Alice's world began slowing down, the red light lit up one by one as she controlled her breath. Her mind was cleared and she was on high alert, waiting for the lights to extinguish. The lights went out and away goes Alice as she began her qualifying lap.

The BMW M6 GT3 began roaring through the circuits, and the crowd cheered as she sped through the straights. She began positioning her car on the left-hand side of the track and entered the hairpins smoothly, following the ideal line. After turning around the hairpins, Alice got onto the first straight of sector 3.

On the straights, Alice began pushing the pedal to the metal and reached the top speed on her vehicle. Alice glanced at her gauges on the dashboard to monitor the car's top speed. As she got closer to the chicane, she began slowing down and entered the chicane with ease. After exiting the chicane, she pushed the car to its limit and it roared throughout the track. As Alice sped through the straights, Alice got a radio transmission from the manager.

"You're doing well Alice, keep it up!" The manager said to her.

Alice kept silent, trying to maintain her focus on the remaining track ahead. She followed the ideal line and turned into the corner that led up to the final sector. Alice navigated through the twists and turns flawlessly without error. After a few turns, she emerged from the chicane and got back onto sector 1, where she sped through the long straight and crossed the finish line, ending her first lap and unto the second.

"2:13 Alice. You're doing a superb job!" The manager told her.

"How far am I in the leaderboards manager?" Alice asked him in a serious tone.

"You're in 30th place right now. Keep your head down, Alice." The manager said.

"Alright, I'm turning off the radio, I need to focus." Alice told him.

"Understood, contact us back if you need anything, over." The manager told her.

Alice switches off the radio used to communicate with the team. She now has all the focus in the world for the last two laps. It's all on her now to help bring them glory to the team. As Alice continued her race, Sugimoto was in the paddock area, trying to find Ghazali, who had run off from the Akinabalu garage. Sugimoto frantically looked all over the paddock without him in sight, after minutes of searching, he saw him at a fence surrounding the Akinabalu circuit area.

As Sugimoto got closer, he saw Ghazali staring out at a distance, a field filled with green grass as far as the eye could see. Ghazali's glasses shone from the sun as he stood there, quietly. Sugimoto went to stand beside him, Ghazali noticed him and casually fixed his glasses.

"I'm sorry for what happened today Sugimoto, I made a grave error and it compromised your lap time." Ghazalo told him.

Sugimoto looked at him, noticing that Ghazali was filled with guilt as he was the one to be blamed. He felt sympathetic to him, knowing that Ghazali was deeply frustrated with himself for this. There, Sugimoto decides to correlate with him.

"You don't have to beat yourself up Gaz. Don't put your blame on yourself." Sugimoto told him.

"I am supposed to be the team principal. I could've prevented this from happening but I've only made it worse! I got mad at my team despite it being my fault. I am to be blamed for this!" Ghazali frustratedly told.

"Everyone makes mistakes Gaz. It was an honest mistake after all?" Sugimoto told him.

"This was a mistake that could've caused you to be eliminated from the race!" Ghazali argued.

Sugimoto remained silent for a bit, realizing that he could get eliminated from the race if the other competitors did well. But this doesn't deter him.

"So what if I was eliminated from this round? You'd still have another driver who still needs you, a team that relies on your leadership Gaz. Besides we still have a lot to go after this round right?" Sugimoto told him.

Ghazali reverted his gaze back to the field, and a small smile formed across his face. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes and placed them back on.

"I guess you're right. But I'm still worried about you Sugi, what if you're actually eliminated?" Ghazali asked him.

"Don't worry about it. We still have another driver that will bring our team to glory." Sugimoto told him.

As soon as Sugimoto said that, a loud eruption of cheers could be heard from the stands. Sugimoto stood there proudly, knowing that Alice had done something incredible. They both went back to the Akinabalu garage and saw the crew cheering inside it. Sugimoto and Ghazali looked at the television and saw that Alice had taken pole position in the race. Ghazali felt immensely proud of her and looked in awe. Sugimoto smiled lightly seeing Ghazali return to his former self. After the celebration, Ghazali went up to the crew and apologized for his mistake, they all quickly forgave him.

Back to Alice, Alice felt more confident in herself as she crossed the finish line, she turned the radio back on and suddenly she could hear shouting from the radio.

