III

48: First Steps to Saitama

III

As I drove in the FC towards Mount Myogi where the team would be gathering soon, I began to go over just what exactly I planned to train the team and how long it would take.

Here in Japan, it took until the last few weeks of November for it to start snowing. I would need to spend every day of snowy weather training the Red Suns for hours on how to maneuver through snowy conditions. I also needed these skills as well.

Of course, in Saitama, Ibaraki, and Kanagawa, not a single race would be under special conditions. Even my race with Sakamoto, the only challenging race in Saitama, would be dry to mitigate the advantage rain gave the Cappucino.

But racing in the snow is what gave drivers above average reflexes. In the event of having your tires slide, or having any part of the car malfunction, being used to something like the snow can give a driver an edge.

Beyond that, being fast in conditions that are almost impossible to drive in like heavy snow sharpen a driver's reflexes, makes him appreciate and evaluate the grip in his tires differently, and hones steering, acceleration, braking, and any other part of racing to an entirely different level.

III

The Akagi Red Suns were all in a group atop Mount Myogi.

All six drivers were in a group with their cars parked behind them, waiting for my instruction as I stood in front of them with Fumihiro and the other mechanics.

From what Keisuke had been telling me, the Night Kids had been getting bolder. But having myself up here tonight after having defeated Tomoyuki Tachi must've taught them to give the course to us for the night. No one was on the mountain tonight but us.

"Gentlemen. This will be the final test before our most important races as a team. The training in these winter months will provide you with all the tools necessary to take on the remaining three prefectures in the Kanto region."

The team kept listening quietly. "We've set course records across Gunma and Tochigi. But the remaining three prefectures will be more than difficult. Without rigorous training, none of you will be ready. While Ibaraki only has one team of note, Kanagawa is filled with nothing but the best drivers you can find on public roads."

A few expressions changed, Takihiro and Kenta exchanging confused looks. "Yes. Even with months until we race there, our preparation for Kanagawa begins today. The success of our team will be established in these next few months. The snow can either determine our status as legends, immortalized in racing history. Or not."

"Is this all clear?"

"Yes sir!" the team said.

"This might surprise you. But I must speak frankly." I said. "In terms of skill. Not a single one of you is ready for Ibaraki or Kanagawa yet."

A few members of the team gasped, especially Keisuke, who was grunting and balling his fists. "What're you talking about?"

"We might be the fastest in Gunma and Tochigi. And while that will be forever undisputed, it doesn't change the fact that Kanagawa will take every bit of driving ability you all have. All six of you must go from fast to a whole new level of speed." I said.

Takihiro stepped forward. "Wait, wait, wait. Since when are we not fast enough?"

"Since I've realized something important. Up until now, Keisuke and I have taken every important race. The race against the 86, the Emperor's, and the Todo School. I can't quietly disband the Red Suns when the only notable races have been completed by both my brother and I. Not when I know that if I push you all hard enough you can do them."

The team began muttering, and I gave them a second before speaking again and the entire team's attention snapped back to me. "I already know which races lie ahead. Quite frankly there aren't as many as you might think."

"Saitama will include four total races, six if another team lines up. Ibaraki will include two. And Kanagawa will include eight." I said. "The first races in Saitama will require Keisuke and Aisuke to participate. The next will be Keisuke and myself."

"Should the other team possibly get involved. Takihiro and Daito will represent us. Ibaraki can only be completed by both Keisuke and myself, end of story."

I crossed my arms. "But all of Kanagawa will be reliant on the six of you. Keisuke and I will only be taking charge of the last two races. The first race in Kanagawa will require Aisuke and Daito to complete it. The team in question is called Team 246. Again, although we won't race them for several months, they will be a massive jump in difficulty from any of your previous races. Is it clear why I say none of you are ready yet?"

The team began to nod and mutter quietly.

"Understand that Saitama is nothing but a stepping stone to the real challenges. Kanagawa will be organized into four lines of defense, each getting progressively more difficult. The fastest team in Kanagawa is Team Sidewinder, the chief of whom is trying to gather as much information as he can on us by doing so. I'm going to first review the races you will all be building to before beginning highlights for your training this winter."

I turned to Kenta and Keisuke. "You two will face the second line of defense. Racing Team Katagiri."

After they both nodded, I looked toward Takihiro and Yakuma. "There is no better choice to take on the third line of defense than both of you. Team Spiral."

"Finally. Keisuke and myself will race Sidewinder on our own."

Aisuke cleared his throat. "So you're already planning our last races?"

