The roar of an exploding car.
A great light appeared, and in a moment it was dark again, with only the red lights ahead blinking nonchalantly: [3].
[3].
Ichijō Mirai opened his eyes, closed them again, and looked sideways at Akai Shūichi, at this madman who was running for his life.
Akai Shūichi was also looking at him, his eyes were cold, like the frozen wilderness, but they were spreading a kind of cruelty.
A kind of cruelty that could lead to death if necessary.
[2].
Ichijō Mirai: "..."
"Hey," He said slowly, "I said."
[1].
Both cars speed off at the same time, crashing through the invisible starting line and [Rewinds: 1].
The street erupted with the harsh sound of tires scraping heavily against the ground, like fingernails scratching a chalkboard.
Soon after, the sound of a crash began.
Ichijō Mirai slammed into him, "Who are you?"
There was no holding back on this blow, as he continued the aggressiveness he had shown at the end of the first round.
Akai Shūichi wasn't expecting Ichijō Mirai to be so aggressive from the start, but quickly regained his footing and slammed back in, "What?"
It was a battle between the FBI and 'Messiah'.
It started when 'Messiah' silently signaled his cooperation, and it was a battle between the two roles of the dominant and the dominated.
Akai Shūichi wanted to take the role of the dominator.
There are various reasons for this, such as being the FBI, being the natural enemy of criminals, and being a criminal who wants to kill criminals, such as 'Messiah' is obviously not an honest character, and once he becomes the dominant one, he treats the FBI in the same way that he treats the Inuo's, which is to treat the 'canine' in a contemptuous manner.
It's like when the other side slapped that Inuo's face in the hotel security video.
Instead of cooperating, the other side will play them for fools to get what they want.
For example...
Messiah is related to Satan.
Satan is connected to the organization, and Akai Tsutomu, and by working with him, Akai Shūichi can indirectly gain access to the organization and to his father.
But if the other side has the upper hand and is in control, will they just hand over the clues to Akai Shūichi?
No, absolutely not.
The moment he realized he had Akai Shūichi's weakness and Achilles' heel, that shark-like man with a keen eye for the smell of blood would have swum up to tear into his prey, playing with it until he was satisfied and disinterested, and then there was a small chance that he would mercifully hand over some clues.
Akai Shūichi didn't accept.
Then he must, as he had emphasized so many times to his superiors, beat this unusual criminal into submission, taming this fierce and cunning wolf into a submissive dog.
It was difficult.
But it's even harder to be calm and patient while watching the lead you've been pursuing for so long slip away.
With no trace of the organization in sight and the FBI's investigation at a standstill, Akai Shūichi wasn't going to hold back.
And today was a good time to do it.
Any earlier, and he wouldn't have been able to make up his mind.
Any later, and 'Messiah' would be evaluating Jodie.
Yes, evaluating Jodie.
The guy who's signaling a partnership is smart, patiently dialing up the New York FBI, picking out the best agents, comparing them, choosing the best, the one he's most comfortable with, and working with him.
And tonight, Jodie was outstanding.
Akai Shūichi had to keep him away from Jodie, or at least keep him from picking so easily.
If he can't do that, after that, even if 'Messiah' sets his eyes on him again and evaluates him, it will be hard for him to fight for the dominant position.
So...
-What do you mean, "Who are you"?
The wind poured in through the windows, and at breakneck speeds, everything became so harsh that the air became like a blade.
Amidst the scuffing of tires, the sound of cars moving, the sound of rear ends crashing into each other, and the sound of the wind, which could cut through sound, Ichijō Mirai's voice came out distantly, "Who are you?"
He repeated, apologizing, "Sorry, I forgot you."
"I don't remember killing anyone's family."
Akai Shūichi: "?"
He realized that at certain moments, Ichijō Mirai seemed to be able to anticipate himself, and when he was about to run into something, he would run into it decisively, "What?"
"If I didn't kill your family," Ichijō Mirai looked sideways, not even looking ahead, drifting around a corner, "why are you so aggressive, like you have a blood feud with me?"
"Why?"
As he spoke, he had already drifted through the corner, but the rear of the car suddenly reversed and slammed into the front of Akai Shūichi's car.
The car was knocked to the side, shifting its course, and Akai Shūichi immediately took the wheel and turned around to catch up.
He: "?"
...Who's aggressive.
He hadn't even hit the car once, he had only hit back when he was hit, and he hadn't even hit the car hard enough to kill it, he just hit it.
On the other hand, Ichijō Mirai's active crashes were almost always aimed at vulnerable parts of the car, and if Akai Shūichi hadn't adjusted his car in time to avoid them, the car would have disintegrated by now.
This is a slander.
But Akai Shūichi didn't refute it.
He and Ichijō Mirai had pulled apart, and were now only a few meters apart, looking at the back of the car.
It wasn't a long distance for a car, and Akai Shūichi still had a chance to catch up.
If it had been a few times longer, it would have been decided.
The next turn would be Akai Shūichi's chance to turn the tide, and if he didn't capitalize on it...
Akai Shūichi took a deep breath and swallowed the razor-sharp wind.
He composed himself and stared at the car in front of him.
It was a flashy, arrogant red car that looked like blood, with the driver's window open, and every once in a while, a streak of white hair fluttered in the wind, like a dazzling flag.
Akai Shūichi rushed forward.
＊
Fifteenth minute into the new racing game, Ichijō Mirai was back in gear.
Seventeen minutes into the game, Ichijō Mirai was back in gear.
Twenty minutes into the game, Ichijō Mirai was back in gear.
Fifteenth minute, Ichijō Mirai was back in gear.
Fifth minute, Ichijō Mirai was back in gear.
[Number of times rewind: 9].
Ichijō Mirai gradually realizes and has to confirm two things.
One: He didn't kill Akai Shūichi's family.
Two: He raced Akai Shūichi, and Akai Shūichi raced him for his life.
In a race that was no longer a game, once Akai Shūichi realized that he couldn't beat Ichijō Mirai, he became violent and entered the second phase of the game, moving from 'not afraid to die' to 'see who dies first', forcing him to give in.
It's a desperate attitude. It's a madman's attitude.
Ichijō Mirai: "..."
Can you rewind or can I rewind if I die...
Rabid Dog.