ACT 7 – 7000RPM 'See You Again!'
After months of competition, our campaign was finally over. Or was it? I admit, it was a really great experience. I had been able to learn a lot of things, not only about cars and racing, but also about others around me, as well as myself. Kumiko, Ling, everyone… including my sister and Hyuga as well; they all did their best to help me be strong. I was so naïve way before then. Maybe I still am. But times have really changed. Fortunately, even though our mission was over, it was not goodbye.
I continued my work as both Shireishou X and as a waitress in my sister's restaurant. I felt like I was training to do everything. During the day, I do my cooking, cleaning and washing, and during the nights, all I gotta do is fly.
I know it was a relaxing time for everybody, but not for me. My sister Maya knew about this. She knew about it for a long time. For months, I have not taken you away from my mind for a single moment, Chuan Fu Huo…
The mysteries of KYOKO and everything
she had shown me up to now was still a bit vague. However, it was
been a while since I had time to relax too. Maya was kind enough to
shout me a full tank of gas, if I were to take her crusing one day.
It was around the afternoon, Maya and I had left the café
in the hands of our colleagues. They were kind enough to give us a
break, which we could have asked for frequently, but didn't.
And
thanks to the profits I had earned during my first operation with Zui
Hou, I could finally get back to shopping again! It's certainly
been a while.
('I Only Want To Be With You' – SWITCH/Heartsdales/Koda Kumi)
We went out for a drive, top
down, music turned up while crusing around and about the highways. We
were not speeding or anything. I had just started to get used to
KYOKO's navigation system. It was very handy. I had actually found
many routes in which I have never even knew about before. Some were
very convenient, and some I would not even need.
"You're
much smoother with you car control, Minako," complimented
Maya.
Although what she said was true, I was not really in the
mood for talking about driving or cars again. I just wanted to do it
though. Better to drive than talk about it. I continued along the
roads, having the visor down as the sun's glow slowly began to fade
into the sunset.
I cruised along in third gear as the music
continued. I looked over to my sister, who seemingly to have been
enjoying herself cruising with the top down, sunglasses, and wind
breezing through her face.
"I just hope you've
finally found what you really wanted to do." Maya explained on,
"But of course I'm proud of you, hun. However, have you got any
other plans for the future?"
"I'm not sure yet," I
replied.
We continued on, enjoying our full tank of gas on the car. Fortunately, KYOKO was all in order. She would always warn me of my speeds and any incoming traffic, as well as keep me a little… sane. It was indeed much better than that helmet anyway. The visor actually looked kinda cool. I guess I needed to relax a bit myself and enjoy this spare time while I still can. Let's see… where should I shop today?
Moments later, a rather familiar vehicle
pulled up beside us on the highway…
Oh great. It was the last
person I had ever wanted to see. I feel like just driving off and
ignoring him.
"Lookin' hot, you ladies are! From head
to toe, or I'd say, from the tyre to the roof! Where'd you get a
car like that?"
"Um… please leave us alone,"
"Leave?
Oh, I can't afford to do that, babe. So ya finally got a better car
than your boyfriend's crappy Lancer, eh?"
"He's not my
boyfriend, and I'm sick of all this car talk."
This Ohjay fella was so annoying. I want to get out of here! Perhaps I should tell Hyuga to have the cops bust him for harassment?
"Hey
listen, I have no time for you right now. So if you don't mind,
I'll get going…" I told him.
"Oh, no no, not so
fast!" he insisted.
I took off from the lights, changing lanes out of the intersection as I overtook a number of vehicles. Much to my surprise, that Ohjay had begun to follow me. This is the last thing I need right now. It was too early in the day for breaking traffic rules.
'Life's what you imagine,
Kagiri nai
uchuu no you de
Mitsuketa mono wa tatoe nakushitemo'
With
the intent of losing that guy in my mind, KYOKO had taken notice and
somehow altered the settings briefly while I increased my speed
slightly. Perhaps I should just rip out my gun?
No… KYOKO tells
me it would be more fun to lose him on the highways…
But I might
be caught…? We'll handle that part…
'Searching for
the moment
Sagashitsuzukete itai ne,
Sou kigasumu made'
Losing Ohjay was all I had in mind. But KYOKO wanted to actually compete with him. We rushed through the highway, passing a number of vehicles left and right as Ohjay continued to follow us. I guess he was up for it as well. I guess now I have to consider him as… an opponent.
'Life's what you imagine,
Misugoshite
mo aru beginning
Furikaeru no wa iki teku hint dakara'
KYOKO
treated this like it was a little game. We shot up the bridge, going
past another bunch of traffic, dodging cars from different lanes. I
was shown that Ohjay's gee-see-eight was still after us. If this
was a race, then fine, but if he's stalking us, then that's
getting out of hand.
I made an aggressive u-turn just at the end
of the fly-over, quickly changing direction going back.
'Searching
for the moment shinjitsu
Isoide yuku yo, jiyuu ni naru yo'
Ohjay was now above us, going in the opposite direction.
