Dawn breaks over the Sea of Japan. As the shadows retreat back to the mountains in the east, the coast comes alive with a vivacious energy. The locals wake up to fresh food in the markets and clear skies surrounding; it will take time for the inevitable wave of tourists to reach this little corner of the country, so for the moment, they have it all to themselves.
And so, one more jubilant day of the Golden Week begins.
“Good, I beat the lunch rush. Should be a pretty quick drive!”
One ‘tourist,’ of course, has beaten the lot of them here already. But she’s got more on the mind than just pleasure—after all, today is just the beginning of her whirlwind tour. In Kanazawa today, then tomorrow in Gifu on the outskirts of Nagoya, Reina’s keen eye and business savvy will be put to the ultimate test: a pitch to two pivotal business partners, one more jaded than the other. The Star Rider project hangs in the balance of her work today...
But though the nerves still linger in her heart, she doesn’t feel quite so powerless anymore. Perhaps that’s what it means to believe in yourself.
I’m sailing away... Set an open course for the virgin sea...
The next song comes up on the CD—a classic from Styx. Reina’s glad she brought so many albums on her trip; the guitars and synths keep her company on the long, long road.
‘Cause I’ve got to be free—free to face the life that’s ahead of me...
The melancholy piano does prompt her to reflect a bit, surrounded by a tunnel of neutral grays. She’s a long, long way from home, embarking on a journey with an uncertain outcome... The future is waiting for her, but she has to get there first.
...But there’s a light at the end of this tunnel, and there always will be. She’s come too far to doubt herself now; she can only go forward. All she needs to do is trust in herself—trust in the faith everybody at home placed in her—and take her best shot. The future dazzles her eyes...and in time, she knows she’ll make it there.
But we’ll try, best that we can...
“Yeah...!”
...To carry on!
The Road Runner comes roaring out of the tunnel like a shooting star, and into a slice of Hokuriku paradise. Trees sway in the salty ocean wind, ripples spreading up the steep mountain edges. The road darts in and out of the mountains as it bridges the jagged coast, taking her by land one minute and over sea the next. It’s the perfect way to cap off her long road to Kanazawa...
And just in time, the song hits its stride. That chorus just hits different here.
Come sail away, come sail away, come sailing away with me!
“Heh heh... Maybe I will.”
She knows how the song goes—in time, the boat sheds its sails and blossoms into a rocket ship, charting a course to the stars. The abrupt switch to synth pads and ethereal-sounding flutes changes the atmosphere inside the car with it...just in time for another tunnel coming up.
“...Yeah. I gotta give her a good tunnel rev at least once. I can’t not.” There’s no better time, she thinks. The sense of adventure provides her the perfect backing beat as the coming darkness widens her eyes. She flicks the Road Runner’s headlights on, rolls the window down and lets the music take her.
“Sing for me!”
*VRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMM!*
Reina goes sailing into the dark, the 611 in full song. Every car sharing the tunnel is treated to a performance they couldn’t have seen coming—some awestruck, some perplexed, some stunned into utter silence. There’s just nothing like it.
(She’s still got it...!)
The tunnels just never last long enough. Those precious seconds of power vanish into the air just as soon as they arrive; in another few moments, the Road Runner will settle back down into its usual thrum like nothing ever happened. But it’s still worth every ounce of effort, Reina thinks. That’s the kinda stuff gearheads live for.
Reina comes out the other side of the tunnel just in time for the song to revert back to its jolly chorus. There’s not much seaside cruising left today—she’s making good time to Kanazawa, and the road is beginning to pull away from the ocean on approach to the city. Styx will serenade her for a little while longer, but after that, she’s on her own.
She takes a deep breath, and fights her nerves with a collected smile.
“I’ve got this.”
Undaunted, Reina cruises on...
***
Kanazawa is so close to everything, yet so far all the same. As the crow flies, it sits not 100 miles from Nagoya, Japan’s automotive mecca...but where Nagoya and other nearby cities expanded into behemoth urban jungles, the Hokuriku region on the other side of the mountains resisted the cosmopolitan boom. The bullet train doesn’t reach here yet, and the roads crossing the narrow gaps in the mountains can’t bridge the divide on their own. That’s not to say Hokuriku is an industrial slouch; it simply takes things at its own pace, offering an interesting blend of new growth and old-school cultural character.
...One firebrand in particular embodies that anachronistic blend very well.
“Ahhh...! Nothing beats a good ride.”
Tetsukura Chassis is hardly a household name in this little corner of Kanazawa, but the locals can instantly recognize the deep grumble of that ‘98 DragStar. It belongs to the scion of the shop, born and bred on these bustling streets but never sticking to the beaten path.
No, Akane Tetsukura does things her own way.
“Sun on my back, wind through my hair... Hell yeah. Wouldn’t trade this for anything.”
With a faint squeak, her well-aged bike comes trundling to a halt at the light. You’d expect a girl her age to ride around in something more sensible, like a Cub or a scooter—or just a car, really. You wouldn’t expect her to rock a fiery head of hair, either. But she’s not here to just fall in line; what’s the point in everyone being the same? As a vintage apologist and unabashed style nut, she salutes everything that bucks the trend, both old and new.
“Hm...?”
Something else is bucking the trend here...and it’s getting louder in the back of her ears. A vicious-sounding V8 that puts even her bike to shame. Everything else around her fades to a whisper, as if afraid to challenge what’s coming. She turns her head to see a shadow creeping along the ground...and a two-tone monster coming up to meet her.
“Whoooa, what are YOU?” Akane’s eyes widen as she hastily flips up her helmet visor.
“Old Dodge or something, I think? That styling is completely bonkers... I love it!”
She can’t decide where to look first. The car’s sharp contours and aggressive stance make it a complete and total outlier, almost reveling in the fact that it doesn’t belong. She’s seen old cars like these at the museum, but never has she had the pleasure of meeting one on the open road. She walks her bike up just a hair to get a better look at the front grill...
“Oh, it’s a Plymouth! Road Runner, GTX, maybe?”
Whatever it is, she’s loving how it looks. That front end with the oversized hood scoop screams vintage muscle—and to see a genuine article some 40 years later, still kicking on the streets, brings her no end of excitement.
