ACT 5 – 5000RPM 'My Sister and I'

I had then began to explain to my sister about the deal with Zui Hou and what I have to go through in order to fulfill the initiation. Though it seemed like she was not listening to me at all, she continued to comment endlessly about the Honda.

"So magnificent," she continued.
"Maya, ayu ready?"

She paused all of a sudden and looked at me. "What did you say?" she asked.
"Um… can you race me tonight? With your car?" I requested. "I know you are retired and all, but if you can do me this one favour… I'm your sister after all, do it for me." I nagged her on.

"Hahah… even if I did accept your challenge… you really think I'd lose for you?"
"No… I don't intend you to take it easy on me at all."
"Are you crazy, Minako? I taught you this game. Surely you don't hope of defeating me, hahah…"
"You could have lost your touch. You have not done this in a while."
"Ha, well look, babe. Maybe this little Street Angel crap is getting a little bit to your head. But it's been a while since we had fun like this. I remember how I used to whoop you and Fu Huo in go-karting!" she paused, "Oh, by the way, where's that Fu Huo gone anyway? He hasn't showed up for work at all today,"

Oh please…

"Maya… haven't you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"The news…"
"What? You dumped him again, didn't you? Oh you're so cruel! I bet he fled town because he was too heartbroken over you!"

Perhaps it was not the best time to let Maya know everything right now. I got a job to do. And I plan on doing it tonight. There's nothing else I could do to take my mind away.
Well, what Maya guessed was pretty much a better alternative to what really happened.

"Maya… not right now, please. Are you gonna come with me or not?"
"You bet I am! Hehe… and I'm going to whoop the seven shades of wasabi outta your ass for Fu Huo! Man, I liked that kid too, he was probably more helpful than you."
And I thought I was fighting for him? Geez…
"If you liked him so damn much, why didn't you date him then?"
"Oh cut that out, Minako, I'll come outta retirement just for tonight and teach you the greatest lesson you'll ever learn about the wrath of an angry waitress drifter, haha."

Oh, finally. Man, she might be older than me, but my sister can really be immature sometimes. I wonder how she would take it when I break the news to her about Fu Huo…
Everytime I think of that image I saw in the news, it's like I could feel a large iceberg pounding into my chest. If I were having a nightmare, then this would be a very good time to wake me up.

At least Maya could stay calm and cool at a time like this. But I hope she would understand that I'm not just acting like this because it is that time of the month. All I could do now was wait for her at Route D1…

Maya knew that she was going to lose, but I guess that does not matter to her anymore. The other N-Angels would take good care of her bar for a while, and hopefully we should not take long.
I drove out from the café, on my way out of town with the rooftop on as I began to cruise the highways followed by my sister.
That drive-by exercise I had with Shijian really trained my eye coordination a bit as I realized when I focused on the various cars that strolled past along the highway.

I had the headset off for the time being, though I'm not too sure if I could race with Maya without having it on. I am sort of hesitant to use it, as this was the first time Maya and I ever raced along the mountains.
Maybe I shouldn't have it on. Something might happen again and I might not be able to stop it in time to realize.

We continued up the hillclimb section and drove at a moderate pace. As my speed gradually increased a bit, the little orb thing in the center of the wheel started to glow weakly. I wonder what it is doing?
Perhaps the system is activating itself the moment I drive faster?
We had reached the downhill section moments later. There was nobody to count us down, so we had agreed that Maya would go first, as she would end up in front anyways, due to her car's drivetrain.
I could still hear the music from Maya's car –
'YOU' – Ayumi Hamasaki (Aggressive Mix)

As planned, I launched the car right after Maya took off and I began to follow her closely.
For some reason, she was still driving normally. Has she really lost it?
After taking my Honda down Route D1 again, I began to realize that this car seemed to be a lot more responsive than my sister's car. It was so smooth through the corners and much easier to oversteer. I do not know how to explain it, but it feels almost as easy as a go-kart.

My sister's engine is in front of her, but mine is right behind me… Could it really be that much of a difference? Or maybe the qualities of this car are just far beyond than that of the other? I cannot tell.

I continued to watch my sister, keeping on fourth gear, it was as if I was trying to get Maya out of the way rather than trying to keep up. She was not doing anything fancy at all.
Wait a minute… Fu Huo told me something like this…
What if I'm being led into a trap?

