Like a Fireball

Night expanded as a shield over the Earth, covering the road in a natural black. A billion stars spread amid the sky, gracing the ground with their stunning glow. Wangan road was a calm black river, the sort wheels float in a blink of an eye. It stretched onward, seemingly with no end.

Loud music, open highway, super-noisy, and luxurious sports cars – the late hours were like a magnet to all those who enjoyed the scenery.

The aurora blue 2019 McLaren 720S Spider, a stunning machine that turned heads as well as lap times toppled the competition. Its folded-hardtop roof let in more noise than Erika bargained for, but it offered the experience of a lifetime. The noise from the twin-turbo V8 filled her heart with adrenaline. Each time the driver crossed the finished line, Erika would raise her arms high and cheer from the passenger’s seat.

A white 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS came second. It was a thing of beauty. This machine was in a league of its own, offering the audience a discordant cacophony of sounds. As the driver smashed the gas pedal, the car bolted forward. The McLaren took that as a sign and followed suit, continuing the race despite being a clear winner.

The crowd loved it.

Tokyo street racing was always a sight to behold. Especially for the regulars. Most racing happened late at night, in empty and secluded places. Wangan road provided a typical landscape, a route that’s hard to beat. It may be a long stretch of highway, but it is the most famous destination in the country.

Back in the day, racers would tune up their cars and test their machines in the streets of Japan. Today, things have changed. With more speed cameras and police patrols, night racing had dulled down. Only a select group had the privilege to see beasts of engines blasting past at over 200 mph.

- “It’s no wonder Erika was so secretive about this whole thing.” – Yuuji thought to himself.

The cars felt like bright light. They disappeared a couple of blocks away, only to reemerge when the driver turned around.

In a few minutes after joining Wangan at Odaiba, Erika was already at Haneda Airport, which sat on a secluded enormous peninsula, extending outwards into the bay.

The car passed under a ton of runways at Haneda and kept flying at full speed. They drove under the longest tunnel, which connects to Ukishima island in Kawasaki. The driver took a left turn onto Aqua Line to enter a huge underwater tunnel that connects Tokyo to the Chiba peninsula.

Erika had the time of her life. Cheering and laughing at every turn. He saw the look on her face and smashed the pedals even harder. She staggered for a moment, then let the wind brush against her face.

After the tunnel, they popped back out and slowed down. The aurora blue vehicle was again a winner. The man in the white Porsche rolled down the windows.

- “Damn. You don’t disappoint.”

Erika looked at his face. He sat behind the wheel with the engine revving up. The man just smiled, turned the car around at the nearest opportunity, and sped back up again. The young man in the Porsche chuckled and followed suit.

Everything was streamed in real-time. Drones recording every little thing.

These drivers spent an enormous amount of yen on their cars. Heck, these machines could sing you a bedtime song and tuck you in if you wanted. It was not uncommon to see young men dropping a fortune on brake pads, high-performance motors, tires, and styling enhancements. Here, the sky was the limit.

Yuuji was ecstatic. Cheering together with the crowd.

Kazue, though, was having none of it. She tucked herself in a corner with the hoodie over her head and just sat there. On the floor. Her brain was at a standstill. Still processing the information.

Yuuji looked her way and tried to talk her out of it. To no avail.

- “Come on, Ka-chan! It’s as awesome as you claimed it would be. You said you wanted to see this. Don’t be like that.”

- “Why him?!!!”

- “Does it really matter?”

- “It does! It does to me!”

After following Erika around all day, they managed to end up in the racing spot. But, Kazue was met with a surprise she didn’t expect to see in a million years. She was still as shocked as the moment she saw him. She was losing focus, rational thinking, sanity…

It was Shin’ya. In the flesh. The one with Erika. The one driving that aurora blue McLaren. It was him!

- “Ka-chan! Get ahold of yourself! We need to get that pregnancy test. Or at least some information about it. You can’t just drop dead on me. Oy!”

- “…”

Now that Kazue was in no mood to function, Yuuji was left to fend for himself.

Erika and Shin arrived. The crowd jumped with excitement. The man in the white Porsche arrived a couple of seconds later. The two shook hands and moved towards the fans.