"That doesn't mean it will be easy, or even within our grasp now. Ibaraki will be almost impossible to clear before moving on. But Saitama is not really that fast, not as fast as us at least. Even if the teams in Saitama spent the entire winter preparing they're so far behind us that it won't matter. As for Kanagawa, if you all raced the drivers there today they would defeat you completely."

Aisuke and the others weren't afraid, but they looked completely shocked by what I said.

I looked every one of the Red Suns in the eyes. "I mean this as honestly as possible. It would not be close. If you raced them today, you would get left in the dust and the name of this team would fade. This training will push you all beyond your absolute limits. You will be tested in every level as a driver, calling it exhausting will be an understatement."

I looked towards Keisuke and then at the other five drivers. "This is how the runs will work during our training sessions. After a few warm up laps, each driver will run their assigned section, up or downhill, at full throttle. Your times will be closely monitored. I want you all to focus on your driving, but that does not mean there will not be consequences for not reaching the parameters I've set."

I put my hands in my pockets. "The snow hasn't begun to fall. But it will not affect the intensity of our training. Kenta will go first down the hill tonight, and like always will set the pace of tonight's training. Let's get started."

III

Kenta's run on the downhill didn't just set the intensity of the Red Suns training that Friday night. It was set for the next three weeks.

Pushing his S14 at full throttle for the entire run, Kenta knew how much faster he'd gotten since racing Shingo's EG6 on the very same hill.

Screeching through the entire corner, Kenta's signature slide drift cornered in a very flashy way but was still very fast.

Upshifting, the orange S14 flew out of the turn. Kenta hit the gas hard and was staying as close to the inside as he could on the next corner.

The S14 only faced the inside a little, using a modified grip run with a hint of drift added to have Kenta complete the corner at his highest speed.

He flew past the gallery so quickly a small set of autumn leaves that had begun to fall fluttered about in his direction. The Red Suns team members in the gallery took note at Kenta's speed down Myogi's hill.

A mechanic checked his stopwatch, speaking into his walkie. "This is the fastest I've ever seen Kenta drive. Entry, exit, clearing, his corners are perfect!"

Kenta was gripping his steering wheel hard, clenching his jaw and upshifting, keeping his eyes on the road while pressing the gas. The S14 was zipping downhill at full speed, its driver more focused than ever.

As the corner began to approach, the responsiveness of his high horsepower SR20DE revved loudly before Kenta hit the brakes and steered.

The tail of the S14 began to slide, but Kenta controlled his car so well it maintained grip for the entire curve, only facing the inside slightly again.

As the rear of the S14 swung out of the turn and nearly grazed the guardrail, Kenta re-stabilized the car in a split second to recover from the corner. He almost floored the gas, throttling for nearly the entire straightaway.

He pressed the brakes and steered, sliding the rear of the S14 from how fast he entered the corner. His drift faster than ever, Kenta's cornering speed began to increase as he paid extra attention to the road.

Wherever there were piles of leaves strewn about the road, Kenta had to look wherever his headlights noted to avoid them. During the corners, this was made especially difficult. Kenta had to corner at full speed while making sure to not get any leaves on his tires.

His entry speed especially high because of how well his naturally aspirated engine could respond, Kenta kept his foot on the gas pedal throughout almost his entire downhill.

Only when approaching corners would he let his foot off the throttle for a split second, using the clutch pedal and downshifting to brake and steer.

The orange S14's tires screeched loudly as the car cornered at full speed with Kenta's modified grip run crossing drift and grip together.

The front of the S14 only turning slightly, Kenta was cornering while keeping his foot on the gas to control the slide, increasing how hard he was throttling steadily until he left the corner and floored it.

Any autumn leaves in Kenta's wake flew about, Keisuke's downhill protege had long since entered his stride.

Keisuke watched as the S14 flew past both him and Takihiro in the galleries. "He's not the same driver he was when we had our first meet here months ago. But even beyond that he's incredible." Keisuke said.

"A true prodigy if I've ever seen one I guess." Takihiro mumbled seeing the trail the S14 had blazed downhill.

Myogi's hill was mostly quiet except for the occasional screech of Kenta's tires.

The mountain was dark, but the headlights of Kenta's S14 could be seen by the other Red Suns stationed throughout the hill.

The pistons of the SR20DE firing rhythmically, Kenta was completely focused. Being able to multitask avoiding leaves as well as maintaining his pace, the S14's driver was sharper than ever.

Nothing was in his mind but the road.

Kenta hit the brakes, the S14's tail lights glowing as the car backed up.

