"Just what are you exactly, diojo?" Johara asked the brunette

"Me? I'm just a mechanical engineering student" diojo shrugged "I gotta commend you though, your braking was so immaculate snap oversteer isn't an issue for you. You brought up the full potential of your 993"

Johara smiled and replied "Oh haha really? I was quite struggling to avoid snap oversteer because I'm a little unfamiliar with the course. I'll still admit my defeat because it's not a valid excuse.
Regardless, that was an awesome race!" She extended her hand towards diojo who shook it saying "likewise, senpai"

They were interrupted by a certain supra owner honking and yelling "HEY! WHO'S GOING TO SEND US OFF?" Diojo excused herself and went to do the countdown. She held her hand up after Johara said "if you win I'll pay for udon tonight. DO YOUR BEST VIA!!"

5

4

3

2

1

On every second diojo counted, the 2JZ-GTE and 3 rotors 20b engines growled with occasional pops and on the "GOOO" sign, 2 hazes of yellow and pink flew by, diving into the unforgiving corners of the 143. The CBR rider right behind them to film.

Enzo took the lead 1st initiating a powerslide while exiting the U corners to throw anovia off his tail as far as possible.

However the silver head was far too persistent to do as he hoped. Due to her FD's light weight and precise handling she remained on his tail. Until she clutch kicked and oversteered into a corner tight enough to let her front peek inwards almost touching the guardrail which allowed her to slip out of enzo's defense.

The gallery knew well enough that enzo will lose in the hairpins because of his painfully heavy engine. Enzo released a "tch. I need to at least tailgate her. It's not a cat and mouse chase so i still have a chance. I still have that" and dove into a twin drift through an S corner with anovia.

Anovia, too busy drifting to be worrying about the supra tailgating her. "I have to disagree on your choice of the car, enzo-senpai. The touge is about cornering and cornering needs the light weight. I'll have him disappear from my mirrors as soon as i reach the downhill slope" they did a twin drift so close the mirrors almost touched.

"still i have to commend your cornering precision, you're not just relying on horsepower since your car seems pretty stock except the suspension so you're losing on both weight and power" and she did a pull squeezing all her 3 rotors power.

Enzo after desperately trying to catch up realized something "she's incredibly fast. Just as diojo predicted. I'll go at 70% and in that area i will increase my pace. i softened my suspensions for this." He tackled a corner, minimalizing as much wear as possible "We're close enough. Being fast means nothing without good tires"

Anovia noticed enzo disappeared from her rear view mirrors "have fun at gapplebees, senpai" she was too busy celebrating her anticipated win when she didn't realize she braked a little too late on the turn which made her hit the brake so hard it wore out the last breaths of her tires " oh shit I'm understeering dammit!" She recovered but still lost tremendous speed

Two beams of light seeped through which made her even more distressed she had to slow down her pace. On enzo's side he noticed her tires were gone "i wonder if you consider the race as over." He did a very quick powerslide that almost went wrong on the hairpin if he didn't manage the throttle.

On the uphill slope before the straightway Anovia caught on and blocked the inside but she miscalculated the S curve racing line which switched her position to the inside and enzo on the outside thus overtaking her.

He immediately gripped the outer gutter going on the uphill and fully sent the supra into the non visible apex and into the straightway, his four tires slightly off the ground on the downhill. He continued on the straight and crossed the finish line, the RX-7 and the CBR cameraman following suit.

The 2 drivers got out of their cars and the crowd cheered on enzo. Johara went towards him and shook his hand "my my there goes our win streak in gunma. What a fantastic race" anovia nodded and was the next to shake his hand. "Mhm being familiar with the track is a crucial part of winning any race. But you managed to win with a supra, something more suitable for drag racing rather than touge" she congratulated her opponent who sheepishly laughed rubbing the back of his head "really?? You flatter me too much. I'm not that skilled it's just the supra is really powerful. I still have a long way to go"

Diojo was fascinated by her friends respective performance. "Not really, anovia. Both of you are skilled i could barely keep up with my eyes."

Anovia was caught off guard by diojo "whoa diojo you scared me. Umm" she paused, feeling guilt she broke the trust of a potential friend "are you still mad because i lied about not having an RX-7? I HAVE THE AE92 AS MY DAILY DRVER THOUGH. It's just... waiting for a new clutch-"

She was interrupted by a pat on her head by diojo "calm down Via. It's fine, i would do the same if i were you honestly. Gives some suspense for the audience" "That means. We're still friends right?" Anovia shyly asked.

before diojo could finish saying "oh obviously" Johara jumped right in saying "Oh my Via~~ you know lying to your friends is a graaave mistake~~ you'll have to treat her to something delicious right?? How about some udon? Enzo, you're coming too."

Enzo nodded. "I'm quite concerned for that guy. He'd throw himself into a pit for food" diojo thought then said "well if you say so. I can't say no to a senpai". Anovia said "ohh definitely. This is the least i can do" she thought while pouting "you're not getting away with losing your bet, Johara"

"Alright then let's get into our cars and celebrate your win" Johara said getting into her car then everyone following suit.

When the 4 cars got to the udon shop they took their seats and ordered 4 bowls for now "eat as many as you want. This shop is the best around town. Our treat!" Johara said.

"Thank you for the food" everyone said before digging in. When Enzo and Diojo slurped some of the noodles their eyes brightened up. "Whoaaa soo good." They said in unison!

"How did you find such a place? I've lived here for 4 years and never found such mellow noodles and rich broth." Enzo explained

"I have my ways" Johara said while smirking.

