Akane Tetsukura has never been to Sapporo. It’s hard to find a reason to, especially in these waning weeks of winter, when the drab grays still cover the shivering landscape. And if the snow and ice doesn’t shy visitors away, the sheer emptiness and isolation of Hokkaido deters just as well—not even the bullet train makes the island any smaller. In the end, Japan’s frozen north is just too far off the beaten path, a world away from the norm.
...Luckily, Akane Tetsukura never cared for normalcy.
“Been a while, huh, Pop?”
“Never at all in this weather... I only ever came up here when it was warmer. Still, just from looking around, it’s starting to come back to me.”
“Wonder if the shop looks any different?”
“Well, only one way to find out. Let’s get crackin’!”
She’s been looking forward to this for months. As soon as Reina gave her the green light, they hit the ground running with the prototype shell for the Star Rider. Months and months of blood, sweat and tears have finally led them here to Sapporo, where they will present their work to their waiting client. They’ve been watching the shipment closely, and they’ve just gotten word that it’s finally washed ashore in Otaru, just outside Sapporo. Not much longer now before it finally reaches the shop...
“I’m still surprised they opened their shop all the way up here to begin with—and that they’re still here, really.”
“I think if I remember right, Clara’s husband had family in the area—he might’ve been from here, originally. That’s why they moved back after they got married.”
“Ohhh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” It’s hard to find a place like home.
“You didn’t feel like joining them, though?”
“Nooo, no. Gets cold enough back home as is.”
“And thank you for that! I’d get to ride my bike what, two months a year up here?”
“Haha! To each their own. It worked for Clara, and that was all she needed.”
It’s been an age since Mr. Tetsukura last found himself on this road... The muscle memory is slowly coming back. Keep going, past the bridge, until you see the tiny little side street jutting out of the mountainside...
“Oh? Is this it?” Akane gets the memo when her father starts slowing down.
“Yup...” A nostalgic smile works across his face. “We’re here.”
For the very first time, Akane gets to see Aikawa Auto with her own two eyes. It’s every bit as bold as Reina herself—standing out for its own sake, paying no regard to the environment around it. It doesn’t fit in with any of the unassuming homes, businesses and apartment complexes in the neighborhood, and it doesn’t care to. It is what it is.
“Oh, she shoveled, hah!”
“Talk about rollin’ out the red carpet for us!”
These last few months have been slow and silent for the company—just biding their time, waiting for the day when it can all come together. Though winter isn’t ready to release its grip on the north yet, Akane can feel a certain warmth, an energy radiating from the shop’s red brick walls...like it knows the time is nigh.
And indeed, waiting somewhere in there is the beating heart of a monster.
“The hauler should be here in a few minutes. Let’s go ahead and park off to the side.”
“Yeah. Don’t wanna get in the way!”
Just as well they arrived when they did, because the one and only boss at the shop has been dying for something to do. Just as they park and step back out into the biting March wind, the garage door opens to welcome them to Aikawa Auto.
“Morning~!” Reina Aikawa greets them with a smile and a wave, trying not to let her sheer excitement for the day’s itinerary erode her calm exterior.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
“Oh, not a problem. I think it’ll be more than worth it! Come on in, looks like there’s still time before the trailer gets here.”
Reina decided to make herself a cup of hot chocolate to help pass the time. It does wonders on a cold morning like this. Expecting company, she offers Akane and her father a cup.
“Oh man, that looks so good. Thank you!”
“Yeah, I figured you might be cold. Hokkaido winters suck.”
“Tell me about it.”
Now that they’ve settled in—and now that they can feel their ears again—Akane and Mr. Tetsukura can take a quick look around the garage they’ve found themselves in. They feel like they’ve all but stepped into a time capsule: vintage tools, parts and memorabilia line the walls, telling a story decades in the making. Both sides of the Pacific come together to create an intriguing blend, accompanied by some of America’s greatest old hits playing loud and proud on the speakers.
“Gotta say, pretty nice place!”
“Thanks! It’s seen better days, but once our project gets rolling, I wanna dedicate some time to sprucing the place up. If all goes well, we’ll be pretty busy here!”
“I’ll bet. And speaking of...” Akane tries to spy the treasure buried somewhere inside the garage. “Mind showing me that fancy new engine you’ve got?”
Reina chuckles. “Right this way!”
Like with the old Road Runner back in the day, Reina’s kept the project veiled from the public at large—a surprise only to be unleashed when it’s well and truly ready. That air of secrecy makes Reina feel that much more excited about the whole thing... It’s just so much fun getting to work on something nobody else knows about yet.
These two, of course, have exclusive passes, leading them at Reina’s behest to a walled-off corner of the garage floor. A simple rolling chest or two and an inconspicuous layer of tarp are all they need to keep the waiting Outrunner under wraps. With a glint in her eye, Reina gets ready to raise the curtain...
