Hashiriya (Volume 4): Final Chapter & Epilogue Posted! (31/7/11)

[DK]

Hashiriya Volume 3 isn't told from Hiroto's perspective, but rather someone that he knows quite well.

Also, once a GT5 Race Reports sub-forum opens, I will move this thread there.

Chapter 1 - Intro
Date: 3rd of April, 2011
Location: Tokyo, Japan
​

“Oh, here it is, 171st Street. Block number 4.”

So, here I am. My new home for the next four years. I walked up to the intercom at the front door, and look for the “Oka-Nomura” nameplate. I pressed the buzzer on the intercom.
In an apartment a dozen or so floors above, two bespectacled 20-somethings stood around a desk with a computer screen on it.
"So...Seiichi...how would you describe her hair?" asked the thinner of the pair.
"I hope she's not German..." said his overweight friend. "I wouldn't describe her hair's colour as 'Yoko Rittona red'." He then waddled over to the intercom, and pressed the buzzer. “Who is this?”
“The new roommate.”
“Oh, right. I just got suspicious when I saw a beautiful girl like you come here.”
“How did you…”
Then I spot a little red dot in the corner of the porch.
“Oh, you 🤬 pervert!”
I hear another voice. It’s high-pitched, but it’s also a man’s.
“Sorry, you must excuse my roommate.”
“He’s a pervert! He probably logs onto other people’s internet connections to look up porn!”
The wheezy-voiced guy speaks up again.
“If we said we had a job for you, would you forget about the surveillance cam?”
“What kind of job?”
“Running basic errands. Getting coffee, doughnuts, fast food, Coke-”
“Cocaine?”
The wheezy-voiced guy laughs almost to the point of breathlessness.
“We’re too smart to use cocaine,” jokes the high-pitched guy.
“So, basic errands for you guys. How much does it pay?”
“After tax and deductions for rent, 45,000 yen a week.”
“AFTER TAX?!”
“And deductions for rent. We run a pretty successful company.”
“Right…which floor are you guys on?”
“7th.”
“Can any of you guys help me with my stuff?”
“Sure, I can. Seiichi is a bit of a recluse. Plus 160 kilos (352lbs) of fat jiggling while going downstairs is not a pretty sight.”
After a few minutes, the high-pitched guy emerges. He’s really skinny and his jawbones stick out. He looks like he weighs between 60 and 65 kilos (132-143lbs). He has short hair, which has probably never heard of hair gel. He is neither fat nor muscular.

The skinny guy has an astonished look on his face.
“Whoah…an S15...”
“Are you impressed?” I ask.
“Uh…does the Pope hate children?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?”
The look he gives me is facepalm-implying. It creates an awkward silence. I open the boot. He inspects it for about 15 seconds.
“I see you like CSI and modern pop-rock music.”
“Wait…Paramore and 30 Seconds To Mars are ‘pop-rock’? Why?”
“Because, they try to cater for the mass market.”
“Whatever. And what kind of music do you like?”
“Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Pendulum…”
“Electronic crap.”
“I can say the same thing about your favourite music, only to replace ‘electronic’ with ‘emo’, but I’m not the vindictive type unless you do something to annoy me. And my way of achieving vengeance is not through petty insults.”
“How do you do it?”
“Let’s just say that my methods are frowned upon.”
“Just give me a clue!”
“Can we please stop talking about this?” asked the high-pitched guy in a voice that reeked of desperation.
“Hey, if you seek vengeance against people who are the 🤬 stain on the pants of the society, I’m with you on that. My brother managed to do just that.”
“How?”
“He tracked down his ex-ex-girlfriend-”
“Ex-ex-girlfriend?”
“Well, she was once his ex-girlfriend, and they got back together.”
“Okay, and what happened next?”
“Well, he faced all of these team-mates of the guy who kidnapped her.”
“Team-mates?”
“She was kidnapped by a racing driver.”
“Was that racing driver…Miki Watanabe?”
“Yes.”
“The ‘Mob Racer’? That guy?”
“Yeah. Long story short, he shoots himself-”
“Seppuku?”
“No. By accident, thinking there’s a blockage in the gun barrel.”
“Whoah. That’s 🤬 up.”
“So, can you help me with these boxes?”
“Sure, I just hope you don’t mind having to make 2 trips.”
“2 trips?”
“I wouldn’t recommend carrying these boxes two at a time."
“Why?”
“Just in case you slip. You gotta think about all of these potential possibilities.”
“Is this why you look like someone who thinks a gym is someone from an English-speaking country? Are you too scared that you might drop some weights while on a weightlifting bench and choke to death?”
The high-pitched guy giggles.
"You seem to have very morbid thoughts..."

After returning from my second trip to the car, I collapsed on the couch which was a few metres or so away from the door. I fall asleep.

I open my eyes slowly. The light is blinding. I hear traffic. I smell toast. A fat guy puts a plate with four slices of buttered toast on the coffee table about half a metre away from the couch. Under the coffee table was a Wii Fit board. There’s a Thrustmaster steering wheel attached to a stand next to the coffee table in front of a car seat, most likely from a cheap Suzuki or Daihatsu. In front of the seat was a 26” HD TV. On the wall opposite to the couch, there’s another flatscreen TV, a 50” Sony Bravia 3D TV, with a PS3, an Xbox and a Wii (my brother Kenji would kill for one of those) nearby. The TV is between a set of shelves on each side of it. The shelves are lined with an array of thick books, most of which I can see are related to computers. The books are arranged according to genre (have these guys any lives at all?). In a corner, next to a door, was another bookshelf. However, this one lined with video games, DVDs and CDs, again organised by genre.
“Eat up,” said the fat guy.
“Are you getting some sort of pleasure out of watching me eat toast?”
“No…I get a pleasure out of eating toast, not watching others it.”
I gobble down the toast quickly.
“So,” I ask, “what’s your name?”
“Seiichi. Yours?”
“Miyu.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
The high-pitched guy emerges out of the door next to the bookshelf in the corner.
“Has Daisuke introduced himself to you yet?”
“And Daisuke is…”
The high-pitched guy said, “Me. I’m Daisuke.”
“Daisuke,” the fat guy then pointed at me, “this is Miyu.”
“Well, Miyu, eat that quick. We have jobs to go to.”
“And get dressed,” added Seiichi, the fat guy.
“I am dressed.”
“In tracksuit pants and an oversized black t-shirt.”
“Whatever. You guys hired me.”
“And we can fire you.”
“For wearing clothes which don’t cost tens of thousands of yen?”
“No, for inappropriate behaviour, like showing up drunk for work, accessing 'inappropriate material' on the computers, etc.”
“Besides,” said Seiichi, “we don’t wear uniforms, but we don‘t like wearing the same outfit two days in a row.”
I heed their advice, and change into clothes that don’t smell of sweat.
"Our Vitz awaits!" declared Seiichi.
Oh boy.

