The waitress placed tamako, rice, grilled fish, and miso soup on the table.
However, none of them picked up their chopsticks. Takeda Tetsuya sighed at the determined look in Ameko's eyes.
The seafood shop owner lit a cigarette. "What's the point? You're going to China in two months. Why do you still want to get involved in this?"
"I want to know the truth about that incident. Deep down, you still love your mother, don't you?"
"At our age, feelings aren't that important anymore." Takeda Tetsuya did not comment. He took a puff of his cigarette. "When I was young, I thought I would always love a woman, but the truth is, after so many years, I've almost forgotten what she looked like."
The seafood shop owner paused. "But no matter what, I owe you. How is Yasako? Is she doing well?"
"Mom is fine now. She just can't get over what happened back then. But she told me herself that she doesn't hate you anymore. You just … owe us the truth."
Takeda Tetsuya fell silent. It was obvious that he did not want to remember what happened back then, but he knew he could no longer hide it.
After who knew how long, just as the cigarette was about to burn his fingers, the seafood shop owner spoke again. "It was all because of a mistake. The most regretful mistake I've ever made in my life."
Then, the seafood shop owner finally told the story he had kept hidden for so many years.
In the 70s and 80s, Japan's economy was in its final frenzy. Yosuke Tsuchiya was born in that era and had a happy family. Like most people back then, Yosuke Tsuchiya was young and arrogant. It was not until the Plaza Accord was signed that the US dollar began to depreciate against the Japanese yen. The purchasing power of the Japanese yen peaked, but what followed was a devastating blow to Japan's export industry. Japan went from prosperity to decline, entering the Lost Decade. The huge contrast caused this generation to embark on a different path.
The high debt burden overwhelmed Yosuke Tsuchiya's parents. When their only home was repossessed by the bank, they chose to commit suicide by burning charcoal in despair. His grandparents also passed away, one after another, amidst the bad news. However, the huge change in his life did not sink Yosuke Tsuchiya. Instead, it forged him into a fearless character. In the words of the team manager who later discovered him:
'This kid is a born fighter.
The word "fear" did not exist in his dictionary.
What does not kill me makes me stronger.
Yosuke Tsuchiya reached the pinnacle of his life when he was in his twenties.
He was the runner-up in the New York GT Grand Prix, and then he had a falling out with his team and returned home. Not long after, he won a D1
As the champion of the PRIX Tokyo race, he was a legendary figure in the Japanese drifting world.
At that time, he was already at the top of the mountain, but he was still not satisfied. He desperately wanted a new challenge, so he decided to challenge the DK title. In less than a year, he had defeated all the top underground racers in 22 areas, leaving only the last area, the training area.
"The best racer in the Yakuza area is called Asano Naoto. He's a crazy guy. He created a death race. He chooses a section of the highway at an agreed time, destroys the guardrails, and sets up the entrance and exit. The racers drive against the traffic on the highway. Whoever reaches the finish line first will be the final winner. Sometimes, to increase the excitement, he deliberately introduces the police into the game."
"That's … that's suicide!" Ameko was dumbfounded when she heard the rules.
"Asano Naoto firmly believes that only the bravest racer deserves to win, and all racers who want to challenge him must accept the rules of the game he set. It may seem stupid now, but there was only one race left before I could win the DK title. The young me back then could not give it up no matter what."
Takeda Tetsuya lit a second cigarette with a lighter, took a deep breath, and continued, "We agreed on a time for the race. Other than the two of us, my best friend, the best racer in Shinjuku, Kobayashi, was also participating. We chose the track together. It was 40 kilometers long, with three lanes. Normally, there would be a moderate traffic density, but no one expected the fog to suddenly appear when we got there that day.
"Kobayashi suggested that we give up on the race and reschedule it. I could see that Asano Naoto had already agreed. After all, he was just a bastard who enjoyed the thrill of walking on the edge of death. He didn't really want to die. The road conditions and the danger were beyond what he could handle, but that bastard obviously didn't want to let go of the opportunity to mock us. He knew that I would vote for him, so he voted against it, saying that we were all cowards.
"I was young and impetuous back then, so I voted against it in a fit of anger. The final result was 2: 1, and the race went on as usual. Asano Naoto's face finally changed, but I couldn't feel any pleasure from revenge because the three of us were already in a difficult position."
"Everything that happened after that proved how stupid my decision was. The visibility on the road that day was only four to five meters. We had no choice but to slow down the car. Even so, we were still shrouded in the shadow of death. This was no longer a competition on the technical level. Luck became the most important thing."
"We drove like this for ten minutes. Normally, this amount of time would be enough for us to finish the whole journey, but this time, we only went less than a third of the way. I kept honking the horn. Fortunately, the highway was closed, and there were fewer cars coming from the opposite direction. Even so, there were still a few times when I suddenly saw headlights and swerved to avoid them. It felt like I had just brushed shoulders with the Grim Reaper."
Recalling the dangerous situation back then, the seafood shop owner still had lingering fears even now.
"Under such circumstances, even the most tenacious person wouldn't be able to persevere for a long time, so Kobayashi and I took turns to take the lead to buy time for each other to rest. As for Asano Naoto, he was already out of the race early. The so-called bravest racer in all of Tokyo had his will destroyed. He only dared to shrink behind us and shiver. But then, something unexpected happened that no one expected.
"When I was almost halfway there, I heard the truck's horn in front of me and was about to change lanes. I didn't expect Asano Naoto's GTR to suddenly move up and trap me in the left lane. I tried to accelerate and decelerate, but he was firmly on my right. I could roughly guess what he was thinking at that time. His performance today was terrible, and if he lost this race, the reputation he had built up for so long would be gone. That's why he had the guts to do it …" Zhang Heng thought.
Asano Naoto was determined to kill me, and the time left for me was getting shorter and shorter. I couldn't help but feel a sense of despair in my heart. I thought I was going to die here today, but I didn't expect that at this time, Kobayashi Ryo would drive his Lexus and crash into Asano Naoto's GTR.
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