Saturday 8AM.

Towa was still sleeping soundly in his bed. Sumire usually didn't have work on the weekends, so he could sleep in as much as he wanted as he didn't have to drive her to work. Today, however, Sumire shook him awake which confused and irritated Towa quite a bit.

"Don't you not have to work today?" Towa shouted, clearly very annoyed from being woken up.

"But you promised to take me to the flower park this week!"

Sumire was clearly quite angry, which made Towa wake right up and shot out of the bed with haste.

"I forgot." That was all Towa could've thought of to say at that moment.

Sumire smiled briefly, before storming out of the bedroom.

"Wait!" Towa shouted as he ran to follow Sumire out of the room. "...Has the Cherry Blossom bloomed already?"

"It's almost the end of season so yeah." Sumire answered without showing any emotion.

Sumire, however, was thinking that her longtime boyfriend must go out of this square room more often, as the whole region has been full of pink flowers for weeks now.

It wasn't long until both of them were ready for the 45 minutes drive from Mito to Mt. Tsukuba where Ibaraki Prefecture Flower Park was. Towa was thinking the Roadster looked a bit grimy already, while Sumire was very excited to go on a road trip, especially in a convertible.

Towa was carrying a foldable picnic mat in one arm and a small picnic basket on the other, while Sumire carried a bag full of additional food stuff. The Roadster trunk was tiny so they had to pack everything with a bit more thought than if it was a hatchback, like the old Mazda Carol that Towa had in his university days, but they managed nicely.

After that, they both got into the Roadster and Towa started the engine preparing to set off.

"Will you open the roof today? The weather's very nice." Sumire asked, to which Towa agreed.

"Of course. It'd be a shame owning a convertible and not using it, right?"

At that moment, while his phone paired up with the car infotainment system to turn on the navigation, Towa was thinking. Going to Mt. Tsukuba would mean taking the Kita-Kanto and Joban Expressway down south.

On the Tsukuba Fruits Line he noticed that there were indeed signs leading to Ibaraki Flower Park, as it was only a few kilometers north of the peak. This made him kind of wanting to drive on the Fruits Line itself again, but this time in the day and a bit more leisurely than with the application running. Although he wasn't sure if he should ask Sumire for permission or forgiveness when she realized he wouldn't be taking the direct route.

Towa decided that while some may say that asking for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission, but in real life, that's not always the case.

"Hey, would you mind if I take a bit of a detour to drive up Mt. Tsukuba instead of just going to the Flower Park from this side?"

Towa was pleasantly surprised when Sumire seemed to take that idea with enthusiasm. Her eyes lit up with excitement.

"How much longer would it take?" Sumire asked, despite already giving the permission in her mind.

"Maybe 20 minutes?" Towa replied with a guesstimate.

"That's not a long detour at all. Yeah, just go for it."

Towa was very happy with the confirmation and glad he asked. Sumire too was happy that they'd be going up the mountain. Having been together for long enough, Towa knew that Sumire wouldn't get carsick with his driving even on the twisty mountain roads.

The Roadster got onto the Kita-Kanto Expressway at Mito-Minami Toll Gate, turning left at Tomobe Junction to get on the Joban Expressway. But instead of turning off at Ishioka-Omitama Interchange, it continued on the Joban Expressway before turning off at Tsuchiura-Kita Interchange.

From there, Towa prepared to turn right onto Route 199 heading Kasama/Ishioka, and at the intersection, the traffic light was red, so he decided to put the roof down there, while the Roadster RF could accomplish that in only 13 seconds and at speed up to 9.6 km/h, doing it while stopping at the light was better in Towa's mind.

Instead of continuing on until they reach the other side of Mt. Tsukuba via Asahi Tunnel, Towa turned right at the intersection to head to Tsukuba Fruits Line. The morning air was nice, perfect for wind in the hair, top down motoring.

"It's still quite a bit cold isn't it!" Towa said to Sumire, who's smiling very brightly while looking at the scenery.

"It's alright." Sumire shouted back, as the wind was rushing inside quite a bit.

