The evening of the final exam.
As soon as Ryosuke opens the door to his home, he sees Nibutani Shinka rolling on the floor and whining.
"Waaaaah, the exams are over, Shizuka-nee, please take me with you! I want to go to Fukuoka too!"
"I know, I know. Just get up first."
Hiratsuka Shizuka has a headache. She never intended to bring the girl, but she can't stand her rolling and pestering. Hearing the sound at the door, Nibutani Shinka jumps up in surprise. "Ryosuke, you're back!"
Even faster than her is a small white cat. Ryosuke gently strokes the cat's chin, and it closes its eyes and happily raises its head.
"Hmph, that scheming little cat, Vanilla!" Nibutani Shinka stamps her foot and says through gritted teeth.
"Shinka, are you seriously getting worked up over a cat?" Ryosuke asks, petting the cat.
Hiratsuka Shizuka rubs her temples and says helplessly, "Alright, Shinka, go back and ask your mom first. If she says yes, I'll take you to Fukuoka."
"Yay!" Nibutani Shinka excitedly jumps up, quickly puts on her shoes, and runs home.
After Shinka leaves, Hiratsuka Shizuka quietly watches Ryosuke as he tidies up. She sees his tall back and a hint of nostalgia appears in her eyes. She remembers when she first brought him to Tokyo, his head only reached her waist. Now, he's not much shorter than she is.
"Ryosuke, get everything ready and go to bed early tonight. You have to get up early tomorrow, right?" Hiratsuka Shizuka says suddenly.
Ryosuke's actions stop. He turns back and gives her a faint smile. "Yes, Sis."
The next morning, 7:30 AM.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke arrives at the school gate early.
"Good morning, Vice President."
"Vice President, you're here."
Standing at the school gate are not just his four teammates, but the entire kendo club. Their formation is perfectly straight, with not a single flaw.
After politely greeting the members, Ryosuke walks over to Takamachi Kyouya and asks quietly, "President, aren't we the only ones going to Fukuoka? Why is everyone here?"
Takamachi Kyouya looks at the huge crowd and is equally speechless. He feels like they're not going to a kendo tournament but rather a bunch of delinquents gathering for a brawl.
Just as the clock hits 8:00, a seven-seater Toyota drives up from a distance and stops at the school gate. The window rolls down, and a small head pops out from the driver's side. "Yo, you guys are all here so early."
"Good morning, Teacher!" dozens of people shout in unison.
This startles Doraku Utage. She frowns, her lollipop still in her mouth, and asks somewhat incoherently, "What are you all doing standing here?"
The reason they came so early is that Doraku Utage had terrified them all that day. Even though she had only told the tournament participants to meet at 8:00 AM, what if her words were some kind of hidden message? So, with someone taking the lead, a herd effect was triggered, and almost all the kendo club members showed up early.
Doraku Utage doesn't understand what these students are trying to do. But seeing a crowd waiting for her to give a command, she inexplicably remembers her headstrong years as a gang leader at Seiran Girls' High School, with a group of her "little sisters" following behind her, shouting and cheering. She shakes her head, getting rid of the strange thought, and then gestures to Ryosuke and the others who are participating. "Hey, you guys, get in the car."
The engine starts, and the car slowly leaves the school gate. Faintly, they can still hear shouts of "Farewell, Teacher!" and "Farewell, Big Sis!" coming from behind.
About half an hour later, after the car gets onto the highway, the people inside realize something is wrong.
"Teacher, aren't we taking the Shinkansen? Fukuoka is over 900 kilometers from Tokyo. Are we really driving all the way there?" Hiratsuka Ryosuke asks tentatively from the passenger seat. This question expresses what's on everyone's mind. They're representing the school at this level of competition, so the school should cover the bullet train fare.
"Hiratsuka, are you saying my car is too slow?" Doraku Utage raises an eyebrow and retorts.
"I didn't say that," Ryosuke says, noticing the shift in her tone.
As expected, Doraku Utage gives a strange smile and pulls the car over to the emergency lane on the side of the highway. She grips the steering wheel with both hands, the light in her eyes fading. She whispers, as if possessed by a demon, "Hiratsuka, do you know what regret is? To beat your sister, I modified this car from top to bottom. But then one day, she suddenly told me she wasn't street racing anymore, so I could never beat her."
Then, her tone shifts again, and the light returns to her eyes. "But it doesn't matter. You're her brother. I'm going to let you experience firsthand who the real Tokyo's Racing God is."
"Alright, boys, buckle your seatbelts."
After Doraku Utage says this, she presses a red button next to the dashboard. A small console extends from the side of the dashboard, covered in various switches and buttons. She flips a series of unknown switches. A mechanical clanking sounds from inside the car, and everyone feels the body slowly lift.
