Programmed Lives – Fifth Stage

Chapter Thirty

Akito was driving his V-86 towards the petrol station just out of the motorway's exit at the south of Maebashi city where he had arranged to meet with Suetsugu Hiroki and, before he could even ask the question he had in his head, Ryoko answered it for him:

'My father was very impressed with your report.'

'Really?' Akito asked.

'Yep, he said that it was extremely well thought out and that the figures were as accurate as the ones he had prepared with Uncle Ryosuke and Fumihiro…'

'Well,' Akito said, 'it's also your doing: I couldn't have done it without your help.'

'Well, that's what nearly two months of university do for you,' Ryoko commented trying to give herself an air of superiority.

'That's probably right,' Akito said looking very serious.

'Hey,' Ryoko started, putting her hand on top of the one he had on the shifter, 'I was kidding…'

'I'm not,' Akito said, 'I think you're going to be a great business woman,' he added glancing at her just for a second so she could see how serious he was about it.

'Thank you,' Ryoko said squeezing his hand with hers very softly then, she added, 'I still can't believe your father kept your biological mother's will a secret.'

'I know,' Akito said, 'and I still don't know why my father didn't use any of it for himself.'

'I think I do,' Ryoko commented almost as if she was talking to herself.

'Really?' he asked.

'Akito,' she started, 'I think your father felt even less comfortable than you did using any of that money.'

'But she was his wife,' Akito countered, 'I didn't even know her so, in my opinion, he's a lot more entitled to that money than I am.'

'No,' Ryoko said shaking her head, 'she was your mother. If anyone is entitled to her patrimony, that's you. Even the law says that…'

Akito stared at her briefly and, returning his gaze to the road, he let out a soft chuckle.

'What's so funny?' Ryoko asked removing her hand from the top of his making Akito miss the contact almost immediately.

'Nothing,' he hurried to say, 'it's just that it's going to take me a while before I get used to…you know…'

'Me sounding smart?' Ryoko finished, using such a neutral tone of voice that Akito didn't know whether she was angry or not.

'Er…yeah, something like that,' Akito admitted deciding to be honest so, if she got angry, at least he would deserve it.

'I know,' she said instead, 'it will take me a while to get used to that too…'

'Ryoko, you are smart,' Akito pointed out, 'it's just that, up to know, you haven't used all your potential.'

'You're just saying that because you don't want me to get angry,' Ryoko commented with just a hint of an accusation in her voice.

'No,' Akito said, 'I'm serious. You've always had the ability to do whatever you wanted and you're really good with maths and all that stuff, not like me: I was a total disaster...'

'That's so not true,' Ryoko exclaimed, 'your marks at school were remarkably good, considering you barely studied. I think that if it weren't because of your madness when it comes to cars, you could have become anything you wanted…'

Akito let out another chuckle, a louder one this time, and said:

'Now you're saying that because you don't want me to feel inferior.'

'No, I'm saying that because it's true,' Ryoko countered, 'and because I love you,' she added with a sweet smile on her lips.

'You're impossible,' Akito said grinning back at her.

'I know, but you love me,' Ryoko said smugly.

'I do,' Akito confirmed and then he started reducing his speed so he could turn into the petrol station where he saw Hiroki's bright orange, ten year old Mitsubishi Eclipse GT which sported the 'Tochigi Thunders' stickers at both sides of its bodywork.

He parked his Toyota next to the Mitsubishi and both he and Ryoko climbed out of the V-86 and walked inside the small cafeteria where Hiroki was waiting for them having a coffee.

'Hey,' Akito said as he and Hiroki shook hands, 'you remember my girlfriend Ryoko, don't you?'

'How could I forget someone like her,' Hiroki replied, reminding Akito that the guy had absolutely no tact whatsoever and because of this, and the fact that Hiroki was staring at Ryoko for a tad longer than it was considered polite, Akito asked:

'Are you ready to go?'

'Sure,' Hiroki replied as drank up his coffee then, leaving a few coins on the bar, he just walked out of the place without waiting for Akito or Ryoko.

'He's an interesting guy,' Ryoko commented almost sarcastically as they followed him.

'Yeah, it's a little too interesting,' Akito said and a slight frown creased his forehead then, as the two of them got back into the V-86, Ryoko asked:

'Are you sure you know what you're doing?'

'I think so,' Akito replied despite the fact that he was beginning to have some doubts about the whole thing.

'Well,' Ryoko continued, 'if he's to become a part of Dad's project, we'll have to work a lot on his diplomatic skills.'

'Diplomatic skills?' Akito asked incredulously, 'baby, this guy doesn't even have the word 'diplomacy' in his dictionary.'

'He'll need to make sure that he gets it in it then,' Ryoko countered, 'otherwise the journalists will eat him alive.'

'That's true,' Akito said for his own experience with the media had ended up with a very nasty accident of which he was constantly reminded by his still slightly stiff right shoulder.

Ten minutes later, Akito entered the Takahashi Motorsports Centre where he parked his car at his usual spot while Hiroki left his occupying the gap next to the V-86.

'Uncle Ryosuke's here,' Ryoko commented as she got out of the V-86 and pointed at the brand new silver Mazda sedan which had replaced the MPV the family used to own.

'Is that bad?' Hiroki asked to her.

'No,' Akito replied instead, 'he's probably here to see his younger brother.'

'Or to see you,' Ryoko said, speaking to Hiroki and earning herself a glare from Akito.

'Ah, okay, whatever,' Hiroki said walking ahead of them with so much nonchalance that Akito was, once more, astounded by how extremely carefree this guy could be. Akito only hoped that his judgement didn't reveal itself to be a complete failure for, if it was, he would have a lot of explaining to do.

'Hey, we saw you coming in!' Kyosuke shouted walking towards them followed by Kizuna.

'Hello,' Hiroki said waving at them.

'Hi,' Kyosuke replied then, looking at Akito, he added, 'come on, everyone is waiting for us at the track. They have a surprise for you.'

'What a coincidence,' Akito said grinning at Kyosuke pointing at Hiroki doing an almost imperceptible gesture with his head.

Kyosuke smiled back at Akito giving him a knowing look and then, all five of them started walking towards the centre's small circuit.

'Wow,' Hiroki said as he observed everything around him, 'this place must cost a fortune to run.'

'It does,' Kyosuke confirmed.

'Your family must be loaded then,' Hiroki said and, instead of looking shocked, Kyosuke just laughed at him as he nodded.

'We're not too bad,' he said sounding very amused.

'This is going to be so much fun,' Kizuna whispered to Ryoko.

'Not for everybody,' Ryoko whispered back as she stared at her boyfriend who looked rather concerned about the whole thing.

Finally, they saw the two Takahashi brothers, the original set, standing with Fumihiro, Kenta and Akito's father Takumi.

'Is this the driver you had in mind?' Keisuke asked Akito while he pointed at Hiroki.

'Yes sir,' Akito replied, 'this is Suetsugu Hiroki.'

For just an instant no one looked perplexed by this but then, almost at the same time, Akito saw his own father and Ryosuke-san do a double take.

'Akito,' Takumi started, 'what's the meaning of this?'

'He's good,' Akito said, 'trust me.'

'What's going on?' Keisuke asked as he took a step towards where Akito and the rest were.

'He's Suetsugu Tohru's kid, isn't he?' Ryosuke asked.

'Yes sir,' Akito replied and, just as he had said that, something seemed to click in Keisuke's brain for he closed the gap which separated him from Akito and, grabbing him by his right arm, started dragging him away from the group.

'Ouch,' Akito complained as he felt something go crack in his shoulder.

'Shit, sorry,' Keisuke apologised as he realised that this was Akito's injured arm then, before the eighteen year old could say nor do anything, Keisuke started, 'I thought you were going to bring in one of your old mates from a GP2 team like that Ruben kid or…'

'Keisuke-san,' Akito said, 'this is just a test and I do think he's going to surprise us.'

'He better,' Keisuke said, 'because I borrowed a GP2 car for the occasion and I really would hate if I had to return it damaged.'

'You've done what?' Akito asked raising his eyebrows in surprise.

'I've borrowed a GP2 car,' Keisuke repeated, 'and if that punk you've brought with you gets even a single scratch on its bodywork, you will be in for a lot of trouble.'

With that, Keisuke walked away from Akito leaving him feeling even more anxious than usual then, doing his best to recover from that, Akito went back to the group and said:

'Okay Hiroki, come with me so you can get into a racing suit.'

They walked inside one of the garages and opening one of the lockers, Akito extracted a racing suit, a pair of gloves and a pair of racing shoes.

'You can use any of those helmets from there,' Akito said pointing at a nearby shelf, 'there should be one your size.'

Then, as Hiroki started getting dressed, Akito started talking.

'Listen,' he said, 'I know for a fact that you've competed in several karting races and that last year you entered a couple of the Toyota FJ1600 series races. I also know that you've been driving for a lot longer than you were legally allowed.'

'How did you find that out?'

'I have my sources,' Akito replied.

'Fair enough,' Hiroki said.

'Now,' Akito said, 'a GP-2 car is about ten times harder to drive than an FJ1600 so you'll need to get used to it during the first few laps. Until then, forget about pushing it. Today, I just want to see if my hunch is correct or not, nothing else, okay?'

'Sure,' Hiroki said and, for the first time, Akito realised that maybe he was just wasting his breath for the guy didn't even seem to be listening to him.

'Hey, I'm serious: a GP2 car handles itself a lot differently than the junior formula cars you've used before.'

'I know that,' Hiroki said looking at Akito with a frown on his usually expressionless face, 'do you think I'm stupid?'

'No, of course not,' Akito replied, 'it's just that you've got to be careful.'

Hiroki looked at Akito and as he walked towards the shelf, he muttered something which sounded a lot like 'careful...yeah right…'

By the time they made it to the track where everyone else was waiting for them Akito was officially freaked out and his anxiety didn't get any better as he saw Hiroki getting into the completely black GP2 car.

Fumihiro started the vehicle's engine and, before Akito could have any second thoughts, Hiroki was off and, after a first few almost hesitant laps, Tohru's kid started pushing the car a tad too hard for Akito's liking and by the time Hiroki started doing his tenth lap, Akito could almost feel his blood pressure rising beyond any reasonable levels.

'So, this is the first time Hiroki drives one of these?' Ryosuke asked Akito who, being too nervous to trust himself to speak, just managed to offer the father of his two best friends a curt nod.

'This is going to be so much fun,' Fumihiro added.

'That's what I said,' Kizuna said smiling at the older man.

'Fun isn't the word I'd use,' Keisuke said glaring at Akito who swallowing visibly, decided to focus his attention back on the track where to Akito's astonishment, Hiroki was still driving the GP2 car keeping a surprisingly optimal line.

'You know,' Takumi started, 'he's not that bad.'

Akito looked at his father feeling eternally grateful that someone was on his side, even if that someone was his own father and therefore hardly partial.

'No, he's not,' Ryosuke agreed and Akito turned his head sharply to look at Ryoko's uncle.

'Wow,' Kenta said as he stopped the chronometer he was using to time Hiroki's laps, 'that's not bad at all.'

'Are you sure he's never driven one of those before?' Fumihiro asked Akito.

'Yes, I'm sure,' Akito said as he started feeling way too many emotions to give a name to all of them: he felt happy to see that his choice hadn't been completely wrong, puzzled, seeing how unbelievably well Hiroki was doing in his first try ever and worried that he may have got himself a very dangerous rival.

'Kenta,' Keisuke said, 'tell him to get back in at the following lap.'

'Yes,' Kenta said and, using one of the signboards the circuit came equipped with, Akito saw the word IN being lit up in huge yellow letters.

'What the…' Keisuke exclaimed seeing that, despite the fact that Hiroki had clearly seen the sign as he went past, he had deliberately chosen to ignore it.

