It was Friday at 10 PM, the primetime for the racers of the Fruits Line to usually hang out previously. Tonight the area was completely quiet due to the presence of Tsutsumi Kanemaru.

It was weird, when the police crackdown happened around the area, people were eager to come back even when it was risky. Now, people seem to stay away even when there's no actual risk of losing the license or anything.

The only explanation that made sense was that while the police were avoidable, Kanemaru was not. He kept running and running and running. Usually throughout the night. And he's been doing so for a month now.

It wasn't as much people were voicing their opinion about it much, they just left, not wanting to visit anymore.

Mizuho was actually fairly happy with this situation. Considering he thought too many people were turning up and it made controlling the people harder. Even with great people like Iori, Norio, or Shigehiro doing the voluntary work as an admin for the Discord group.

Mizuho actually wanted to ride along with Towa, but elected to stay behind at Oshito FamilyMart. An additional 70 kilogram of mass might be enough for Towa to not be able to best Kanemaru.

Both Mizuho and Towa were anxious, although for different reasons. Towa hadn't been battling on the Fruits Line for months, not since he raced with Sunao Morita. While Mizuho was anxious because he didn't know if what he expected to happen, will happen.

Towa had already test driven the upgraded Roadster on the Fruits Line on a shakedown run. He thought it was unreal. It became a monster.

There's very little change to the power of the engine, as the exhaust and engine management system perhaps gave the 2.0-litre engine perhaps an extra 5 or 10 horsepower. Miniscule.

That's nothing compared to the handling. The capability of the suspension, brakes, and tires were immensely improved.

However, Towa thought that to describe this Roadster as a 'monster' was more apt than one way. Not only was it incredibly capable, it was also... well. Idiosyncratic. Definitely not a car he'd use everyday anymore.

"Noda-san. There's still something I'm not quite sure about this car." Towa suddenly said, startling Mizuho slightly.

"What? What's wrong?" Mizuho asked.

"Isn't the front end way too sharp? I know the grip level is so high it is almost impossible to lose grip, but the rear end is extremely loose compared to before."

"Use it to your advantage then. A true racing driver would always want more turn in."

Towa was not totally convinced by that. He thought the car was too unforgiving to drive. But it was too late to do anything about it.

"Any advice you want to tell me? I need all your help even if it's trivial." Towa asked, and Mizuho nodded.

"Yes. I have two pieces of advice for you." Mizuho replied with a smug expression.

"What are they?"

"Remember it's my car. Not your's. You don't care about it."

Towa was both surprised and not surprised at the same time for the advice. Not surprised that Mizuho would be weird about it. Towa didn't care about it? What? He always took care of other people's cars if they ever threw the key at him.

"Secondly," Mizuho continued, "I don't really like him either to be honest. So you don't have to treat him like a friend or anything."

"Huh? Why are you telling me this?" Towa was confused.

"You should've heard of the expression 'an eye for an eye'. That's what you should keep in mind." Mizuho continued, and it confused Towa even more.

"You are using words but it's not making sense!"

"Just remember that it's my car, my money. If you ever get a chance to become a pro level driver, it's the same situation. Also that you don't have to treat Kanameru like you'll ever see him again."

Mizuho left Towa with incredibly weird advice. Towa started right at Mizuho for a straight minute.

"What about driving techniques? Anything that would help me at all?" Towa tried getting more out of Mizuho, but he shook his head.

"Nope. You already got it. There's nothing else to say."

With that concluding statement from Mizuho, Towa had no choice but to get back in the Roadster to drive back up the Tsukuba Fruits Line. Ready for the race.

Mizuho already outlined the sort of driver Tsutsumi was to Towa. It did make him pretty nervous as apart from Mizuho, he had never raced anyone who took it this seriously, and so willingly pushed the driver in front.

Towa wondered, was it really safe for him to battle someone like Tsutsumi?

Slowly going through the South section. The A052 tires didn't need much warmup to get into the operating window. Towa was surprised, even if he had tried them before when he drove Mizuho's Probox. There's something magical about it that's immediately felt with a few turns.

Towa parked the Roadster underneath the Ibaraki Prefecture Flower Park sign, the starting point of the Fruits Line course. He had not been here for what felt like an eternity, and once he was there again, it was clear how much he missed it.

The white Roadster still felt right to sit and experience, even if it was modified further than when Towa had it. Somehow, only a short drive reacquainted Towa with it. It's that sort of car. Easy to get into, and even if you went away from it, you didn't forget how it was and why you fell in love.

Even though Kanemaru was still a few minutes behind, Towa's heart was beating hard and fast. It was a feeling he could never find anything else comparable.

Tsutsumi was surprised to see that when he arrived at the starting point, ready for another run, a car was already parked there, like it's waiting for him.

