Disclaimer: Initial D and its characters belong to Shigeno Shuichi. The
characters in this fic are fictional. Any resemblance to real people is
purely coincidental. Some of the dialogue is taken from the subtitled
anime.
Note: The names in this story have been changed because the original ones were too annoying for readers. I'm bad at names.
Weakness
As soon as Ryousuke entered the hospital in Shibukawa, the head pediatrician approached him. He hadn't even signed in yet.
"Takahashi-san, do you have a moment?"
"Of course." Ryousuke finished synching his Palm and downloading his patients' information and then followed Tsukui-sensei to the breakroom. It was empty. The other medical students hadn't arrived yet.
"You're a very knowledgeable medical student," Tsukui-sensei began, "and you're dedicated to your work. That much is obvious." Ryousuke steeled himself for criticism. He was a perfectionist and sometimes took criticism too strongly, but he'd learned since high school to judge such criticism objectively. Sometimes, the critic was right. Other times, the critic was simply an asshole. He knew that Tsukui-sensei wasn't the latter, but that didn't mean her criticism would be entirely sound. "However, we do not expect our medical students to be as knowledgeable as the doctors," she continued. "What we do expect is for you to maintain a positive atmosphere. We treat children here, not adults. Your mannerisms are too formal, too distant. I know you work long hours, but try to be happier when you're here for the sake of your patients. I know Utsunomiya- sensei in Maebashi prefers a stern work attitude, but I'm the head emergency pediatrician in Shibukawa, and I have a different style from him."
"I will endeavor to improve my performance here, Tsukui-sensei." Ryousuke made certain to include a tone of contrition in his voice so that she would not think him overly conceited.
"I know you'll do fine, Takahashi-san," Tsukui-sensei said with a smile.
For the rest of the day, Ryousuke assumed a more personable personality. He treated his patients professionally but consciously modulated his voice and occasionally even smiled. It was difficult to do since he was actually in sour spirits over Kyouichi's recent challenge. A 4WD Lan-Evo III with a misfire system. Even on Akagi, Ryousuke wasn't certain if he could defeat such a well-tuned car in an FR. He didn't want to lose to someone like Kyouichi, but he hadn't had the time to develop a counterstrategy to the Evo III. Ryousuke would watch the Emperor team tonight, but he didn't know if he'd be able to discover Kyouichi's weakness and use it against him by the time of their race.
Some time in the afternoon, a first-year female high school student was admitted to the hospital and assigned to Ryousuke. He disliked dealing with such patients. Most of them were old enough to want to act like women but young enough to be legally considered children. This patient was another thin, bleached brown-haired teen with penciled eyebrows and a push- up bra. Doctors weren't supposed to be judgmental though, and so he assumed his less critical persona.
"Greetings, Nagano-san," Ryousuke said to the girl. She cheered up as soon as she saw that her "doctor" (actually, attending medical student) was a handsome young man. He avoided her looks and studied her info on his Palm. "It says here that you have been throwing up lately and have been feeling queasy throughout the day."
"Yes, Sensei," she said.
"Have you been eating anything out of the ordinary?"
"No, Sensei."
"What about food with mayonnaise?"
She made a face. "I hate mayonnaise."
"Well, I think food poisoning is unlikely since you told the admittance secretary that your symptoms have been occurring for days now." Ryousuke paused. The situation was a delicate one and would undoubtedly require the less formal attitude requested by Tsukui-sensei. As she'd said, these patients were children, not adults. "Do you mind if I call you Ayumi, Nagano-san?"
She blushed faintly. "I don't mind if you call me Ayumi, Sensei."
"Thank you." Ryousuke settled in a chair nearby though he usually preferred to stand while addressing his patients. "Ayumi, you're a very slender young woman and underweight for someone your age." One of the nurses had taken her height and weight; the info was on his Palm. "There is a lot of pressure for young ladies your age to be thin. Do you eat regularly?"
"Of course, Sensei," she said.
"Good. Many people your age do not," Ryousuke said. "Now then, do you binge and purge? That is, do you eat and then force yourself to throw up?"
"No, Sensei! It just runs in my family. I eat whatever I like and still don't gain any weight."
Ryousuke smiled, and, as he expected, she took that as a sign of friendship. "Good. Your friends must be very envious of you."
