III

29: The end of July

III

"Haha-haaa! Let's go!" said Kenta, glowing happier than I'd ever seen him in his life. He loved the water park and the park was filled with it.

Ignoring the dozens of young women in bathing suits around him, Kenta held a fist while cheering. "Oh man, I bet that snack bar still sells old-fashioned chili dogs! They've got a lap pool, even a super cool water slide! I swear this place is the best!"

Keisuke raised an eyebrow. 'Glad the pipsqueak likes it. This place is just...' Groups of girls around the water park had started giggling and talking about him. 'Boring.'

Sayuki and Mako appeared in their bikinis. "Hey what're you all standing around for!? We came here to swim!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Well we just got here, I was hoping we could-"

"Of course we came here to swim!" Kenta said instantly, running directly in front of Sayuki as if a child was being taken on his favorite rollercoaster. "This was like. The greatest idea anyone's ever had ever! Thank you so much for bringing us!"

"That's the spirit! Now Ryosuke, are you coming too?" asked Sayuki.

I spoke cautiously. "Well, coming along where exactly?"

"To the super slide silly! Where else? It looks like a blast!"

I turned to my girlfriend. "That is, if you're willing Mako."

Nodding she spoke. "You three go on ahead."

"Great let's go!" Sayuki said.

"This is gonna be amazing!" said Kenta just as cheerfully.

I honestly wasn't as enthusiastic but I think arguing with Sayuki was a bad idea. I don't think there was a single person in canon who changed her mind on anything.

III

As Keisuke watched Ryosuke, Kenta, and Sayuki walk off towards the water slide, Mako walked nearer to him. "She's used to getting her way all the time. Kinda used to always pushing people around."

"Guess that makes sense why you let Ryosuke go off with them the moment we got here," Keisuke said.

"Arguing with Sayuki is pointless," said Mako.

"That makes sense," Keisuke said.

Frowning, Keisuke looked down at his feet in shame before turning away from Mako.

'Our race on Akina taught me how important it was not to underestimate another driver. Seeing Mako here today at the water park brings out the ultimate shame for me. That I treated this girl like garbage.'

"Keisuke," Mako said. "Are you all right?"

"No." Keisuke turned towards her, he was so ashamed he couldn't look Mako in the eyes. "I had my head so far up my ass I couldn't see what an incredible driver Ryosuke helped you become. On my honor as a Takahashi, on my pride as a street racer, and the number two driver of the Akagi Red Suns. I apologize as sincerely as I can Mako." he hung his head in shame.

"You always had a bit of a temper. But it's nothing to be ashamed of. Sayuki's the same way too." Mako said.

"Ryosuke's lucky to have you. You remind me of our mother with how forgiving you are," said Keisuke. "I guess you and Sayuki have something in common with my brother and I. One of us is supposed to be the patient anchor of our racing style."

Mako laughed a little. "That's nice to hear you say. I honestly thought things were going to be more awkward between us."

"Oh they are," Keisuke said, raising a hand to whisper to the girl in front of him. "Tons of people haven't stopped talking about me since I got here. I don't know if they know who I am and don't want them to get the wrong idea."

"We should walk around the pool a bit. We have a lot to talk about."

"Agreed," said Keisuke.

III

The late July sun shone brightly on the water park as the two spoke to each other.

"Racing you a few weeks ago helped me realize a lot about myself. Things I couldn't have ever imagined," Keisuke said as they walked together to areas where people were less likely to gossip about them. "I realized my biggest fear wasn't that you'd take my brother away from me. That was a childish excuse. My biggest fear was that dating you, Ryosuke might lose his focus."

"Lose his focus?"

"Not just from racing. But the most important thing we've ever created. The thing that motivates me to train with my FD. To work harder and harder in boxing, at the bicycle shop, everything I do is helped to become motivated by The Fastest in Kanto project. I was afraid that by dating you, Ryosuke wouldn't be the same driver anymore." Keisuke said. "Nothing scared me more than thinking Ryosuke and I wouldn't be able to become the fastest in Kanto together. I can't ever remember wanting anything more than that."

"Then I really have to apologize again. While you were incredibly abrasive." Mako said. "I haven't been entirely truthful."

Keisuke nodded. "I'm listening."

"Ryosuke left an impression on me few other people have. He's the reason I even decided to race in the first place. I was afraid that if you would never approve, neither would anyone else. Especially because you have such a high opinion of your brother like everyone else."

Keisuke smiled. "If I had known you would be this kind to me after all the shi-. All the things I said. Then I would've never said them in the first place."