“Aaalright.” The anticipation lingers in the air like a dense cloud of fog just waiting to lift.
“Here she is!”
“Whoooa!”
First impressions are very positive. This is no ordinary engine—not even by bombastic V8 standards. It’s Aikawa homebrew at its very finest, and Akane can see the craftsmanship evident in every last nook and cranny of the new-age 611. After seeing its crude 3D imitation all these months, finally feasting her eyes on it in person is a beautiful payoff.
“She looks awesome!”
“Wait until you hear how she sounds~”
“Well, you’ll need a nice car to go with it, eh?”
As if on cue, they hear the grumble of a diesel coming up the road—the transport. Now it’s time for Reina’s own big payoff: all the time, all the trust she put into her partnership with Tetsukura Chassis is finally bearing fruit.
“Right on time!”
Veiled in tarpaulin, the only hints at the car’s audacious exterior are subtle curves where the veil hugs the frame. It’s made its journey incognito from the docks at Kanazawa all the way here to the Aikawa garage. Until now, it’s only been spoken of in whispers...
Very soon now, it’ll speak for itself.
“Yup, there’s good!” Reina directs the transport where it needs to go, ready to release the car from its clutches. The snow breaks for just long enough to show her a clear, unspoiled scene as it comes off the trailer, the tires crunching on a thin layer of powder beneath.
“Man, I still can’t believe it... It’s here! It’s finally here!”
“And we made sure it was worth the wait!”
After ponying up for the service, Reina bids the transport farewell—though the driver wishes he could’ve stayed a little longer. He was dying to know what was under that tarp, in spite of the client’s request to keep it all under wraps.
But he’ll know plenty in the coming months. That much is certain.
“Well...?” Akane expectantly turns to Reina.
“Yeah.”
Her hands shiver, one part cold and two parts excitement. She feels like the moment she unveils the beast, she’ll be locked into this path, only ever looking forward until she shoots the moon or burns out trying. She’s passed the point of no return now—with the car, the engine and the mandate to bring this project to life.
...Bring it on, she says. She’s flying high no matter what.
“Here we go...!”
Slowly, with all the anticipation of a lifelong dream behind her, Reina unleashes the beast.
“Oh...my...God...!”
She can barely even process what she’s seeing. Really, she’s seen this exact thing so many times in 3D models and roughly-drawn mockups before, but to see it in the flesh, to reach out and touch it, gives her an indescribable release. It’s everything the Star Rider set out to be—bold, defiant, commanding attention everywhere it goes. Combining form with function in a way that’ll make it a beauty for the eyes and even better for the soul.
This is it. It’s go time.
“It’s perfect! Absolutely perfect! You did such an amazing job on this!”
“Haha! Glad you like it! Really, Pop did most of the work—I’m still learning the ropes with a lotta stuff.”
“Nah, don’t sell yourself short! I never could’ve done something like this myself!”
“Girl, you built an engine.”
Reina chuckles defeatedly. “Alright, fair.”
“Now let’s get it outta the cold! Sooner we can drop that engine in, the better.”
“You said it!”
Reina has to resist jumping inside and just ogling the interior for hours and hours on end; as validating as that would be, they have a job to do first. With effort, the team at the shop gets the full-size prototype through the open door and into the safety of the garage. They won’t have any customers to bother them as they get to work on the car—for just this one day, Aikawa Auto is closed to the outside world. The garage door slowly lowers behind them...and with that, it’s time for them to lock in and get busy.
“So yeah! I’d say the extra time to kit it out down at our shop paid off—we don’t have as much work to do here in exchange. If all goes well, it should be ready to drive by the end of the day!”
“Awesome! Yeah, the wait nearly killed me, but in the end, it was probably a lot more convenient than getting all those parts shipped up here instead.”
“Mmmhm. I think that’s the best way to go about this once we hit production, really.”
“Yeah, for convenience’s sake, it’d be easier to ship the engine down to Kanazawa instead of sending everything else up here. You’d just need to get good at installing the motor down there yourselves.”
“I think we can figure something out. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
“True, true. For now, we’ve gotta get this very first one on the road!”
With excitement palpable in the air, Reina and Akane dive into the integration, the supporting cast coming out of the woodwork to help them out. It is, understandably, a mammoth job—and they’ll need all hands on deck for this one. Reina quickly wheels out the waiting 611, while Mr. Tetsukura helps direct the rest of the team through the interior and exterior connections.
“Oh, you’ve got the documentation all ready, right?”
“Yup! Just like you asked.” Akane produces a stout notebook filled with the prototype’s specs and assembly instructions.
“Good! That’ll be a big help for when I start working on some of the supplemental stuff.”
