A few weeks passed by and the day for the qualifiers has come. The sounds of engines roared throughout the circuit as drivers tried their best to set a lap that could secure them a spot for tomorrow's race. Alice and Sugimoto were watching the television as the television displayed each driver's qualifying session. As they watched, the television displayed the schedule for when they'll start their qualifiers.

"Seems like we'll start at noon." Sugimoto said to her.

"Ah, I see. I guess we got some time to kill." Alice told him.

"Welp, that's enough time for a nap." Sugimoto chuckled.

"Jeez, why do you like to sleep so much." Alice asked as she lightly punched his arm.

"I don't know why but I feel like I could concentrate more if I just take a quick nap." Sugimoto revealed.

Alice stared blankly at Sugimoto after hearing that.

"I-I see... Whatever you say Senpai." Alice awkwardly told him.

"Hey, I'm being serious this time!" Sugimoto told her.

After that, they went out of the main building and headed out to the paddocks where they saw cars constantly going in and out of the circuit. They walked around the garages and saw many race cars from different brands racing under local race teams.

"It's astonishing that Akinabalu could host such races despite racing on a single track." Alice muttered.

"Well, it's all thanks to the Japanese innovation am I right?" Sugimoto boldly claims.

Alice looked a bit unimpressed with Sugimoto's comment.

"What does Japan have to do with anything here?" Alice asked.

"Well, we rebuilt your nation and constructed the National Circuit of Akinabalu. So that's a few things I could recall." Sugimoto told her.

"Weren't the Italians and Germans who came and helped construct the circuit?" Alice argued.

"Well true, but you can't downplay the Japanese's role in shaping Akinabalu. You guys would probably not get a race track at all!" Sugimoto argued back.

"I sometimes forget that you're Japanese Senpai. Still proud of your Japanese ancestry?" Alice teased him.

"For sure! Proud to lift the flag of the rising sun!" Sugimoto proudly remarked.

"Yet you race in Akinabalu on the Akinabalu Circuit rather than Suzuka and Fuji circuits? So much for glorifying Japan." Alice told him.

"Hey now, that's a whole different thing okay?" Sugimoto said, feeling a bit hurt by Alice's comment.

As they were joking around, they heard someone chuckling from behind them. They turned around and saw Nadya Popovo standing beside her. Her beauty outshines everything behind her and her smile could catch the attention of people miles away.

"M-Miss Popova?" They both muttered in surprise.

"Sorry, I was just amused by your patriotism. You two must be on the Akinabalu Motorsports team. It's nice to meet you." She asked with a slight Russian accent.

Alice and Sugimoto were so captivated by her beauty that they couldn't take their eyes off her. Alice soon snapped out of it and decided to introduce herself.

"I-It's nice to meet you two! My name is Alice Sha-" Alice was about to say but was cut short by Nadya.

"Shah. Yes, I've heard of you, you are the winner of the first round." Nadya told her.

Alice was surprised to hear that Nadya knew her.

"W-Wait, Nadya knows who I am?" Alice thought to herself.

"You've pulled quite an impressive move on the final sector. Why haven't I heard anything from you before?" Nadya asked her.

"W-Well that was my first race in my professional career." Alice told her.

Nadya seemed surprised by what was revealed to her.

"So you've won your first professional race on your debut huh? That's pretty impressive." Nadya told her.

Alice slightly blushed as Nadya complimented her, feeling a bit confident in herself and her abilities.

"T-Thanks Nadya, I appreciate it." Alice said to her.

Alice noticed that Sugimoto hadn't said a single word as he just stared at her throughout their conversation. Alice decides to elbow him in the guts to help snap him out. Sugimoto soon felt a sharp pain in his guts and fell down. Nadya looked at her, feeling a bit scared seeing the man on the floor.

"You're quite strong as well... Should I call a medical team or..." Nadya muttered.

"Don't worry about him. He'll be alright." Alice scoffed.

"I-I see. I'm looking forward to racing you, Mrs Shah. I'll leave you two for now." Nadya told her.

Nadya soon left them alone. Alice crouched down and looked at Sugimoto who was still on the floor.

"That hurts you know?" Sugimoto muttered.

"Meh, you kinda deserved it. Don't you think?" Alice argued.

"I guess soo..." Sugimoto said in pain.

