Midnight Race Hunter SSX [BATTLE FOUR 12/03]

24 hours have passed since the poll ended, which means it is now closed, thanks for your feedback.

The following is now confirmed:

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 3rd 2022 02:00 JST

(will update the OP right after this goes live)
that’s actually like five days, time flies quickly holy shit
Hoping this time entries actually fill up the slots before the deadline. This will be the final extension.

Also, with the results from the poll, here’s the single people who I put through a pair generator:

@KSIolajidebt + @BannedByAndroid

@interior + @Riley

@Fayeding_Spray there wasn’t enough people, sorry

It’s completely up to y’all whether to go with this pairing or not. But there you go.

image


発表 | ANNOUNCEMENT

THE ENTRY LIST
HAS BEEN FILLED

STANDBY FOR FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENT




10 Likes

Quick note, not really a strict requirement but might as well let everyone know it’s highly recommended to get any pre-race RP out before the date listed here (November 3rd 2022)

3 Likes

How many submissions were there? Just curious.

Plus can anyone else enter the race or is it closed and is now in deciding who won?

Entries are closed, there’s 8 teams so that’s at least 16 cars not counting the 5 or so backups (haven’t kept count of the backups.)

Can I send a prop vehicle or something? Maybe a service vehicle that would be used in the future if the storyline has something about a crash?

Thanks for the offer, but that won’t be necessary.

2 Likes

バトル発表 | BATTLE ANNOUNCEMENT

GET READY
FOR THE NEXT BATTLE


VON VITTORIA ATTSU
アスカリ・フェイア

ASCARI FEIA

@yurimacs


VERSUS

@kaybee

HASHIMOTO KOYA

橋本小屋
DANCING ALL NIGHT


HARUYAMA 春山 TURNPIKE
9X/11/5 | 21:30

november 5th


Ⅹは待っている. | X is waiting.

12 Likes

From @lazar and @Xepy

ECLIPSƎ

PROLOGUE

Yohaku, August 199X

The days in August had started out like any other - busy, loud, full of traffic going around the crowded streets. It was chaotic, yet peaceful. Normal, for the daytime dwellers of Yohaku, as it was just more days to work, days to slave away at their nine to five, making dollars per hour. That was of course, for the ordinary folk.

For Isamu his days were far more inconsistent. Some days he’d start off just like any other adult - wake up and have breakfast with his wife and kid, go to his shop, and manage his business and underlings behind a big desk, then go and drink and smoke with his crew. Other days however, it’ll be bloody if he had to deal with rivals or uncooperative clients, stressful if his own underlings get into trouble, or amazingly celebratory if a deal went as planned.

The life of being a boss was a strange one, a busy one, and with all the wealth and power it had earned him, he never really regretted it. But if there was one thing he missed, it was the freedom and lack of responsibility from before. To fuck around on the streets, without a care in the world. Hanging out with friends all night, partying, and maybe what was most fun for him - racing. The thrill of speed, the risk and danger. It was fun, exhilarating. But there really wasn’t an excuse to do it again.

That was until a reason had came up again.

It was typical, old fashioned, but clear to those who knew. A message, but more accurately, a code, one used by street racers hidden upon the classifieds of the newspaper. An invitation to race.

Isamu smiled. Maybe there’s a reason to look back into the racing scene afterall.


During the time between the scheduled meeting at the designated location, Isamu began rebuilding his old racing clan, ECLIPSƎ. It had been years since the tag had been ran, with it being around a decade since the disbanding of the old squad. Still, it held a good bit of nostalgia for him, and he reckon - possibly holding some street legend lore. “Those who eclipsed the sun in the high noon”. But like an eclipse, it came, and it went.

Regardless, first thing for the rebuild was its drivers - something surprisingly difficult given how many of his associates that had races either unsurprisingly given up the hobby at their age, or had also unsurprisingly, passed away. Fortunately, his crew itself did have a talented young driver - a protege of his by the name of Koyomi Kurose. Not only was he a devil behind the wheel, it would also give him a place to use his meticulously well tuned EFI. That gift was meant to be enjoyed afterall. Though there were other drivers that were up to the task - the task being, drive - Isamu wanted someone who could do a bit more. Someone who could properly race. And, not already part of another team.

A month had rolled by, and the search was still going. Both Isamu’s Kaufmann and Koyomi’s EFI had undergone prep work, tuning work and visual modifications, designating their clan. A deep metallic purple, with simple stickers. It wasn’t complicated, but it stood out. Plus, with it being an independent entity, Isamu won’t need to share it with the heads of the Yakuza - that is of course, until it becomes a successful bragging right.

As October had approached, one of his old associates gave Isamu a recommendation for his reborn clan, a driver by the name of Kimiko Yamazaki. A quick trial was all it took for her to be accepted - even if she was a bit rough around the edges. Perhaps it was a bit quick, but maybe that’s the point.


October 16th

The drive to Amatsukame Station was a surprisingly quiet one. Isamu insisted they take his usual Kaufmann Ataraxia instead, maybe a bit of scepticism on his mind growing about the designated point. As such, the blacked out luxury sedan kept things low-key. Koyomi was at the wheel of the car, while Isamu was behind him, window open as he smoked his cigarette. Kimiko beside him was staring out the window, abit fidgety. As they got close to the station she was one to break the silence.

“This better be not for nothing, didn’t think I’d spend my night in a car with an old man and his lackey.” Kimiko said, with a sigh. Isamu took a drag and exhaled out the window, but opted to stay silent.

“You chose to be here.” Koyomi stated, glancing at her from the rear view mirror.

“It sounded fun on the invite.” Kimiko shrugged.