 

[SVX]

Nice start! Looks good.

 

[Anathema]

Oh boy... Vitz atacks.
Great new start, anyway!

 

[DK]

Chapter 2 - Sane People Need Not Apply​

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Date: April 23rd, 2011

I'm exhausted. Today, I finished my first ever essay for college. I was awake until 12 midnight. I stare at my phone. It's 1:16am. "Maybe I'm too tired to sleep," I thought to myself. Then, I hear something. The doors of Seiichi's room opens. I hear him walk over to Daisuke's room, and then he knocks on the door. The trouble is, I can only hear bits of the conversation.
“Dai-san?”
Daisuke’s reply is inaudible.
“Come on…dressed…we’re going to...7…yeah, he’s there.”
I hear Daisuke’s door open.
“Are you seriously going to wear that?”
This time I heard Seiichi perfectly.
“You’re…clothes Nazi,” Daisuke seemed to reply.
“You…using…word…insults.”
“I hope…Hornets...not there.”
“I…too.”
A few minutes later, the door of the apartment is opened, and then closed a few seconds later. I decide to satisfy my curiosity. I put on tracksuit bottoms, a hooded jacket and grab my courier bag. Because I don't wish to fall victim to fatigue and end up in a morgue, I guzzle down a can of Red Bull Cola that was in the fridge. I ignored the "DO NOT TOUCH" label. I unlock the door of the apartment, and leave. I quickly ran down the stairs, taking the steps 2 or 3 at a time. My courier bag kept hitting my right hip. I skidded to a halt between the 3rd and 2nd floor, when I heard Daisuke, Seiichi and someone I don't know talking.
"That place? Are you crazy? Do you have a death wish?"
"Seiichi does," joked Daisuke, "Why else do you think he eats so much?"
I heard a soft thumping noise, probably Seiichi hitting Daisuke.
"Look, we have to go. Our car needs exercise."
The Vitz? I then hear them descend to the parking lot under the apartment block. I follow them as quietly as I can. When I reach the parking lot, I keep my distance from them and hide behind a Nissan Cefiro. To my surprise, they're not walking to the Vitz. Instead, they walk to a red Evo.
"What the hell?" I thought to myself, "The Vitz is over THAT way," subconsciously pointing to it. Then I hear Daisuke's voice echo through the parking lot.
"What? They're there?" he said in shock.
"Dai-san," pleaded Seiichi, "Don't do anything stupid!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise that we didn't need to protect our dignity against these bastards!"
I listen to an engine start. It's turbocharged, and probably has 4 cylinders. The exhaust note is low, and it makes a burbling sound. I rush over to my Silvia. I'm fumbling with the keys as I insert them into the door. I then turn the key into the ignition switch. The engine starts and I hear the SR20DET's familiar sound. I drive out of the parking lot. I keep my distance, as I see their car around the corner, stuck behind a Honda Odyssey. The Honda turned right, and the Evo turned left. I could see Daisuke using his laptop.

They turn another corner, and I keep my distance. It's a good thing that Seiichi hasn't seen my Silvia yet.
"What are you doing there, Dai-san?"
"These bastards...they tried to send me a virus."
"Tried?"
"My personal firewall."
"Stupid retards don't know how to take down a firewall..."

I then lose concentration for a second. Then, the Evo vanishes.
"GODDAMMIT!!!" I scream. I then decide to follow the one-way streets back to the apartment. I turn on the radio.
# "This is Radio 93, welcome back to The Small Hours, our early-morning talk show for you night owls. Now, Kimiko Yamata, infamous street racer, is with us."
I decide to pay attention.
# "Well, Saito-san, one popular route for street racing is Route 7. Last time I checked, a group of Honda enthusiasts were trying to take control from a Mitsubishi enthusiast club."
# "And what are these gangs called?"
# "The Mitsubishi club is called 3 Diamonds."
I suddenly remember Daisuke saying something about "3 Diamonds" last Friday.
# "And Yamata-chan, what are the Honda gang called?"
# "They're known as the Type R Titans. They generally dress like stereotypical punk rockers, and many members have committed crimes against immigrants."
I then remember Seiichi mentioning the word "Titans", but I assumed he was talking about something else. I pull over. I reach into the glove box, and pull out a map of Tokyo. I searched for Route 7. I found it easily. Apparently, it was closed between 12am and 5am every Saturday and Sunday morning. Today was a Saturday, according to my phone's calendar. Route 7 was literally minutes away. I put the map back into the glove box. I drive to a nearby 7/11, and buy a coffee.

Meanwhile...

There was a large crowd amassed at one end of the track. Among the crowd, two people were chatting - a man and a woman. Both wore leather jackets, with patches saying "3 Diamonds" on each sleeve.
"So, Mayumi, what do you think of Seiichi Oka?"
"Oka-san is not good enough to control any Evo, let alone one that has been tuned-"
"To only 360hp."
The woman stifled a laugh.
"Power isn't everything, Kei-san."
Then, the man answered his ringing phone.
"What?" he asked in a shocked tone.
"Sei-san lost," replied Daisuke.
The man hung up in anger.
"He lost, didn't he?"
"Damn it, Mayumi. You can read me like a book."
"You know what that means. Seiichi owes these scumbags 1 million yen."
"And Scar Suzuki isn't someone you take lightly. Even though he drives a Civic."

 

[Daniel]

A new (and great) chapter just in time for the new GT5 Report forum to come out, DK!
You should move it there 👍

 

[Akmuq]

Very good so far. I'm looking forward to the next chapter all ready.

 

[Tonystew42]

Great to see a classic GT4 story moved here! I need to add finishing book 2 to my to-do list. 👍

 

[DK]

Chapter 3: Monster Civics​

Seiichi and Daisuke pulled into a nearby rest stop. There, they were taunted by the Type R Titans.