They went back to the garage and waited for their qualifying session. Alice and Sugimoto began stretching to warm up before the race, there Ghazali went in and informed them.

"Alright drivers, I've met up with the race marshalls and they said to be on standby, Any minute now we'll be called up. So Sugimoto will go first while Alice goes after, am I clear?" Ghazali told them.

The drivers nodded, agreeing to Ghazali's proposal.

"Good, don't go anywhere alright? Stay put and I'll call you guys up when we're up." Ghazali told them.

Ghazali soon left to check on other things. Alice and Sugimoto resumed their warm-up, where Sugimoto struck up a conversation with her.

"Hey, did you hear what happened to Richard?" Sugimoto asked.

Alice is surprised to hear Sugimoto bringing up Richard and decides to play dumb.

"N-No. What happened to him?" Alice asked him despite knowing what happened.

"A few ago, he crashed during a practice session and totaled his car. Luckily he survived the initial crash." Sugimoto told her.

"I-I see, good that he got out of there..." Alice looked to the side, trying not to be suspicious,

"During those weeks, they've unveiled their newest car on social media." Sugimoto told her.

He pulled out his phone and displayed a video from the Riversons social media page to her. Alice's eyes widen as the video reveals their newest car, a Ferarri 296 GT3. In the video, there was an interview with the spokespersons of the Riversons Racing team.

"We've been preparing this car for round 4 but we've decided to begin testing that car's capabilities before then, hence we've decided to unveil the car for round 2 of the ROA Cup." The spokespersons told them.

"Wouldn't unveiling your cars this early cause you to gain a 15-position grid penalty? It's a bit harsh on the drivers don't you think?" The interviewer asked.

"We've talked with the ROA officials about the penalty and it's currently in process. We are negotiating a 5-position grid penalty." The spokesperson said.

"I see, but it will still be a bit harsh as they still need to qualify for the top 25 drivers to participate in it. Aren't you a bit worried that your drivers could be knocked out of the Top 25 due to this penalty?" The interviewer asked.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"We're not worried, we know our drivers will give it their all." The spokesperson responded with confidence.

The video ended and Alice felt intimidated by the spokesperson's confidence.

"Recently they've gotten away with a 5-grid penalty, those lucky bastards." Sugimoto said.

"So they'll be getting a grid penalty huh? I guess that's good news for us then." Alice told him.

"I guess so, but I'm speculative about his crash." Sugimoto told.

Alice seemed confused by what he meant and decided to ask him.

"What do you mean Senpai?" Alice asked.

"It feels like the crash was deliberate, I think it was an excuse to unveil their newest gen car this early just to sweep the points." Sugimoto told her,

Alice thought as she processed what Sugimoto said. She then remembers seeing him unconscious in the car whilst it was smoking, she can't imagine Richard faking the crash.

"I-I don't think he would do such a thing." Alice told him.

Sugimoto felt surprised hearing this. He wasn't expecting Alice to defend him.

"Why's that?" Sugimoto asked.

"I just have a hunch you know? I don't think someone would go as far to do that." Alice told her.

"I guess you're right, maybe I'm just getting worked up because of this." Sugimoto told her.

Sugimoto lets out a sigh and accepts it.

"Maybe I should get some rest, it'll be bad luck if I don't take a nap." Sugimoto chuckled.

As soon as Sugimoto said that, Ghazali went towards them and informed them.

"The stewards have called us in, hurry up and get ready in 5 more minutes!" Ghazali told them.

Sugimoto was a bit surprised when he heard that.

"B-But I need my sleep!" Sugimoto told him.

Alice chuckled slightly seeing Sugimoto's slightly worried state.

"Man, you're really worried about a nap huh Senpai?" Alice chuckled.

"Kid, if I don't take my nap, I won't be able to perform well!" Sugimoto told her.

"Hey, that's just a superstition Senpai, you got this!" Alice assured him.

Sugimoto felt a bit calmer now. He let out another sigh and accepted it.

"Alright then, I don't need any of that anymore. Wish me luck kid." Sugimoto told her.

Sugimoto got in his car and made his way to his car. He wore his helmet and gloves before getting into his car, he then drove out of the paddocks and entered the track. As this all unfolds, Alice is greeted with a familiar friend.

"Hey Alice, it's Asashi's turn right now, right?" Kara asked her,

"Ah Hey Kara! Yeah, Senpai just left for the track right now." Alice told her.

