Momo never wanted to race.

Her father had a sushi restaurant. Originally from Kyoto, he came to Tokyo at a very young age with his family to build a great business. Unfortunately, it worked, but had never actually reached the expected heights. He was currently the only master on board with a few loyal employees, including his daughter. At the end of the day, Momo used to help him with the takeout service. She mostly did the nightshifts the week days and spend her weekends at parties. This deal was fair and had always been enough for her. She made enough money to get a life and she enjoyed driving the Subaru Impreza wrx sti through the busy streets of Tokyo.

She was fast, efficient and never missed a single day of work. She had a very strong bond with her father, she had never thought of breaking his trust. On the day that Momo chose to work instead of continuing her studies, her father had given her his support and confidence, something that has brought them closer together for a few years now. 

Since her mother's departure, Mr. Hirai has been doing his best to fill the void left by his wife. It was a painful story for both of them. She had decided to move to another city, away from the bad habits her husband had in at the time.

That day Momo felt tired. For the hundredth time she got into a fight with her girlfriend. They broke up, again. It became a cycle, Chaeyoung even diagnosed Momo with a rare disease ; the unstable girlfriend type. With her leather jacket still on, she looked at the road. A young boy working for her father was filling the car trunk with the food.

“Momo! Here.” He gave her a white paper with all the addresses written on. She took a minute to think about the best short cuts she could take before getting in. She closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose and started up the sports car.

“Here we go again.”

But unfortunately, there were people on the road.

Despite a few honking horns, nothing seemed to be able to move the compact mass of cars. Momo was frustrated, annoyed, several orders were waiting in her trunk and she had to be on time. Her father's reputation came into play every night at every delivery. It was a mission of great importance. The various shortcuts Momo wanted to borrow were all clogged with garbage cans or the crowds. She had to think fast.

It was at this very moment that she had a flash. A few meters away, they had destroyed an old restaurant in very poor condition. The terrain was certainly damaged, but nothing could prevent a car from driving. If she could make that turn, drive onto the sidewalk without crushing pedestrians and pass between two other walls, it would take her down the street she had to reach.  

She bit her lip. It was a relatively dangerous decision to make. Tokyo was a very difficult city to maneuver during rush hours. 

First, she had to ensure that no pedestrians were on the 100 meters to cross on the sidewalk. She should then accelerate, avoid damaging the wheels as well as the car in the narrow passage after a sharp turn. Of course, she had to sneak between two cars on the other side of the road. 

She purred the engine. Why the hell did I bought a Subaru Impreza if it is to get stuck in the traffic ?

Momo took a deep breath. Her gaze was placed on the line of cars and then on the passage that was gradually emerging. Soon there was no one left on the sidewalk and the choice had to be made quickly. She swallowed her saliva, both hands holding the steering wheel firmly. 

Finally, she pressed the accelerator while driving to the right. She changed the speeds, ten, twenty, thirty- fifty, sixty kilometers hours in less than a hundred meters. At seventy she took the turn, the wheels screeched against the gravel and the car went drifting. Her heart seemed to want to leave her ribcage, but it was the adrenaline she was looking for.

Momo was skillful. She knew how to drive, she knew how to take risks.

The walls of the other two buildings seemed to close on her, almost brushing the rear-view mirrors. She could barely distinguish the street in front of her eyes, praying that no pedestrian and no car was going to create the irreparable by blocking the road. She grabbed the gearbox, left the passage that had almost closed in and sneaked herself in between two cars. Her seat belt kept her body from going forward after a rough braking. Momo had managed in a last drift to fit the Subaru to the millimeter between two other cars.

“Oh my god, I ing love you!” She patted the top of her steering wheel, uttering a victorious cry. She could no longer hear the many horns against her, she had once again accomplished her mission. 

She finished her run to make all deliveries on time.

*****

“We need her, really. ” Dahyun was dead serious. Nayeon rolled her eyes, really unsure of her friend's choice. For two years they had bought a garage that was falling into disrepair on the edge of Seoul. Nayeon was repairing, Dahyun was looking after the customers. Everything worked perfectly, the deliveries came from all over Japan and they engaged themselves into many illegal contracts for the pleasure of the night's pilots.

“She's a young woman who sells sushi. Dahyun, I don't believe it for a sec’. ” The older one screwed the last rivet. From now on the Datsun Bluebird (180D) was lightened. The electric blue color of the vehicle shone under the lights. Nayeon had received this pearl for a few days. It was a vintage car designed to ride in private races. In these types of orders, they won big. Their reputation swelled to allow them to work with new stakeholders.

