Tokyo Drift Arc (14)

The server at the breakfast shop placed the tamagoyaki, rice, grilled fish, and miso soup on the table.

However, none of the three touched their chopsticks. Takeda Tetsuya sighed at Ameko's determined gaze across from him.

The fish shop owner lit a cigarette. "Why bother? You're going to China in just over two months, why get involved in this matter?"

"I want to know the truth about what happened back then. Somewhere in your heart, you still love Mom, don't you?"

"At our age, feelings aren't that important anymore," Takeda Tetsuya replied noncommittally, taking a drag from his cigarette. "When I was young, I thought I'd always deeply love one woman, but the truth is, after all these years, I've almost forgotten what she looked like."

The fish shop owner paused. "But no matter what, I still owe you both. How is Nanako doing?"

"Mom is doing well now. She's still dwelling on what happened back then, but she told me herself that she doesn't hate you anymore. You just... still owe us the truth."

Takeda Tetsuya fell silent at this. It was clear he didn't want to recall the events of that time, but now, he knew he couldn't keep it hidden any longer.

After an unknown amount of time, until the cigarette was about to burn his fingers, the fish shop owner spoke again. "It was all because of a mistake, the mistake I regret most in my life."

Then, the fish shop owner finally recounted the story he had hidden for many years.

In the 1970s and 80s, Japan's economy entered its final period of frenzied growth. Tsuchiya Yosuke was born in that era, into a happy family. Like most ordinary people at the time, Tsuchiya Yosuke was young, spirited, and proud. It wasn't until after the Plaza Accord was signed that the yen began to devalue against the dollar. The yen's purchasing power reached its peak, but this was followed by a devastating blow to the export industry. Japan, once prosperous, began to decline, entering a lost decade. The immense contrast pushed this generation onto different paths.

The crushing weight of debt became too much for Tsuchiya Yosuke's parents. After their only home was repossessed by the bank, they despaired and chose to commit suicide by burning charcoal. His grandparents also passed away from illness due to the successive bad news. However, the immense changes in his life did not cause Tsuchiya Yosuke to fall into despair. Instead, they forged his fearless personality. In the words of the team manager who discovered him later—

"This kid is a born fighter."

The word "fear" seemed to be completely absent from his life's dictionary.

"What does not kill me will only make me stronger."

Tsuchiya Yosuke reached the pinnacle of his life in his twenties, achieving remarkable success in European competitions and even securing second place in the FIA GT Grand Prix in New York. After falling out with his team, he returned to Japan and soon after won the D1 GRAND PRIX Tokyo event's tandem competition. He was a legendary figure in the Japanese drift scene.

At that time, he had already reached the summit, yet he remained unsatisfied, desperately craving new challenges. Thus, he decided to challenge for the DK title. In less than a year, he had defeated the top underground racers in 22 districts, with only Nerima District remaining.

"The strongest racer in Nerima District was Asano Naoto. He was a crazy guy. He invented a 'death race' style of driving. They'd pick a stretch of highway at an agreed-upon time, break through the guardrails, set up an entrance and exit, and the competing cars would drive in opposite directions on the highway. Whoever reached the finish line alive first was the winner. Sometimes, to add more excitement, he'd even deliberately lure the police into the game."

"This… this is practically suicide," Ameko was completely stunned after hearing the rules.

"Asano Naoto firmly believed that only the bravest drivers deserved victory, and all drivers who challenged him had to accept his game rules. Although it seems foolish now, with only one race left to win the DK title, as a young man then, there was no way I could give up."

Takeda Tetsuya lit his second cigarette with a lighter and took a deep breath before continuing. "We agreed on the time for the match. Besides the two of us, my best friend, the strongest racer in Shinjuku District, Kobayashi Ryo, was also participating. We chose the track together; it was forty kilometers long with three lanes. Normally, the traffic density was moderate, but no one expected that it would suddenly start to fog up when we got there that day.

"Kobayashi suggested postponing the race and rescheduling. I could tell Asano Naoto had actually agreed in his heart. After all, he was just a bastard who enjoyed the thrill of dancing on the edge of death, not someone who actually intended to die. The road conditions then were dangerous beyond his tolerance. But that bastard clearly didn't want to miss this chance to mock us. He knew I would vote in favor, so he voted against it himself, calling us cowards.

"I was hot-headed at the time, so in a fit of anger, I also voted against it. The final result was 2:1, and the race proceeded as planned. At this point, Asano Naoto's expression finally changed, but I felt no sense of revenge. We were all in too deep to back out."

"Everything that happened afterward proved how foolish my decision was. Visibility on the road that day was only four to five meters. We had to slow down our speeds, but even so, we were still shrouded in the shadow of death. It was no longer a competition of skill; luck had become the most important factor.

"We drove like that for ten minutes, filled with trepidation. Normally, that amount of time would be enough for us to complete the entire course, but this time we had covered less than a third of it. I kept honking my horn incessantly. Fortunately, the highway had been closed, and there were fewer oncoming cars. But even so, there were several times when I suddenly saw headlights and had to swerve violently to narrowly avoid them. It felt like brushing past death itself."

Even now, recalling the perilous situation, the fish shop owner still felt a lingering fear.

"Under such circumstances, even the strongest nerves couldn't hold out for long. So, Kobayashi and I took turns leading, giving each other time to rest. As for Asano Naoto, he had already been eliminated from the race by this point. This so-called bravest driver in all of Tokyo had his will shattered and only dared to tremble behind us. However, what happened next, no one expected.

"As we were nearing the halfway point, I heard the horn of a large truck ahead and was about to change lanes. Unexpectedly, Asano Naoto's GT-R suddenly accelerated, pinning me firmly in the left lane. I tried to speed up and slow down, but he stubbornly blocked me on my right. I could guess what he was thinking then. His performance today had been terrible. If he lost this race, all the reputation he had built up over the years would be ruined. So, a wicked thought entered his mind…

"Asano Naoto was determined to kill me. Time was running out for me, and a sense of despair welled up in my heart, thinking I was going to die here today. But just then, Kobayashi Ryo, driving his Lexus, charged headfirst into Asano Naoto's GT-R without hesitation.

"The next moment, both their cars lost control. Asano Naoto's GT-R rolled under the chassis of an oncoming truck first. Then, the truck overturned, crushing Kobayashi Ryo's Lexus. The scene was too gruesome; I didn't even dare to look. His entire roof had caved in, and thick smoke was billowing from the front of the car."

National Day is approaching, everyone be careful when traveling, and don't change lanes randomly on the highway~ (*?ω?)