- “Well played, my friend.”

- “Well, you still have a long way to go.” – Shin laughed.

- “Huh…Don’t get too relaxed.”

- “Don’t you worry about that.”

- “Wow! Shin-kun, I never expected this side of you.” – Erika chuckled.

- “Eri!!! Over here!”- it was the girl who talked to Erika on the phone. The two had known each other for years.

- “Sayo!”

- “That was amazing!!! I have never seen anything like that!” – the girl cheered.

- “I know right! I still can’t believe Shin let me ride with him. Although I must admit, it was a little scary.” – Erika let out an awkward smile.

- “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do anything stupid with you on board.”

- “Wait. Don’t tell me you can drive faster than that?”

- “Of course.”

- “No way…”

Yuuji was sneaking around for who knows how long. Following their every step, listening to their every word. At times, he would hide behind a building or tip-toe nearby. His approaching footsteps clip-clopped down the alley. As the clattering noise came to a halt, he bent down near Kazue. She hasn’t moved an inch.

- “You know what I was thinking, Ka-chan? These two will probably go to his place tonight. I thought we should use this opportunity to search Erika’s room. I mean, they haven’t said anything useful. Any other ideas?”

But, it seemed that the more he spoke, the worse the situation became. As if those words of his handed Kazue the “sadness card”. That’s when tears came streaming down her face.

- “Eh?”

The girl was confused for a moment. She wiped her tears with her long sleeves. But, more and more would take their place. Where did they come from? She never even thought about getting together with Shin. Nah…that was impossible. Yet, after Yuuji showed her his relationship status, it sparked hope. Maybe, just maybe, he would have liked her now. But, that all came crashing down when Erika wrapped her hand around his arm.

That cruel reality.

Yuuji was at a loss for words. He has never seen Kazue like this. She was always this cold stone. Reserved. Detached. At least, in front of him. Then, he saw her soul in her eyes, and in that single moment, he knew exactly what Kazue wanted. His heart felt wafer-thin.

The sounds of the crowd became one with the entire place. Yuuji pushed through all those people until he finally reached Erika.

- “What the hell are you doing here?”

- “Yuuji?”

- “Is this who you are sleeping with now? What happened with Yamaguchi? Or did you get bored of him too?”

Her brain stuttered for a moment. Yuuji knew about the manager. Since when? After a wash of cold swept across her face, her pride quickly took over and she devised a comeback.

- “Pfft…hahah! You are not as brainless as I thought you would be. But, still, following me here? If you are that desperate to see me, you should have said it to my face. Not hide behind…whatever you are wearing.”

- “Is this how you treat the future father of your child?”

- “What?!” – Shin was mortified.

- “No! What? What the hell?”

- “Oh…wait. You haven’t told him that yet. Have you?”

- “Erika?” – Sayo was stunned.

- “I…can explain.”

- “Explain what? Is this how we are going to fix this?”

- “Fix what, Yuuji?! There is nothing to fix.”

- “Well, after saying that you are pregnant, I assumed we would patch things up. At least for the sake of our child.”

- “Erika. I’m sorry. But, I will go now.”

- “Shin!”

Shin entered his car with a disappointed look on his face. He knew that Yuuji and Erika were a thing. But, he believed her when she said it was over. This pregnancy was news to him.

Erika’s fists stayed firmly by her sides. Tension formed in her knuckles, igniting her feelings like a major bonfire. For the most part, she managed to calm down, and avoid turning into an emotional volcano in front of all those people.

- “Ugh…” – Erika chuckled. “Is this how you want to play? Then, let’s play.”

That’s when she grabbed Sayo by the hand and the two headed for Erika’s room.

When things calmed down, Kazue wiped her tears.

- “Why? Why did you do that?! Now you are at a disadvantage. You said it yourself. This was the perfect opportunity to search her room. Not drive her back, moron.”

- “Hehe. At least now you are smiling.”

Kazue blushed and lowered her head.

- “Well, I bet you will find me another opening. I’m counting on you.”

- “Mhm.” – Kazue nodded.