Disclaimer: Initial D and its characters belong to Shigeno Shuichi.
Confessions of an 18-year-old
Ryousuke pushed back his laptop and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes as he exhaled and covered his eyes with his hands. He couldn't stop thinking about Fumihiro. There was no way around it. He'd have to confess to Fumihiro, but it was hard to do, even to a friend who he'd known for so long. Every time he thought about it, his face burned with embarrassment. Although Fumihiro was older, he'd always respected and followed Ryousuke's lead. If I tell him, Ryousuke mused, he'll never respect me again. But there seemed to be no way around it. Ryousuke had pondered this problem for almost a week now, and there were not alternative paths to take. He'd have to confess and hope that it didn't ruin Fumihiro's perception of him.
Having decided that, Ryousuke set a date and time. He couldn't control other factors in this matter, but he could at least control the moment that he confessed his secret to Fumihiro. Of course, it would have to be when they were alone since Ryousuke didn't want their mutual friends to know. What would Matsumoto think? And Keisuke certainly shouldn't know. He was too young to understand, but when he did, he would never look up to his brother in the same way again. Saturday, after school. He would ask Fumihiro to come over to his house after school and then tell him everything. If things didn't go well, well, at least it was their last year of high school together, so he need never see Fumihiro again if things didn't go well. Still, it would be hard to lose such a close friend, Ryousuke thought. No, if things went ill, he shouldn't consider ending their friendship. Instead, he'd bend his pride and humble himself before his friend. It would be worth it, or so he hoped. Ryousuke sighed and forced himself to relax. The date and time was set. There was no point in worrying about it now.
---
Getting Fumihiro to come over to the Takahashi house was hardly a problem. He didn't suspect anything. Neither did Keisuke. If Keisuke had suspected that anything was amiss, he would've asked to tag along instead of running off to the ice cream parlor with his new pet Kenta. Freshmen were strange creatures, and they were desperate to seek approval from peers. Keisuke was popular, and so he magnetized less popular people to him. Kenta was the newest addition to the Keisuke gang.
Ryousuke considered leading into the subject with some pictures on his laptop, but he was a blunt person, and now that he'd decided to tell Fumihiro, it seemed best to him to simply launch into the subject. Ryousuke was at his desk chair, and Fumihiro took a seat on Ryousuke's bed since there were no extra chairs in the room.
"Fumihiro, I actually asked you here to tell you a secret," Ryousuke said. It seemed to sudden in the still autumn air, but there really was no other way to broach such a subject.
Fumihiro smiled. "I'm not surprised. You've been acting mysteriously all day. And for the better half of the week, I'd say. But I know you. You'll tell me when you're ready." Fumihiro leaned back on the bed and propped himself up on his elbows. "Go ahead, I'm listening."
"You're older than me by two months, two days," Ryousuke said. "I've known you since second grade, and I feel comfortable with you in a way that I don't around others."
"This is comfortable?" Fumihiro teased. It was a rare occasion when Ryousuke's serene façade was less than perfect, and it seemed that Fumihiro intended to enjoy every moment of it. Ryousuke felt his cheeks warm but ignored the teasing and pushed forward with his plan.
"Anyway, you turned 18 before me." Ryousuke looked away. The sunlight was still bright behind the curtain, and the clouds of the upcoming rainstorm had not yet rolled in. Fumihiro waited. "You've just bought your MR2, haven't you?"
"Of course." Uncertainly was in Fumihiro's voice as well now. Of course Ryousuke knew about the white MR2. They'd researched cars for weeks and chosen it together. In fact, Ryousuke had helped Fumihiro choose the features of his car, from the single CD player instead of the 6-CD changer to the lower, more modest spoiler. Fumihiro had picked up the car from the Toyota dealership on Wednesday, and Ryousuke knew it. "Ryousuke," Fumihiro said gently, "you're being mysterious again. This isn't like you. If you have something to say, just say it."
Yes, that's probably best, Ryousuke thought. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Can you teach me how to drive manual shift?" Ryousuke said finally.
Fumihiro sat up on the bed. "I thought you knew how to. You're the one who encouraged me to get a manual transmission MR2."
"Because I knew that you knew how to drive stick shift. Your parents both own manual transmission cars. My parents both drive automatics, not just because it's more expensive but also because the ride is smoother. They prefer it to manual. They've never taught me how to drive manual shift and we don't have one for me to practice on anyway." Ryousuke used a pen on his table to roughly imitate the shifting of gears as he spoke. He kept his gaze on the end of that pen to avoid looking at Fumihiro. "I have my license, and my parents will be buying me a car soon. I want it to be a manual, of course, for the same reasons that I asked you to get a manual transmission car."
Fumihiro leaned forward and put a hand on Ryousuke's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ryousuke. I don't think less of you for this. Sure, I'll teach you. And we'll do it when others aren't looking so that no one need every know that you only know how to drive an automatic."
Ryousuke nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Fumihiro. I knew I could rely on you."
"Don't expect me to let you live it down though." Fumihiro grinned. "If you ever get to cocky in the future, I reserve the right to remind you of these days, automatic boy."