Arriving to the station, there was already people that have gathered at the designated point- a varied group but definitely no one that seemed to have taken charge. Mostly people who talked amongst themselves, perhaps not wanting to stand out in a blatantly illegal event. That was until midnight finally struck, that a black American SUV arrived, something that completely stood out despite of its dark exterior.

“American huh, that’s a choice.” Koyomi noted, his eyes trained on the large SUV.

“A lotta money to pay for a piece of shit.” Kimiko added, not holding back on her opinion of the imported truck.

Equally as interesting as the vehicle they arrived in was the masked figure that came out of it, with some sort of symbol on the mask. Isamu looked on curiously, awaiting what the person would say. And spoke they did, with a voice altered and distorted.

“If you are interested in defending the honour of Yamitani, then please step ahead and acquire the paper on the table before you.”

Kimiko and Koyomi glanced at Isamu, who shrugged and exhaled out some smoke. He then left his post, strolling slowly but purposefully over to the SUV. Taking one of the papers from the stack, he glanced over the text, before returning to Koyomi and Kimiko. He handed it over, with Kimiko grabbing it to read. Koyomi looked over her shoulder to read it.

Isamu took a deep smoke, blowing out the smoke before dropping the cigarette. He then finally spoke. “Seems like it’s the real deal.”


The Clan

Koyomi Kurose

[UPHILL SPECIALIST]
Age:22
Height: 180cm

An intelligent, pragmatic young man. Lost his mother because of complications at the birth of his younger sister Emi, his father turned into a neglectful deadbeat. With no perspective and needing money to take care of his family he turns to Satos group who becomes his protégé and introduces him to yakuza life. Koyomis affinity and fascination for cars become apparent quite early and as such has him driving for the group at the age of 15. As a reward for his loyalty and hard work, he gets gifted his EFI, which he meticulously tunes and uses to represent the eclipse clan; its RR layout demanding the undivided attention and focus of the driver. Koyomi wasn’t dealt a kind hand in life; past experiences leave him still looking for his purpose and some peace of mind.

Vehicle: EFI Komi S


Kimko Yamazaki

[DOWNHILL SPECIALIST]
Age: 22
Height: 161cm

Kimiko is the youngest daughter of a high-ranking Yakusa member, though is not officially in the organisation. She is known to be impulsive, a bit hot-headed and a daredevil, having street raced for the thrill of it ever since she got her licence - first messing with Bosozoku gangs on a motorbike before switching over to cars. From that step, she has a preference for lightweight, darty cars - the midship Nanahoshi Anima GT-S serving her well the past few years. While her personality can be a bit hard to handle at times, there is no doubting her skill behind the wheel. One thing Kimiko always keeps in her car is a purple octopus stuffed animal that she claims to be her lucky charm.

Vehicle: Nanahoshi Anima GT-S

Isamu Sato

[LEADER/RESERVE]
Age: 40
Height: 169cm

Isamu is a local Yakuza boss in Yohaku, and an experienced, semi-retired hashiriya. Level headed, hardened and strangely calm, Isamu speaks with experience and has an air of control around him. He leads the new iteration of the eclipse clan, providing funding and words of wisdom for the drivers. In the day/ most evenings he manages a pachinko parlour, which is most definitely not a money laundering site for the Yakuza. Street racing and automobiles is very much a hobby for him, so he keeps a good separation between them and his work, and thus keeps with the honour of the roads without interference. While he has been more active in the wangan as of late, he still knows the mountains well from his older days and will step in if necessary.

Vehicle: Kaufmann Viera TSR


9 Likes

Feia
Ascari
(and Fuji Naoki @Falling_Comet)


PROLOGUE

-August 199X, Shiromine Line-

–0130–

The roads of Shiromine, laid down by long and winding roads, glistened by the ever-turning bright blue sky as it approaches the morning of the day.
The silence, the mainstay of the night has been disturbed by the echoing of a bellow. Bright lights can be seen through the trees and bushes, tire screeching can be heard, as it gets ever closer.
The bellow gets louder and chaotic, as if there was a race.

Somewhere near the top of the pass, in one of Shiromine’s high-speed corners, a pair of bystanders await aimlessly next to their car

“Eh? I hear something is coming by real fast. Could it be?”

As the time passes, headlights on high beam flashed their eyes briefly as the two cars appear from the previous corner.
From a distance, a Black Suisei Tengai and a bright Yellow Bradford XR-1 are battling it out on the uphills of Shiromine Line at the break of dawn.

“Its Naoki from VVA!”

The two cars passed by them in a flashed, as if there was no time to slow down.

“Behind him!, she is not far behind him, she definitely has the skill to keep up with Shiromine’s best”

“Stupid! She is VVA’s newest addition, Feia Ascari, known for her rallying career in Europe, competing at the highest level of motorsport”

“Naoki’s definitely lucky to snag her, VVA’s already known to be Shiromine’s group of the best touge drivers, but with someone like her, they are unstoppable”

Turbo whistling can be heard as gears are shifted and off the two cars went as everything happened in an instant.




–0225–

-Top of Shiromine Line-


The battle has reached its ending on top of the pass, The Suisei upfront turns on its hazard lights, soon followed the Bradford. Both cars pulled to the side of the road. The top of the pass, usually where the Von Vittoria Atsu clan hangs out, is empty at this hour. Naoki was the first to get out, followed by Feia.

“Feia, you are getting better by the hour! Keep this up and no one will keep up with you in this course”, Naoki complimented on Feia regarding her course mastery.

“Thanks, though I would like to admit I can do better in some of the corners, I feel like I have a lot more to learn about touge racing in general”, Feia replied back.

“It reminds me of the first time we met in this pass before I joined VVA, I remember when I tried catching up to you but couldn’t keep up”, Feia added more.

