Somewhere in the nondescript suburbs of Tokyo, there lies a nondescript house, on a nondescript street. You would be hard-pressed to find anything even remotely unusual about it—or indeed, about its backdrop. It is, with its conforming grays and uneventful design, the staple crop of the country.
It is in this house where an unassuming couple lead their unassuming lives. There’s something comforting about the mundanity of it all, the familiarity of the routine—like the wheels of a car going round, and round, and round. Whichever direction this road is taking them is too broad a question, seeking comfort instead in the predictable pattern each and every day will follow.
That’s how it’s always been for them, really: living one day at a time, and leaving the future for the future to decide. It used to be a lot more eventful than this, back in their glory days...but the golden years aren’t so bad either. They’ve lived plenty already.
The elder of the two begins his day as he always does: a brief walk about his neighborhood, of which he’s memorized every step. Soon, the morning mail will come, and he can occupy himself with the puzzles in the daily paper and a cup of his usual tea. His partner will be waiting for him at the coffee table back home, where they can regale each other with their tales of thorough triteness.
The fall foliage comforts him. Another season soon to change, another reliable turn on the great wheel of time...yet on this particular morning, there blows a change in the air.
“Mm...? What’s this?”
Their mailbox has an unexpected visitor—a letter from afar, the address resonating deep within his memory. It’s been quite some time... Last time he saw that old dog in person would’ve been several years ago, not long before she passed on. He’s been wondering what that group up north has been up to... Perhaps now is his chance to find out.
At the table, the younger has already pulled out his chair. ‘Younger,’ of course, is only a technicality—they’re both long in the tooth.
“Anything interesting in the mail today?”
“Well, wouldn’t you know it... Take a look at this, why don’tcha?”
He sets the envelope down at the center of the table, and his partner delicately picks it up. His eyes narrow as he makes out the sender...
“Aikawa Auto Company... Sapporo, Japan.” He gently shakes the letter in his hand, before a raspy chuckle rocks his head.
“Now that brings ya back, doesn’t it?”
“We really used to be right there in that circle, huh? Just a couple’a crazy kids with no thoughts of tomorrow.”
“Seems like they’re still kickin’ too... You want me to read this?”
“If ya would. You see better’n I do these days.”
“Well, just for you, I’ll try...”
A certain nostalgia courses through his fingers as he cuts the envelope open. In a past life, they were very well acquainted with Aikawa Auto—and out on the winding backroads, they proved to be some of the brand’s greatest ambassadors. They remember Clara, and Sami, and little Reina too...and though that life has since passed them by, curiosity compels them to open the book just one more time, and see where they are now...
“Let’s see here, uhhh... Well, this is just gobbledygook here.”
“Think you’ve got it upside down. That’s their logo there, you see it?”
“’You see better than me,’ my ass, Keiichi.”
Eventually, his tired hands get the letter flipped around the right way. He recognizes that logo now... It’s still just as he remembers.
*Ahem!* “Now, what’ve they got for us...?”
Save the date!
Aikawa Auto Company would like to invite you and all our customers from over the years to join us for a special celebration at Tokachi Speedway at the end of this month!
We’ve been hard at work building something we think you’re really gonna like. Whether you’re still chasing revs or you’ve settled down and pulled into the pits, we think you deserve this chance to see what we’ve been up to. And before you ask: no, this isn’t some buyout. This isn’t some half-hearted corporate imitation. It’s ME—and US! And we’re still as crazy as ever.
We’d love to see you there, but if you don’t wanna make the trip all the way up to Hokkaido, you can catch us live on broadcast as well! More info on that below.
Cheers, and enjoy the show!
-Reina Aikawa and the Aikawa Auto Company
At the very bottom of the letter, below all the newfangled stream info, reads Aikawa Auto’s new tagline: ‘Make It Yours.’
“Well, I’ll be damned...”
Both men absorb the weight of the words, stunned into a long, contemplative silence. The past has come calling, like a siren’s song...but it sings not just of nostalgia, not dreams of days long gone. Signed neither by the old matriarch nor her racing-minded protégé, Reina speaks of a new age for the company—one under her direction as inheritor of its legacy.
“She grew up real fast, didn’t she...?” It feels like the last time they were up in Sapporo, Reina was barely walking... Now look at her.
“...You’re thinkin’ about somethin’, aren’tcha?”
“I am. Dangerous, I know, whenever I think.”
Call him crazy, perhaps, but something about this blast from the past is putting a smile on his face.
“We’ve been wantin’ to take that vacation for a while, y’know? While we’re both still walkin’ around, seein’ fine, hearin’ fine. And it’s been a long, long time since either of us were up in Hokkaido, hasn’t it?”
“It has...” He slowly nods. The smile is gradually spreading to him.
“We might not be crazy adrenaline junkies any more, but y’know...I can’t deny this sounds like fun. Gettin’ to go up there and catch up with old friends, see what they’ve been up to... It’d be nice, I think.”
“And somethin’ tells me you agree, eh?”
They were always able to read each other like books. That’s why they’ve stuck it out this long together.
“Y’know...you just might have a point there. We got money, we got energy...” He looks out the window to see the leaves beginning to change, as they always do.
“...And we got all the time in the world.”
This year will not be like the others. Aikawa Auto sheds the comfort of the past, eschews the stagnation to don a new mantle. And everyone from the company’s checkered history is invited to watch.
They will be there.
***
Tokachi. The circuit that Japan forgot, left to the mercy of the Hokkaido countryside behind a cloak of autumnal gold. If not for the withered signs and the overgrown access roads, you could barely even tell a track lay here to begin with. And yet, for want of a future, Tokachi carries on.
There will be no massive fanfare to the main event this day...no frenzied press coverage, no sell-out crowds. The eyes of the automotive world are elsewhere, drawn to the luster of greater, more important things. This day will not be remembered beyond the humble circle of those who still call this place their home...
But you know something? They don’t mind that. They don’t need anyone’s recognition.
“Come on in, come on in!” One by one, the track manager welcomes the familiar few who have chosen to attend. Many of them longtime friends, club league regulars, customers from Aikawa Auto’s glory days...and among them, two bright young stars who serve as guests of honor.
