A Hybrid of Life and Gasoline | 命とガソリンのハイブリッド

Part 14 | Racing Drivers

Saturday, 9.30 AM. A noisy, unusual looking car was driving down the quiet residential area of Takita, heading towards Noda PC shop. Its driver was a burly man with a buzz cut, he really looked intimidating with the prominent muscles and slight shabbiness, almost gangster-ish if you met him on the street as a stranger.

The car he's driving was also pretty distinctive not only because of the noisy exhaust. A black Toyota Mark II JZX110. A long and wide machine, if a bit blobby, definitely out of place and out of time as it was made 20 years ago. These days it's mostly the old farts that drive the same model of car. Not this one though, as it was heavily modified with Vertex body kits, black Works CR Kai wheels with Yokohama A052 tires. It really looked out of place in this affluent zone of Tsuchiura, it was like the car would rather be on the Tsukuba Circuit.

Mizuho heard from quite a way away that this car was approaching, but he already knew the person was coming to see him so he quickly got up from watching Youtube videos and stood in front of the shop looking at the black Mark II parking.

The man driving got out of the car, and grinned as soon as he saw Mizuho there.

"Good morning Tadamori." Mizuho greeted the man.

"Yahoo! Noda-sen!"

Sergeant Tadamori Tachi, Ishioka Traffic Unit Police greeted Mizuho back in a very cheerful tone. They've known each other for years at this point. Since Tadamori was 18 and before he even got into the police force.

"Come on in."

Mizuho invited Tadamori to come into the shop, he knew that Tada had something to tell him as they already discussed a little bit beforehand. They both walked inside, and Mizuho went back and sat behind the workstation, while Tadamori sat opposite on a customer chair.

"Like I've said, Noda-sen. Somebody has been looking for you within the police database." Tadamori immediately got to the point, looking a bit concerned.

"Who?" Mizuho asked, although seemingly nonchalant about it.

"Well I can tell you for sure it wasn't one of us haha!" Tadamori laughed it off, because it's true, "It's someone in the admin department, usually they have no business in traffic policing so I wouldn't worry about getting prosecuted or anything."

"I know." Mizuho replied, "So why that face?"

"What face?" Tadamori was a bit confused.

"You look genuinely worried for a moment there."

"Well. That's the thing. I don't know who it is that is looking for you exactly," Tadamori made a wincing face as he's saying, "could be a good actor, could be a bad actor."

"Maybe it's one of my app's users?"

"I'd say it's likely as they inquired with your Probox's license plate. You have been checking every one of them right? Anyone in particular who would have links with the police?"

"Well I know this one git who's with Ishioka Traffic Unit." Mizuho said that joke with a completely straight face, which made Tadamori immediately burst out laughing.

"Bwahaha. Yeah. Hold out your hands please, I'm going to arrest you for creating an application which somehow has been used for illicit activities. What's next? Do I have to arrest Steve Jobs?" Tadamori replied in jest.

"He's dead, Tadamori." Mizuho said, again, with a completely straight face.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Anyway, I'm going to have to warn you that whoever it is, they got what they wanted. Address and everything."

"Right."

"So don't be surprised when somebody weird turns up here, alright?" said Tadamori, scratching his nose, the choice of his word raised Mizuho's eyebrows.