Chapter 12- thoughts of three people
"…That's why I'm so preoccupied with her. I'm building up our friendship from scratch again" Ryousuke's voice echoed in Keisuke's head.
'so that's why…its just a mere little friendship…I don't know what I was thinking before' Keisuke thought while laying down on his bed.
'but, it really makes me wonder, does Aniki love her? More than a friend? And if so, does Yuki feel the same for him?' he shifted his position a bit.
'it's the first time I EVER saw my Aniki…should I say this? In love with someone…but then, he wasn't able to answer THE question'
'I can only think of one explanation for his state right now, though. He could be confused with his feelings…perhaps its because he never felt like this way. Maybe before, but it got intensified though the years…'
'…and there is a tiny possibility that he could be a bit weakened by these feelings. He doesn't know how to control them because he's very unfamiliar to these kinds of things' he shut his eyes for a moment.
'gee…' he opened his eyes 'I never thought my Aniki would fall for someone…well, I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid……but if he ever does, I DO hope he tries to make it right…'
Keisuke then reassured himself 'what the heck are you thinking, Keisuke? This is your Aniki you're talking about! The white comet of Akagi! One of the brightest students ALL throughout his schooling! He won't do anything stupid in this different situation!'
'but then, just to play safe…I'll be behind him which means I'll definitely leave him alone yet I will help him get up again once he starts to fall or when he's on the ground already… anyway, the team is also behind him…so that's already okay' he smiled and with this final thought, Keisuke went to sleep.
---
Meanwhile, in the next room, another was also pondering on his thoughts.
"do you truly love her?" The words of his younger brother played back in his head over and over again.
He sprawled on his bed, yet in a fashionable way. He folded his arms at the back of his neck and rested his head on them.
'do I truly love her? I don't know…' he chuckled a bit 'wow…it's the first time I wasn't able to give out an answer. Could it be because it's about Yuki-chan?' He thought for a moment.
'yes, maybe…but, sooner or later, I'll have to answer that question. It also puzzles me why I'm so drawn to her… could it be her characteristics or herself? Maybe both…' he smiled as his mind drifted to Yuki
'Yuki-chan,' he thought as he looked up at the ceiling. 'We've been friends for a long time. I know a lot about yourself…even a bit of your feelings. You were the shy one, quiet and calm. I liked you at that time because you were like that…to sum it all up, you were different than all the other girls'
'but, think about it, Ryousuke' he told himself 'why do you go see Yuki-chan everyday? Is it because you haven't seen her for such a long time OR you like her?'
'maybe I DO like her, I just can't admit to myself…yet….well, one fact is that she's different from the others and perhaps this is the reason I like her…and she's a street racer. THAT I really can't swallow yet…'
'hmph…I wonder what she's doing right now?' he thought as he closed his eyes shut and slept.
---
Miles and miles away from the Takahashi Residence, atop of a mountain located in Tokyo, an ice-blue Honda SIR was revving up the engine. The driver, who happened to be Kazama Yuki, also had some thoughts on her mind.
'Takahashi Ryousuke…the once 'lone white comet of Akagi'…I never would've guessed that he would take an interest in cars, like myself. But, come to think of it, when we were still in college, we had the same brainy head and almost similar thinking abilities…'
She shifted to first gear, then bolted down the mountain.
'he was 'lone' before, I am 'lone' now…'
she shifted to second gear
'blue ice of Tokyo, that's who I am here'
she shifted to third then braked and executed a drift while downshifting to first.
'he's still the Ryousuke I remember from college'
she accelerated towards the next corner
'still friendly,'
shift to second
'…gentle and kind,'
shift to third
'and still treats me like his best friend'
she braked, downshifted then drifted smoothly pass the corner. She quickly picked up her pace as the next corner was approaching.
'actually, I get to think that he's TOO nice to me…'
shift to second
'…wonder why?'
shift to third, then braked a little then drifted a bit. She then downshifted then said, "here goes the straightaway" and picked up her pace once more. She shifted to second gear.
'Maybe he likes me?'
shift to third
'ha! Takahashi Ryousuke? Like a girl? That didn't sound right…'
shift to fourth as the corner was near. She braked, downshifted then drifted perfectly. She floored the gas pedal to pick up her already perfect rhythm.
'But, then, I DO like him ever since college and I tried my very best to conceal my feelings…'
shift to second
'eventually, he knew. Then he started being nice to me…'
shift to third. The three hairpin curves were fast approaching that the first one was a few meters away.
"oh goodie! Curves!" she said happily.
So she tackled the hairpin curves like a pro. Since she had mastered drift and have tried revising the methods of drifting suitable for her, she glided through the curves like ice on a revolving plate. Her turning was precise and she neared the guardrails by about 2cm.
She reached the bottom and braked. Then she hit the timer on her dashboard
'hmmm…not bad for my first try on a mountain pass, I must say that I have good adaptability' she thought as she reached for a small notebook and pen in her glove compartment. She scribbled 'first try' on the first column and '05.42' on the next column. 'the straights were pretty long and the curves were sharp. They're VERY different from the streets of Tokyo…though I hope I didn't put too much strain on my tires' she thought. 'I might as well be getting home now and drop off the car then take the train to Akina now…I'm so tired' she concluded as she drove home to her Parent's house to park her car.