“So this is what Tokachi’s like...” Akane can scarcely even grasp the events that led her here. It feels like only yesterday that she was a simple university student waiting for something interesting to happen at her pop’s old business. Something to give her the spark she needed. Now she’s come halfway across the country to watch her creation take to the track against the queen of Tokachi Speedway.
“Is it usually this quiet here?”
“Heh heh heh... This is the busiest it’s been in years.”
Yuzu finds her usual parking space, and together with Akane, they dive into the paddock. Somewhere in there, the women of the hour are getting ready—and they don’t want to miss their chance to give their words to Reina before she suits up and shoots for the stars. There’s an excited spring in their step, an energy that compels them to walk just a little faster, leaving their parents behind. The chill wind blows at their backs. With each step, it all feels just a little bit more real... After years and years, it’s finally coming together.
They believe in her. All she has to do now is believe in herself, and drive.
“There she is!”
“Reina!”
The duo find her at last, taking last-minute inventory as she scrutinizes the Star Rider’s engine bay. Try as she might, though, she can’t find a single fault anymore... There’s nothing left for her to do. She has walked a thousand steps on this long and winding journey... Now, after all this time, she will put her head up and run.
“Oh! There you are!” Reina’s face alights when she sees her friends on the way. With a wave and a smile, she welcomes them both to the main event.
“So, you’re all ready, huh?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” She has to take a deep breath to try and calm herself down. “Not gonna lie, I’m still really nervous... My heart’s already racing. I’m just hoping I can settle down once we actually get going.”
“Yeah, it’s weird like that, isn’t it? The buildup is tougher than the real thing.”
“Mhm... Once you know you can’t turn back anymore, it all kinda fades away.”
“But turning back never crossed your mind at all, did it?”
Akane’s right on the money, and that makes Reina grin. Perhaps a lesser Reina might have backed down, balked at the monumental task ahead of her...but this is the future of Aikawa Auto. This is what she wants.
“Nope.”
“Good answer.” Akane extends her hand, which quickly evolves into a hug between two close friends. Yuzu, not wanting to be outdone, joins them arm-in-arm for one last moment of calm before Reina has to go.
“You give her the fight of her life out there, you hear me?”
“I will, and nothing less.”
A fitting note to end their talk on—the time has almost come.
“It’s getting to be that time...” Reina checks her phone and nods. Just a few minutes ‘til the top of the hour.
“Go get ‘em, Reina!”
“You’ve got this.”
“Thank you... I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”
The Star Rider is waiting for her. It’s got a full tank of gas, a fresh set of tires and a through thrice-over from the head honcho herself. With a brief hum, the titanic V8 roars to life to greet Yuzu and Akane, before prowling down the pit lane to approach its starting spot.
“And there she goes...”
“She looks like a natural.”
Seconds later, the Star Rider is followed by its distant ancestor—the family heirloom, driven by its most distinguished owner. Yuzu and Akane’s ears perk up, heads turning as the car commands their attention. Yuzu’s heart skips a beat as she catches a glimpse of the woman behind her wheel: Sami Aikawa, racing again at Tokachi for the first time in years.
“Ah...!” She sees the window roll down, and watches as Sami waves to them both as she passes by. The bestial growl of the V8 rings in their ears as it prowls down the pit lane in cold pursuit.
Something about the moment summons a flood of nostalgia in Yuzu’s mind... A collision of past and future, unfolding before her very eyes.
“Man... This really is happening, isn’t it?”
“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah... That’s my childhood right there. All those times I watched her race, trying to win year after year after year...and then she finally got it. She showed me that I can make it in racing if I really try.”
“Without her, I wouldn’t be standing here today... I wouldn’t be doing all this. I owe so much to her for making me who I am...”
Yuzu shakes her head and laughs.
“And now I’m cheering for her to lose.”
Akane sits her arm across Yuzu’s shoulders, watching mother and daughter roll their cars into the distance together.
“Between you and me...I don’t think she’d mind losing either, just this once.”
Yuzu’s face softens. “...You might be right.”
It really is incredible, how much this one little family has changed the both of them. With a mighty roar and a flash of light, mother and daughter have both made their mark on the world, like a comet soaring through the dark night sky. The little girl from Obihiro, eyes wide in awe; and the firebrand from Kanazawa, enamored by their spirit. They have the honor now of joining them as they pen their story...to close one long, long chapter of their history, and turn the page to start a new one.
“I think we’d better get going now. We’ve got our seats in the stands.”
“Yeah... Let’s go.”
***
“Ladies and gentlemen!” The track curator’s husky old voice booms through the old speakers, directing those watching in the stands to the two stars of the show.
“Thank you for joining us on this VERY special day here at Tokachi Speedway! This has been the Aikawa Auto Company’s proving grounds for a long, long time—and now, they’re ready to show off their latest and greatest creation!”
It’s time. The first competitor makes her way out of the pit lane entrance, gently cruising up the long front straight. Her eyes briefly blur, the nerves and the excitement dueling in her heart. She shivers. Now’s not the time for that indecision to sway her... There’s only one way to go from here.
“Introducing the Aikawa Star Rider! A muscle monster for the modern age, boasting all the power you’ve come to expect from their Sapporo garage! And behind the wheel is none other than the architect behind this new machine—the new head honcho of the company! Give it up for REIIINAAAAA AIKAWAAA!”
Reina can faintly hear the applause—barely a whisper above the growl of her car. Her car. Only now does it dawn on the crowd just how much work she put into this machine...and now, she’s come to put her reputation on the line. How can they not applaud the bravery of this bright-eyed young woman?
(This is it, Reina... You can do this.)
She takes her place on the inside of the front row, briefly shutting the car off as the track finishes their prep work. She exits the car to a salute from the crowd... Her heart skips a beat. All these people coming out to watch her... She can’t fail now.
“And who will she be going up against today?”
The distant challenger begins its charge. Reina turns her head, and her eyes jolt open in trepidation. It takes the breath right out of her lungs to see the Road Runner back here at Tokachi, with its rightful owner behind the wheel.
“You know her! You love her! You might have known her by a different name when she won her three class victories at the Tokachi 24 Hours, but make no mistake—she is still, and always will be, the Queen of Tokachi! SAMIIIII AIKAWAAA!”