"Yeah, there's one girl in my class who can't lose weight even when she tries," Ayumi said with light laughter that Ryousuke couldn't help but to feel was a bit malicious. He said nothing to this.
After a moment, Ryousuke said very delicately, "Remember, I must know as much as I can to diagnose you. Ayumi, have you slept with anyone?"
Her eyes widened, and her face flushed a deep red. "Of course not!" she protested all too quickly. "I'm only 16, Sensei!"
He studied her calmly and assumed his kindest face. "If you say so, then I believe you. I only asked because I thought you might be pregnant."
Ayumi's face crumbled, and her voice raised to a high squeak. "I can't be pregnant. I'm on the pill!" That was answer enough.
"The pill is not 100% safe," Ryousuke said.
She flushed when she realized her mistake. "I mean, it's not like Yoshiki and I have done it that many times," Ayumi said hastily. "And I had my period already. I can't be pregnant."
"When was your last time?"
"I don't know. I don't keep track. It must've been a month ago, maybe a little longer."
"And have you been with your boyfriend since then?"
"Well," she looked at Ryousuke and decided to trust him. At this point, she had no one else to rely on. "Maybe once or twice. But I was on the pill."
"It's only a possibility. You might not be pregnant," Ryousuke said, though by now he was fairly certain she was. "I'll have the nurse give you a pregnancy test. It may be too early to tell, but if you're showing signs of metabolic change, the test should be reasonably accurate." He rose to call one of the nurses and to extricate himself from this situation as soon as possible, but Ayumi grabbed hold of his sleeve before he could go.
"Sensei, I can't be pregnant," Ayumi said, as if repeating this would change reality. "I've only been together with Yoshiki for half a year." Tears were now flowing from her eyes, smearing her mascara. "Rumors at school said that Rei got pregnant and he told her it wasn't his baby, and they'd been together for two years. I didn't believe the rumors, but what if they're true? I can't be pregnant," she sobbed. "He'll never believe me. He'll think I was sleeping around, but he's the only one I've been with. Honest! Sensei, I can't be pregnant."
Ryousuke saw a nurse peek in to check out the commotion. He was sorely tempted to offload his patient onto her. The nurse was female and would be better able to identify with Ayumi, but he knew that his patient had already bonded with him. Instead, he asked the nurse to order a pregnancy test and stayed with Ayumi longer than he would've liked. Then he checked on his other patients. After his rounds, he made sure to stop by to console Ayumi again. If he didn't, he was certain Tsukui-sensei would notice.
When his day was over, Ryousuke changed in the hospital and drove straight to Akagi. He was grateful to be fleeing from the hospital, from the entire pregnancy situation. He hated those cases most. Whether or not she had an abortion, she would be wounded for life. At the thought of this, Ryousuke pushed his FC hard uphill until he met up with the rest of the Red Suns.
Emperor team was already on Akagi, practicing for the main event. Kyouichi was sharp. He'd undoubtedly already memorized the layout of the course on Akagi, and so the home course advantage would be slightly less useful to Ryousuke. After that, it would be a matter of applying mere principles, or so Kyouichi believed. In that, their tactic to conquer unfamiliar territory was similar. And yet, in streetracing, there was the unexpected: the road condition, the roadkill on the course, the leaves or gravel. Any of these factors could change the outcome of the race. It was what made streetracing more interesting than autocrossing. Or so I tell myself, Ryousuke thought wryly. What other choice do I have? Becoming a pro driver is not an option.
After Keisuke became distracted with Kenta later in the night, Ryousuke said to Fumihiro, "The head doctor reprimanded me today." Ryousuke didn't need to add that he was feeling rather bummed about it. Fumihiro knew that Ryousuke wouldn't have said it unless it was bothering him.
"About what?"
"She said that I was knowledgeable but not cheerful enough around my patients."
Fumihiro snickered. "Well, that much is true. You're not a cheerful person in general, even around the Red Suns."
Ryousuke smiled but quickly became serious again. "I hate pediatrics."
"Then be glad that your father doesn't own a pediatrics clinic."
"True."
"And it's better then geriatrics," Fumihiro said. "I remember when you went through that rotation."
