After ordering a cup of black tea, the old driver plopped himself down on the white plastic chair across from Mizuno, then began to introduce himself.
"I'm Fujiwara Taku, the Tracen Academy school bus driver. I'm currently on paid leave at home, and I'm number ten in the amateur racing chat group rankings."
"My son's name is Fujiwara Bunta—he runs a tofu shop, and his driving is just a bit worse than mine. He's currently ranked fifth."
"As for my good-for-nothing grandson, his driving is the weakest in our family, but he's currently ranked first on the leaderboard..."
"Wait! First place is your grandson?!" Mizuno blurted out in shock.
Mizuno couldn't quite figure out why, if Fujiwara-san's grandson was first place on the rankings, the old man would still call him the weakest in the Fujiwara family. But after hearing the names of Fujiwara-san and his son, Mizuno had a creeping sense of foreboding.
Judging from the names in the Fujiwara household, Fujiwara-san's grandson's name was basically a dead giveaway.
"Grandpa, don't tell me your grandson's name is Fujiwara Takumi?" Mizuno asked nervously.
If Fujiwara-san's grandson was actually the protagonist of Initial D, Fujiwara Takumi, then unless he managed to break the kid's legs, there was no way Mizuno could ever hope to beat someone with such godly downhill techniques—even if he trained for a lifetime. He might as well just hit the surrender button right now.
But Fujiwara-san shook his head.
"Nope."
"My grandson's name is Fujiwara Jei Chou."
"That's basically the same thing!" Mizuno couldn't help but spit out.
In another world, "Jay Chou" was just a household name in Chinese music—a top singer, not a so-called racer, with no special driving skills.
But anyone who knows anything about the live-action Initial D movie knows—the actor who played Fujiwara Takumi was Jay Chou!
So, in Mizuno's mind, a Jei Chou who ran a tofu shop and drove a classic AE86 was absolutely the legendary racer, Fujiwara Takumi!
"Grandpa, do you have any recent photos or videos of your grandson? I'd like to see," Mizuno requested.
After all, the number one account on the leaderboard hadn't used a real name or photo—just the username "HeadingNorthAllTheWay" with no pictures uploaded. Mizuno only now realized that the number one was Fujiwara-san's grandson, Jay Chou!
Mizuno still held onto a shred of hope—maybe the grandson's name just happened to sound similar to that superstar in his memory, but he wasn't actually that Jay Chou.
As long as his opponent wasn't the racing god himself, with a little help from Fortune, Mizuno figured he still had a shot at taking first place in the race.
"Jei Chou's video?" Fujiwara-san was momentarily surprised, then nodded.
"Of course I do. Just the other night, when the kid won the championship on Akina Mountain, his fans filmed a video and sent it to me."
He fished out a smartphone from his pocket, then pulled out a pair of reading glasses and put them on. After clumsily navigating to the photo album, he opened up a video for Mizuno to watch.
The video was shot in the dead of night, at the finish line's stands.
A big screen mounted on the wall was broadcasting live footage of the Akina Mountain race. Each driver was gunning their beloved car through the winding mountain roads, engines howling, tires screeching—a chaotic, high-speed game of cat and mouse.
As the sound of engines and tire friction drew closer and closer, the phone's camera angle shifted, and a white AE86 came drifting out from a distant mountain curve, rocketing toward the finish line.
"It's Fujiwara Jei Chou! Fujiwara Jei Chou wins the championship again!" the announcer shouted, unable to contain his excitement.
"Since Maruzensky went missing, Jei Chou's won two consecutive championships. He's about to make it a three-peat! With skills this incredible, is there anyone left who can stop him?!"
The classic AE86 crossing the line sent the crowd into a frenzy.
After a slick drift brought the car to a perfect stop, a handsome young man—who looked nine-tenths like the Jay Chou of Mizuno's memory—climbed out and was instantly swarmed by a group of fangirls, basking in the glory of being a racing champion.
At the end of the video, Jei Chou raised an index finger and said to the camera, with easy swagger: "Ayo, not bad."
Sheesh! It really is Jay Chou?!
Hearing that signature catchphrase, the last shred of hope in Mizuno's heart was snuffed out.
I'm supposed to beat Jay Chou?Are you kidding me?!
Just picturing himself up against the main character, the legendary driver, Mizuno felt despair settle in—like a newbie being told to solo the final boss on their first day. All he could do was slump helplessly in his chair, hands cradling the back of his head in a classic downward triangle pose.
"Oh? So the kid wants to challenge my grandson?" Fujiwara-san's eyes lit up, giving Mizuno a big thumbs-up. "You've got guts! I like you, kid."
"Grandpa, please don't joke with me..." Mizuno forced a bitter smile. "I've barely driven at all—how could I possibly beat your grandson..."
"That's not set in stone," Fujiwara-san shook his head, then explained:
"The kid's skills are still lacking. He only knows a bit of drifting, but he's already cocky enough to jump into competitions. Truth is, he's not all that."
"With Maruzensky gone, and the rest of the competition barely putting up a fight, the kid just lucked into first place."
"If his dad and I weren't so busy running the tofu shop, there's no way he'd have gotten the top spot..."
The old man let out a helpless sigh, then continued:
"The kid's gotten full of himself lately. After getting first, he thinks he's unbeatable—his head's swelling so big he can hardly see anyone else. He's overdue for a reality check."
"If you can step in as his rival and help teach him a lesson, I'd be willing to pass on everything I've learned about racing to you. I promise you'll be able to catch up and go toe-to-toe with him in no time."
"Really?!" Hearing this, Mizuno shot upright, hope rekindled.
"Of course. Don't you trust my skills?" Fujiwara-san flashed a confident grin.
"I do! Of course I do!" Mizuno nodded eagerly.
Even though he'd never actually seen Fujiwara-san race, just the fact that the old man could outdrive Uma Musume while piloting a lumbering bus was proof enough that his skills were the real deal.
To be honest, Mizuno was tempted.
Having a world-class master for a teacher would make learning infinitely easier—he'd reach heights on the track that he could never achieve by grinding away on his own. Mizuno knew this all too well, after his experience handling the El Condor Pasa incident...
But before formally asking Fujiwara-san to take him as a disciple, Mizuno had to ask something critical—something that could determine his future safety.
"Grandpa, just to check—you don't happen to have any young ladies at home, say, of marriageable age or currently looking for a fiancé... right?" Mizuno folded his hands on the table, nervously swallowed.
"Nope. Why?" Fujiwara-san raised his eyebrows in confusion, unable to fathom why Mizuno would suddenly ask something like that.
"Oh, nothing. Just checking..." Mizuno grinned sheepishly, patting his chest with lingering relief.
Good... That's good...
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T/N: INITIAL D @WHATTTTTTTTTTTT anyway Jay Chou like Mizuno said was the actor for the live action Initial D! and since we are in japan its turnned into Jei Chou, however its basically the same thing as Jay Chou it switches from Jei to Jay because Mizuno is comparing Jei to Jay