ACT 3 – 3000RPM 'Suspects'

Meanwhile, the two foreign road racers had payed another visit to Kouda's café. It was almost no different to how it was the day before, as almost the same faces, same workers, and same cars were at their same places. As usual, Maya made herself busy in the kitchen while Minako and Fu Huo, along with the other waiters and waitresses help them out with the service.

I got a weird phone call last night… Should I tell Fu?
Minako took her time cleaning and sorting out some dishes while Fu Huo served at the bar.
Chris and Dock stepped back into the restaurant and made their way right where he was.

"Hey, excuse me, man, can I speak to the manager?" asked Chris politely.
"I'm sorry… She's busy," replied Fu Huo.

"I'm here, what can I do for you?" said Maya, who coincidentally walked out of the kitchen and found the two.
"Uh, just a little bit of information, is that okay?" asked Dock.
"Well, I don't mind. Considering that's what a lot of people come here for…" admitted Maya.
"First of all, was it you that we saw at D1 last night?" asked Chris.
"Yeah… we saw the very same MINE's WRX that you have… But you said that you were retired?" remembered Dock.

"You're both correct," confirmed Maya. "I am retired, and I was at D1 last night."
"Ah, so it was you," realized Chris. "You really got some skills. I see you still got it in you,"

Maya laughed, "You must be mistaken. I was at D1 last night, but it was my sister who was driving. I don't know what kind of skills you are speaking of…"
"Y-Your sister?" exclaimed both Dock and Chris.

Minako…? Fu Huo rubbed his ears out sarcastically and glanced at the liquor, assuming he could have been drunk hearing what he just heard.

"Well, we were on our way home," explained Maya, "I get really tired after work, so I let her do the driving."
"Does she usually drive that fast?" wondered Dock.
"…Fast? We were merely cruising… or maybe I was just too tired to realize…" guessed Maya. "I was probably sleeping when you saw us…"

"Does she drive often at Route D1?" asked Dock.
"Every night," said Maya.

Fu Huo turned away, ignoring the rest of the conversation and went back to work. He did not bother to hear anything more about Minako and her driving. He continued to wonder just who she thought she was, and was she think she's doing moving into the road racing scene.

He glanced at the discussion again, and realized that Minako had already been called to join them. So they found her…

"Um… tonight?" said Minako.
"Yes, tonight, if you don't mind…" suggested Dock. "There's going to be a small gathering tonight at Route D1. Dreadnaught is going to be there, we just want one of the top N-Angels to make an appearance."
"So she doesn't have to race?" asked Maya.
"Nobody's forcing her," said Chris.

Perhaps it was finally an opportunity for Minako to find out what the whole thing was really about. But she did not forget her reason why.

"Fu," Minako called out to Fu Huo at the table. "Can you come with me tonight?"
"Tonight? Where?" asked Fu Huo, What does she think she's doing…?

"Hey, you ask him first? I didn't even say you could go!" teased Maya.
"Okay, I'll stay then. I don't care," replied Minako.
"I'm kidding. You can go do what you want; I'll take care of things here. You're young Mina, and you should have your fun. However, you can only go if you're back in time to pick me up later. And don't wreck my car… or yourself…" explained Maya.

"Hey, Mina… why are you doing this all of a sudden?" wondered Fu Huo.
"Um… I just want to see what it's like, you know. Since you talk about this stuff all the time. I want to see why it has you by the balls…" …more than I do! explained Minako.

"That's a stupid reason," insulted Fu Huo.
"I'll probably just watch anyway," guessed Minako.
"In that case, you don't need me with you," suggested Fu Huo.
"Hey, you're the one who got me into this and I need you to help me out when I drive. I want you to at least be with me when something happens,"
"Okay, fine. I'll come with you. But only because you been there for me. And no, I didn't get you into this."

Minako? Racing tonight? Don't make me laugh…

And so it was, Minako had once again been senselessly dragged into the illegal road racing scene, but this time own her own decision. Many things still undecided, the only thing she knew was that tonight's battle was the first step to find her answers. With Fu Huo as a guide, Minako was ready to take on the final half of the foreign invasion, after Gallard Raide's effortless feat against Chris and the Accord previously, just before the mainevent. It was the one night in which DNR and N-Angel had joined forces.