“All that chrome is just nuts. Heavy as hell, but man, it looks good!”
The driver inside notices her ogling the car and flashes her a friendly wave, but Akane doesn’t even see it—she’s too distracted by the Road Runner and its quirks.
“That sound too... That’s an old-timey V8 for you. It sounds like it’s growling at me!” This car is really ticking all her boxes. Not to call her a muscle fanatic specifically, but in this sea of metallic grays and ho-hum, utilitarian cars, Akane feels like the oddballs on the road shine all the brighter to compensate. It’s like a museum exhibit come to life—a welcome break from the urban routine.
“Man, what a beauty...”
Not content to sit in the past, however, the Road Runner reminds her that all its bluster isn’t just for show. All her gawking left Akane completely oblivious to the light turning green, and before she knows it, the car is already rumbling away.
“Oh shoot, the light!” Akane briefly panics, and in her haste, she releases the clutch just a tad too quickly, her body jolting as the old cruiser stalls out. The red in her hair is now joined by a smattering of red on her face.
“Of all the...!” Akane hastily presses the start button, the discombobulated engine taking a second to gather itself before finally grumbling back to life. By the time she turns her head back up, though, the Road Runner has already left her in the dust—and the cars behind her are getting impatient.
*HONK!*
“Dammit, I know!”
With a paradoxical mix of haste and caution, Akane gradually lets off the clutch this time, and manages to find first gear. The DragStar powers through the intersection at last; Akane decides to give it a little extra gas to make up for lost time...and to catch up with the old Road Runner. No exterior motives there, no, ma’am.
“Heeheehee... I wanna hear that thing at speed.”
The Yamaha dutifully flexes its muscle, bringing her back into the fray in pursuit of the Road Runner. Kanazawa blows by block by block, the two highway stars turning heads in their wake. In time, Akane draws even with the car again—and with no traffic ahead of them, she can’t resist giving her bike a little rev as a greeting.
The Road Runner responds by nearly blowing out her eardrums.
“Holy—!” That V8 can roar. The tiniest blip of throttle sends shock waves through Akane’s body—she even swears the motorcycle wanted to fall over for a split-second. She’s never heard nor felt a motor like that before... It must be tuned something fierce, Akane thinks.
“Okay, that was more than I bargained for, hah! Touché.”
She wonders where that car’s headed. She’s never seen it around here before, so she reckons it must be from out of town; that prompts her to hang back just a little bit. The license plate will tell her whence this beauty came...
“...Sapporo?”
Just as it dawns on her who this car belongs to, she sees the Road Runner pulling to the far side of the road—her side. Tetsukura Chassis is just up ahead, tucked just off the highway on a narrow little side street. Reina Aikawa is in the house, and Akane is stupefied.
“THAT’S her car?! I didn’t think she’d come all the way down here in that thing!”
On one hand, she really shouldn’t be surprised. She saw the schematics for the Star Rider project; she knows full well the cloth Reina’s cut from. She lives and breathes cars, so even in that car at that distance, the road trip is perfectly on brand for her.
On the other hand though, who does that?
“Well, alright then! Funny how the timing worked out: we can get right down to business!”
In tandem, their drives come to a close. The Road Runner put in a flawless performance on this leg of the trip, prompting a proud smile from Reina as she pulls up to the shop. She’ll make sure to give it only the best gas as a reward.
“Good girl! Took the whole drive to Kanazawa like a champ~”
She’s still got a long way to go—and she certainly has more planned for the old car—but that can wait for later. Right now, she’s gotta hold up her end of the bargain...and she gets no time to rest, as the chassis shop’s bright red biker girl comes rolling in behind her. She gracefully exits the Road Runner and watches as Akane joins her at the shop.
“Like my car, huh~?”
“Do I! That thing’s a beauty, but you really drove it all the way down here from Hokkaido?”
She shrugs. “It just felt like it’d be fun!”
“Well, hey, fair enough!”
Akane extends her hand and finally introduces herself. “Akane Tetsukura. Nice to finally meet you in person, Reina!”
“The pleasure’s mine!”
There’s something about the way Reina carries herself... Something about her unabashed confidence in herself, that will to defy conformity. But she doesn’t just break the mold for the sake of it alone; Akane can tell this is who she is at her core. And she revels in it.
(Man... She’s gorgeous.)
If their chance meeting on the road was any evidence, they’re gonna get along just fine.
“Wanna head on in? Pop should be ready and waiting.”
“Sure! Lead the way.”
Reina feels the anticipation washing over her. She’s finally here...and once she walks through these doors, she’ll unlock a fragment of a past long sealed. If she can make this work, if she can bring it all with her into the future...
(You’ve got this Reina... It’ll all work out.)
Time to get down to business.
***
Tetsukura Chassis does not overstate itself. At first glance, it bears the same patina and plaster of any other shop in town...but there’s a rich history written in the walls here. For over thirty years, Akito Tetsukura has concocted specialty frames and bodies for a variety of projects—from parts contracts with big name brands to one-off designs for diehard adrenaline junkies. His work spans the gamut of the automotive industry; it’s no surprise that he caught Clara’s eye as well.
“Ooh, this is really cool...” Akane welcomes Reina to the shop floor, where frames and chassis aplenty line the room.
“Right? Pop really loves his sports cars.”
“No wonder Grandma picked you guys for the project. You really know your stuff!”
One might understandably question what this shop is doing here, rather than down south with the rest of the hustle and bustle. Akito wouldn’t deny that Nagoya was more lucrative when he set up shop there...but as a Kanazawa boy born and bred, he didn’t want to raise his one and only daughter anywhere else. Nagoya just wasn’t for him.
It says something, then, that his customers followed him to the north when he moved his shop back home. Their loyalty speaks volumes.
“Good, there he is.” Her father is, as usual, glued to the shop workbench, poring over the computer screen to try and dial in a model just right. It takes a lot to break him out of his trance, but Akane knows how to get his attention: he responds well to knocking on the wall.
“Heya, Pop!”
“Oh, Akane! I was wondering where you were, Reina should be here any—“
He lifts his head up, and his voice abruptly stops.
