After her friends went home, the team began discussing on different places to celebrate. Some of the crew wanted to celebrate at the local bar but some rejected it.

"We can't celebrate at the bar you guys, Alice still can't drink so we'll have to settle somewhere else," Sugimoto told the team.

"Eh? I don't mind if we celebrate at the bar, I'll drink the apple juice that they provide there" Alice told them.

The team began to reconsider the option but the manager rejected it.

"No guys, I have to agree with Sugimoto. Let's go to a fancy restaurant instead and celebrate there." The manager told them.

The team accepted the alternative option and drove in packs to the restaurant where the manager treated them. They all eat at different tables not far from each other. A certain group managed to sneak some booze into the restaurant and had their own little drinking club.

"Tsk, just when I thought they weren't going to drink. I guess it can't be helped." The manager muttered to himself.

Alice, the manager, and Ghazali sat together at their table and began chatting about stuff while Sugimoto on the other hand had a couple of drinks with the drinking club. While eating, Alice noticed that the manager and Ghazali were not drinking and she became concerned that she was being a killjoy.

"You know you can just drink right guys? I don't mind" Alice reassures her.

"Don't worry Alice, we don't drink those things." Ghazali told her.

"Huh, why not?" Alice asked them.

"Well for me it's against my faith to drink so I'll pass." Ghazali told her.

"I don't drink because my wife would throw me out of the house if I did. I'm also driving so it's fine." The manager assures her.

"Ah, I see. Glad to hear it." She said and smiled.

Alice took a chomp out of her burger and the gang enjoyed their evening as they ate, drank, and told jokes and stories. After Sugimoto was done drinking, he went up to meet with the others and sat down on the opposite side of Alice. He placed his head on the table after the effects of the alcohol set in.

"Jeez Sugimoto, I thought you changed when you decided to avoid the bar but here you are getting drunk." The manager teased him.

"I only had a few drinks." Sugimoto said drunkenly.

Alice and Ghazali awkwardly smiled after looking at Sugimoto who seemed to have passed out from all the drinking.

"Hey manager, has Senpai always been like this?" Alice asked him.

The manager thought for a while.

"Well I don't say for certain but he does drink his life away when he sees this stuff. Usually after a celebration like this." The manager told her.

"I see, I guess I can see that." She said and chuckled.

As they talked more, the manager's phone began ringing and he took a second to read the phone number and decided to leave the restaurant for a while.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Ah, excuse me for a moment." The manager said politely.

The manager politely stood up and went out of the restaurant. Alice and Ghazali talked with each other and Ghazali began telling stories about his wife and kids back at the Peninsular.

"Here Alice, this is my wife and kids." He said while smiling.

Ghazali showed a photo of his wife and two children on his smartphone.

"They look so cute! You must missed them huh?" Alice asked him.

"Yup, I wish I could be more involved with them but someone got to provide right?" Ghazali told her.

"I see, hopefully, you'll meet them soon." Alice said feeling a bit sad.

"Well, we are taking a break from racing until the ROA cup round 2 in early March right? I guess I could meet them before we start working again." Ghazali told her.

"Yep, I also got to get back to my studies since I don't want to fall behind in class." Alice said chuckingly.

As they continued talking to each other, the manager came back inside with a visible grin on his face from excitement.

"What's up with the manager?" She asked Ghazali.

"I don't know but it looks like he's making an announcement.

The manager grabbed a nearby wine glass and tapped it with a fork to get the team's attention. Everyone looked towards him anticipating his announcement.

"I would like to inform everyone that starting today, we will be sponsored by the largest mineral water company in the region, Aqua Infinite! We are back in the game team!" The manager told them.

Everyone cheered and clapped upon hearing the good news, Sugimoto raised his arm and gave a thumbs up. The crew celebrated and they had a time of their life that night. After the celebration, they all waved goodbye to each other and parted ways. Ghazali drove the team's van and drove the crew back to their homes. The manager who remained sober drove Alice and Sugimoto to their homes. While he drove towards Alice's home, the manager struck up a conversation with Alice.

"It's been a while since I felt something like this, it feels surreal." The manager told her.

"But you've seen better days of this team right manager?" She asked the manager.

"That's true, but that was years ago. Now that we're back on the right track, I can't wait to see what we can achieve in the future!" The manager told Alice feeling enthusiastic.

"I see, thank you manager for giving me this opportunity. I really can't imagine joining any other team than this one." Alice told the manager and smiled.

"I should be thanking you, I couldn't have signed a better driver than you Alice. You surprised a lot of people tonight, even the president of the federation." He chuckled as he told her.

"R-really? I appreciate it." She said while smiling.

They finally reached Alice's home and the manager dropped her off. The lights inside of her home are closed and it seems that her grandpa is sleeping.

"You got your keys right Alice?" The manager asked worryingly.

"Yup, seems like Gramps is sleeping. Thanks for dropping me here manager!" She said as she got out.

"No problem, now I gotta get this bum back to his place. Also, I'll give you a call once I print out your prize money and your check." The manager told her.

Alice nodded and gave the manager a fist bump. She waved goodbye as his car left the street. She slowly walks inside her home where there's no one around. She sneakily walked up to her room but suddenly she felt an odd presence behind her. Alice jumped as she felt something press on her shoulder and she swiftly turned on the lights and faced it head-on.

"Surprise!" Her grandpa said

He is holding up a balloon with the words 'congratulations' on it. Alice controlled her breathing and spoke up.

"Grandpa you nearly gave me a heart attack!" She tried to calm herself down.

"I've heard about your victory and I have to say I'm very impressed that you've managed to get first place." Her grandpa told her and handed her the balloon.

"Thanks, Gramps. I've been training a lot for the race. I got a bit lucky today but I don't think I'll be so lucky next time." She said.

"Nonsense, luck isn't what made you win the race, it was sheer determination. If you had not taken the opportunity, you would not have won the race, right?" Her grandpa reassures her.

"I see, thanks, Gramps! I'm feeling a bit tired now. I'll go hit the hay soon." She said while rubbing her eyes.

"Alright then sweetie, have a good rest." Her grandpa told her.

Alice went to her room and lay on her bed looking at the ceiling above her. She tied the balloon to the edge of her bed and let it float.

"I really did it huh?" She muttered to herself.

She began reminiscing about the time she was with her dad who taught her how to drive in a go-kart to a full-on race car. She smiled lightly as she looked at the ceiling.

"Dad, are you proud of me?" She muttered to herself.

She stared into the ceiling for a few minutes until her eyes began feeling heavy and began to drift off into sleep.