In places no one can see, the rear spoiler rises, the front air diffuser automatically switches to a racing-specific model, the wheel track widens, the body slowly lowers, and the chassis drops even closer to the ground, making everyone inside lurch. Finally, she removes the original steering wheel and replaces it with a strangely shaped one from under the seat.
Doraku Utage installs the new steering wheel and restarts the car.
Roooom!
The furious engine roars like an angry beast, completely different from the earlier sound. Now, everyone realizes something is seriously wrong. They buckle their seatbelts and instinctively grab the overhead handles. Doraku Utage's eyes blaze with an unprecedented light, and she smiles confidently. "Let's go!"
She releases the brake, and the car shoots forward like a cannonball.
At this moment, on the highway, a seasoned old traffic cop is teaching a rookie how to use a speed gun.
"Watch closely, kid. This speed gun is the newest model. You could say it's the Rolls-Royce of speed guns," the old cop says. "Press the button on the back, and the display will show the reading immediately."
With that, the old cop walks slowly to the side of the road, ready to demonstrate. "Pay attention. You just have to walk to the side of the road like me," he says, turning his head to look at the young police officer behind him. He then slowly extends the speed gun and says sincerely, "And gently extend your arm."
Bang!
The speed gun in his hand inexplicably explodes, and the wind pressure from a passing vehicle blows the old cop's hat off. He looks at the now-destroyed speed gun, a bit embarrassed, and says, "Uh, well, for now, you should probably stick with the old model."
On the highway, car after car is left far behind by the Toyota.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke is gripping the overhead handle tightly. He looks at the scenery blurring past the window and feels the sensation of being pressed back into his seat, his heart filled with dread. The others in the car look even worse.
"Teacher, that's a turn up ahead! Please, please, slow down!"
"Hiratsuka, what on earth did your sister do to 'Big Sis'?! Save us all!"
"This isn't a trip to Fukuoka; it's a one-way ticket to the underworld! I'm out of this! Let me off the car!"
A sharp bend appears on the mountain road ahead, but Doraku Utage shows no intention of slowing down. Her feet constantly switch between the gas, clutch, and brake, while her hand swiftly shifts gears. As the car is about to fly off the road, she executes a perfect drift, passing through the sharp turn with an ear-splitting screech of tires against the pavement. The passengers are thrown violently in one direction due to inertia.
At this point, they feel like their bodies are in the car, but their souls are chasing it from the outside.
Doraku Utage glances at the others in the rearview mirror, noticing their pale faces. She growls menacingly, "Hey, you lot! If anyone dares to vomit in my car, I'll end you!"
"Teacher, are you seriously not worried about getting your driver's license revoked?!" Hiratsuka Ryosuke forces down his unease and asks loudly.
Doraku Utage looks at the car's real-time road conditions monitor and smiles slightly. "It's fine. I don't have a license. It was already revoked last time."
A strange silence fills the car, followed by a chorus of desperate screams. "Help!"
The cries of despair don't last long, as the car quickly passes the terrifying winding mountain road and returns to a straightaway. The car glides smoothly on the road, and everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief, finally feeling safe.
The next second, the scenery to their right makes their faces change color in unison. The passengers see a train running parallel to them and ask, a hint of uncertainty in their voices, "Wait, is that a bullet train?!"
As everyone knows, bullet trains typically travel at speeds of over 200 km/h. Even when a bullet train is slowing down as it approaches a station, it's still faster than most cars. The car they're in, however, is not a bit slower than the bullet train beside them. Is this really just a Toyota?
Five hours later, the group finally arrives in Fukuoka Prefecture. For the past five hours, everyone except the driver has been in a daze. Some even have tears glistening in their eyes.
They arrive at the inn they booked, and their hellish journey is finally over. As they get out of the car, only Hiratsuka Ryosuke is still able to stand.
Doraku Utage claps her hands and says loudly, "Dismissed for now. Get some good rest and prepare for the competition tomorrow."
The moment she finishes speaking, the other four people spot a public restroom not far from the inn. They immediately cover their mouths and rush toward it.
"Huh? Hiratsuka, you're pretty tough," Doraku Utage says, surprised to see Ryosuke still standing.
At this moment, Hiratsuka Ryosuke finally realizes how right he was to stop his sister from street racing. It's just too dangerous. A master like Teacher Doraku is an inferior rival to Sis?
"Sorry, Teacher, but I think I need to rest." Ryosuke slowly walks to a nearby bench and sits down, looking up at the clear blue sky. He closes his eyes, lets out a long sigh, and thinks to himself, It's so good to be alive.
He has barely sat down when a shadow falls over his head. At the same time, a female voice with little emotional fluctuation says, "Oh, Hiratsuka-kun, what a coincidence."