KYOKO was handy. She had shown me this path that I took, below the
fly-over bridge was another route going elsewhere, but right now I
had really no place I really had to go. We watched Ohjay exit the
bridge and continue along the highway as we finally lost him.
I
backed out with the Honda, continuing down town at cruising
pace.
'visions never clear
Tooku heto saratte yuku
Keshiki nomikonde
I bellieve, I'm me, nobody but me,
Dare no
iki shou de monai'
I stopped at the lights, as I finally realized where I was. The shopping centers were just around the corner. Wow, I am good…
We had finished
that afternoon, while I finally dropped my sister off back at the
cafeteria.
She really loved her business, even more than she
loved her involvement in street racing. I guess even despite her
childish attitude, she is actually still the sane one out of us.
I
rolled in slowly with my car, seeing off my sister.
"Thanks.
Take care, honey." said Maya.
"You too. I'll see you
later then."
"Much later. I've got work to do! See ya!"
I drove off, yet there was still something in my mind. It
was a little itch, that quickly grew into an urge. Something that
KYOKO was telling me. She said that it was not over. What is not
over?
The campaign… there was still one thing left to do. I
could feel it within me… It was just something I had to
do…
Later on that evening, I had no other plan in mind, so I gave Miss Kumiko a call. I consider her a good friend who was on my level, even though her reputation may state otherwise. I wanted to see her that evening, probably just for a little chat. I had been with her a lot during our DOLLS campaign across the regions entering drift events, track battles, and motorshows. However, it was quite clear that Kumiko wanted to give much of her spotlight over to me, as she suggested Auto Salon to take me instead of her for the next photo shoot. Kumiko placed it all on me. Just by making me take her own races was a sign that she wanted me to take her place. Was this what KYOKO was telling me?
I met up with Miss Kumiko on
top of the parking lot building next to Zui Hou HQ. It was just the
two of us that night, and it seemed that Kumiko herself was also in
the same situation as I was. We had both nothing else planned for the
rest of the night. So we spent much of our time talking – something
I had not very often done. I'm not really that talkative, compared
to other women. But Kumiko was just somebody you'd want around to
chat with. I began to understand what people say about her
charisma.
"Miss Kumiko… There's also something else
I wanted to talk to you about." I began.
"You seem
worried. Something wrong?"
"No… I'm not worried about
anything. It's got something to do with KYOKO."
"KYOKO? So
has she shown you any future to choose from yet?"
"Um…"
It was clear to me that KYOKO was not just some machine. I do not know what words to explain it. But this thing had made me realize a lot of things. The mind is very fragile, much more than we all think. Despite all it's controversy, KYOKO is really truly a masterpiece. A total engineered genius invention.
"…A battle?"
said Kumiko.
"Yes… the original Shireishou X was to be
your equivalent if not your heir. That is what KYOKO showed me as Fu
Huo was once to be. Therefore, I cannot consider myself Shireishou X…
if I cannot do or live up to Fu Huo, KYOKO, or Shireishou X in the
first place."
"So this is what you have chosen."
continued Kumiko.
"Please understand." I know that
Kumiko was planning to retire. She still acted as Neo-DOLLS'
brains, while I was the limb.
Kumiko smiled to herself. She
had the look on her face like she expected me to say what I did. It
was like she knew this all along. She always seemed to have had
everything figured out. That's her kind of presence. I guess it's
just her style.
"I see. And what are your conditions?"
asked Kumiko.
"Our home course… Route D1. No
stipulations. We'll take the downhill route. We start at the same
time."
"That's fine. How about this weekend?"
"That's
good. Thank you."
At last, I had now made it
this far to challenge Miss Kumiko herself. Route D1 seemed a little
more crowded on the weekend. Many people came to watch, mainly
because Kumiko was yet again in another battle. I guess there are
still a lot of fans that are loyal to her.
Though much to my
surprise, there were also a lot of people cheering for me. The
Shireishou boys also came to watch, as well as the BXD, whom were
also invited to spectate the race. It was more like a party, and to
celebrate the completion of our campaign, we have decided to end it
with a race.
('To Be One' – Koda Kumi)
My
sister watched me on from the galleries, as Kumiko and I shot off
from the starting point, with Kumiko leading the take-off with her
four-wheel drive advantage.
The battle was already at a tight
pace. From the first corner, our angles were almost evenly matched
and speeds were almost comparable. I gripped the steering wheel a
little tighter, as KYOKO told me that this race would be like no
other. No matter what happens, I have to give this one everything I
have to offer. Whether I won or lost, the outcome is not very
important.
'ikite ireba iroiro aru kedo
omoi doori ni
yuku wake ga nai
wakaru ki mo shinaku nai keredo
sore ijou nani
mo kawaranai'
There was almost clearly no difference in our techniques. I watched Kumiko hauled her vehicle sideways through the hairpin at such great velocity and yet so beautifully. I had forgotten how good drifting really looks from the outside. I downshift quickly, while entering the corner at high speed, understeering the vehicle beyond the car's limited grip in order to break traction.
