"Are you ready...?"

...

...

...

"Yep! Start me off, Rikka." I told her. She nodded in reply. She started counting me down.

"FIVE.....FOUR.....THREE.....TWO......ONE.....GO!!!!!" She yelled. I stepped on it and went down the mountain as fast as I could. I let loose, didn't even care if my tires went bald. I went down that mountain pass. I felt dizzy going around all those corners at the speed I was going. Luckily I didn't have to worry about anyone in front of me or behind me here, so I just went without thinking.

-Rikka's POV-

I counted him down and watched him as he blasted off the starting line. One of my friends was at the end of the course keeping the time on a stopwatch. He started it when I said go. I had faith that Y/n would beat Mako's record. Thinking back to the race we had... I was happy to see him win. It proved a point that I was trying to make for myself. Racing wasn't something I wanted to do. I liked driving fast down mountains, but... I didn't wanna do that. My father wanted me to be a professional driver, but I was already kind of against it. Now, I kinda wanna be an engineer who builds new cars and whatnot, but at the same time.... I don't know if I even wanna do that. I just don't know what to do. Right now... I think I should just help Y/n out on beating the records and becoming a better racer. I remember back in high school, he would always talk about his goals and becoming a great driver. He always had good grades and a couple good friends like me, and now he's able to drive fast and be good at it. Knowing him... He's not gonna give up... That's just who he is. I got in my car and started my descent down the mountain to catch up with him for when he finishes.

-Y/n's POV-

I was about half way down the mountain and I felt good. I felt like I could actually do this.

"Damn! He's going really fast!"

"I know, So far his timing is impeccable."

"What, really?"

"Yeah, if there's no slip-ups or mistakes, he could actually beat her time!"

I reached the trick corner. I was ready to grip the edge and blast through there, but suddenly, my tires started sliding.

"SHIT!" I quickly tried to manage and resituate myself before I spun out or crashed. I decided to oversteer my car a bit to catch the drift rather than try to keep gripping. Unfortunately, that costed me a second or two when I made it through. "DAMNIT.... My tires... Cmon, you got this..."

-A Couple Minutes Later-

I flashed through the finish line, purposely and safely spinning out my car to a stop. I looked at the guys at the finish line. They were in shock, looking at the stopwatch after they clicked my time. I got my car situated and drove into the small lot, getting out. Rikka made her way down and reached us pretty quickly. I walked over to the group of people.

"So.... How did I do?" I asked calmly. They looked over to me with widened eyes and shocked expressions.

"You-You beat Impact Blues' time by a whole 2 and a half seconds..."

"Holy shit dude..."

"This kid...."

"I DID IT!!!!!" I cheered loudly, jumping up and down in happiness. The guys looked at each other, then back at me. A lot of the guys cheered along, giving me fist bumps and patting my back.

"This guy's the real deal." One of them whispered to another.

"Yeah....."

"Well... It's official... You're currently the fastest on this pass." Rikka cheered along.

"Oi, Rikka."

"Hmm?" She looked over to her friends.

"We're gonna head home for the night."

"Yeah, we're tired."

"Alright! See you guys soon! Have a good night and thanks for the help!"

"Don't mention it. And kid..." He looked over at me. "Good work."

"Thanks!" I smiled. All of Rikka's friends got into their cars and went home, leaving Rikka and I alone.

"Hey-Hey... Y/n..." Rikka looked down a bit, grabbing something out of her pocket.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"I forgot to ask you at the store, but.... Ca-Can I get your number?" She held out her phone. "I didn't have a phone in high school, so... I was wondering if we can exchange numbers so we can keep in touch..." She blushed slightly.

"Of course!" I grinned. We exchanged out phones and put in our contact info so we could keep in touch. Afterwards, we handed each other our phones back.

"Oh... I also wanted to mention something."

"What is it?"

"You remember.....Jin. Right?"

"Jin? You mean Jin Fujioka from high school? Didn't that A-Hole move to Chiba?"

"Well.. Apparently he's moving back here with his mom. A bunch of my friends told me about it."

"Well, we aren't in high school anymore. I don't have to worry about him bullying me."

"Yeah.. That's good at least. I hated him for that... Still do. He's a jerk." She kicked at the ground gently.

"Same.. He's a P.O.S." Hearing me say that caused her to giggle. "Well... I'm gonna do the same as your friends and head home. That race and the time trial really killed my stamina. I'm also gonna get new tires tomorrow."

"Alright. I'll... See you soon." She gave her wholesome and cute smile as I hopped in my Imp. I drove off and went home.

When I arrived, I walked in and face planted into the couch, turning on the TV afterwards. Soon enough... I was out cold, leaving the TV on for background noise.

-The Next Day-

I woke up feeling a bit groggy.