"Hn." And yet, Fumihiro's banter helped, and Ryousuke was grateful for it. Fumihiro's workday couldn't have been much better.
"Looks like Keisuke's sending Kenta downhill," Fumihiro noted. "Let's see how his study of Iwaki Seiji is progressing." They joined Keisuke, and after a bit of conversation, they fell silent. Ryousuke enjoyed the mountain air with little more than the occasional sound of car engines to break the otherwise calming still of the night.
Ryousuke heard it and identified it before they could even see its headlights. Akina's Hachiroku. It was climbing hard, and Ryousuke was reminded of his FC when he'd pushed it after work before meeting with the Red Suns. Fumihiro started when he realized that the coming car was not one of the Red Suns. Keisuke turned as well.
"Akina's Hachiroku." Keisuke said. The panda Trueno passed them and continued its climb to where the Emperor team had congregated. "Aniki, did you see it?"
"Yeah." Ryousuke had at first been indifferent to the appearance of the Hachiroku, but now his expression hardened. "Most likely, Kyouichi must have done something." Kyouichi preferred to enter into a race with the odds stacked in his favor. After Emperor team's loss on Akina, he had undoubtedly provoked Fujiwara in such a way that the boy would not drive with a calm mind. Ryousuke added this to the list of reasons to dislike Kyouichi.
"Should we let him race against Emperor?" Keisuke asked.
Why not? Ryousuke thought. And then, more importantly, he realized why they should. He had come tonight to fathom Kyouichi's weakness. Kyouichi racing against Fujiwara would definitely aid Ryousuke's research.
"He doesn't have a chance this time, Aniki," Keisuke said. And yet, the Hachiroku had not been casually driving up Akagi in Fujiwara's normal, mild manner. Fujiwara was not a boy, as Ryousuke had at first mistakenly thought to himself. He was already 18. Besides, as Ayumi had illustrated, life could suck regardless of the age. Fujiwara was here to drive, not necessarily to race. Kyouichi must've been a secondary priority.
"This is a public street," Ryousuke said to Keisuke. "We have no control over who races against whom."
"Aniki." Keisuke protested, and yet he did nothing to stop the race. In truth, there was little he could have done. Keisuke could've tried to speed uphill before the race began, but even if he reached the start point on time, he would've looked ridiculous. Luckily, he did nothing so foolish. Mere moments later, the Hachiroku and the Evo III began their race. "Damn, they've really started!" Ryousuke simply stood and watched as the cars approached their vantage point. "Watch out! He's going sideways!" Keisuke exclaimed.
Ryousuke did not move. He knew that both drivers were good enough to avoid colliding into the guardrail, much less into them. As the Evo III passed, Ryousuke could almost feel Kyouichi taking his eyes off the road to glance in his direction. Foolish. A driver should keep his eyes on the road at all times. But then, Kyouichi had a tendency towards such melodrama. After all, he'd shaved his head and donned a bandanna since losing to Ryousuke. It was the traditional attempt to be reborn as a new opponent.
Keisuke noticed the odd sound of the Evo III, and Ryousuke didn't hesitate to analyze the car and scenario aloud. "His technique has improved form a year ago," Ryousuke noted. "Kyouichi is very tough now." The important question was whether or not Ryousuke could defeat him under these new circumstances. The Hachiroku had taken the front position, and unlike the race with the FC, Fujiwara was not intimidated by the pressure from the back. It meant he wasn't concentrating on the race. He was driving. He was mastering the course. He was, above all, venting. Keisuke asked Ryousuke about Kyouichi. Only Fumihiro and Keisuke were present. Ryousuke didn't hold back in his analysis of Kyouichi's character.
"You're being unusually harsh," Keisuke said with a slight smile. His brother was rarely like this, after all.
"I dislike him," Ryousuke said bluntly. "He's one guy I never want to lose to." He watched the race closely. He needed to find Kyouichi's weakness and devise a strategy to defeat him by Saturday or he would lose. With the misfire system on the Evo III confirmed, even without his laptop simulation, Ryousuke knew that his FC would lose. The Evo III gained on the Hachiroku and came side-to-side with it. The Evo III was on the left. Behind him, Fumihiro got news from Kenta on the radio about the situation below, but they need only to look out at Akagi to see the race unfolding.