“Moment~?”
For what feels like an eternity, Akito can’t find any words to say. He is overcome by memories from a bygone age—when his old friend would visit to conduct mad science together. In Reina, Akito sees a mesmerizing blend of past and future both...
(Well, I’ll be...)
She looks just like her.
“Reina Aikawa!” Finally his body leaps into action as he extends his hand for a long-awaited shake. It’s so good to put a face to the name.
“Thank you for having me, Mr. Tetsukura.”
“Akito works just fine. Aikawas get first-name privilege here at the shop.”
“Well, damn, at least put up some resistance, Pop.”
“Says the girl who fell head over heels for my car!”
“Hey!”
“Hah!” Akito’s jolly guffaw echoes off the walls. “See, you’re fittin’ right in already.”
(She really does remind me of her grandma.)
There’s no real meeting room here at the company, so the shop floor will have to do. Akito’s got just enough chairs for everyone.
“So I think you know more about this project’s history than I do... I’m only now learning about what Clara had planned. But she was in talks with you for a while, wasn’t she?”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. I’m sure you sorta knew already, but your grandma and I went waaay back.”
“So I’ve heard...” Reina’s curious to fill in those blanks.
“She’s sorta what made you start your own place, wasn’t she?”
“Sure was. I was workin’ as a designer at Nissan at the time... Always felt like I wanted to run my own shop, design my own stuff, but I was broke and the corporate gig paid well.”
“Then I started hearin’ about these Pocket engines some folks were rockin’ in their project cars. Came from some shop up north I never heard of...”
“Ohhh...”
“Yeah, that led me down the rabbit hole. Friend of a friend had a car with an Aikawa motor in it, and he had me doin’ work on it. Got real familiar with how they ticked. That sorta became my side hustle, workin’ on street cars outta my garage.”
“Eventually they got me hooked up with Clara herself, and she and I got along real well. I was on the fence about quittin’ the office job, but man, she knew how to talk to people. Cut me a deal that she’d help me on my feet if I opened up my own place...so I did!”
Akito smiles longingly just thinking about those days. Clara really did give him the push he needed to walk his own path in life—much like she did to her own granddaughter.
“She’d ship all kinds of crazy stuff down to me for body work, suspension, all that jazz—and I loved it. I had a blast workin’ on the stuff she was cookin’ up.”
“Eventually I moved back to Kanazawa, bought this new place, had a lovely little daughter...and now here we are.”
For some reason she can’t explain, Reina feels like she’s already known Akito for years. It’s like she picked up right where her grandmother left off—and that twinkle in his eye is evidence enough that he sees her as Clara’s successor.
And then there’s Akane... Reina feels like she has a special role to play as well.
“No wonder she picked you for the project back then—you sound like a perfect fit.”
“We were both lookin’ forward to it. But, well...just wasn’t meant to happen back then.” His face briefly sours with resignation. Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve... Hindsight reveals so many what-ifs in the way things went.
“I remember there was a date in the big book Grandma left behind. Was she really working on it all the way back in the 90s?”
“Oh, yeah. She’d been talking about it even earlier than that—we were goin’ back and forth about what it’d be like to put out her own car. Just wasn’t until ‘98, ‘99 or so that she really got serious.”
Akane faintly remembers an eccentric old fox from Sapporo coming down to visit when she was little... Back then, Reina only knew that Clara was going on a lot of trips—she never knew where until now.
“While she was workin’ on the motors, she sent me her mockups for the design and had me go to work. We actually got pretty far, all things considered—she even put a deposit down so I could start orderin’ materials.”
“But it took us a whole ton of time to really get the design right—she was crazy specific about what she wanted and how it was supposed to be built.”
“And then she started slowin’ down...”
“Yeah...”
Her diagnosis made Clara reevaluate the entire project. She was in her 70s, and it was becoming increasingly apparent that she didn’t have the time to finish her magnum opus. Akito remembers that her approach all but turned on a dime: after going full speed ahead on design and research, she put that all on pause and focused her efforts on documenting everything she knew on the project thus far.
In hindsight, it was the most important work she ever did.
“She told me to just keep that deposit lyin’ around for when the time came... I think she knew you were gonna pick up the pieces eventually.”
“That’s the impression I got...” Reina feels it all weighing down on her heart. “That huge encyclopedia is just about the best thing she could’ve left for me.”
“I had no idea she was already paying, though. Do you still have that deposit?”
“You bet I do! I’ve kept it tucked away, just like she asked.”
“I thought about investin’ it somewhere, but after ‘08? Phew! I’m thankful I didn’t.”
“Yeah, you dodged a bullet there!”
“It’s nice to have, for sure. ‘Fraid it’s not quite enough to cover a whole prototype build, though. I’d give ya a discount if I could, but we still gotta buy the raw materials somehow, and what we have now doesn’t add up yet.”
Reina figured that was the case. There’s a lot that goes into all this—not just the materials, but the labor to bring it together as well. She wouldn’t want to cut Tetsukura a bad deal just to get her own ambitions off the ground...
But if she makes things work the way she envisions, she might not have to.
“Well, I’ll take care of that as best I can. I don’t have much on my end, but what I do have is a contact—and after talking to him, he’s willing to hear me out and let me give him my pitch. If all goes well, that might give us the budget we need.”
“So you’re goin’ with outside help after all?”
“Yeah... It’d be nice if I could fund it all in-house like Clara planned, but the way things are now, that’s just not in the cards anymore.”
“Yup... That’s just how it is.”
Sobering though the arrangement may be, though, Reina’s determined to make it work. Akito sees that familiar spirit shining in her eyes as she dons a collected smile, confident in her new approach.
“We’ve got momentum on our side, though. I’ve got my pitch ready for him, and I think he’s really gonna like it. There is a market out there for this kind of car—all I have to do is just show him where it is.”
“So trust me when I say that I’ll make it work. You give me the time, and I’ll give you everything you need!”
“That’s the spirit!”
Reina brings a unique aura to the table—a different note from Clara, but still part of the same scale. Akito feels like the project is in good hands with her behind the wheel...and if she’s confident they can succeed, then so is he.