'kimi no sono yokogao ga
kanashii hodo kirei de
nani hitotsu kotoba kakerarenakute
kidzukeba namida afurete'ru'

When I least expected it, my sister's gee-see-eight began to jolt into a sudden slide through the next corner. Damn, I fell for it.
I was following her too close into the corner that I had to slow down as I moved to the outside line.
As I exited, I realized the gap was now a couple of meters wider than it was previously.
Just that one moment reminded me of the fact that I am still probably just a rookie and Maya was no joke.

'kitto minna ga omotte iru yori zutto
kizu tsuite'ta ne tsukarete ita ne
kidzukazu ni ite gomen ne'

I followed her through the next set of curves, steering back and forth smoothly as I was beginning to catch my sister again.
Everything was not as overwhelming so far. Perhaps she's just playing with me?
I had barely got the chance to go all the way up to the sixth gear, as I had to switch between fourth and fifth, and sometimes third.
This car really took a lot of work as I noticed eventually.

'haru no kaze tsutsumarete haruka na yume egaite
natsu no kumo tokirete wa kiete itta'

Another sharp corner was coming up. I know what to expect this time round. Maya would probably try and skid like she did earlier. Her angle was not bad, but it is nothing that I cannot match!

'aki no sora setsunakute fuyu no umi tsumetakute
muchuu ni natte iku hodo toki wa tatte ita ne'

As I expected, Maya had quickly set herself up for a widely angled drift along the hairpin curve. Anticipating this, I attempted to do the same, downshifting and turning in.
To my great surprise, I had slowed down a little more than my sister did. What happened? My technique did not work? I let go of the clutch and braked with my left foot while I turned, but instead I had lost more speed.
What is going on?

The gap widened a little more, I still could not understand. What am I doing wrong? The orb in the center of the wheel still continued to glow. I glanced at it quickly, as it began to show me the usual details it would usually display when I had the visor on. Although for some reason, it resonanted, responding to my every action, even as I looked at the little orb. It was like some sort of crystal ball like you see with fortune tellers, but it showed my much more important things than the future.

The faster I traveled, the brighter it became to glow and the more I felt a little rattled with the difficulty in catching my sister, it gave off a slight flash. What's wrong with it?
The next set of hairpins were just around the corner. I see my sister just up ahead, doing the usual feint motion technique. It was nothing new to me, but why can't I keep up? Could it be…? I'm not driving this car properly? Now that I think about it, I was driving in the same manner I was when I use my sister's car…

I slowed down more than I expected in the same corner, as I caught a glimpse of Maya's taillights. I don't believe this… Not now. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to match her…?
I feel more tension everytime she gets further and further away…

All of a sudden, the orb in the center began to light up, and the devices behind me began to reach out to my head, gripping my forehead and sliding out the visor, activating itself right in the middle of my struggle…

System KYOKO… the codename given to the drive assist program that feeds vast amounts of driving data, vehicle and track conditions to be directly communicated into the driver's mind. In a way, it allows the driver to become one with the vehicle itself, achieving precise control at the highest-level possible. However, this program has capabilities of driving a pilot to his or her absolute limit to the extent that the driver is not distracted or in fear of any possible obstacle or outcome, thus giving the pilot total concentration needed to lead to absolute victory. Its initial form, funded by the Zui Hou R project saw the NSX Type R, specifically modified to their fitting to be able to serve as a vessel for the system itself.

('Killer' – Baby VOX)
The system had once again interrupted on its own, during my downhill duel against my sister, Kouda Maya during the final sections of the race. It somehow responded during when I had really needed it the most. It was almost as if the system was telling me what I should do…

I had begun to do something very much different from what I do when I drive my sister's car. First of all, the nose of my vehicle was much lighter, thus the steering with this thing is a lot more sensitive and responds to my movement even with the lightest motion of the wheel. I figured I did not need to struggle as I did to oversteer with the other car.

After the consecutive hairpins, I was finally able to figure out what I had been doing wrong. I closed in, downshifted along with this heel and toe thing that I've been practicing so much as I then began to turn aggressively. My car swayed sharply into the inside so closely to the apex as I used the distance glimpse of my sister's taillights to predict the next section's obstacles. Having driven this area before also really helped a lot.