Okay, I got it, Ryousuke thought to himself. He had Kyouichi's weakness. The Evo III passed on the left; his weakness was on the right. The counterstrategy was evident.
"Is there any chance for the Hachiroku to overtake him?" Keisuke asked.
"Don't ask me a question like that," Ryousuke said. "You know the answer, don't you?" Keisuke did, and he didn't like the answer. He kicked the road in frustration, and Ryousuke's discussion on engines did little to alleviate his brother's agitation.
"This battle is so unfair!"
"This battle wasn't a speed competition to start with," Ryousuke said. Keisuke started. "Think about it. Kyouichi has driven Akagi a few times but Fujiwara Takumi hasn't. He doesn't have any idea of the advantages or disadvantages."
"True."
"I don't know what happened between Kyouichi and him, but he gave up every winning factor before the race." If Kyouichi was at fault, Ryousuke would avenge Fujiwara in the race on Saturday.
"But why is he doing such a stupid thing?" Keisuke asked. And yet, Ryousuke thought, it's possible that something else happened to Fujiwara, something entirely unrelated to Kyouichi. The two weren't close enough for Kyouichi to be able to provoke such a strong reaction from Fujiwara.
"Only he knows why," Ryousuke said. "Sometimes you want to drive to blow off steam from all your frustrations." Ryousuke certainly identified with that. "He seemed that way to me." His eyes narrowed. "It wasn't his usual style of driving. The Hachiroku's high-pitched exhaust note was like an enraged roar."
Ryousuke wanted to avenge the Hachiroku. He understood all too well the need to vent. He hated the notion that Kyouichi, in his normal myopic manner, would assume that the race had been all about him and would never realize that the Hachiroku had been driving to let off steam. The race had been unfair from the start, and yet, that was exactly the kind of fight that Kyouichi preferred. Ryousuke reminded himself sternly that, when the time came for the main event, he would not drive to escape from the stresses of the medical profession. He did that all too often and rarely raced because he was aware of his own weakness. On Saturday, though, he would drive with a rational mind and use Kyouichi's weakness that he'd learned tonight at Fujiwara's expense in order to defeat the Evo III. Ryousuke would win for the sake of streetracing.
Note: The names in this story have been changed because the original ones were too annoying for readers. I'm bad at names.
Weakness
As soon as Ryousuke entered the hospital in Shibukawa, the head pediatrician approached him. He hadn't even signed in yet.
"Takahashi-san, do you have a moment?"
"Of course." Ryousuke finished synching his Palm and downloading his patients' information and then followed Tsukui-sensei to the breakroom. It was empty. The other medical students hadn't arrived yet.
"You're a very knowledgeable medical student," Tsukui-sensei began, "and you're dedicated to your work. That much is obvious." Ryousuke steeled himself for criticism. He was a perfectionist and sometimes took criticism too strongly, but he'd learned since high school to judge such criticism objectively. Sometimes, the critic was right. Other times, the critic was simply an asshole. He knew that Tsukui-sensei wasn't the latter, but that didn't mean her criticism would be entirely sound. "However, we do not expect our medical students to be as knowledgeable as the doctors," she continued. "What we do expect is for you to maintain a positive atmosphere. We treat children here, not adults. Your mannerisms are too formal, too distant. I know you work long hours, but try to be happier when you're here for the sake of your patients. I know Utsunomiya- sensei in Maebashi prefers a stern work attitude, but I'm the head emergency pediatrician in Shibukawa, and I have a different style from him."
"I will endeavor to improve my performance here, Tsukui-sensei." Ryousuke made certain to include a tone of contrition in his voice so that she would not think him overly conceited.
"I know you'll do fine, Takahashi-san," Tsukui-sensei said with a smile.
For the rest of the day, Ryousuke assumed a more personable personality. He treated his patients professionally but consciously modulated his voice and occasionally even smiled. It was difficult to do since he was actually in sour spirits over Kyouichi's recent challenge. A 4WD Lan-Evo III with a misfire system. Even on Akagi, Ryousuke wasn't certain if he could defeat such a well-tuned car in an FR. He didn't want to lose to someone like Kyouichi, but he hadn't had the time to develop a counterstrategy to the Evo III. Ryousuke would watch the Emperor team tonight, but he didn't know if he'd be able to discover Kyouichi's weakness and use it against him by the time of their race.
