Two light sources streak across the road.

A black meteor and a red comet.

The two objects appear and vanish from the sight of people in the blink of an eye.

Passersby, drivers, and even heroes on vacation are all taken aback, staring at the  vehicles that just zipped past.

While everyone’s eyes are glued to the speeding lunatics, Mospped, who has finally gotten the attention he craved, has no time to spare on such trivialities.

“Just a bit faster!”

He couldn’t shake off that damn dress-wearing bike girl. What does that mean? It means he’s never once passed her.

Speed has reached a terrifying 400 km/h, but pushing beyond that is nerve-wracking.

His 12,500-horsepower engine makes his  vehicle feel too light at this speed of 400 km/h. The car starts to tremble madly, and any slight mistake in handling could send him skidding.

Mospped typically wouldn’t push this speed in city traffic, amidst buildings and pedestrians.

However…

“—Pft.”

He hears a laugh that shouldn’t be there.

The bike girl, still flipping her finger back at him as though their current speed was just a warm-up, revs the throttle.

The gap between them begins to widen. Mospped realizes that the speed junkie inside him begins to stir.

“Bring it on!”

Finally, Mospped grips the 12-speed gear stick.

Moments later, his vehicle begins to close the gap with the motorcycle.

*

“Ahhhhhh…!”

Aile, riding her bike, rolls her eyes in panic as she surveys her surroundings. Although she’s utilizing her magical spatial awareness to barely keep it together, it’s an insane speed where even she can’t afford a single mistake.

Experience. That cursed lack of experience is the problem. Relying solely on practice and having never really raced on the open road, every situation unfolds before her in a series of split-second reactions. Unlike Mospped, who can anticipate what to do based on experience.

And that lack of experience trips her up.

“Accident—!”

An accident occurs right in front of her.

0.03 seconds. She perceives the accident.
0.04 seconds. She starts to slow down.
And then 0.1 seconds.

The red Rocket Spider 091 passes her, crashing through ahead.

“What, he’s not slowing down…!?”

Could it be that he didn’t see the accident up ahead? Aile briefly thinks this, but in reality, Mospped did see it. He saw the accident and saw Aile slow down in response.

Normally, they would both be slowing down. But Mospped thinks this is the only moment he can take the lead.

Braaam—!

The engine of the red comet roars. As his vehicle accelerates more than before, it reaches the accident scene, and flames from the rocket blast out beneath the Rocket Spider.

“He jumped!?”

Time and again, it’s been said, the 12,500 horsepower engine in the Rocket Spider is an absurd waste for a mere car. But Mospped has never let that excess output go to waste.

He modified his vehicle to attach boosters underneath, allowing the engine’s output to lift his car momentarily.

The boosters underneath the vehicle blast out, lifting the Rocket Spider straight off the ground. As it sails over the highway, Mospped utilizes the buildings to bypass the accident site and engages the boosters again, smoothly returning to the road.

Seeing this, Aile unwittingly throttles her bike.

“Ah….”

The instinct of a speed freak reacts to the lead racer ahead of her.
Slowing down now would mean a sure collision. To avoid a chain reaction, she had to pull out all the stops. Just like Mospped did—perhaps a jump?

Unfortunately, her bike lacks a jump booster. In a flying bike, that would just be a hindrance. Jumping like Mospped was out of the question.

Instead, Aile kicked off the ground. With the strength of a magical girl, she propels her bike upward.

─With the core muscles of a magical girl, 90-degree tilted bikes can be righted, after all!?

Perhaps the endless advice from Bira during training comes in handy. Aile effortlessly leaps over the line of cars, landing back on the road and shooting forward.

The race is far from over.
At least, not yet.

*

“Nice, Aile! That’s it!”

“Hmmm… running feels faster.”

“Damn it! Quit making excuses and cheer her on!”

In the evil organization’s headquarters, Bira and Galm watch the race between Aile and Mospped.

Some cheer, while others mutter discontent. Regardless, the close contest sends shivers of excitement through onlookers.

Of course, there are those who observe it all with an unshaken demeanor.

“Why are you making such a racket? No one can hear your annoying cheers anyway.”

“Eight! Are you a robot or something? You lack emotions? Aile could lose!”

“Aile could only lose if she intentionally tried to.”

The scientist Eight says this while sipping his coffee.

The machine Aile’s riding was something he personally modified. Knowing the specifications, he couldn’t imagine Aile losing.

“Unless some sort of disaster happens… Uh-oh!”

Crash—!

Just then, the handle of the mug in the scientist’s hands shatters, falling to the floor.

With the ominous sound, everyone jumps, while the scientist nonchalantly begins to sweep up the broken pieces.

“Was this from China…? There’s no China here…”

As he collects the mug shards, the scientist lets out a soft groan after pricking his finger on a sharp edge.

“Ow! That hurt.”

“…Eight?”

“Yes, Bira. What’s up?”