"Ugh... I feel so sluggish..." I got up from the couch and went to make some cereal. It was already 3 in the afternoon. I couldn't really believe I slept that long, but after last night, it made some sense I guess. "Last night was so nuts... I beat my friend Rikka in a two-run downhill race... and then beat Mako and Sayuki's downhill time record afterwards. Jeez... So much has happened. I need to get gas and new tires..."

After my... Afternoon breakfast and shower, I decided to hop into town and get gas. I arrived at the gas station, happy to see Iketani and Itsuki there. When I pulled through the gas line, I was greeted by Iketani.

"Yo, what's up dude?" He asked me.

"Ah nothing much."

"You look like you died inside. You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm good. I'm just tired after last night."

"Ah, you practice a lot last night?"

"No... Like I said to you the other day, I went to race the number one on Usui Pass and beat her. Funny enough it was the girl I ran into from the convenience store, my friend from high school."

"You beat the number one on Usui?!" Itsuki quickly ran over.

"Not only that.. I beat Mako's downhill time." After saying that, both Itsuki and Iketani were shocked.

"YOU BEAT MAKO'S TIME?!" They said at the same time.

"Yeah?"

"That's insane!"

"This guy could possibly become the new Takumi.." Itsuki whispered to Iketani.

"No wonder you're so tired." Iketani sighed. "I'm assuming you're here for high octane?"

"Yep, that's the stuff." I got out of the car.

"What did she drive?" Itsuki asked me.

"A red FC. It was very pretty, not to mention really fast." I smiled. Iketani fueled the car up. "Hold on guys, let me make a phone call real quick."

I walked a bit away and pulled out my phone, calling Rikka. I waited a bit for her to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rikka. It's Y/n."

"Oh! Hey, How're you doing today?"

"Ah, just a bit sluggish from last night, but I'm doing alright."

"That's good."

"What about you?"

"I'm a bit tired from last night too, but I'm all good."

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today. I was planning on running Akagi's downhill and uphill tonight as well and I wanted to talk to you about that too."

"Tonight!? Give me a second." She moved her phone from her face for a couple seconds before returning. "Sure I can hang out today. You want to come pick me up or do you want me to drive?"

"If you give me your address, I can drive up there and get you. I don't mind either way, whatever's best. I'm getting gas at the moment, so I can pick you up when I'm done."

"Alright, I'll text it to you. See you in a bit!"

"Bye!" I ended the call and put my phone away. I then walked back over to Iketani, who was talking to Itsuki. He finished fueling the car. "Sorry about that."

"It's no worries. Everything's all good. I even washed your windows for you."

"Thanks man." I gave him the money and hopped in. "I'll see y'all later."

"Wait, wait, wait." Iketani stopped me.

"Hm? What's up?"

"Since you beat Mako's time, doesn't that mean you're going on to Akagi to beat the Takahashi Brothers' times?"

"Yep. Going out tonight as a matter of fact. I'm going to try to get my friend and her friends to help time me." I explained. As I did so, both Itsuki and Iketani started to sweat a bit in worry, almost scared-like. "Jeez, you guys seem like you're looking at a tsunami about to hit you."

"You don't understand who you're messing with." Iketani said.

"Yeah, the Takahashi brothers are racers you don't wanna go up against!" Itsuki exclaimed.

"Pshh, everything'll be fine, Itsuki, Iketani. Don't worry about it." I waved them off. "I'll be seeing ya!"

I drove off to find Rikka's place. I used a map, the address, and my keen sense of directions to locate her house. When I finally got there, I was greeted with a house about the same size as mine. Rikka stood at the front with a cute dress on. She walked over and I got out, opening the passenger door for her.

"Thanks." She giggled. I got back in and we drove off back to town. "Where to, by the way?"

"Oh, I was going to go to the shop and see if the old man can tune my car up for Akagi tonight as well as hit me up with some new tires. While he's working his magic, we could walk around and do stuff."

"Alright. Maybe we can go out and eat somewhere in town."

"I like that idea." I drove back down to town.

When we got to the shop, I parked in the lot and got out along with Rikka. I walked in the open garage and saw the old dude sitting in a chair drinking some water. He must've gotten done with a recent work.

"Oi, Old man!" I yelled to him, which got his attention. He capped his water bottle and gave a laugh, standing up and walking over to Rikka and I.

"Ah, good to see you again, Kiddo. And who is this lovely lady?" He asked me, looking at Rikka. Hearing him say this caused both she and I to blush.

"She... She's a friend of mine from high school."

"I'm Rikka Hachiya, It's a pleasure to meet you." She introduced herself with a bow.

"She's also the former number one on Usui pass after I beat her last night in a downhill." I explained.

"You beat her!? That's your second win! Your father must be proud!"