In fact, Akito believes there’s no better time than now to raise this project from the grave. There’s one more bright-eyed young heiress to join her.
“I think things have a funny way of working out... You’re here to carry on in Clara’s stead, and I’ve got my own successor too.” Akito wraps his arm across his daughter’s shoulders.
“You believe me when I say that Akane here is like a younger, brighter little me. She’s got a real knack for design, and she’s damn good at all the tech-y computer stuff that my old noggin just can’t keep up with.”
“Aww, Pop! Heehee.”
Reina and Akito have both seen for themselves how energetic Akane can be—and with her fascination for anything and everything vintage, she gets to go as wild as she could ever want. Of all the people who could style and design the prototype, there might not be a better fit in the country than this young firebrand.
“I tell ya, this project was made for her, and she’s been chompin’ at the bit to work on it ever since I first told her.”
“So that’s my proposition to you, Reina: you let her work on this and she’ll do you right.”
“Well, that sounds like as good a plan as any!”
“Alright!”
Of course, Akane’s already been working on this project ever since she heard through the grapevine that it was starting back up. But sometimes, it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
“So, want me to give you a rundown on what we’ve done so far? Ever since we got the call, we’ve been chipping away at your schematics.”
“That’d be great, thanks!”
“Heh heh. You wanna take it from here, Akane? You were always better with the newfangled computer stuff.”
“It’s not that bad, Pop!” Akane guffaws. Her old man is just steeped in his ways.
“But sure. Come on over and take a look!”
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Father and daughter illustrate the shop’s evolving approach. In the olden days before computers and simulations were readily available, Akito did just about everything in analog. That was how they did it at Nissan, and he didn’t feel the need to go fixing what wasn’t broken.
Akane has a much different perspective on things. She loves the digital world as a tool for her job, being able to craft and pre-produce anything she needs—it helps a ton for cutting out the trial and error of it all. It helps drive cars ever closer to the peak of efficiency and optimization, ironing out every last imperfection with surgical accuracy.
...But by that same token, Akane appreciates when designers are willing to break the rules in the pursuit of a more unique purpose. Every big company wants to make the “perfect” car, launching luxury brands and self-indulgent prototypes aplenty...but to her, they’re all just inching closer and closer to that same goal—and becoming the same flavor of thing in the process. In a world where seemingly every car wants to meet some nebulous measure of perfection, she appreciates a car that has no qualms about what it wants to be.
And that brings her to the Star Rider...
“Right! So how we used to do things was, Pop would hand-draw these giant blueprints, and that was how we’d design and build frames. That was originally how the prototype was gonna be built, but now that we’ve got more tech and more software, we’re modernizing that process to match. The main thing I’ve been doing so far is digitizing the sketch and Pop’s blueprints so that we all have it digital.”
“Right, that makes sense! I saw tons and tons of sketches in the big book Grandma left.”
“Yup! Those are part of it. We’ve actually got copies of those on our end. Here, take a look!”
Akane passes Reina a stack of well-aged papers, consisting of both Clara’s original sketches and Akito’s own rebuttals. They went back and forth on the design process a lot, it seems.
“Oooh...! There are way more of these than I saw in the book! Looks like they’re all sorta combined in waves—and these ones look like they were drawn differently. Did Akito do these ones?”
“Yup, yup! I remember Pop would come home real tired sometimes.”
“I won’t deny it. I was burnin’ the midnight oil back in the day.” It was very difficult to get the design exactly right—there were some principles that Clara completely refused to compromise on.
“I’m too old for that now, though. All the more reason why I’m happy you’re pickin’ up the slack now, heh heh!”
“Riiight, just dump all the work on your poor, college student daughter. You’re just such a good dad!”
“Damn straight!”
Without missing a beat, Akane gets to work pulling up their software. The computer fans kick into gear as the system visibly struggles to load a massive project file.
“Aaaaand...there! This is my digitization of the Star Rider! WIP, of course.”
“Whoa...!”
It’s impressive how well Akane was able to translate Clara and Akito’s mockups—and unlike the original blueprints, her draft has every conceivable angle covered. Meticulous to a fault, Akane’s rendition of the Star Rider serves as a valuable stepping stone on the road to a proof of concept.
“It looks really close to the blueprints!”
“You bet it does! One look at the old blueprints and I was in love with the styling. I wanted to preserve that as much as possible.”
It looks like a strange blend of old-school muscle and futuristic curves—equal parts style and substance. The frame bears noticeable improvements in aerodynamics over the big, boxy designs of the 60s, but it still looks unmistakably muscular, the family resemblance omnipresent throughout. Underneath that frame is the very best chassis Tetsukura can offer—the magnum opus of Akito’s designs.
“So I remember one of the things Grandma was really insistent about in the book was, she wanted the car to be as easy to maintain as possible. Tons of modern cars have really obnoxious fittings or specialty parts or other stuff that just makes servicing a nightmare.”
“Mhm...” Akane nods. “Yeah, I’ll admit, it was tough getting that balance right—especially since engines themselves aren’t really my wheelhouse.”
“Well, they are mine, so I’d be happy to fill in those gaps.” Reina gives the 3D model a good, long look. She worked with a program like this at university herself—and it gives her some ideas on how to execute
“What I wanna do is, if this is possible: I want to get a rough model of the engine itself in this car, so that we can simulate repairing and maintaining it. Y’know, oil, filters, spark plugs, stuff like that.”
“Okay! Yeah, that... I think if I have a good reference to work with, I can see about working on that. Can’t make any guarantees, that’d be a tall order, but I see what you’re getting at.”
“Yeah. And if you have a rough model engine in there, that would help you figure out the balance better—like if you know what needs to be accessible where, that kinda thing. The design should keep headaches and repair costs low.”
“Yup, I getcha! And then once we get all that ironed out, the other two configs should be easier to work with. I haven’t really done much work on those yet, but having that reference would help a lot.”
Akane can’t deny she feels slightly out of her depth when it comes to the mechanical nitty gritty...but that’s what Reina is here for. The two of them can fill the gaps in the other’s expertise—and in the process, they can refine the build more and more until it finally comes time to bring it to life.
“Actually, could you do me a favor? Having this 3D mockup would be great for my pitch tomorrow, so if you could just render a few images and get that to me, that’d be nice.”