“Haha, I do remember that, it was really unexpected for that to happen, but from there history was made”, Naoki recalls.

“A rally driver like me knows only to chase time, but I want to battle it out with people”, Feia looks up into the sky as she spoke

“Your lines are already top notch, though that goes without saying. You will just need to battle it out more and more”, Naoki commented.

“Oh right, that reminds me”

Naoki went back swiftly to his car and opened the glovebox, to what appears to be a newspaper.
He went back to Feia right after getting a hold of the newspaper.

“What’ve you got there with you?”, Feia said with curiosity.

“A newspaper”, Naoki spoke briefly.

“What about it? You know I can’t read Japanese, at least not just yet”, Feia replied snarkly about her basic comprehension of Japanese.

“Oh right, I forgot that you are a foreigner”, Naoki hit with sudden realization.

“Anyways, let me translate it to you”, Naoki continued after regaining his composure.

Naoki comes closer to Feia and points to a seemingly normal section of the newspaper.

“I was reading the newspaper one day, then something caught my eye”
“I decided to read further and it was written in code.”
“I tried cracking the code, it something along the lines of a Secret Society or something”

“So something like the Mafia or the Yakuza”, Feia jokingly said.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Anyways, it also said something about a hashiriya of Yamitani, Naoki snapped back then explained further

“Hashiriya, huh? If I remember hearing it from a native speaker, I know it means that and it must be…”, Feia thought out loud

“You are indeed thinking what I think it is”





FEIA ASCARI

Feia Ascari is an Italian born from Northern Italy on the summer of 1961. Birthed from a family engulfed in the flames of motorsport, it was already destined for Feia to end up in a motorsport discipline. After finishing high school in 1979, Feia decided to take up the amateur rallying scene. Feia struggled for quite a while but soon after, she was able to produce results for her hometown’s local rallying team, garnering top 10 finishes and attention from big league rallying organization, particularly from the motorsport division of Bradford Design.

She was hired by Bradford on '81 and assigned as a test driver for the upcoming Group B machine dubbed the “XR-1”, a stubby 4WD hatch with a turbocharged 1.4L Inline 4.

Her inputs and comments were instrumental in the development of the car and the car was finished in '83, just in time for the WRC season that year.

After grim and abrupt end of Group B in '86, Feia migrated to Japan in '89 due to personal reasons and moved away from rallying and into track racing, opening a one-man tuning shop in the process that involves suspension and turbo tuning on Inline 4’s.

In '92, Feia was scouring the newspaper’s to look for her next project car, when she saw something that caught her attention.

From the Japanese kanji , she immediately noticed the name “XR-1”, she went ahead and contacted the owner, with memories from her rallying days suddenly overflowing. When she saw it in person, she couldn’t believe her eyes, an XR-1 homologation model. When she looked around, she was thinking about her past, her past that was riddled with the '86 WRC season, she knew nothing can be done about it and she can only look foward into the future.

With her ample savings from her earnings as a rally driver and her cash flow from her tuning shop, she was able to buy the car and work began immediately to bring the car to its Group B spec.

She is now reunited with her past and nothing can stop her.




9 Likes

峠バトル | TOUGE BATTLE

199█/11/05

Like the letter said, the battle would occur on this weekend.

Driving up or down the mountain pass, one would notice the numerous amount of dark-coloured, American-origin SUVs that lined the side roads that fed into the main road itself. Their license plates all being blank and only a green X being written.

Another oddity would be the appearance of policecars that would occasionally appear on the side, not as numerous as the larger vehicles present, but still there if one were to observe carefully.

At the top of the pass at a small stop on the side of the road was a parking lot, where the teams observing the battle were instructed to gather, as per the letter. Their arrival would be met by more black SUVs, and a singular lowered American sedan guarded by the larger cars around it.

In front of the sedan were two figures, one of them familiar to those who were at the invitation ceremony a week earlier, and the other a large masked figure in a suit, with Ω written on the dark mask. The first figure was of course, none other than Sigma, who was more than eager to greet everyone with their usual robotic voice.

“Greetings, everyone, I see you’ve made it like promised. It’s Sigma here. That uptight-looking person over there is Omega, another one of X’s assistants who will be proctoring the races. Omega may not look like they talk much, but get to know em’ well enough and they might be chattier than me.” Sigma announced to everyone. “Right, Ome-ome?” They said, nudging Omega’s arm, who did not respond at all, and with a sigh, walked back towards one of the SUVs to grab a large monitor that they would hold in front of the crowd.

“Guess they’re just too shy. In any case, I can already see the two contestants of this race in the crowd, I hope you two aren’t as nervous as this guy! Just so you know, X is watching this race in person, so be sure to make things interesting! Racers, get your engines started and line up!”




VON VITTORIA ATTSU
v
DANCING ALL NIGHT


BATTLE ONE - DOWNHILL BATTLE
HARUYAMA TURNPIKE (INBOUND)
11.8 km | 18 Turns | Downhill | 8.5 ° average grade


NOVEMBER 5TH, 199X | 22:30 LOCAL TIME
WEATHER | CLOUDY - 11° C
TRACK CONDITIONS | DAMP


(VON VITTORIA ATTSU) ASCARI FEIA 「アスカリ・フェイア」
v
「橋本・小屋」 HASHIMOTO KOYA (DANCING ALL NIGHT)


ROLLS: (Sport, Drive, Mistake)
ASCARI - 7, 6, 1 | 1, 4, 12 - HASHIMOTO


BATTLE DATA

SECTOR 1 TURNS: 4
SECTOR 1 LENGTH: 4.2 km
SECTOR 1 AVG GRADE: 13.4 °

SECTOR 1 TIMES:
ASCARI - 158.7 | 150.3s - HASHIMOTO
SECTOR 1 AVG SPEED:
ASCARI - 95.3 kph | 100.6 kph - HASHIMOTO

The two cars lined up on the painted line on the track, and Sigma stepped between the cars, holding a chequered flag, and counted down to three. When the flag dropped, a loud screech came from the two cars, and they lept across the line with great haste. The yellow Bradford came first due to the superior four-wheel-drive traction across the line, and it was in the lead momentarily.