"Well, I haven't told him yet, but I will."

"So what brings you two along today?"

"I'd like some new tires and a quick tune up. I'm going to beat the downhill and uphill time records for Mount Akagi tonight."

"You never cease to surprise me, kiddo. You're everywhere trying to be the best at everything. Just like your father; Trying to be known."

"Damn straight, old timer."

"Alright, I'll get her fixed up, just the way you like it." He gave a hardy chuckle as I gave him the keys. "What are you two going to do?"

"Probably gonna walk around, maybe find something to eat."

"Good, I'll take care of her."

"Thanks Iori. I can always count on you." I said before walking away with Rikka. We went on a walk through town, seeing people walk, and talk, and stores bright with life. The afternoon sun made the air warm and pleasant. It was great, hearing people talk and children play and laugh. It made me realize how normal life is outside of street racing. "You know, it's funny..."

"Hmm? What is?"

"If you think about it, a lot of these people don't even know street racing even happens on the mountain passes. I thought It was kinda funny. They live their boring lives with businesses and jobs with barely any excitement besides being paid and coming home to a family every night. It makes me thankful to have a life like this, to be able to street race and enjoy the thrills of life."

"Y/n..." She looked up at me.

"Anywho, anywhere you wanna eat in particular? There's a Fast Hamburger over there, and a good Tofu place I know about..."

"Wanna go to the diner?" She suggested.

"Oh, the one up the road a bit? Sure! I'm down." I decided.

We walked a while and arrived at the diner, sitting down at a booth. We took our orders and got our meals shortly.

"So who was that?" She asked me.

"Oh, that was Iori Sakamoto. An old master mechanic who's kind of a family friend to me and my dad." I took a bite of my Yakitori (Bite-sized cuts of Grilled chicken on a skewer).

"A family friend?"

"Yeah. He and my dad have known each other since my dad started street racing here. Iori helped him tune his car and fix it up before and after every race. He's also helped me out all the time since I started racing and practicing. As you saw earlier, I asked him to tune my car so I can get my car to perform better on mount Akagi."

"Wait, he can tune your car based on the pass from memory and heart?"

"Yep. He's worked on so many cars for so many passes. His specialty is 4WD/AWD vehicles, though he can do any other car the same. It isn't a problem for him. The only drawback is that he can't really switch between uphill and downhill unless he was up on the mountain with me and a lot of supplies to do so. When he tunes my car, it's normally balanced for the pass itself. The rest is just me driving."

"Jeez. He must be amazing." She drank a bit of her water.

"There isn't a word that describes Iori Sakamato as a mechanic."

"So, back in school, you told me your father had to be hospitalized, right?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. He's been in there for a year and a half or so now." I sighed.

"How is he....By the way?"

"To be fairly honest... He's not doing well. Last time I saw him, he acted okay, but I could tell he wasn't good. He doesn't want me to worry."

"I... I'm sorry..."

"It's been hard, I guess. Living alone all the time while my dad is at the hospital suffering. The first couple days were hell, but little by little I got used to it, waking up and living by myself. I do all the chores, get groceries, and everything by myself." Hearing me say this, she looked super concerned.

"Are...Are you alright? If you need someone, I'm here for you..." On the inside, I felt happy, happy to have someone like her as a friend. I was kinda shocked at first to hear her say that, but something inside of me wanted to hear her say that too.

"I'm alright...but it means a lot that you care for me. Thank you." I said to her sincerely.

"Of course!" She gave off her signature cute smile.

"There's also this garage behind my house as well."

"A garage?"

"Yeah. My dad always told me to never go in there. I still don't know what's in there, but I have theories that it's either for storage or it has something to do with his street racing past."

"Ever since you started living alone, did you ever think to look into it?"

"Nah, I listened to my dad and kept out."

"Jeez."

"Yeah. Everyday though I think about what's in there, and the history it has in there..." I blew some air out to kinda clear my mind of the talk we just had. "Let's change the subject, shall we?"

"Oh yeah, sure! Sorry about that."

"No no, it's alright. You were concerned."

"So... you said you're planning on beating the Takahashi brothers' times on Akagi tonight?"

"Yep! If I beat them, then people around here will definitely start talking about me."

"Have you ever thought about the fact that they could come back to Gunma and race you because of it?"

"I mean, kinda, but they're so busy with Project D that they probably won't even have the time nor care till after they're done."

"I hope so." She giggled.

"What? You don't think I have what it takes?"

"It's not that. You have so much going on right now and having them up your butt would make things worse."

"Right. That would be painful... Having those super spectacular racers on my ass would suck."

"Like I said before, I think you can do it."

"Much appreciated. I was also going to ask you for some help." I said. She tilted her head in question.

"Help?"

"Yeah, can you get your friends from Usui to come help time me for the uphill and downhill? It would mean a great deal."