“Ohhh, right, yeah, you kinda do need to make a manual for this whole thing.”
“I do—and I’ve got plans for that. But that’s for waaay later.”
First order of business: making sure everything is accounted for. Before the engine can go in, they need to be damn sure it’s got everything it needs inside the engine bay—pipes, hoses, connectors, the whole nine yards. They don’t want to lift the 611 in and out any more than they need to.
It does give them a unique opportunity to test the 611’s modular focus for themselves, though. The engine is designed to be sold standalone, just as the old motors were—and that means prospective buyers will be dropping them into cars of all shapes and sizes. They need to be easy to install, or it somewhat defeats the point.
“Lemme just get my list here. Check... Check... Check...” Reina peers into the engine bay and squints to find a component on her big list.
“Aaand...check! Okay, that’s that side...”
(Wow, she’s really thorough...) Akane was expecting Reina’s approach to be more rough and tumble, given her overall aesthetic, but she defies the expectation with an almost clinical approach to her builds. She doesn’t look like an inexperienced 20-something at all—rather like she’s been doing this for decades already.
Is this how Clara looked back in the day?
(Heh heh... Oh man.) Mr. Tetsukura can’t help but watch a little bit as Reina finishes her prep work.
(That’s like her alright... Clara never skipped any steps, no matter how routine it got. No complacency when she was callin’ the shots.)
Akane can’t deny she’s nervous throughout this setup phase. To save on shipping headaches, Reina advised them on how to prep the car as best they could before actually sending it up to her—and as a consequence, they did some of the installation themselves. Reina might as well be grading her work...which, given this is Akane’s first big project, is ever so slightly daunting for the greenhorn apprentice.
But Reina assures her there’s nothing to worry about. She crosses check after check off her list, and it’s evident soon enough that Tetsukura has passed with flying colors.
“Perfect! That should be everything we need to drop the engine in. You guys really had it covered with your prep work!”
“Phew! I-I mean, of course!” Akane laughs off her nerves. “Honestly, having that model handy was such a big help. We knew where everything needed to go, so we were more or less following your instructions. Thank YOU for being so thorough!”
“My pleasure!” Reina beams. “I think it’s time we finally got this motor in, then.”
“Lead the way!”
With those words, the team’s fervor suddenly stops, replaced by excited whispers as they pause their work and join Reina at the front of the car. The new-age 611 is ready on the crane, dangling over the waiting cavity in the engine bay. Reina and crew spot-check extensively to make sure it’s lined up right, taking extra care in this uncharted territory to get the build just right.
“Okay, I think that’s good...” It helps to have some friends in lower places in this game of inches—lower heights, of course.
“Here we go!”
Anticipation abounds as the current song on the speaker bids adieu with a typical 70s outro. Slowly fading, letting Reina focus as much as she needs. Slowly, steadily, the 611 lowers into the Star Rider, meticulous to a fault...
“So far so good... Almost there...!” It’s a delicate game. There’s no mincing words with the 611: it’s a huge motor, and even with all the optimizations they’ve made in the design, it’s a tight fit in this engine bay. But like with parallel parking the old Road Runner, Reina’s calculated approach lends herself to the task—and with a guiding hand here and there, she gets the 611 past the main chokepoint under the hood. With a satisfying bump, the crane slacks, and the Outrunner has finally reached its home.
“Aaal-RIGHT!”
“Round of applause!”
The tension is released with a chorus of clapping and cheers. Reina herself can breath a huge sigh of relief, further validated at the sight of this behemoth engine sitting pretty in her brand new car. Sami gives her a welcome pat on the back, the boys congratulating her with a salvo of high-fives. Finally, she’s taken the next big step on this long, long road—and just in time for the guitars to come screaming back through the speaker.
“She’s finally coming together...! Now let’s get it all hooked up! Home stretch now!”
“You got it!”
Now, they can finally judge for themselves how intuitive this car is. Mechanical aficionados they may be, but every new architecture always takes some getting used to—they need time to figure out every specific car’s quirks and intricacies. The rest of the team isn’t as intimately familiar with the design as Reina is, so that makes for an effective test: if the design clicks for them off the bat, then it can click for the average Joe.
With that, Reina gets to work. Now she’s the one directing the team, helping them connect all the pumps, seals, fittings—the myriad connections that stabilize the car’s beating heart. They can’t help but work with a spring in their step, seeing how far they’ve come laid plainly before them. Not much longer now, and the much-anticipated Outrunner will finally have a worthy vessel to command.
“How’re you finding it, Uncle Naoto?”
“Well, some parts of it threw me for a loop a bit, but it worked out simple enough. It’s different, but not that different.”
“You were able to figure it out though, at least.”
“Yeah, exactly. And I think with a good enough manual, it won’t be that bad for other people anyway.”
