Huh?
Why was he being called a big idiot?
Derek Su was completely baffled.
Wasn't his super jump maneuver awesome?
It perfectly avoided the danger of the hairpin turn and locked in first place—thanks to his meticulous calculations and racing experience and techniques that were at least fifty years ahead of this world. He'd fully expected Stella to look at him with sparkling eyes and say, "Master, you're amazing!"
Ah… what a blow…
After the race ended, Stella deactivated her deployment mode.
But the moment she did, her legs suddenly went weak, and she collapsed straight into Derek Su's arms.
"Stella, what's wrong?" Derek Su's heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly caught his Mecha Girl.
That leap had been undeniably stylish—the landing posture and angle were flawless, and the force distribution afterward was handled perfectly. Still, it must have put some strain on Stella. He'd taken into account her high Impact Resistance and Stability, assuming a super jump like that would be well within her limits.
"I'm fine, my legs just went numb," Stella said with a pout, nestling into Derek Su's arms, her cheeks tinged red.
In truth, the numbness had only lasted an instant. Since she couldn't say what she really wanted to earlier, she decided to take every opportunity to shamelessly enjoy her master's embrace. She'd worked hard to finish the race—this tiny reward was something she absolutely deserved.
"It might've stressed the tires or the shock absorbers," Derek Su said, still uneasy. "We should take you in for an inspection."
"No need. I'll be fine after a short rest."
Stella definitely didn't want to get checked. If they examined her and said there was nothing wrong at all, wouldn't her act be completely exposed?
"Just resting won't do. I think—"
"Dumbass!" Stella lightly nipped his shoulder, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Laiya An stepped down from her car, her gaze fixed on Derek Su, her expression complicated.
Dawnbreak also disengaged her deployment mode. She staggered forward, barely managing to brace herself against the guardrail. Standing dazed at the finish line, she clutched her head, then sank down against the barrier, crouching in pain.
"I lost… I actually lost…"
"Lost to an ordinary Mecha Girl with no special skills… I…"
Sensing that Dawnbreak's state was off, Laiya An immediately went to her side, her voice soft as she comforted her.
"No, Dawnbreak, you can't think like that. Your performance was flawless—absolutely top-tier. We just lost to the Magician's technique. Who could've guessed he'd use a cliff jump?"
Dawnbreak was simply too competitive, and her pride was well-earned.
Ever since she joined the club as Laiya An's Mecha Girl, she'd taken part in countless training matches and official races, even dangerous underground competitions—yet she'd never tasted defeat. That unbroken record had forged an unyielding heart. Losing this time to Derek Su and Stella was an immense blow.
"Hehehe~ defeated opponent!"
Stella planted her hands on her hips and grinned smugly. In an instant, her back stopped aching and her legs stopped trembling.
Even though she wasn't entirely sure how they'd won, and even though her confession hadn't succeeded, there would be more chances later. Today, though, she had truly and decisively crushed a hidden "love rival" underfoot.
Today was the Pineapple King's grand victory!
She pulled out a pineapple shell and walked toward Dawnbreak, clearly intending to perform some sort of coronation ceremony.
But then she caught sight of the gloom hidden beneath Dawnbreak's bangs—and the tears pooling in her eyes.
Stella stopped in her tracks and quietly hid the pineapple shell behind her back.
They were both Mecha Girls. She could understand Dawnbreak's feelings all too well.
The track was a Mecha Girl's honor. Dawnbreak, who had always been undefeated, must have desperately wanted to win this race. That special skill was probably meant to be saved for a provincial competition, yet she'd been forced to use it here.
"Dawnbreak…" Stella called softly.
Dawnbreak lifted her head, her tear-blurred eyes meeting Stella's.
"What, are you here to mock your defeated opponent?" she said bitterly. "You really are amazing. Even after using my special skill, I still wasn't your match. This time, I lost fair and square."
"Not really~" Stella said with a smile, shaking her head, her hands clasped behind her back. "I actually have a special skill too. Do you know why I was able to catch up to you later? It's because I used it!"
"What?!" Dawnbreak's eyes widened in shock. "You have a special skill too?!"