On the way up, both Towa and Sumire thought that the Fruits Line would have had only a few Cherry Blossom tree, so there would be very few pink flowers that signified the coming of Spring. That was until they got to the Ryun bridge, where there was a huge colony of Cherry Blossoms, which combined with the mountain views, made the road spectacular. They also knew that there was more to come.

The road at the peak of the Fruits Line had the mountain to the right and views of Tsuchiura to the left. Sumire couldn't resist taking pictures of the scenery there, which Towa realized she'd like to do, so he slowed down to allow her.

No one was on the Fruits Line at this moment in time, it was almost a private road all to Towa and Sumire to enjoy.

Towa noticed the sign pointing to Ibaraki Prefecture Flower Park, which was only 4 km away, but it reminded him of the car he encountered only a few days ago. A mysterious white Toyota Probox that he couldn't catch. A typical car being driven in a very atypical manner.

Anyway, Towa didn't want to dwell on that, not with Sumire on the passenger seat. He'd come back later to master this course, and maybe if the chance exists, maybe he'd get to meet that Probox again.

The road started going downhill, Towa was maintaining a very safe and smooth speed, but still above the 30 km/h limit which seemed ridiculous even if it's a very tight and curvy road. The Roadster is able to sustain about 45 km/h constantly within the dividing line and without discomfort to its passenger.

"This is a very nice road, isn't it? Have you driven it before?" Sumire asked, which surprised Towa that she would notice this.

"I have, but not that often. I only discovered it recently."

In the darkness of the night, the Fruits Line was a treacherous piece of tarmac that would catch any unwary souls out, but with the distinct allure that seems to pull any true drivers in.

In the light of daytime, it's simply an enjoyable experience, one that might possibly be a bit boring if you're familiar with mountain roads. There actually wasn't much of a beautiful scenery, if not for the fact that it's a mountain road. It's therefore not at all surprising to Towa that no normal drivers would now be using it normally. The roads north that's higher on Mt. Tsukuba were actually more picturesque and much safer to drive on.

After a hairpin corner heading to the wavy, high acceleration section, Towa was given a bit of a fright when he noticed a car which could be described as distinctive in a certain way.

A silver Toyota Mark X 250G, the last type 130-Series. For the uninitiated, most would not even notice that car which was parked on the left side of the road, right in the middle of the lane.

However, an enthusiast driver such as Towa Wakisaka knew immediately from one look as to what that car was. He noticed it even before the long, messy tire mark on the road, heading towards the inside embankment then to a very damaged guardrail on the right side at the end of the high speed left corner. Dirts were scattered everywhere.

There was a burly man with a buzzcut in respectable business clothing standing at the back of the Mark X, who flagged down Towa in his Roadster immediately after seeing it. Another, much older man sitting in the Mark X itself was wearing a high-visibility jacket.

"Good morning, sir!" The man said to Towa who stopped promptly and with a certain unease.

"Good morning, mister." Towa replied, Sumire was sitting there wondering what's happening.

"My name is Sergeant Tadamori Tachi from Ishioka Traffic Unit, may I ask where you two are going?"

Sergeant Tachi seemed polite and cordial, almost jovial contrasting to his stern appearance, so Towa was easing off his uneasiness and anxiety from before.

"We're going to the flower park." Towa replied.

"Seeing the Cherry Blossoms?" Tadamori asked again.

"Yes sir." Towa nodded, along with Sumire who's still wondering what happened at this road.

"That is nice huh..." Tadamori mused. "...Drive safely!"

Tadamori was waving the Roadster to drive round the Mark X, but Towa was curious about the scene right in front of him.

"May I ask what happened?" Towa pointed to the scene of what is clearly quite a big accident.

"Oh, that." Tadamori turned to that direction Towa pointed to. "...Somebody crashed a Supra there last night. That person was lucky the car didn't go over."

Stolen novel; please report.

A Supra? That made Towa anxiety return immediately. No matter how much he disliked Takeshi, he didn't want that guy to get hurt. Could it be some other in the same type of car? Possibly, it's not really an uncommon car after all.

"Really?" Towa tried to play it cool, hiding his anxiety.

"Yeah, the roads around here at night are very dangerous, I suggest you don't come up here after maybe 9 or 10PM..." Tadamori was clearly looking at the Roadster while speaking to Towa. "...You like driving?"

"I do."

"Hm," Tadamori seemed to smirk while still looking at the Roadster. "...I bet this thing's fun. Have a safe trip, alright?"

Towa was still wondering about a few things, but didn't want to continue talking to a cop, no matter how nice he was. So he set off again, carefully driving around the Mark X with another cop in it, and continued on.

"That was a hefty crash, huh." Sumire was observing the guardrail and coming to the same conclusion as Towa.

"Yeah, very hefty." Towa replied.

Once the Fruits Line ended, Towa turned left onto National Route 138, which then diverged and continued on as Route 150. Not long after that they both arrive at Ibaraki Prefecture Flower Park.

Towa parked the Roadster in the car park out front, closed the roof before stopping the engine, then got out with Sumire to go up to the park.

They were both glad that Cherry Blossom was still full of pink and hadn't turned all green just yet.

The park was indeed full of flowers, 900-something species of it which bloomed at different periods in the year. Tulips, Roses, and Cherry Blossom were all that Towa knew, and he's too afraid to ask Sumire what the flowers are because he never could remember them anyhow.

Both Towa and Sumire were enjoying themselves in the park. They had just finished setting up the picnic area under a tree when Towa received a shocking message from one of his old high school friends around noon. Takeshi Sawatari was taken into hospital after a car accident last night and was being treated in Tsukuba. A few questions later confirmed that the Supra that went into the guardrail on Fruits Line was Takeshi's.

The mountain roads take no prisoners, that's for sure...

"Is he okay?" Sumire asked with concern, but Towa shrugged.

"A broken arm and leg, but he'll live."

Sumire noticed the coldness still coming from Towa, which she didn't really understand.

"Still, you should visit him, right?" Sumire said, which made Towa considered.

Maybe, but not immediately. Towa decided that he'll enjoy the weekend with Sumire first, which she also appreciated, but with a slight concern for Takeshi still in her mind.

In the afternoon, after finishing everything at the flower park, Towa then drove Sumire to a small cafe close to Tsukuba University. While she asked if she should also go visit Takeshi along with Towa, he insisted that it's not necessary. Sumire obliged as she'd be able to spend the time walking around her old campus anyhow.

Towa then drove to the big hospital which wasn't far from Tsukuba U, where Takeshi was brought to last night. It didn't take long for the receptionist to find which room Takeshi was staying in. It was on the 3rd floor so Towa just took the stairs.

Takeshi was on his own in a private room, as expected for a rich guy. His right arm and leg were in casts, which made Towa realize the severity of his crash.

Seeing Towa Wakisaka here also surprised Takeshi a lot. He didn't expect Towa to be the first to turn up, even before his parents who were still in Tochigi.

"You're here?" Takeshi exclaimed with a shocked face.

"Good day, Takeshi."

Towa only greeted Takeshi with a deadpan, there's very little sympathy that could be detected from his tone. But it's expected from a guy who usually wouldn't show his emotion easily like Towa.

"How did you find out?" Takeshi asked, while still lying down.

"I saw a policeman up on Fruits Line this morning, he said a Supra went into the guardrail but didn't know it was you. Mii-chan told me later via Line." Towa answered.

Takeshi seemed to be trying to nod as he's listening, but could not.

"So you've already tried that then." Takeshi's talking about Geo Timer, which Towa nodded in confirmation.

"I have."

"And you like it enough to go up there this morning again?"

"Yes."

It was at this moment, both Towa and Takeshi had something in mind, but both are not sure if they should bring it up.

"What happened?" Towa asked after he came to sit on the visitor chair besides the bed.

Takeshi seemed hesitant to answer the truth. He didn't say anything for a while. Towa was just staring at him waiting for the answer.

"You have seen the place right? The high speed left turn." Takeshi decided to tell the truth, even if it's not the whole truth.