"I'll have to call them up and ask them. It shouldn't be a problem though."

"Awe sweet! Thanks, Rikka."

"Anything to help." She grinned.

We kept eating for a bit until we finished. I paid for both of us, which she was very thankful for. We took the relatively long walk back to the shop to find Iori still tweaking the car.

"OI!! Iori!" I yelled, walking onto the lot. We walked into the garage and saw the open hood and Iori was working with a pc to get things tuned up. The car looked great. It got new tires and the interior looked fresh.

"Hey kiddo, almost done here. I decided to clean the inside of your car as well while you guys were out cause I figured you guys would take a bit to eat and talk."

"Thanks, man. It means a lot."

"It's no problem kid." He said to me with a smile. Rikka looked at the engine of the car and everything around it. She stared at it for a while looking at each piece individually. She seemed almost entranced. I could almost hear a small and silent 'woah' from her lips. "You like what you see?"

"Oh!" Rikka immediately snapped out of her trance and looked at Iori. "Oh um.. yeah. I think it's stunning. I love learning everything about cars and how they're made and built, and modded and stuff like that."

"Have you ever thought about becoming a mechanic? You can learn a dang lot from working as one." He asked her.

"I've been thinking about becoming an engineer, but... I don't know yet. I appreciate the idea though."

"You're welcome. Let me know if you're ever interested."

"I will."

We waited a couple more minutes and Iori was finally done tampering with the car.

"That's it kiddo, she's all finished and ready for the uphill and downhill on Akagi." He put the hood down and got into the car and drove it out of the lot. When he got out, he gave me the keys and I shook his hand.

"You're the best, Iori."

"Ain't I always?" He scratched the back of his head and gave a hardy laugh.

"Ready to go?" I looked over to Rikka. She smiled and nodded. "Alright. Old-timer, I'm heading out."

"Good luck Kid." He said as Rikka and I got into the car and drove off.

"So where to now? It's still daylight.'

"I was thinking about seeing dad and telling him about how I beat a record and another number 1 on a pass. I know he'd be tickled to hear that from me."

"Oh... You alright with me coming?"

"Sure. It'll be a quick visit." I stated.

We drove to the hospital and parked at the lot. We went inside and I was greeted by the normal nurse at the front desk.

"Hello Y/n. Here to see your father?"

"Of course."

"Please wait a moment and we'll send Haru down here to bring you up." She smiled. I nodded and thanked her, taking my seat in the waiting room with Rikka next to me. After a bit of waiting, I was greeted by Haru.

"Hey Y/n. How're you today?"

"I'm alright. And yourself?"

"Been busy."

"I bet."

"Ready to head up?"

"Sure, mind if my friend comes along?"

"Shouldn't be a problem." We both got up and walked with him to the elevator. Inside the elevator, he said something else, "So, before we head in, I would like you to know he hasn't been doing well and he's probably really dazed or like in a half asleep state."

"Thanks for letting me know. Rikka, we gotta be a bit quiet." She nodded after hearing me say that. We walked down the hallway to room 412. He knocked on the door and the nurse in the room allowed us entry. I took a deep breath and walked in, seeing my dad strapped up with more needles and oxygen tubes. It was a horrible sight, but I kept it out of my head. I kept a slight smile to keep myself and my dad happy. His eyes were closed and he was breathing normally. I hugged my arm and walked closer to the hospital bed. Rikka came right behind me as I finally spoke. "He-Hey dad."

He opened his eyes and slowly turned his head over to me.

"Hey... Son.." His voice was deep and groggy. It was like as if he just woke up and hadn't had his morning coffee. "How are you...?"

"I'm fine, dad. You doin' okay?" I knew what the answer to that was in reality, but I also knew he wasn't going to say something that was going to worry me.

"Yeah... Never been better..." He gave a light chuckle. "Who's this you got with you?"

"This is a friend of mine from high school, Rikka Hachiya. She's also the former fastest on Usui before I beat her last night. I also beat the fastest time record on Usui right after."

"Is that right..." He chuckled again and grew a smile. "Damn, kid. You're really...You're really starting to go somewhere... Like your old man, huh...?"

"Tonight I'm going to Akagi, beating the fastest times there. Rikka and some friends are coming with me to help time me. I'm really excited."

"You get Iori to fix everything up?"

"Yes sir."

"Good man..."

"I'm proud of you, my boy. You've been getting better....and better and one day, you'll surpass even me."

"Tch, I doubt that." I chuckled. "You're the best racer I know, since you've taught me."

"Well.. I wouldn't say I'm the best...But I'm sure as hell not the worst..." He laughed again. "One of these days...You're going to be a part of something great...and realize your dream..."

"I believe it."