“That’s the plan!” Reina plans to make as much of the documentation publicly available as she can—the way she sees it, she doesn’t have much to gain from going closed-source. Sure, she could charge an arm and a leg for technical documentation like some car companies do...but when it’s 20 years down the road and some gearhead in their garage wants to figure out how to service this thing, it’d be better to have the info public than kept under lock and key. It’s just easier for everyone that way.
As the hours roll on, Aikawa Auto reaches the time the team would normally take their lunch. For some unexplained reason, though, they don’t feel like stopping their work on this particular day. Baffling, that.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
(I really don’t feel all that hungry...and I don’t even have a big dinner motivating me to save my appetite.) Her tendency to marathon through her work is coming back to play. From what she can see, though, everybody else on the team is afflicted with the same ailment as her—all functioning workaholics, as they were.
(Well, I’m not complaining!)
Akane certainly doesn’t mind herself. She’s beyond eager to hear the car in full song; all those months she and Pop spent building its shell have only amplified her excitement. For some, seeing the process behind something, being the driving force behind it, can blunt the hype when it finally comes to fruition...but not her, and not this.
“I’m gonna go ahead and make sure the interior’s all set up and ready. It should just be plug and play, but it wouldn’t hurt to double-check the connections.”
“Sure! Sounds like a plan.”
Compared to the Road Runner, the Star Rider is a welcome update in terms of creature comforts. There are some things modern drivers just can’t do without—like air conditioning and cruise control, for two. Akane made sure to keep things tasteful though, per Reina’s philosophy—everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Those giant, bloated infotainment screens and upcharged gimmick “features” have no place here. The interior came out looking a little...spartan, as a result. Outdated, even. But they’re betting that’ll pay dividends when people come crawling back to analog over digital.
“Ahhh... Man, I didn’t realize how tired I was.” It’s nice to sit down on the cozy seat they picked out. Comfort is one area where they did not compromise—and though few things will ever be as comfy as a bench seat on a sloshy suspension, Akane reckons they’ve come pretty close with the seats in the car’s interior.
(This is comfier than I remember it being... Am I just that worn out?)
She’s had a lot on her plate these last few days. After a volley of exams at school, she had to pack her bags and hop on a flight to Sapporo, arriving in the dead of night just to pick up the car in the morning. That, of course, at the end of this massive car project that’s taken up most of her time and energy for past several months. It’s been a real whirlwind tour for the lass...and now that the finish line is finally in sight, she finds herself struggling to keep her eyes open.
(Nnngh... Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad if I...)
And the moment she resigns, she’s out like a light.
She tends not to remember her dreams—whatever happens in slumberland, stays there. Instead, she only ever feels like she blinked, jumping some random amount of time in the blink of an eye...and leaving her mighty confused when she wakes up. The next thing she sees when she comes to is the same interior she fell asleep in...and a voice in the corner of her ear gently soothing her awake.
“Bwuh...?”
Through the window, she hears Reina’s muffled voice: “Oh, that did it! She’s awake now.”
It’s somewhat amusing for Reina to see the tables turning. In a past life, she would be the one working herself to sleep on this car, but she’s figured out how to pace herself. Akane, however, still has much to learn.
In her stupor, Akane reaches for the button to lower the window, only to remember the electronics aren’t wired up yet. She settles for opening the door.
“Sorry about that... How long was I out?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that! It hasn’t been too terribly long. We figured if you were tired enough to sleep through us working on the car, you probably deserved the rest.”
“Heh... Guilty as charged. So what is there left to do?”
“Well, that’s the neat part: we’re just about done!”
“Wait, really?!”
Miraculously, the energy returns to Akane’s exhausted frame, prompting her to bolt to the open front of the car. She peers down and sees a work of pure art: the engine is completely hooked up to the car, body and soul united at last. She’ll have to retract her earlier observation: they do have electronics!
“So it’s ready to go!”
“Almost! You actually woke up at a pretty good time: we’re gonna crank the motor for a bit to build the oil pressure back up.”
“Oh! Well, yeah, that woulda woke me up anyway.” Akane scratches her head. “You gonna just hotwire it, or?”
“Yeah. We’ll leave the ceremonial key turn for later.”
The team stands at the ready for Reina to command the beast. With a pair of screwdrivers (and perhaps a screw or two loose herself,) Reina bridges the connection to the starter and gets that 611 whirring. Compared to its first start all those months ago, the starter is a lot better equipped to handle a monster of this caliber, effortlessly spinning it over—albeit with no ignition. It sounds healthy as ever, as well it should; all eight pistons pump in harmony, just waiting for fresh fuel. They await the oil pressure gauge to give them a sign...
“Almost, just a bit more...”