"I see, let's go watch his race then." Kara told her.

Alice nodded, agreeing to her suggestion. They both began walking towards a television that was displaying the race. There, they saw Sugimoto's car drive on the track to warm up his tires. Eventually, he came back and positioned himself on the grid.

"You think he'll get pole position, Kara?" Alice asked her.

"I don't know Alice, I feel like he could but there's a lot of competition." Kara told her.

"I see, I guess there are fast drivers today. The leader is currently at the 2:06 mark." Alice told her.

The marshalls started waving the green flag and the lights began turning red. Sugimoto holds his steering wheel and silently watches as the lights light up one by one. As soon as the lights turn green, he stomps on the pedal away he goes. Kara watches intently at the television, seemingly studying him.

"So Alice, have you learned anything from Asashi?" Kara asked her.

Alice was confused by her statement.

"What do you mean? Like he's favorite food or something?" Alice asked.

"What? No silly! I meant his driving techniques and stuff. Did you learn anything like that from him?" Kara asked her.

Alice thought for a while and shrugged.

"Not really. He usually just sits around and sleeps on his favorite couch and acts all lazily." Alice revealed to her.

"Eh? Really? So you learn absolutely nothing from him? That's a bummer." Kara told her.

They watched on as Sugimoto began arriving back from his first lap. They both watched as Sugimoto crossed the finish line.

"2:12? Not bad for a first lap." Kara muttered.

"Yeah, I guess he's going for pole position then." Alice said to her.

As they watched Sugimoto turning into the hairpins, Alice began wondering about Sugimoto's past life.

"Hey Kara, I know that you've known Senpai for a long time, was he always like this?" Alice asked.

"I guess so. Since our Academy days, he has always been a relaxed guy, sometimes a goofball." Kara told.

"I guess he still is!" Alice chuckled.

"Yeah, but the only aspect that he lost would probably be his hardworking mentality." Kara told revealed.

Alice was surprised to hear that Sugimoto was hardworking, and she began speculating whether it was true or not.

"Eh? That guy with a hardworking mentality? I can't imagine that!" Alice told her, with a doubt on her face.

"It's true, he would go day, noon, and night. He would study, work, and practice whenever he could." Kara revealed.

Alice listens to her story and is fascinated by the thought of him being an actual person. Although something doesn't sit right with her.

"So he's really a hardworking person huh? What happened to him?" Alice asked.

"Beats me, but at least he's still the same guy. I guess that's what really matters right?" Kara told her.

Alice smiled slightly hearing that phrase.

"I guess so..." Alice muttered.

As they watched from the television, they noticed that Sugimoto was lacking pace through some corners of the circuit.

"Sheesh, what's gotten to Asashi? Something wrong with his car or something?" Kara said sarcastically.

"I-I don't know, I thought they've resolved the issue already..." Alice muttered to herself.

"What issue are you talking about?" Kara asked, slightly worried.

"Oh, there was an issue-" Alice was about to say until she realized that she almost told her a company secret and decided to cut herself off.

"Ah sorry, I can't tell you." Alice simply told her.

Kara raised her eyebrow upon hearing that she couldn't tell her.

"Company secrets eh? I understand. Whatever is happening is really affecting him tho." Kara told her.

In Sugimoto's cockpit, he began feeling a bit confused with everything that was happening with his car. He felt that his was even more oversteery than before and began complaining.

"Yo Gaz, why's the car sliding like crazy? It feels like an absolute boat!" Sugimoto told Ghazali through the mic.

"We have no idea, we'll look into it after this. Keep racing and do your best Sugi." Ghazali told him.

"How can I finish the race like this!? I can't make it into the top 25 like this!" Sugimoto complained.

"Just try finishing the race alright?" Ghazali told him.

Sugimoto reluctantly kept going and tried to keep his car on track. He soon crosses the finish line and Sugimoto's name went up on the leaderboards. Alice and Kara commented on it.

"19th place huh? He's really struggling out there." Kara said.

Alice watched in shock as Sugimoto struggled to break into the top 10 on the leaderboards. She has an uneasy feeling that things are about to get worse.

"Damn if Senpai can't get into the top 10, there's a possibility he could be eliminated from the race!" Alice thought to herself.

