Every morning begins with her in the passenger seat. Every night ends with her nowhere near the truth.
---
The alarm never woke me.
The sound of the engine revving in my head—that's what pulled me out of bed every day. That, and the thought of her. Sitting in the passenger seat. Legs crossed. Hair up. Smile lazy.
Mari.
I slipped into my garage barefoot. The cold cement floor bit at my toes, but the sight of her made me forget everything. The black-and-red Lexus LFA, crouched low like a panther. The carbon hood still covered in a light coat of Hibasaki morning dust.
Even standing still, it looked fast.
I brushed my hand along the spoiler. My reflection warped in its curves.
This car was more than metal.
It was freedom. Obsession. Escape.
And no one—not even Mari—knew what it truly meant to me.
---
By 6:45, I had the keys in. The V10 engine barked awake with that unmistakable scream—raw and high, a banshee wail slicing through silence.
Footsteps.
I didn't look.
I didn't need to.
"Morning, Kaito," came the usual voice. Sleepy but soft. Like warm tea in winter.
She slid into the seat beside me, backpack balanced on her lap.
I felt the way her uniform shifted against the seat. I caught a faint whiff of her shampoo—citrus and something floral. My hands tightened on the wheel.
"Early again?" she asked.
"Traffic," I muttered, even though I always left early to make sure I was the one to pick her up—not some classmate. Not some teacher.
No one else deserved to see her in the passenger seat of my car.
---
The city slowly peeled awake as we cruised through the wide avenues. Apartment lights flicked on. Sidewalks filled with girls in matching uniforms and boys dragging their feet.
We were alone in the LFA.
Just us.
Always just us.
"You still making those anime edits?" she asked, twisting her fingers around her ribbon.
I nodded. "A few commissions. AMV packs. Sold a transition pack yesterday."
"That's so cool…" she said, beaming. "You're like a secret editor superstar."
I smirked. If only she knew.
That the same hands she watched cut anime clips by day… held a steering wheel that tore through the city at night.
That the same editor she praised had a bounty on his head in the underground circuits of Hibasaki.
"InfernoVFX" was one alias.
But on the street, they called me Phantom Redline.
---
She reached into her bag and handed me a wrapped sandwich.
"I made it. You skipped dinner again, didn't you?"
I took it. Our hands brushed. I didn't look at her.
"I didn't forget. Just wasn't hungry."
"Mm." She leaned back, letting her head rest on the seat.
"And Kaito?"
"Yeah?"
"...Thanks. For always driving me."
Her voice was quiet now. Distant.
Like she knew this couldn't last forever.
---
We pulled into the alley behind her school. No one used it. No one but me.
She unbuckled, opened the door—
—and then paused.
Her head dipped back in, voice soft.
"You always smell like burnt rubber in the mornings. You sure you're just editing?"
I smiled, cool as ice.
"Maybe I dream about racing."
She looked at me.
"...Then I hope you never crash."
And with that, she was gone.
---
I watched her walk away until she vanished behind the gate.
Only then did I exhale.
Only then did I turn the key again and let the engine roar louder than ever—loud enough to bury the ache in my chest.
[End of Chapter 1]