"Alice you did it! You're currently in pole position!" The manager told her.

"Ah, thanks! It's still not certain there but I've tried my best." Alice told him.

"You've done great Alice, return back to the garage as soon as possible." The manager told her.

"Yes sir!" Alice said proudly.

Alice drove out of the track and entered the paddock area. There, she saw people from other teams outside the paddock clapping their hands and cheering her on as she drove through the garages. As soon as she arrived at the Akinabalu Garage, a swarm of the Akinabalu crew ran at her and began celebrating. They picked her up and began celebrating her like a trophy. Alice looked from above and saw Ghazali and Sugimoto standing by. She smiled lightly seeing Ghazali was back at the Akinabalu garage, back to his usual self.

After they've celebrated, Alice was put back down and stumbled slightly. He later went up to Ghazali and Sugimoto who was standing by to greet her.

"Congratulations Alice on getting on the top of the leaderboards." Ghazali said to her.

"Yeah, you've done pretty good kid." Sugimoto told her.

"Thanks! But it's still too early to say that. There's still other drivers that could take pole position away from me." Alice said, trying to humble herself.

"Hey come on kid. You've basically guaranteed a spot in the race. There are 25 drivers left competing for the qualifiers." Sugimoto told her.

As Sugimoto said that, Ghazali fixed his glasses, feeling down for what happened. Sugimoto noticed him feeling down decided to cheer him up and put his arm around his shoulder.

"I'm still in the leaderboards Gaz, even if I don't qualify, you're still a leader for everyone else. Including Alice." Sugimoto encouraged him.

Ghazali felt a bit better but he still worried for Sugimoto. there he looked at Alice with a slight guilt on his face.

"Sorry, I wasn't there to be on the radio with you Alice. I was being selfish and I've abandoned you to race by yourself." Ghazali told her.

"It's okay Gaz, I know you needed some time for yourself. Besides, the manager got me covered." Alice said.

After Alice had said that, the manager appeared beside Ghazali and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"That's right. I took care of Alice when you were gone. It was fun to help with Alice but I think I don't think I'll do a better job than you." The manager told him.

Ghazali felt appreciative of his co-worker's support, he smiled lightly, knowing everything was now past him.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Thanks, everyone. I feel a bit better now. I'm happy to continue serving this team." Ghazali told them.

Ghazali began reordering the crew again and went to his station to work on Sugimoto's car. He began ordering the crew to readjust everything before tomorrow's race, despite knowing that Sugimoto might not make it.

Alice and Sugimoto walked out of the garage area to see the standings. As they got to the big screen, they showed the current standings on the leaderboards. There, they saw Alice on the top of the leaderboards while Sugimoto dropped to rank 20. Sugimoto crosses his arms and accepts the current standing.

"Damn, I'm going to get eliminated huh?" Sugimoto muttered.

"Hey, there's a chance you'll still make it Senpai." Alice reassures him.

"Thanks for your enthusiasm kid but there's still faster drivers out there. That's just part of racing. Anyway, let's go get something to eat. I'm hungry!" Sugimoto said.

Sugimoto walks off while Alice stares at the monitor, feeling frightened that Sugimoto might get eliminated. She began thinking about all the fast drivers out there.

"Let's see, the fastest drivers that I know are Kara, Richard, and Nadya. But I'm pretty sure they've completed their qualification." Alice muttered.

There, she saw on the board that Nissan Motorsport, Riversons Racing, and Kinzhal Odin Autosports haven't set a qualifying record yet, indicating they haven't started the race.

"Nissan and Riversons haven't even set a lap yet. But if both of their drivers qualified, Senpai would be at least in the top 25. But where is Nadya's team?"

As she looked much closer, she saw her name on the board.

"Hmm, team Kinzhal Odin, Nadya Popova, and w-wait... They still haven't set a qualifying time?" Alice muttered in fear.

Alice stared at the screen and saw that all of the three fastest teams hadn't set a qualifying time, meaning that if all two drivers from each team qualified, Sugimoto would be knocked out of the race. As she stood there, Sugimoto suddenly yelled from afar.

"Yo kid, are you coming or not?" Sugimoto asked her from afar.

Alice jolted from him suddenly screaming and tried to compose herself.

"Y-Yeah. I'm coming!" Alice told him from afar.