Reina hears them all applaud her mother as she cruises up alongside her. She takes her place on the outside of the front row...and she too shuts off her car, walking out to a nostalgic ovation from the crowd.
(Just like old times... Feels good, being back here again.) Sami has been training long and hard for this day, keeping up with her daughter step for step... Now, the time has come for her to demonstrate how she earned her moniker here at the track.
“Mother and daughter are here at the track today to test the Star Rider’s mettle! Will it be the Queen of Tokachi, or the rising star?! We’re set to go green in just another couple minutes, so don’t go anywhere, folks—you won’t wanna miss a thing once these two take the flag!”
10 laps. 50 kilometers. No gimmicks; no distractions. The only rule is to race with respect. Reina and Sami know the score: collective months of training, tweaking, preparing body and spirit both for this very moment... Now, it all finally comes to a head.
“Feeling fired up yet, Reina?” Sami looks up at her daughter with a casual smile on her face.
“I think so, yeah... Whatever it is, my heart’s pounding outta my chest.”
“Heh heh! Good... That shows how much you want it.”
Sami’s nervous too. This may very well be her final showing at Tokachi—and the swansong to her checkered chapter as head of the Aikawa Auto Company. There’s nothing left for her to prove... No trophies to raise, no doubts to silence. Nothing left to lose anymore...
Only a lifelong memory to make with her one and only daughter.
“Before we kick this thing off...” Sami begins. Reina faces her, their helmets both off, the waning sun shining down on their golden hair.
“I want you to know something.”
“Yeah?”
Sami takes a deep breath, struggling to hold back tears of pride.
“However this race ends, whichever one of us wins today...I want you to know that I am so, so proud of you.”
“Any time you wanted, you could’ve turned your back on all of this...chose to live the easy life. With that brilliant mind of yours, you could’ve forged any path you wanted... But no. You chose to be here, to do what you loved most, and you didn’t let anyone or anything stop you.”
“Not the past, not the bad hand you were dealt... Not even me.”
“A-Ah...”
“This is exactly the sort of thing a mother lives for: to see her daughter grow up so smart, so strong, so sure of her path in life. To be standing here with you, watching you climb that mountain... Watching you reach heights I could only ever dream of.”
“M-Mom...” Reina figured this kind of speech was coming, but it still hits her like a truck. She feels every bit as honored to be here with her—the undeterred hero who helped lead her to where she is now. She wouldn’t be doing all this if not for her...for her family. Seeing her mother so proud of her is exactly what makes this worth it.
“Don’t ever forget how much I love you, Reina. No matter what happens.”
*sniffle* “Thank you...”
“Now...” Sami wipes the tears off her own face. “Now that I’ve gotten all that sappy business out of our systems... I want you to promise me you’ll give this everything you’ve got. I won’t pull my punches out there...but I know you can do this. You have what it takes to prove yourself—not just to me, but to the whole world. I know you're ready.”
“Mhm...” Reina collects herself. “I won’t just give it my all... I will win.”
Sami’s wrinkled face blooms into the widest smile she’s had in years.
“That’s my girl.”
Sami extends her hand. All that emotion runs free for a fleeting moment before that casual smile returns to Sami’s face. She nods as Reina’s hand locks with hers.
Reina hesitates for just a sliver of a second, letting those last butterflies flitter into the autumn sky. She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes...and nods.
*RRRrrrRRrrrrrrRRRRMMMMMM!*
The Road Runner comes alive once again. A remnant from the past, a crimson specter from the golden years of Aikawa Auto.
*RRrrrrRRRMMMMMMMM!*
The Star Rider joins in. The scion of the future, of Aikawa Auto’s brave new direction. Together with its master, they seek to challenge the river of time—and send a message far and wide throughout the motoring world.
This is who we are.
(Showtime.)
On come the lights. In just a few moments, red will turn to green, and the race will begin. Reina and Sami both bring their cars to a simmer, engines desperate to fire off the line. The crowd lowers to a whisper, the growl of the cars silencing them, drowning out the very thoughts in their heads... The race commands their every second of attention.
Red...
(Show me what you’ve got now, Reina...)
Yellow...
(Ready...)
Green.
“GO!”
The race is on. They react to the lights faster than the man in the bird’s nest does; no sooner does he brandish the green flag than the two of them stomp on the gas and climb up through the gears, tearing up the track in a thunderous rampage. The combined might of thousands of steel horses command them past the line, leaving the crowd behind in the blink of an eye. And as the cars turn their exhausts to the audience, they’re left with an unforgettable engine duet—an ode to power, with the most booming voices they’ve ever heard shaking them to their core.
(Now! Focus!) The race has only just begun, but Reina can’t afford to lose a step. Sami’s still quick on the draw like a cat—this is so ingrained into her muscle memory that she could probably pull an 11-second quarter-mile in her sleep. She has the preferred line going into turn one, to boot. Reina has to keep pace with her and avoid giving up too much ground from having to brake earlier; if she lets Sami clear her, she won’t have many chances to pass the Road Runner back.
(Don’t break the grip, the tires aren’t up to temp yet!)
Sami, meanwhile, widens her grin. This is going to be an interesting challenge on colder tires—but she knows this car and this track by heart.
“Come on!”
It’s a game of chicken as they fly toward the 90-degree turn. Reina is the one to back out first, playing it safe while her tires warm up—the last thing she wants to do is lock up and plow into the Road Runner.
Her loss is Sami’s gain. Out of the corner of her eye, Reina sees her rip the outside.
“That deep on lap one?!”
Sami’s not the Queen of Tokachi for nothing. Reina makes a split-second adjustment, emboldened by seeing how much grip Sami can find out on the track; she commands the Star Rider through the apex of the turn to try and keep up. The Outrunner makes its power down low, and that gives Reina a massive shot of speed as she powers off the corner—but it’s not enough to keep ahead of Sami. Only enough to draw even, their noses fighting to stay ahead of each other.
Reina can’t let this get to her. She can’t focus too much on what Sami is doing, or she risks distracting herself and slipping up. She tries to reset herself and focus on her own marks, running her own race to get settled in before she presses the attack.