"Good." He slowly reached his hand up and placed it on my head, rubbing my hair gently. "Now, you go out there and run those records into the ground... I'm gonna get some more rest."

"Alright, dad."

"I love you, son...More than anything in this world."

"I love you too. I'll be seeing you.."

"It was nice meeting you, sir.." Rikka bowed to him. She and I both were escorted from the room, back to the waiting room. I only gave a sigh and kept a straight face.

"Thanks for letting us up there Haru."

"It's no problem, dude. You have a good day now. Alright Mrs. Yukiko~!" He yelled for another lady in the waiting room, who got up and walked with him back to the elevator.

Rikka and I walked out to the parking lot and got in the Imp. I sat there and looked at the steering wheel for a while before she spoke up.

"Y/n... Are you okay?" She looked over to me, worried.

"I...." I sighed put both hands on the wheel after starting the car up. "I'm alright."

We drove on to Akagi and stayed there for a while until nightfall.

-A Couple Hours Later-

Rikka called up her buddies and they arrived and covered the mountain. There was surprisingly nobody on the mountain, making for an easy time. What's even cooler is that one of her friends used to be a part of the Akagi RedSuns before they disbanded. He drove a 180SX. This helped us make sure our times were real and not some fake times if any of the other former RedSuns were to ask. Rikka and I were at the bottom of the pass, getting ready for the uphill first.

"Tonight's gonna be crazy, huh?" Rikka asked, She had a paper with the most recent uphill and downhill times of the Takahashi brothers'. The paper was on a clipboard and Rikka had a pen, ready to write down the times once I was finished with the uphill, then the downhill. She also had a stopwatch and a walkie talkie for talking to the other guys on the course. I was stretching, trying to get my muscles and mettle ready for the drive. I breathed in and out slowly while clearing my thoughts.

"You guys ready?" The walkie yelled.

"Yep. He's just getting some stretches in to get him going."

"Alright then. Let me know when we're starting."

"Okie Dokie." Rikka replied. She then looked over to me. "You about good to go?"

"Yeah, just one sec." I decided to do a couple jumping jacks just for the hell of it and I stopped after finishing about ten. "Alright, I'm good."

Rikka put the walkie up to her face again.

"Okay, he's ready."

"Alright! Count him down so we can start together."

"Will do." She said. She nodded to me as I did the same back. I hopped into my car and started her up, driving her to the start of the beginning of the uphill. The Uphill started with several consecutive hairpin turns. She put her hand up into the air, readying me for the countdown. "ALRIGHT! GET READY!! THIS UPHILL IS STARTING IN FIVE!! FOUR!! THREE!! TWO!! ONE!!! GO!!!!!!!"

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(Drive Your Fire / TOHO EUROBEAT VOL.16 永夜抄)

She threw her hand down while clicking the stopwatch. I floored the gas pedal and sent my car to the right going around my first wide corner before reaching the first hairpin. I breathed in, then out. I quickly braked, downshifted and sent the car around the corner in a quick drift.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

The fresh tires screeched along the road. I exited pretty fast, blasting down the straightaway leading to the next hairpin. I put my foot down a little more, getting as fast as I could before braking again.

"Damn starting me off with hairpins isn't cool!" I took the next couple hairpins and finally got out of them. It was a pain in the ass, but I was done with them. After exiting the last one, I was met with several easy S-curves. "Damn, what a nice reward for going through those hairpins, some S-Curves!"

I felt great, I couldn't feel any better than what I was feeling right now. I was trying to beat a uphill time of a very talented racer of Project D. It was kind of like an adrenaline rush. It's been a while since I've actually driven on Akagi, but for some reason I'm able to remember every tip and trick for the pass to ensure a super fast time for both the uphill and the downhill. My dad taught me a lot about Akagi, more than I really needed, but I guess now it's really helping.

"Thanks Dad!" I said to myself before turning right into a wide hairpin which led straight into a checkpoint.

"Holy shit, he made section four his bitch! Did you see that?"

"Yeah!! Damn, he went through that fast."

"....!" The timer at the checkpoint checked his stopwatch after clicking it when I passed him

"What is it?"

"His time is insane!"

"He's already a second or two faster than Keisuke's time through section four."

"You're kidding!" One of the guys looked at the one keeping the time.

The hairpin turn was an easy one. I smirked and slowed down, downshifting again before moving to the outside, then the inside, then back to the outside, gripping the corner with the style of a circuit racer. I stepped on the gas and sent myself down the next straightaway. The only thing that was in my head, was the sound of my engine roaring through the night. It felt like my heart was connected to the engine. Section 3 was probably the easiest part of the course, where most of the speed happens on Akagi. After the next two turns was a kind of a wide and long curve that lead into another wide left. I gripped both, my car getting inches from the guardrail. I took the next hairpin and S-Curve like it was nothing. And right up the road, was the next checkpoint which led into Section 2. Section 2 was similar to Section 3, minus the tight zig-zag of S-Curves at the beginning after the hairpin. I kept my speed constant, going through each curve, left and right. I was starting to get dizzy.

