Tokyo Drift Arc (15)

"What did you do afterward?" Zhang Heng asked.

"I... I didn't do anything," Takeda Tetsuya's eyes showed guilt. "I shouldn't have left Kobayashi there. I wanted to... get out and check on him, but then I heard the sirens from the oncoming traffic. I was scared and didn't dare to stop. I turned the car around and fled the highway in a hurry."

"What happened to the two of them in the end?" Ameko asked, looking pained.

"I saw the rest on the news. The TV reported that two delinquent youths were racing against traffic on the highway and collided with a large truck. One died instantly, and the other was critically injured. The seriously injured person was in the emergency room, but he also died three days later."

"Was the one who succumbed to his injuries Kobayashi or...?"

It was Asano Naoto. Besides being the strongest driver in Nerima, he had another identity. His uncle was the vice president of Onitō, Tokyo's largest yakuza organization.

"I see, so that's why you quit the racing circuit and changed your name afterward?"

"Yes. It was an unofficial race. No one knew about it except the three of us. Although there were other witnesses on the highway that day, visibility was very poor, and we were driving against traffic. Based on those vague testimonies, the police couldn't confirm the existence of a third car. Fearing jail time and retaliation from Onitō, I... chose silence again.

"However, I felt no joy in escaping punishment. Every day afterward, I lived with guilt over Kobayashi. If I hadn't acted on impulse that day and insisted on the race that should never have started, none of this would have happened. I was the one with one foot in the grave, but ironically, the first to die among the three of us was Kobayashi, the only one who voted against it... I secretly visited his home later, but Kobayashi's father had passed away long ago. There was only his mother and a younger sister. After this incident, they moved away from Tokyo very quickly."

"You met Mom after that, right? If that's the case, why couldn't you just live a normal life?" Ameko asked.

"After that incident, I was extremely anxious. I couldn't even sleep properly. I even prepared a suicide note by my pillow. But as time went by, neither the police nor Onitō came looking for me. After a while, I thought the matter had passed and resumed my normal life. It was during that time that I met the woman I loved. We started a family like any other happy ordinary couple. A year and a half later, you were born. I swore I would never drive again and instead opened a seafood shop.

"After the initial struggle, the seafood shop business was doing well. Everything seemed to be on track. Six years had passed since that incident. That was enough time to forget many things, so I never expected that the nightmare from back then would find me again one day."

"What do you mean?" Ameko asked, confused.

"One night, I was alone at the seafood shop processing orders when a stone suddenly flew in through the window and smashed the glass. I thought it was a prank by some local kids, but when I chased after them, I didn't see anyone. When I returned, I found the stone was wrapped in an old newspaper. The headline on the front page was about the highway car accident from that year, with a line written in blood next to the title: 'Did you think you could escape?'"

Takeda Tetsuya flicked the ash from his cigarette. "No one knew about that incident back then except the three of us. Kobayashi... died at the scene. Asano Naoto was in the intensive care unit for three days. He was severely injured. The newspaper said he was in a coma the whole time, but it was also possible he regained consciousness for a period... In any case, the moment that newspaper appeared, my life was over." "So, at that time, you weren't actually addicted to gambling at all, you just wanted to force Mom to divorce you, right?"

"Six years ago, I made a mistake and dragged Kobayashi into that situation. So I won't make that mistake again," the seafood shop owner said calmly. "I don't fear death. That is the end I deserve. The real Tsuchiya Yosuke died with Kobayashi on that road long ago. The Takeda Tetsuya who survived is merely his guilt and cowardice."

"More importantly, I'm curious how you managed to escape from Onitō time and time again," Zhang Heng interjected.

"If you're asking about that time many years ago, perhaps they wanted to see me in a miserable state, or perhaps they wanted me to suffer for a longer period. In any case, they didn't come looking for me again until nine months ago. A mysterious person called me and said Onitō would make a move on me soon and that I should be prepared. Last night's incident was also informed by him."

Takeda Tetsuya paused. "Alright, my story is finished. As I said before, this matter has nothing to do with you. That tragedy from back then started because of me, so it should naturally end by my own hands."

"You don't believe that yourself, do you?" Zhang Heng said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have pretended to relapse into gambling to force Ameko to cut ties with you."

Takeda Tetsuya fell into a brief silence at his words. After a moment, he chuckled, "I had to try something, didn't I? I couldn't just do nothing."

The seafood shop owner seemed resolute. Ameko was anxious. She opened her mouth to say something more, but the next moment, her face flushed crimson.

Zhang Heng stood up and picked up the coat draped nearby. "My driving skills were taught by you. No matter who you were before, at least let me give you a ride."

Takeda Tetsuya thought for a moment and didn't refuse. He glanced at the two of them and said, "Please take care of Ameko for me."

The three of them left the breakfast shop. Takeda Tetsuya walked at the front. He opened the side door of the van, and then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed straight into the van.

Zhang Heng retracted the small soup bowl in his hand and said to a stunned Ameko behind him, "His guilt over what happened back then has overshadowed his reason. He wasn't thinking about how to handle the current situation at all; his mind was filled with thoughts of dying to find release. I'm sorry, but I had to use this method to calm him down."

"Ah, ah?... Oh." Ameko came to her senses. She was still wondering why Zhang Heng had suddenly become so frivolous when she was about to speak. He had secretly squeezed her hand under the table, but it turned out she had almost misunderstood him.

But what was even stranger was... the Ameko of the past didn't seem to be as resistant to this kind of thing as she had imagined.

Ameko was momentarily lost in thought until Zhang Heng's voice reached her ears again, "This car doesn't have an inspection sticker or relevant paperwork. We should leave here first."

"Okay." The girl slid into the back seat and closed the door.

Zhang Heng started the car and deliberately drove around the block a few extra times to prevent anyone from tailing them. Fifteen minutes later, he parked the L300 in a large supermarket parking lot. He opened the car door and extended his right hand.

"Takeda... there are a few issues with the story your father just told."