Even in the darkness of the night, Tsutsumi saw from the lights that it was a Roadster RF. A car he really liked as well. But it didn't look particularly special. It did actually make Tsutsumi pretty intrigued.

Especially when his phone sent a notification from the Geo Timer application, showing who the driver of that white Roadster was.

"TowaWaki39?" Tsutsumi read the name out loud, and found it pretty amusing.

Tsutsumi was really pumped seeing who the driver in front of him was. He had been wondering who the drivers on the leaderboard were. Another rear wheel drive Mazda that didn't seem all that special, but was 2nd place on the leaderboard until he came along. He felt they do have some synergy.

Tsutsumi was looking forward more to 'Gunma Wolf', but it seemed he didn't turn up often, so the 3rd place would be a nice consolation prize.

Towa got more and more nervous as the countdown for the start ticked down closer to zero.

The new exhaust made it so that instead of quiet hum even at high revs, the Roadster actually had a bit of a roar in it. It did make it more exciting. Still, it couldn't really compare to the noise of the Rotary engine in Kanemaru's RX-8. It's a really unique sound, buzzing and high pitched. It's also really REALLY LOUD. The RX-8 was so noisy that Towa wondered how it passed inspection.

When the countdown actually reached zero, Towa's heart nearly stopped.

The two cars launched away. Despite being more than a decade apart and wildly different powertrain setup. It was immediately clear that the acceleration was closely matched.

Instead of focusing on the car behind, on the first run, Towa had to focus on regaining his confidence in driving. It's not been long, but that was enough for him to have to readjust.

It was not like Towa lost all of his speed, not at all. It's around a month and a half. And he had driven this route so often that it became second nature, even if not to Mizuho level. It was just that Tsutsumi was much more used to the course, even if he had his hiatus as well.

In the first, high speed corner, Towa was still slightly nervous, so he lifted a bit more than he'd have done usually. That resulted in an unexpected bump from behind.

Towa was startled, he didn't expect Tsutsumi to immediately bump into him like that. He was pretty pissed off with that. He just had a reminder as to why Mizuho said Tsutsumi was not well liked.

Tsutsumi was not exactly bumping into Towa deliberately for him to lose control, he just didn't have much awareness. He's the sort of driver who's really fast on his own, but if there's a car in his way, he'd push it out of his way by instinct, because he was still maintaining the pace as if he was alone.

The second corner, and again, Towa was slowing down more than he should've. And he was fully bracing for Tsutsumi to bump into him again, but it didn't happen. Tsutsumi kept some distance, no matter how miniscule, because he had time to adjust now.

Towa breathed in and out, trying to find his rhythm again, the third corner was a lower speed hairpin right immediately after the previous. Towa could feel the right braking point again, and was amazed by how much easier it was to judge.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Not only because the brakes were much bigger, no. The big brakes did not make the Roadster stop any faster, because the limitation of the braking system in any car was with the tires. However, the bigger brakes did make pedal modulation much more linear and controllable. That, combined with the superb grip of the Yokohama A052 tires, made it so that the white Roadster RF was able to brake much later than Towa was used to when he last had it.

That meant once Towa actually got the hang of it again, the Roadster actually pulled away from Tsutsumi's RX-8 in braking.

Also, it seemed that on the slower speed first section. The Roadster appeared to have more grip, as the corner speed on all parts of the corner, entry, mid, and exit, was higher.

Towa actually pulled a bit of a gap from Tsutsumi by the time he reached the technical section. The double left hand corner with a weave between them.

The initial left hand turn always felt terrifying even to someone of Towa's caliber. It tightened at the end leading to a slight left that could be cut through if you do it right, before getting into a braking zone with another slow speed left corner immediately after.

Towa wanted to use the usual line, sticking to the inside on the second left, but Tsutsumi didn't allow that. The RX-8 pushed into the back of the Roadster again, as Towa braked more than usual to aim for the proper line.

This really pissed off Towa so much, even if it wasn't his car. Although they were small pushes, it was still contact which was unnecessary on amateur mountain runnings.

Towa was thinking. This was not a GT3 race, it wasn't even a clubman cup, it was a fun, hobbyist thing where there's no prize at the end of the day. Why the fuck did Tsutsumi ever felt the need to push his competitor around?

Tsutsumi, meanwhile, felt that the driver of the Roadster was driving weirdly, but only because he was not really professionally trained, and never really cared about driving lines when racing on the mountain roads all that much. For him, the right line was the one that felt right at the time.

This was why Tsutsumi and people like Sunao were able to be so fast. The mountain roads were not about the perfect line, as you could never trust the same corner to have even vaguely the same level of grip twice.

With Towa, however, he was focusing mainly on the time attack line. He couldn't think of anything else at the moment, because he had the brain capacity only to keep it on the road.

The first acceleration zone approached, and nothing unexpected happened. The Roadster and the RX-8 somehow had similar acceleration both from stand still and at speed. The high speed left turn was also somehow about equal.