(She’s hangin’ there...) Sami’s eyes dart back and forth, keeping tabs on the Star Rider’s attack. That thing’s deceptively nimble if it can keep up with her on the wrong line—but Reina’s not pushing it as far as it can go yet. Through turn two, they remain side by side, and once again, the Star Rider’s agility boosts it off the corner, but Sami’s sheer aggression keeps the Road Runner’s control over the racing line. A reverse S now, with a sharp right turn followed by a sweeping left. If there were a place for Reina to flex the Star Rider’s handling prowess, now would be the time.
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(There she goes!)
Sami knows where she has to brake for this—but Reina doesn’t have to abide by those same rules. Even with her conservative approach, she can still shove the Star Rider deeper on the inside of the turn and power off to take the racing line. Sami can’t cross her over in time on the left-hander—Reina takes the lead!
“Alright! Now this is getting fun!”
Sami flashes a fiery smile on her face. She can feel that competitive spirit burning inside her, rekindled after being frozen in time. She pulls in close behind the Star Rider on the back straight, chasing down her prey like a tiger on the open savanna. Anyone who knows her knows what she’s about to do next—and this early into the race, Reina would rather play it safe instead of defending to the death.
(She wants to try it? Good! Let her use up her tires, I’ll cross her over on exit!)
The Road Runner’s authoritative howl sends shivers down the back of her neck. She’s in a dogfight with her own mother, and Sami will stop at nothing to take the lead back. Her heart is still racing, her mouth hot and dry. She feels like her head is burning up. Sami’s right there.
“Too early!”
Sami takes advantage of an early brake from Reina, darting inside and sailing into the sharp left-hander. Before Reina can try to plug the gap, Sami’s taken the racing line back, and Reina can’t poke her nose in on the hairpin after to challenge her. She’ll have to wait and set her up on the final two turns!
(Overdrive the corner again, I dare you!) Reina starts to think she can use Sami’s aggression to her advantage; if she can force her into making a mistake, she’ll be right there to pounce on her, just as Sami herself did half a lap ago. The S would be the best place to do it—that tricky twin-turn complex that demands perfection to set up the run down the front straight. Reina knows she has a slight advantage in straight-line speed, so all she needs to do is match Sami’s line...
“What the—?!”
How is she supposed to match that?!
“Try me!”
Sami dives the Road Runner into the left-hander deeper than she has any right to. The tires audibly squeal, and for a brief moment, the left sides leap into the air as she rips the apex right off the ground. She almost carries too much speed on corner exit, forcing her right up against the edge of the track, but she keeps the Road Runner together with rehearsed precision. It’s a dramatic line, but pragmatic all the same—Sami knows she needs to hit the corner perfectly if she wants to stay ahead.
Reina, for the moment, backs down. She hugs the apex as well, but she gets no air; in exchange, she’s able to secure a better line off the right-hander onto the front straight, while Sami drifts out wide.
The end result, as they roar back onto the front stretch, is a dead heat: Reina has enough speed on corner exit to claw her bumper back up to Sami’s quarter-panel, but Sami carries so much speed off corner exit from driving on the ragged edge that she’s able to stay ahead. The crowd is already off their feet, cheering both mother and daughter as they scream across the line.
“Well, how about that, folks?! One lap later and they’re the same as they started! Neither of them can break ahead!”
It’s becoming clear where their strengths and weaknesses lie. On paper, Reina has the advantage, with the Star Rider’s better cornering and acceleration...but Sami is driving like a woman possessed, reinforced by decades of experience. They’re staring each other down side by side, waiting for the other to balk...but neither wants to give an inch.
(Later this time, later this time...!) Reina knows she can afford to take more risks now that the tires are all warmed up. Now’s her chance to lean into her strength and try to build a gap on Sami—and it starts with turn one.
(NOW!)
Reina mashes the brake and downshifts as fast as she can. She feels the tires resisting her, power steering struggling to keep up. The whole car fidgets under braking like a caged beast clawing at the bars—did she overcook it this time?
(Well, hot damn!) As it turns out, she timed it nearly perfect. Sami hits her usual braking point for her outside line, but she’s impressed to find Reina hanging right there with her, refusing to give up any ground. She makes sure to give Reina space as she drifts up wide out of the corner, the two of them door to door heading into turn two.
(Not bad! But I’m warmed up now too...!) She feels the grip coming to her. In leaping through the corners like a lion on the charge, she’s warmed up her tires quicker than Reina has—and that lets her pounce over and over and over again. Reina tries to keep up with her through turn two, timing her braking points better and better as she gets in the rhythm, but Sami’s managed to fast-track her grip to stay just one step ahead. As they approach the back stretch, the Road Runner gets a vicious run off the corner, and forces Reina to concede out the end of the reverse S. This time it’s Sami with the lead down the back straight!
(Not over yet...!) Reina can’t let this get to her. Sami is a bull seeing red, charging with reckless abandon to try and maintain her lead—because she has to. She has to drive on the very edge of what the Road Runner is capable of just to keep up with her. If Reina wanted to play this safe, she could wait Sami out and pounce when she’s tired, force her into a mistake...but she’s quickly realizing that’s not gonna work. It’s hard to make the Queen of Tokachi blink—and compared to her hours-long endurance stints from years past, these 10 laps are nothing.
(I’ve gotta find a way to get back at her!)
Reina aims to force the issue going into the hairpin, using her superior cornering to dive inside on corner exit and push her nose in for the next big right. Sami contemplates defending for a split-second, but she sniffs out Reina’s attack—girl wants the racing line, and Sami won’t just give it to her.
(Alright, I see you!) Sami leaves her plenty of space, expecting she’ll use up every inch of the track—and she does. Her turns are getting better and better, steadily dialing in her aggression as she tests how much braking she can get away with. In spite of her brief lead, Sami can’t hold off Reina’s attack forever, and the two draw side by side again.
(Shoot...! We’re gonna be side by side through the S, aren’t we?!)
Reina has no idea what to expect. That set of turns is tricky enough with the lane to herself, but now that she’s locked in this dogfight with Sami, there’s about to be a whole lotta give and take through the slalom onto the front stretch. Reina has to give Sami the apex for the first turn in line—and hope she’s still alongside to take the apex back on the second.
(Work with me here...!) She puts everything she’s got into her turns, wrestling with the car as it hurtles through the bend. Sami has to check up, unable to full-send like she usually does, but in exchange, she can dive down inside on the second turn, squeezing Reina all the way down to the curb as they both rocket through the final turn. Ultimately, with her better angle, Sami emerges victorious from the exchange.