As reserved as he can be, Fu Huo was still a little concerned about Minako. But another side of him had a little more faith. If Minako continues to drive like she normally does; she might be able to keep up. Galant's are hard, but not that hard…

The moon brought light to the night while the MINE's Impreza lined itself up with the Galant Super VR-4.
"You look nervous… Relax," suggested Fu Huo.
"I'm fine. I'll just drive," replied Minako.

Fu Huo leaned his arm against the window and kicked back, yet wondered, "I still don't know why you wanna do this all of a sudden…"

Minako began to rev the engine softly. It took her a while to finally come up with a reply, and said, "You really want to know? I'm doing this because of you,"
"Me?"
"Yes. You. This whole road racing crap is getting in between our friendship. Don't you realize?" mentioned Minako.

What is she talking about?
"You're always out there at night risking your life over some stupid game. You're barely around anymore and you always seem to snob me off because you're apparently 'busy'," explained Minako firmly. "So I thought, if I joined you, then maybe I could have been closer to you like before,"

Maybe she's right. I make all these promises, yet I still seem to avoid her. Well its not like we're going out or anything, but we're friends. She's always around there when I want her to. I guess it's my turn to return the favour… I can't stop her now…

"…for me?" muttered Fu Huo.
"I miss you, Fu. Like how you used to be. But racing is taking you away and all I can think of is following you," continued Minako.

How very strange of her to say something like that. We're not dating or anything, but there's one part that makes me contemplate… Maybe this whole thing's really changed me. Even Mark and Ling have said so the other time…

Before he knew it, Minako had already launched the car forward, as the battle with the Galant began at Route D1.
The Galant was in front while Minako held back hesitantly. This section could be taken faster than that. Good thing I'm used to it…

Fu Huo sat with her and continued to guide her patiently. At the same time, he used his experience to evaluate her potential for the road. Minako seemed to be able to match everything Dock could attempt so far. She already knew the adequate speeds for the different corners having driven them so many times.

Not bad at all. She could probably have a place in Zui Hou R at this rate. But then again, we've only just gotten started…

The Impreza was side by side with the Galant. It appeared that Minako was already planning to attack so early in the battle. "Hey, Fu…" called Minako, "Why is he going so slow?"
"Slow…? Well, that's probably because he doesn't know the course well enough… You know you could take them a lot faster, don't you?"

A faint smile emerged from Minako's face. The more throttle she applied, the more adrenaline she experienced and somewhat realized how fun it was. Yet the other side of her was still rather not comfortable.

Minako continued to hold herself back for the next few sections of the race while Fu Huo did his best to guide Minako as a navigator and instructor. Using what he had learned from Fukada Kumiko as a basis, Fu Huo began to provide Minako a side-edge.

"I still can't drift, Fu," complained Minako.
"No one's telling you to do it. Just follow my lead, and you don't have to," comforted Fu Huo.
"Thanks…"

During the night down at the headquarters, the Emperor of Zui Hou had called a secret meeting between him, the chief instructor Kumiko, and the General of the East Shijian. Zui Hou did not seem to be in a very pleased mood at that point. Though he was a calm and reserved individual, it was clear in his firm voice that he was concerned.

"So far, no traces of any leaks," hunched Shijian. "Unless somebody from within our organization had gained access to KYOKO's database and copy vast amounts of information concerning it's development and testing stages,"

"How can this be? Somebody from within Zui Hou? Why would anybody betray us?" wondered Zui.
"Actually, I don't entirely agree with Shijian's theory," objected Kumiko, "There is already an outsider who knows of KYOKO's existence. Two of them, actually,"

"I know one of them is Kouda Maya. But she's not an issue at the moment; a person like her would surely be unable to access any of our databases for sure. Special provisions have already been given to her on her retirement," forwarded the Emperor.

"Yes, and she's retired. I cannot think of any reason for her in stealing our resources," stated Kumiko.
"But watch out for her just in case. Give her a close eye," suggested the Emperor, "Even if she is your friend,"

"But what of the other one?" asked Shijian.

Kumiko turned to Shi and explained in a firm voice, "I'm sure you'll be familiar. It was a mistake caused by you in the first place,"
"Me?"
"You still remember your little mishap at the clinic? You exposed an individual outside the organization directly to KYOKO," confirmed Kumiko.