"You call that racing?"
"Evos suck!"
"Nothing can beat a Honda! The Type R badge is the ultimate!"

The driver of the black EP Civic stepped out. He was bald, apart from a 20cm-high Mohawk. He was wearing a leather jacket with the word "TITAN" on the back.

"Well, it looks like you two should take up new jobs." He then turned to Seiichi. "Maybe you could start training to be a sumo, tubby," he taunted. The sneering look on his face said it all. In the poor lighting, it was hard to see the scar that ran from his left eye down to his mouth.

"Scar" Suzuki was a force to be reckoned with - and to be feared. Despite his name, he didn't own a Suzuki, but a Honda instead. There are many rumours as to why he has a scar running down the left side of his face. Some say he was in a huge crash. Some say he got into a knife fight with a Yakuza don. Some have gone as far as to suggest that the scar is the result of him being hit in the face by shrapnel from an explosion. As for his name, barely anyone knows it. Those who might know his first name mostly don't know his surname, and vice-versa. He was so secretive about his name that even Wikileaks would have trouble finding out what it was.

His weapon of choice was his black Civic Type R EP3. It was tuned to phenomenal levels. Before his Type R was unleashed upon Tokyo's highways, few would find it credible that a Civic would be able to scare Evos, Imprezas, Supras or Skylines. The idea of a naturally-aspirated car being able to dominate these notorious highways was considered laughable.

Which is why he turbocharged it.

The Type R Titans are not strict about tuning protocols. As long as it can do over 275km/h, you could join. But there was still an unwritten rule about turbocharging. Some members looked down on turbocharged cars. As one member remarked, "Turbocharging is tuning for lazy people." In fact, the hatred for turbocharging within the Type R Titans even led to a ban on owners of turbocharged cars holding high positions within the gang's hierarchy. This ban ended with the death of the gang's 2nd leader, Shingo Kurayama. The 3rd leader, Shingo's brother, Kenji, ended the ban during his brief 3-month reign before he was arrested for causing a fatal accident after colliding with a Suzuki Alto. Scar was Kenji's successor, but only after winning a divisive civil war within the gang. The losers of the war split away to form their own gang, dedicated to touge racing. Scar cared little for the touge. It wasn't that he disrespected touge racers, but rather that he preferred high-speed battles on highways.

“Look at the nerds,” said Scar, “how many times is that now, huh?”
His gang, which had similar hairstyles to the man, unanimously answered, “7.”
“7?! It’s 5!” yelled Daisuke.
The man cackled.
“Let’s see what you 🤬 have done, huh?”
He walked around Daisuke and Seiichi’s car.
“Look, boss,” said one of the gang members, “they gots a laptop in here.”
Seiichi had to restrain himself from trying to correct that grammar mistake.
“Whoah…Toyo tyres, huh?” said a girl, probably in her late teens, who also had a Mohawk and a myriad of jewellery piercing her face, her ears and her tongue.
Daisuke muttered, “1,000 yen says she does drugs.”
Seiichi replied, “Damn, you’re bleeding me dry here.”
A couple of the gang members went over to a blacked-out Honda Accord. They withdrew numerous weapons from its boot. Then, without warning, the teenage girl stabbed the rear right tyre furiously. She most likely had some practice stabbing things.
“Hey!” protested Seiichi and Daisuke in unison.
The leader of the gang pulled a knife out of his jacket.
“Shut the 🤬 up, 🤬.”
The tip of the blade was, at its closest, 50cm (1’8&#8221 away from Daisuke’s eye.
Inside the service station, the occupants could only watch. Any interference with Scar’s business will bring numerous unwanted consequences.
Then there was a sound. The sound of an exhaust.
“What is that…” wondered Scar out loud.
“Don’t worry boss, it’s only a piece of 🤬 Silvia!” yelled one of the lackeys.
“What the? Who is this guy?”
I had literally no idea who this scumbag was. I thought that he was a Bosozoku member. He probably goes around terrorising foreigners and throws Molotov cocktails at foreign-owned businesses that don’t pay him protection money.
I stopped my car. I turned off the engine, and got out.
“What are you doing to my friends?”
Daisuke and Seiichi were now lying face-down on the ground. There was a gang member beside both of them. The gang members were holding knives.

“Look, boss,” said a girl about my age who looked as if she had injected heroin into her veins for the last year of her life, “she’s wearing pyjama shorts!”
“Slut!” yelled the gang member standing next to Seiichi.
The scumbag who walked out towards my car looked me up and down.
“So, what’s your business here, little girl? Don’t tell me this is where your customers pick you up.”
All of the gang members cackled as if they had just set a cat on fire.
“Come on, your customers are waiting!” yelled the gang member standing next to Seiichi.
“Little girl, don’t make me have to punish you. I like punishing people who don’t know their limits.”
He flicked his switchblade open, and then flicked it back to the “closed” position. He repeated this action about ten times, in some futile attempt to threaten me.
“She thinks she’s so 🤬 fearless, doesn’t she?” asked the gang member who was crushing Daisuke sarcastically. Daisuke was gasping for air. It didn’t help that he was being sat on by the person who was obviously the heaviest in the gang.
“I think we need to have a little wager, little girl,” said the gang leader.
“Bring it.”
“Now, your two retarded friends owe me a lot of money. How much is it, Hawk?”
The man who answered to the name Hawk, who was sitting on Daisuke, replied, “About 500,000 yen.”
“Thank you Hawk. Now, if you win, I’ll cancel the debt, and you'll win a million yen. But if you lose, you, and your nerdy friends, will owe us 2.5 million yen. Do we have a deal?”
I nod in agreement.
“What’s your car?”
“Oh, I’m not wasting my time against a bitch like you. You’ll be racing Hawk and two grunts.”
Hawk grunted as he staggered to his feet. Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Hawk walked over to me. He came within 50cm (1’8&#8221 of me. I could smell his breath, which smelled like cigarettes, vodka, rum and Jack Daniels. Hawk’s mouth curled upwards into a sick, twisted smile.
“I’ll enjoy beating you…both on and off the track.”
“Not a chance.”
I’m not going to back down to someone who is a skid-mark on the underpants of humanity. Then, two more gang members emerged from the store.
“Gentlemen!” announced Hawk, “to your Civics!”
Hawk and his two goons returned with 3 FD-chassis Civic Type R sedans. All of them were white.
“Civics? Against a Silvia?”
Hawk cackled. The two goons laughed awkwardly.
“You don’t realise it, do you?”
“What?”
“These are tuned to beyond 300hp.”
“300hp? In an FF? That’s madness!”
“You’re on Route 7. Sane people need not apply."
The Mohawk-sporting teenage girl staggered into the middle of the road.
“Hey!” yelled the gang leader. “I’ll announce the start!”
The Mohawk-sporting teenage girl staggered back over the side barrier, but not before tripping up and falling.

