With Koichiro, Itsuki, Kenji, and the rest watching fearfully, Tofu and Takumi sped away and out of sight. Only Ay's expression was unconcerned.
Tofu's car immediately pulled out in front. He cornered the turn very fast. But Takumi's superb drifting closed the gap again. Tofu only smiled. He knew how good the Akina drifter was. And this race wouldn't be worth anything if he didn't get a good fight. Bring it on, 86.
Tofu whipped his car around the turn again, mere inches from the guardrail. Takumi followed suit. Their bumpers were extremely close. Takumi couldn't pass him though, for Tofu was successfully keeping him blocked.
Takumi was surprised when he saw Tofu drift the first turn. That's strange. How could he know where the line is? The line Takumi is referring to is the line drifters follow in the turn. Stray too much from it, and you end up spinning out, or crashing. Speed is important too. Too fast, and you lose control. Ay pushed her speed to the limits when drifting, barely staying in control.
Which is why, in unfamiliar territory, there is much danger racing it. The driver doesn't have a clue of the road, where the drift lines are in the turns, and so on.
Tofu seemed to be showing an uncanny instinct for where the drift line was. And this was the first time he ever saw the course too. Even Ryosuke Takahashi, in his battle against Takumi, followed him for a while until he knew where the drift lines were.
Takumi wasn't scared though, just surprised. And even more determined to beat him.
SCCCCCRRREEECCCHHH-Tofu didn't even bother to downshift. He blew through the turn in fifth gear, and came zooming out of it. Takumi drifted it as close as he could to the inside, but already there was a huge gap between his car and Tofu's. It was just a white blur, peeling around the other turn, screeching like a burned cat.
Tofu glanced in his mirror. What? I pulled away already? I didn't even get to the hairpins yet. Shoot. Slightly disappointed in such a slow battle, he slowed down his car. There, I'll give you chance.
Takumi came around the turn, and was shocked to see Tofu slowing down as though he was waiting for him. What? Am I too slow for him, or something? Anger coursed through him, caused him to tighten his grip on the wheel, and his eyes, usually relaxed and laid-back, suddenly looked like hot burning coals. "Not enough competition, huh? I'll show you a race!!" he yelled. With that he shifted gear machine-gun style, up to forth gear. He slammed the gas pedal. With a screech of wheels, the 86 pulled up to the S14.
Tofu grinned. Looks like I pissed him off. Good. He pulled up the clutch, pressed his foot on the gas, then sped away, the 86 giving chase.
When racing, your emotions always have to be in control. Takumi, who was furious as hell, was allowing his anger to get the better of him. They came to a sharp turn. Tofu drifted it smoothly, but the 86 plunged straight through, without bothering to switch gears. His rear slid off the road, throwing up a wide track of dust. His car lost traction, and thus, speed.
Tofu was shaking his head. He's losing control. Glancing in his rearview mirror, he could see the driver was plainly mad. The 86 roared over the embankment, and actually smacked its bumper off a guardrail, using the momentum to close the gap further. He was driving like a man possessed, for this is what happened when Takumi got mad. He drove faster, plus more wildly. Few racers got to see this.
"Er, Ay?" Itsuki asked. His heart was thumping madly as she turned towards him. It would be so cool to have a girlfriend that was into cars. Too bad she was a better driver then he. He felt his self-esteem deflate at the thought.
"Yes?" she asked, looking at him with those dark eyes and long brown hair . . . Even his feet were sweating.
"Er, if, um, you know, you want to learn to drift this course better . . . " Itsuki fidgeted nervously. "I . . . Being a local . . . Could, um . . . "
Ay smiled. "Sorry, but I don't really think I'll be coming back soon."
Itsuki's shoulders slumped. Shoot, and she was really nice too . . . Koichiro and Kenji, listening to Itsuki's sad pass, stifled their giggles and guffaws.
"Not coming back? Why not?" Itsuki asked, out of curiosity.
"Well, Osaka is pretty far. We had to spend a fortune in gas just to get here, so no sense in coming back anytime soon. And, I don't think you'll want to teach me to drift," Ay bluntly told him. Itsuki's shoulders slumped again. She was right. She drifted better then he ever would . . . No need to wound his manly pride was what she was saying.
"Tofu teaches me to drift, actually," she said.
"How long have you been going?" Koichiro asked. He expected years.
"Oh . . . About a year?" Ay replied.
"A year!! And he can drift like that?!" Koichiro was once again stunned. How many surprises does this duo have up their sleeves?
"Well, I've been practicing for about a year already, but Tofu just got his license," Ay told them. "We've been going up and down Osaka a lot."
So that's where Tofu and Ay got their drifting skills . . . Still, how does he manage to drift in Akina, someplace he never saw before? Koichiro thought. He must have a wicked set of reflexes, he realized. When he sees the corner, he just goes. Doesn't think about it or nothing. Wow . . .
Koichiro was right. Tofu possessed very fast reflexes and reaction speed. When he saw the drift, he went for it. He didn't stop to think about it, he just drifted. Instinct guided him, as well as experience and knowledge. Tofu was a formidable opponent indeed.
To the battle between Tofu and Takumi, revving it up on the road. Takumi was pushing his car to the limits, but Tofu was drifting fast through the turns. The gap between them steadily grew bigger.
Takumi gritted his teeth. There was a turn coming up, a real sharp one. Time to use that trick . . . He dropped his wheels into the gutter. By doing so, he counteracted the centrifugal force of the curve, gained a grip that his tires usually couldn't, and could gun it without having to worry about spinning out.