(I’m stuck on the inside again, this isn’t working!)
Sami is driving perfectly. Reina’s straight-line advantage is offset by the sheer momentum Sami carried through the corner, letting her pull away and clear Reina before they reach the stripe. Two laps down, eight to go.
(Calm down... Calm down!) The future is slipping away, but she can’t let it out of her sight. She can’t give up now. Now when she’s come this far!
(I just have to figure something out... Use my grip to my advantage!)
Left with no choice but to fall in behind Sami for the time being, Reina takes the first turn right behind her, her bumper nipping at the Road Runner’s tail. Both of them can have the racing line—share it, even. But Reina won’t be making any progress like this. She’s on the back foot, but sooner or later, she’s gotta take that leap.
But where?
(Gotta be three and four!)
That’s where she’s been strongest so far—and true to form, she’s able to take that corner just a bit tighter than Sami can. As the Road Runner runs out of grip and drifts outside, Reina is able to chop down and get alongside Sami for the next corner, forcing the issue all the way down the back.
“They’re neck and neck again! You’re getting everything you signed up for and then some, folks, this is some spectacular racing!”
Yuzu and Akane watch on through gritted teeth as Reina and Sami trade blows. They knew the Queen of Tokachi would be a tough opponent, but they were expecting a more lopsided race either one way or the other; this is just a total nail biter.
“Geez, Sami won’t stay down!” Akane peels off her binoculars as they approach the final two turns again.
“Reina’s got her hands full, Sami’s just throwing it in there every single time and she keeps making it stick!”
By this point, both their tires have reached optimal temperature—and the grip advantage has mostly evened out. It all comes down to who can nail the turns and power off the apex. For the moment, Reina appears to hold the advantage, pulling ahead for just long enough to steal the racing line through the S. For the first time so far, she leads at the stripe on the third lap of ten—but she knows better than anyone that Sami won’t take it lying down. An attack is coming.
(Do I defend?)
She’s in an unenviable position. Give up the racing line to shut the door on Sami, or call her bluff and let her try the pass? She gives herself a time limit to decide as the corner and her braking point rapidly approach—but to her surprise, Sami’s forced the issue all on her own, well before they even reach the turn.
“She’s going for it!”
Sami knows this track better than anyone living and breathing on this earth. If you want to beat her, you’ll have to do more than just take the preferred line away from her, because she can find grip in places you wouldn’t believe.
“How did—?!” Reina watches as Sami powers through on the inside and almost clears her through turn one, ripping the Road Runner over the apex for a brief splash of air on her right-side tires. The ancient V8 howls like a banshee as the tires run wild, Sami’s foot welded to the gas pedal as she viciously wrenches the wheel. Now the cards are swapped for these first few turns: Sami’s on the inside, and though Reina has the line, Sami has the apex—and God only knows what she can do with it.
“Hahaha! You just had to go and make this fun, didn’t you?!”
Sami hasn’t felt this alive in years—like her body was hibernating until the moment she could be unleashed on the track once more. Eyes red, heart pounding, hands shaking as the torque threatens to rip the wheel out of her old arms. She missed this feeling oh so much since she hung it up...
But no. That’s not the only reason why she feels so energized, is it? It’s Reina too. Nothing, even in her decades of racing experience, compares to the fight her daughter is giving her. Two cars, two drivers—and vastly different though they are, it all cancels out to form an even match. It’s everything she could ever want!
“COME ON! Come and get me!”
It’s such a surreal thing for Reina to experience just who Sami is behind the wheel. When the chips are down, when Sami is on the back foot—when she knows she can’t hold Reina off forever—she defends like a lion. Try as Reina might, she can’t seal the deal down the back stretch, and the battle defers to the hairpin beyond it. Reina gets the apex back for the left turn going into the bend, but Sami refuses to yield, braking as late as she possibly can. Like with her heroics in turn one, she makes the move stick!
“Dammit!”
Reina is powerless to stop Sami as she flies into the corner, and a brief wiggle on corner exit stalls her momentum. She can feel her tires are already starting to go—and she’s sure Sami’s are as well, but you couldn’t tell by the way she’s driving. Where is she finding all this grip from?!
“Close! But not close enough!”
Reina has to claw and scrape for ground to get back to Sami’s rear bumper, but just as she threatens to make some room for herself, those last two turns come up. They’ve been her Achilles’ heel this whole race, and Sami knows the corners just that extra bit better than her. She flies into the apex on the left side, almost sliding the rear end of the car out as the Road Runner hangs on for dear life. It’s working, though, and Reina can see Sami got a better run off corner exit because of it.
(She’s pulling away...!)
“She’s still playing it too safe. She’s gotta change it up!”
The race is almost halfway done now, and Reina still can’t find a way to make Sami crack. The Queen of Tokachi takes a brief look in her rear-view mirror, and sees Reina getting ever so slightly smaller behind her.
“You gotta WANT it, Reina!”
It’s not enough to just survive out here, to just keep up appearances. If Reina wants to beat Sami, she has to beat her!
“Four laps in the books, we’re almost halfway done! Sami Aikawa has built up a lead of about a car length over her daughter, but can Reina claw back and take the lead?!”
Something’s got to give. Reina tries a lunge down the inside in turn one, but Sami calls her bluff—and while Sami made the Road Runner stick when she tried that same move a lap ago, Reina doesn’t have the momentum to clear up and over when she strikes back. She falls back in line and rides around for the next couple turns, the Road Runner’s old taillights burned into her eyes. The back stretch welcomes her once again, giving her a brief moment to think before the next big turn.
(What am I doing...?! I’m not gonna beat her like this!)
The long game isn’t working. She can bide her time all she wants; Sami will just take advantage whenever she’s not pushing at 100%. That’s the lesson here... That’s what she needs to do.
(Dammit, I should know this! It’s just like Yuzu said! It’s just like I’ve known this whole time!)
The Star Rider is not a jack of all trades. It is not designed to win wars of attrition. It is exactly what a driver puts into it—nothing more, nothing less. The true power of the car doesn’t come from its higher floor... It comes from its higher ceiling.
She’s starting to get it now.
“Alright... That’s how we’re gonna play?!”