The S14 faced the inside a bit as the tires screeched, the car sliding and gripping the road at the same time as Kenta combined both styles into his own downhill technique.

As his S14 whipped to the outside of the turn and nearly hit the guardrail, Kenta was recovering from the corner while tackling the straight, increasing his exit speed exponentially.

Kenta's use of the clutch and accelerator was so strong that the amount of time the S14 needed to recover from slowing down in the previous corner was almost nonexistent. And his corner became faster as a result.

The rest of the team watched him fly downhill, with the knowledge that he was setting the pace of the entire night, Kenta was at his fastest and the S14 reflected his skill.

Every crew member recorded his times, all impressed.

Aisuke watched as Kenta took the best line through a corner, his tires screeching as the orange S14 slipped through the turn quickly. As the corner ended, the S14 accelerated, the engine humming as Kenta flew downhill towards the finish line.

Fumihiro checked Kenta's times after they were presented to him. "He's gotten faster hasn't he?" he said, looking towards me.

"That's an understatement." I said.

III

At the beginning of every night the Red Suns practiced, Ryosuke would get into his FC and go at full speed downhill to set a benchmark he knew his teammates could never reach.

Either on Akina or Myogi it made no difference. Ryosuke was so fast that even the Red Suns knew they could only try to reach the times he set. Still, they trained as hard as they could every night.

In order to ensure a maximum potential of aerodynamics for all cars, no car on the Red Suns had flip up headlights anymore, instead replaced with regular headlights. Aisuke's 180 and Daito's FD were also equipped with better parts to make them lighter and closer to the ground, improving their times.

For the first three weeks of November, the Red Suns trained with the hardest intensity they ever had.

On Akina's uphill, even Keisuke was impressed by the pace his two team members were at.

Yakuma was chasing Daito uphill at new speeds that the crew members were worried they couldn't handle. Both hill climbers had never reached a pace this high, but the skill and precision behind their corners calmed everyone's fears.

At full speed, Daito pressed the brakes approaching a turn as the hum of his green FD3S changed tones. Steering, his grip run was flawless as Yakuma managed to close the distance, the white Supra's brakes screeching as he cornered quicker.

Keisuke chuckled behind the guardrail watching how easily Yakuma could increase his corner entry speed on a dime. "That was nice." he mumbled seeing the Supra accelerate uphill almost instantly hot on the FD's trail.

On the uphill, Yakuma and Daito pushed each other at speeds neither the A80 nor the FD had ever gone before. Despite how hard they were going up Akina's hill, neither driver lost control of their cars or were even close to doing so.

On a sharp left corner, Daito held the inside while Yakuma's Supra again drew closer during the corner entry. Both uphillers changed gears on the corner exit and hit the gas, the powerful 2JZ-GTE and 13B-REW engines roaring as the A80 and FD flew out of the corner.

Daito was sweating, doing his best to shake Yakuma for even a second on the straightaway.

Yakuma's Supra was relentless, driving left and right to apply pressure during a straight. But Yakuma himself was also past his limit in his attempts to overtake the green FD.

The stopwatches the team was using to measure the timed runs seemed to hang in Yakuma and Daito's minds like nightmares. Always lingering behind them, being forced to do more than have a stamina and pace heavy uphill run, needing to improve their times during the entire uphill run.

Reaching the final third of Akina's uphill, Daito was nearly overtaken on the corner entry, the Supra almost being able to take a line through the corner and ending up on the FD's right side had Daito not accounted for the change in exit speed with a better upshift of his own.

Fire flashed out of Daito's exhaust, the green FD being able to pull ahead just in time as the straightaway began to hold onto its lead for dear life.

Yakuma ignored the sweat that had seemed to build all over him. He knew his Supra had the tuning and power behind it to withstand any amount of pressure, but from how fast Daito and his FD were he also knew it was up to him to maintain the pace.

Through the last corners, their grip runs were just as fast as they were for the entire uphill sparring battle. The green FD and white A80 were on a pace the Red Suns hadn't ever seen them go at.

When they reached the top of the hill, both drivers watched as their teammates were behind the guardrail ready to begin their run.

After they passed, Kenta and Takihiro safely moved into position to race.

Kenta's orange S14 and Takihiro's silver S13 moved to the starting line shot off the moment Fumihiro waved his hand down.

As the two Silvias dueled downhill at full throttle, Yakuma and Daito left their cars instantly drinking water bottles and using towels that had been brought to dry themselves.