“Oh, certainly!” The two exchange their emails.
“And I’ve used modeling programs like this in my uni courses, so I think it might be easier if I helped you with the engine modeling instead of you doing it all yourself. I’m still working on the new engine we’re using for this car, but once it’s done, I should be able to help out with the mockup.”
“That’d be perfect. I think you trying to send me a ton of images and have us play telephone design instead would just be a nightmare.”
“Agreed.”
So far, though, Reina likes the design that she sees. She does make her priorities known, but at the end of the day, this still has Clara’s own handwriting written all over it—and boy, does it show.
“The frame will still give it a rigid, muscle-y kinda feel, but we made sure it doesn’t handle like a giant brick. We’ve had this design on a number of restomods over the years, and our clients have all had really good things to say about it.”
“And we work with this suspension company down in Osaka. They’ll get you hooked up with a really nice kit for this build.”
“That’s good to know! I’ll have to hit them up for the prototype. That does make me wonder about the logistics of a bigger production run, though... I wanna make sure you and all our other suppliers would be able to handle a higher volume. The last thing I want is for us to get orders and not be able to fill them.”
“Well, that’s almost puttin’ the cart before the horse, I’d say, but yeah, if and when this gets off the ground, you’ll have to answer that down the line.” Akito adjusts himself in his chair, her question putting him deep in thought himself.
“...I can’t speak for any of the other companies you’re workin’ with, but when it comes to us, we’d need to change a fair bit. We make our pay off low volume, high price; we’re not the most equipped for big production runs.”
“I think we can definitely stand to go a little faster than we do now, though.”
“Oh, absolutely! We do get a lotta downtime here. It’s just been a while since we had a real consistent workflow like that.”
“But it’s not out of the question?”
Akito chuffs. “I’m not gonna commit one way or the other just yet...but I think if we hire on a few more guys and we have enough lead time, we’ll be able to keep up.”
“Just don’t go accidentally makin’ a smash hit or anything!”
“Oh, of course not, perish the thought!”
The plan is coming together. After scrutinizing the details, Reina and Akane are assured that they’re on the same page with the design language and the overall feel of the car. They’ve got time to iron out the kinks, as well—it’ll be months and months before they can even think about putting it together. But it’s excellent to have this first step done now; it’ll pay dividends by the time they’re ready to kick the rest of the plan into gear.
“Well, I think that should be all for now! I’ll be sure to keep in touch while I’m working on the new engine—and I’ll let you know what happens with Mr. Shibuya too.”
“Excellent! Thank you so much!”
“Thank YOU for all your hard work!”
It still hasn’t really dawned on Reina that the first big leg of her trip is already done. It went so smoothly that she didn’t feel stressed about it at all.
“So where’re you headed after this?”
“Well, that’s a good question. I was gonna head over to my hotel in Gifu...” Reina pulls out her phone to check the time. It’s still 2 in the afternoon.
“I’ve got some time to kill, though. I was thinking maybe I’d head over to the museum down in Komatsu.”
“Oh, that sounds fun! Pretty sure they’re open today, yeah.”
“It’s been a long, long time since I was last there... I’ve always wanted to go back.”
...That’s all Akane needs to get the gears turning in her head. It’s a slow day, there’s nobody else scheduled at the shop and she’s wanted an excuse to take a Golden Week trip to the museum. What better way to cap off the day than by taking a tour with her new friend?
“Whaddaya say, Pop? You mind letting me skip?”
“Nah, go right ahead! Y’know what, I’ve been wantin’ to head out there myself.”
“Ooh, you coming too?”
“Why not!” Akito’s happy to see Akane making a friend so quickly. That’s the tough part of standing out: by definition, you’re separated from the rest of the pack. Reina changes that for the better—she speaks the girl’s wavelength, and now she’s given her the perfect project to sink her teeth into.
And on top of that...
“Heehee. I see that look, Akane. You wanna take ride in the Road Runner, huh?”
“...Guilty as charged. Is that okay?”
“Sure, I don’t mind! It’s nice having someone to talk to on the way there.”
“I’ll bring up the rear, then—and I’ll take her back home once you two are done. Drive safe on the way there! Don’t go too hog wild.”
“Oh, we’ll be fine~”
Akito watches Reina and Akane take their leave, playfully chatting on their way out the door. Soon enough, he hears that familiar rumble piercing through the walls...and he can imagine the massive smile Akane must have on her face. Reina’s caught her hook, line and sinker—recruited the trailblazer to help her carve her own path in the world.
“I tell ya what... Reina feels a bit different from Clara. She does things in a different way.”
He briefly reflects on her visit before heading out himself.
“Back then, I always felt like I was workin’ for Clara...but Reina feels like I’m workin’ with her. I dunno if that’s just ‘cause she’s younger or what, but she brings her own vibe to this.”
Clara marched to the beat of her own drum—and make no mistake, Reina does too. But in the latter’s case, Akito feels like he’s having an easier time marching along with her... She was even willing to change her tempo just a tiny bit in order to bring them under her wing.
It’s not just Reina’s way or the highway... She convinces you to ride along with her, just like she did to Akane.
“...That might be what the whole thing needed all along.”
***
It’s a 45-minute drive to the museum...perhaps shorter if you don’t snitch. The Road Runner joins the waltz of traffic in Kanazawa as an outsider, a splotch of red that refuses to mix. It looks more like the flashy banners and advertisements than the ho-hum cars it shares the roads with—even though it’s hardly going out of its way to advertise itself at all.
Good, Akane thinks to herself. She’d take this car any day.
“Man, this thing runs real good for how old it is. You take good care of it!”
“Thank you! She’s handled this road trip really well. Can’t deny I was a little worried how it would handle the heat down here, but it’s been cool enough on the trip so far.”
“Yeah, it’s nice being on the sea. Pretty views too, huh?”
“Oh, were there ever! My drive this morning was absolutely stunning.”
“I’ll bet!”
Akane has plenty to be stunned by herself... She knows from experience how difficult it can be to break the mold, but Reina does it all like it’s second nature. She looks right at home behind the wheel of the Road Runner—not hanging on, not even efforted. She’s not driving this car because it makes her stands out; she drives it because this is where she fits in.