Confessions of an 18-year-old
Ryousuke pushed back his laptop and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes as he exhaled and covered his eyes with his hands. He couldn't stop thinking about Fumihiro. There was no way around it. He'd have to confess to Fumihiro, but it was hard to do, even to a friend who he'd known for so long. Every time he thought about it, his face burned with embarrassment. Although Fumihiro was older, he'd always respected and followed Ryousuke's lead. If I tell him, Ryousuke mused, he'll never respect me again. But there seemed to be no way around it. Ryousuke had pondered this problem for almost a week now, and there were not alternative paths to take. He'd have to confess and hope that it didn't ruin Fumihiro's perception of him.
Having decided that, Ryousuke set a date and time. He couldn't control other factors in this matter, but he could at least control the moment that he confessed his secret to Fumihiro. Of course, it would have to be when they were alone since Ryousuke didn't want their mutual friends to know. What would Matsumoto think? And Keisuke certainly shouldn't know. He was too young to understand, but when he did, he would never look up to his brother in the same way again. Saturday, after school. He would ask Fumihiro to come over to his house after school and then tell him everything. If things didn't go well, well, at least it was their last year of high school together, so he need never see Fumihiro again if things didn't go well. Still, it would be hard to lose such a close friend, Ryousuke thought. No, if things went ill, he shouldn't consider ending their friendship. Instead, he'd bend his pride and humble himself before his friend. It would be worth it, or so he hoped. Ryousuke sighed and forced himself to relax. The date and time was set. There was no point in worrying about it now.
---
Getting Fumihiro to come over to the Takahashi house was hardly a problem. He didn't suspect anything. Neither did Keisuke. If Keisuke had suspected that anything was amiss, he would've asked to tag along instead of running off to the ice cream parlor with his new pet Kenta. Freshmen were strange creatures, and they were desperate to seek approval from peers. Keisuke was popular, and so he magnetized less popular people to him. Kenta was the newest addition to the Keisuke gang.
Ryousuke considered leading into the subject with some pictures on his laptop, but he was a blunt person, and now that he'd decided to tell Fumihiro, it seemed best to him to simply launch into the subject. Ryousuke was at his desk chair, and Fumihiro took a seat on Ryousuke's bed since there were no extra chairs in the room.
"Fumihiro, I actually asked you here to tell you a secret," Ryousuke said. It seemed to sudden in the still autumn air, but there really was no other way to broach such a subject.
Fumihiro smiled. "I'm not surprised. You've been acting mysteriously all day. And for the better half of the week, I'd say. But I know you. You'll tell me when you're ready." Fumihiro leaned back on the bed and propped himself up on his elbows. "Go ahead, I'm listening."
"You're older than me by two months, two days," Ryousuke said. "I've known you since second grade, and I feel comfortable with you in a way that I don't around others."
"This is comfortable?" Fumihiro teased. It was a rare occasion when Ryousuke's serene façade was less than perfect, and it seemed that Fumihiro intended to enjoy every moment of it. Ryousuke felt his cheeks warm but ignored the teasing and pushed forward with his plan.
"Anyway, you turned 18 before me." Ryousuke looked away. The sunlight was still bright behind the curtain, and the clouds of the upcoming rainstorm had not yet rolled in. Fumihiro waited. "You've just bought your MR2, haven't you?"
"Of course." Uncertainly was in Fumihiro's voice as well now. Of course Ryousuke knew about the white MR2. They'd researched cars for weeks and chosen it together. In fact, Ryousuke had helped Fumihiro choose the features of his car, from the single CD player instead of the 6-CD changer to the lower, more modest spoiler. Fumihiro had picked up the car from the Toyota dealership on Wednesday, and Ryousuke knew it. "Ryousuke," Fumihiro said gently, "you're being mysterious again. This isn't like you. If you have something to say, just say it."
Yes, that's probably best, Ryousuke thought. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Can you teach me how to drive manual shift?" Ryousuke said finally.
Fumihiro sat up on the bed. "I thought you knew how to. You're the one who encouraged me to get a manual transmission MR2."
"Because I knew that you knew how to drive stick shift. Your parents both own manual transmission cars. My parents both drive automatics, not just because it's more expensive but also because the ride is smoother. They prefer it to manual. They've never taught me how to drive manual shift and we don't have one for me to practice on anyway." Ryousuke used a pen on his table to roughly imitate the shifting of gears as he spoke. He kept his gaze on the end of that pen to avoid looking at Fumihiro. "I have my license, and my parents will be buying me a car soon. I want it to be a manual, of course, for the same reasons that I asked you to get a manual transmission car."
Fumihiro leaned forward and put a hand on Ryousuke's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ryousuke. I don't think less of you for this. Sure, I'll teach you. And we'll do it when others aren't looking so that no one need every know that you only know how to drive an automatic."
Ryousuke nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Fumihiro. I knew I could rely on you."
"Don't expect me to let you live it down though." Fumihiro grinned. "If you ever get to cocky in the future, I reserve the right to remind you of these days, automatic boy."