Initial D- I'm stronger and faster now
Chapter 03- the postponed gathering
the next day It was Monday evening and there was a gathering at Akina's peak. The Kengai Racing Team had assembled here an hour ago, which means they were almost complete. This team, comprised of a number of skilled and talented street racers, is all under the teaching and supervision of Takahashi Ryousuke. Most of the members here had already battled Takumi and his beloved Panda trueno, more commonly known as Hatchi-roku, before. The list includes Shingo and his Red EG6 (civic hatchback), Mako with blue Sil-eighty and Sayuki, who doesn't have her car yet (Ryousuke saw a promising talent in her so he suggested for her to get her own car and drive), Kenta with his orange S14 and (would you believe?) Wataru and his White turbo-charged Hatchi-roku. Takumi was looking around when he caught sight of Kazumi (Wataru's younger sister) talking to Mako and Sayuki so he decided to join their conversation for he himself was wondering when will Sayuki's car arrive and why was Kazumi there.
"So Kazumi, what brings you here?" Mako asked.
"Well, since I have a 2-week vacation from work, my Aniki told me that I could watch the practices here...so, here I am..." Kazumi answered.
"Oh...okay...but what will you do here?" Sayuki asked
"Nothing much...just hang around. I have to wait till my car arrives..."
"You bought your own car???" Mako said in disbelief
"Yup! Now Sayuki and I are in the same boat, only I'm not in the team...yet..."
"Hmph...I think the easiest way for you to be included is to practice hard...then if your lucky enough, Ryousuke might recruit you himself..." Sayuki said
"Or you could ask Ryousuke yourself..." said Takumi from behind them. The three girls jumped as they heard Takumi's voice and they spun around to face him.
"Uh...Ta-Tak-Taku...I mean...Takumi! What're you doing here???" Sayuki asked nervously
"Why? You don't want me here? I could always go someplace else..."
"NO! its not that!!! We...I didn't mean that!!! You can join us!!!"
"Well then, okay..." Takumi answered
"Wait...Takumi, may we borrow Sayuki for a minute? Thanks!" Mako said as she pulled Sayuki to a corner. Kazumi followed shortly, leaving a nonchalant Takumi there.
"What's wrong with you? Haven't gone over this little 'crush-thing' you have for Takumi? Mako asked Sayuki.
"eh..." Sayuki said, poking her two forefingers together nervously, then she nodded, slightly defeated.
"aw, c'mon Sayuki!!!! It's been how many years already!!! You have to eventually tell him or grow up!!!"
"uh...I think I'll grow up instead..."
"Okay then, stop acting stupid in front of Takumi!" Mako said.
"Right...okay..." Sayuki said, with a determined look on her face. The 2 girls approached Takumi and started to carry out another conversation, leaving Kazumi saying "right...and THAT helped a lot..." as she approached the group.
At this very same moment, the sound of a 350hp engine could be heard climbing up the mountain.
"Keisuke's here..." Takumi said as everyone else turned his or her attention towards the sound. The constant revving and shifting of gears grew louder and louder and eventually, the yellow RX-7 FD came into everyone's view. Members of the team came close at their own pace as the FD came to a stop. Keisuke Takahashi stepped out of his car in a relaxed and leisure manner and stood beside his car. He turned his attention towards the crowd and spoke out:
"Practices today shall be postponed for my Aniki is not feeling well and therefore, won't be able to make it today. So, you can just practice up and down the mountain as for today. That will be all...and Takumi..." he turned his attention to Takumi. "Could you come here, I have to speak to you"
The crowd parted, each saying in disbelief "Ryousuke Takahashi, ill???" Takumi, however, walked towards Keisuke to ask him the reason why, for he was wondering himself.
"Your Aniki's ill?" Takumi asked Keisuke when he reached him.