There’s something about that Akane really admires.
“You make it look so easy... I don’t think I could drive this thing myself. I have my hands full enough with my bike as is.”
“Aww, it’s not too bad! She’s pretty forgiving with the gears, actually—just as long as you don’t money shift.”
“Yeah, I’m not risking that.”
Akane briefly ruffles through her red hair—dyed, of course. She can see Reina’s colors are all natural, though.
“I think it’s really cool what you do, though... I mean, I stand out just for the sake of it—I dye my hair, I ride a big old bike, I go to the museum to look at classic cars... I just like being different for difference’s sake. I like standing out from everybody else.”
“But that’s not why you’re different, is it?”
“...You’re right. It really isn’t.” Reina turns and gives Akane a warm smile, catching a glimpse of the sea passing them by out the window.
“I’ve always been different, and I always will be—I never had the choice to be like everybody else. That just became more apparent as I got older.”
“And I did feel that pressure to fit in. I felt it all the time...but at some point, I realized that would only be lying to myself. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fitting in, but for me, I’d just be putting on a mask. Pretending to be someone I’m not.”
“If I’m going to be different no matter what, I might as well be true to myself too.”
“Ah...”
“That’s more important to me than anything else. I don’t do what I do just to be different. I don’t care whether I fit in or not.”
“This is just who I am, plain and simple.”
Akane had a feeling that was the case, but hearing it straight from the source instills a newfound respect in her. It can’t have been an easy thing to accept... Akane doesn’t know what it was like for Reina, having to come to terms with her place in life, but from what she sees in her now, she’s taking it all in stride with a confident smile. She’s mastered herself.
“And if that just happens to mean I stick out...” Reina shifts up, commanding the engine ever faster on the open highway. “Then I’ll stick out all I want.”
“Yeah...”
What does that make Akane herself, then...?
(Man... There’s no way I can compete with that.)
All her life, Akane’s listened to her friends, her classmates, her teachers, her superiors extol the virtues of fitting in, of leading a simple and unassuming life. But Akane never wanted that for herself... She wanted to break the mold and chart her own course in life, before she even figured out where to go in the first place.
But did she ever want that for herself, or was that just a spiteful reaction to the people around her? Was she justified in making that choice?
“Hm? You good?” Reina can’t help but notice Akane deep in thought.
“Oh, uh... Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“You sure? You looked like you were really hung up on something. I hope I didn’t drag down the mood too much, sorry...”
“No no, you’re good! It’s just...” Akane can’t stop herself before those first couple words come out. She nervously glances to the side, letting out a troubled sigh.
“It’s just... No wonder you look so natural: it fits who you are to a tee.”
“I put in so much effort, so much time into trying to be unique, but sometimes I feel like I’m just...fake. I made that my whole aesthetic without bothering to ask why—like I never had a good reason for chasing this kinda life to begin with. I just felt like it, and nothing else.”
“Nah, I don’t think you need any special reason. I think if I looked more normal, I would still want to be like this—and I wouldn’t need a ‘reason’ then, because that’s just the kind of person I want to be.”
“Like you, y’know?”
“True...but what’s stopping me from just being normal?”
“Well, you are. That’s just not who you wanna be.”
Is it really that simple? Akane’s started to feel like she needs a better reason than that. She chose to forsake that normalcy, that world she knew so well for something else entirely... Does that not need justification?
“I know this is easy for me to say, but don’t let other people stop you from living your life the way you want to. At the end of the day, what’s most important is that you feel comfortable in your own skin.”
“If that means dressing normal and leading a normal life? Great. If that means dyeing your hair, riding a badass bike and living by your own rules? That’s perfectly valid too. That’s who you are, and nobody has the right to shame you for that.”
“So I say, don’t be afraid to stand out. It’s a lot more fun that way.”
A simple deduction, but it’s exactly what Akane needed to hear. From one rebel to another, Reina gives Akane a lesson she learned well herself.
“Yeah... Thank you.”
“Now cheer up, yeah? We should be getting close to the museum.”
“Heh heh... Yeah, true. Almost there!”
It’s so nice to have the answer now. Reina remembers all that inner turmoil, her struggle to find her place—but she doesn’t have to worry about that any longer. She’s got her sights on the future, and she’s not looking back. And now, she’s got Akane right there with her.
Right on time, their next destination is coming up. The closer they get, the wider Reina’s smile grows.
“Left here, and then it’s straight ahead.”
“Good, there we go... Oh, man, I can’t believe I’m finally here!”
Perhaps it’s fitting that the Motorcar Museum of Japan lies off the beaten path—a tacit suggestion to get behind the wheel and drive there yourself, as the trains and buses will struggle to get you there. You’re rewarded for your efforts with the country’s largest general car museum, boasting makes and models from every corner of the world. The ornate construction outside belies a mechanical heart within, meticulously maintained and polished to a mirror sheen.
Given Reina was already in the area, this little detour is a no-brainer.
“Wow, this place is huge! I knew they had a big building out here, but this is awesome.”
“Yeah, it’s great. You’ve really never been here before, though? I would’ve thought a gearhead like you would’ve made it down here once or twice, at least!”
“Well...” Reina would rather not open that can of worms and risk making her feel bad. “Just never had the time for it before, really.”
“Fair.”
“No better time than now, though!”
She has no idea how right she is.
Reina, her new friend and her free-roaming museum exhibit find themselves a parking spot, with Akito inconspicuously bringing up the rear. This museum being dedicated to older cars, the Road Runner would fit right in...but alas, it won’t be seeing the museum floor any time soon. She likes to drive her classics—and the old Plymouth still has some pep left in its step yet.
“I’ve been waiting for YEARS to come here... This is gonna be so good!”
“Getting excited there?”
“You have NO idea~”
There’s a certain anticipation getting ready to spill over, an enthusiasm plain to see—so infectious, in fact, that Akane’s getting hyped up alongside her. This has been on Reina’s bucket list for a long, long time...and now, at last, the doors are open and waiting.
“Whoooa...!”