He gained a couple of yards, but it wasn't enough. Tofu's car was around the next turn already. Even my gutter trick went bust! Takumi's hands clenched hard on the steering wheel. For the first time, the very first time since he started racing, he might actually lose.
The place to catch him will be in the hairpins, Takumi thought. Ay managed to drift it though, so Tofu probably can too. His face was tense, concentrated. I have to go through these corners faster then him!
The five hairpins were coming up. Both racers slowed, then downshifted . . . And drifted.
The cars flew through the turn in a fluid motion. Takumi gained little ground, but not much. Tofu handled his Silvia like an extension of himself, smooth and cool. He was going through the corners as though he'd seen them before, as thought it was second nature, like Takumi.
The next hairpin, Tofu drifted it as easily as before, but he'd noticed a slight drag in the wheels. He groaned inwardly. He knew what happened. I forgot how much strain the drifting and sharp corners would do. My tires are worn down. They're starting to slip, and just when I need them too!
Hell. Then again . . . Tofu glanced back, at the 86 struggling to keep up. The race is almost over. If he doesn't pass me now, he'll never pass.
Takumi had bridged the gap between them slightly. Now it was only three yards that separated them. They drifted the forth hairpin, and, using his years of experience plus a perfectly tuned car, Takumi managed to catch up with Tofu at last.
The final hairpin was coming up. They drifted it, Takumi inches from Tofu's bumper. He pressed down the gas. Takumi could almost pass him . . . Suddenly Tofu's car started to swing out in a wider line. Takumi had to step on the brakes, for Tofu had just successfully blocked the road. He did it during a drift! How? Not even Takumi attempted maneuvers like that during a drift. Too dangerous, for one little mistake, and you go flying off the road.
"Holy-Holy, holy, how how-"
"Hey, you ain't going to be our lookout anymore if all you say is 'holy.' Now what's happening?!" Kenji asked.
"Tofu's ahead of Takumi! Takumi tried to pass during the drift, but- Tofu blocked him! During the drift! And-" There was the loud roar of engines passing by. "Takumi's in the back now. There's no way he can catch up the Silvia now." The depression was evident in his voice.
"So-We lost." Koichiro said, looking down. Itsuki and Kenji did the same, looking like they had just lost their best friends.
Ay only smiled.
They pulled up a while later. Tofu was smiling, while Takumi looked disappointed and deflated. He had lost for the first time.
"Good race," Tofu said, shaking Takumi's hand.
Takumi shook his hand. "Yeah, but I'm only good cause I've been doing this mountain for a long time. Probably wasn't much for you."
Tofu waved it off with his hand. "Nope, you got skills all right. Be proud." He grinned. "I am."
Koichiro sighed, and then shook Tofu's hand. "Hell, you're good," he acquiesced. "Got some skills man, to beat Takumi." Tofu acknowledged the comment with a nod.
Ay cleared her throat urgently. "If we don't start driving back now, we'll make it home around noon." She got into her car decisively. "So I suggest leaving now." She turned to Koichiro, Itsuki and Kenji, still looking stunned at their loss. "Hey, thanks for the race. Next time you happen to be near Osaka, come up the hill." She flashed them a smile. With a roar, Ay gunned it, and was soon gone.
Tofu got into his own car, and started the engine. Takumi had several questions to ask, so he asked the most important one before Tofu could drive off-
"That block you did in the drift," he said. "How did you learn to do that?"
Tofu grinned, then turned off the engine. "Funny story about that. When me and Ayako were learning to drift, we would go together, with me behind to watch her technique."
Takumi nodded. Koichiro and the rest were listening intently. They might learn something that would help their own techniques.
"Well, you've seen Ayako drive," Tofu continued. "When she was just learning, her car would be all over the road. Driving behind her was dangerous. You couldn't tell where her car was going to go next. And the road's narrow, so there isn't much room to dodge."
Their breaths were held. What piece of sage wisdom would Tofu impart to them?
"So I had to learn how to maneuver during a drift, otherwise we'd both end up crashed. Worked out pretty good, making me learn techniques that gave me an advantage," Tofu finished, smiling.
Takumi, Koichiro, and Kenji only stared in disbelief. Itsuki was the one to speak. "You learned that just by following a bad drifter?" he said, echoing everyone's thoughts.
Tofu nodded sagely. "Yup." He started the engine. "Better go. Remember, Osaka's open anytime!" With a wave, the white car sped off, wheels smoking.
Koichiro and the others only stared after him. They had just seen the stuff of legends in that battle tonight . . . "Man, there's no way I'll be able to sleep tonight."
"Yeah, now that was a battle," Kenji agreed.
Itsuki turned to his best friend. "Don't feel bad Takumi. There had to be a time when you would lose."
Takumi shrugged. "Actually, I feel okay." He looked off into the direction Tofu drove down, as though he could see his car. "I was giving everything I had to keep up with him. I never did that before on my turf. It was really exciting," he said.
Koichiro slapped him on the back, glad to see Takumi the unbeatable not wallowing in depression. "All right, let's go out to Osaka sometime. Try and beat Tofu on his turf."
Takumi smiled. "That should be interesting," he said evenly.
To his surprise, Takumi was looking forward to it. Tofu was a challenge. Someone that had beat him on Akina, and Takumi wasn't going to let him get away with it. Indeed, there was a score to settle.
"Osaka . . ."