Programmed Lives – Fourth Stage

Chapter Nine

Akito and Seisuke walked towards the edge of the small karting circuit where Takumi stood as he kept an eye on the evolutions of a kart that was going around the track.

'How is she doing?' Akito asked.

'She seems pretty fast to me,' Seisuke commented.

'Yeah, she's actually faster than you were at her age,' Takumi said making Akito do a double take.

'Really?' the teenager exclaimed taking a look at the computer which was helping Takumi keeping the times Haruko had been doing. She was indeed extraordinarily fast.

'She's great, isn't she?' Takumi said proudly while Seisuke tried, rather unsuccessfully, to repress a snigger.

Akito stared at his sister as the almost eight year old girl tackled a sharp corner and was astounded to see that, in the few months that she'd been driving the karts, her technique had dramatically improved. He could not help but to be as proud of her as Takumi obviously was.

'You're lucky she's eight years younger than you are,' Seisuke commented.

'Why is that?' Akito asked.

'Well, you have plenty of years to get loads of practice because if she keeps this up, she's going to kick your ass when she grows up,' Seisuke replied making Akito give him a sarcastic laugh.

'So, Seisuke, your uncle tells me you've applied for your driving test,' Takumi asked without removing his gaze from the little vehicle.

'Yes! Only three more weeks to go!' Seisuke said smiling like a cat that'd just caught a mouse.

'You're so lucky,' Akito said, 'I'd give anything to be eighteen.'

Takumi looked at his son to reply to this remark but refrained himself from doing so when he saw Akito's tired expression.

'Son, are you alright?'

'Yeah, don't worry,' Akito lied.

Seisuke snorted making Akito glare at him.

'Since tomorrow is Sunday, I think it'd be a good idea if you stayed home and got some rest,' Takumi said.

'I can't, I've got to see Ryoko, I've promised her.'

Takumi looked at Akito for a while before saying:

'Maybe you should stop coming with me for the deliveries.'

'No, Dad! I learn loads when you let me drive the GC8!' Akito exclaimed with a panicked expression on his face.

'Alright, fine,' Takumi said then, deciding to drop the subject, at least for now, he added, 'this came in the post this morning.'

'Ah, okay…' Akito said taking the envelope his father was giving to him and, opening the letter as quickly as possible, he saw that it was from the Karting Federation, 'It's this season's calendar,' he commented.

'They've sent it pretty late this year, haven't they?' Takumi commented.

'So, when is the first race?' Seisuke asked.

'Oh crap,' Akito said now looking even paler than before.

'What is it?' Takumi asked a bit apprehensively.

'It's on Sunday.'

'And?' Seisuke asked.

'It's Valentine's Day,' Akito said with consternation.

Both Seisuke and Takumi looked at each other briefly before Seisuke said:

'I know someone who's not going to be happy about this.'

'Seisuke, 'not happy' doesn't even begin to describe it: Ryoko's going to go ballistic because it's our first Valentine's together,' Akito said with a worried frown on his face.

'Nah, she'll understand,' Seisuke lied trying to make his friend feel better.

'Yeah, sure,' Akito said sarcastically, 'I better go and call her, the sooner she knows the more time I'll have to try and get her used to the idea.'

'Takumi-san,' Seisuke said as he watched his friend walking away with his phone on his ear, 'I'd like to tell you something but I don't want Akito to know I've told you.'

Takumi looked at him and said:

'Go ahead.'

'Well, the thing is, I think Akito's overdoing things a bit.'

'I know that, I just don't think Akito wants to give anything of what he does up, you've heard what he said earlier.'

'I know…he's so stubborn sometimes, isn't he?' Seisuke said making Takumi smile for his son had, indeed, inherited a large part of the Fujiwara's stubbornness.

'I'll see what I can do, okay?'

'Thanks, I'll appreciate it,' Seisuke said feeling much better for he and his brother had been very worried about Akito and knowing that Takumi would talk to him made Seisuke hope that his younger friend would start taking things easier.

Takumi nodded then, seeing that his daughter had parked the kart near him, he walked towards her.

'Did I do well?' the girl asked as soon as she removed her helmet.

'You did better than well!' Takumi exclaimed helping her out of the kart.