"I guess we had that in common. We both were afraid we'd mess things up if I kept dating Ryosuke. It really gladdens me to hear you were as anxious about my relationship with your brother as I was. I had no idea you were this worried."

Keisuke listened to the pool quietly lap at the edge of the pool below him. "I was. But you can tell me honestly Mako. You can tell me what you really want from my brother. It's all I've really wanted to know. It was the thing that bothered me most when I heard you started dating."

"In what way?"

"I didn't know if you were just some fangirl or maybe someone without the right intentions. I just didn't know who you were. Ryosuke's the best brother I could ever ask for, and as childish as it may sound. I had no idea what dating you when you were both street racers would mean."

Mako bowed her head. "If you'll say it this respectfully. Then I'm afraid I have no choice. I love your brother Keisuke. I love Ryosuke."

Keisuke's eyes widened. "You do?"

"He loves me as well. The love we share has been something I never would've expected to come out of trying to follow in his footsteps as a street racer. And." Mako smiled. "I'm happy really. I'm happy you and I were able to forgive each other so sincerely."

Keisuke said nothing for a moment.

"Is that all right?"

Keisuke surprised Mako, smiling back at her. "Then I'm happy too. I'm happy my brother has found someone who makes him so happy."

"Thank you Keisuke."

"You're welcome."

Hearing this, Mako started laughing in surprise. Keisuke as well was surprised by this and began to laugh as well. "What is it?"

"I never would've imagined a conversation between us could go so well. Do you remember how we used to talk to each other?"

Keisuke laughed. "Yeah, glad that's all over with."

III

Sayuki laughed at the top of her lungs going down the water slide with Kenta just a bit lower than me. The two were both enjoying the speed the slide gave them.

"Can you believe how fast we're going!?" asked Kenta. "This is totally awesome!"

"You're so cute!" giggled Sayuki.

I would've been having fun had I not experienced much higher speeds while drifting. The speed of the downhill simply didn't compare to a water slide in a park.

Slipping and sliding through the turns having the most fun he could've ever imagined, I heard as Kenta cheered. "This is the greatest moment of my entire life!"

When I flew out of the water slide tube, I was just glad it was over with.

III

Sayuki and Kenta were tossing a bouncy ball around as Mako, Keisuke, and I were sitting down at a table with an umbrella.

Like I was expecting, eventually, Sayuki missed. "Aw crap!" she said as the ball floated into the air.

"Mako, toss the ball back!" she asked.

"Please and thank you!" said Kenta.

"I got it," Mako said moving.

"You two talk?" I watched my girlfriend pass her partner back her ball.

Keisuke nodded. "We did. I think we finally forgave each other. Properly."

"Happy to hear it," I said quickly before Mako returned.

When she did, I spoke. "Kenta and Sayuki probably are gonna work up an appetite. Especially when they go swimming together. Want to go grab some chili dogs?"

Mako smiled. "Of course."

As I lead Mako away from Keisuke I spoke to her. "Sorry, but I needed an excuse to talk to you away from Keisuke."

"Are we still gonna get some food?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but I needed to tell you something."

"What is it?"

Continuing to walk towards the food stand, I spoke. "Mako, this next month is going to be the most important of my entire life. The past three years of work I've spent perfecting my journey on the road to becoming the ultimate street racer. It's about to come to arrive. Everything I've ever worked for. The completion of my fastest racer theory. The Red Suns-"

"Us?"

I shook my head. "You are important to me. And you always will be. But the moment I became the White Comet about two and a half years ago. It's about to be decided. You're still my girlfriend though, even if this race means. Well, everything to me."

"You mean, you're challenging the 86?"

"I am. Mako, this next month is going to be extremely packed for me. I've got to use the middle of the year to ensure my next semester of Medical School goes off correctly. I have to run the Red Suns, and." I sighed. "I'm going to be busy. I just want to remind you I'll always have time for you." I smiled towards the water park. "I'll always have time for this."

"You sound stressed."

I sighed. "With the end of summer here. All I can think about is my race with the 86. I can't think of anything else but that. I'm spinning all these plates, but this is what the past three years have meant. To meet an opponent who embodies speed. But our relationship will never falter because of that."

"Thank you, Ryosuke. I'm very happy to hear that."

III

Sayuki spoke while taking a seat across from Keisuke. "Those three have had their eyes on you since the moment you sat down."

Keisuke raised an eyebrow, ignoring the trio of young women giggling and watching Keisuke from afar on their lawn chairs. "What happened with Kenta?"

"He decided to go into the pool."

"And you didn't join him?"

Sayuki shrugged. "I've never been that fast a swimmer. Kenta sure loves the water."

"He always had. Bit of a crazy obsession of his. None of us can keep up with him in the rain."