"You mean Mirishima Kanae? But even if she did take the pills, she would not have been aware of what they were. Chuan Fu Huo already informed us that she already knew of KYOKO in the past. She's a hacker," explained Shijian. "But maybe… he could have assisted her along the way?"

"What are you trying to say?" scolded Kumiko, "You think Fu Huo is trading KYOKO in the black market as we speak? How could you say that?"

"Don't worry, Kumi-chan. Fu Huo wouldn't dare," explained the Emperor, "He is just like you. He does not see eye to eye with the concept of KYOKO and wants to destroy it rather than sell it, just like you once tried,"

"Yes, exactly sir," seconded Kumiko, "Fu Huo doesn't believe in using KYOKO to help him win his battles,"
"That's what you think, Kumi," argued Shijian, "For all you know, he could be dealing the pills right at this moment! Where is he, anyway? And since he lost his car, wouldn't you think he'd try and take KYOKO by now?"

"I… don't know," admitted Kumiko.
"It's not like I don't trust Chuan Fu Huo," continued the Emperor, "But keep an eye on him,"
"Fine," agreed Shijian firmly, and quickly walked off in steam.
"Yes, sir," replied Kumiko.

As Kumiko prepared to depart the headquarters, the Emperor on the last minute had then briefly called her. "Kumi-chan, I suggest you look out for Shijian as well. We've recently have been recording frequent sick leaves from him. I trust you, Kumi-chan…"

"I'll look into it, sir."

Maya, Kanae, Fu Huo and Shijian… Four suspects I would not ever want to believe to be relevant…

The battle at Route D1 continued as Fu Huo had finally gotten Minako to quicken her pace. Though momentarily during the race, Fu Huo had received a phone call. This cut off most of Minako's interaction with him, as she was now basically on her own to finish the race.

"Fu, I gotta talk to you about something," said Kumiko over the phone.
"Yes, Ku? What is it?"
"You've been listed down as one of the suspects of the second KYOKO incident. Shijian thinks its you who have brought the pills and the technology out into the black market…" explained Kumiko.

"…And you believe him that it's me?" asked Fu Huo.

Minako continued to speed on, not losing the Galant in her sights. However, her objective seemed to have changed slightly from the beginning of the race. She was not in a relationship with Fu Huo in the first place, nor did she long for one, but after the final sections of D1 she had passed, Minako began to feel that she was doing this more for herself. She wanted to continue the battle. She wanted to win.

Minako began to throttle harder, her turn-ins became more aggressive, as Fu Huo now had to grab on to something as he continued to speak on the phone.

"Well I'm not dealing at the moment, am I?" said Fu Huo, "I'm in the middle of a battle here, how could I even be doing something like stealing our own blueprints from our own damn organization?"

"I'm not saying I don't trust you, Fu," said Kumiko, "Actually, I'm not saying that you did it at all. I'm just letting you know about Shijian. Plus, the Emperor thinks is either Maya or that Kanae girl."

"I had not properly spoken to Kanae in a while. But there's no chance it could be Maya, she would not have the time for it. She is always at one place most of the time, and usually everyone knows about her whereabouts twenty-four-seven," hunced Fu Huo.

With little notice, Fu Huo noticed the Galant VR-4 out the window, which was right beside the WRX at that point. What the hell? This is some crazy shit…

"Minako is racing? How is she doing?" wondered Kumiko.
"Uh… great. That's the strange thing…" explained Fu Huo.

"Hey, I heard that!" called out Minako, as she jerked the car to the side teasingly.
"She's just… overtaken the opponent…?" continued Fu Huo.
"Oh, that's awesome. Who is her opponent?" asked Kumiko.
"Dunno, some foreigner. He's really crap," said Fu Huo.

The MINE's WRX shot its way past the galleries, continuing to widen the gap from the Galant. Dock struggled to keep his cool. The fact that he was losing to a girl whom had no experience whatsoever was almost unbearable.

"Would you look at that," commented Raide, "Now those are lines that Minako is taking are those of that whom has mastered Route D1…"
"You think she gets a lot of pointers from her sister?" wondered Chris, who parked next to Raide's S2000 on the gallery.

"There's a great chance," said Raide, "But considering she does all the driving now… It's no surprise that if she has developed some backbone of sense within driving along mountain passes."

