The rain keeps falling. So do the lies. But her questions are starting to hit harder than any corner.
---
Morning – 7:10 AM, Home
Mari was already dressed by the time I walked into the kitchen.
Her usual quiet smile was replaced by a frown.
"You came home late again," she said, not looking at me.
"I was working on a commission."
"Mmhmm."
She buttered toast with slow, careful motions.
"Your jacket smells like smoke," she added after a beat. "Like tires and oil."
I froze.
"You sure it's not from Shoji's garage?"
She shrugged, sliding the plate across the table.
"Maybe."
But her eyes didn't leave mine as I took the first bite. There was something new in them.
Not distrust.
Disappointment.
And worse…
Worry.
---
7:40 AM – Drive to School
The air was tense inside the LFA.
Rain tapped the roof in slow rhythm. Mari kept her arms crossed over her bag, hugging it like a shield. Her uniform ribbon was tied tight—too tight. She always did that when she was anxious.
We didn't speak until we reached the red light outside Kurosaki Girls' Gate.
Then she turned toward me.
"…Do you like racing?"
The question hit like a bump in the road I didn't see coming.
"Why?" I asked.
She hesitated.
"I… just think it's dangerous. A lot of accidents lately on the mountain roads."
My grip on the wheel tightened.
"You think I'd do something like that?"
"I don't know," she said softly. "But you used to tell me everything, Kaito."
I looked away.
The light turned green.
---
10:03 AM – RINK Garage
Shoji tossed me a wrench without looking up. "You got a girl problem or a tire problem?"
I caught it midair.
"…Both."
"Reika again?" he asked.
I flinched. "She showed up during the duel. Said things I didn't want to hear."
Shoji grinned. "She's fast. Dangerous, yeah—but fast. Reminds me of someone I used to lose to."
"She's not just racing," I muttered. "She's getting under my skin."
"Maybe that's what you need."
I looked at him.
He chuckled. "You think you can run your whole life on silence and grip strength? At some point, Redline, you'll have to choose who sits beside you when it's not just about speed anymore."
I hated that he was right.
---
2:11 PM – Message from Reika
> "Did you miss me already? I saw that clip of us racing. They're calling it 'Beauty vs Phantom.' Want a rematch... or just dinner?"
I didn't reply.
But I didn't delete it either.
---
5:12 PM – School Pick-Up
Mari waited in the drizzle, umbrella spinning in her fingers.
She got in without a word. No hums. No comments about the weather.
We drove.
Silently.
Until she said, "You smell different these days."
I swallowed.
"It's just oil."
"It's not," she whispered. "It's something else. Something… like smoke. And danger."
I said nothing.
Then she asked, so quietly it almost disappeared under the rain:
"…Do you still think about me when you're not driving me?"
I froze.
The wipers dragged across the glass like slow exhale.
"…All the time," I said.
She looked away quickly. Pretending she didn't hear it.
But I saw her hand slowly tighten around her bag.
Her face flushed slightly, almost hidden by her hair.
And for the rest of the ride…
She smiled.
Just a little.
---
That Night – 11:22 PM
Mari was asleep on the couch again.
I moved to cover her with a blanket, but paused.
Her hand was clutching her phone.
The screen was still on. Playing a video.
A side clip of me drifting with Reika. From a faraway angle. My LFA. Her S2000. The glide through Sector 5.
And in the comments—one from Reika herself.
> "He looks good in red… but he'd look better beside me."
I carefully turned the phone over.
But Mari's breathing changed.
"…Kaito?" she murmured, eyes half-lidded.
"Yeah?"
"…If you ever get in trouble… promise me I'm the first one you call."
My chest ached.
"I promise."
She smiled, and drifted back into sleep.
---
[End of Chapter 6]