"Even Ryosuke? Even you?"

Keisuke sighed. "My brother's got too many things going on to worry about to bother racing us."

"Then what's he been up to?"

Keisuke thought of the many times Ryosuke took him to either Akagi or Myogi and 'took him for a ride' with his FC. "Training, med school. The guy gets busy."

"I can't lie. Your brother is pretty hot. The kid with the 86 is alright, but your brothers totally different. Not better, but different."

Keisuke coughed as he put his soda cup back down. "Shouldn't you talk like this to Mako?"

"Oh, I do. But she gets so shy that it gets kinda embarrassing sometimes. Not like you, you have no shame about anything."

"I don't?" Keisuke looked at Sayuki strangely. "I can't tell if that's a compliment or not."

Kenta spoke from the pool. "You said we came here to swim!"

Before Sayuki could say anything, the FD driver barked at his downhill protege. "Keep running laps pipsqueak!"

"Whatever you say Keisuke!"

"He thinks highly of you. Reminds me of the way you usually look at Ryosuke."

Keisuke's eyes widened. "I do?"

"Not in a bad way," said Sayuki. "I just. Before, back when you were a total jerk. I could tell you were trying to impress him by acting cool."

"I didn't know shit about racing back then. It was like the first few days I had gotten my FD. Ryosuke just put together the Red Suns."

Sayuki laughed. "Oh, I remember that day. I was there that night, Ryosuke made us all go home since you started training. This September is going to be that night's two-year anniversary."

Keisuke laughed with her, surprising Sayuki since it seemed he almost never did so. "Yeah I remember too. Around the same time I embarrassed myself by trying to smoke for the first time."

"I never would've guessed the biggest race the Red Suns would face in Gunma would be a little 86."

"Same here."

Sayuki stood up. "Okay, now I really do have to join Kenta. But um, it was nice talking to you."

"Again, same here."

Keisuke watched her walk off quietly.

'She's very hot. And she doesn't mind me cursing around her. But I don't know, I can tell she's not into me. But she's not into Kenta either. Although, we have all known each other for a while. This is just the first time we've ever really talked without yelling at each other.'

Keisuke sighed knowing many young women around the water park had noticed he was there.

'What do I even care anyway? Can't have a girlfriend if I street race. Too hard to focus. I have no idea how Ryosuke does it. He's looking faster every time we practice together and he still dates Mako.'

'If Ryosuke's got his plate too full and he's smarter than anyone I know. Can't see a way I could be his anchor. The only real candidates I've got to be my girlfriend are a horde of fangirls. And Sayuki? I mean, she's so bitchy and bossy. That's cool, but we wouldn't work I think.'

Keisuke rubbed his hand quickly down his face.

'God, what am I even thinking about? I haven't dated anyone since like a year after high school. And here I am ignoring the fact that Ryosuke's only gotta month until he challenges the 86. And wow. I haven't felt this fuckin' pumped for a race in ages. And it's weeks away.'

III

Kenta laughed in the passenger seat of the FD, already dried off and in a change of clothes. "Wow! We definitely gotta go back there again! That was the most fun I've had in ages."

"I didn't enjoy it too much. Wasn't bad either. Was kinda funny watching you scarf down a chili dog in under half a minute."

"Of course you didn't enjoy it!" said Kenta as Keisuke kept driving. "You kept sulking trying to act like Ryosuke! Right Ryosuke? Ryosuke?"

The older Takahashi brother was getting some much-needed sleep, resting quietly in the back of the FD.

"I'm just surprised you were more interested in the water than the fact you were hanging out with a girl like Sayuki," said Keisuke. "Didn't even seem to notice."

Kenta scoffed. "Oh, I noticed. Just didn't want to seem disrespectful."

"Mighty kind of you."

"Is Ryosuke alright?"

"He's busy. Hardly gets enough sleep nowadays." Keisuke said. "I actually envy him. I'm half as productive as him."

"I can only imagine how focused he is on this upcoming race. I envy him too, I just wish one day I can be half the driver he is."

III

I checked the calendar. I already had a red marker to cross off the days until the first of September. Where I would challenge Takumi.

It was the first of August, the next thirty days I would need to prepare as much as I could for this race.

I walked downstairs and connected the FC to a computer to run diagnostics.

Dynamo/System Check

I selected the second option.

Scan 2/1

I again selected the second option as the computer began to check all systems in the FC.

Under the hood, the car looked the same as I remembered from my fond memories of seeing it as a teenager watching it in my previous life. Of course, I had tuned it much differently than I had there. I had removed all turbos entirely while still raising the firing speed of the twin rotaries to account for the lack of horsepower.