All this time, Reina has been scared of letting loose—of pushing herself too hard and burning out before she can reach the finish line. But she understands now that she’s never going to beat Sami that way. She’ll have to burn hotter than Sami, hotter than the Road Runner... Hotter than the very stars above.
“Bring it on!”
Sami’s eyes dart back to the rear-view mirror, and she sees Reina from a car length back mounting a charge at the end of the back straight. It won’t be enough to get her all the way home, but it’s enough to put Sami back on the defensive. She likes that.
(Oh, she wants it alright!)
That measured aggression, that no-holds-barred style has defined Sami her whole career. It brings her a mix of comfort and pride to know that, when the chips are down, her daughter is capable of tapping into that power as well.
She’s got five and a half more laps to figure out just how much power she has.
(Closer...!) If ever there were a time to push, it would be now. While the tires are nice and hot, before they’ve started losing the bulk of their rubber. It’s time for her to show her hand at last, cast off her limiters and push herself and the car to the very brink.
That’s what it means to make it yours.
(She’s gaining!)
Sami can feel Reina breathing down her neck as she comes to the S one more time. She nails the corner as she usually does, but she’s more curious to see what Reina does behind her... Will she finally go for it? She’s been taking these last two turns unnecessarily safe, and it’s been killing her runs down the straight. Will she finally break through?
“Okay!” Reina takes a deep breath as she follows Sami into the complex. “Here goes!”
She doesn’t think she’s ever properly nailed the turns in this car. She got close with her 1:58, but she’s always felt like there’s more time for her to find here. It’ll have to be now...!
“Rrgh! COME ON!”
The tires squeal, engine screaming as she works through the gears. With one decisive motion, she commands the car to the left, feeling the wheels threatening to lose their grip and send her sliding to the outside. But through sheer force of will, teeth gritted, she orders the Star Rider to keep it together—and she’s rewarded with an immaculate line through the apex!
“One down!” No time to breathe. Get ready for the next one. She wrenches the wheel to keep the car turning, the right-side tires rumbling across the strips as she uses up every last inch the track can give her. In time, she gets to the other side of the track to line herself up for the right-handed crease, kissing the apex on a beautiful line to end her lap!
“There you go, now you’re getting it!” It’s always so satisfying to nail that corner complex at speed, pushing the car to the limit of what it can do. Now, she sees the real power of the Star Rider—and it’s getting bigger in the mirror.
“Oh, that’s a beautiful run!”
The two cars come flying right past Yuzu and Akane in the stands, and they can hear the difference in revs. Reina’s got a monster of a run down the straight!
“I think she’s got her this time!”
Five laps down, five to go. Reina is poised to make a charge into turn one—and this time, Sami can see the writing on the wall. She won’t be able to hold Reina off.
(She’ll clear me if I let her!) Sami has a decision to make—the same catch 22 she forced Reina into earlier. Shut the door, or hold the line and pressure Reina into a mistake?
(...No. She’s driving great. I can’t count on her to screw it up!)
It all comes down to when she makes her move. She’s gaining more and more ground with every passing second—but her time is running out. Reina’s waiting until the very last second to try the pass. But she’s going to, isn’t she?
“NOW! There she goes!”
Sami sees Reina pull out from behind her, drifting down to the right to try and steal the apex. The braking point is quickly rushing to meet them. Sami decides to follow her and claim the turn for herself, deftly stomping on the brake...but as she multitasks her defense, she finds Reina’s missing from her rear-view mirror! It was a feint!
“There!” Sami can block once, but she can’t block twice. The Star Rider lets Reina turn harder, brake later, outmaneuver the Road Runner and force it off the outside line. Sami can only watch as Reina sails into the turn from out of the corner of her eye, unable to block her outside charge in time!
“She moved her!”
“Hah! Who taught you that?!”
Sami used to love that move back in the day, whenever she would find herself staring up the back of a rival car. Now, though, it’s Reina’s turn to pull that move on her, juking her out like a matador in the ring. What’s more, moving so far inside to defend has really screwed up Sami’s line, forcing her to brake earlier, turn harder, sacrifice her speed.
It all happened faster than she could react. Perhaps the Queen’s grown too old for her crown after all.
“She’s got me...!”
Carrying all that hellacious speed into the turn lets Reina power around the Road Runner and clear it on corner exit, authoritatively taking the lead. She’s not done there, either: she builds a lead in the run up to turn two, and absolutely nails it to widen the gap between her and Sami. The Road Runner can only hang on for dear life, fighting tooth and nail to stop the bleeding.
“Now we’re talking...!” Not to say Reina has it any easier. Now she’s the one who sets the pace, having to keep Sami at bay behind her. She can’t afford to slip up anywhere on the track, or the Road Runner will pounce on her like the saber-toothed beast that it is.
But if anything, this proves one critical thing to her: she can win this. She’s got what it takes, and this lap proves it. Now she just has to prove it four more times...!
“Reina with a DOMINATING run to steal the lead back! Can the Queen of Tokachi answer?!”
Sami finds her gap to Reina fluctuating—gaining in some spots, losing elsewhere. Her tires are wearing down just that little bit faster than Reina’s are, forcing her into riskier and riskier moves. She nearly locks up at the hairpin, having to walk the pedals like a tightrope to save her rubber and keep up her speed. It’s becoming clearer and clearer that 100% won’t be enough for her to take the race back.
“...Alright.” Sami’s out of options. She’s tired. Her body can’t take this much longer.
...She’s gonna leave it all out on the track, right here, right now.
“This is your last race, Sami... Give the crowd a good show!”
For just a few minutes more, she asks her body to turn back the clock ten years. Her eyes strain and twitch, her back screaming for mercy. But she’s not listening. She wants this to go down as the best damn race of her life.
(God almighty, she’s going nuts!) Reina can see drifts of dirt flying from behind the Road Runner as it scrapes the edges of the track. But she can’t let that intimidate her—it only pushes her to go harder herself. She has a clean, fast run through the S again, setting herself up for a solid corner exit, but Sami is keeping pace in the distance behind her. The gap is stable at two car lengths, the Road Runner clinging to the slipstream like a lifeline.
(Four laps to go... I can do this!)