She ran towards him and they began walking together. Alice was looking down as they walked together out of the circuit.

"Man, I really want a juicy burger. Want to try that one western restaurant that's close to here?" Sugimoto asked her.

"Sure, whatever you say." Alice told him.

"Alright then." Sugimoto said back.

They reached the diner called 'UpperSun' and it was packed with people. As they entered the diner, they saw a Western-themed atmosphere that displayed a Leonardo Da Vinci-like drawing on its roof, pictures of famous people framed on the walls, and mini white sculptures like miniature bikes and record players could be seen. They went to a booth and sat down across from each other. The waitress came over and handed them their menus. They checked the menu and Sugmoto ordered a burger while Alice ordered some fries.

"Hey kid, why aren't you getting yourself something good? Like a juicy burger or a steak?" Sugimoto asked.

"I'm not hungry, and also I'm planning to save money." Alice told him.

"Heh, are you sure? Or are you on die-" Sugimoto was about to say diet but was soon cut off.

"Shut up! That has nothing to do with this!" Alice screamed at him.

Sugimoto chuckled slightly seeing Alice's flustered face.

"Hey come, there's nothing wrong with that." Sugimoto told her.

"Can we not talk about this, we still haven't talked about the elephant in the room." Alice told him.

"What elephant?" Sugimoto asked confusedly.

Sugimoto doesn't seem to understand what Alice meant. She began feeling a bit infuriated by his unseriousness and calmed demeanor.

"You're going to be knocked out of the race! Aren't you a bit worried about that?" Alice asked him.

Sugimoto casually shrugged, he didn't seem to mind the fact that he was going to be eliminated from the race.

"I've kinda just accepted the fact that I'm going to be eliminated." Sugimoto told her.

"You just accepted that you're going to be eliminated? Not even a bit of hope that you'd make it?" Alice questioned him again.

"Yeah, there are many other drivers out there that are faster and would pass my record. It'd be a miracle if I managed to qualify. Sadly it's reality." Sugimoto told her.

Alice was surprised by Sugimoto's response. She didn't know what to say after that and decided not to push further. She looked a bit sad and placed her head on the table.

"Come on kid, it's just one race anyways. There's no need to be sad." Sugimoto told her.

Alice lifted her head slightly to look at Sugimoto. She felt that he was being too calm throughout their conversation.

"Hey Senpai, why are you so calm about this?" Alice asked him.

Sugimoto thought for a while before responding.

"An old friend of mine once told me that this is what racing is all about. You're bound to encounter problems like this, but it'll be up to you if you want to react a certain way." Sugimoto told her.

"I see, so you decide to just go with the flow huh?" Alice said to him.

"Yup, if it happens, it happens. There's no one else to blame." Sugimoto told her.

Alice felt a bit unsure of Sugimoto's views but didn't push it further. As she rested there, she suddenly felt her phone buzzing. She reached out of her pockets and pulled out her phone. She looked at her phone and saw a notification from Nissan from a social media app. She opened her phone and saw a post.

"Congratulations to our two drivers on achieving P2 and P3 in the qualifiers!" The post said as it displayed Kara on P2 and another driver from her team in P3.

Alice sighed slightly after seeing the post.

"Man, Kara, and her teammate have qualified for the race. Seems like you've dropped to 22 now..." Alice muttered.

"I'm surprised I'm still on the leaderboards, I thought they passed me by now. It seems like I might have a chance." Sugimoto sarcastically said.

"Yeah? But still, we have two other faster teams Senpai, you should pray that their car broke down or something." Alice jokingly said.

As they joked around, the waiter arrived and handed their orders to them.

"Well, let's eat!" Sugimoto said before eating.

"Yeah, bon appetite!" Alice said back.

Sugimoto took a bite out of his burger while Alice ate her fries. They had a few talks before finally finished having their lunch. After eating, they left the restaurant and returned to the Akinabalu Circuit. Shortly after arriving, they went over to the paddock area and saw the standings displaying the current standings of the race.

"Seems like a lot of the drivers behind you can't qualify nor pass you Senpai." Alice told him.

"Yeah, but it seems that it's the Riverson's turn to qualify." Sugimoto told her.