SECTOR 2 TURNS: 5
SECTOR 2 LENGTH: 3.1 km
SECTOR 2 AVG GRADE: 10.7 °

SECTOR 2 TIMES:
ASCARI - 123.6s | 116.7 - HASHIMOTO
SECTOR 2 AVG SPEED:
ASCARI - 90.3 kph | 95.7 kph - HASHIMOTO

"The Inoue is right on the Bradford's tail! Looks like the power difference between these two cars is rather vast. I wonder when the Inoue will overtake? What's your thoughts, Omega?"

"..."

Indeed, the Inoue is rapidly closing the gap between the two cars that the Bradford initially created with the great launch. But it seems that Ascari is a bit too nervous this race, and even the incredibly minor mistakes she's making right now are not doing her any favours.

SECTOR 3 TURNS: 6
SECTOR 3 LENGTH: 2.2 km
SECTOR 3 AVG GRADE: 7 °

SECTOR 3 TIMES:
ASCARI - 92.9s | 87.4s - HASHIMOTO
SECTOR 3 AVG SPEED:
ASCARI - 85.3 kph | 90.6 kph - HASHIMOTO

Right after the timing of the second sector, the yellow hatchback was quickly overtaken on a long straightaway by the Inoue, and the race was more or less over by this point. Ascari would witness the Inoue's tail lights disappear behind the corner ahead, but still she would keep pushing in the hopes the driver would make a mistake.

SECTOR 4 TURNS: 3
SECTOR 4 LENGTH: 2.3 km
SECTOR 4 AVG GRADE: 1.4 °

SECTOR 4 TIMES:
ASCARI - 100.6s | 94.5 - HASHIMOTO
SECTOR 4 AVG SPEED:
ASCARI - 82.3 kph | 87.6 kph - HASHIMOTO

The hope is no more, Hashimoto was well in the lead by now. The powerful straight six in the Inoue is difficult to beat by just anyone on a straight course such as this one. Combined with the driver's skill, makes for a deadly opponent for anyone who wishes to challenge the pair.

TOTAL RESULT
ASCARI - 07:56 | 07:29 - HASHIMOTO
TOTAL AVG SPEED:
ASCARI - 88 kph | 94 kph - HASHIMOTO

"All in all, Ms. Ascari tried her best, and she did manage to hold him off through the first few sectors. Congratulations, Mr Hashimoto."

TONIGHT’S BATTLE WINNER: HASHIMOTO FROM DANCING ALL NIGHT

"It's now 1-0 between Dancing All Night and Von Vittoria Attsu, maybe in the next battle an interesting development may happen between the two. If so, then it seems the Jester might need to be played."


WINNER OF TONIGHT'S BATTLE:
橋本小屋
HASHIMOTO KOYA

"Hmph."




With the battle over, Sigma provided the results to the teams, and gave the information for the next battle.






8 Likes

バトル発表 | BATTLE ANNOUNCEMENT

GET READY
FOR THE NEXT BATTLE


VON VITTORIA ATTSU
藤井直樹

FUJI NAOKI

@Falling_Comet


VERSUS

@Executive

SHIMIZU YAEKO

清水八重子
DANCING ALL NIGHT


SHIROMINE 白峰 LINE
9X/11/12 | 22:15

november 12th




6 Likes

NIGHT SHADE

Artwork by @EnCR

Best viewed on desktop

-01-

-02-

-03-

-04-

-05-

-06-

-07-

-08-

-09-

-10-


Coloured pages

Yagami Yumi (八神 由美)

A suregeon at a local hospital, Yagami got into street racing as a child through her father, a street racer, who would take her for a ride on the touge on weekends. One day, however, her father got into an accident, narrowly escaping death. Since her father was saved by a surgeon, she decided that she wants to be a surgeon when she grows up. For the next few years Yagami focused on her studies and never returned to the touge due to both her workload, and pressure from parents to keep herself safe and work hard for a better life.

After many years of education, Yagami finally became a certified surgeon. She was praised for her work but she also had little to no social life. Seeking solitude after one particularly rough surgery, she drove up to the touge for the first time in years for a drive. Witnessing the street racers that were around, Yagami rediscovered her long-suppressed passion for cars. Thus, Yagami bought a used Hinode MID2 and began modifying it and racing it in her free time, funded by her large salary. Yagami’s precision and delicate movements that made her a skillful surgeon also helped with her driving and soon, she became both feared and respected by other hashiriya in the area.


Utoda Yuuna (烏兎田 輸優那)

Extroverted albeit slightly eccentric, Utoda is a fresh graduate who got into cars when she was in high school. She would follow her friends to the touge where her car-owning friends would show off their cars and race against other hashiriya.

At first, Utoda only came for the sake of her friends. As time went by, however, her interest in street racing grew to the point where she would practice driving with her friends’ cars. After graduating and getting her license, Utoda bought herself a Saidenki Tracmo with her savings and modified it for touge use. New to the scene, Utoda is eager to make a name for herself in the world of street racing.


15 Likes

The story is nice, wish I could’ve contributed this to cement my car into a comic : p

I know the Viera from CSR 149, where it finished a honorable third - but this customized TSR adds some very sweet icing to an already scrumptious cake. No wonder it’s the car of choice for the leader of the Eclipse Clan!