Sugimoto continued his final lap and he began feeling the pressure. He constantly fought with his Porsche 911 GT3 R in the corners. He knows it is dangerous but he decides to push his car to the limits. On the entry corner of sector 4, Sugimoto tries to push the car hard in order to make up time. As soon as he touched the apex, he felt his car slide and he began adjusting it. It was too late and he lost control of it.

"Damn it! On the same corner as well!" He said and slammed on the wheel.

From the garage, they saw that Sugimoto had spun out on the corner of sector 4. They couldn't believe that Sugimoto had somehow failed to qualify in the top 10 of the leaderboards, expecting he would at least get into the top 5.

"That's unfortunate to see... At least he's okay, right Alice?" Kara asked her.

Kara looked at Alice and noticed that she was frozen still, seemingly not knowing what to say but she only watched. After a few moments of silence, Alice began talking again.

"Y-Yeah..." Alice muttered.

As they were standing there, they heard a commotion from the Akinabalu Motorsport garage. Alice noticing this began heading towards the garage area, there she saw Ghazali arguing with one of the engineers.

"What the hell happened? Why was the rear suspension not set up right!" Ghazali asked them angrily.

"We only followed your instructions on the list! You're the one who should've done a last-minute inspection!" One of them argued.

"I only said to follow the list! I didn't say anything about messing with the suspensions!" Ghazali argued back.

"What do you mean? It's printed out on the list right here!" The engineer showed him the paper.

Ghazali took the paper from his hand and began reading it through. He then notices that he has mistakenly printed out outdated instructions on suspension tunes. The instruction was the first tuning of the suspensions instead of the latest one, which somehow got sneaked into the list.

"I-I can't believe I could make this mistake..." Ghazali muttered.

"So much for team principal." The engineer mockingly said.

Ghazali suddenly grabbed his collar with a furious look on his face.

"Say that again punk!" Ghazali screamed at him.

As Ghazali was holding one of the crew's collars. The manager rushed in and saw what was happening.

"What's going on here? Ghazali stop that!" The manager screamed.

Ghazali heard the manager and reluctantly let go of him. He looked down and his hand began trembling, he began feeling a bit ashamed of what he had done. He looked around and saw everyone around him, judging him. He couldn't bear it anymore and began walking away.

"I-I need to go..." Ghazali said.

"W-Wait! Gaz hold up!" Alice said to him.

As Alice is about to go after him, the manager stops her.

"Let him go for a while, Alice. He needs to take a break. You on the other hand should get ready." The manager sternly told her.

"B-But he needs someone to-" Alice tried to say but was shortly cut off as a marshall suddenly came in.

"Alice Shah, it's time to move to the grid now. Get there as soon as possible." One of the marshalls told them.

Alice was hesitant but reluctantly agreed. She wore her helmet and gloves before entering the car and drove out of the track. As she was about to enter the track, he noticed the 911 coming out of the gates towards the track. They both stopped and talked out of their windows at the gate.

"Hey kid, sorry I couldn't get into the top 10s, the car is being uncooperative for some reason." Sugimoto told her.

"I noticed. The team said that they've installed the wrong tunes for your suspensions. They began fighting over it as well." Alice told him.

Sugimoto was surprised when he heard what happened to the team. He became concerned about what happened between them.

"Fighting? Who was fighting?" Sugimoto asked in a concerned tone.

"It was between Ghazali and some of the crew." Alice told him.

"I see. I'll go and settle this. You go ahead and do your best." Sugimoto told her.

Alice's mood was slightly lifted as he heard that Sugimoto was going to resolve the issue.

"R-Really? That'll be great! Thanks, Senpai!" Alice told him.

Sugimoto smiled lightly before driving back to the garage. Alice soon got onto the track and began doing a warm-up lap to warm her tires. Alice takes deep breaths as she circles around the circuit. Suddenly she received a radio transmission from the team.

"Hey Alice, doing okay out there?" The manager asked.

"Yeah, I'm just feeling a bit worried." Alice told him.

"If it's about before then don't worry about that. Focus on the race and you'll be good alright?" The manager told her.

"Yeah. I'll do my best manager!" Alice told him.

After doing a warm-up lap, she parked her car on the grid. She looked around and saw all the stewards and marshalls were busy and some of them began waving the green flag. Alice began taking deep breaths as she looked towards the track, determined to do her best.