As Sugimoto said that, they turned around and saw Richard's Ferarri 296 GT3 begin making its way to the track. They looked astonished as they watched the car make it to the circuit. Its red exterior instead of the Riverson's Racing team's usual white exterior shows that it was rushed. They watch in awe as they hear the car revved as it exits the paddock.

"Man, that car is even more beautiful in person. Don't you think?" Sugimoto told.

"Y-Yeah. It sure does..." Alice muttered.

As they stood there, Alice had an idea.

"Hey Senpai, since we've finished with this, wanna go congratulate Kara?" Alice asked Sugimoto.

"Yeah sure, let's go then." Sugimoto told her.

They made their way toward the Nissan Motorsport team garage where they saw Kara and her teammate talking to each other. They soon went up to congratulate them.

"Hey Kara! Congratulations on P2!" Alice told her.

"Ah, Alice! Thanks, and congrats on still being in P1. I was surprised I couldn't beat your time!" Kara told her.

"Congrats on not being last Fujiwara." Sugimoto jokingly said.

"Says the one being relegated. I'm surprised you're pretty calm." Kara told him.

"Yeah, I kinda just accept that I won't make it." Sugimoto chuckled.

Alice was a bit surprised when she heard about that and was skeptical about it.

"What do you mean Kara?" Alice asked.

"Ah, Asashi was a crybaby whenever he didn't do good in a race." Kara revealed to her.

"Wait, that being calm thing was an act this entire time!?" Alice asked in a surprised tone.

"What? No! Look that was years ago alright? I've grown past that phase." Sugimoto told them.

"Seems like you've matured a lot since then. That's probably also another thing that changed." Kara told him.

"You really comparing teenage me to an adult me huh?" Sugimoto told her.

Alice is a bit curious about Sugimoto's teenage years and decides to ask Kara.

"So, how big of a crybaby is he then?" Alice asked Kara.

"Oh, he was a huge one, especially whenever it didn't go his way. I remember once he smashed his helmet on the ground when he was black-flagged in a race." Kara told her.

"Eh? Didn't you tell me he was a chill guy before?" Alice questioned her.

"Yeah, but on the track, he's a different breed." Kara chuckled.

Sugimoto felt a bit flustered and decided to end their conversation.

"Let's not talk about this alright?" Sugimoto told them.

"Ah come on Asashi, it's not that bad." Kara jokingly said.

"Do you want me to pull up all your 'incidents' during our time at the academy or do you prefer to keep quiet?" Sugimoto told her as he pulled out his notes on his phone.

Kara was a bit surprised when he mentioned that and suddenly got defensive. Alice was curious about what the notes were about and decided to ask him.

"Hey Senpai, what is that about?" Alice asked curiously.

"Ah, it's all the time that Kara crashe-" Sugimoto was about to say but was cut off when Sugimoto was kicked in the stomach, and he slowly fell to the ground. Foam could be seen on his mouth.

"It's nothing Alice. Don't mind him." Kara told him.

Sugimoto lays flat on the ground and Alice is too scared to question further, Sugimoto slowly gets back up.

"W-Why do I have to suffer abuse..." Sugimoto muttered.

As Sugimoto endured his pain, they suddenly heard a car's engine roaring near them. As they looked towards it, they noticed that Richard had finally finished his qualifying and went over to see the result. There, they were all shocked to see that Richard had nabbed P1 from Alice.

"Man, he's really fast. That car is doing wonders for him." Kara told them.

"Yeah. But sadly he'll have to drop 5 places because of the grid penalty though," Sugimoto said.

"Ah I see, that's quite lucky. At least Alice retains her pole position for now." Kara said.

"So Richard currently has the fastest car huh? That's a bit concerning." Alice muttered.

Alice looked at the leaderboards and saw Sugimoto drop another place. He is currently in 23rd position and it scared her. Sugimoto noticed that she was too stunned to speak and began encouraging her.

"Hey kid, don't be intimidated by him, you're still faster alright?" Sugimoto assures her.

Alice was surprised by Sugimoto encouragement and snapped out of it.

"Ah, yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'm now scared by him." Alice said with confidence.

Alice looked on as she stared at the leaderboards, she began feeling a bit uncertain about the whole situation she was currently in. She only hoped for the best for herself and prayed that Sugimoto could join the race. After this, they went back to their garages and waited for the night as the final drivers were about to set their qualifying lap.