I turned to the computer.

Cooling System: Unchanged

13B-T 1: Unchanged

13B-T 2: Unchanged

Gearbox and Shift-Train: Unchanged

Rear Axle: Unchanged

Front axle: Unchanged

Tire Pressure: Unchanged

Cooling and Engine Pressure: Unchanged

Exhaust: Unchanged

System Summary: Unchanged

After I printed out the daily results for the FC, I filed it in a small cabinet where I kept daily diagnostics results, organized by year.

It was good to see I had done a good job in preventing any carbon buildup in either of the rotaries. If there was any buildup of any sort the computer would've detected it instantly. They were still going to be this strong next month, B-T 1's and 2's seemed to spin perfectly fine, and under the hood, it looked fine as well.

Just to make sure I disconnected the FC from the computer and decided to key the ignition.

I revved up the twin rotaries and the computer was correct. The entire engine system was running perfectly fine.

Then I would've run diagnostics on the FD but Keisuke was gone for work so I couldn't.

Gathering any more data for the simulation against the 86 was impossible. First, any simulations including the 86 hadn't ever been wrong at any of his actual races, meaning any information I was using to calculate the exact capabilities of the 86 were one hundred percent correct.

Nothing about the 86 seemed significantly strong, at first glance.

Its specs were a bit bizarre considering how fast it was, but still, I knew them by heart.

Takumi's Sprinter Trueno AE86 was equipped with a 1.6 liter 4A-GEU Bluetop engine that ran a maximum of 150 HP at 7800 RPM. Its displacement was exactly 1586.7 CCs of pressure and the only modifications were TRD Wires for proper shifting and a matching rally class gearbox for the kinds of hairpins perfect for Akina.

So the lack of horsepower and the extremely light frame of the 86 gave Takumi the right tools he needed to both shift so easily as well as develop a very strong baking pattern. Because the 86 had no ABS of any kind, Takumi had to learn how to brake properly completely from scratch. However, Bunta still did manage to put in the correct gearbox and racing wires to let Takumi accelerate downhill as needed without giving him any horsepower to lose speed.

The rest of the car was completely stock however.

There was no reason I could see that I would lose this race. The only thing that bothered me at all was that I was just as confident racing Takumi in canon as I was right now of winning this race. In fact, I remember thinking I'd win this race 'Hands down.'

However, I was one step ahead of anything that might happen. I accounted for the amount of tire grip required to corner at the same speed as Takumi. I've focused almost exclusively on tire management knowing how key it was to win this race, and that would be the main focus for this month as well. I knew a fresh set of tires wouldn't be enough, so I included the grip and heat of the tires in order to calculate I'd have enough tire power in order to stay ahead.

No other component in the FC was able to fail. The engine system was completely impossible to fail in any way, I'd updated every internal down to the tiniest pin and plug imaginable to prevent any sort of failure. BT-1 and 2 might be six years old but they shouldn't combust unless I pushed the engine past the engine's capacity, which was one of the first things I'd calculated the moment I started collecting data.

As for the 86, its speed would provide the biggest problem for me in the race.

Akina was so steep and its corners so unforgiving that it'd wear down the tires of any car. The lighter car by default has an advantage from the less weight placed on the front end of it. However, the 86 was only 100 kg lighter than the FC, and in terms of tuning, I'd adjusted the FC so well to the downhill that I don't think it mattered.

I sighed, going back inside to make myself some coffee.

I had a long day ahead before training with Keisuke tonight on Akagi.

III

While shifting, I could tell Keisuke was still surprised by how hard it was for him to keep up with me down Akagi's hill.

My home course was a bit boring to me especially after knowing it so well, but it didn't matter. For tonight, it'd serve its purpose. Its corners had a similar shape in some areas that would help when I raced the 86 on Akina.

While shifting, I entered the turn making the FC face the inside. While the car's tires slipped, I cleared the turn with barely any counter steer. The turn required me to corner sharply to the right, but I was still keeping my simulation in mind as I did on every curve.

The FC in the anime would overheat the front tires without proper precautions, unlike what I was doing here. It was one of the first things I promised myself I wouldn't do when racing Takumi. Let the front tires overheat and lose grip. I couldn't let myself lose to something I already had prior knowledge of that would cripple my ability to win.

Both the Gamer and the necessary training I was currently doing with Keisuke was making it so that I couldn't let the front tires fail under any circumstance.

However, I understood why it happened in the anime but I wouldn't let it happen here.

The Gamer made me fast enough to lose Takumi by a significant margin after I passed him before the five hairpins. However, the gap made would require enough tire strength to leave the critical section up to chance, and I absolutely could not do that. And I already knew Takumi could catch up from our race in the anime.