I started to feel a bit of stress again, as my speed began to increase more and more, corner after corner. The orb in the center emitted yet another glow, as I forced myself to push harder and faster. I had not time to actually think about what I had done differently with this car and the other one. All I could feel was that I released the throttle more often rather than braking.
This car is also more prone to oversteer too.

It did not take long for me to catch up right behind my sister. I had this strong feeling inside me to pass her very soon. The system did not seem to allow me any room to breathe, as I began to charge forth into the mild S curves along the final section of the course.
I could predict what was to happen, I just hope I do not end up overdoing it.

Without holding back, I quickly took the first chance that came to me, taking advantage of the first opening that my sister had made through her mistake and swiftly skid through the outer line and exited side by side with Maya. For some reason, I was shown my sister's image, through the system, while I had come closer to her. I had not time to think about it, as I continued on swiftly.
This pilot program really makes the difference. Or could it be that Maya has lost it?

My movement had seem to be a lot more precise and stable that Maya's, and finally, I was able to keep her behind me quite easily right after the next hairpin curve. But even as I overtook her, I did not seem to slow down at all. Surely I would have been relieved that I'm finally in front, but it just was not like that now. It seemed that I just had to keep driving, and get as far away as possible.

I cannot let this become into what happened last time. I have to regain control again. The race should have already been over since I passed my sister. But KYOKO… she's telling me to never stop until I had reached the finish!

…Stop it! Cut it out! Please…

Just as I was able to cross the finishing point we had agreed on, I struggled to turn my hazards on and stop the car as quickly as I could. I realized that I was begging myself to stop and pull myself out of the car, which I could not manage to do until the car was completely stopped.

A short moment later, my sister had then showed up and parked her car next to mine, watching me as I continued to try and catch my breath.
Maya had then kindly helped me out of the car, removing the devices from my head as the car began to retract them.

"You okay, babe?"
"I hope so…" I replied slowly, and it did not take much longer for the stress to get to me and had caused me to faint…

Moments later, I woke up at my sister's cafeteria, with no recollection of what had happened previously. I felt really tired as I rubbed my eyes and then looked around at the place, which was beginning to empty out. I guess it was time to close for the night. How did I get here?
My sister had then approached me and sat with me as she began to ask,
"How are you feeling, honey?"
"Um… tired… and… a little confused," I replied.
"Both our cars are outside. You can still drive home, can't you?"
"How did you manage to bring them both here?"
"Oh, I had two of our own come up to D1 to pick up one of the cars, while I took you back here,"
"W-what? But… it was forbidden for me to let anybody else drive the NSX-R…! What if Hyuga finds out…?"
"He won't."
"Who drove it anyway?"
"Well, I asked Aiko was on her break, so I called her and Hiro to drive up here and take my car. So in total, there were three cars,"
"That's not what I'm asking about… Who took the NSX-R?"

I probably knew the answer already. But I just had to make sure. I do not really mind, as long as she knew what she was doing. I just hope it does not jeopardize my position. Although I'm still busting on how I could break the news to Maya about Fu Huo…

"You know… that thing is very dangerous," said Maya.
"What is…?"
"That program…"
"You mean you… tried it?"
"Well, I had to drive it back here, didn't I?"
"Oh my…"
"Yes… it was horrible. I'm actually worried that you have to drive with that thing…"
"It's my job to drive that detestable machine."
"But be careful though, honey," warned my sister.

However, I guess it was time to fess up. I had begun to explain the truth about Fu Huo…
It did not take long for me to burst into tears. Every word I spoke was a struggle from that point on. However, my sister was right there to keep me strong, as well as herself. I knew that she was really disappointed too, but she seemed to have managed to keep her cool about the matter.

"So do you believe he is dead?" she asked.
"I would like to hope not… Although no matter how hopeless the thought might be… without giving him his proper funeral… I cannot fully accept his death," I sobbed.

My sister had not much to say. But it was plain and clear that she was also affected and perhaps just as saddened as I am. But her words alone were good enough to keep my sane… for at least a while…

"Fu Huo has seemed to 'come back from death' a number of times in the past… I myself would never give up hope that he would do it again!"