Some time in the afternoon, a first-year female high school student was admitted to the hospital and assigned to Ryousuke. He disliked dealing with such patients. Most of them were old enough to want to act like women but young enough to be legally considered children. This patient was another thin, bleached brown-haired teen with penciled eyebrows and a push- up bra. Doctors weren't supposed to be judgmental though, and so he assumed his less critical persona.
"Greetings, Nagano-san," Ryousuke said to the girl. She cheered up as soon as she saw that her "doctor" (actually, attending medical student) was a handsome young man. He avoided her looks and studied her info on his Palm. "It says here that you have been throwing up lately and have been feeling queasy throughout the day."
"Yes, Sensei," she said.
"Have you been eating anything out of the ordinary?"
"No, Sensei."
"What about food with mayonnaise?"
She made a face. "I hate mayonnaise."
"Well, I think food poisoning is unlikely since you told the admittance secretary that your symptoms have been occurring for days now." Ryousuke paused. The situation was a delicate one and would undoubtedly require the less formal attitude requested by Tsukui-sensei. As she'd said, these patients were children, not adults. "Do you mind if I call you Ayumi, Nagano-san?"
She blushed faintly. "I don't mind if you call me Ayumi, Sensei."
"Thank you." Ryousuke settled in a chair nearby though he usually preferred to stand while addressing his patients. "Ayumi, you're a very slender young woman and underweight for someone your age." One of the nurses had taken her height and weight; the info was on his Palm. "There is a lot of pressure for young ladies your age to be thin. Do you eat regularly?"
"Of course, Sensei," she said.
"Good. Many people your age do not," Ryousuke said. "Now then, do you binge and purge? That is, do you eat and then force yourself to throw up?"
"No, Sensei! It just runs in my family. I eat whatever I like and still don't gain any weight."
Ryousuke smiled, and, as he expected, she took that as a sign of friendship. "Good. Your friends must be very envious of you."
"Yeah, there's one girl in my class who can't lose weight even when she tries," Ayumi said with light laughter that Ryousuke couldn't help but to feel was a bit malicious. He said nothing to this.
After a moment, Ryousuke said very delicately, "Remember, I must know as much as I can to diagnose you. Ayumi, have you slept with anyone?"
Her eyes widened, and her face flushed a deep red. "Of course not!" she protested all too quickly. "I'm only 16, Sensei!"
He studied her calmly and assumed his kindest face. "If you say so, then I believe you. I only asked because I thought you might be pregnant."
Ayumi's face crumbled, and her voice raised to a high squeak. "I can't be pregnant. I'm on the pill!" That was answer enough.
"The pill is not 100% safe," Ryousuke said.
She flushed when she realized her mistake. "I mean, it's not like Yoshiki and I have done it that many times," Ayumi said hastily. "And I had my period already. I can't be pregnant."
"When was your last time?"
"I don't know. I don't keep track. It must've been a month ago, maybe a little longer."
"And have you been with your boyfriend since then?"
"Well," she looked at Ryousuke and decided to trust him. At this point, she had no one else to rely on. "Maybe once or twice. But I was on the pill."
"It's only a possibility. You might not be pregnant," Ryousuke said, though by now he was fairly certain she was. "I'll have the nurse give you a pregnancy test. It may be too early to tell, but if you're showing signs of metabolic change, the test should be reasonably accurate." He rose to call one of the nurses and to extricate himself from this situation as soon as possible, but Ayumi grabbed hold of his sleeve before he could go.
"Sensei, I can't be pregnant," Ayumi said, as if repeating this would change reality. "I've only been together with Yoshiki for half a year." Tears were now flowing from her eyes, smearing her mascara. "Rumors at school said that Rei got pregnant and he told her it wasn't his baby, and they'd been together for two years. I didn't believe the rumors, but what if they're true? I can't be pregnant," she sobbed. "He'll never believe me. He'll think I was sleeping around, but he's the only one I've been with. Honest! Sensei, I can't be pregnant."