"uh...not really Takumi. You see, believe it or not, I can't find him" Keisuke said
"what? What do you mean? Can't you call or something?" Takumi asked "I've tried several times but he never answered any of my calls" "oh so that's why..." "say Takumi, yesterday...he left and he was out the WHOLE day...you didn't see hi—" "WAIT!!!" Takumi cut him off. "I remember now!!! I DID see him...early in the morning while I was making the delivery..." "you still make deliveries in the morning???" Keisuke asked in a monotone and with an astonished look seen on his face "yeah...still stuck with my Dad...anyway, as I was saying...we sort of met...I was climbing Akina, he was going downhill..." "so you met..." "fine...so we did...and your brother was strange yesterday, he missed me by 3cm flat..." "That's nothing new..." Keisuke mumbled out "That's not the weird part...his driving style WAS weird..." Takumi prompted "huh?" "Its unusual for your brother to go downhill on 4th gear, right?" "Yeah...He ALWAYS does it on 3rd..." "and his drift was...I'm sorry for speaking ill of your brother, but it was awful...it was like he wasn't concentrating on driving at all..."
"Wow...THAT is weird..." Keisuke commented
"Keisuke, would you happen to know if your brother has a weakness?" Takumi suddenly asked.
"What? My Aniki? A weakness?? gimme a break..." Keisuke said
"But Keisuke, EVERYONE has one...you have one, I ALSO have one, everyone on our team has one..."
"You're right...but I've NEVER seen my Aniki weak...ever..." Keisuke said without doubt
"HE should have one, even though he's all that he is, he SURELY has one. Perhaps he's just very good in concealing and preventing it from weakening himself." Takumi said.
A few moments pass...then
"So...what do you suggest?" Keisuke said Takumi thought hard. His companion noticed this and thought for himself 'I wonder since when did HE learn to think that way...' His thoughts were interrupted when Takumi suddenly spoke
"I think a bit of heavy observation should do it..."
"Observation? Okay, that's easy enough" Keisuke replied
"Now that's settled, I guess I'll go now..." Takumi said as he turned to leave
"Takumi," Keisuke called out. Takumi turned to face him once more "don't tell any of our team members about this, okay? I don't want them to know..."
"okay..."
"One more thing...since when did you learn to think like that?"
"When?" Takumi said as he scratched his cheek with his finger. "Maybe since I was one of the earliest under your brother's teaching and supervision, I must've acquired his thinking skills..."
'great...just what we need...another brainy thinker' Keisuke thought to himself then he said "okay, bye then" Takumi nodded and they both went to their respective cars and drove downhill.
Chapter 03- the postponed gathering
the next day It was Monday evening and there was a gathering at Akina's peak. The Kengai Racing Team had assembled here an hour ago, which means they were almost complete. This team, comprised of a number of skilled and talented street racers, is all under the teaching and supervision of Takahashi Ryousuke. Most of the members here had already battled Takumi and his beloved Panda trueno, more commonly known as Hatchi-roku, before. The list includes Shingo and his Red EG6 (civic hatchback), Mako with blue Sil-eighty and Sayuki, who doesn't have her car yet (Ryousuke saw a promising talent in her so he suggested for her to get her own car and drive), Kenta with his orange S14 and (would you believe?) Wataru and his White turbo-charged Hatchi-roku. Takumi was looking around when he caught sight of Kazumi (Wataru's younger sister) talking to Mako and Sayuki so he decided to join their conversation for he himself was wondering when will Sayuki's car arrive and why was Kazumi there.
"So Kazumi, what brings you here?" Mako asked.
"Well, since I have a 2-week vacation from work, my Aniki told me that I could watch the practices here...so, here I am..." Kazumi answered.
"Oh...okay...but what will you do here?" Sayuki asked
"Nothing much...just hang around. I have to wait till my car arrives..."
"You bought your own car???" Mako said in disbelief
"Yup! Now Sayuki and I are in the same boat, only I'm not in the team...yet..."
"Hmph...I think the easiest way for you to be included is to practice hard...then if your lucky enough, Ryousuke might recruit you himself..." Sayuki said
"Or you could ask Ryousuke yourself..." said Takumi from behind them. The three girls jumped as they heard Takumi's voice and they spun around to face him.
"Uh...Ta-Tak-Taku...I mean...Takumi! What're you doing here???" Sayuki asked nervously
"Why? You don't want me here? I could always go someplace else..."
"NO! its not that!!! We...I didn't mean that!!! You can join us!!!"
"Well then, okay..." Takumi answered
"Wait...Takumi, may we borrow Sayuki for a minute? Thanks!" Mako said as she pulled Sayuki to a corner. Kazumi followed shortly, leaving a nonchalant Takumi there.