While they rested, Ryosuke used the data the recorded times had just been provided over the walkies to point to his computer screen and offer ways to both uphillers on how to improve their times.

Farther up the hill on a secluded lookout point over the entire mountain, Nobuhiko and Wataru from the Northern Saitama Alliance used binoculars to observe the training session unfold.

What they saw shocked them, both Silvias were already at their full throttle after the first corner. Kenta and Takihiro had very similar lines, but no matter the corner, they never intersected.

The SR20DE and CA18DET of the S14 and S13 hummed louder. Screeching out of a turn, Takihiro held the lead with how much more speed he had on the exit of each corner.

On the straightaways, the S13 was able to stay ahead having more horsepower and grip but during the entry of the corners, the S14 closed the distance and had a high enough cornering speed to easily keep up.

Takihiro upshifted and pressed the gas on the exit of the corner, Kenta being close enough to take a line.

The S14 and S13 were side by side, and at the very last second before the corner, Takihiro prevented the overtake with a classic Red Suns drill.

Takihiro waited until the very last second of the straightaway, and that he was far enough ahead on the straight to swing the rear of his S13 in a power slide during the corner entry to both block the overtake and stay ahead. As his tires screeched, the technique was fast enough to regain the lead and keep Kenta's orange S14 behind him.

Kenta upshifted, and his SR20DE hummed louder as he accelerated.

Takihiro didn't worry about covering his lines, staying on the inside for the entire straightaway while throttling hard.

Kenta was unable to find the proper line to overtake, instead choosing to tail Takihiro's S13 down Akina's hill.

Keisuke watched the S13 and the S14 take almost identical lines during the corner from behind the guardrail.

'They're both improving so much at this speed. Did bro know that full throttle spars without end sharpen your times somehow!?'

Engaging the ABS, both Silvias used the same cross between a grip run and a four wheel drift. The S14 and S13 turned only slightly when entering the turn, only sliding a little while cornering at full speed.

Kenta up shifted and hit the gas, being able to keep up with Takihiro's S13 when at full throttle on the downhill.

Takihiro was leading Kenta into the second third of Akina's downhill when he felt his sweat build. Kenta was equally tired, both drivers ignoring how hard their limits were being pushed.

'My S13 can handle all the pressure I throw at her now. I'm the missing piece if I can't beat Kenta.'

Their cornering speed seeming to get higher after every run, the S14 and S13's tires screeched as they entered the turn.

Aisuke's stopwatch clicked as he wrote down the recorded times on a clipboard.

"Wait." he said before turning a few pages on the stack of papers the clipboard had.

He saw the times Kenta and Takihiro had listed previously the week prior.

'That's an improvement of well over a second and a half for Taki, and nearly two seconds for Kenta. These back to back spars at full throttle are doing their job, well done Ryosuke.'

Just like all the runs that followed, stopwatches counted all the runs. Every run up or downhill was done at full throttle, one behind the other nonstop.

In practices on Myogi on other nights, Ryosuke would stand behind the guardrail behind a turn and analyze the way the Red Suns would either take a corner either up or downhill.

Roaring down the straight, Aisuke was pressing the gas the entire way. When he hit the brakes, the white 180 backed up and took the entire turn with a four wheel drift.

The 180's tires were screeching as it took the corner at full speed, but even though it appeared to the other mechanics there that there was no way Aisuke could've taken it faster, Ryosuke saw places to improve.

While the turn was certainly fast, Ryosuke took notes on how to improve anyway using a clipboard and a stopwatch on it.

The entire crew was ordered to take notes on how to turn on specific corners that varied in length, width, and how sharp they were.

Using stopwatches and clipboards, the Red Suns were timed and measured on their cornering abilities on both Myogi and Akina's hills and the huge varied corners that they contained.

At the top of Myogi's hill, Ryosuke was working on his computer while his brother was flying uphill with his yellow FD at full throttle by himself.

Braking and making the tires screech, Keisuke steered to guide the FD around the turn. As the corner began to end, Keisuke upshifted and hit the gas.

Just by using the laptop that he brought along with him to every practice session, Ryosuke was able to compare his times on certain corners to those of his teammates.

Combined with what he saw with his own eyes, it took about ten minutes on each member of the Red Suns to determine how to improve their technique.

Ryosuke continued to have the Red Suns run in pairs up and down Myogi's hill at full throttle, but as he did so he used diagrams and a small whiteboard to show Kenta and Aisuke ways to improve their driving.

Nodding, Kenta understood the way Ryosuke wanted to emphasize parts of his braking and his steering.