“So what? I've seen it with my own eyes, twice! It is really a gift that she has there and we need her.” Dahyun insisted, placing both hands against the hood of the car.

“Listen, I really think we should look elsewhere. ” Nayeon closed the toolbox, took a towel and wiped her hands before looking at the time displayed on the wall. It was past 11 p.m.

“Next time, come with me. You'll see with your own eyes, it's madness.” Dahyun's gaze shone. She was convinced that she had found the person to participate in street racing after losing Jeongyeon. The latter had decided to stop her career after a long chat with her two old friends. The race was a world she didn't really like anymore, but she stayed around to lend a hand to Nayeon to fix some cars. In fact, she had recently signed a contract for legal races in broad daylight on closed circuits. Clean money, a security that Jeongyeon had always sought and had finally achieved - thanks to her experience in the world of illegal racing.

She was now clean to the great despair of Dahyun and Nayeon.

“If you want to, but there's no way she's running for us. She has no experience, we need someone with a steely mind.” Nayeon began to turn off the lights and the two young women left the place after lowering the heavy garage gate.

“I'd come, but if I'm not impressed you let it go. We don't have time to waste.” Side by side they crossed the less aesthetic part of Tokyo. That's where it all happened. People came to buy spare pieces, they stylized their vehicle, they could order without the police necessarily sticking their nose in.

“So tomorrow, 8:30 p.m. before sunset.” Once near the buildings, Dahyun patted Nayeon's shoulder as she returned home. This day had been shorter than expected after a very large order cancellation. She had to swing with a new client as quickly as possible, because she had no other money inflow.

She secretly hoped that the woman Dahyun had detected, had a certain talent for running.

*****

Momo had her cap on. Her long black hair was cascading along her shoulders as she drove at a perfectly normal pace. There wasn't as much traffic jam as usual on Tuesday, certain thanks to the end of some detours that allowed the streets to breathe a little.

The Chemical Brothers blasting in the background, she sang the few words that kept repeating, unconcerned about if we saw her. 

“Boring. We're wasting our time here.” Dahyun and Nayeon were following the girl with one of the cars in the garage. It was a black Skyline r34, the neon lights were off and Dahyun had purposely asked Nayeon to soften the motor sound to avoid getting spotted in town. Since Jeongyeon's departure, Dahyun sometimes drove to earn some money in a few races. She was forcing herself to be able to help the garage financially and she was doing just enough to inflate their bets a little.

“Wait, I'm sure she'll finally accelerate and-”

“Forget it I said, I still have the Datsun to finish and I gave you your chance.” The mechanic was not convinced, they had been following Momo for more than an hour and why? To see her deliver sushi. Dahyun was beginning to get hungry.

“Another night then? We are unlucky, Tokyo has never been so empty.” Which was funny, people was jostling on the pedestrian crossings and in front of the still-open shops of the capital. The world was out tonight ; from young people to old people with colorful clothes, cosplay, Kogaru and much more. Nayeon judged the world with her eyes while yawning.

“Come on, take us back to the garage. Hopefully we can fix another two or three pieces up.” Nayeon glanced at the hour: 9:45 p.m. It was dark, the road was clear and the sushi delivery girl was not speeding down the fluid road.

Dahyun was about to stop pursuing the Subaru Impreza wrx sti, when it suddenly accelerated. “Okay, Nayeon, look at this.” It was her turn to play with the gearbox and accelerate with the Skyline on an increasingly empty road. The delivery driver was running towards the hill, where the corners were tight. Nayeon's heart was starting to accelerate, maybe Dahyun was right after all.

The Subaru had reached the beginning of the climb. Nayeon could now distinguish the young woman, but only her focused face, half camouflaged by her cap. She had black hair, just like her. But hers were smooth, her jaw perfectly drawn. There was no doubt, unlike her and Dahyun, they faced a Japanese woman. The Skyline left a little distance to let the Subaru run faster than the wind in the turns.

“She’s driving faster, it's going to get interesting.” Dahyun took wide turns, without being in a hurry, but they began to get distanced. She activated the yellow neon lights under the footsteps, the light reflecting on the road. The car had a unique style, totally cut for the race. She turned off the sound attenuator to let the engine growl. The delivery woman must have noticed them by now and started to ride in a ferocious manner.

The Subaru bit the gravel, the wheels passed a few centimeters from the ravine in the tight corners. Nayeon was impressed by the precision. Dahyun chased her, changing gears after each turn. The delivery driver held her steering wheel with one hand, the second raising the handbrake to take a hairpin turn. She made a long drift, the trunk of the car passing close to the metal barrier before moving straight back onto the road. With a proud smile on her lips, she easily distanced Dahyun.