Finally, the needle rises, and the engine passes the test with flying colors. A mix of pride and whimsy blooms on Reina’s face, knowing one more hurdle has been cleared; now, at long last, she can sit down in her very own car, and give the key a twist.
“Yeah... She’s ready now.”
By Reina’s request, Mr. Tetsukura was only to give her the key once they were confident the car was ready; she didn’t want to count her eggs before they hatched. Without a word, he knows the time is ripe. He produces the key from the pocket of his worn-out khakis, and tosses it to the car’s new rightful owner. This time, she has the honor.
“Stand back and hold on to your hats!”
Reina opens the door, and feasts her eyes on the interior for the first time. It’s such a funny feeling... She knows this design intimately well, having studied it, shaped it, slaved over it all this time. She could all but picture it in her sleep...but this is no dream. The plush seat, the steering wheel, the shifter, the key... They’re all real. And so too is the engine before her, just waiting for ignition.
Gingerly, Reina finds the slot and eases the key inside. She sets it to ON, and the dashboard hums to life with an anachronistic glow, rustic in parts and futuristic in others. All gauges nominal, all systems go.
(This feels so weird...)
Is this how Clara felt when she finished the Road Runner, all those decades ago? To sit behind the wheel, key cold in the hand, and think: I’m still not done. In spite of all the work Reina’s done thus far, all the time she’s poured into the Star Rider project, this doesn’t give her the closure she was expecting. It’s not the end of anything... It’s only the beginning of something even bigger.
But she can’t back down now. She won’t. She has to keep chasing that dream...and with this absolute monster at her command, she’s in control now more than she ever was. Resolve courses through her hand as she starts to twist the key...
(Let’s go.)
*RRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMM!*
The beast awakens. The Star Rider commands every iota of her attention, announcing its revival with a triumphant roar that lingers in every corner of the garage. The Outrunner’s marriage with the Star Rider is complete—and they make such sweet music together.
Reina has no words. There’s not a thought in her mind, blank, overcome by the Star Rider’s authoritative aura. The dashboard stares back at her, nonchalant and unbothered by its own earth-shaking power. It finds a comfortable rev range to settle down into, and treats her to the sound of its low, throaty idle—ever so slightly different from its ancestor, but the family resemblance rings true in her ears.
Yes. This is what Aikawa Auto is.
The team around her is no less stunned, to be sure. Each and every one of them has seen the sheer effort Reina has put into every last detail of this build—and now, they all have the honor of sharing in her reward. Uncle Naoto is beside himself with joy; Old Man Takashi holds back tears of pride. Mr. Tetsukura, after his own arduous campaign, feels that weight finally lifting off his shoulders after years and years in limbo.
And as for Sami...
(Yeah... She’s ready. I’ll let her know after we’re done with work for the day.)
She’s already looking ahead on the road to the stars—as is the lucky lady behind the wheel. Now that the car and engine are one at last, there’s only one logical thing to do: break it in.
“Well, I know what I wanna do.” She feels the steering wheel, still cold from the elements. Today will be just a warm-up—no white-knuckle racing for the car quite yet. But that’s all she needs to do for now anyway: just prove that she knows how to put it all together.
“Alright!” Reina briefly exits to address the crowd. “I’m gonna take her for a test drive around the block. I can tell she’s really raring to go, so I’ll give her exactly what she wants.”
“Sounds like a plan!” Akane is every bit as eager to get the car out on the road herself, which leads her to ask...
“You, uh...you mind if I come along?”
“Sure! I don’t mind at all. I figure after I’m done with it, you guys can take it out on the road too, if you want.”
Sami and the others gleefully nod. They’re excited to get their first taste of the brand new Aikawa Auto...but they know to wait their turn. This inaugural drive belongs to her.
With that, Reina and Akane file into the Star Rider, bound only for a short trip—but they’ll still be making a massive statement with the car out on the road. It’s not registered, and it doesn’t even have a plate yet, but they don’t care one bit. This is their moment, and they’re not wasting it.
And besides: if push comes to shove, there’s not a cop alive that can catch this car anyway.
“Let’s stretch those legs, baby!”
*VVRRRRMMM!*
With a roar, the Star Rider makes its triumphant debut on the streets of Sapporo, prowling its way out of the powdered parking lot and onto the open road. They’re not going far—just across the Toyohira to the nearby park, and then a leisurely cruise around the perimeter before heading back home. The car is more than up for it.
“So, first impressions, how’s it feeling?”
“...Perfect.”
The sheer contradiction almost paralyzes Reina’s brain. This is a truly modern car, a leap forward in form and function. The Road Runner always felt like an old, outdated car with a supercharged heart, the frame struggling to contain the sheer power under the hood. That certainly wasn’t for everyone—and it’s not for this car, either. The whole Star Rider feels measured, like it’s in control of its own strength. She was half-expecting it to lose that character the Road Runner had, replaced by some other note behind the wheel...