Aisuke knew that his braking needed to be improved too, made clearer by the way Ryosuke told him.

Despite the rate at which the Red Suns were improving, they ran into issues quickly.

Takihiro, Aisuke, and especially Kenta were having trouble focusing from how constant the runs at full throttle were. After racing to the bottom of the hill as fast as they could, they had two minutes to rest, get water, have their tires changed, before being sent uphill to do it all over again.

Kenta was finding that his times began to waver as the night went on, as it was the first time he was at his best pace for over three runs in a row with only about nine or ten minutes in between each race against either Takihiro or Aisuke.

Ryosuke did not relent knowing how exhausting it was mentally for all three downhillers. He didn't switch out any of them on a run until he was convinced they had corrected at least one mistake they made on a previous run, making the runs even harder.

The uphillers had it much worse. Because Ryosuke knew how fast they were getting, Yakuma and Daito were trained almost exclusively on their stamina to refine their technique through grit. They were granted far less rest than the downhillers, and never were allowed to switch out with Keisuke.

Keisuke was held to a higher standard than anyone else on the team as his times far exceeded Yakuma and Daito's. Ryosuke always predicted accurately that his next run could be faster in several sections, and Keisuke was not allowed to begin his next run unless he did so on the previous one.

The stopwatches became either nightmares or blessings to the team. They were the things that provided either the ability to proceed to the next run and keep the exhausting effort up or rest.

Every time the team drove up or downhill on Myogi or Akina, they knew they had stopwatches hanging over them. The crew was ordered to take notes on anything they thought could be improved. Every time it appeared the cars were being held back or their speeds were limited at all, Ryosuke asked that he be the first one to know about it.

The times on the stopwatches ran down during every run, Kenta's S14 and Aisuke's 180 now dueling down Myogi's hill.

Their twin drift was so fast that Matsumoto almost dropped his stopwatch, the S14 and 180 right next to each other as they cleared the turn.

'How can their technique be so good they can clear the turn at that speed without touching!?'

Holding the lead calmly, Kenta ignored Aisuke's presence in his rearview, sticking to his technique and never taking his eyes off the road.

Aisuke was similar, instead of worrying about Kenta's speed and trying to pass him, he focused completely on his technique.

Braking in the manner Ryosuke suggested, Aisuke began to brake earlier, giving the gearbox more time to respond before downshifting and steering hard to complete his grip run.

Even though his cornering was faster now, Kenta's own cornering technique had also improved with Ryosuke's advice, and the distance between the 180 and S14 did not change.

Zooming loudly, the S14 went down the hill first out of the corner, the white 180 chasing quickly.

Aisuke and Kenta hit the brakes, downshifting, and steering to corner. Both cars screeched loudly as they cleared the turn, the 180 passing the gallery quickly followed by the S14.

A crew member's stopwatch beeped during the corner, and another stopwatch beeped during the next corner.

For the entire run down Myogi's hill, Ryosuke had ensured there were crew members in between every major corner in an effort to measure just how the speeds varied from corner to corner.

The speed at which Kenta and Aisuke could clear the hairpins improved, but how smooth their entry and exit improved as well. The 180 and S14 looked more stable when cornering, and the pressure on the tires lessened as a result.

When they crossed the finish line at the bottom of the hill, a mechanic waited until both cars had stopped before checking the tire temperature and wear.

He was surprised by what he saw. The tires were in far better condition than Kenta had maintained them in previous runs. Aisuke's 180 as well had tires that were in better shape than before.

As Kenta and Aisuke parked well out of the way of them, Daito and Yakuma quickly began their run uphill when given the signal.

The night ended like any other in the past three weeks. With Kenta and Aisuke being grateful to stand up out of their cars and rest for the first time in hours of racing and drills.

III

"That training was exhausting…" groaned Kenta as he sipped his water quietly and rested his head on his arms by leaning on the table in the Red Sun's favorite Family Restaurant. "It's been three weeks and we've been going non stop like this. I feel like I haven't had a night off training in a month. Ryosuke changed my entire braking style and my car's settings are so different since the last upgrade."

Keisuke raised an eyebrow. "Do you ever stop complaining?"

Takihiro shrugged across the table from both of them. "I mean. Even with how hard the training has gotten, it's hard to believe we haven't seen the first hint of snow yet. Apparently that's when the real training begins."

Kenta dug his face into his arms. "Don't remind me."

Aisuke sat back down in the booth. "Sorry guys. Had a phone call to take care of."