1 Like

シグマの休日 | Sigma's Day Off


November 8th, 199█


I woke up with the memories of the other night still fresh in my mind. The thrill of racing once again ran through me upon the witnessing of an adrenaline pumping race such as that one. I was skeptical at first of the boss’ proposition, but so far? It’s turning out not to be a bad idea, despite all that we knew.

As fun as I might have thought it was, it sure was a tiring weekend, needing to prepare for everything that came to us then. Working with the police was something I really had not expected to happen, but this is X we’re talking about, after all. Someone who can seemingly make the impossible possible, all for their own very selfish desires.

But for making that impossible possible, I’m glad they finally decide to give me a day off.

“What should I even do today?” I asked to no one in particular as my eyes finally gazed open, staring at the unchanging ceiling of my apartment. I turned my head towards the window, which showed nothing but the neighbouring buildings of the lone street.

Right, I’ve been so busy with working for that X that I’ve more or less never thought about what I should do on a rare day off like this. The clock said 06:54, which was about the usual time I would get up for work, which means my circadian rhythm has been totally messed up by my work.

The sun was barely even up, and honestly? So was I, so like any logical person I shut my eyes and decided to lay in bed for another hour whilst listening to the dreadful ticking of that 800-yen timekeeper.

・・・

My stomach began to grumble at me after what seemed like barely even an hour, but in reality it’d been nearly two, and the sun was shining well over the horizon by this point. Eventually I decided to get up and do the usual routine of getting myself cleaned up from whatever I had been drooling onto my pillow the night before. I felt like cooking today, as I hadn’t done so in a long time, but since the last time I cooked was… too long ago, safe to say there wasn’t anything for me to really make something out of in the fridge.

As such, I grumbled my way through my wardrobe to get something that at least works for the weather, and after checking all the doors to the apartment, I grabbed my keys and…

…keys…?

Let’s just say I was a bit surprised when I noticed a particular set that usually wouldn’t be in my possession. A black-and-purple Y-badged fob was connected to it, and immediately I knew what was up.

I rushed out of the apartment, and there it was. A black Yamada coupe in front of the sidewalk, more or less blocking half the street. The sides were pelted with whatever street racing modifications, and very un-secretly, X decals that lined its bodypanels.

“Are you… are you fucking kidding me?”

There was a note taped to the side of the window, and already ill tempered from just the sight of this in my usually peaceful neighbourhood, I grabbed it and read it.

“Hi Sigma, it’s X. I’ve personally decided to give you the company car for your day off. I figured you’d want something to go around in. You can turn the car back in when you return for work tomorrow. Enjoy your day! ~X”

Whatever kind of sick joke that was. Turns out the day off is just an unpaid day for me to babysit X’s toy. I sighed as I crumpled the paper uttering curses to myself.

That goddamn brat, I swear I’ll get back at them for this some day.

My annoyance was interrupted by someone greeting me seemingly out of the blue, and my heart dropped the moment I recognized the voice. After all, it was none other than my next-door neighbour Takamoto, who came holding a paper bag that I could smell fresh bread coming from. I hid the crumpled paper behind my back and smiled at him.

“Motoko, good morning! It’s rare to see you out like this, something good happening?” He greeted with his usual delightful tone. Indeed, it is rare for me to be out this morning, but I can’t exactly tell him about my work, it’s secret after all.

“M-morning… T-Takamoto…” I awkwardly wave back at him. “Nothing really, just a day off, I guess? Ehehe…”

As usual, he’s unfazed with a lot of things, even with the mysteriously loud coupe in front of me. I was hoping he wouldn’t bring it up, but he did anyway.

“Is this your car, Motoko? I never even knew you drove! Did you get permission from the landlord to park it here?”

Absolutely not. To both those questions, it’s a no.

“It’s my… um…”

Shit, gotta come up with an excuse. Who do I shift this onto…?

“…my… ah! It’s my brother’s car!”

Who the hell is your brother?! You don’t even have one, dumbass!

God, please tell me he’d take it.

“Is that so? I assume your brother is here right now, then?”

Why do you have to ask so many questions?! If you weren’t so cute I would’ve decimated you right here and then! I had no choice, from this day forward I’m going to have to come up with this false illusion of an “older brother” if I want to keep talking to him. There’s no other way around this!

“N-no, actually! He left the car with me because… well… he’s in… Tokyo right now? For work!” I said as truthfully as possible. For whatever reason, outside of work, my usual lying skills never seem to activate.

He looked at the car for a bit, eyeing it down with what I assumed to be curiosity. He took especial notice at the numerous X decals around the car, and the windshield decal that screamed everything right there and then. The “Secret” Society X.

Secret my ass!

“Well, it’s a nice car, isn’t it? 1997 Rhythm RS-GT. My dad had an older Rhythm before he got too old and bought a Hakaru. If your brother left it with you, I assume he’d be fine with you using it.”

Oh yeah, he’d definitely want me to use his six-hundred horsepower decision maker to run groceries and go to the local ramen shop. What a nice brother-! -Not!

“I wouldn’t exactly call it nice, the exhaust is too loud, and it rides really harshly. He just wants me to babysit it for today since a friend of his will be picking it up tomorrow.”

He seemed to take the bait, nodding his head at every word I said. I crumpled the ball of paper in my hand further, hoping that he would eventually go on his way. I was starting to get quite hungry at this point, and it would only be a matter of time until…

…ah, there it is.

My stomach growled once more in its eager quest to digest a meal to start the day off, and rather embarrassingly, I’m sure Takamoto heard it too.

“Ah, have you not eaten breakfast yet, Motoko?” He asked as he began to dig through the paper bag in his hand. “I just bought some ingredients from the bakery down the street to make a meal. Care to eat with me?”

With him asking me so sincerely, can I really say no?