Her heart won’t stop pounding, her head burning up in her helmet. With every turn, every braking point, she pushes herself against the limit—but try as she might, she just can’t shake Sami for good!
“Time is winding down, folks!” And so is the sun. The back stretch now drives into a panorama of golden rays, broken up by the clouds overhead. The Star Rider and the Road Runner shine together, streaking through puddles of light like comets on the run.
Will the sun set on Sami’s drive as well? Three and a half laps to find out.
“She’s good...! Damn good!” This might be the hardest Sami’s ever pushed herself in all her life. Slowly, agonizingly she claws back for track position, trying anything and everything her exhausted mind can think of to make up time. Through the S they go again, and with a bout of heroics, Sami can make up a smidgen of time...but Reina’s still out of her reach.
“Coming up on three laps to go this time, and they’re both still driving lights-out!” If anyone in the crowd wasn’t already on their feet, they certainly are now. Their eyes are glued to the two comets screaming down the straightaway, each desperately fighting for any advantage they can muster.
Reina, for her part, is holding up better than she thought she would. She knew her mother was going to give her a difficult fight—and that she’d have to bring her very best if she wanted to beat her. But this isn’t where she expected to be. She was betting on having to come from behind and snatch victory from out of Sami’s hands; instead, she’s the one holding onto the lead for dear life.
But it demonstrates to her that she can do this. She just needs to hold out, keep hitting her marks, lead the way for the past to follow...!
“Holding steady! You can do this... Whoa—!” A rude awakening challenges her into turn one, however: her own tires are waning further. The car threatens to slide underneath her, as if she’s braking on ice; she has to really work to corral the car so she doesn’t overshoot the turn. The door is creaking back open. Three laps remain.
“She’s having trouble...!” Sami watches from behind, curious to see how Reina will tackle the changing conditions. The lowering track temperature and lightening fuel load contrasts with the degrading tires, leaving grip a good guess at best for an inexperienced racer like her. But one way or another, she’s gotta make it work!
“Just keep going...! It’s almost done!”
Reina tries to push the fatigue out of her mind. It’s all in her head... She can rest when this is all said and done. No matter how much her body screams at her, how hard her head aches, she will persevere until the race is over!
“Gah! Shoot— Work with me!” The S is only getting more and more difficult. Her full-send line betrays her, a brief wiggle forcing her off the apex and nearly off the track as momentum swings her to the right. She manages to get the Star Rider back under control, but the damage is done: Sami’s gained half a car length on her!
“Come on, Reina, keep it together!”
“GOOO!”
The crowd can barely contain themselves as they watch the race heating up. At this rate, it’s gonna come down to the wire...!
“It’s getting real close, folks! TWO laps to go! They’ll get the white flag next time by!”
Sami’s getting increasingly desperate—she has to be. Her best shot is at the S, forcing Reina into another mistake; she just has to hold on and get there first. On increasingly scuffed tires, on failing energy reserves, on a past reputation that could never withstand the river of time.
“It’s not...over yet!”
Sami grunts, strains, calls up whatever strength she has left to chase the mountaintop. If all the action on the track weren’t enough, she’s waging a battle inside her own mind—a battle to live the glory of her past one final time. A battle to escape the march of time, if just for one moment, and find peace in the world she’s always known.
“That Road Runner has NO right to be going that fast! How the hell can Sami push it like that and not wipe out?!”
She’ll have one more good chance to challenge Reina—the S. Reina’s lead only barely holds through the turns leading up to it. Sami knows what she has to do.
“Rrrrgh...! C’mon! GOT IT!”
She can feel the chassis of the car warping under the sheer might of the engine, the tires hovering off the ground as she blasts the apex. Her line forces her to the ragged edge, perhaps the best she’s nailed the S all day—and though Reina’s made excellent through the curve as well, she’s left just the tiniest gap open as she lifts ever so slightly to stabilize. The stage is set now.
This is the Queen’s final attack.
“C’MON!”
Sami charges up the inside, threatening to close the gap to the Star Rider. She tries to convince herself she’s still got time. The crowd is on their feet.
“WHITE FLAG! Reina takes it! One more lap to go! Can she hold on?!”
Yuzu, exhilarated, raises her voice.
“COME ON, REINAAAA!”
It’ll all come down to this final stab at turn one. Sami has just enough of a run to threaten for the apex...but Reina isn’t scared of her.
“Not with your grip!”
She knows her car now—knows herself. Even with Sami rampaging like a bull to her right, she has faith that she can still outbrake her. She believes!
“THERE!”
“NOW!”
One more time, the two cars thunder down into the turn, powering down through the gears in a symphony of pure, unbridled power. The crowd holds their collective breath as they wait to see who comes out of the turn ahead...
“Sami wants to take the inside on turn one—and THERE SHE GOES! She’s going for it on the inside of the Star Rider!”
Sweat flies off Reina’s face as the Star Rider jerks through the turn. Sami is right there in the corner of her eye, the Road Runner screaming in her ear, trying to drown out her own car’s vicious yell. Cards are up, chips are down...!
“...It’s REINA! Reina holds her off! Sami’s tires are too cooked to give chase!”
“THAT’S IT, REINA, YOU’VE GOT THIS!”
“COME ON! BRING IT HOME!”
When everything else is torn, broken, eroded away by pressure and fatigue, the two opponents are reduced to their most basic elements.
“Almost there...! COME ON!”
One, the dreamer. Born and raised amid upheaval for her family—her very identity—and tasked with picking up the pieces to build a new future from scratch. But that wouldn’t stop her—nothing would. Her love for her family, and her desire to lift them up with her into the future, burns greater than any flood can extinguish.
“Rngh...!”
The other, the dream. Ephemeral like a bolt of lightning, streaking across the sky. She lived and loved on her own terms, in her own way...but no matter how much she dreamed, how much she dominated out on the track, she knew she would have to wake up eventually. She sees the future slipping away from her now, bit by bit, corner by corner—she can’t keep up. The final lap winds down, and Reina’s lead widens out of her reach...
And she could not possibly be happier about it.
“You’ve got this, Reina...! Just a little more!”
All pretense of competition finally fades away. Those final few turns almost a formality, Sami’s vicious charges unable to close the gap. Her final attempt at the S goes sideways, literally and figuratively, as she nearly spins the Road Runner from its lack of grip. Reina nails the final two turns, as she so consistently does, and emerges at the end of the lap with sole dominion over the lead.