It’s everything she was hoping for and then some. Three whole floors of automotive history laid bare for her to see—from the greatest land yachts to the tiniest economy compacts, and from aerodynamic 80s coupes all the way back to the very birth of the automobile. Brands big and small have their own little cities here...though you can probably hazard a guess which ones Reina’s interested in the most.
That’s not to call her narrow-minded, of course—she takes her time absorbing every single sight and sound on her way through the building.
“No way, they’ve got a 2000GT! I’ve never seen one in person before—they look even better than I thought they would!”
“Ooh, got some old British cars here too, you never see these anymore!”
“Aww, and look at those cute little Beetles over there!”
“Ohh, man, I’m in heaven!”
Akane watches Reina gleefully take it all in like a kid in a candy shop, her eyes excitedly darting from car to car. Compared to her calm, collected demeanor from earlier in the day, she’s letting her excitement run wild as if she’s a completely different person...but all the same, Akane feels like this is exactly in-character for her. This is just who she is.
“Ya think she likes it, Akane?” Akito whispers with a hearty grin.
“Maybe.” She’s never heard anyone else pronounce the names so well.
Seeing all these vintage wheels on display proves it to Reina beyond a doubt: there’s just nothing better than seeing it all with your own two eyes. There’s no capturing the analog aura these cars exude—no amount of ink on film nor pixels on a computer screen can make them breathe in living color like this. They stand proud like mechanical time capsules, commanding Reina’s attention everywhere she goes.
“Oh, there’s the Ford section over there!”
Reina turns her head, and instantly her face alights. That’s not just any old Ford...
“Ohhh, and they’ve got a Mustang!”
Reina did not think it possible for her eyes to get any wider. Alongside the older offerings from Ford’s history stands a perfectly-preserved Mach 1, clad in Dearborn blue. She may be a Plymouth girl, but she has to concede that there’s no better brand for the museum than the model that kicked off the muscle car craze.
“Looks like ‘69 or ‘70... Man, what a nice find! I’m surprised they’ve got one here, they’re not that common anymore.”
“I’m definitely not complaining—the styling on these just screams American!”
“Oh, it screams alright. I’d love to take a peak under the hood, those old-school V8s are just so badass...!”
This one came with Ford’s more modest offering—only 6 liters of grumpy V8 power—but the aggressive styling, the behemoth front end and the sloping fastback give it the unmistakable image of a thoroughbred American bruiser.
“From what Grandma used to tell me, these things were everywhere back in the day. She would take trips to America every now and then, and there would just be Mustangs, Camaros, big V8 muscle cars all over the place.”
“Really? I knew they were popular, but I didn’t think they actually sold that many. I mean, who could afford a giant V8 back then?”
“Well, they just didn’t have as much stuff back then in general. No airbags, no ABS, no fuel injection, no air conditioning—it was pretty much just an engine with a bunch of steel covering it. But for better or worse, that made it pretty cheap.”
“That was all you needed to make buyers happy back in the day.”
“Huh... Guess so.”
Reina maneuvers her way to the side of the car, getting as close as she can and taking a peek inside. The interior radiates nostalgia.
“There’s something I appreciate about that—how power didn’t have to come at a premium. You could make a big, fast car without having to charge a ton for it...and that really stuck with people.”
“I kinda got that vibe when we were going over the Star Rider. Like, most V8s here come in big luxury sedans or something, but your car feels really stripped down in comparison.”
“Yeah, exactly. I feel like there’s a market out there that’s willing to lose a bell or whistle if it makes the car cheaper up front and cheaper to maintain. V8 doesn’t have to mean expensive—there’s a niche I think we can fill if we play our cards right.”
“All I have to do is beat the big three at their own game.”
“Y’know, just outcompete America! No pressure!”
“Nahhh, not at all!”
It all sounds a bit ridiculous when Reina says it out loud like that...but she wouldn’t be all the way down here if she didn’t think it could work. When it comes time to rest her resolve, she will hold her head high. This project has potential—perhaps even more now than it did in Clara’s time... She just has to believe in herself first, and the rest will follow.
It’s not quite time for that yet, though; for now, Reina has two whole floors left of the museum to gawk over.
“Oh, man, this is gonna be good...!”
Akane can’t help but chuckle. “Kid at heart, or just loves what she does...?”
Whatever the case, this is already the best vacation Reina’s ever had.
***
Time flies when you’re having fun. After a spirited tour of every floor and every corner, the building is coming up on closing time. Evening rays coat the museum floor in gold, the cars glimmering with a vim belying their age. As much as Reina would love to stay just a little longer, she knows she has to bow out.
“Thank you so much for coming here with me. I had a blast!”
“Hey, me too! And thanks for driving me—not every day I get to ride around in a giant muscle car that’s twice my age!”
“Heehee! Any time. I’d drive you back to Kanazawa, but I’ve gotta go down south instead.”
“Yeah, you’ve got that meeting in Gifu, right?” Akito will handle chauffeuring Akane back home. He had plenty of fun himself—even if the energetic girls ran circles around him.
“Yup. Got a big day tomorrow, so I wanna get in there early and get some good rest.”
“Well, safe travels to ya, and good luck tomorrow! You’ve got me fully on board, Reina. I know you’ve got this!”
“Thank you!” Reina and Akito shake hands in the evening glow.
“Oh! Just one last thing: where are you headed after that meeting?”
“I’ve got a couple days in Nagoya, one or two in Hamamatsu, and then I’m heading to this car meet they’ve got on Friday at Fuji Speedway!”
“Oh, nice! Pop and I are going there too!”
“Cool! It’ll be fun to see you there.”
“Yeah! Maybe we can do something in Nagoya too, since we’re making some extra stops on our way to Fuji. Wanna go ahead and share numbers real quick?”
“Sure!” Always nice to make new connections!
“Alright, thanks.”
Akane isn’t quite ready for the day to end—there’s still so much she wants to do. But Reina’s a woman on a mission, and she can’t slow her roll just yet. For the moment, the sun has to set on their time together.
“Well...”
“Yeah. It’s about time I get going.”
“Mhm... Go knock ‘em dead, Reina.” Akane bids her new friend farewell with a brief hug, sharing one more moment before their paths diverge. This isn’t goodbye for long, though... Akane’s already looking forward to the day they can meet up again.
