...
"Seiichi!" Takumi called, "Put the next batch in!"
The teen groaned on his bed, brown hair messily strewn around his face. Seiichi called back, "One minute!"
He scratched his back as he walked down the stairs of his home into the Fujiwara Tofu shop, where Takumi was scrubbing the floor, "Hey son, you thought about applying to technical school?"
Seiichi shrugged, "Not really. Satoru was thinking of applying to Mazda to work with Friedland, thinking of going with him."
"With what skills?" Takumi mumbled.
"Test driver."
"Hm." Takumi mumbled like his son as he set the next batch of tofu in the fryer. He watched the food boil and a customer entered the tofu shop, "I'll get it dad."
Takumi nodded and his son walked to the register.
"Huh?" The 19 year old boy looked at his old rival, "Thomas Friedland? What're you doing here?"
"Nice to see ya too Seiichi." Thomas chuckled quietly, "Shibukawa's a really nice city, think you'd like living here."
"H...How've you been?"
"Great. Just got married." He gripped his ring and Seiichi understood, "How're things between you and Shinoko?"
"Mogis are always a pain as my dad says." Seiichi shrugged, "Whatever I guess."
"Ah." Thomas smiled, "I was hoping to talk to your father."
"Yeah he wants me to take your order though."
He nodded, "A box of tofu then please."
"Coming right up." Seiichi filled up a box and handed it to him, "1061."
Thomas handed him some bills and murmured, "Keep the change."
Seiichi filled the cash register with a small 'ca-ching!' sound and called for Takumi, "Dad! Our customer wants to talk to you!" Seiichi passed his father in the doorway as the squinty tofu shop owner raised the small green canvas that separated the register from his kitchen.
Takumi blinked seeing how his customer was dressed...so familiar to him, "R-Ryosuke?"
Thomas smiled kindly, "Your vision must be failing you. I'm afraid I only speak Japanese, but don't look the part."
"Who...who are you?" Takumi asked.
Thomas tried not to laugh as he thought. 'This is the guy who almost beat my dad? The legend of Kanto himself, Takumi Fujiwara? He looks so ancient and slow...'
"I am Friedland Thomas. I raced your son about a year ago...or something. Time is weird when you're a racer. Or I was, now I'm retired."
"Hm. So you're Friedland's son huh?... Hm, guess that explains why you're dressed so much like your uncle." Takumi threw a wet towel on the counter over his shoulder, "So, what can I do for you?"
"I promised my wife I'd stop racing after our wedding, but I didn't say anything about coaching, or finding someone to inherit my uncle's FC. I was wondering if you'd be willing to deliver the tofu tonight to the lakeside hotels instead of Seiichi...I'm afraid I've already raced him."
"A race?" Takumi scratched his stubble, "Afraid not kid. Don't have the car for it. Seiichi's GT86 just won't cut it for me."
"That's where you're wrong." Thomas removed an old set of keys from his pocket and set it down on the counter.
Takumi picked them up slowly in awe as Thomas spoke, "I'll be waiting for you on Haruna tonight. Don't miss it whatever you do." He looked over his shoulder holding his uncle's signature white sports jacket over it, walking out of the tofu shop as he did so pushing the door open as well.
Takumi walked outside slowly and gasped, his eyes widening from slits to bulging.
His breath became shaky as he hadn't even seen it in almost twenty odd years, but it looked brand new. He broke into a sprint from walking slowly outside of his tofu shop and ran to the front of it where it always laid parked in the alleyway.
Tears filled up in Takumi's aged eyes when he saw it.
He opened the hood and found a small note taped to the silver Toyota engine.
With help from my teacher and friend Matsumoto, I have been able to bring this car back to its original capacity. I understand the amount of love and care that came with this car, so I dedicated an entire year of my life to salvaging it. It came in dead, and I was able to bring it back to life. Its previous owner, Aizima Takeshi, recently passed away after borrowing it from your father's grave, and he wanted you and your family, the original owners to have it.
With all my heart and soul I bring you my greatest achievement, your revived AE86, back to you. While I may never have been able learn the whole story behind it, I could tell this car was one of a kind.
-Hamasato Kaito
It was if being reunited with an old friend to him, his heart swelling with happiness that made tears run from his eyes. The best friend he ever had that returned from the dead.
He cried without a hint of noise as he ran his hand across the memories of his late teens, past the old Tofu insignia his father put on its side, without a trace of wear.
The beauty of it all to him was that it hadn't aged a day in terms of appearance.
It was as shiny as when he tossed water over it as a teenager. It was back. His beautiful baby, was still alive.
He placed the note in his pocket, thanking the man silently. Takumi opened the driver's seat and sat in it slowly. He looked around its interior, everything was exactly as he remembered. The accursed bell, the glove box full of his late father's cigarettes, everything was the way it was supposed to be.
The most lovely sound in the world returned to Takumi's ears as he placed the keys into the ignition and heard the revived engine burst into life. He couldn't contain his sobs and fell apart against the steering wheel.
He turned off the humming engine.
Takumi whispered against the steering wheel, "Friedland-san...Arigato Friedland-san..."
He'd give his son's old rival the race he asked for. After all, after bringing his best friend and his favorite thing in the world back to him it was the least he could do.
His ex-pro golfer wife saw her husband emerge from his old car when she went into the alleyway to check on him, wiping his tears away. He smiled through his tears, "It's back Mika. It's finally back."
She ran to him and the Fujiwara couple hugged.
...