"What's wrong with you? Haven't gone over this little 'crush-thing' you have for Takumi? Mako asked Sayuki.
"eh..." Sayuki said, poking her two forefingers together nervously, then she nodded, slightly defeated.
"aw, c'mon Sayuki!!!! It's been how many years already!!! You have to eventually tell him or grow up!!!"
"uh...I think I'll grow up instead..."
"Okay then, stop acting stupid in front of Takumi!" Mako said.
"Right...okay..." Sayuki said, with a determined look on her face. The 2 girls approached Takumi and started to carry out another conversation, leaving Kazumi saying "right...and THAT helped a lot..." as she approached the group.
At this very same moment, the sound of a 350hp engine could be heard climbing up the mountain.
"Keisuke's here..." Takumi said as everyone else turned his or her attention towards the sound. The constant revving and shifting of gears grew louder and louder and eventually, the yellow RX-7 FD came into everyone's view. Members of the team came close at their own pace as the FD came to a stop. Keisuke Takahashi stepped out of his car in a relaxed and leisure manner and stood beside his car. He turned his attention towards the crowd and spoke out:
"Practices today shall be postponed for my Aniki is not feeling well and therefore, won't be able to make it today. So, you can just practice up and down the mountain as for today. That will be all...and Takumi..." he turned his attention to Takumi. "Could you come here, I have to speak to you"
The crowd parted, each saying in disbelief "Ryousuke Takahashi, ill???" Takumi, however, walked towards Keisuke to ask him the reason why, for he was wondering himself.
"Your Aniki's ill?" Takumi asked Keisuke when he reached him.
"uh...not really Takumi. You see, believe it or not, I can't find him" Keisuke said
"what? What do you mean? Can't you call or something?" Takumi asked "I've tried several times but he never answered any of my calls" "oh so that's why..." "say Takumi, yesterday...he left and he was out the WHOLE day...you didn't see hi—" "WAIT!!!" Takumi cut him off. "I remember now!!! I DID see him...early in the morning while I was making the delivery..." "you still make deliveries in the morning???" Keisuke asked in a monotone and with an astonished look seen on his face "yeah...still stuck with my Dad...anyway, as I was saying...we sort of met...I was climbing Akina, he was going downhill..." "so you met..." "fine...so we did...and your brother was strange yesterday, he missed me by 3cm flat..." "That's nothing new..." Keisuke mumbled out "That's not the weird part...his driving style WAS weird..." Takumi prompted "huh?" "Its unusual for your brother to go downhill on 4th gear, right?" "Yeah...He ALWAYS does it on 3rd..." "and his drift was...I'm sorry for speaking ill of your brother, but it was awful...it was like he wasn't concentrating on driving at all..."
"Wow...THAT is weird..." Keisuke commented
"Keisuke, would you happen to know if your brother has a weakness?" Takumi suddenly asked.
"What? My Aniki? A weakness?? gimme a break..." Keisuke said
"But Keisuke, EVERYONE has one...you have one, I ALSO have one, everyone on our team has one..."
"You're right...but I've NEVER seen my Aniki weak...ever..." Keisuke said without doubt
"HE should have one, even though he's all that he is, he SURELY has one. Perhaps he's just very good in concealing and preventing it from weakening himself." Takumi said.
A few moments pass...then
"So...what do you suggest?" Keisuke said Takumi thought hard. His companion noticed this and thought for himself 'I wonder since when did HE learn to think that way...' His thoughts were interrupted when Takumi suddenly spoke
"I think a bit of heavy observation should do it..."
"Observation? Okay, that's easy enough" Keisuke replied
"Now that's settled, I guess I'll go now..." Takumi said as he turned to leave
"Takumi," Keisuke called out. Takumi turned to face him once more "don't tell any of our team members about this, okay? I don't want them to know..."
"okay..."
"One more thing...since when did you learn to think like that?"
"When?" Takumi said as he scratched his cheek with his finger. "Maybe since I was one of the earliest under your brother's teaching and supervision, I must've acquired his thinking skills..."
'great...just what we need...another brainy thinker' Keisuke thought to himself then he said "okay, bye then" Takumi nodded and they both went to their respective cars and drove downhill.