Gearbox 7: Times of Frost

Times of Frost

(30th of December 2019, 10:30 P.M., Bandai-Azuma Skyline, Fukushima)

Vrooom, vrooom!

Faint engine howls rhythmically echoed from afar and into the dark sky above while originating from the snow-covered roads of Bandai-Azuma Skyline. Seeing as the engine could be heard to follow a certain flow as its revs raised and lowered, it could be assumed how the driver behind the wheel was in a state of deep focus while managing the throttle at the very edge of control. Snowflakes could still be seen gliding through the atmosphere in their way to gently fall onto the land below, but such opposition clearly didn't pose any intervention for the driver within the midsts of Bandai-Azuma Skyline. He was driving through it aggressively, and was quick through the harsh conditions which surrounded him.

Vwooom!

A cloud of snow was shot into the air as if it were white mist while a blue figure dashed through a hairpin in the form of a drift. There was practically no grip to speak of as the snow-covered roads caused the tires to immediately slip when entering the corners, but the driver within the blue machine clearly didn't hesitate while sliding the car around with confidence. The night's darkness and foggy surroundings formed by the snow which fell from above alongside that which was shot into the air made it hard to see the figure past its blue body and the shine of its headlights, but if one squinted at just the right moment it became possible to identify a single, critical detail.

Located right at the center of the car's grille which resembled a hexagon stretched to mix with the shape of a rectangle was a blue-colored oval with silver stars visible throughout it. It was the logo of a Subaru. And that Subaru in particular, was a 2014 WRX STi.

Sharon Bradely found himself challenging the downhill of Bandai-Azuma Skyline while not fearing the treacherous snow that risked making his tires slip the second he lifted his concentration. He was instead fully set into feeling each vibration that spread throughout the chassis of his WRX, sensing the grip of each of his tires in order to adjust his input over the throttle in response and therefore ensure that he could continue to smoothly run through the dangerous road ahead.

And yet, in spite of it all, he was calm. Even when reaching such a pace under those tricky conditions, he didn't push or wear himself out. He instead simply enjoyed the moment while watching the snow sprinkle past and clank against his windshield as its wipers worked at full speed to try and keep his view clear as the grumble of his engine sang into his ears. The feeling of his car occasionally bouncing a little as a result of the uneven surface caused by the snow, or of his body suddenly being shoved against his seatbelt during corner entry after the tires began to slip with a lack of grip...

He took all of it in, and simply chuckled to himself in raw enjoyment.

Short shifting into third gear upon exiting another hairpin as a means to avoid wheelspin, he allowed the momentum naturally gathered by his car to push him forth through the snow that continued to be shoved up into the air as the WRX made its way through, almost as if it didn't care of whatever challenge or risk it were to try and pose. And while simply having fun, he continued to push forth as the figure of his Subaru disappeared into the darkness of the night while the cold winter winds whistled through the air alongside the falling snowflakes that soared through them.

...

(31st of December 2019, 2:45 P.M., Streets of Fukushima)

"So is your father finally getting some more hours of rest?" Kaito Yamamoto spoke as he sat over a wooden bench located along the side of a relatively small park-like area which held a handful of trees scattered throughout it while located in front of one of Fukushima's local shopping malls. The scene would normally be one to offer a sight of greens coming from the trees' leaves alongside the grass running through the surrounding ground, however that time of the year was one to change it for white as a result of the snow having fallen. While the bench had been cleared of most of any snow which had made its way to rest upon it, that alongside the general cold breeze to come with winter, even if during the midsts of a mostly sunny day, didn't stop Kaito from feeling a bit chilly through the black jacket and jeans which he wore along a grey beanie with which he protected the top of his head and ears.