"I have."

"I went in there with too much speed and the car went into an uncontrollable spin."

Takeshi explained without much details, which made Towa suspicious, but didn't want to pry unless Takeshi wishes to say it himself. And Takeshi seemed to be considering telling the whole truth, but didn't yet.

"That's it huh." Towa said once a bit of time passed, with a hint of disappointment.

"Yeah. I wouldn't be able to go up there again, even if this will heal."

Takeshi almost cried with this statement, once the realization sets in.

"Well, people did say the mountain roads are dangerous." Towa almost repeated what Sergeant Tachi told him this morning.

"It sure is."

Towa was sitting there without any other thing to say. So he was preparing to wish Takeshi well and return to Sumire when Takeshi started speaking again.

"I was following a car."

This made Towa lean forward to hear what Takeshi's about to say.

"It was an unusual car as well, in some sense." Takeshi continued, there's an air of disbelief in his voice. "...It wasn't a sports car."

At this point, Towa could almost predict the next word that would come out of Takeshi's mouth.

"You'll laugh if I say this, and I don't wish for you to tell anyone else, okay? I haven't told the police either for obvious reasons. And even thinking back about this, it's absurd as hell."

"I have heard some pretty weird things in my life." Towa replied, which made Takeshi chuckle a little.

"It was a white Toyota Probox."

At that moment, everything that was in Towa's mind was confirmed. It was the same car that left him in the dust the other day.

"It wasn't their fault though. I was reckless and thought I could follow." Takeshi continued to explain. As he found Towa wasn't surprised or laughed at what he's saying.

"But you couldn't."

"Yeah..." Takeshi sighed "...I couldn't."

After that, Takeshi didn't say anything further, so Towa stood up and prepared to leave.

"I wish you a speedy recovery."

That was Towa's last word before he left the room. Takeshi only waved him goodbye without saying anything further. In Takeshi's mind, he's a bit suspicious as to why Towa wasn't more surprised. But he couldn't put his finger on it.

Towa was walking slowly down the stairs to go back to his car and pick Sumire up, all the while his mind was thinking about many things.

Who was driving that Probox? How could it be that fast? It's a commercial vehicle designed to carry loads, not attack the winding roads with such agility and speed. If he hadn't seen it for himself he'd not believe it either.

Towa was walking back to his Roadster. He couldn't think about anything other than just going back to Sumire and dealing with everything that happened later. He didn't realize that up on the second floor of the building just beside the car park situated an office room for the hospital. There, a young doctor was watching forlornly outside the window for a few seconds as a break from the busy work.

"Yamamoto-sensei." A young female nurse called the doctor, who at that point was absent minded.

"Ah, sorry, Ikeda-san."

"Here's the report."

The nurse put a folder down on Yamamoto's table.

"Is everything alright?" Ikeda asked Yamamoto, who seemed to be a bit out of it at the moment.

"Yeah it's fine, Ikeda-san. Thank you."

At that point, the young nurse walked away to attend to her other responsibility, while the doctor turned back to look out the window again and saw that the distinctive white Roadster was gone.

He's only wondering how that car would've compared to his ZN8 Subaru BRZ on the Tsukuba Fruits Line...

Towa drove the Roadster to pick up Sumire, who's taking a stroll around Tsukuba U campus. As it's a weekend, she didn't get to meet anyone they knew from their time there, but it was still nice to return.

"So how was Takeshi?" That was the first thing Sumire asked after getting in the car.

"He'll be fine, eventually." Towa replied.

In Towa's mind, he thought it's more of the emotional effect that'll be taking its toll on Takeshi, along with other consequences that his family might or might not throw at him. He wished that they would make him realize how lucky he was not dying and do the right thing by taking away the opportunity for Takeshi to fucked things up again.

However, Towa believed Takeshi did learn his lesson, and it was a huge one at that.

On the Joban Expressway, Towa was driving at a decent but still legal speed, the car radio's playing a Showa era hit music program, which for some reason Sumire seemed to be enjoying a lot today, while normally she'd prefer a more contemporary J-POP.

