Ao no Sumika [Initial D - Keisuke Takahashi | Novella}

Souai: 1

Souai

 (love, affection, favorite)

~*~

"Get your ass off the couch, Keisuke," Motoko nudged him as she walked over to place the soba on the table, along with the other dishes she and Fumihiro prepared for the first and official meeting of Project D.

When Motoko had Keisuke on another food run to the grocery store, taking with him her MR-S, he questioned about the number of things he needed to buy. She told him that she wanted to give Takumi a warm welcome to Project D and to adulthood, and that she did the same for him when he turned twenty. Before he put on his shoes, he reminded her that Takumi was only nineteen and wasn't officially an adult. But she then told him that Takumi's been working since he was thirteen, she considers him an adult even at nineteen. Hence the little dinner she prepared with Fumihiro, who was willing to help her make it.

"He can't drink sake, you know," Keisuke pointed out when she was bringing out her special bottle.

"It's for those who can. I got the kid some soda."

The AE86 arrived outside of the shop, parked for visiting clients who were just about to make an appointment. When Takumi stepped out, he looked quite lost and confused as he double checked the calling card that Ryosuke gave him that had the name Sasaki Motoko and an address to an auto shop called Hajime Autoshop. He didn't know about his auto shop; he only did when he asked Itsuki and Iketani about it. Turns out it was one of those premium shops that has connections to high profile clients in Gunma, and that the shop even has connections to the Toyota Racing Development Group, and some of the circuit racers of Gunma would go to her to get their cars fixed or tuned.

"You're at the right place!" Motoko came to greet him, still wearing her steel toe shoes, gray jumpsuit but with the top tied to her waist, and white shirt. "I'm Sasaki Motoko."

"Fujiwara Takumi," he shook her hand awkwardly.

"Come on in, everyone's already here. Sorry that we had to make you drive all this way to meet up. Ryosuke made the shop its official meeting place even when we were the Akagi Redsuns," Motoko led him inside to the air conditioned visitor's lounge where the food was prepared, and the others were waiting patiently for them before digging in.

That was a lot of food, Takumi thought when he saw the dishes on the coffee table.

"Alright, we can all dig in now," Keisuke said and was about to get a piece when Motoko told him that Takumi should be the first. "Why the hell should he?"

"Because this is a welcome get together for the newest member or Project D," Motoko told him. "And, I believe you just graduated high school. Yes?"

"Yeah, but there's no need," Takumi told them. "Please go ahead!"

Ryosuke smiled. He actually smiled; Takumi was shocked to see that. "This is the first time you'll meet Motoko formally, and since she'll be our lead engineer for both cars, you'll be spending more time together, and you'll learn how stubborn she is."

"Hey now, I don't go pushing everyone to make the changes for their cars," Motoko made Keisuke move so she may sit while Takumi took the other end of the table, across from Ryosuke.

"So, have the first serving," Ryosuke told Takumi.

A bit embarrassed, Takumi took a small portion of soba and placed it on his plate. When he took his first bite, everyone started getting their piece. As they ate, Takumi getting more from the banquet, he thought about how he imagined these meetings with Project D will be; a banquet on a coffee table, sitting on couches was not ever in his imagination. The seriousness that Ryosuke emits was suddenly warmed up by this simple gathering, and he had a feeling that it was because of Sasaki Motoko.