"START YOUR ENGINES!!!" roared Scar.
The sound of my Silvia's SR20 was drowned out by the "coffee tin" exhausts of the Civics.

In theory, I had nothing to worry about. Honda engines are not renowned for their torque. But, these aren't stock Hondas I'm up against.
I better not lose. I don't want a million yen added to the debt I've already racked up to go to college.

GO!!!
My rear tyres screamed as I floored it off the line.

The Civics were scarily fast off the line. They were pulling up alongside me.

I soon fell behind.
"This is going to be so easy," taunted Hawk.

However, I started catching up.
One of the goons screamed, "NO WAY!!! WHAT THE 🤬?!"

At the 1st corner, I slammed on the brakes.
"What the...?"
Hawk was stunned by my Silvia catching up to his goons' prized Civics.

But then, they passed me at the hairpin after the first corner.

Then, one of the Civics slammed into another.
"What the 🤬!"

Again, I caught up under braking. But then...

*SCREECH!!!*
One of the Civics slammed into the wall. Strangely, it managed to drive off in a drivable condition.

I tried managing the throttle to keep the Civics behind, and to avoid burning up my tyres.

But the Civics, with their unnatural abilities, yet again showed why their gang was so feared.

Coming onto the 2nd straight, I was last.
Come on, S15. This is a race I need to win.

But there were advantages to being in last place. The most important of which was the generous slipstream.
Hiroto might whine about being the disadvantages of slipstreaming. But I'm not the one driving a Nissan R11F/T, a turbocharged Formula GT monster that puts out 900hp. Plus, I'm not doing high-speed cornering.

With 330hp, I managed to draw up alongside these monstrous sedans.
Impossible, thought Hawk. Nissans are far inferior to Hondas.
Clearly he hasn't heard of my brother's Skyline.

My foot was glued to the floor. I was watching my aftermarket Mine's speedometer. 270. 275. 280...

We were now neck and neck. Neither of us could slipstream the other.
281...282...

You think you're so smart, you ginger retard. I can slipstream too, thought Hawk.

Hawk's thoughts proved correct. Two of the Civics had pulled alongside me.

An extremely damaged Civic pulled into the lead.
"BOOYAH!!!" yelled the damaged Civic's driver.

I was still watching my speedometer. It was static at 285km/h. Sometimes, it would say 286, but only for a second or so.

But then, I was forced to brake. The back end stepped out. I tried correcting it.

The front end slammed into the wall. Again, I was forced to correct it.

One of the Civics spun out. I managed to keep control of the Silvia.
I'm not going to repeat the moments where I made Kazumi and Hiroto puke when they tried training me.

I was in the lead when I entered the tunnel.
# "Hawk, give me a status update."
"Tiger Iwazaki crashed, and it's really bad."
# "Goddamn it! We better win this!"

"Kuro, get in front of me, I need to draft you to catch this retard."

I saw Hawk slowing down and being overtaken by his team-mate.
Smart strategy. Even though it's quite a novice tactic.

I couldn't see the Civics as I exited the tunnel.

Don't think you're getting away, little girl.

I drifted along the circular corner at the end of the second straight. I was now on the home stretch. But then again, that's about 9km long.

What sort of boss lets his goon outdo him?

The Civics were slowly gaining.
Little girl, it's unfortunate that you don't have any allies to back you up.

The 3 Diamonds team, meanwhile, had no idea what was going on. Mayumi had some idea of what was going on.
"Mayumi," asked Kei, "do you know what's happening?"
Then, Daisuke and Seiichi arrived.
"Oh my God..." remarked Kei, "what did those thugs do to you guys?"
"Threaten us with knives, beat us up..."
Daisuke pointed to the rear right tyre.
"This crazy coked-up girl, about 18 or 19, stabbed that tyre. We don't have a spare wheel with us."
"Jesus!" shouted a man with an American accent. "Those scumbags!"
"Relax, Phil," pleaded Kei.
Phil owned a blue Mitsubishi GTO, or a 3000GT as it's known as in America.
"Our new roommate is racing 3 of them," blurted out Seiichi.
The team, all astonished, stepped back.

My heart was beating very quickly. Maybe it was the extra-strength coffee I drank at 7/11. But maybe it was the tension of the moment. My hands were clinging to the steering wheel.

"I have you in my sights, little girl. Expect to wake up in a hospital."

But I started pulling ahead.
"No..."

The Civics had nothing left to give. Maybe they had to save fuel. But I had a genuine feeling that they had given up.

I decide to quote my brother as I cross the line:
"BANZAI!!!"

There was a grim look on Scar's face, and a huge smile on mine.
"490, 495, 500...that's 2.5 million yen."
There was another crowd arriving, in Mitsubishis.
"What's going on, Kei?" asked a woman in her mid-20s.
A man, who I thought was her boyfriend, answered, "I think the chick in the Silvia won."
"A Silvia?" asked the woman. "I would've thought that was more suited to the touges."
"Meh. The SR20 is a decent engine for power tuning, Mayumi."
There was a confused look on the faces of most of the crowd. I walked back to my car. Scar yelled after me.
"Hey bitch! This isn't over!"
The woman in her mid-20s approached me.
"Who are you?" I asked.
She thrust her hand toward me. "Mayumi Fushida. Vice President of the 3 Diamonds, a Mitsubishi enthusiast club."
I noticed that the Type R Titans were starting to retreat. I looked at the man. "And who are you?"
"Keisuke Oka, 3 Diamonds President."
"Are you related to Seiichi?" I asked.
He chuckled. "Unfortunately, yes. He has the brains, and I have the looks and the driving skill."
"How did Seiichi get into your little club?"
Mayumi answered. "He got in by default. Apparently, he was going to cry to momma if he didn't get in."
"HEY!!!" yelled Seiichi. "I, Seiichi Oka, do not cry to momma!"
"I'm sorry, Seiichi, but I wasn't the one crying about not getting a go on the PS1 or the N64 when we were kids."
Seiichi shut up.
"And what about Daisuke?" I asked.
"Daisuke has some skill," replied Mayumi. "The trouble is, he bottles it at high speed. He's more suited to low-speed, technical tracks."
"Like go-kart centres," joked Kei. "There's a video on YouTube of Daisuke drifting a Mazda MX-5 on a go-kart track."
"And it was stock, too!" boasted Daisuke.
I changed the topic of the conversation.
"What's your policy towards Nissan owners?"
"We're a Mitsubishi club," answered Kei. "Maybe you could find a Nissan club nearby?"
I yawned. The caffeine was wearing off. I said my goodbyes, and returned with Seiichi and Daisuke to the apartment.
You guys need some serious driving lessons. And I think I have an idea of how to train you.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Over 300hp in a FWD? Madness?