"Ugh! These S-Curves are so annoying!!!!" I blasted out of the last s curve and gripped to the right, my car even closer to the guardrail. I was surprised myself that I didn't even hit the thing. I felt super good about my time. All I had to do was keep going...

-???'s POV-

I was watching TV while drinking some fresh tea at home. Project D just got finished with racing against those dumbasses with the Evos. Those pricks wrecked Keisuke's ride and worse, they even called a bunch of thugs to beat us. Luckily enough, the thugs knew Keisuke and the Evo dicks got what was coming to them. Keisuke's FD is going to be getting some new upgrades soon. I bet they're still at the course, chilling out and talking to each other. The pricks and thugs must've left by now too.

"I bet Tomiguchi feels like crap right now." I said to myself before taking another sip.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I reached over to grab it, but unfortunately, it slipped off the table and fell to the floor.

"C'mon!!" I groaned. I got up, walked over, and picked it up, answering it after opening it. "Hello?"

"Hey! How's it going? Been a while since we've talked since the RedSuns broke up."

I didn't really recognize the voice until he said 'RedSuns'.

"OH! It's you! Ah, I've been okay. Project D recruited me as their Scout to recon and record the courses before they practice on them. I also sometimes drive one of the vans."

"Dude, that's totally kickass!!"

"I know right!?"

"I....have some news for you..." He sounded serious, but I could tell he had a cheeky grin when he said this.

"Yeah? And what's that?" I asked him. I wondered what the news was.

"Right now... There's someone who is trying to beat Keisuke Takahashi's time on the Akagi Uphill. I'm watching him do it from the top. I'm also timing him myself. After he beats Keisuke's record, he's going for his older brother's record; Ryosuke Takahashi's unbeatable time."

As he spoke, I found myself getting more and more shocked. I couldn't believe it. Shouldn't the guy know who he's messing with? We're talking about the Rotary Brothers, the Akagi #1 and #2, the best drivers I know besides Takumi. Why would some guy try to attempt to beat their records?

"A-Ar-Are you being serious right now?"

"Why would I lie to you? He beat Nakazato on Myogi as well as his time, he beat Rikka as well as Impact Blue's time on Usui, and now he's targeting the Rotary Brothers' times on Akagi."

"I'll be right there!" I immediately ended the call and got into my orange S14, turning it on. I then drove on to Mount Akagi to find whoever this guy was who was trying to beat the best of Akagi's records.

-Y/n's POV-

I finally reached the next checkpoint which led into the first section of the course which was, at least in my opinion, the hardest part of the course. There are so many corners in quick succession. I grit my teeth and pulled a drift around the first hairpin after the checkpoint and ended it quickly to make a fast right, then a hard left.

"God I hate all of these corners!" I went through each of them. They were definitely harder on the uphill than the downhill as you're working against gravity in the uphill. After all these hairpins there's a long straightaway, then one more hairpin before the finish line. I could do this. I got through the last hairpin from the large group and went down the straightaway as fast as my car could go. I then took the next left into the next small straightaway, then I made the most perfect drift on the last hairpin of the uphill run. The rest of the course I ran my gas pedal in the floor. I finally crossed the finish line. The timer clicked his stopwatch to make my final time as I slowed my car to a stop.

(Stop Eurobeat)

I sat back in my seat as the former RedSuns member at the top walked over to my car. I rolled down my window and he just leaned in on the window with a calm smirk on his face.

"So....How did I do?"

"You beat Keisuke Takahashi's time by about 3 seconds. You're one fast kid." I immediately smiled and cheered to myself and it felt good. I was so happy. "Alright, Get ready to run the downhill. It's going to be much harder."

I nodded to him and turned my car around as he stood back. I got my car up to the starting line and got out to stretch again. He wasn't lying. The downhill was definitely going to be much harder. I've learned more about The Akagi RedSuns recently and who they are and how they roll. Ryosuke Takahashi is a mean racer, he may be serious and chill sometimes from what the guy who used to be on their team told me, but he races like nobody I've ever heard of. He's nicknamed the White Comet of Akagi.

"Hey, What was his time?" I heard Rikka from the guy's walkie.

"His time was 3.2 seconds off of Keisuke's. I'll let you do the math." He spoke.

"WOOOOHOOOOOH!" Rikka cheered loudly. The guy kept the walkie away from his ear to protect his hearing. After another series of stretches, I got back into my car and started her up. I was excited and ready to beat Rosuke's time.