And there I was, almost parallel to Kumiko's
angle. She and her GTO were truly amazing.
'hitori de ireba
dare demo
warui hou bakari kangaeru kara'
KYOKO then
was already beginning to push me to levels beyond, while still trying
to keep up with Miss Kumiko's GTO. We followed her closely, as I
steered quickly yet smoothly through the S curves, following her
lines as precisely as possible.
'sore yori heya wo
tobidashi
sugu oide koko ni iru kara'
As tough as the
battle was getting, the more I realized how fun this game really was.
By then it was more than just a game, however. Though there were
differences in our vehicles, some of our techniques were rather
different. Kumiko slows down a little during entry, taking note of
her braking lights just as she does so, but she picks up a lot of
speed on the exit, while my car seemed faster at the point she slows
down, it was difficult to match her speeds on the exit. I used the
high-speed skidding technique I which I let go of the throttle for
just a moment while traveling at a higher speed than I usually would,
then quickly turn in, using the vehicle's loss of throttle and
sudden movement to break rear traction.
'to be one
keep
on singing, dancing and smiling
tozasareta hazu no kokoro ga'
Kumiko somehow was able to match everything I got. She was
a lot better than I thought. My techniques almost seemed
insufficient. Everytime I saw an opening, I went for it, but she
always seemed to be able to reverse the situation just as soon as I
try. It was quite clear that she really has not lost her touch.
'
utau koto de hodokare tara
itsuno manika egao koboreteru'
This
is so exciting. This feeling… Kumiko is so good! I feel such
adrenaline even as I just try to keep up. I was able to come back at
her as much as she was able to do with me. Such precision…
Though
her GTO is great, so is my NSX-R.
'to be one
keep on
singing, dancing and smiling
kangae sugiteta jibun ga'
Just
by racing Kumiko like this, I feel so carefree, so alive. Winning or
losing was not a key factor anymore at this point. All my struggles
in the past have come together to bring me this one glorious
moment…
'odori akashiteiru uchi ni
umare kawareru
youna ki ni nareru'
The next few sections were simply
electrifying. It is so rare to have a battle like this. I can finally
test my absolute limits against Kumiko and KYOKO without any worry.
Now I understand why. This is the feeling Fu Huo always talked about.
'ashita no asa yoru ga akeru koro
kitto chigau sou
kimi ga iru hazu
nanairo no sora wo miagete
koerareru ki ga
shite iru hazu'
Eventually, without noticing it, the both
of us have exceeded speeds in which we usually span. KYOKO said that
our current section times are around 3-4 seconds faster than usual.
Little by little, I had finally closed the gap, as I continued to
follow the GTO.
'mayoi nayanda jikan de
shirazu
shirazu ni tsuyoku nareru mono
itsuka dokoka de furimuki
warai
tobaseru hi ga kuru kara'
It took a while, as we were
managing our tyres delicately and our center of gravity towards our
vehicles almost mirrored each other, I was now side by side with
Kumiko. Our cars and techniques paralleled each other, with no one
managing to go ahead of the other.
'to be one
keep on
singing, dancing and smiling
watashi nara koko ni iru kara
onaji
shunkan wo kanjite
hitotsu ni naru sore de wakaru kara'
It
was now clear to us both. We were both on the same level. KYOKO had
proclaimed that I was Kumiko's equal. We are the Neo-DOLLS after
all. We continued along down, without being able to get ahead of one
another. My car pulled up right beside the GTO. This is a great
feeling. It was like all I've worked for; all I've endured in the
past was all finally worth it.
' to be one
keep on
singing, dancing and smiling
tozasareta hazu no kokoro ga
utau
koto de hodokare tara
itsuno manika egao koboreteru'
I
realize there are many forms of expression just through driving
technique. Emotions and feelings fly about through each twist and
turn. KYOKO showed me the both of us. Kumiko was also grieving inside
about Fu Huo just as much as I was. We both used this battle to let
out all our anguish loose and finally take ourselves higher. I do not
know a better explanation, but this battle alone had a lot of
meanings.
'to be one
keep on singing, dancing and
smiling'
All I've done on the road… Basically
everything I've learned on the street… I made it this far because
of everyone, though there was one thing that really kept me going,
kept me motivated even through the worst of all the moments, and that
was you, Chuan Fu Huo. Even in death, you comfort me as much as you
do when you are around. You have given me the unparalleled tenacity
that nothing can ever tear down. Kumiko and I… the Neo-DOLLS, our
glory is all in honour and memory of you.
Your spirit will live
on through KYOKO and I.
I thank each and everyone who have
supported me throughout my campaign and also the brighter part of my
life.
Thank you for everything, Chuan Fu Huo. Rest in peace, my
admirable friend.
This is my story. My name is Kouda Minako. See you again!