・・・

Breakfast with Takamoto was fun. Never would I have expected him to be such a good cook, and I guess that’s just one of the few things you find out when you’re not working the entire day, or even the entire night.

“Say, Motoko, I never really got to properly know you until now. What do you actually do for a living?” He asked me as he finished up washing the dishes.

Of course, I can’t answer this question, my work is highly classified. I’m gonna have to continue building up this fantasy idea for him to not blow my cover.

“U-um… I’m… a secretary…”

That sounds too close to my actual job! But that may have its perks too for when he might ask more things about my job.

“Secretary, huh? Is a secretary supposed to be out late until three in the morning?”

“Not really, but my boss is just, really strict I guess.”

Not wrong there.

“Is that so? You should worry about your health more. Your lifespan will get cut short if you keep overworking yourself like that.” He said as he finished cleaning the last of the dishes. He’s such a caring guy, whoever ends up being his wife is surely going to be delighted!

“I suppose I should, ahaha~!” I said as I looked over towards the clock hanging on the wall. “Thanks for the meal, Takamoto. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh yeah, no worries! I’ve actually really wanted to spend at least one morning with you like this. It’s my way of thanks for that time you defended me from the landlord because of that stray cat I brought in.” He said. Ever since I moved into this apartment complex, Takamoto was always this nice man who was eager to help out anyone who seemed in need. Whether it was when Ms. Ogawa she locked herself out, or that stray cat he saw by the side of the road, even if the situation didn’t favour him, he was always there to help out.

Oh, how I wish I could spend more time with him!

“Say, Motoko, didn’t we agree on being a bit more friendly with one another now? You still refer to me as Takamoto, so are you uncomfortable with me calling you Motoko?”

“A-ah! Not really… I don’t mind you calling me by my first name at all… T-Takeshi…”

That’s right, we’re friends now… friends… But wait… he doesn’t refer to Ms. Ogawa by her first name, nor does he refer to Mr. Yamada… C-could it be?!

“That’s more like it! Oh, yeah, sorry to end it right here, but I’ve got to go to work in about an hour,”

It’s over already?

“I-is that so…? I suppose I must be going then!” I said, getting up from my seat and bowing politely. He then escorted me to the door, and we said our parting words as we went off for the rest of the day.

So far, this day off isn’t turning out that bad! A breakfast with Takamoto… I mean, Takeshi to start the day off, my mood was in great spirits until I stepped out of his apartment and came back to the realization of what my situation was.

That damn car isn’t going to disappear from here unless I do something about it.

I went back into my apartment and thought for a moment, looking around the place to see what exactly I could do, and with a deep sigh, I went back out to look at the car. I could hear the metal still ticking from the heat, which means the car was likely just delivered to my doorstep this morning…

Whatever the case, I shrugged it off and hopped into the car, plugging the key into the ignition and giving it a twist. The engine roared to life, unfortunately quite loudly. Even from the inside, I could smell the expensive, high octane fuel burning richly in the air. A sign that I really should get out of here.

・・・

Lunchtime eventually came around after driving for a bit around the ever-busy streets of Yohaku, with plenty of stares acquired by the loud-looking, and loud-sounding coupe, which was uncomfortable to experience to say the least. But once my stomach began to grumble, and the sun rose high into the cloud-dotted sky, I’d decided to hit the pass to make my way to none other than Yamitani’s finest.

Before that though, I’d have to head all the way up the eleven kilometres of high speed Shiromine road.

Entering the highway, it was clear, and the wind was practically nonexistent. The track conditons were great, and the tyres warmed from the hours of leisurely driving about Yohaku.

I think by this point, I figured out what X was trying to get me to do.

My foot heaved on the throttle, and the four cylinder breathed its five-hundred horsepower glory to the front wheels, and the car lunged up the hill as the revs climbed to well over 9000 RPM. The mountains lived with the glorious sound of a turbocharged mechanical beast that prowled up the asphalt, and here I felt everything that the boss wanted me to feel.

The ecstasy was unimaginable, and it filled me up with a goodness immeasurable. The speed crawled through my peripheral vision, and I felt the car’s suspension in contact with the most sensitive portions of the road. My pounding heart was bouncing in desire through these emotions as I wrestled my grip on the wheel.

The fight with the car up the hill was sickening, but pleasurable. A dominance battle between control and power, as I eased my foot up and down, left and right, and the tyre’s moans sounded through my ears as the tango between driver and car persisted.

Our bodies felt intertwined as one as we rode up the kilometres of uphill winding highway, and by the end, I realized…

I wasn’t even going full throttle even once.

Yet it all felt so…

…perverse.

Ahem! That aside, I saw the exit at the top of the pass, where I was sure I’d be led to the one and only Yuzuki Ramen. I rolled the window down in hopes of getting a whiff of the mixture of ingredients being cooked and served, but once more, the only scent I caught was that of the gasoline engine, and the slightly worn tyres sizzling from the heat of action.

The store was not at all busy, likely due to it being a weekday, but parking the car into a spot, and memories would climb back into my mind. The restaurant had only been established when I was little, yet it still remains popular to this day due to its unmatched recipes.

Entering the old-looking building, and I was finally greeted with the enticing scent of broth, and by the owner’s ever-sweet and nostalgic voice, both in person, and through the songs that played on the old radio by the counter.

“Welcome to the restaurant!” Called out the voice of a surprisingly youthful storekeeper. “Oh, Motoko! You’re back! Will you be having the usual?”

Leaning over the counter was none other than the restaurant’s owner, the ever beautiful Takamoto Yuzuki, or Yuzuki as she prefers to be called. She dressed casually, with her short brown hair being let down, but even then her maturity as a woman shone through dazzlingly, not just through her looks, but through her demeanour and voice as well.