“Drive safe!”
“You bet I will. Take care, you two!”
“See you later~!”
And with that, her first business day is done—a rousing success, to her relief. She’s convinced Tetsukura Chassis to bring the Star Rider project back from the grave, and just about inked a new contract with them in the process. One more big piece of the puzzle has finally fallen into place.
Now, as the sun comes down, and the future beckons to the south, Reina finds herself alone on her journey once more.
...Or does she?
“Yooo, check THIS thing out!”
“What even is it? Ply-mouth? It looks like it came straight out of the museum!”
“Kinda looks like an old Charger or something...”
“I mean, whatever it is, it looks bad-ASS!”
As it so happens, the Road Runner has attracted a small group of curious college students who were just leaving the museum themselves. Judging by their excitement, and the Mustang cap one of them is proudly wearing, they look to be fellow fans of American muscle—and they’re beyond hyped to see a classic example in the wild.
...Why not make their day? This might be the easiest marketing opportunity in the world.
“Evening, boys!”
Reina confidently slides the key in the door and unlocks it, sitting herself down on the big bench seat. The group barely has any time to register what she looks like before the door slams shut behind her.
“Wait, you’re shitting me. The driver’s a girl?”
“Yo, am I drunk or something? You saw that too?”
They hear the fuel pump buzz to life, the realization so sudden they don’t even have the time to feel excited. A pump and a half for good measure, and then...
*RRrrRRRRRMMMM!*
Confusion gives way to sheer shock and awe as the Road Runner bellows at the crowd. Reina looks in the rear-view mirror and sees them all jaws agape, stunned into silence by the overpowering aura the car exudes.
She can’t get enough of that reaction. It’s perfect.
The group disperses to let Reina back out of the space, awestruck all the while. Nothing they’ve ever seen nor heard compares. They find themselves almost magnetically drawn to the driver’s side door, eager to learn more about what kind of beast they’ve encountered. Reina happily rolls the window down to oblige them.
“That’s YOUR car?!”
“Sure is! Glad to see you like her~!”
“Man, they sound awesome. It’s so much better in person!”
“What’s that Aikawa thing, though?”
“That’s my family’s engine shop! We custom-made the motor for this car. I think she sounds pretty good!”
Reina can’t resist giving the group a little rev. Their overwhelmed reactions make her day.
“No shit?! That’s awesome!”
“Aww, man, I’ve always wanted a car like this! I’ve been saving up for a Mustang for years and years.”
“Well, save up a little longer and we might have something for you! Actually, let me...”
It’s good that Reina thought to pack these—she didn’t predict she’d have to use them for anything, but it always helps to have them on hand.
“Here you go!”
Reina passes her business card to the boy with the Mustang cap. The whole group gathers around him to read it, doing the convenient job of introducing her name for her. To them, she might as well have come straight out of a dream—this combination of character and car hardly seems real at all. But there’s an authenticity to her that they just can’t deny. This girl means business.
“Look out for us in the news, yeah? We’ve got big plans!”
“Oh, ah, thank you!” He’s almost too flustered to talk. “So where are you headed after this?”
“I’m going down to Gifu for a little business trip. I’ll be at the track day at Fuji next weekend though, if you’re heading there!”
“Well, uh...shit, we weren’t planning on it, but we might have to!”
“I’d be down!” They wanna be wherever she’s going.
“Well, see you around!”
“Drive safe!”
With a wave and a smile, Reina bids the group farewell. Her Bad Company CD picks up right where it left off, and the setting sun prompts her to don her trusty shades. She’s hundreds of miles away from home, but with one arm out the window and her finger tapping along to Run with the Pack on the steering wheel, you’d never be able to tell she’s out of her territory. She exudes a confidence like never before.
“Almost done for today...”
It’s two hours to Gifu, by which time the sun will have left her behind. Whatever tomorrow brings, Reina will have to face it head-on, with only her will and her spirit left to guide her on her path...
*BEEP!*
“Oh?”
...But if only for a moment, a new group of friends have come to ride along with her. The boys are heading home to Kyoto themselves, and they saw fit to catch up with her for a little drive together. An Impreza, a Civic and a worn old Lancer... They look so out of place beside the old Road Runner, but Reina knows these are still her people.
“Aww, thanks, guys... Heehee.”
Reina knows there’s probably no special reason for their joining her—they’re both headed the same way, and perhaps all they wanted was to hear that Road Runner in full song, serenading them on their way back home.
...Yet she can’t help but appreciate their company in a more symbolic way. There are people out there who enjoy these kinds of cars in the same way she does. There is a market for her brand of no-holds-barred performance. All she has to do is give them what they really want, and in turn, they’ll put wind in her sails as she carries on her journey.
And just what do they want?
(This.)
*VVRRRRMMMM!*
I’m runnin’ with the pack!
The trip to Gifu doesn’t feel as lonely anymore. The rowdy cars jockey for position alongside her, their engines trying their hardest to roar above the Road Runner’s tiger growl. Together they cruise down the highway, cutting through the mountain corridors in the fading light of the evening. Tunnels aplenty give them chances to flex their might to each other—though they all know they can’t hold a candle to that 611. Reina has them all beat.
You can’t hold me down... You can’t hold me back!
“Goin’ my own way—runnin’ with the pack!”
Time and miles fly by in tandem with Reina and her not-so-bad company. Only when east and west pull the road apart do they finally part ways, with one last rev to see each other off. Reina watches as their lights gradually fade in her rear-view mirror... Brief though their trip together was, brief as her time with Akane was, she leaves them all with a satisfied smile on her face.
“Almost there now...” *yaaawn* “I’m beat... Gotta get some good rest, and then tomorrow, it’s showtime.”
She might not have their company tomorrow... She’ll be in unfamiliar territory, faced with a daunting job to do. But today has given her a welcome confidence boost, an affirmation of this path she’s chosen. She controls her own destiny now—and after an age of drifting through dire straits, having that control over her path is a truly uplifting thing. It gives her the strength to keep on running.
“...Yeah. I can do this.”
Now, there’s a headwind blowing from the east... Time to see what she’s really made of.