“...It’s over.”
There are few things that bring a mother joy like watching her daughter triumph over life’s greatest challenges. Now, once and for all, Reina has definitive proof—so strong that no one can deny it—that she has the strength to save Aikawa Auto. As Reina forges ahead, on the track and into the brave new future she will create...Sami is at peace. She has just experienced the greatest day of her life.
“You’re the best daughter I could ever ask for... Get that flag! GO!”
Time slows to a crawl. The flag hovers in the air. Reina sees a brave new world unfolding before her very eyes... It’s finally hers for the taking.
(I... Am I doing this?!)
All this time, she’s seen the world from the backside of two giants. Always looking up to them, always comparing herself to them... Always basking in the light of their accomplishments, then tasked to shine even brighter than them. Now, for the very first time, she has risen above them—and all she sees ahead is the boundless blue sky, unobstructed by clouds and undiminished by the shadows she walked upon.
She doesn’t know how to feel yet... This is all new and strange territory for her. With this, the baton is finally passed to her—and she will be the giant, carving her own path for others to follow, just as Clara and Sami did for her. She looks to the checkered flag with her head held high... The future she worked so hard for is finally taking flight.
This is what it means to make it hers.
“And THERE SHE IS! Reina powers off the final corner and takes the checkered flag! REINA is your winner!”
“YES! SHE DID IIIT!”
“THAT is how you close out a race!”
A stunned silence in the crowd quickly erupts into a chorus of cheers. Never have they been so happy to see the Queen of Tokachi dethroned, coming up within a second of her daughter’s time—oh so close, but not close enough. She gave it everything she had, left it all out there on the track...but so did Reina. And that’s exactly what Sami wanted.
“There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! There’s a new head honcho at Aikawa Auto, and her name is REINAAA AIKAWA!”
Reina is so overcome with emotion that she can barely find the words in her head. Her body, her heart, her mind, her soul are all overloaded with an unending stream of catharsis, triumph, hope... It’s just too much for her to take. She only just has enough energy to get the car slowed down in time to pull it into the pit lane, with Sami and the Road Runner following close behind. She shuts the engine off, and immediately the void in her ears is filled with uproarious applause from the crowd.
“I... Holy... D-Did I really just...?!” Her heart won’t stop. She all but melts into the seat, spending what feels like an eternity just catching her breath. She can’t stop the tears from flowing, the onslaught of emotion taking her over in the evening glow.
“Hey! Sorry, coming through! ‘Scuse us!” Akane and Yuzu rush down the steps in the grandstands, bolting toward the pit lane to congratulate their friend. Their own hearts are about ready to burst from their chests—and to be sure, neither of them will ever forget this race for as long as they live.
Sami takes her own exit, slowly relinquishing herself from the well-worn seat of the Road Runner. Her arms and legs quiver, her head heavy and her eyes aching...but she’s never felt so alive before in all her years. Not while she was on top...not while she was defending her crown all those years ago. She looks to the stands, to that weathered start-finish stripe... Tokachi has left her behind. But even with all her fatigue, she feels like a tremendous weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
“Mmm... This is how it should be.”
Closure. Now, after years in limbo, this chapter of Aikawa Auto’s history can finally end. To end her career for good, and to have her one and only daughter succeed her... This is right. This is how Reina saves their future.
“Reina!”
*CLICK!*
“That was AWESOME! Holy shit!”
“Wh-Whoa, when did—“ Reina is almost too tired to react to Yuzu and Akane opening the Star Rider’s door to congratulate her. Their combined might is enough to get her out of the seat, her legs struggling to carry herself; they’re more than happy to pick up her slack.
“I knew you could do it. You ran an awesome race!”
“Thank you...! Thank you so much! Oh, God... I feel like I’m gonna pass out!”
“Hey, lean on us if you need to! No worries!”
Reina’s smile shines through the exhaustion. They can both see just how much this means to her.
“It feels...SO good...to have pulled that off...!” Reina manages through heavy breaths. “I just... I had to remind myself...what this car is... That was it all along...!”
“And what a car it is!”
“Not to toot your own horn, of course, being the one who built it.”
“Well no, come on! The engine’s all her!”
Soon enough, the Star Rider’s team is joined by its fiercest competition. Sami finds the strength to make the walk over to Reina...and this time, she doesn’t have any fancy speech prepared. She doesn’t have any sage words of wisdom. All their thoughts and words were settled out there on the track today.
“Reina...! Come here!”
She opens her arms wide for her, an ageless smile on her face. She doesn’t need to say anything more.
“Mom...!”
Mother and daughter embrace one more time, their hearts pounding and their bodies trembling in each other’s arms. All the tension of the day, absolved at last... All the demons and doubts lingering from the company’s past, banished in the light of the setting sun. No more clouds to dog the rays of gold any longer... It’s just clear, picturesque skies up there, as far as the eyes can see.
Pretty soon, once the sun has set, you’ll be able to see the stars.
“Ladies and gentlemen, another round of applause for Reina Aikawa—and Sami too, and everybody else at the team for putting on this event! Let ‘em hear how much you loved this race! I think after this, we can say it once and for all: the Aikawa Auto Company is BACK!”
“REINA! REINA! REINA! REINA! REINA... REINA...”
***
To those who knew Reina Aikawa from the very start of her story—to those who walked alongside her—this fateful autumn day serves as the bookend to the journey of a thousand miles. She has finally triumphed over herself and the obstacles that lay along her path...and everyone around her knows that, sure as the sun will rise, she will fulfill her dream with the wings she’s earned for herself.
But when all is said and done... When the dust settles in the wake of Reina’s meteoric rise to the stars, this day will be remembered as the first of many iconic moments that define her legacy in the automotive world. The day Reina realized who she truly was, and began her journey onward and upward into the years beyond.
It’s funny, when you look back on it all. Some will say she was destined to reach the heights she did—that her fate was written in the stars from the moment she was born. Others will point to her adversity as evidence that she reached up and penned her legacy for herself, fate and the world be damned. One thing just about everyone can agree on, though, is that she’s earned her place up there in the boundless night sky—and that she’ll rise higher and higher still.
And so, time marches on...