...But no. It feels exactly the same to drive. It hasn’t lost that unhinged quality at all, no matter how bespoke the engineering, how meticulous the details. She still feels like she has to respect the car, respect its power—for with one tiny tap of the gas pedal, the car can launch itself like a rocket with wanton disregard.
...Like, say, at a light turning green.
“Ooh, perfect time for a launch here!”
“WHAAGH—!”
In the blink of an eye, the Star Rider vanishes from the intersection like it was never there at all. The rush, the sound, the power... It dominates Reina’s every sense as she careens up to cruising speed. And true to that timeless character, the moment she relents from the throttle, the Star Rider happily settles down like nothing even happened.
“Whoa! Haha! Oh man, that is PUNCHY!”
“W-Warn me before you do that! Jesus, haha!”
“Oh, oops. Sorry~”
It’s such a validating thing, after all this uncertainty. It’s one thing to design a car. It’s another thing to build it... It’s yet another thing to drive it. To know that the Star Rider not only looks and sounds like the Aikawas of old, but feels like one too... It serves as an immense vote of confidence for Reina’s pounding heart. Her muscle memory doesn’t betray her here, like it often does when she’s vetting clients’ cars on the job. The shell around the 611 may be different, but the soul is the same.
“Yeah... This just feels right.” Reina dons a confident smile. “Granted, we haven’t driven her properly fast at all yet—I won’t have the chance to do that until Tokachi opens back up for the year—so I’ll need to wait to see how she really behaves under pressure.”
That future still looms large over her head...but it’s just a little more manageable now.
“But this... This is an encouraging sign.”
It doesn’t take long before Reina and Akane find themselves at the bridge, the frigid waters slowed by barriers of ice. No longer does she obey the river of time... She goes wherever she pleases.
“It’s been a while since I actually stopped to visit Makomanai Park, actually... Funny, given I live right next to it.”
“Yeah, I’ve never been, but it looks like a nice place.” The whole area is lined with remnants of Sapporo’s olympic history, like a time capsule from a more festive age. In some sense, you could argue this whole area is frozen in time as well... Unflinching, unchanging, the capsule unopened since that winter in ‘72.
Perhaps that was why Reina had a love-hate relationship with it growing up. She wasn’t around to watch history being made that fateful year—only left with its fading echoes in the decades following. The past was always conspiring to weigh her down like that...
But obviously, that’s not a problem anymore.
“I came through here a lot last year, back when I needed to use the train for a while. The closest station to my house is a couple blocks from the park.”
“Ahhh...” Akane doesn’t connect the dots right away, but she knows how that feels nonetheless—what with her bike being out of commission for half of the year.
“If this takes off, though...I won’t ever have to take the train again.” Reina smiles. It’s such a liberating thing, not having to be afraid of a few falling flakes anymore. The Star Rider and its fuel injection have mitigated the crippling weakness the Road Runner bears.
“This new line will be everything I need...and the cherry on top?”
*VVRRRRRRRRMMMM...!*
“She handles the cold just fine.”
Reina delights in the attention the car gets as they cruise along the riverside road. Here in this sea of same-y gray boxes, refrigerators with wheels, the Star Rider has the audacity to stand out like the sorest of thumbs. Some stop and stare, some cock their heads; they all hear that monstrous exhaust note echoing through the air. The car commands their attention in a way that few other things do...and to be sure, some of them do find it crude. Garish. An unnecessary display and a flippant lack of respect.
But the Star Rider doesn’t care what they think. It, like the Road Runner before it, persists.
“Heehee. I think this guy wants a closer look.” Reina points to a sporty Subaru sitting next to them at the light off the passenger side. In the frigid cold, the lone occupant dares to roll down the window for a better look, his eyes wide in awe. The wind threatens to knock his hat clean off his head, the snow assaulting his face, but he couldn’t care less. He’s never seen anything like this in all his time on the road.
Reina decides to treat him a little. With a gentle pump of gas, she coaxes the revs up and sprints through the intersection as the light turns green. The X-pipe exhaust produces an unforgettable symphony for him, untamed in its brutality. He can hear it, feel it shaking him to his very core.
...Man, would he love to have one of those now.
It really doesn’t feel like she’s passed all that much time on this inaugural drive, but the dashboard clock is there to remind her that it’s about time she headed on back. As much as she’d love to get on the highway and really open up the throttle, it just isn’t the time nor place—until it’s properly licensed, the car is limited to discreet neighborhood stints and track days only. But rest assured, she will get her fill in time... She has an extensive testing regimen planned for the fledgling machine. She needs to be sure that it truly lives up to the family name.
But first, they have to turn around and take it back home. It’s done its job plenty well today.