"It's always a beauty to see the locals in action," commented Chris, "No matter how much it stings, its like they show us how things are done in their crib,"

"That's right," forwarded Raide, "My S2000 is only a sample of the real revelry along this area."

Minako continued to lead Dock even further. However, she built up a bit of a sweat and it was clear that she was putting all of her effort and stamina to keep going. Although quite tiresome, Minako had realized just how fun mountain driving could be.

"I trust you, Fu," said Kumiko on the phone, "But will you help me with this investigation?"
"Sure, Kumi. After all we been through, I'm there," promised Fu Huo.
"Thanks a lot, sweetie. Take care, you hear me?"
"You too, Ku,"

With a big smile on her face, Minako cruised down the rest of Route D1 and grabbed her very first victory in her downhill campaign…

The week after, Bu Xia De had its own share of visitors. Next weekend down at Route H3, the reception was rather cold for both Chris and Dock, as BXD staff greeted them. The pair had already worked their way up the ladder with BXD's second stringers during the previous nights, and for tonight's race, they had renewed themselves of a set of tyres specifically for that night.

"I heard about what you all been up to down at Route D1," welcomed Alex. "Heard you weren't as successful. Sorry to hear that,"

"You are the best of this area, are you not?" asked Chris.
"That's rather disputed. I wouldn't say the best, but perhaps one of them," introduced Alex humbly. "In any case, I'll be your host for tonight. So let's have fun, shall we?"

"Who's gonna go first then?" asked Dock.
"You go," suggested Chris. "Your car and skill is much better suited for this job."
"Sure… I'll take him out with pleasure,"

Alex smiled to himself and made his way to his car. Those fools have no idea…
The MR-2 lined itself up with the Galant VR-4 slowly. This'll be a nice warm up. But too bad there's no mainevent…

Meanwhile, Reiko had volunteered to countdown for the race. Although she had a slight change of heart after her loss against the mighty Chuan Fu Huo, Reiko still believed that Bu Xia De was far superior to these foreigners.
With that in mind, Alex still kept focus on two different things – the foreigners for one, and the other, Koda Minako.
So Maya's little sister has stepped in? This would be interesting. Bu Xia De will let her mature in her skills for a bit more, then maybe… we might give her a little run…

Vrrm! Vrrm!

She's ours. I don't know why, but I feel that Zui Hou R may have an eye on her too…

"Go!" called Reiko.

Both cars shot past her with such velocity, almost ripping the hair out of her head and the eyes jolting to the back of her head.

Alex insultingly let the Galant speed ahead of him on purpose, gaining the head start, while the MR-2 charged shortly after.

That's very weird of him. Is he getting cocky? It was unusual for Reiko to see Alex do something like that. She wondered if he could be acting the same way she did with Chuan Fu Huo, or rather, if he was going to end up just like her.

No… Alex is different. He's never cocky. And he wouldn't be after getting schooled by Fukada…

The night at Kouda's was quiet and less busy; it was a good time for Maya to step out for a change. Minako had remained inside to help out with the rest of her sister's staff, as well as in the kitchen. Fu Huo had briefly joined Maya outside to have a smoke. For the first time in a while, Fu Huo was worried. He lent Maya his jacket for her to wear as he sat down next to her on the bench.

"Want one?" asked Fu Huo, offering Maya a cigarette.
"Sorry, I don't do it," admitted Maya.

"Hey, Maya…" called Fu Huo softly, "Can I call you 'sis'?"
"Oh, I don't mind," replied Maya.
"It's all because you're the closest thing I have to a big sister. You know so much about me than I probably know about myself…"
"I only know as much as you do, Fu,"
"I just feel comfortable with you and Minako around. It's such a different feeling with Zui Hou,"

Maya giggled for a moment and looked at Fu Huo closely, "Isn't Kumi-chan treating you any good?"
"Oh, it's not that. She's fine," explained Fu Huo, "But other than that, you're probably the only thing I got outside Zui Hou… I hope you never abandon me, sis."