No. It's what we do every day.

 

[alaingeronimo87]

Over 300hp in a FWD? Madness?

No. It's what we do every day.

Rotary Junkie has a point. My FD2 Civic Type-R has been tuned to nearly 290hp.

By the way, nice chapter, though.👍

 

[Anathema]

man... this has made me want GT5 even more... keep the great story going!

 

[DK]

Chapter 4 - Unexpected Challenge​

Date: April 29th, 2011
Location: Tokyo, Japan

After Business class, I left for my apartment. I was stopped by an old friend.
"Holy crap! Miyu!"
A girl with black hair with purple streaks rushed over to me, accompanied by a man who also had black hair over his right eye. They are Akiko Kobayashi and Junichi Kawabata, two friends of mine from high school. Together with our other friend Toru Kaito, we formed "Dancing for Paraplegics", a rock band. We mostly did covers of modern rock songs but sometimes we wrote our own stuff.
"Guys! You're here, in Tokyo?"
"I thought we told you that?"
"Junichi, we didn't tell anyone where we were going."
"Why?"
Akiko just shrugged her shoulders. She likes taking people by surprise.
"Hey, Miyu, do you wanna see something cool?"
"I've already seen it, Ju-"
"Hey, at least keep this PG-13!"
Why? We're in college. "What's this cool thing, then?"
"My new car." She holds up some keys and jingles them.
"Is that the...Toyota logo?"
What can I say, I have good eyesight.
"It wasn't me who bought it, it was my parents. They bought it to celebrate me going to college."
We walked over to the college car park.

A Toyota Altezza RS200. Meh.
"You look unimpressed."
"Is it tuned?"
"Not yet."
"You have any plans to tune it?"
Akiko shrugged her shoulders. She started drinking the can of Coke she had in her hand. I then remembered about Daisuke and Seiichi.
"Akiko, can you race?"
"Well, seeing as I haven't put any cars in barriers, probably."
"Can you try teaching two of my friends?"
"Have they any experience?"
"Yeah...at losing. There's this black EP Civic they keep losing to."
"And what do they drive?"
"An Evo 5."
Akiko spat out her Coke. Then she started laughing uncontrollably.
"And when would they have free time?"
It was my turn to shrug my shoulders. "Probably Sunday," I replied.
"Right, that sounds like a plan." She then looked around. "Where's Junichi?"
Junichi ran up to us, and barely avoided colliding with us. "Miyu!" he yelled. He handed me a flyer for an event held at a street circuit in Tokyo. "There's this guy, from Austria who goes around challenging everyone with his VW Golf."
"A Golf?"
"A Golf that's been race-tuned."
"And when's the race at..." I looked at the flyer, "...Special Stage Route 5, Clubman Course?"
"The challenges start at 9pm tonight. You have to pay 20,000 yen to race him, though."
"What's the prize?"
"100,000 yen."
"Cool, see you guys later."
I took the train home. After spending 3 hours writing until my wrist was killing me, I left the apartment. I got into my car, and drove to the track.

The receptionist looked at me oddly when she stopped reading her magazine. "Name?" she asked.
"Miyu Matsuda."
"Car?"
"Nissan Silvia S15 Spec-R."
Who is this strange redhead, she thought.
"The David Holz Challenge is about to enter its 5th heat. No-one has beaten him yet. You will have 3 laps, and if you win, you get a refund of the 20,000 yen fee and an extra 100,000 yen."
I drove onto the grid, and saw my opponents:

"This must be Holz's car."

"A Lancia Delta? I don't expect that to do too well."
I was approached by a man who resembled Mario from the Super Mario series.
"Hey! This is a beautiful-a example of-a Italian engineering!"
A beautiful example which is plagued by inefficiency and poor reliability...anyone remember "Fix It Again Tomorrow?" And this Italian guy sounds so stereotypical.

"Oh, great, a Volvo. That's going to be left in the dust."

I counted down to the start.
5...4...3...2...1...

GO!!!
The Golf was on my tail from the start. Although the Lancia and Volvo also had good starts, they were soon to be left in the dust by my Silvia and David's Golf.

"Oh, crap, not again!"
The Lancia driver furiously thumped on the dashboard in a vain attempt to spur the car on.

Heading into the 1st corner, we were 3 abreast.
Someone has to yield, thought David.
Pah! I can't win, I'll be lost in the corners, thought Sven, the Volvo's driver.

I was forced to move behind David.
"Okay, little girl, at least you're not giving up so early."

I hounded him through Tunnel Corner.
"A Nissan Silvia...such an excellent choice."
"What a tacky Golf..."

The lead didn't stretch or shrink after we came out of the tunnel.
"This is starting to become fun..."

Then he ran wide at Turn 4.
"This girl is pushing me hard..."

He even had a brief scrape with the wall.
"Ouch...that looks expensive."

I passed him at the exit of the corner.
"Hmm...I think I'm in a little bit of trouble here."

I pushed the pedal as far down as it could go.

"He obviously has more downforce..."
I listened to his engine.
"And that engine has to be modified..."

He pursued me relentlessly.

"It looks like it's now your turn to brake too late..."

"Oh, you want a drag race?"
I pushed my foot down to the floor again.

I then dived down the inside on the last corner.
"Your style reminds me of the late Hans Becker, and his famous "Switch-a-Roo" maneuver..."

"Come on, S15!"

The Golf caught up with me under braking.
"Your style of catching up under braking reminds me a lot of my brother."