'So, when do I get to race for real?' Haruko said.

'Well, we have to convince your mother first,' Takumi said crouching next to his daughter, 'she thinks you're a bit too young to start racing seriously.'

'Young? But Daddy, I'm going to be eight in April!' she exclaimed.

Takumi shook his head while thinking how hard it was going to be to talk Natsuki into letting their adored little girl race with other kids in a real competition.

Meanwhile, Akito had an even bigger job trying to convince Ryoko that missing their first Valentine's Day ever wasn't the end of the world.

'I just knew it, didn't I tell you this would happen?' Ryoko said angrily from the other end of the line.

'I know it's a very important day but…'

'Can't we meet up in the morning?'

'I have to help preparing things for the race in the morning,' Akito replied trying to remain as calm as possible.

'What about the evening?'

'My parents are going out and I have to baby sit Haruko,' Akito explained, then, as an afterthought, he said, 'why don't you come to the race? Your cousins are coming too.'

'I've got the physiotherapy, don't you remember?' Ryoko asked.

Crap, that was true, Akito thought.

'Of course you don't,' she said getting upset all over again, 'you haven't even been to a single one of my physiotherapy sessions.'

This was a bit too much for Akito's already worn out patience:

'Ryoko, look, you know I have to train really hard for the championship. If I do well in these coming years, I might be hired by one of the racing teams and start racing professionally. Besides, you know that I try my best to spend every single minute of my free time with you.'

Seeing that Ryoko wasn't saying anything to that, he sighed and said:

'Ryoko, you know that it's not easy for me to go and see you but I'm still doing my best. You should at least admit this much.'

'I know you are,' she finally said, 'is just that…oh…I don't even know how to say this…'

Akito was beginning to get a headache so, he said:

'Look, let's not talk about this on the phone, we can talk about it tomorrow, okay?'

'Fine,' she just said.

Akito finished the call and, getting up from the bench where he'd been sitting, he started walking towards the main building so he could find somewhere quiet to rest for a few minutes before he'd have to climb into his kart.

'Hey, there you are,' Kyosuke said entering the room where Akito had fallen asleep while sitting on a comfy armchair.

'Crap, what time is it?' Akito asked springing up from his seat.

'Don't worry, you're not late for your training session,' Kyosuke replied.

'What are you doing here?' Akito asked as he and Kyosuke started walking towards the building's main door.

'Oh, nothing, I finished all my homework so I decided to come and see you guys,' he said.

'You've got another battle this evening, haven't you?'

'Yes and I'm very impressed: the guy's coming all the way from Nagano, just to race me,' Kyosuke said.

'Yeah, you're famous now.'

'Not so famous, I've only won two races so far,' Kyosuke said as the two stepped out of the building and started making their way to the karting circuit.

'Yeah, against a psycho ex-professioonal racer and against that idiot of Iwaki Makoto,' Akito commented.

'Yeah well, racing against Takikawa was interesting but racing Iwaki was just a waste of my time.'

'Yeah, you overtook him in the second corner so easily that even I felt embarrassed for him,' Akito added.

'Oh well, I hope it helps him become a better racer,' Kyosuke said and, seeing the sceptical way in which Akito raised his eyebrows made him laugh softly, 'you still don't like him, do you?'

'Let's just say I prefer going to the dentist than being in the same room than him,' Akito said making Kyosuke laugh even more.

When they arrived at the karting track, they saw Takumi and Keisuke there, discussing something while Seisuke and little Haruko listened to their conversation.

'Hey,' Kyosuke said.

'Hello Kyosuke, are you ready for tonight?' Keisuke asked.

'Yes Uncle Keisuke, everything is under control,' Kyosuke replied smiling confidently.

'I'll go and get ready,' Akito said not really sure whether anyone was paying any attention to him.

After a few minutes, Akito was onboard his kart and, taking a deep breath, he pressed the button to turn its small engine on then, as he pressed the accelerator pedal to roll it forward, Akito realised that this was the very first time in his whole life that he didn't really feel like driving and that was probably the main reason why, after he'd driven for a few laps, he saw his father making a sign, telling him to finish the lap and stop next to him.