Indeed, the store was named after her, and is funnily enough, themed after her. With the walls lining posters of a bygone era when she was still in the idol industry. These posters were not placed by Yuzuki herself, however, but her rather obsessed husband.

“Yes, please, I’ll have the usual.” I said, sitting myself down at the counter, and nearly instantly I was delivered a hot bowl of masterfully prepared ingredients by Yuzuki’s husband, Keiichi, someone who was equally as elegant as their spouse.

“Here you go, House Special Tonkotsu Ramen, just the way you like it!” Keiichi said, placing the bowl down in front of me. I bowed as a thanks, before tying my hair up into a neat bun to prepare myself for eating the meal.

“By the way, how’s our son doing? Made the moves on him yet?” He said, chuckling right after.

I tried not to think about it, but the events of this morning flashed through my mind quickly, making me pause right before taking a gulp of the noodles right before me. I tried to hide my embarrassment, but it appears Yuzuki had managed to catch right on.

“Oh my! Dear, it appears we may be getting a daughter-in-law soon!” She giggled.

My face turned red right there, as much as I denied it.

“W-with all due respect, t-that’s not happening! I’m already married to my work!” I blurted out quickly, which caused the noodles to fall right out of my chopsticks and back into the pork bone broth with a small splash.

Both of them seemed to have a small laugh right after I said that.

“Ah, Motoko, you’re really reminding me of how it was back in the days. I did say that at one point, but look where I’m at now!” Yuzuki said, bumping her husband with her elbow. “Speaking of which, why not just become an idol? You have an adorable face, a great singing voice, and you don’t mind working hard. Certainly could lead you somewhere than that secret society of yours…”

“…idol, huh?”

She did have a point, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to work under X. It’s not like I’ll be able to rise through the ranks in there, it’s a dead-end job, and I’ll be working until I hit the coffin most likely. The idol industry is harsh, but there’s no way it’ll be harsher than the work I do in this company.

Whatever X’s dirty laundry is, I’m always his first pick, aren’t I? Almost like a top idol already, just minus the fanfare, happy songs, and concerts…

“I still have my connections to my old agency, I could become your manager, y’know?” She said. I could barely even tell if she was joking or not. “This song really takes me back, I remember you singing this song quite well, Motoko.”

This song, huh? How contrasting to my daily work…

It was clear at this point, the mentioning of my job had a negative impact on my mood. They noticed it too, but shrugged it off. To be completely fair, it’s always been like this, and they know how it is anyway.

I slurped down the rest of the broth, and respectfully bowed my head once I finished the meal, with the bowl taken by Keiichi right after.

The lyrics continued midway through after a short bit of instrumental, and I found myself humming along, my spirits being slightly lifted away. As much of a joke the idol thing is, it may as well be plausible.

“Oh yeah, don’t worry about paying for your meal today. We do have one favour though.” Yuzuki said as I was about to grab my wallet. I looked up at her, and she seemed to be staring off into the distance, but the truth was she was just looking at the company car parked in the lot in front of the store.

“Care to do some delivery for us?”





extra for those who stuck around :)

9 Likes

HAIL TO THE SOUND OF THE HELL'S EAGLE'S

Praise be the land of the free, the country of the wild, the wild wild west!
The story of two business with a hobby

The Team:

@LS_Swapped_Rx-7

Name: Ryuzo “Big Block” Wakaba
Age: 28
Bloodtype: A

The younger of the two drivers. But just because he is younger doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the least experience in modding cars and running a succesful garage. With 23 Ryuzo opened the “Hell’s Eagles”-Shop, a tuning shop specializing on everything in the biggest tax braket. He runs the operation and still tunes the incoming steel beasts by himself.

Ryuzo always loved the US. The cheap Whiskey, long straights of sunburned asphalt and cheap american TV. Besides racing he loves watching his favorite teen drama in his diner styled office.

For the opening of his shop he needed a showstopper, a car which shows everything they are and can do. While reading his favorite imported american car magazine he found something in the ads, his own soon-to-be magnum Opus. A 1969 Mercer Scorpion. The car was half filled with the best Florida swamps had, and he other half was used as a target, but Ryuzo seen his soul mate.

When the car came into his shop the real damage showed. It seemed like a loosing battle before it even began. But under the long hood there is was. The heart of the beast. A seven litre V8. The thing which would make or break this project. With a battery attached, and the carburator full of brakecleaner he turned the key, and the engine roared to live. That was the sign he needed. Soon the beast was restored to its formar glory and even beyond. Every rusted panel was changed with aluminium ones and the engine got pushed to over 500hp. Most people only leave rubber in the turns here, he also left his marks on the straights.

@Mikonp7

Name: Tai “Free Bird” Miyako
Age: 30
Bloodtype: B

Tai met Ryuku when they where still is school. They quickly noticed they shared interrest in G.I.Joe , Knight Rider and the 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". With the help of his friend he co-founded the Hell’s Eagle shop and now runs the visual mods and paint shop.

Tai loves american music, nothing feels better than going down the pass, T-Tops down while listing to Bluegrass, Country and Madonna.

His love with american cars started already when he was small, he always adored the SuperCoups and STAG’s he seen on the TV. He wanted to be like all those people in the flickering box. Tai worked hard to furfill his dream, but evertime he was close to get his own piece of american freedom, something would come up. Rent, Tuition fees, broke family members. But when his friend told him about the idea for a shop, he jumped aboard with any further words. Helping was his thing, and he had the skills to make the business booming.