I was forced to take the outside lane. David took the lead.
"This is so much more thrilling than my previous races!"

"Come on, chase me!"
I accepted his challenge.

"🤬! He's forcing me around the outside!"

I slammed the brakes to avoid crashing.

I caught up at Turn 4.
I can't believe he's still having problems there.

"Gah! He's getting away from me!"

I caught up, somehow, under braking.
Did he wait for me?

We reached the main straight.
"One more lap. Prepare to be 20,000 yen poorer."

"She stayed in my slipstream. Smart girl."

"Damn, how is she keeping that Silvia so planted to the ground?"

You still haven't figured out how to take Turn 4?
"Damn it! This is my Achilles' Heel!"

I swerved to avoid his Golf as it pretended that it was a drift car for a split second.

"Man...another drag race. This Golf is far from invincible now."

"Come on, S15! Just one more kilometre!"

"Come on, Golf. Don't let this be my first loss..."

The spectators were astonished.
"Damn! These two are going at it like...God knows what!"
"I'd hate it if I was beaten by a Silvia while in an awesomely tuned car..."

"Holy 🤬! They're coming to the penultimate corner!"

Damn it, that was my last chance.

"Jesus, they're on the home straight!"
"That Golf has no chance now..."

Crap. Back to the drawing board, I guess.

"Yes! Victory!"
"Well done, girl. You have some serious skills which I cannot buy."

----------------
After the race...
----------------
I went over to David. He was standing beside a coffee machine in the reception area.
"Hey."
"Hey."
He extended his hand towards me.
"Congratulations. I've been shown, today, that it doesn't matter how fast your car is. All the counts is skill."
"Why...thanks..."
"I know defeat is considered dishonourable in Japan..."
Such a stereotypical view...
"...But believe me, tonight, I felt honoured to lose to a better driver."
"What are you doing in Japan?"
He chuckled and smiled. "My parents moved here when I was 16. Japan is my second home now."
"Why did they move here?"
"My father got re-deployed by his company to its Japanese branch."
"Who does he work for?"
"The Volkswagen group. That's why I drive a Golf."
I looked at it. "You obviously haven't spared any expense in tuning it..."
"Trust me, if it were just for my job, I wouldn't be able to afford these modifications."
"And what is your job?"
"I work in a used car dealership downtown."
"Downtown? That could be anywhere."
He handed me a card. "If you ever need something like a 2nd car, just find the address."
He walked off. I returned to my Silvia. You've been a good girl, haven't you? While driving home, my phone beeped. I pulled over at looked at the message. The phone's screen said "Sender unknown." I pressed the "Read" button.
"Hello, stupid bitch. I have a little challenge for you. Tomorrow, 2pm at Tokyo R246."
I sent a reply, asking,
"Who's this, and how did you get my number?"
The reply was chilling.
"I am your worst nightmare. And your fatass friend is very co-operative when you threaten him with baseball bats."

Uh-oh.

 

[Apok]

I so need to re-read vol. 2 first
I'm feeling very race story nostalgic lately.

 

[Zhu8]

Time to put that ¥100,000 to good use.

 

[DK]

Chapter 5 - Bad Loser​

Date: April 30th, 2011
Location: Tokyo, Japan

Where is this moron?

I'm waiting in the pit lane of the Tokyo R246 circuit. It is now 2:33pm. He said that he was going to race me at 2pm. I was sitting on my S15's bonnet, ready to go, with my racing suit on, my helmet beside me and a coffee cup that was slowly emptying in my left hand.

Then I heard something.

It must be him.

A coffee tin exhaust. Have I pissed off a Fast and the Furious fan?

A Honda Civic EK9 Type R. Not much of a threat.

The thing was, the man inside was a threat.
"Hello, bitch." Scar stepped out of the Civic. "Ever since you somehow defeated Hawk, I was intrigued by you. I wanted to race you and then beat you to a cry, snivelling pulp."
"Nice coffee tin exhaust system, jackass."
"This is a top-of-the-range exhaust from a racing car. A Honda Civic Type R touring car, to be exact. And what have you got?"
Just as he said that, the drunken teenager from Special Stage Route 7 stumbled out of his car and puked.
"Gah! Mayumi! Drunk bitch, get back in the car!"
"I don't think it would've mattered if she puked inside your car. Look at it...it's just a turd with wheels."
He approached me. He gritted his teeth, and spat in my face as he talked. "No one calls my Honda a turd! Not you, not this drunk bitch, and especially not Seiichi Oka, who's enjoying a nice little break at Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital!" He cackled evilly. "We'll start in a minute. We'll have one lap." He took a coin out of his pocket. "Heads says I start on pole." He flipped the coin. "🤬...tails..."
He returned to his car to drag his drunken passenger out to the pits. I put on my helmet, and returned to mine. "What's at stake?" I asked.
"What do you want them to be?" he replied.
"3 million yen. And if I win, you and your gang 🤬 off out of Tokyo and never darken this city's streets again."
"Fine...and if I win..." He looks at me up and down. "I get to spend the night with you."

"OK, start your engines!"
I fired up the SR20DET, and Scar fired up the B16B.
"Stupid bitch...it's actually a K20A swap..."
"5...4...3...2...1...GO!!!"

The tyres squealed for grip.
"Ah, this should be easy."

He moved in behind me.
"In for the kill..."

He then came out, and aimed for the inside of the corner.
"And...brake! *grunts*"
While grunting, his scar contorted into a squiggly line which resembled Suzuka's S-curves.

"OK, you might have the inside line, but I'm not letting you hit the apex!"

*THUMP!*
"Ha, you thought I was going to play fair you little bitch! I'll show you why I'm so feared!"

"Now, my little K20, rev to the stratosphere and leave this bitch in the dust!"

The Civic was a monster on short straights.

However, I caught up under braking.
"Good S15, let's keep him under pressu-"
Suddenly, the front wheels lost grip.

"Waah!"
For a second, I thought that my tyres had a puncture. It would certainly not be beneath Scar to cause punctures for other drivers.

I had no idea how close I came to ruining my S15's paintjob. With all the skill I had, I kept the S15 out of the wall.

"Goddammit! I've lost him!"

"Try and catch me now! MWAHAHAHA!"

"Come on! The FR drivetrain has to have advantages over FFs over corners!"
This causes me to remember some of my dad's advice.
"Just because a car is FF, doesn't mean it's condemned to a life of being an econobox. All it needs is decent tuning, and then it can embarrass cars like yours."