"Minako and I are more worried about you abandoning us," chuckled Maya.
"Everytime I was on the verge of losing faith, I could always turn to you and Kumi-chan. But now I feel like I have a desire within me that would probably throw all my principles away," said Fu, "I'm not sure what it is… but I'm afraid I might some day be a burden to you all,"

"Don't say that, Fu," cheered Maya, "I can't imagine you ever burdening us… or me at least. Remember the time you saved us from being robbed at the café? It was one of the rare occasions that I was actually scared. There were about 12 guys in there with only Minako and I. It was probably around midnight, and you've just finished a race, but you decided to stop by my restaurant… You were like our guardian angel or something,"

"I was lucky I was hungry," commented Fu, "…and that I had these two pistols."
"Oh yeah… those guns you've received from Zui… Have you ever… killed anyone with them?"

Fu Huo sat silent and brushed his hair slightly. He dropped his cigarette and killed it quickly. He then slowly turned to Maya, "I only use these to injure people. I'd never kill another man unless they've 'killed' me first…"

Alex tailed the Galant swiftly, utilizing his MR-2's agility in the corners to the full. If there was something he had learned from Fukada Kumiko, it had been to only use drift when really needed.
Dock continued a tight line and steady pace around the S bends along Route H3.

…Much better than I expected. But I wonder how Koda Minako was able to ace him…?

Dock's flow did not change at all. It was all because of Route H3's unpredictable layout rendering with no such pattern at all. However, this is what Alex had already expected. To him, it was merely a warm up before he would want to take his shot against Maya's little sister.

The downhill twist came along again. Alex knew very well what he had to do. Surely Minako couldn't have just won with home course advantage. Route D1 is not that hard to master. But H3 would be a better bet for that theory.

The SW20 skid to the side right next to the Galant all the way down the twist. Dock had not expected the turn to be so long, as he began to slow down in order to grip the inside.
Keeping up with the VR-4, Alex quickly counter-steered his vehicle swiftly to position his vehicle ready for the exit.

The two vehicles were now side-by-side. The Galant slowly edged itself onward, slowly passing the MR-2 by only a portion. Alex's lightning-fast clutching and throttle control held his ground against the foreigner.

There was only portions left remaining to complete and Alex still was not satisfied. He had to overtake his opponent very soon.

Few more S-bends and Alex was in line with his opponent once again. The sheer sensitivity of his mid-engined layout was just Alex's style. In time, those who are mature in ability will realize that midship-engined cars are excellent for driving to the very limits of cornering. However unforgiving it may seem to a driver's mistakes, MR cars are the most balanced layout in terms of weight…

Dock could not bring himself to his full limit, as he was still in the process of learning the course's rhythm, unaware that H3 was a place that did not have one in the first place. As he was busy predicting ideal lines and the speeds the could be taken, Alex was already entering and exiting corners at greater speeds. It did not take long for the MR-2 to overtake the Galant in the consecutive hairpins.

There's so much to figure out. I still don't get how Minako managed to win, even with Fu Huo's help. Does Route D1 have a secret? Or could it be the MINE's WRX?

"I'm worried about Minako too," admitted Fu Huo, "She told me she was racing because of me,"

Koda's ambience had not changed in a while. Maya remained by Fu Huo and began to rest. The night was getting late as well. It was just time for them to call it a night.

Maya stared at her car, which she sat in front of, as she rested her feet on the WRX's grill. "I thought so too… But now she seems a bit different,"
"How?"
"She's wanting to drive more and more now… Yet she hardly mentions you anymore," explained Maya, "This past week, she seemed much different toward driving. It was as if… she was enjoying it…"

Fu Huo could not believe his ears. It was definitely something he did not want to hear. She doesn't belong on the street!
Fu Huo began to jump to conclusions. Horrible conclusions. He imagined Minako one day replacing Fu Huo, replacing D1's Sky Dragon. He was trapped. Not only was he worried about Minako, but he was more worried about his reputation.

Minako's made her first win, and I don't even have a car!

Fu Huo was in conflict with himself over which was the bigger issue. But in the end, Minako was more important to him than racing. He did not want to imagine any more conclusions, even such as the worst of them – Minako crashing.

"I think I should lower this car's power output a bit," suggested Maya, "Probably down to about 300HP."
"How much has she been driving all along?" wondered Fu Huo.
"Hmm… last time I remember, my car was just as powerful as the LanEvo you once had,"

Damn, I hate it how she put it as 'once had'…

"Don't you think 300HP is still a bit too powerful?" asked Fu Huo.
"That's about as much as I can lower it," explained Maya, "This is a GC8 after all…"