural, aren't you?”

“...” Saburo knew that Sakuya is exaggerating again with her remarks when talking about him all the time behind his back. Much as he has fair confidence in his own driving skills and knowledge on said courses, he never had thought for once that he possess any 'outstanding' skills or level that is worth that kind of mention. “Don't listen to her. She loves stretching things more than necessary sometimes. I am just a local who knows a bit more on these roads than others, nothing special.”

“Hey, you don't need to be that humble, ya know.” Vanessa said with a sarcastic smile. “Your mechanic friend really looked up to you and recognized your driving when she said it seriously. That alone kinda gave me confidence that I can trust in her impression about you. That's why I am curious and interested in driving behind you when you're doing another run. So what do you say, partner?”

“We're not --”

“Oh, of course we're not partners...yet.” Vanessa chuckled as she slipped the word out by accident, but it is unclear whether she is doing it on purpose or not, at least to Saburo's instincts. “But hey, we both get benefits out of this, so let's just work together and smiles all around, see?”

“...” Saburo sighed as he certainly don't feel like dealing with Vanessa. “Fine, do what you want then...”

“AWESOME!!” Vanessa jumped in excitement. “You know, you really are a nice guy, despite being a scowling face and all...”

“Get off my case.” Saburo sighed, scratching his head as he turned away from Vanessa's teasing smile. Sakuya was halfway done as she only needs to swap the remaining two tires before Saburo's 180SX is good to go with fresh set of wheels. But soon after, the crowd on the parking lot started to cheer as there are numerous engine sounds echoing from not too far away.

“Huh...? What's with the racket over there?” Vanessa wondered as she climbed on her own Renault and stand to get a better view on the top of her own machine. “Well looks like a team is coming to pay a visit to this parking lot. Lucky us.”

“...” Saburo knew that would only mean something hectic and annoying as he certainly has a bad feeling that he would get dragged into something that he wouldn't want to get involved into at first place. As the crowd cleared a path for the team to enter, multiple headlights made their way and found a vacant spot on the opposite direction of where Saburo's 180SX is parked currently as the leading car reveals itself as a Mazda Roadster NA6CE. The other two cars were a black Nissan Silvia S13 and a red Mazda RX-7 FD3S Type RS. They all has a matching logo that writes Speed-Buster on their left side of the rear bumper. Saburo immediately recognized the logo and he didn't like it one bit. But not because of what the team is capable of, but rather the possible mess that he might get dragged into.

As the driver got out from his car; which is a grey-colored Mazda Roadster, he was revealed to be a man with blonde hair and brown eyes, with a slight bit of scruffiness on his jaw. He was none other than Makoto Souichiro.

Soon after that, the other two drivers got out from their cars too and the FD driver was another man with long black hair and narrow eyes with a scar on his left cheek, while the black Nissan S13's driver was a man of younger age and he is brown-haired, and also wears a pair of black spectacles.

Everyone in the parking lot were cheering for the team as they chanted the name “Speed Buster” on. The air was rather heavy now as the once quiet spot where Saburo and the others were on; is now turning into a full-blown crowd-attraction thanks to the arrival of the team.

“Well, looks like we're in the middle of something big after all...” Sakuya thought as she quickly finish up loading on the last tire on the dented 180SX before anything starts from the team's side. She certainly don't want to miss out any important moments that may involve in something huge, now that the team that claimed territory on Happogahara has arrived.

“As I thought...this is gonna be a long-ass night...” Saburo slapped his own forehead again as he sighed heavily.

- つづく -

This post has been edited by Rin on Jun 21 2013, 07:09 AM

Yay for the new chapter…but Rin, the typos mang.

Trash, not thrash.

Anyway, can't wait to see how it unfolds. 1 v 3, Sabby finally unsheathes his sword and takes the group head on? Or is his two girls going to fight for him?

This post has been edited by Onboy123 on May 16 2013, 07:04 PM