I keep the speed steady, so I didn't have to unnecessarily scrub off speed in cases where I was going too fast.

"Oh, good, I was getting tired of this one-horse race."

"Gah...this bitch is starting to overheat..."

I heard the Civic back off a little. I get it, he thinks I'm easy. I'll show him.

"NO!!! She was 3 seconds down about 40 seconds ago!"

"NO!!! I'M LOCKING UP!!! I'M 🤬 STUCK!!!"

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
Wait, I just quoted "Hamlet"? What the hell?

"Invest in better brakes, moron."

"THAT'S IT! YOU JUST PISSED OFF THE WRONG GANGSTER!!!"

Just before he could ram me in a fit of hormonal rage, I accelerated away.

"Admit it, Scar, you've lost."
"I'm not going to lose! NOT TO A WOMAN!!!"

Even under braking, he couldn't catch me. Is it really hard for him to engage in the process of overtaking unfairly? For a grade-F scumbag, he really is stupid.

"Alright, Mazda Curve. Just one more corner, and then the home stretch!"

"Just Akasaka-Mitsuke to go, and then you hand over my 3 million yen!"

I should have saw the sick, twisted smirk growing on Scar's face.
"Bitch, you have no idea what catastrophe you've created. When I'm overtaken...I like to make sure that the bastard never overtakes again..."

He entered my slipsteam. Oh crap. He'll pass me out and beat me by something like a hundreth of a second.

He's out of my slipstream. He's going to draw level any moment now.

*BUMP!*
I felt that. Bastard. He's obviously not letting this one by.

Then, all of a sudden, I saw the lights flash. I had won.
"YES!!! Take that, Scar!"
I held up my middle finger at him.

As I looked at him, I saw him move his steering wheel to the left.
"WAIT!!! WHAT THE 🤬 ARE YOU DOING?!"
"YOU SHALL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!!!"

The car started to spin.

With one simple movement of Scar's hand, I was sent out of control.

"NOT THE WALL!!!"

But it was too late. I hit the wall at 175km/h, and passed out.

 

[Zhu8]

At least that's gone better than Hiroto's Encounter with Miki. And whats with the K20 Swap?

 

[Ryou]

What will happen to the S15 next? Can't wait for the next chapter 👍

 

[DK]

Chapter 6: Car Shopping

Date: May 6th, 2011
Location: Tokyo, Japan
When I leave the hospital, I'm still drowsy. Seiichi left with me. He was in because he was attacked by the Type R Titans.
"When's Daisuke picking us up?" I asked.
"He should be here any minute..." Seiichi then coughed. "Dammit...I thought they said I stopped coughing up blood..."
"Seiichi...what happened to you when they attacked you?"
Seiichi sighed. "I don't want to talk about it. What brought you to the hospital?"
It was my turn to sigh. "I...I'm finding it hard to remember. All I remember was a blur...and then darkness..."
"Were you racing?"
"Yes..."
"Let me guess...Scar..."
It all came flooding back to me. I fought back the tears. I clenched my fists, and I started shaking with rage. "My...S15...my...beautiful...S15..."
"Miyu...calm down..."
"Why? They knocked the 🤬 out of you."
"They didn't just do that." Seiichi lifted his Halo Reach t-shirt. There was a huge Band-Aid on his stomach. "They...stabbed me...it hurts whenever I eat, cough, inhale, take a dump, sneeze...any time I have to any of those, I fear that my stitches might split or I might pass out from the pain."
"Holy...🤬..."
"And Daisuke told me about what happened to your S15. A letter came in the mail two days ago. You know what it said? Your car had been totaled. The engine was taken out, but the rest of the car is most likely in a scrapyard ready to by recycled into a tasteless econobox."
Now the tears were flowing, just as Daisuke arrived in the Evo.
"What's wrong with her?"
"I had to tell her about her S15."
They comforted me as we returned home.

Date: May 8th
It was early in the morning. I was sitting at the TV, eating toast. Seiichi was watching CSI on the his laptop.
"Oh, CSI, how I missed you..."
Daisuke was on his own laptop, clearing through the 100 or so spam e-mails he gets each day. I decided to ask him about Akiko.
"I went along to the meeting with your friend. I just wanted some way other than playing Halo 3 ODST to pass the time. She's a very good teacher, but I had trouble adapting to the Altezza, seeing as it was slower than my Evo."
"Was it fun learning to race?"
"Yeah, it was cool. We were at this karting track. There wasn't any real opportunity to go fast. I think I topped out at around 160, 170, so I was within my comfort zone."
My phone rang. I went to my bag to get it, and I answered it.
"Please tell me this isn't Scar..."
"Scar? Who's Scar?"
I recognised the voice: Kazumi. "Uh, it doesn't matter."
"I'm sorry to hear about your loss, Miyu. I haven't felt what it was like to lose a car."
"But what about the R32 you drive?"
"That car's been fixed. I don't get to drive it often, though. Not with little Toru to look after."
"Are you in Tokyo?"
"Strangely enough, yes. Hiroto's in Monaco, competing in the Monaco GP."
"Look, Kazumi, I need a car real bad. I'll promise to repay you."
"With interest?"
"Since when did you become such a Shylock?"
"Just kidding, but why haven't you received any compensation?"
"I don't know. The cheap jerks won't cough up."
"Look, I have money. But I'm pretty much limited in what I can give you. How does 2 million yen sound?"
I sigh. "OK, I guess. There's this car dealership at..." I then gave Kazumi the address of the car dealership where David worked.
"I'll meet you there at...how does 7pm sound?"
"Well, it closes at 8, so OK."

Kazumi was there when I arrived at around 6:50.
"I hope you don't think I'm going to buy you a GT-R."
"As if...I prefer FRs."
"Ah, welcome!" said David. "I take it you're in need of a car."
"Unfortunately, yeah."
"We're on a 2 million yen budget, so can you show us cars in that price range?"
"OK, I'll show you our premium range first."
He led us to the Kei-car section. "Stop," I said. "I don't want a Kei car. I need something which can be fast in a straight line as well as around corners. I know they're economical and nimble, but I might need a fast car as well."

"OK, first we have a Honda S2000-"
"Please, before you continue, David, after what some little wannabe gangster ruined my Silvia, I don't want to ever sit in a Honda, never mind drive one. Can we move on?"
"Well, you're the customer, and I'm getting 3% commission for this."