Even if I was faster here than in the anime, I would be in no hurry to lose Takumi. Not when I knew the most important turn in the entire course was just up ahead.

The result would still be the same. Only this time I would account for the victory with the grip of the front tires in mind. My simulation included every variable possible, the condition of the road, the front tires, everything. And not once in the dozens of times I'd run the simulation did I lose in one of them.

As I left one of Akagi's hairpins, again I could see Keisuke in my rearview still struggle to keep up with me on the downhill.

I didn't blame him. I was reaching the peak of my fastest driver's theory, almost everything was complete.

The race with the 86 next month would decide all of it. Everything I'd done so far led up to this.

III

Day in and day out for the next two weeks I called Mako in Karuizawa to stay in touch with her. We both knew how busy I was so we didn't plan to go out on any dates until after I'd raced the 86.

From what I could tell, Sayuki was happy Kenta had such a good time at the water park. And as I was expecting, Mako said her and Sayuki would make it to Akina the day of the race just like they did in canon.

The Red Suns also knew how important this race with the 86 was. They weren't involved with my training at all, instead they did as I asked. They lessened my workload by having Aisuke and Fumihiro run training while I trained with Keisuke on the downhill.

As far as I could tell, Takumi had been discussed the most by anyone in the street racing community. He had beaten the R32, the FD, and an EG6 in a gum tape deathmatch. This upcoming challenge I would send to Takumi would probably not be a surprise to anyone who had been paying attention at all this year.

There was a new rookie star in the racing world, much like I was when I became Akagi's White Comet.

I heard a knock on the door of my bedroom.

"Come on in Keisuke."

"Hey big bro," he said closing the door behind him. "How's training going?"

I kept typing on my keyboard. "Just fine actually. My times on the downhill are matching up with my tire grip patterns I set out for myself."

"Tire grip patterns? What do you mean by that?"

"It's one of the biggest things I'd focused on when training this past month. Besides trying to maximize speed and control over every aspect of the downhill, making sure my tires could respond as needed is just as important as any part of the race."

Keisuke shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Nakazato lost in that kickass 32 of his because he couldn't have the tire grip to keep going."

"I figured that going as fast as the 86 would downhill would stress any front tires. Which is why I specifically knew it would be the only thing that could lose me this race. Having enough grip for Akina's critical section would decide the future of the Akagi Red Suns. And our fastest in Kanto project."

"Why not focus on the engine? Or the brakes?"

I turned to Keisuke in my desk chair. "Yes those are important too. But those absolutely cannot fail either, I've made sure about that."

"What I still can't get is why you didn't just ask the tofu kid to join us on the Suns before letting him smash the entire prefecture first. Would've saved us a huge headache. As soon as we all saw what he could do, we could've gotten a headstart on becoming the fastest in Kanto."

I chuckled. "Takumi Fujiwara can't be very decisive about much. All I know is that he loves driving, as much as it may seem like he doesn't. For now we need to focus on beating him."

"And how's that coming along?"

"As well as I was expecting," I said. "Fortunately, every system the FC has is still tuned up and ready to go for this race. Sacrificing so much horsepower, as you've experienced firsthand, has given me more than enough control on the downhill to try and focus on tire grip."

"You really do seem insistent on this tire thing."

"It's the most important thing in any race. It's like if a track athlete lost the energy to keep running. Without your front tires, or even your rear ones for that matter, the only thing you'll be racing is a loss."

Keisuke spoke. "I've barely been able to focus on work and boxing knowing this race is coming up so soon."

"I have not had that misfortune," I said, knowing the incredible level of mental clarity Gamer's Mind offered me. "Still I can't blame you."

"I should've known all along only you would've been fast enough to take that 86 down. No one's been able to bring what you had to racing for a long time."

"I know, which is what makes this race all the more interesting to me. We both haven't met a challenge like each other." I said. "Only he hasn't seen me really drive yet."

III

Takeshi closed the door to his black R32 as he saw the other street racers at the meet on Hakone's peak.

"Nice car. Good taste." a young man with dark hair said.

Takeshi saw the car he was leaning on.

'A white 32. Won't ever forget that car.'

"Are you Eikichi Shimamura of the Hakone Thunder Soldiers?"

He chuckled. "Can't you read the names on our cars? We're the only ones with enough sense to drive Skyline GT-Rs just like you."

"Don't lump me in with you. You and I have a score to settle. I'm Takeshi Nakazato of the Myogi Night Kids, and you pissed off the wrong guy tonight."

Eikichi kept smirking. "Well. Tonight got a little more interesting."