"Between work and all this training I haven't had any time to go swimming at that new indoor place near my house. Or do anything really." Kenta said.

Takihiro smiled. "Think of it this way. Your times improve and you can race with the rest of us in Kanagawa."

Aisuke sighed. "I still can't get over the fact that Ryosuke already knows who we're going to race and where."

"You guys have your races for Kanagawa memorized right?" wondered Keisuke.

"Had to. Ryosuke insisted since day one of training this month." Kenta said. "I'm going to race Katagiri's Kai Kogashiwa. Apparently he gets his technique from karts just like me. But his skills are on a great level, I'm weeks away from reaching him according to Ryosuke."

"Why does Ryosuke want us to prepare for these races so far ahead of time?" wondered Aisuke.

Keisuke sipped some water from his straw. "The only reason I could see is that he genuinely believes these challenges will take months of preparation for you guys to be ready for 'em. He explained this already, Saitama will be pretty easy apparently. The downhills in Kanagawa are what Ryosuke believes to be the only challenges left for you three."

"With how tough he's making them out to be." Takihiro said. "I'm wondering why he just doesn't take charge and beat them."

"He explained this too Taki," said Keisuke. "If we actually complete the fastest in Kanto Project and the most notable opponents you all had were the Akina Speed Stars. Then it wasn't really a team effort was it?"

"I raced against Momiji's red Miata. That's gotta count for something." Kenta pointed out.

Keisuke sighed. "And? Kanagawa's on a completely different scale of difficulty from any other prefecture. Trust me, training this hard for these races will be worth it."

"I hope so. Can't remember the last time I just had a single day off." Kenta said.

"You've just spent the last two minutes doing nothing but complain pipsqueak. Is that really how a Red Sun should act?" asked Keisuke.

Takihiro smiled. "You're being too hard on him man. He's way younger than the rest of us, probably not used to long hours like we are."

"That's no excuse. For as long as you've got that Red Sun sticker on your S14 I don't want you acting like a whiny little kid anymore." Keisuke said.

Seeing the look on Kenta's face, Aisuke spoke. "You're being harder on him than usual. What's up with that Keisuke?"

"Ever since those Night Kids insulted him last month on Akina, I've wanted people to stop thinking of him as someone I have to babysit all the time. Pisses me off." Keisuke said.

"Here you go. Enjoy." a waitress said as she neared the booth.

As the waitress put a basket of french fries in front of him, Takihiro shrugged. "He's not wrong." he said before picking some of them up and eating them.

Aisuke nudged him while Kenta looked at Keisuke. "The Night Kids insulted me? When were you gonna tell me?"

"That Shoji guy really got on my nerves." Keisuke said. "Sorry about that guys. But seeing people who lost every race they've had talk crap just makes me mad."

III

On Sadamine Pass, Kyoko Iwase was training uphill in her black FD as Nobuhiko, Wataru, and the other Northern Saitama Alliance members spoke.

"This is bad. They're better than we were expecting." reported Nobuhiko.

An Alliance member looked very worried. "How much better."

"Far better." Wataru sighed. "I've seen Ryosuke Takahashi race before. And everyone else on his team is great too. Their style is very versatile and unique, they combine both drift and grip into something I've never seen outside of their driving."

Nobuhiko fixed his glasses. "They're driving at an almost professional level, with professionally tuned cars. If we want a chance at beating them, we'll have to put a lot more power into Kyoko's car and Wataru's. Not to mention training until we race them."

"But the snow is gonna start falling any day now. How are we gonna train?" asked another Saitama racer.

"We'll have to make do with what we have." Nobuhiko sighed. "Better tires and anything we can to provide as much grip as we can. With how good their drivers are and how powerful their cars are, beating them will be no easy feat."

A pair of headlights appeared at the peak of the mountain, Kyoko approaching quickly.

Nobuhiko clicked his stopwatch as the FD passed him, looking at it in quiet thought.

'She's improving, but not as fast as we need her to. We are asking for a lot, but the extra horsepower and better tires we're ordering should help.'

Kyoko stepped out of her car and closed the door to her FD as Nobuhiko approached her. "How'd I do?"

"Just fine Kyoko." said Nobuhiko. "Your times will get better when we get all those parts shipped in for you and Wataru."

"You guys are following through with that? You all know how expensive that all is right?" Kyoko's eyes widened.

Nobuhiko nodded. "Of course we do. If we can put together the money for it, we can get better brake pads too. Maybe even a high quality suspension. For now, victory is what matters. And since the uphill is our only real chance at victory and it's based on performance heavily, we have to try our best here."