"This is a Nissan Fairlady Z Z32, or the 300ZX as it's known in the US or Europe."
"I kinda guessed that already."
"Red rims..." added Kazumi. "So garish..."
"I should note that this was confiscated by Tokyo's police and de-tuned. According to our resident Wangan nut, it used to have over 600hp. Understandably, he wasn't very happy to see it in this state."
"Price?"
"Given that it has been de-tuned to stock levels, we figured that 2 million was a fair price."
"Do you want it, Miyu?"
"No thanks, I'd prefer something a bit more nimble."

David showed us a Mazda Roadster (MX-5 in Europe, Miata in the US) next.
"Given that you wanted a more nimble car, I'm sure you would pleased with a Mazda Roadster, no?"
"Is it modified?"
"It has an aftermarket front lip and a re-mapped ECU. Plus, I think the owner replaced some parts with lightweight alternatives."
"Can we move on?"

"This RX-7 is perfect for any enthusiast of the range. It's been slightly tuned to around 260hp. It's not really suited for the likes of Fuji Speedway or the Wangan, but it should be fun if you're looking for a car that's nimble and ready to take on the likes of Grand Valley Speedway or Tsukuba."
"I'll pass. RX-7s aren't the most economical of cars. Plus, they drink oil like Paris Hilton snorts cocaine."
David laughed at this analogy.

"And now, the Mazda Atenza."
I pretend to fall asleep. "Booooooooring."
"I don't think sedans are her type of car."
"Well, Miyu, what do you look for in a car?"
"I need a car that can make a Skyline GT-R crap itself, not just on straights, but on corners too, and also a car that won't make me vomit. The Honda makes me vomit, as well as the Z and the Atenza. The Roadster might scare a Skyline GT-R in the corners thanks to its light weight, and the RX-7 might be a good all-round car, but the Roadster will be slaughtered on the straights, and the RX-7 seems to be 'jack-of-all-trades, master of none'. Is there anything else you have?"
"Well, there is our standard range. We just need to go outside to show them."

We were led outside to the forecourt.
"I know what you're thinking, Miyu."
"It's Mitsubishi's Integra. I think I'll pass."
"It's been tuned to 250hp, and it has semi-slick tyres and a very good suspension kit. This car will handle like a dream."
"No thanks. My brother said that the FTO should have been made into a rival of the Silvia. Instead, it's an Integra clone."

"This is a Ford Focus RS."
"Pass," said me and Kazumi in unison.
"But, this has been expertly tuned by Cosworth."
"Not interested. It looks like it's America's answer to the Civic."

"This is a Skyline GTS25 Type S. It's naturally aspirated."
"Not interested. Why would I want something that's slower than Kazumi's own Skyline as well as my brother's?"
"Well, it does have a rather good chassis."
"And what modifications does it have?"
"New suspension, and the previous owner had it regularly serviced. The interior has been well-maintained and the driver's seat is now a bucket seat."
"Can we move on to something else now?"

"This is a Subaru Impreza GC coupe. 290hp, 4WD...you interested?"
"Yeah, but what's the price?"
"2 million."
Just that moment, another salesman approached the car.
"Uh, Junichi, I'm here with a customer?"
Junichi replied, "Yes, but I've managed to sell this car here. I'm sorry if I've interrupted anything."
David looked slightly embarrassed. "Moving on..."

Just that moment, I heard the sound of brakes screeching. A woman stepped out.
"Ayako! Where did you come from?"
"Esso," replied Ayako. "Why?"
I stared at the Sileighty.
"Uh...Miyu...you're drooling."
I wiped my mouth. "Crap, didn't notice that."
David turned to me. "Miyu, are you interested in buying this car?"
I nodded excitedly. "What's the price?"
David turned to Ayako. Ayako noticed that it was her turn to speak. "1.6 million."
Kazumi sounded concerned. "Isn't that a bit steep for a S13?"
"Well, it's hard to see the modified suspension and the tuned engine, I guess."
Kazumi pulled out a chequebook from her handbag. She muttered, "One...six...zero...zero...zero...zero...zero." She ripped out the cheque from the book. "Enjoy your new car, Miyu," she said with a smile.

 

[Zach]

Great chapter DK!

 

[Zhu8]

Another Silvia? Didn't Expect that.

 

[Otsdarva]

LoL Indeed, Zhu. Very nice chapter DK, can't wait for the next one!

 

[Ryou]

Haha, doesn't want a Kei Car. They aren't fast on straights, true, but on the corners, they're unbelievable.

 

[tankuroded]

"It's Mitsubishi's Integra. I think I'll pass."

Looks like a mistake there...

Anyways, good chapter. :tup:

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Looks like a mistake there...

Anyways, good chapter. :tup:

Mitsubishi's Integra = Mitsubishi's Integra competitor. Not him saying that it's a Mitsubishi Integra.


As for passing on everything then buying a Sileighty... No. Just no. It's objectively worse in every way than the FC and, actually, the Atenza. Also it seems like you purposely make your main characters completely ignorant of everything ever.

 

[Zhu8]

Do you mean 'Cheap Jerks' as in Scar or the Insurance Company?

 

[DK]

Attention: HIRING FOR NEXT CHAPTER

Given the success that SuperGTRacer enjoyed when doing something like this, I too have decided to hire people for parts in the next chapter.

What do I need?

You will need a Honda Civic Type R sedan, which can be found in the Premium Dealership. The cars must resemble the Civics in this photo:

However, they must have a maximum of 230hp. If you are unable to get these, don't worry, I'll buy some and gift them to you.

How many people will you need?
I'll need 3 volunteers for this, but more will be welcome.

When are you hosting this?
I'm thinking that 8pm GMT would be a good time, but I'm stuck on the date I'm planning to do it before Saturday 26th of February.

What PSN should I add?
My PSN username is driftking18594.

Is there anything in it for us volunteers?
Your name will be featured in the credits of this story. And of course, the satisfaction of helping out a fellow GTP member.

Thanks in advance,
driftking18594

 

[Apok]

I'd love to do this. Should be fun.

 

[jmsbrydon]

I have one. I will add you now.

 

[Zach]

I'll do it! I can't see the wheels in that pic..

 

[Otsdarva]

Aww! They beat me to it! Ah well. Good Luck!