"Yep. An acceleration-type one," Stella said, sticking out her tongue. "It's just more subtle—not as flashy as yours."
"So that's why… so that's why you could make that cliff jump…"
Dawnbreak muttered to herself, lowering her head. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
When she opened them again, the confusion and pain were gone, replaced by renewed fighting spirit and confidence.
"Next time, we won't lose to you."
She snorted softly, then grabbed Laiya An by the hand and walked off.
Laiya An turned back and gave Stella a grateful wink.
She knew perfectly well whether Stella had used a special skill or not. Stella had simply made up an excuse to comfort Dawnbreak.
To win the championship and still have such generosity of spirit—this had to be thanks to Derek Su's guidance as a driver, right?
Thinking that, Laiya An's respect for Derek Su deepened even further.
"Don't let it slip, okay?" Stella silently reminded Laiya An with exaggerated lip movements.
Laiya An nodded, a relaxed smile appearing on her face.
Suddenly remembering something, she hurriedly pulled out a racing suit.
"Wait, Dawnbreak! I still haven't gotten the Magician's autograph!"
"Autograph my ass! Let's go already!" Dawnbreak snapped, snatching the suit and tucking it under her arm.
She then hoisted Laiya An up in one smooth motion and carried her off, leaving Laiya An looking back with obvious reluctance.
Stella quietly gave Dawnbreak a thumbs-up.
Nicely done. Her goodwill hadn't been wasted.
"Was it really okay to say that?" Derek Su leaned closer to Stella, watching the two figures walk away. "If Dawnbreak finds out later that you didn't actually use a special skill, she might see today's kindness as humiliation instead."
He shook his head with a world-weary sigh, spreading his hands and pursing his lips.
"Even Mecha Girls need to build mental resilience. If she can't handle a little setback, she'll have plenty more losses waiting for her~"
"That won't happen, Master." Stella hugged Derek Su's arm, blinking her big eyes. "Next time, we might really have to use our skills to beat her!"
…
Derek Su and Stella successfully completed the race. Inspired by them, Lumina and Xavier Young managed a 150-meter flying jump across the river, personally shattering a long-standing nightmare.
At the same time, the spectator stands at the starting point of the Greenfield Advancement Race erupted.
The medical team ultimately never had to step in.
On the big screen, an overexcited Taimei replayed the footage of Derek Su and Stella using the cliff to leap again and again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we truly underestimated the surprise the Magician would bring us!"
"This proves that true racers are never conquered by the track—they conquer it with their Mecha Girls! No ramp? Then use cliffs and elevation differences as your launchpad! Skipping the hairpin turn, flying nearly 400 meters straight to the finish line—tell me, throughout the entire history of the Greenfield Advancement Race, who else has done this?!"
The cheers from the stands were so loud the ground itself seemed to tremble.
Fans of Derek Su and Stella were celebrating like it was a festival. Some were so overwhelmed with emotion that they nearly passed out.
"The cliff jump by Derek Su and Stella will be recorded in the history of the Greenfield Advancement Race," Taimei said emotionally into the microphone. "It represents not just a path to victory, but the adventurous spirit of racers—and of humanity itself!"
"There are always things in this world worth giving everything for!"
"Even if it means being shattered to pieces!!"
"Victory!" Taimei clenched her fist and roared.
"Victory——!!!"
The response from the stands was deafening.
…
"Stella's master… is really incredible."
Watching the frenzied crowd, Purple Lightning took a deep breath.
Although she loathed the very existence of drivers, she couldn't help but admire Derek Su.
The Magician?
No— in the eyes of many Mecha Girls, he was a god.
Faced with a god, even with prejudice in her heart, reverence still arose instinctively.
If only she could become his Mecha Girl…
The thought surfaced uncontrollably.
But she soon shook her head, her expression turning desolate.
Would becoming Derek Su's Mecha Girl really bring happiness?
Not necessarily. Stella was happy and lucky because she already possessed outstanding straight-line acceleration.
Derek Su made up for Stella's shortcomings in technique, allowing her to become his primary partner.
But what did she have?
She didn't have Stella's speed, nor her Stability or Impact Resistance.
