"Haaaaah! So comfy~"
Closing her eyes with a contented sigh, Ai felt the warmth as she immersed herself in the inviting bath. Instantly, her fatigue disappeared. However, that comforting sensation couldn't fill the void of emptiness in her heart, persisting despite learning more and more about him.
"James Moriarty..." Ai opened her eyes, steam clouding her view of the luxurious bathroom. "...and he's a professor too. Hmm... I feel tricked," Ai pouted.
The weight of his background added immense pressure. And a month ago, Ai discovered Minoru was actually crazy rich. Did she even deserve to stand by his side when she was just an idol? She cherished her job and took pride in it, but compared to him, she felt like a nobody.
"Mama, why are you saying Dad's other name?"
Ruby looked up, sensing Ai's confusion.
"You know Papa's other name?"
Ai was shocked to learn that Ruby knew about it.
"Yeah, I found out when Aqua discovered Dad's background."
"Aqua did? Then, am I the only one who doesn't know yet? Hmmph~"
"Well, if not for Aqua, I'd probably be in the same boat as Mama. Tch-tch, my gloomy Onii-chan... Oh, that's right. Onii-chan seems different after that day. Is he alright?"
Ai worried briefly, but then she realized that they were probably having a peaceful conversation between father and son. She could relax about it.
"Come to think of it, Mama!"
Ai looked down as Ruby became excited in her embrace.
"How did you both meet for the first time? And what was he like back then?"
Ai chuckled and then pouted.
"That's why I felt betrayed. Your Papa is not the person I thought he was because... Minoru-kun I knew back then was the opposite like oil and water."
Ai sighed.
"Minoru-kun I knew... I thought he was just a naughty teenager who didn't go to school and became a NEET. A person who only liked racing and sleeping at his girlfriend's apartment for free, which was my apartment. Who knew he was someone amazing..."
The truth was Ai didn't tell Ruby everything, that Minoru had already been drinking alcohol at that time.
"Dad was that bad? That sounds... impossible."
Ai expected that reaction from Ruby. Even a four-year-old like her felt that it was ridiculous, but Ai had experienced it.
"Then, how did you fall in love?"
At that question, Ai blushed.
"Uh, you know, I wasn't planning on sharing this, but my adorable daughter brought it up. Let me think... Your dad was never interested in me as an idol. Minoru-kun just saw me as a regular girl back in those days. Haha~ I don't know why I'm saying all this. It's a bit embarrassing."
Ruby smiled, "No, I think that was cute!"
"Hehe... but Ruby, you know what? Your dad is such a bully. I hope you don't become like him. Never. That's also a prayer for Aqua."
---
About that, Ai nailed it about him.
"W-WAIT! TIME OUT TIME OUT! AHHHHH! Stop the car!"
The desperate cry came from Aqua, a four-year-old boy seated on the left side of the driver, gripping the five-point seat belt tightly. The force exerted by Minoru, navigating the Nissan Skyline R34 along the empty hill road at Mount Akina, proved too much for the little guy.
"Heh…"
Minoru smirked, twisting the steering wheel and downshifting the car's gear. The dark blue vehicle executed a drift, its rear sliding, emitting screeching noises. The roar of the RB engine and the turbo echoed through the mountain. Despite the intense driving, the two cups of soda they bought from McRonald didn't spill a drop.
As he drove, Minoru found it oddly enjoyable.
Racing through the mountains wasn't his usual scene. Normally, there would be another vehicle tailing him—unfriendly people, guns firing, or aggressive cars slamming into his bumper as he attempted to escape.
"Not bad at all…"
Minoru's smirk widened as he increased the speed, much to the displeasure of the silver-haired boy beside him.
Meanwhile, a little further down the road, a customized black Nissan 350Z smoothly glided through the corner. Ryuju Momo, the daughter of a well-known Yakuza clan, a girl with cyan hair sporting a hat, was behind the wheel as she remarked.
"Hah… those bastards still have a long way to catch up to my speed."
Dismissing the race as dull, Momo glanced at her rearview mirror, realizing she was far ahead of the others. But then. Her father's words echoed in her mind.
"Tch! What does he think of me!? Good husband my ass. He's just selling me out to some creepy old bastard. No way I'll accept a man like that."
Momo refused to be treated as a pawn for the clan.
Her criteria are pretty simple: a guy who shares the same passion as her. Maybe someone like Yanagi-sensei. She starts reminiscing about two days ago when he rode her dirt bike, speeding through Shuchi'in forest as fast as he could. She even recalls feeling a bit embarrassed because she hugged him tightly, not entirely trusting anyone else to drive but herself.
"No. I'm not a simp. I doubt even Yanagi-sensei is people like me. He's more of a prince type—riding horses, sitting behind a desk, reading books. Well, he's good with motorcycles, but who knows if he's willing to get his hands dirty with oil."
Momo has a deep love for racing cars and takes joy in building them from scratch, just like her current vehicle.
Having gone undefeated in numerous drifting competitions, she earned the title "DK," signifying Drift King.
Despite her unmatched skills, Momo remains grounded and humble. But she actively seeks a racer whom she believes is hiding somewhere, yet has not found a worthy challenger.
In pursuit of this elusive competitor, she established a club in the heart of Tokyo—an underground place that has now become a hotspot for parties and a hub for drifters.
"But seriously, something's up. All four Clans are going crazy out of the blue. Like, is it because of that person who messed with Dad, and now he wants me to marry? Ugh, as if! And that bastard Raku, kekek. He's got himself a new fiancée who just rolled to Shuchi'in. What's her name again? Ah, whatever..."
Momo remained frustrated about her father's attempts to matchmake her with a stranger.
"Oh, finally..." she exclaimed with a smile.
There was a light behind her car and a loud noise from the exhaust. Momo kept glancing at the hood and rearview mirror as the blurry car became clear. "...that's not them," she squinted her eyes. "There's no one using an R34. Well, let's see who you are."
The dark blue Skyline was now almost touching his hood at Momo's.
"Don't worry, Aqua, we're almost there," Minoru said with a giggle to his left.
"Lie lie lie lie! You always said that lie to me all the time! Just stop the car, AHHHHH!"
"That's some driving skill..." Momo said, becoming serious as she looked ahead. "...But I'll smoke you with just two corners ahead," she declared.
She began shifting gears, hit the brakes and she twisted the steering to the left. The car turned right as the rear slid.
"Tch! You kidding me!" Momo looked at her right window, trying to catch a glimpse of the driver, but the blue R34 had tinted windows. Furthermore, the car slid exactly beside her, almost kissing each other. "Shit, give me some space!" Momo roared.
The adrenaline pumped up as the black and blue cars drifted through the mountain road. Left turn, right turn, left turn, right turn… Momo realized that she hadn't outrun the blue car as she had hoped.
"What the heck!? Who is this fucker? Dammit! I am the fastest driver in Tokyo. I am DK, Ryuju Momo!"
This unknown driver kept putting a lot of pressure on her.
Momo began sweating hard. Moreover, their distance never changed since the beginning. Every turn and even straight line she went through, the blue car was always behind and beside her.
"Ah, shit!"
All the pressure from the blue car made Momo make a mistake.
She was late at braking, resulting in her car going wide at the corner. The blue R34 happily passed her. After some time, it began to create some distance, making Momo frustrated as she kept pushing to the limit.
"D-Dad! I'm sorry, okay! Just pull over the car!" Aqua begged, feeling his life at stake. He looked to his right. "Commonsense! Put down that burger and come back to your senses, Dad!" Aqua felt a chill when he looked at Minoru.
It was a scary scene.
Literally, they were driving like crazy up and down the hill road. Yet, Aqua watched as the driver munched his cheeseburger with his right hand like it was just a relaxing ride in the afternoon.
"Oh..." Minoru laughed. "Now you're calling me Dad again, huh? Please say, 'I'm sorry, Dad. I'll be more polite and show more respect to you.' Say that, and I'll pull over."
Aqua clenched his jaw at how much of a bully Minoru was.
"I'M SORRY, DAD. I'LL BE MORE POLITE AND SHOW MORE RESPECT TO YOU!"
"You said sorry, but your tone is not polite at all."
Aqua wanted to cry, even though he was an adult. If his former self met this man, he swore that he'd beat the crap out of him.
Meanwhile, Momo began to come back to her senses as she slowed down. The upcoming corner was a sector of this mountain she hadn't mastered yet, but the blue R34 wasn't slowing down.
"Is he new on this road, or does he not know about that sector?" Momo began to feel nervous. "After that slow right, there's a sharp left ahead! If he's that fast... there's not enough space to slow down!"
Momo watched as the blue R34 slid to the right.
"Fuck! He's new here! There's no doubt he might end up deep in the cliff!—" Momo widened her eyes as she watched that car suddenly control the slide to the opposite, sliding to the left. "NA—NAANI!?" She couldn't believe it as she hit the brakes and watched the blue car drift and vanish from her sight. "...Inertia drift?"
She wondered with her mouth agape at how the driver pulled it off. Her car finally stopped as she processed that sight.
"DK my ass..."
Silence.
"I'm not worthy of that name..." Momo watched in silence as she stopped before that corner.
---
A/N:
Powerstones!
By the way, I've read all the comments, and thanks a bunch for the feedback! Just to clear things up, I included his alias in case you're feeling a bit confused.