'What's wrong with you?' Takumi said as Akito removed his helmet.

'Yeah, Akito, your sister here drives faster than that,' Seisuke said putting a hand on Haruko's tiny shoulder while the little girl smirked at her big brother with an air of superiority.

'Akito, get out of the kart, it's useless that you do any training today,' Keisuke said.

Akito looked at everyone with dismay and realising that they were right, he pushed himself up from the kart and he sighed tiredly as he stepped out of it.

'I'm sorry,' he muttered.

'Don't worry, we still have a few days to go before the first race,' Takumi said.

Akito just nodded and without saying anything else, he made his way to his father's car.

'Well, we'll just go home now,' Takumi said offering his hand to Haruko, 'Kyosuke, I don't think Akito will show up at your battle tonight, I think he really needs some rest.'

'Yeah, it's okay,' Kyosuke replied for he totally agreed with his friend's father.

The following day and after having slept so much that he'd even skipped the tofu delivery, Akito got up and, taking just a couple of bites for breakfast, he headed to the station to catch the train to Maebashi.

He wasn't too sure why, but going out with Ryoko was proving to be even harder than when he believed that his love for the girl was an unrequited one. It just seemed to him that, no matter how much effort he put into this relationship, it was never enough. Even so, as he saw her waiting for him at the station's square, all the anxiety seemed to evaporate along with his doubts: looking at her beautiful face, made him think that he would put up with anything just to be with her.

'Hey,' he said kissing her softly.

'Hello,' she replied.

'I heard your cousin won again,' he said conversationally as soon as the two were sitting at a table in their usual coffee shop.

'Yeah, even though the other guy put up a good fight, Kyosuke still managed to win rather easily,' she said, stirring her coffee distractedly.

'How's your knee?' he asked deciding to focus the conversation on her rather than racing.

'Much better, thanks,' Ryoko replied and it seemed to be true for she now used a single crutch to walk and she no longer had her leg bandaged.

'Do you think you'll be able to skate again?' he asked.

'I don't know, it's too soon to tell,' she replied.

'Ah, that's too bad.'

'Why is that?' she asked a bit too aggressively, startling Akito in the process.

'Well, because I'd love to see you skate again. You were really something on the ice,' he explained smiling despite her less than friendly tone of voice.

'What would happen if I didn't skate ever again? Would you like me less?' she asked.

'No! Of course not,' Akito said feeling very confused.

'You guys make me feel like an alien sometimes,' she muttered and as Akito was going to say something, she added, 'Akito, I really need to ask you something.'

Akito swallowed, definitely not liking the tone she'd just used nonetheless, he nodded encouraging her to speak up.

'The thing is,' she started, 'I've doing some thinking.'

Not a good way to start any conversation, Akito thought to himself and getting even more scared.

'Do you remember when we went to the cinema on Thursday?' she asked.

'Yeah,' he replied.

'You fell asleep not even ten minutes into the movie and you woke up right at the end of it,' she said and Akito nodded for it was true.

'Yeah, sorry,' he said for he also remembered that she hadn't been too happy about that. Especially since it was the third time in a row.

'It then became obvious to me that you're probably trying to do too many things at the same time,' Ryoko continued.

'No, I'm okay, I swear,' he lied.

'That's not true and you know it. Just look at you: you're a wreck!' she said looking at him accusingly.

Akito remained silent for he knew she was right then, looking even more determined, she said:

'This has also made me think that you should maybe consider giving something up.'

'I can't give up school! Even though I wouldn't mind doing it, it's such a pain sometimes,' he commented, desperately trying to steer the conversation away from what he knew was coming.

'I'm not talking about school here.'

'Don't do it, Ryoko,' he said pleadingly.

Ryoko looked at him and, as her eyes started filling up with tears, she said:

'Is racing really more important than me?'

'No!' he exclaimed, 'Ryoko, racing is my life but so are you, that's why I can't choose between you and racing. I just can't,' he said feeling increasingly distressed.

'Fine, I'll make the choice for you then,' she said getting up.

'What are you saying?' Akito asked.

'I'm going home,' Ryoko said and, with this, she left him sitting there, unable to move or speak as he felt as though as his world had just collapsed on him.

To be continued…