Despite the Roadster not having wings and splitter like the RX-8, the superb mechanical grip meant that it could go through that fast left corner at speed exceeding 110 km/h. Tsutsumi couldn't really catch up, but he wasn't losing ground either.

After the 2nd acceleration zone, the two cars pretty much had the same gap from the start. Neither could Towa pull away, nor could Tsutsumi close the gap.

Tsutsumi was getting more and more excited, while Towa's heart rate was almost through the roof. But the two acceleration zones did give him some time to calm down, and reflect on what was really happening.

Why did Mizuho tell him to remember this Roadster was not Towa's anymore? That was the question that cropped up again in Towa's mind. But before he could think of the answer, the braking zone for the 3rd acceleration zone leading to a mid-speed right turn was approaching, so he focused back on driving again.

After a slow hairpin left, leading to an acute right, it was the 4th acceleration zone, and somehow, the gap between the Roadster and the RX-8 tightens.

The next corner was the mid-speed right, before the wide left hairpin that's incredibly annoying to get through, as it seemed like a never ending corner if you get the entry wrong. If you do, the next right hairpin would also be compromised, as you can never tighten your line back to the left for it again.

Towa got it wrong. On the transition from right turn to the left, Towa lifted slightly too much and got the braking wrong. He was greeted by a sudden snap of the tail end of the Roadster. He had to slow down in order to not spin out.

On that wide hairpin left, Tsutsumi closed the gap by quite a margin, enough for it to be a win. Had he not been too greedy.

Tsutsumi immediately tried to go round the outside of the wide hairpin, as there was space there and he kept his momentum up. Towa thought that was absolutely insane, but impossible to actually go through. Truth was, Tsutsumi didn't care. If there was a gap that existed, he'd go for it no matter what.

In another life, Tsutsumi Kanemaru would probably make a great racing driver.

Had it been another racer, had it not been Towa Wakisaka. Tsutsumi Kanemaru probably would've scared that person enough to go through, but Towa was not a fool.

That attempt woke up something in Towa.

Towa thought that 'The Intimidator' was just a bully. A guy who thought he could push his way through no matter what. It irked him so much that he wanted to win no matter what.

Towa didn't give a shit anymore if Tsutsumi wouldn't brake. He turned the Roadster in to block the inside line. If they crash, so be it.

Tsutsumi was crazy, but he wasn't suicidal. Once he saw that the door closed on him, he backed off.

With that one move, Towa realized something that Mizuho told him before the start.

An eye for an eye. If Tsutsumi was going to drive without regard for others, Towa didn't have to either. With that realization, came a second one as he was driving back to the starting point, having maintained the same gap so the first run was a draw.

The Roadster was not Towa's car anymore. If he was actually ever becoming a racing driver, it'd be the same situation as he was in right now.

It meant Towa didn't have to take care of this car like it was his baby. All cars are objects. They are impermanent. One day, even this object of desire for so many would be reduced to a pile of scrap.

Towa didn't think in such an eloquent way though. He was so angry at Tsutsumi's driving that he had quite a change of mind. Towa thought Mizuho was loaded, if this car was damaged in anyway the fucking guy who made him race this mad man could pay for damage.

The two cars returned up the mountain, with position swapped. Tsutsumi was to lead, and Towa would follow.

Now, instead of being nervous, Towa was mega pissed off. It was not ideal in any way, but it was a better emotion to have for going racing.

The Roadster and the RX-8 revved up as the countdown ticked away. 5 4 3 2 1. They launched with the same eagerness as the first run.

Now that Tsutsumi was leading, he wanted to run away. He believed he could run in time attack style as there was no more car in front to slow him down.

It was also time for Towa to observe, even if he didn't really want to look at that battered and bruised RX-8. One that was clearly not cared for by its owner. It was merely a tool. It irked Towa even more thinking about it.

For Towa, all machines are more than that. While you shouldn't get too attached to them, a good care would make it last longer, for more people to enjoy. A person like Tsutsumi went too far in the other direction.

Towa thought it was interesting that the RX-8 had similar lines to Sunao's GR Yaris, even if he was sure they didn't know each other. It was a line that took emphasis on finding the most amount of grip in the ever changing road surface. And while Sunao learnt it from Tokuro Fukumi, Tsutsumi learnt it all by himself.

That's admirable, but it didn't mean Towa had respect for him.

In the first few corners, Towa threw the Roadster in much, much harder than he ever did. He couldn't really focus on it the first run because he was merely keeping it on the road. But now that he could actually stop and think, he really appreciated the changes.

The front end was, indeed, very sharp. The Roadster now rotated incredibly, but as long as Towa had confidence, steered back to maintain the car trajectory and didn't lift off. It's almost impossible for this car to lose speed.