She had skill, she was agile—but Derek Su didn't need that.
She hadn't even paid off her penalty fee yet.
"Someone like me… really is better off alone."
Purple Lightning let out a bitter smile and sighed.
She gazed at the frozen image on the big screen—silver Lumina soaring through the sunlight—her eyes filled only with deep admiration and blessing.
Stella loved pineapple, but she didn't think it tasted good.
Pineapple was too sweet; that cloying sweetness was hard for her to accept.
Carrying a bag of dried pineapple, Purple Lightning turned and left.
She wanted to taste pineapple, just to experience what happiness might feel like.
But naive imitation could never make happiness transferable.
Just like flowers blooming brilliantly in the sunlight—no matter how beautiful the flowers in the shadows were, they would only wither.
…
"This Derek Su is kind of terrifying."
Leon Li stared at the screen and calmly reached that conclusion.
Beside him, Snowpeak nodded solemnly. "Mm. Stella is strong. We should be on guard."
"Should we test him out in advance?"
"Agreed."
They exchanged a look. Everything was understood without words.
"Master," Snowpeak suddenly tugged on Leon Li's sleeve, tilting her small face up. "I… want to."
"But this is the spectator stands, and besides, this morning—"
"There's a restroom in the back." Snowpeak hugged Leon Li's arm and blinked. "Can we?"
Leon Li immediately pulled out a packet of Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pills and dumped them into his mouth.
"Go?"
"Go!"
…
Inside the prison.
Mr. Liang cheerfully took a sip of iced black tea.
He picked up the remote control that had been smashed beyond recognition on the floor and tossed it to a cellmate.
"I'm done watching. You guys can change the channel now~"
The other inmates stared at him in horror as Mr. Liang walked into the restroom. No one dared move until cheerful whistling echoed from inside.
"Hey, King of Knox!"
"Heh, first place in the Greenfield Advancement Race… this kid…"
"Really made something of himself!!"
…
In the Greenfield Advancement Race, Derek Su and Stella took first place without any suspense with a time of 48 minutes and 54 seconds. Second place went to Laiya An and Dawnbreak—though Dawnbreak likely didn't want to face the humiliation and never even appeared on the podium. Third place was claimed by SSC Club's Miles Wang and his new Mecha Girl, Hurricane. However, the young master was clearly dissatisfied with the result and wore a dark expression throughout the award ceremony.
Worth mentioning was that Zane and Lingwind finished as the 10th-place gatekeepers of the Greenfield Advancement Race. Though they were only one step away from elimination, they still secured advancement qualification and completed their first provincial advancement race.
For Zane, however, none of that mattered much. His greatest gain from this race was earning Lingwind's recognition, reclaiming his lost dignity, and completing the trials set by the Pineapple King and the Pineapple Grand King.
VVC Club's Justin Kim and Cloud Leopard placed eighth. During his media interview, the Han Nation driver looked pale and visibly nervous, as if a catastrophe were imminent.
Cloud Leopard, on the other hand, wore a simple, honest grin—occasionally fiddling with the pure silver scissors he'd prepared long ago.
…
That night, a grand celebration was held at the Foxfire Club.
Naturally, all expenses were covered by the deep-pocketed Mr. Xavier, and every driver and Mecha Girl from the entire black market was invited.
As glasses clinked and the atmosphere buzzed with celebration,
Mr. Xavier and Zane approached Derek Su with unusually serious expressions.
"What's with those faces?" Derek Su asked, completely confused.
To be honest, having two middle-aged men suddenly sit in front of him with such solemn expressions made him uneasy. He instinctively edged closer to Stella.
"Well, Derek Su," Zane said, rubbing his hands awkwardly, "we all know your goal is the provincial track—Panlong Mountain Circuit. You've already completed one advancement race. Win two more, and you and Stella will qualify. But… aside from the advancement races, there's one more condition to enter Panlong Mountain."
Derek Su set down his glass and raised an eyebrow. "What condition?"
Zane and Xavier Young exchanged a glance, then spoke carefully.
"You need to join a club—or better yet, establish one of your own. You have to compete as a club representative."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser