They all looked at the driver of the AE86 in stunned silence. It was Collei. Collei, the one behind the wheel of her father's iconic car. The sight left everyone in awe. As Collei shut the driver's side door with a soft thud, Beidou, Seele, and Pela cautiously approached her, their expressions a mix of confusion and desperation. Beidou was the first to speak, her voice a blend of concern and frustration.
"Collei! What the hell is going on? What are you doing here? Where's your dad? Why are you here?"
Collei scratched the back of her head, trying to come up with a way to explain herself.
"That's a lot of questions, Beidou," she replied casually. "But my dad's back at the house."
Beidou's face tightened in panic. "Look, thanks for bringing the Eight-Six up here, but without your father behind the wheel, it's practically useless!"
Collei felt a knot in her stomach. She rolled her eyes slightly, muttering to herself as she processed the situation.
"Thanks for bringing me up here, Dad. You've really put me in a tough spot..." she thought.
Beidou, growing more frantic, shot another question. "Did your dad give you any advice at all?"
Collei paused for a moment, then shrugged. She recounted the conversation from earlier that day, the memory fresh in her mind.
"All she said was to find some girl driving an FD who claims to be the fastest in Araumi... and beat the living daylights out of her on the downhill."
The others were silent, absorbing her words. Beidou, especially, looked caught off guard by the bluntness of Collei's recount. "Your father told you that? You were supposed to race against Keqing in that FD?"
Collei nodded, her expression unreadable.
Beidou's next question was sharp, but necessary. "But... can you beat her?"
Collei's gaze softened a little as she met Beidou's intense look.
"I can't say for sure. But if it really matters to you," she continued, "I've already beaten her once on the downhill... a couple of nights ago."
Beidou took a step back, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You've beaten Keqing on the downhill... before?!?"
Collei simply nodded again, her expression calm, though her mind raced. The news left Beidou and the others speechless, staring at Collei with a newfound respect. It was right then that March, pushing through Beidou, Seele, and Pela, made her presence known.
"Collei!" March called out, her tone both accusatory and urgent. "What the hell are you doing? Trying to interrupt the race?!"
Beidou, still processing the shock, stepped in quickly. "March, just back off. Let her be."
But March wasn't ready to give up on trying to make sense of the situation. "Collei, are you seriously trying to mess things up? Get back in the car, you need to move it off the starting line!"
Collei stood firm, but March, determined as ever, tried to push her back toward the car. Beidou intervened once again, this time standing her ground. "March, step aside."
After a moment of hesitation, March did just that, albeit reluctantly.
With the tension briefly easing, Beidou turned back to Collei and asked the question that had been nagging her for a while now. "Collei... by any chance, do you deliver the tofu in the mornings for your father? In this car?"
Collei nodded without missing a beat.
"Yeah, nowadays I'm the one doing the deliveries for him. I've been at it for the past five years."
Beidou's eyes widened in shock. "You've been driving for five years?!"
Collei nodded again, her demeanor calm despite the situation. Beidou stood there, her mind racing as everything started to click into place.
"I think I finally understand... I'm glad you came today, Collei," Beidou said, her voice softening. "Thank you for saving our asses on this one."
Collei smiled and gave a thumbs-up, the tension finally starting to dissolve. Beidou then turned to Keqing, who had been watching the exchange with quiet interest. "Sorry for the delay," Beidou said. "We can finally start the downhill battle now."
Everyone cleared out of the starting line, allowing the race to begin. But just as Collei opened the door to get back in the car, Keqing called out to her, her voice steady but curious.
"Hey, kid. You seem pretty young for someone with so much skill. Mind telling me your name?"
Collei turned to face her, a friendly smile on her face.
"My name's Collei. It's nice to meet you."
Keqing smirked slightly, studying the younger driver. "Alright, Collei. I'll try to remember that. My name's Keqing... And don't think I'll make the same mistake twice."
Both drivers enter their cars, strapping into their seats. Engines roar to life, headlights flicker on, and the air buzzes with anticipation. Beidou steps between the two vehicles, raising her hands to begin the countdown. "Alright! Here come's the countdown!!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"GO!"
Her hands drop, signaling the start. Both cars launch off the line, tires screeching against the pavement. The RX7 immediately surges ahead, its power advantage evident. The AE86 trails close behind. Ningguang, observing from the sidelines, notes something peculiar.
"Interesting... Seems that the AE86 has short gear ratios," she murmurs. "It's tuned for rally-style acceleration—perfect for the Yougou Pass."
Down the mountain, Keqing glances at her rearview mirror, her confidence evident. "A couple corners, and you'll be a speck in my mirror."
The RX7 tackles the first corner with precision, drifting effortlessly. Behind her, Collei takes a deep breath, her expression calm. She brakes slightly and executes a flawless four-wheel drift, her car's rear bumper mere centimeters from the guardrail. The spotters are stunned.
"She's flying! That's a perfect four-wheel drift! Her exit was almost touching the guardrail!"
As the race progresses, Collei steadily closes the gap. At each hairpin, the AE86 gains ground, its agility outmatching the RX7's raw power. Keqing's confidence begins to waver. "No... This is impossible!" she mutters, glancing at the growing presence of Collei's headlights in her mirrors.
At the skate rink straightaway, the RX7 starts to pull ahead again, but the advantage vanishes at the next corner. Collei remains undeterred. "This ends at the five consecutive hairpins", she decides.
The two cars reach the final straightaway before the first of five hairpin turns. At the first hairpin, Keqing brakes early. Collei seizes the moment, and passes Keqing, taking the inside line at full speed. Spotters immediately radio in " The Eight-Six is heading for the hairpin turn at full speed! Almost like its brakes are out!!"
Then Collei's right wheels hook into the gutter making a distinctive sound Keqing hears the sound. "Huh? What the hell is that noise?" she exclaims. She then glances to her right side only to see the Eight-Six Passing her on the inside line. Hooking her right wheels into the gutters slingshots her through the corner while the RX7 drifts. Keqing can only gape in disbelief.
"What the hell!? What kind of move is that!?"
Collei repeats the "gutter run" through each hairpin, building an unassailable lead. By the final corner, she's well ahead. The spotters radio the summit. "The Eight-Six is in the lead! She's going to win!"
As the cars cross the finish line, the AE86 is ahead by a car and a half. The AE86 crosses the line first. The radios crackle to life "It's Over! The Eight-Six Wins! It's all hers!!!" Immediately The crowd erupts in cheers, though Keqing storms out of her RX7, furious.
Beidou and her team celebrate joyously, their relief palpable. Ningguang watches quietly, nodding in acknowledgment of Collei's skill. "I underestimated her," she murmurs.
As the racers disperse, Beidou's group leaves as a convoy, the thrill of the night lingering in the air. At the summit, a lone bystander with dark blue hair whispers to herself, "The only place you'd find that technique is here in Yougou. This just got interesting."