“I told you, she's ing crazy!” Dahyun yelled in the car. Nayeon shook her face with a wide grin. They had found a partner.

The delivery girl still impressed the two women with her tight turns and her mastery of drifts on the hill road. It was the game of cat and mouse but without any real pressure. Nayeon thought she'd seen enough of this show.

“Come on, let's go home. We'll talk about it once I made up my mind, but you almost convinced me.” The Skyline turned around before reaching the top knowing that the delivery woman was still watching them. Dahyun took the opportunity to complete some tight drifts in the descent, taking pleasure behind the wheel. She wasn't a great runner, it wasn't her field, but she was doing just fine like most people being in the world of illegal racing.

Momo had stopped at the top of the hill. From the beginning of her race she had noticed the Skyline and was waiting for one thing: to show them what she was capable of and to have a little fun. She had no idea behind her head, it was out of sheer desire to brag.

She smoked a cigarette while watching the Skyline going down the hill, enjoying the fluidity of the drifts. Hers were a little rough, sometimes lacking speed in the corners because of her rushed change of gears. But she had never thought of training more than that, she did not particularly want to find herself caught up in an idiotic accident. Paradoxically, she still knew this hill by heart.

Lost in thoughts, she received a call from Hyejeong as her gaze now watched Tokyo from the hill. 

“Hey? What's going on?” Momo exhaled the smoke from her lungs, Hyejeong's voice resonating at the other end of the phone. If she could, she wouldn’t have answered. However, after all the harm caused, she couldn’t ignore her. Before they went out together, they were friends. She had to take that into account.

“I want to talk. I'm so sorry, you know it wasn't huh… I work in a bar, you see people and sometimes... You know...” Again a fake apology. Momo was tired of such unnecessary drama. She shouldn’t have taken the call.

“It's over. I gave you several chances, I'm not a puppet.”

“I must remind you that you too-” But Momo hung up on her while throwing her cigarette away. She didn't have time for arguments. They had nothing to say to each other, they had to accept it. It was still terrifying to think that they had known each other for years, but that the choice to go further had sent everything to hell. They knew each other’s weaknesses, but neither was willing to live with it. Momo felt her heart tighten despite everything. It was not just anyone, but above all a friend who had broken her trust.

While driving back home, her mind was filled with different thoughts. Her past, her father, Hyejeong and an uncertain future. So far, all this has suited her perfectly. Living day after day, meeting people, going to a dance club, driving the Subaru, but she was missing something. She felt lonely. Momo parked the Subaru behind her home, the former family home. Her father lived in the restaurant but left the house empty for his daughter. It wasn’t gigantic, there were only two bedrooms, a large living room, but a huge garage and a small workshop.

Sometimes Momo had fun painting her father's old car, one of collection but deemed inoperable. The Nissan 180SX was taking dust and had been severely damaged in a road accident. This was one of the reasons for her mother's departure: her husband's devouring passion for running. He had almost lost his life and his conversion to catering had not been sufficient.

Today, Momo missed her mother so much.

She threw the keys of the apartment and the car at the entrance and went down to the workshop. The lights were strong, she squinted her eyes before properly distinguishing the material. She lacked money to arrange the Nissan and she had to put aside first for her father. 

Her hands grazed the dented hood. That car had lived so much. Sometimes she dreamed of driving it, she would speed up the hill and reach the top in record time. But it was impossible. Her father's accident haunted her. It had been severe, today very marked scars were visible on his legs. He himself had never put his hands back on a steering wheel.

She sat down on the chair, face hidden by her hands.

Everything suddenly seemed to go round in circles, she secretly dreamed of speed, of novelty, but she had something that held her back.

*****

Dahyun was waiting for Nayeon to arrive with the Skyline. In the underground areas of Tokyo, it was time to race. Finally, she saw Nayeon behind the wheel, she appeared in the large car park taken in hostage for the races. With the windows closed, Nayeon kept an air much more modest than any racer in this car fair. 

Several women came to tap the hood with excitement, the music resonating in the garage to the rhythm of boasting. Nayeon parked the car, took off her seatbelt and joined Dahyun, who had sweaty hands.

“You're a little late, we're in trouble.” Dahyun began to walk, avoiding men and women rubbing against each other. Nayeon watched the show, amused by this totally uninhibited world. You could see money trafficking, bare skins, cars and ion. When she left Seoul, she didn’t expect such a reality. The movies tended to exaggerate everything and yet she was there, in a crazy world and impossible to contain.

“It didn't start yet and I had to change the brakes.” Nayeon whispered before reaching the principal desk. There, a black man was waiting to be given cash for registration. With a serious look, his bodyguards were waiting too. He was wearing a chain necklace and a half- woman was also waiting on his thighs. Nayeon was no longer impressed by hanging out in this dirty environment.