"YOU READY!" The guy asked loudly so I could hear him through my window. I gave him a thumbs up to show him I was ready. He nodded and held his hand up. "ALRIGHT!! THE DOWNHILL IS STARTING IN FIVE!!! FOUR!!! THREE!!! TWO!!! ONE!!! GO!!!!!!!!"

I stepped on it and sent my car forwards down the straightaway, starting my downhill run...

Throughout the run, I found myself thinking more and more about things and trying to get better. Doing this slowed me down, and by the end, I could tell I didn't make the time. I rolled up to Rikka who already clicked my time in.

"Hey, so I can tell I didn't do well, what was the time?" I asked her.

"Ah, you're about 4 seconds behind. Can you go a bit faster?"

"I'll do my best. Also, when I beat the downhill time, I'm just going home. I'm not going to stop."

"Alright. You got this!" She cheered as I went back up to the top of the mountain. When I got to the top, I was greeted by the timer.

"How did you do?" He asked me.

"I was about 4 seconds behind."

"You'll get it this time. I'm sure." I nodded to him and got back up to the starting line. He raced his hand once more. "THE DOWNHILL WILL BEGIN IN THREE!!! TWO!!! ONE!!! GO!!!!!!!"

Once again, I floored the accelerator and my car blasted forwards. I decided to hug the Guardrails even more throughout the course. The hairpins in the first section made things worse for me. After them, things were easier until the consecutive hairpins at the end of the course. After going through those, I made it to the end. After passing Rikka, she clicked me in. I knew in my heart that I did better, but it still wasn't it. There was something missing. I need to drift closer to the guardrail, close enough to almost lose paint. I rolled up to her once more and asked her.

"You did way better. You're only a second or so behind." She said. I was determined...and my tires were losing their grip so....

"This will be my last run... I won't run anymore downhills after this."

"A-Are you going to give up after this?" She asked with a concerned tone. I only gave her a serious look of determination in my eyes.

"No. I'm going to beat Ryosuke Takahashi's time and I'm going home." I cracked a small smirk and rolled my window up, driving back up the mountain again.

"Hmph." She smiled and said something to herself, "Third time's the charm."

After reaching the top once more, I was again greeted by the timer. He asked me for my time. He smiled when I told him I was about a second behind. I could tell he knew that this run was the one.

"Alright. Let's start her up!" I drove to the starting line for the last time.

"This is the last run of the night! THE DOWNHILL WILL COMMENCE IN THREE!!! TWO!!! ONE!!! GO!!!!!!!"

Like before, I gunned it. Somehow, I don't know if it was luck, the wheelspin wasn't as bad as both the first or second runs. I was surprised by the immediate amount of G's I was experiencing. I knew that I was going to do it.

-Rikkas POV-

I was happy. I knew he was going to get it this time. He was going to crush it and take this pass. I waited and waited and waited. Suddenly, I saw a car coming up the road. It was an orange S14. I was confused as to who it was, but It didn't really seem like he was willing to race. He parked to the side not too far from me. When he got out, I saw a boy with light brown hair and a tan skin tone. He walked over to me.

"If you're here to race or practice, you're going to have to wait a bit. A friend of mine's trying to beat the downhill time."

"So he was right..." He whispered to himself. Then he spoke up. "Who are you by the way?"

"I'm Rikka Hachiya. I was the #1 on Usui before my friend beat me and Impact Blues' time."

"I'm Kenta Nakamura. I used to be a part of the RedSuns before they disbanded. I'm now a part of Project D as a scout."

"Woah! Project D?!"

"Yep!"

"I wonder how they'll react when my friend beats Ryosukes time." I said out loud without thinking. "Oh, and before you ask, he's already beaten Keisuke's time by 3.2 seconds."

I saw his face go from chill, to absolute shock.

"Wha-Wha-What?! He beat Keisukes uphill time by 3 whole seconds?! Thats impossible!" He yelled in disbelief. I showed him the clipboard with the times on it and he was stunned. "I... Can't believe it. He beat Keisuke's time."

"And he's about to do the same to Ryosuke." Just then, the Impreza turned on the last hairpin and drove down the rest of the hill really fast. He rolled down the window and stuck his arm out in the air with a fist, showing that he won. When he crossed the finish line, I clicked his time and I was dumbfounded. He beat Ryosukes time by two whole seconds, flat. He beat it by two exact seconds, no more and no less. Y/n then went on and drove home without even stopping. I showed Kenta the Stopwatch and his face became even more shocked than when he learned about Keisuke's time loss. I put the walkie up to my face and yelled into it. "HE DID IT!!! YESSS!!! WOOOOOOOOH!!"

I cheered and cheered. Kenta quickly went into his car and drove off. Either way... Y/n really did something that was thought to be impossible by so many people. I'm proud of him....

-Y/ns POV-

I knew it. I knew it from the bottom of my soul that I beat his time. I didn't know by how much, but I knew it crushed the hell out of it. I couldn't help but drive home with the biggest grin on my face. I actually did it. I beat the Rotary Brothers' time on Akagi and I did it with my skill and speed alone. I couldn't feel happier.

When I arrived at home, I went inside and immediately drank the largest glass of milk that I could, and flopped on the couch, passing out shortly after....

-???s POV-

We got finished with racing the assholes from Tsuchisaka and we were taking a break before heading out. Tomiguchi needed to take the FD to the shop to repair and upgrade it. I was looking over the plans for the next expedition to Ibaraki, when my phone rang. I stopped what I was doing, walked away from the vans and cars, and picked up my phone, answering it.

"Hello?"

"Fumihiro!"

"Kenta? Whats wrong? You sound like something bad's happened."

"I have some really bad news..."

"Is it about the expedition? Did you crash? What's going on?"

"Someone beat Keisuke's and Ryosuke's time on Akagi!"

My eyes widened in shock. I was genuinely surprised. I didn't think I'd hear that coming from Kenta, but he said it.

"Kenta, you can't be serious."

"I am! One of the old RedSuns members called me and told me about a guy who was trying to beat both of the times on Akagi. By the time I got there, he had already beaten Keisuke's time and I watched him beat Ryosuke's with my own eyes. I couldn't believe it myself until I saw the time differences on the clipboard one of the timers was holding. The timer I'm talking about is Rikka from Usui Pass. I also forgot to mention that he beat Nakazato, he beat Rikka, and beat the time of Impact Blue on Usui as well."

"Do you know his times for both the uphill and the downhill?"

"Yeah, he was around 3 seconds faster than Keisuke on the uphill and exactly two seconds faster than Ryosuke."

"What was he driving?"

"From what I saw, he was driving an Impreza."

"Alright, thanks for the information, you have a good night, Kenta." I ended the call and put my phone away. I sighed and walked back to the cars and vans. "Hey Ryosuke, Keisuke! Can you come over here for a second?"

A couple seconds later, I saw Keisuke and Ryosuke walk over to me, both drinking from water bottles.

"Yeah? What's up Fumihiro?" Keisuke asked, putting the cap back on his bottle.

"I have received some news from Kenta that you're probably not going to like."

"Alright. Go ahead, spill it out." Keisuke crossed his arms.

"I was told that someone beat both of your times on Akagi not too long ago." After saying this, both Keisuke's and Ryosuke's mood became a bit more serious. I could tell they were surprised, Ryosuke more so, but I knew he was more calm and collected, and Keisuke was more easier to read.

"You're kidding right?" Keisuke said flat out. "Someone beat my uphill and Bro's Downhill record?"

"One of our old members of the RedSuns told him about it as he was there when the guy beat your time, Keisuke. Then, Kenta himself watched as the guy beat your time, Ryosuke."

"How bad did he beat us?" Keisuke asked. He clenched his fists

"Keisuke, he beat you by around 3 seconds, while Ryosuke, he beat you by 2 seconds flat."

"No way..." Keisuke's eyes widened in surprise. "There's just no way..."

"It's really hard to believe at first, but it's true. I hate to say it to you guys." I watched as Keisuke got more angry.

"Hmm.." Ryosuke closed his eyes for a second to think.

"What is it, Bro?" Keisuke calmed down slightly and looked over to his older brother.

"Interesting and intriguing. He's most likely trying to gain a reputation by beating everyone in the Gunma Prefecture." He had a small smile on his face.

"That would make sense why he's beating everyone and their times." Keisuke added.

"I was thinking, if this keeps up, he could pose a threat to Project D's expeditions. He'll become the best in Gunma and we'll have to race him at some point. Which leads me to my question. Ryosuke.... Do you want to go to Gunma and let either Takumi or Keisuke Race him now, or do you want to move on and go to Ibaraki?" I asked him. Ryosuke closed his eyes once more to think. After a couple minutes, he turned around and walked a couple steps away.

"..."

"..."

Keisuke and I both kept quiet.

"We're postponing the expedition to Ibaraki. We're heading to Gunma this coming week. I want to meet this racer." Ryosuke decided.

"Bro, are you serious?!" Keisuke became frustrated with Ryosuke's decision.

"Have you ever found me making jokes about my decisions, Keisuke?"

"Tch.... Fine, I'll let Takumi and the others know about the situation." He walked away to get Takumi and the others and tell them about what's happening.

...

...

...

"Just what are you planning, Ryosuke?" I asked him.

"I think you'll figure it out soon, Fumihiro. First, let's get the FD back in working order and upgraded."

"Right." I went on and helped get everything together before Project D rolled out...