One day, Kousei sat alone in the cafeteria, deep in thought.
"Speaking of which, we're still one person short for the team. Who should we recruit?" she mused, recalling all her previous failed attempts.
"Damn it! Why didn't I debut?! I want to help Senpai too!" Vodka threw a tantrum, while Daiwa Scarlet looked on with a helpless expression.
They went to Matikanefukukitaru to have their fortunes read.
"Hmm... Today's fortune! Great Luck!" As soon as they entered, they saw Fukukitaru jumping up and down with a Great Luck slip in hand, only to trip and fall, bruising her nose badly.
Fukukitaru struggled to lift her head, blood still dripping from her nose.
"Are you here to have your fortunes read?! Wait a moment! I'll be right with you!"
Watching this scene unfold, Kousei silently closed the door.
"Excuse me for the intrusion."
Kousei felt utterly stumped, unsure where to even begin.
Could another Twin Turbo-like person suddenly appear out of nowhere?
Come to think of it, Kousei found it odd that she was the one fretting over this. Given the connections and networks involved, she should be the last person responsible for this task.
Sigh~
Kousei let out a long sigh, rose from her seat, and left.
At the training track, McQueen and the others had been waiting for quite some time. Teio was in high spirits, as if something good had happened.
"What's going on?" Kousei asked, genuinely puzzled.
Teio grinned. "The last member of our team has finally been found by yours truly, Teio-sama!"
"What do you mean you found her? She joined us voluntarily, just like Twin Turbo."
"McQueen, you really have no sense of the mood."
"Hmph~ The team is complete! Now let's see Turbo show her true power!"
A question mark slowly formed in Kousei's mind. After all this talk, where's the new member?
"Everyone! Sorry I'm late!"
A petite figure dashed over, waving her hand excitedly. Her beautiful sakura-pink eyes and spring-like smile were... not quite cheerful. If Kousei had to describe her, she'd say she was like a spring breeze.
"Ah! I know you! You won first place at the Japan Cup! That's amazing!" The pink-haired girl rushed up to Kousei, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"Eyy~ Looks like someone's getting popular," McQueen teased pointedly.
Kousei felt a little awkward. She had indeed noticed a slight increase in her popularity recently.
"This is Haru Urara, our fifth team member!" Teio introduced.
"Hello!"
Urara radiated such vibrant energy that simply being around her lifted one's spirits.
Kousei, however, was curious about the bandage on Urara's arm. Noticing Kousei staring, Urara grinned and explained, "Oh, this? I tripped while chasing butterflies this morning! But Halo put a bandage on it, and now it doesn't hurt at all!"
"Ah..."
Tripping while chasing butterflies... just like when I was little.
"By the way, Urara, why did you volunteer to participate?" Kousei asked, repeating the same question.
"Why? Hmm..." Urara seemed genuinely perplexed.
"If we defeat Acting Chairman Kashimoto, will Urara become a hero?"
To Kousei's surprise, Urara countered with her own question. After a moment's hesitation, Kousei replied, "I suppose so."
"If you're a hero, does that mean you're the number one?"
"I suppose so."
"Urara wants to be number one! That would make everyone in the Shopping District so happy!" A blissful smile lit up Urara's face as if struck by a sudden realization.
Kousei blinked, startled. So Urara was from the Shopping District too.
(SpyNote: Im changing shopping street to district. Lines closer with the actual world.)
"Urara really, really wants to run with everyone! But she's always been a terrible runner and never wins. The race locations are always so far away, and even though the local specialties are delicious and the people are kind, Urara still just wants to run with everyone at Tracen.
This might be my only chance in my whole life, so Urara will definitely give it her all!" As if to encourage herself, Urara raised her clenched right fist.
"Eh! Eh! Oh!"
Even though she's at Central, she's never competed in a race here. She wants to be number one, she wants to run alongside her friends. If the Management Education Program takes effect, Urara's dream will never come true.
"Alright, let's save the Academy together and become heroes," Kousei said, glancing at the group. "Right here, with just the five of us."
"Hehe~ The strongest and most invincible Teio-sama will never lose~"
"In the name of Mejiro, I swear I will bring victory home."
"Watch Turbo lead from start to finish!"
"Urara! You got this!"
"Don't forget one very important thing," McQueen said, stopping the others' excitement.
"What else is missing?" Twin Turbo and Urara asked, confused.
"As a team, we absolutely need our own name."
When she put it that way, it really was crucial.
"Then let's call ourselves the New Student Council!" Teio declared triumphantly.
"Why would we call ourselves that?! That's not even a proper team name!" McQueen objected vehemently.
"Turbo likes Engines!"
"Urara likes... hmm... I can't think of one! Ha ha ha!"
Slightly exasperated, McQueen turned to Kousei. "Do you have any good suggestions?"
Indeed, sometimes you have to consider whether this might be the only chance of a lifetime. For once, Kousei wore a serious expression. "In that case, let's call ourselves Iron Blood..."
"Rejected."
"Eh! But I wasn't finished yet!"
"Don't think I don't know you're just trying to name us after that late-night anime you've been watching."
Tch!
Kousei clicked her tongue, realizing McQueen had seen right through her.
"Well, McQueen, what do you suggest?"
"I do have an idea—a name long forgotten."
The others leaned in, ears perked with curiosity.
"Sirius."
Sirius? Kousei blinked, momentarily wondering if she'd misheard.
"You heard right—it's that Sirius," McQueen confirmed, understanding Kousei's confusion.
"It's a team that vanished long ago. I heard about them from my grandmother."
Sirius... Could they be connected to the star Sirius?
Come to think of it, Sirius has always been secretive about her past. What exactly happened between her and Rudolf?
"A vanished team resurfaces? I love it!" Teio seemed particularly fond of the name.
"Turbo's fine too! As long as it sounds cool!"
"Sirius~ Sirius~" Urara, oblivious to the details, simply cheered enthusiastically.
The other three showed no objections, leaving Kousei with no reason to argue.
"Hehehe~ I can't wait to see Central's reaction! Imagine the faces on those old geezers when they hear about this!" Teio smirked mischievously, seemingly knowing more than Kousei.
"Alright! From today onward, we are Sirius! We'll crush Rapid and reclaim the Academy!"
"Ooooh!!!"
"Good! Training begins!"
"The great Teio leads the charge!"
"Ah! Just you wait, Teio! Turbo's gonna be number one!"
"Hey! You two, wait up! Stick to the training plan!"
"Oh no! Urara's fallen asleep!"
"Is it already naptime?"
Sirius rises again, unearthing a buried history.