Kyoko frowned. "These guys really are that rich huh?"

"Every one of their drivers is wealthier than us. The Takahashi brothers are also known throughout Gunma for being richer than anyone else. Their cars were bound to have this much power. I'm sorry we have to spend this much money Kyoko, but we have no choice in order to compete with these guys." Nobuhiko said. "But that's not why I wanted to speak to you."

Kyoko leaned on her FD. "What is it?"

"The first bit of snow is expected to come in tomorrow. Wataru needs to spend tomorrow tuning and pressure testing his 86 and I have to help. I wouldn't ask this of you in the middle of your training, but with Wataru and I taking care of scouting until now it's only fair if you do so."

Kyoko was quiet but still nodded. "Fine. I'll go."

"I know how much you don't approve of this scouting business. But without it we can never learn how they drive." Nobuhiko said.

"Don't you guys have everything you need already?" asked Kyoko.

Nobuhiko shook his head. "With the snow falling in, we can get new data on how they train under low grip conditions. Until now the Red Suns have only raced when the road was dry. Apparently their first race ever was in the rain, but that was months before we even knew who they were. Kyoko, learn as much as you can and head back."

Kyoko nodded as Nobuhiko walked off to speak to his cousin.

Wataru rubbed his chin as he spoke to Nobuhiko. "Why'd you send her on her own?"

"She'd be less conspicuous that way. Remember, you and I have done all our scouting in just your car for a reason." Nobuhiko said.

"And?" said Wataru. "Think we can beat these guys?"

"In all honesty? I think so. You, Kyoko, and Sakamoto have the skills to really push these guys. All that's left is for you three to train as we gather as much data on these Red Suns as we can."

III

Takihiro was running an errand in the office building where he worked, copying several papers using a fax machine in the copying room.

Through his window, he saw the first snowflakes fall on the parking lot outside.

He smiled, November was almost finished. The early snows were here.

Takihiro quickly finished his task, eyeing his watch the whole way back to his cubicle.

Not far from where Takihiro worked, Aisuke was test driving a GT-R BNR34 Skyline around the track at the Nismo facility where he worked.

He realized some snow had fallen on his windshield. Smiling, he continued to drive it, checking the clock the 34 had listed on its dashboard.

Yakuma was in a boardroom wearing a suit and tie like everyone else in the meeting. Out of the corner of his eye, some snow began to fall on buildings next to the boardroom's window. Yakuma smiled, quickly checking the clock in the boardroom.

Go karts were racing each other around a track, and in the center of it stood Kenta on a podium, overlooking the entire race.

He picked up a blue flag and waved it, ensuring one kart passed another.

Snow began to fall outside the indoor karting track, and Kenta smiled, checking his watch.

Daito was working on his green FD in his driveway, using a monkey wrench and some other tools to check on the turbos and engine.

He saw some snow begin to fall on the FD's intercooler. Daito chuckled quietly checking the time on the clock in his garage before working to get the FD pushed back inside his garage.

Daito wiped the snow off his intercooler with his gloved hands before getting back to work.

Keisuke rolled a newly fixed bicycle out to a customer outside the shop where he worked. The girl there smiled. "Thank you very much!"

Keisuke bowed. "You're very welcome." he said before turning around to walk back inside the bicycle shop.

Right before Keisuke reached the door, he saw snow fall on the sidewalk just outside the shop. Smiling, the first thing he did was check the time on the clock inside the shop when he walked back in.

III

On Mount Myogi, snow had begun to lightly fall and had filled small parts of the course.

The Myogi Night Kids stayed home, as I'm sure every team in Gunma did that Friday night. Between the snow and the team everyone knew was faster than everyone else, training was pointless.

At least. For them.

It was the 22nd of November, 1996. After three weeks of the hardest training I'd put them through, the Red Suns were ready to begin their training through the snow.

I stood at the top of the mountain as the team stood assembled quietly in front of me.

Six drivers, and over two dozen mechanics. I didn't have much to say, but still briefed them quickly.

"There's a reason I removed the flip up headlights in every single one of our cars that had them. The time for looking flashy is over. Now is the time for speed. And the snow is going to ensure all of you have reflexes and skills you could've never imagined."

I took the keys to the FC from my pocket. "The snow greatly exaggerates anything you do in your car. It increases the sensitivity of your driving exponentially. There's a reason drivers in WRC do so well when they have prior backgrounds driving in the snow. It makes you reach the peak level of precision in your driving."