“Hurry up, we've got some show to give tonight girls.” Urged the woman who began kissing the owner of the place. Dahyun let out a nervous laugh before handing over a wad of banknotes. Slowly, one of the bodyguards began counting the money and checking to see if it was true bills. His gaze made Dahyun nervous. She finally received a number to stick against her trunk in return. She wasn't feeling very well.

“Hey, everything's going to be fine. If we catch the delivery girl you won't have to run anymore. All right?” Nayeon was trying to reassure the inexperienced runner.

But they didn't have much time. A few people came to clap Dahyun's hand to cheer her on. They were all former Jeongyeon fans and aware of the withdrawal of this excellent runner. Dahyun had to at least come third to pocket double the bet.

“You're always doing well. I believe in you.” Nayeon massaged her friend's shoulders before bringing her into the Skyline. Dahyun closed the door before taking great deep breaths. Nayeon stuck the stickers against the trunk before backing up to let the driver reach the other end of the car park. 

Slowly, the fence went up to clear the outside path.

The race was simple, the highway under construction behind the airport was free. The race was going to last no more than seven minutes. The challenge was not to crash against the barriers and arrive in one piece at the garage.

Nayeon had reached the starting line. People were recording, jumping on the spot and cheering on their favorites. There were five of them. There were only different car brands and in principle the Skyline could provide a podium. Nayeon had replaced the brakes and Dahyun had handled it enough times to know its strengths as well as its weaknesses.

Dahyun was concentrating. The last time, she came close to first place and gained a small reputation. But it wasn't her dream, she was sincerely hoping it was her last race.

“You can do it,” she said as a woman stood between the cars. She wore a tight skirt, a revealing top and had a flag in her hand. She had doe eyes.

Nayeon kept moving around to better observe the scene as the top start was about to be given.

Ready?

Set.

Go!

The woman lowered the flag while lowering herself as the tires screeched against the concrete ground leaving black marks behind them. The five cars left the playground to the cheers of the crowd who began to chase after them outside the park. Nayeon stayed inside, hoping everything would go well.

Dahyun had taken second place from the start, taking the first major turn at the entrance to the highway. The others followed her closely, nothing was done. The first one seemed uncertain with his steering wheel shots, she had to be vigilant on such dangerous field. 

The road was empty but there were many cones. The third car touched some who flew on the road. Dahyun had to avoid them many times before giving him her second place.

“!” She hissed, annoyed.

Nayeon could track the progress of the race through several screens placed in the parking lot. The budget was there, the races paid a lot. The boss was counting the tickets in a corner under the protection of the bodyguards. 

One last look in their direction and she went the opposite way to take a look at the exposed cars. There were all kinds, of all colors, extravagant decorations or more classy. Men and women looked at her, flirted with their eyes when she had eyes only for the engines.

 She needed a new range of spare crews for her new model.

She finally came across a Mitsubishi lancer evolution whose body work was very interesting. The spectral racing red color gave a very sophisticated touch to the aerial shape of the car. However, it was not totally cut for the race, it was so clean and intact that it could only be owned by curious soul. A strange feeling was growing inside her stomach. That car brand was telling her something.

“It's not for sale.” A voice came whispering against her ear and Nayeon began to sneer.

“I bet the woman behind the wheel isn't either?” The silhouette came to her side, arms folded. She smelled like Calvin Klein. 

“It was very degrading. I didn't know you like that.” The stranger finally confronted Nayeon and the latter began to smile without knowing if she was especially happy to see her ex-girlfriend again. Mina Myoui.

“It was just a bad joke. Don't take it personally.” Nayeon shook her face before biting her lip. It was hard to look at Mina in the eye. She was beautiful, nothing to do with all these women here ready to leave with these men in heat. “What are you doing here?” Asked the mechanic more seriously. 

“I'm just looking. You know, business”. Mina shrugged her shoulders before turning her face towards one of the screens, Dahyun was now fourth.

“You're losing big tonight.” She noticed with a smile.

“It seems to me that it is no longer your business. And the race is not over.” Nayeon didn’t bother to watch the race. Instead her gaze was focused on Mina's face. On each of her moles, her lipstick, her pale skin.

“How's it going in the garage?” Mina completely ignored the words of her former companion. Nayeon couldn't believe her eyes and sighed. She bit her tongue before answering her.

“As always, there are better months than others. Jeongyeon's departure was a blow, but we think we've found someone.” The manner in which she declared her sentence did not give much importance to this information. But Mina was very interested in the news. Good drivers didn’t run the streets, most were already in illegal racing. Her curious gaze met Nayeon's.