Ryousuke saw a nurse peek in to check out the commotion. He was sorely tempted to offload his patient onto her. The nurse was female and would be better able to identify with Ayumi, but he knew that his patient had already bonded with him. Instead, he asked the nurse to order a pregnancy test and stayed with Ayumi longer than he would've liked. Then he checked on his other patients. After his rounds, he made sure to stop by to console Ayumi again. If he didn't, he was certain Tsukui-sensei would notice.
When his day was over, Ryousuke changed in the hospital and drove straight to Akagi. He was grateful to be fleeing from the hospital, from the entire pregnancy situation. He hated those cases most. Whether or not she had an abortion, she would be wounded for life. At the thought of this, Ryousuke pushed his FC hard uphill until he met up with the rest of the Red Suns.
Emperor team was already on Akagi, practicing for the main event. Kyouichi was sharp. He'd undoubtedly already memorized the layout of the course on Akagi, and so the home course advantage would be slightly less useful to Ryousuke. After that, it would be a matter of applying mere principles, or so Kyouichi believed. In that, their tactic to conquer unfamiliar territory was similar. And yet, in streetracing, there was the unexpected: the road condition, the roadkill on the course, the leaves or gravel. Any of these factors could change the outcome of the race. It was what made streetracing more interesting than autocrossing. Or so I tell myself, Ryousuke thought wryly. What other choice do I have? Becoming a pro driver is not an option.
After Keisuke became distracted with Kenta later in the night, Ryousuke said to Fumihiro, "The head doctor reprimanded me today." Ryousuke didn't need to add that he was feeling rather bummed about it. Fumihiro knew that Ryousuke wouldn't have said it unless it was bothering him.
"About what?"
"She said that I was knowledgeable but not cheerful enough around my patients."
Fumihiro snickered. "Well, that much is true. You're not a cheerful person in general, even around the Red Suns."
Ryousuke smiled but quickly became serious again. "I hate pediatrics."
"Then be glad that your father doesn't own a pediatrics clinic."
"True."
"And it's better then geriatrics," Fumihiro said. "I remember when you went through that rotation."
"Hn." And yet, Fumihiro's banter helped, and Ryousuke was grateful for it. Fumihiro's workday couldn't have been much better.
"Looks like Keisuke's sending Kenta downhill," Fumihiro noted. "Let's see how his study of Iwaki Seiji is progressing." They joined Keisuke, and after a bit of conversation, they fell silent. Ryousuke enjoyed the mountain air with little more than the occasional sound of car engines to break the otherwise calming still of the night.
Ryousuke heard it and identified it before they could even see its headlights. Akina's Hachiroku. It was climbing hard, and Ryousuke was reminded of his FC when he'd pushed it after work before meeting with the Red Suns. Fumihiro started when he realized that the coming car was not one of the Red Suns. Keisuke turned as well.
"Akina's Hachiroku." Keisuke said. The panda Trueno passed them and continued its climb to where the Emperor team had congregated. "Aniki, did you see it?"
"Yeah." Ryousuke had at first been indifferent to the appearance of the Hachiroku, but now his expression hardened. "Most likely, Kyouichi must have done something." Kyouichi preferred to enter into a race with the odds stacked in his favor. After Emperor team's loss on Akina, he had undoubtedly provoked Fujiwara in such a way that the boy would not drive with a calm mind. Ryousuke added this to the list of reasons to dislike Kyouichi.
"Should we let him race against Emperor?" Keisuke asked.
Why not? Ryousuke thought. And then, more importantly, he realized why they should. He had come tonight to fathom Kyouichi's weakness. Kyouichi racing against Fujiwara would definitely aid Ryousuke's research.
"He doesn't have a chance this time, Aniki," Keisuke said. And yet, the Hachiroku had not been casually driving up Akagi in Fujiwara's normal, mild manner. Fujiwara was not a boy, as Ryousuke had at first mistakenly thought to himself. He was already 18. Besides, as Ayumi had illustrated, life could suck regardless of the age. Fujiwara was here to drive, not necessarily to race. Kyouichi must've been a secondary priority.
"This is a public street," Ryousuke said to Keisuke. "We have no control over who races against whom."