"Prepare the course. I'm going to show you all the proper way to drive in the snow." I said.

"Roger that!" the team said before prepping Myogi for the timed run.

This was the first bit of snow that had fallen since the winter snows melted in the Spring earlier this year. I wouldn't push the FC at full throttle, but I already knew what I had to do.

The snow, even as light as it was tonight, would reduce the grip the road offered me while making everything from the steering, brakes to accelerator far more exaggerated.

I would have to ensure the FC was exactly where I needed it to be before doing anything. I would have to ask myself if the FC could respond as I needed it to before using any sort of technique.

III

Fumihiro's walkie beeped. "This is the finish line. We're clear."

Fumihiro started the countdown. "We're starting in five! Four!"

Ryosuke revved the FC's 13B-T loudly.

"Three! Two! One! Go!"

Ryosuke shot off the starting line at full throttle down Myogi's first downhill straightaway.

He slowly lessened the pressure on the accelerator before measuring how much grip the road offered him, accounting for the snow that had accumulated both on the road and on his tires.

After judging the grip the road gave him in a matter of seconds, Ryosuke kicked the clutch and steered lightly into the first corner. He was able to measure the grip the road gave him and the correct speed for the road at the same time so well that the FC looked like it was barely being pushed at the fastest speed the Red Suns had ever seen anyone go in the snow.

On the next straight, Ryosuke noticed how the tires were reacting to the snow.

'The problem isn't the snow itself. It's the distribution of the snow across all four tires. If it's unbalanced in any direction I lose speed and have to account for it. I can change it though.'

As if he was digging the right side of the FC as hard as he could into the turn, Ryosuke intentionally steered harder than he should've as his front rear tire caught the most amount of snow he could.

On the corner exit, he nodded.

'It's balanced now. The real trick is keeping it this balanced for the entire run.'

A crew member was shocked by Ryosuke's speed through the snow. He wasn't ignoring it at all, but his speed was barely suffering, and the FC was still zooming downhill.

"Ryosuke's only two seconds slower than his personal best!"

Ryosuke calmly gauged both the conditions of the road and the proper speed for each section just by reading how responsive the brakes and steering were after a single corner.

If the quantity or placement of snow varied from corner to corner, Ryosuke simply lowered his speed for a moment to see how the FC's grip reacted before realizing how it varied to the next turn.

Takihiro raised his walkie from behind the guardrail. "Ryosuke just cut his speed down to a second and a half slower than his personal best! There is still snow on the road right?"

The FC was acting more as a template for Ryosuke to read how the snow had affected the road that night despite its speed. The entire car and how it responded told Ryosuke everything he needed to know about the road.

His patience and skill immeasurable, Ryosuke was adapting almost instantly to the slightly snowy mountain pass.

In both how he drove the FC through Myogi's snowy corners and straights, Ryosuke was patient, attentive, and smooth in all of the transitions between curvy and straight sections and his use of the throttle and brakes.

The FC's tail swung more than Ryosuke would've liked when sliding through a corner smoothly, but he noticed it quickly as he upshifted and recovered from the corner, preventing a collision with the guardrail. As the FC accelerated downhill again, Ryosuke thought quietly.

'The best way to mitigate how much the snow causes the car to slide is to steer less and use better positioning before acting. But the accelerator really is weaker no matter how well tuned the drivetrain is. Pace, balance, and awareness is key to these runs in the snow from what I gather.'

A mechanic raised his walkie and spoke as the FC made a small pile of snow fly about from tearing the FC down Myogi's hill. "He's a second slower than his personal best now! Ryosuke's pace is amazing!"

Steering lighter than normal, Ryosuke had to choose a weaker line but ultimately the tradeoff in speed favored him instead of cornering normally. As the FC's grip run was slower because of the snow, Ryosuke's technique had adapted to account for all changes the snow created.

Using the clutch and gear shifter, Ryosuke upshifted, entering the straight and pressing the gas down.

'There's more wheelspin now. The snow on the road must've increased from the last section.'

Accounting for this in seconds, Ryosuke lowered his speed and needed a single corner to adapt and change his driving. The FC exited the right corner and accelerated downhill smoothly, sending another small bit of snow into the air as his tires.

As he neared the finish line, Ryosuke knew how well he had begun to learn racing in the snow in only a single run. His skills and technique better than they ever had been, the FC continued to slice through the snow sending it up into the cold air, flying down Myogi's hill. He knew how well the Gamer would reward him for leveling a skill like [Wet Conditions Racing].

'The snow isn't an obstacle to racing. It's a gift.'