“Oh, really?”

The tone of her voice had just betrayed her. Nayeon knew she had just interested Mina and that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

“Don't "Oh really-me" please. I know what it means.” Mina wore that mischievous smile on the corner of her lips. Her family also tried to find the best drivers to win big and afford new contracts with companies in the capital. Although Nayeon loved Mina with all her might, she knew the young woman was a shark.

“I've never betrayed you, relax.” The two women had come close. Their shoulders touched and the race came to an end. The noise of the crowd pulled them out of their little chat and Dahyun had finally won the third place. However, the right front side of the car was badly damaged.

“At least she came back in one piece.” Added Mina before disappearing into the crowd. Nayeon watched her until the last moment. She still wanted her so much, but she could not give in to memories and her impulses.

“And you shouldn't set foot here again.” Nayeon thought before joining her disgruntled friend. The repairs were going to cost them dearly and the profit was not going to be very great. Behind the wheel, Dahyun was definitely sad, looking at the void. Nayeon knocked against the window, speaking loudly to be heard.

“Hey, open up! Don't worry, we still won a lot of money. It's going to be fine!”

She tried so hard to cheer up her friend, but behind a window it was quite difficult. Dahyun moved the vehicle to a parking spot, opened the door and slipped a hand into her hair. She was close to ripping them off.

“It pisses me off! I could avoid the obstacle! But the other car came so fast!” A new grunt left her lips and Nayeon rubbed her hand against her shoulder. She wanted to comfort her.

“I'm going to get the money and we're leaving.” One last sorry smile towards her friend and Nayeon walked to the main table. Prices and money were given. The envelope of the third was full, there was the amount promised and Nayeon felt relieved. After fixing the car they could afford some new features after all.

“Did you see, Myoui is here.” Dahyun glanced at Mina in the middle of a discussion with a man known in the races. It was certainly the least fair here, but Nayeon didn't care much now. At least, that was what she made it look like.

“No, I hadn't seen her.” The first lie. It was out of the question for Dahyun to know that they had discussed, even to exchange a few meaningless words.

“What do you think she's doing here?” Dahyun said when she got in the half-damaged car. Nayeon got behind the wheel, started the engine and threw the bundle of money on her friend's lap before watching Mina leave through one of the parking lot doors accompanied by many men. A forced smile cracked on her lips.

“She's coming just to show up. She has plans, that's for sure.” Dahyun spoke after the lack of response, Nayeon remained much more reserved.

“Maybe.” And they left the scene to reach the highway and return back home.

*****

In the hot Tokyo district, after her deliveries, Momo had decided to have an ice cream. Chaeyoung had accompanied her after a long day's work. She had just finished a work of art, a tattoo on a tall man with diameters of a sumo.

“Tomorrow night we're going out? It's been a while.” Chaeyoung commented, ing her spoon into her ice cream cup. She had many tattoos against her arms and hands. Her offbeat style appealed to both: men and women, but her heart was too indecisive to make a stable choice.

“Why not, I won't have deliveries to do.” Momo had put ice cream on her chin. It's impossible not to make fun of it. At the same time, tires screeched against the concrete and a black Skyline spun into an alley half-masked by sewer fumes.

“Isn't that the Skyline from the other night?” Chaeyoung asked, pointing her spoon at the shadow that had faded into the night. “Black, yellow neon, sporty and... half-destroyed.”

“Yep.” Momo had finally finished and yawned before looking at her friend. There was a somewhat disturbed look on her friend's face. “Hey, get back down to earth.”

“I don't feel this story.” Chaeyoung shrugged her shoulders before observing the bottom of her glass. Her ice cream had partially melted. The tattooist wasn’t very interested in illegal racing, playing with death despite her quirky world, she didn’t like it. However, she had a Dodge Viper SRT-10 that Momo had picked up for her for a crazy price. The yellow body was really amazing, Chaeyoung was in love with it.

“There's no story, what are you talking about?”

“I don't know, you usually don’t chase after someone just for fun.” Chaeyoung was convinced that her friend had to be careful. Momo was used to meet a few curious drivers, to show up and leave without much consequence. Once or twice the police caught her, made her pay and maybe this was the least funny part of this whole motorized universe.

“They were two women, you don't have to worry.” It was half reassuring. Chaeyoung grimaced when she saw that she could no longer save her ice cream and looked at her friend in the eye.

“If you say so.” "

“I say so.” Momo payed for both of them. It was time to leave this place, rest and be ready of the week-end. Hopefully she’d get enough drunk to forget about Hyejeong.