"I'm getting seconds For sure. And some saké too" Enzo replied after bottoming up his bowl. "Same here" Johara said. Anovia and diojo looked at the 2 with disbelief "what's the stinky look for? I can walk it off you know." Johara said

"Yeah we'll definitely make sure to leave you at the shop's doorway if you get wasted right diojo?" Anovia said and diojo nodded in agreement.

"Say enzo" anovia asked which turned his attention towards her. "You're racing in a supra and it's not very suitable for the touge. Why didn't you get something lighter like a silvia or a Fairlady. Heck you'd do so much better in an underpowered roadster or MR2 than what you currently have"

"I've been wondering the same honestly. His car is his biggest bottleneck" diojo thought. Enzo took a moment to reply and scratched his hair "ah well i wasn't the one who bought it. It was a gift from my cousin so i don't plan on replacing it with anything else despite having the money. It also sounds great! That 2JZ-GTE rumble, the turbo whistle makes me feel at home. Plus I'm quite tall for an MR2 or a roadster. I even removed the backseats for clearance"

"Is that so? What a waste of talent. He could rival Sir Lewis Hamilton if he enrolled in Formula racing" Diojo thought of enzo's answer as very shallow. His speech didn't seem serious but she noticed his eyes showing a glimpse of pride and determination.

Johara on the other hand found his"Ohh interesting! And toyotas are heaps reliable. On the other hand i can fit into Via's FD's backseat easily." The comment octra did made anovia pout and say. "Hey senpai are you saying I'm too short??" Johara replied "in Japan, I've seen shorter. In here, yes you are super small and frail"

anovia was about to say something but diojo cut her off "ah Johara senpai this is a little too much for teasing. As long as your feet reach the pedals, Who cares about height, right?" Enzo nodded and said "more important than height. It's reflexes and stamina. Which is why, Johara" he paused putting his bowl down in a dramatic way "i challenge you to a battle to prove who has the faster metabolism."

"Oh no... enzo you too?? Someone will end up passing out" anovia thought, worried about how chaotic the mood would be if both were to start an endurance race for their stomachs "heck yes this is what I'm talking about! let see who stacks up the most empty bowls" Johara accepted his challenge with enthusiasm.

They then looked at their kouhais -diojo and anovia- who had a poker face "yeah I'll pass. Got work at the shop tomorrow" diojo bluntly said and anovia followed suit with a "me too. I'll just spectate" after a sip of green tea.

"Your loss.. this udon could be eaten even on a full stomach" Johara shrugged her while munching on noodles. The owner caught on the challenge between the young racers and decided to butt in and place a bet saying "If you beat the record. The entire table will be on the house"

Diojo asked "the record? Did you host an eating contest before?" The 70 year old owner chuckled and said "mhm, it was more than 20 years ago and the record goes to the best racer in the area. The pride of nagano Aida Takahashi. That child really eats a lot despite her frail size. 40 bowls of udon aren't a big deal for her hahahaha. She did end up passing out at 60. Ahh brings a lot of memories. Since her death everything has become dull and barely any customers come in anymore."

Diojo looked down in guilt deep in thought and confusion "i don't know who that woman is... why do i feel down? Strange..." enzo out of reflex rubbed her back in an attempt to console her. The old man realized what he said to her and said "ah sorry to bring down the mood guys. I'm happy to see youngsters keeping motorsports alive. So eat as much as your heart desires. It's all on me"

Johara decided to help him lift the mood up clapped her hands and said "Alright gramps, can you bring in the bowls. We got a competition here. Bring in your tastiest toppings and loads of saké"

Enzo immediately looked up in anticipation and nodded "oh hell yes we gotta start! I got hungrier now" The old owner smiled and said "right on it, kids" and rushed to prepare the noodles. Diojo and anovia went to help him bring the huge platters

10 bowls....then 20... then 30, each stack is next to Johara and enzo. The two athletes kept emptying one bowl after the other, drinking a shot in between 3-4 bowls. Enzo started getting a bit tipsy but still fired up. Johara was starting to get tired "eh getting tired now?" Enzo mocked her and she said "who? me? Shut up and eat."

Diojo and anovia mentally facepalmed "ugh what's worse than eating out with a gymrat? Eating out with two gymrats.." Diojo thought.

Almost an hour passed and the two contestants were finally at the brink of passing out. "Just you watch... enzo... i won't... give up.. without a... fight" Johara passed out "yeah.. right.... sen.. pai" enzo followed suit which announced the end of the battle. The table was overflowing with bowls 56 for enzo and 52 for Johara. The now exhausted owner announced the winner and an almost passed out enzo said "yaaaay..." and his body went limp.

Diojo looked at the two seniors and then at anovia "should we pick them up?" She asked her. "As you like. I'm too 'frail' to pick Johara up. Maybe if i feel like it. I'll drag her to my car and figure what to do with her." Anovia implicitly brought up the way Johara said she was frail.

Diojo replied "well i might have a bit of strength left but not enough to carry such a heavy body. Thanks for the tip." Then proceeded to drag enzo from his arms. Grunting as she tried lifting him up "well that was easier than i thought. Then, I'll be off now. Take care Anovia. I had lots of fun with you guys." She got out and tossed the sleepy enzo in her passenger seat then got herself seated and took off. Anovia did the same as well after pointless attempts at pleading the shop owner to pay as an apology for the chaos the four of them caused. "Oji-san please write a tab. isn't this too much?" but he insisted gently pushing her hand which had her credit card and sent her off saying "No need child, you guys already helped plenty. Plus It's been a while since I've had this much fun with lively customers. Please come again next time"

To be continued >>>>>