'Yeah,' Ryoko started and, as she put her hand on her father's arm, she added, 'we'll have to work a bit on his less-than-polished personality.'

'That's a very nice way of putting it,' Kyosuke said laughing.

'Akito,' Keisuke almost barked as he, once more, glared at the young man, 'tell him to get back in, even if you have to stand in the middle of the bloody track.'

'Yes sir,' Akito said and, with this, he ran to the track's edge getting as close to it as it was safe and seeing Hiroki approaching him at very high speed, he started waving his left arm up and down, praying for all that was holy that the guy would stop instead of run over him.

Thankfully, he did stop just a few metres away from Akito.

'Hey,' Akito started as Hiroki climbed out of the car and removed his helmet, 'when you see that sign lit up, you're supposed to go IN, okay?'

'Ah, that's what it's for,' Hiroki said and Akito didn't know whether the guy was taking the mickey out of him or if he was for real.

'Look, if you're to become part of this team you'll have to learn all of these things very quickly,' Akito explained.

'Am I part of the team?' Hiroki asked.

'I don't know yet,' Akito replied then, pointing at the group of people who were watching them, he added, 'it's those guys there who make the decisi…'

Before Akito could finish, Hiroki walked towards where everyone stood and, planting himself in front of Keisuke, he said:

'So, am I part of the team?'

Ryosuke and Fumihiro exchanged equally amused looks while Kenta stared at the young man with an incredulous look on his face and both Kyosuke and Kizuna tried, and failed, to repress a chuckle. Only Takumi and Ryoko seemed to remain straight faced, probably as a sign of their unconditional support to Akito. Keisuke, on the other hand, looked so flabbergasted that it took him a few instants in order to regain his ability to speak.

'Well,' he started, 'we still need to talk about it and…'

'Ah, right,' Hiroki interrupted him, 'so you'll let me know and all that jazz, correct?'

'Yes, that's it,' Keisuke replied still looking pretty much stunned.

'So I'll never hear from you again,' Hiroki said but, unbelievable enough, he didn't sound nor looked disappointed in the slightest.

'Hey, I'm just saying that we need time to decide,' Keisuke explained feeling that, for some reason, he needed to justify himself with the kid.

'Ah, okay,' Hiroki said and then, he turned to face Akito and added, 'you still owe me a re-match.'

With that, and without waiting for anybody to tell him to leave, they all observed as he went back to the garage, took the suit and the shoes off and leaving them carefully stored back where Akito had got them from then, not even bothering to greet, much less thank anyone, he just made his way back to his car, looking very much like if he didn't have a care in the world.

'You know,' Ryosuke said and, as usual, everyone looked at him, 'the way he behaves and the way he drives remind me of an F1 driver from the early nineties called Katayama Ukyo.'

'That's right,' Fumihiro, as usual, agreed with his long term friend.

'Well,' Keisuke said, 'if I'm not mistaken, Katayama never did very well in any of the races he entered…'

'Katayama never had a competitive machine,' Ryosuke explained, 'but he did have one hell of a talent when it came to racing with the right spirit. In a way, I'd say that this kid's attitude is the best a driver can have.'

'Aniki, he's nuts,' Keisuke said.

'Yes,' Ryosuke agreed, 'and that's precisely why I think that he'll do very well.'

'That's what I thought too,' Akito said happy to see that he now had Ryosuke's very authoritative opinion backing his.

'Unfortunately, and like Ryoko said, we'll have to work on his personality a lot if he's to survive in the professional racing world,' Ryosuke added.

'Aniki,' Keisuke said, 'do you seriously think we've found our second driver?'

Ryosuke looked at his younger brother for a short while before nodding.

'I'd say we have.'

'Okay,' Keisuke said and, looking at Akito, he added, 'let's wait for a couple of days, then call him for a second test. If he's this good in the second test too, I'll have a proposal ready for him.'

Again, Akito didn't know whether to be happy or feel more worried than ever.

To be continued…