Towa wasn't really paying much attention to the songs, he was mainly considering everything he had learnt about that white Probox, one thought he's kept coming back to was that he wished to find who and why it runs on the Fruits Line. Was this Probox driver the 'Urasawa' person on top of the leaderboard, or were they merely another runner? Towa had no frame of reference as to how fast that car actually was.

Towa's left hand moved down to the center console knob which was used for controlling the infotainment screen. He wasn't actually thinking about changing the station, but was doing it while a distinctive keyboard solo was starting. This made Sumire smack his hand with her hand pretty hard.

"Ouch!" Towa pulled his hand away from the knob very quickly and turned slightly to see Sumire looking pretty crossed. "...Why?"

"This is my song!" Sumire replied with annoyance.

It was then that Towa paid attention to the song itself, he didn't recognize the intro at first but once the singer sang "It was September", he recognized immediately. It's an Ippudo song called 'Sumire September Love', which apparently is Sumire's father's favorite song that he loved so much he named his daughter after.

"It's not September yet!" Towa said in jest, with a smile to make sure Sumire realizes that.

"But it's still my song!"

Both couldn't help chuckle.

The drive back to Mito mostly was uneventful. They arrived in the evening so Towa took Sumire to a very nice dinner at an expensive Yakiniku restaurant. At the same time Towa was trying to focus on spending time with Sumire and not dwell too much on the Fruits Line incident.

But once he got back to the apartment, and Sumire was taking care of her stuff, Towa couldn't help and thought about it again.

Who exactly was that Probox driver?

A Supra wasn't exactly slow. In fact, it's an extremely fast sports car that can handle very well just like any other modern sports car on wide, high performance tires. There's no way a normal Probox would be able to keep up, even if the tight and twisty nature of the Fruits Line may help it a little bit. The technological gap from the age and the philosophy the car was built on was completely inappropriate.

It was at that moment, Towa decided he must do something, and he had a bit of an intuition. Towa walked to his work table, turned on the computer, and started doing some stuff using his programming and network expertise.

"Are you working now?"

Towa didn't realize how long he had been researching, but was pretty startled when Sumire suddenly asked in her bathrobe. He thought she was going to take a bath.

"Uhhh. Just checking." Towa's reply was absolutely clear to Sumire that he was not telling the whole truth.

"Checking what?" Sumire asked again.

"Some stuff for the client. I won't be long."

Somehow, Sumire couldn't believe that at all. But she's not going to pry further and just go take a nice, long bath, leaving Towa to whatever the hell he's wishing to do at this moment in time.

It didn't take long at all for Towa to find something. Tracing back starting from the web page that hosted the Geo Timer APK. It's a very barren page, made to not be found on search engines and with the tracks sort of covered but not very well.

Apparently it's hosted on a small server somewhere in Ibaraki, perhaps south of Mito. Further research along with a few other clues led Towa to a place called 'Noda PC'. A general computer repair store with superb reviews but didn't seem to have many customers at all from what he could see on the social media page.

A quick search on Google Maps and Towa found that place very easily. In fact, a quick look on Google Street View revealed something that startled Towa quite a bit.

A battered looking white Toyota Probox parked right outside what appears to be a normal, very posh looking house in Takita, near Kasumigaura Lake.

Towa then wondered if a visit to this Noda PC was a good idea at all...

While wondering that, Towa was startled again when he felt something from behind. The warmth and smell of Sumire who've come out of the bath and hugged him.

"What is this place?" Sumire asked, while her chin was resting on Towa's shoulder.

"It's a PC shop." Towa replied with a straight face, which made Sumire more curious.

"That doesn't look like a PC shop to me," Sumire mused. "...but that is what the sign said."

At this point, Towa couldn't resist turning and looking at Sumire, who's still in her bathrobe and although she'd already dried it a bit, the hair's still a bit wet. That does make his heart pound a little bit, especially when their eyes are locked together.

"You go take a bath next, you're stinky." Sumire said as she's releasing Towa from her grip.