"A TIE!?" They both gasped in shock at what the manager unfolded to them.
"H-how could this be, there must be a mistake!" Alice said as she looked at the replay footage.
Alice rewinds the footage many times yet the footage shows that both cars touched the finish line at exactly the same time. Not even an inch different.
"What are the odds of that happening?" Sugimoto said.
"I guess that's something, this is a rare occurrence, especially in this kind of sports." The manager told both of them.
The drivers seem to accept the result but there's still something not yet settled between them.
"Hey Senpai, since this is a tie, what happens to our bet?" She asked as she was confused about what to do.
"Well I did kinda give you a 5-second head start so I guess technically I win" he said smirkingly.
"H-hey that's not fair, we both crossed the finish line together so it doesn't qualify for a win for you!" She argues back
They both crossed their arm and tried to find another way for a tiebreaker. But in the end, they settled on something else.
"I guess we can put this bet on hold until we get another race, how does that sound?" Sugimoto said offering Alice an ultimatum.
Alice became hesitant but reluctantly agreed to the deal and shook hands as a sign of sportsmanship.
"Good racing from both of you, I hope to see more of this from both of you!" The manager said as he seemed pleased with their progression.
They went to the garage and headed into the break room to rest for a while. Sugimoto laid back on his sofa while Alice sat by the table.
"You're pretty good for a rookie driver." he said as he praised her.
"T-thanks, my dad taught me from when I was young." She told him
Alice thought for a moment about finding a compliment for him.
"W-well you did give me a handicap and nearly beat me so I guess you're somewhat worthy of being called my Senpai." she said to him.
Sugimoto smiles at her compliment. There was a few seconds of silence until Sugimoto asked her about the previous bet.
"Since nobody won, I guess I can still call you a kid right?" He said and chuckled slightly.
"I-I am not a kid! So stop calling me that old man!" Alice said angrily.
"Hey I'm not that old, I'm 21 years old next year!" He exclaimed.
"2-21? Are you that young? I thought you were in your 30s!" She said to Sugimoto in a surprised tone.
"Just because my physique is big that doesn't mean I'm that old!" He said seemingly surprised she thought he was that old.
They fell into silence again until Sugimoto asked her something.
"S-so how about you, how old are you?" Sugimoto asked curiously.
Alice wanted to lie about her age but since she didn't want to get mistaken again, she just told him her real age.
"I'm 17 next year." She answered him.
Sugimoto looks at her with a confused expression.
"W-wait, you're a high school student? I thought you were some middle school prodigy!" he said in a surprised tone.
Alice looks a bit angry being assumed to be an actual middle schooler.
"I'm a high schooler, you airhead!" She said to him.