Soon Tai received his first paycheck from Ryuku, but not in form of a check, but with the keys of a freshly imported Deer And Hunt SuperCoupe. A five litre california dream of a car. Of course the car also got the Hell’s Eagles treatment, upping the engine to over 400hp and giving the car a aero kit for peak curve performance

11 Likes

峠バトル | TOUGE BATTLE

199█/11/12

At a stopover by the entrance of the Shiromine line, the event would continue a week after the previous. With the defeat of Von Vittoria Attsu’s Ascari Feia, there would only need to be one more victory for Dancing All Night in order to progress to the next stage.

If they don’t score this point however, they would then be forced into a tiebreaker round on a randomly decided course.

The rain continued to pour, but eventually calmed down after a few minutes of waiting. Still, droplets continued to fall onto the painted metal of the cars around the area, and the track was wet and slippery. A driver would need to have great skill and courage to push their cars up the course, even if it was a relatively straight one.

Eventually, there arrived X’s fleet of the imposingly large SUVs, but one with a keen eye would notice the sedan not present, instead being replaced by a black coupe garnished with a plentiful amount of racing modifications, its blow off valve whistling every time the driver lifted off the throttle, and the engine idling with an audible growl.

Omega and a couple of other masked figures exited one of the black SUVs, and interestingly, Sigma exited the black coupe, escorted by the earlier unmarked goons, with another one of them holding a rather exotic traditional umbrella over Sigma as the smaller figure walked over towards the crowd.

“X is presently busy with their work. However, do put on a good show as I will be acting as their representative, and they will still be looking over the footage acquired from tonight’s battle. This weather will put you two drivers to the test. May you both drive safely, and the best driver win. Please line up, both of you.”




VON VITTORIA ATTSU
v
DANCING ALL NIGHT


BATTLE TWO - DOWNHILL BATTLE
SHIROMINE LINE (OUTBOUND)
10.6 km | 22 Turns | Downhill | 7.5 ° average grade


NOVEMBER 5TH, 199X | 22:40 LOCAL TIME
WEATHER | LIGHT SHOWERS - 17° C
TRACK CONDITIONS | WET


(VON VITTORIA ATTSU) FUJI NAOKI 「藤井直樹」
v
「清水八重子」 SHIMIZU YAEKO (DANCING ALL NIGHT)


ROLLS: (Sport, Drive, Mistake)
FUJI - 10, 1, 18 | 18, 3, 3 - SHIMIZU


BATTLE DATA

SECTOR 1 TURNS: 8
SECTOR 1 LENGTH: 3.6 km
SECTOR 1 AVG GRADE: 8.7 °

SECTOR 1 TIMES:
FUJI - 138.8s | 154.6s - SHIMIZU
SECTOR 1 AVG SPEED:
FUJI - 93.4 kph | 83.8 kph - SHIMIZU

The two cars sat on the line, and Sigma held their umbrella as they counted down. Acting as a chequered flag, Sigma swung the umbrella and off did the two drivers go. Almost immediately, the battle's outcome could be determined just from the launch of the two vehicles, with Fuji's Tengai getting an incredible amount of grip right off the line, and Shimizu seemingly struggling to get a grip of the wet road in the high-powered, lightweight Hakaru.

SECTOR 2 TURNS: 5
SECTOR 2 LENGTH: 3.4 km
SECTOR 2 AVG GRADE: 11.3 °

SECTOR 2 TIMES:
FUJI - 129.7s | 144.3s - SHIMIZU
SECTOR 2 AVG SPEED:
FUJI - 94.4 kph | 84.8 kph - SHIMIZU

The battle's outcome had been decided long before the race even ended. The skill gap between the two drivers was immense, and with Shimizu's anxiety of driving on a dark, rainy road, it was clear who was going to win.

SECTOR 3 TURNS: 3
SECTOR 3 LENGTH: 2.1 km
SECTOR 3 AVG GRADE: 6.3 °

SECTOR 3 TIMES:
FUJI - 74.6s | 82.3s - SHIMIZU
SECTOR 3 AVG SPEED:
FUJI - 101.4 kph | 91.8 kph - SHIMIZU

On the long straightaway, Shimizu could just barely see the taillights of the Suisei, as with both cars nearing in power, she did manage to hold on just barely, before the coupe ahead of her disappeared past a corner.

SECTOR 4 TURNS: 6
SECTOR 4 LENGTH: 1.5 km
SECTOR 4 AVG GRADE: 3.9 °

SECTOR 4 TIMES:
FUJI - 53.8s | 59.5s - SHIMIZU
SECTOR 4 AVG SPEED:
FUJI - 100.4 kph | 90.8 kph - SHIMIZU

Even with the victory close, Fuji's driving in the wet was clearly hampered, even with the four wheel drive of his vehicle, maneuvering was a chore with the roads, and he felt he was going to make a mistake any moment now.

TOTAL RESULT
FUJI - 06:37 | 07:21 - SHIMIZU
TOTAL AVG SPEED:
FUJI - 97 kph | 88 kph - SHIMIZU

TONIGHT’S BATTLE WINNER: FUJI FROM VON VITTORIA ATTSU

"The teams are now 1-1. This calls for the Jesters of each teams to drive against one another to settle this once and for all."


WINNER OF TONIGHT'S BATTLE:
藤井直樹
FUJI NAOKI

"The R stands for invincibility!"




With the battle over, Sigma provided the results to the teams, and gave the information for the tiebreaker round.






5 Likes

バトル発表 | BATTLE ANNOUNCEMENT

JESTER

BATTLE


VON VITTORIA ATTSU
藤井直樹

FUJI NAOKI

@Falling_Comet


VERSUS

@kaybee

HASHIMOTO KOYA

橋本小屋
DANCING ALL NIGHT


NAKAGAWA 白峰 PASS
9X/11/19 | 23:45

november 19th


Ⅹは待っている. | X is waiting.

7 Likes