"Aniki." Keisuke protested, and yet he did nothing to stop the race. In truth, there was little he could have done. Keisuke could've tried to speed uphill before the race began, but even if he reached the start point on time, he would've looked ridiculous. Luckily, he did nothing so foolish. Mere moments later, the Hachiroku and the Evo III began their race. "Damn, they've really started!" Ryousuke simply stood and watched as the cars approached their vantage point. "Watch out! He's going sideways!" Keisuke exclaimed.
Ryousuke did not move. He knew that both drivers were good enough to avoid colliding into the guardrail, much less into them. As the Evo III passed, Ryousuke could almost feel Kyouichi taking his eyes off the road to glance in his direction. Foolish. A driver should keep his eyes on the road at all times. But then, Kyouichi had a tendency towards such melodrama. After all, he'd shaved his head and donned a bandanna since losing to Ryousuke. It was the traditional attempt to be reborn as a new opponent.
Keisuke noticed the odd sound of the Evo III, and Ryousuke didn't hesitate to analyze the car and scenario aloud. "His technique has improved form a year ago," Ryousuke noted. "Kyouichi is very tough now." The important question was whether or not Ryousuke could defeat him under these new circumstances. The Hachiroku had taken the front position, and unlike the race with the FC, Fujiwara was not intimidated by the pressure from the back. It meant he wasn't concentrating on the race. He was driving. He was mastering the course. He was, above all, venting. Keisuke asked Ryousuke about Kyouichi. Only Fumihiro and Keisuke were present. Ryousuke didn't hold back in his analysis of Kyouichi's character.
"You're being unusually harsh," Keisuke said with a slight smile. His brother was rarely like this, after all.
"I dislike him," Ryousuke said bluntly. "He's one guy I never want to lose to." He watched the race closely. He needed to find Kyouichi's weakness and devise a strategy to defeat him by Saturday or he would lose. With the misfire system on the Evo III confirmed, even without his laptop simulation, Ryousuke knew that his FC would lose. The Evo III gained on the Hachiroku and came side-to-side with it. The Evo III was on the left. Behind him, Fumihiro got news from Kenta on the radio about the situation below, but they need only to look out at Akagi to see the race unfolding.
Okay, I got it, Ryousuke thought to himself. He had Kyouichi's weakness. The Evo III passed on the left; his weakness was on the right. The counterstrategy was evident.
"Is there any chance for the Hachiroku to overtake him?" Keisuke asked.
"Don't ask me a question like that," Ryousuke said. "You know the answer, don't you?" Keisuke did, and he didn't like the answer. He kicked the road in frustration, and Ryousuke's discussion on engines did little to alleviate his brother's agitation.
"This battle is so unfair!"
"This battle wasn't a speed competition to start with," Ryousuke said. Keisuke started. "Think about it. Kyouichi has driven Akagi a few times but Fujiwara Takumi hasn't. He doesn't have any idea of the advantages or disadvantages."
"True."
"I don't know what happened between Kyouichi and him, but he gave up every winning factor before the race." If Kyouichi was at fault, Ryousuke would avenge Fujiwara in the race on Saturday.
"But why is he doing such a stupid thing?" Keisuke asked. And yet, Ryousuke thought, it's possible that something else happened to Fujiwara, something entirely unrelated to Kyouichi. The two weren't close enough for Kyouichi to be able to provoke such a strong reaction from Fujiwara.
"Only he knows why," Ryousuke said. "Sometimes you want to drive to blow off steam from all your frustrations." Ryousuke certainly identified with that. "He seemed that way to me." His eyes narrowed. "It wasn't his usual style of driving. The Hachiroku's high-pitched exhaust note was like an enraged roar."
Ryousuke wanted to avenge the Hachiroku. He understood all too well the need to vent. He hated the notion that Kyouichi, in his normal myopic manner, would assume that the race had been all about him and would never realize that the Hachiroku had been driving to let off steam. The race had been unfair from the start, and yet, that was exactly the kind of fight that Kyouichi preferred. Ryousuke reminded himself sternly that, when the time came for the main event, he would not drive to escape from the stresses of the medical profession. He did that all too often and rarely raced because he was aware of his own weakness. On Saturday, though, he would drive with a rational mind and use Kyouichi's weakness that he'd learned tonight at Fujiwara's expense in order to defeat the Evo III. Ryousuke would win for the sake of streetracing.