It's amazing, the way the white Roadster now felt. Towa didn't feel like he was driving at all. It was almost like he let the car guide his way through the course. A flick of the steering wheel, countering back slightly as the rear lost grip. The Roadster moved through the corner at a slight angle which didn't overwhelm the tires, nor was it wasting time.

While Tsutsumi's RX-8 was indeed very fast, it was nothing compared to the Roadster right now with Towa driving.

Towa was getting closer and closer with every low speed corner. Because the cornering grip of the Roadster was so high and Towa was willing to go full attack. He didn't have to think about the line anymore. It was ingrained. The feeling of weight transfer, the feeling of the sidewall of the front tires giving in, the feeling on the hip of the rear end swing. Everything was ingrained.

That run might not be the best Towa had ever done on the Fruits Line. It certainly was the one that made him certain. No matter what the next challenge was, bring it on.

By the first acceleration zone, the Roadster was sticking right to the back of the RX-8, and for the first time since he'd started racing, Tsutsumi had met his match. Suddenly, he was the nervous one.

Towa didn't care to put the pressure on, he was just focusing on his driving. It was very much obvious that the Roadster was much faster than the RX-8 at this point.

By the 2nd acceleration zone, Towa was still sticking to the back of the RX-8 like glue. He even started pushing the back bumper of it, bumping slightly, just like Tsutsumi did.

Tsutsumi was maintaining composure, but his driving was more sloppy as he couldn't focus on the run. Despite trying his hardest, the bright headlamps were still shining through to the rear view mirror.

At the end of the acceleration zone, Towa spotted a gap.

Despite feeling like it was way too late for him to brake, Towa lunged in, and he dived right to the inside without caring if Tsutsumi would turn in on him or not. It's the same tactic as what Tsutsumi use quite a lot, now he will get a taste of his own medicine.

The Roadster got up alongside with the RX-8, but both cars lost a lot of speed on that slow, left corner. The next tightening radius right hairpin was approaching though, and Towa had already set up a trap.

Towa braked earlier than Tsutsumi, who was pushing hard in order to stay out front, but he was on the wrong line. Towa on the other hand, immediately dived into the inside of the corner, which was left wide open. Forcing Tsutsumi to brake in order to not crash into the cable barrier on the outside of the corner exit.

Overtaking on the mountain runs may be difficult, but never impossible.

With that, Towa won the race immediately.

Yet, he didn't slow down. He kept pushing hard until the end of the course.

Towa couldn't stop driving, not really. No matter how much he tried to lie to himself.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

The white Roadster RF drove back to Oshito FamilyMart, where the white old Probox was still parked there. Mizuho was leaning on the Probox, he didn't seem to be excited or elated. He just appeared content.

"Well done. I guess it was after the straight. Considering the time." Mizuho said, and he was completely correct.

"You've been keeping an eye on the time?" Towa asked, even if it wasn't really unexpected.

"Yeah."

Towa seemed like he wanted to say something, but he was hesitant. Then he decided that he needed to say what he was thinking to Mizuho.

"Thank you."

Towa said, with a bow, which made Mizuho jump with surprise.

"Hey now, what for?" Mizuho asked as he felt it was awkward for Towa to be so formal and grateful.

"For everything you've taught me. For every opportunity you've given me. For igniting my love for driving. I truly meant it. Thank you." Towa explained gladly. He was almost crying.

Mizuho chuckled.

"No. Thank YOU." said Mizuho, which made Towa surprised.

"Eh? Why?" Towa asked, like he didn't believe what he heard.

"I dunno... I just felt like saying it."

That did make Towa laugh, because he thought Mizuho was joking with him, and he was also pretty elated at the moment so it came out unexpectedly.

"No, really." Mizuho gathered his thoughts, "I have to thank you too. Your driving made my year. I never thought I'd care about it again. That's..."

Mizuho was saying, but then he couldn't continue on. He couldn't put into words how he was actually feeling at the moment.

Even if Mizuho failed the endeavor he set off when he was younger. Towa was now there to take on the baton, even if it was perhaps quite late.

Being great at something is an awesome feeling, but being able to impart that greatness to others, now that's something else.

Maybe this was why Mizuho admired his seniors. People like Koichi Sasagawa and Koshi Uchiyama. And his teacher, the late Kenji Kumamoto.

Mizuho never thought he'd be able to do the same at all.

"But now..." Towa suddenly said, "I need you to fulfill your end of the bargain."

Mizuho stopped for a moment, as he'd forgotten what he promised to Towa, but then he remembered.

"Oh, yeah. Meet me here again at 5.30 AM. You can go back to sleep, but please turn up." Mizuho instructed, but it made Towa curious.

"Why so early?" Towa asked with his eyebrows raised.

"You want to see the best run? 5.30 AM is the time."

Towa didn't really understand why, but he wasn't going to decline.