“I keep waiting for something to go wrong, some warning light or a funny noise somewhere...but she’s just purring along!”
“You built her damn well, is what you did.”
“Hey, I gotta give credit to you too. I mean, you built the part of the car we’re sitting in!”
“And you built the part of the car that makes it actually work!”
Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say.
Back across the bridge they go, the sun already tempted to set on this gloomy winter’s day. After taking their tour of Reina’s backyard, gathering awestruck reactions everywhere they go, the two have had their fill. The Star Rider has passed its first of many shakedowns with flying colors—and though the real test still lies in wait, she knows she’s got a good base to work off of. The Star Rider is audibly unsatisfied, begging for more with its unruly revs. Reina can’t wait to give it what it wants.
“Well, for a first drive, that was everything I could ask for!” The weight of all this still hasn’t really hit Reina...or perhaps she was simply expecting it to feel so much bigger all this time. That’s the funny thing about big goals: you take such small steps at a time that it’s easy to lose sight of just how far you’ve come. A year ago, cruising around in her very own car was downright unthinkable—a pipe dream that teased her with its sheer Pollyanna vision.
But one way or another, she made it there... It’s just like her old mentors always said: she’ll figure it out somehow.
“And there we are.”
The Star Rider returns to a chorus of cheers from the team, eagerly awaiting the good news. With the garage door open, Reina brings the Star Rider right inside—even if it might immediately be going back out once the rest of them take it for a spin. The car will be busy just a little while longer...but Reina’s job today is done. The car she built is humming right along...and she’s more than earned her rest for that.
As for Akane, she exits the car completely and utterly starstruck. The silence of the garage takes some adjustment after being in the belly of the beast on that drive...and though she may never get used to riding along in a behemoth V8 bruiser like that, she already feels like going back in for more. She can’t get enough—and can you blame her? It’s the car she built.
“Welcome back!” Sami is dying to hear how it all turned out—though she can already read on Reina’s face that the car is a treat to drive. She watches her daughter climb out of that wicked machine with the widest smile on her face...and in this moment, she can tell that all the hardship they endured to get to this point was absolutely worth it.
It’s enough to wipe the guilt from her face, if only for a moment.
“I love it...! I love it so much! It’s such an amazing car!”
“Well, good! I knew you had it in you, sweetie.” Sami gives her daughter a big ol’ hug, the rest of the team shuffling up to join them. She feels the joy emanating from Reina’s heart.
“It drives different from the Road Runner, but something about it just feels so...familiar. I felt like I was right at home when I was driving it!”
“You didn’t have to adjust at all?”
“Not really, no! Maybe that’s what the Road Runner felt like when it was new. It just felt so...so right.”
Sami gets it. When all the parts are fresh off the line, all working together in unison... That’s when a car is at its best. The Road Runner, for all its storied history, is weighed down by those long 40 years. The Star Rider, by contrast, is the fresh start Aikawa Auto so desperately needed.
It affirms to Sami that her idea just might work after all. Soon, the time will come to put it to the test.
“Thank you so much, everybody. I couldn’t have done any of this without you... You all helped me get here. I owe you guys the world!”
A round of cheers for her victory—their victory. Nothing can take it away from her.
***
Finally, the sun sets on one of Aikawa Auto’s most momentous days—and in time, the shop settles back into its usual, quiet rhythm, just as it was before. Finished with their work, Akane and her father have taken their leave, making the trip back down south for their flight home to Kanazawa. Uncle Naoto and Old Man Takashi have packed up and left shop as well, with their own families to tend to at home. It’s just Reina and Sami left at the old building now, closing for the night just like old times... The only thing that’s changed is the new tenant in their garage.
“Man...” Reina can’t stop looking at it. So many thoughts, so many details, so many amazing feelings coursing through her mind...
And yet still, so many unanswered questions. The drawback of always looking ahead: the hurdles of tomorrow are always staring back at her. She’s made incredible strides just in putting the car together and getting it on the road...but there’s still so much left to do. Beyond this uplifting wind today, she’ll have to put her nose right back down to the grindstone, for an unforgiving season looms large in the distance.
And perhaps the greatest challenge of all is the one still lingering in her head...
(How am I gonna bring it all together?)
Sami can tell when Reina’s lost in her thoughts—that absentminded stare on her face, that stillness in her eyes. Something is weighing heavy on her...and Sami has a pretty good idea of what it is.
“What’s on your mind?”
Reina flinches slightly. “Oh. You know me, it’s just... Thinking about the future again. There’s still a lot of work to do—and I’m still trying to figure out some stuff.”
“Like what?” Sami takes a seat on the Road Runner’s hood, which presents a very relevant image to Reina: her mother and her iconic car leave behind big shoes for her to fill. She’s gotten this far already, but it’s still not enough. She’s not quite there yet.
“I have to test the daylights out of the Star Rider, really. Today was a good first step, but I can’t put an Aikawa badge on that car until I know it lives up to the shop. I dunno how long it’ll take me... I don’t even know the best approach yet. But I have to make sure it’s what an Aikawa car should be.”
“I get that...” Sami has a feeling now is the time.
“Personally, I think the past is the past. You’re the future of the shop now, and whatever we got up to in the past shouldn’t weigh over you. I know you’ve got what it takes to make this car a hit, whether you’re comparing yourself to the olden days or not.”
She stands up and lets herself off the Road Runner’s hood. She understands Reina’s need to prove herself against the past...and she thinks she has the answer.
“But if you’re still not sure whether the Star Rider measures up...then I’m happy to be the judge of that.”
“Hm...? How do you mean?”
This has been brewing in Sami’s mind for a while now. She meets Reina’s determined eyes with a valor of her own, weathered by age and tempered in hardship. This is the best thing she can do for her daughter. She can feel that fire from her old Tokachi days flickering back to life in her heart.
“If you want to prove yourself to the past, then, well, we’re right here. The Road Runner and I are the last little leftovers from those old days at the shop. The way things were let us hold out long enough until you could take over...but now, it’s time for you to move on and lead the way yourself.”
“So how about you and I have a little competition, head to head, to see how the Star Rider’s coming along?”
“I... L-Like a race?”
Sami nods. “That’s what I’m thinking. Past vs. future. It’ll prove beyond a doubt whether you’ve surpassed Clara and me.”
Reina, initially, struggles to respond. Sami speaks to her with a conviction long forgotten, reminiscent of that fiery trailblazer she knew as a young girl. The gravity of her challenge is not lost on her: old she may be, but she’s still an accomplished racer—and the Road Runner is still her very favorite set of wheels. She now stands before Reina as a mountain, a gauntlet—a monumental obstacle to clear at the end of her path.
...But she knows Sami’s words ring true. If she clears it, if she defeats her...then she’ll know for certain that she’s got what it takes.
“I know it sounds kinda daunting.”
“Y-Yeah! I mean, I’ve never been as good a racer as you...”
“But you don’t need to be. That’s exactly my point.” Sami briefly reminisces. “All I do is race cars. Outside of the basics Clara taught me, that’s all I know how to do. I never felt the initiative to make a car of my own... I never felt like doing something with this place. I just drive the Road Runner, old and outdated as it is, because I never got with the times.”
“But you were never that one-dimensional... You’re the complete package. You may not be the driver I am, but you’re leaps and bounds above me as a mechanic, a businesswoman, and a leader. That’s what got you where you are today—and the Star Rider is proof of that.”
“So I’ve got a good feeling the Star Rider will be faster with you than the Road Runner with me. You get me?”
Reina breathes in. That family confidence courses through her. “I think so... Yeah!”
“That’s the spirit!” Sami smiles. “We’ll set a date, then. Maybe some time around this fall. It doesn’t have to be too soon—I know you’ll wanna test it plenty before then.”
“Yeah—and if I’m gonna be racing against you, I’ll wanna turn a bunch of laps at the track myself. Tokachi, I take it?”
“Nowhere else.”
Fitting. The track might as well be the Aikawa family’s backyard... There’s no better place for their showdown.
“In the meantime, I’ll handle the Road Runner—maintenance, fixes, all that jazz. You just focus on your car, alright?”
“Thank you... Now I’m really thankful I got Yuzu to help test it. With her help, I just might be able to beat you!”
“By all means, give me everything you’ve got! I won’t hold back on you.”
Confidence blooms on Reina’s face. “Good.”
“That’s my girl.”
Sami is equal parts excited and relieved—she can see that her gamble paid off. There’s a fire in Reina’s eyes, now that she has a more concrete goal to work toward. Instead of some nebulous measure of worthiness, she’ll be competing with the past itself for the honor of bearing the Aikawa flag. It’s not an easy goal by any stretch of the imagination...and Sami isn’t planning on rolling over and letting Reina take it without a fight. But in the end, she believes in her daughter’s potential—that with her vibrant young mind and unbridled passion, her ceiling is higher than Sami could ever hope to reach.
Until that day comes, mother and daughter will steel themselves for the duel of a lifetime.
“Alright... I’m gonna go ahead and pack it in for the day. Are you good with handling the rest down here?”
“More than happy to. Night, honey!”
“Night~!”
With that, Reina disappears into the night, Sami left alone to finish closing the shop. Before she turns out the lights for the night, she takes one more look at her old partner in crime... The rock that kept her steady all those years.
“Well, old girl,” Sami coos with a calm smile, “looks like you and I have one more job to do.”