“Isn’t this a tad ominous? Several accidents in quick succession…”

“Do you really believe in that kind of superstition? Fascinating. You don’t really look like the type.”

The scientist says this and finishes cleaning up. The moment he sits down with fresh coffee, one leg of his chair gives way, sending coffee splashing everywhere.

“—Eight!?”

“Oh, it’s fine. Thankfully it didn’t hit my face.”

“Your clothes are soaked!”

“It’s thick fabric. I’m good, really.”

Seeing the scientist laugh off what seemed like a series of unfortunate events, Bira felt an unease settle in. Seeing someone in misfortune had a way of reflecting that fear.

She silently prayed that everything would come to a peaceful end… turning her gaze back to the monitor, where the race was nearing its conclusion.

*

“That crazy girl.”

Mospped chuckles as he spots Aile jumping between  vehicles through his rearview mirror. He starts to doubt whether she’s even the same species as him. She’s jumping over cars while riding that heavy bike?

And then, regaining her balance immediately to trail right behind him is utterly absurd. Shouldn’t she be tumbling?

‘—But she has a weakness.’

In just a matter of minutes, Mospped quickly identifies Aile’s flaw. She lacks experience. It’s hardly noticeable when traveling in a straight line, but every time she turns or encounters another  vehicle, her reactions show the glaring weakness.

Her cornering is so poor that even a beginner would look like a pro compared to her, and it’s evident she flinches whenever she meets other vehicles. Fortunately, her amazing reflexes and bike speed help her cope with those clumsy maneuvers.

Yet despite that, that area is undeniably a weakness.

‘After we pass through this tunnel, we hit a series of corners. That’s where the real game begins.’

Whether it was chance or planned from the start, this route happened to be one Mospped frequently drove. So the finish line was already set.

A hill overlooking the entire City E. Dragon Hills.

After this rampage, relaxing there while enjoying the view is his typical pastime.

‘—Let me show you! A wall that someone like you can’t surpass!’

As he reaches the tunnel, packed with vehicles, Mospped begins to run against the wall.

When you’re reaching hundreds of kilometers per hour with a 12,500 horsepower engine, it demands a special sense to control gravity.

What Mospped unleashed was gravity-defying driving, one of his most skilled techniques.

Zooming along the roof of the tunnel, Mospped glances up. Amidst all the darkness shadowing him, something unique stands out that isn’t consumed by the shadow of the Rocket Spider.

A broom soaring through the sky. No, it’s a bike.

‘—What the!?’

The bike is flying.

Not jumping and hanging in the air like before.
But genuinely gliding like an airplane.

“Damn it—! What kind of bike flies now!?”

In disbelief, Mospped opens his mouth only to quickly shut it. Opening it at such high speeds is akin to suicide.

Holding his breath to stabilize the pressure in and out, Mospped looks up at Aile flying above him and shifts gears.

The scenery begins to blur while speed reaches an unbearable level. In a daze, one thought captures his mind.

—He has to win.

Clunk.

With the burst of light, the end of the tunnel appears, and Mospped activates the booster, flipping the vehicle around. He and Aile, who were both airborne moments ago, return their feet to the road.

Not flying cowardly, but engaging in a fair showdown on the sacred asphalt. Good. Very good. Satisfied, Mospped grins and shifts gears.

8th, 9th, 10th.
Speed continues to climb.
Even braking for a drift feels like a waste. The intensely heated tires cool against the rain-soaked road as he enters the winding path.

‘Here we go—!’

An untried feat. A skill worthy of being called stuntwork. A gamble relying solely on luck. Mospped shifts into gears 11, 12. The maximum speed possible with 12,500 horsepower.

Reaching an incredible speed of 1,255 km/h, the front of the vehicle bursts through the wall of air. The sound barrier. As the body zooms past at a speed exceeding sound, it quakes violently, and he utilizes that shudder to take the turn.

‘I’m the one ahead—!’

In a realm beyond sound, Mospped races within a world undisturbed by noise.

Believing no one could catch up…

As he finishes the corner, spotting Dragon Hills in the distance, a black meteor zooms past him.

Mospped sees the light. A very dark light.
The darkness-stained light soars ahead, vaulting over the hill, taking off into the sky.

As he watches it disappear into the distance, Mospped instinctively realizes.

His run ends here.

He can no longer move forward.

Winners remain, while losers fade. That is the rule of speed racers.

Mospped quietly closes his eyes.

*

[Last night, the citizens of City D were terrified by villain Mospped’s rampage, and…]

[A mysterious woman on a bike was reported to have raced with Mospped, causing quite a stir—]

[The Hero Association has deemed her the new villain…]

“He really pulled off something entertaining.”

There exists ominous superstitions. I suspected that last night’s mishaps were all heralding this.

It may not have been  scientific, but strangely, that thought occurred to me.

“…I didn’t do anything—.”

“Oh? Are you saying the scientist claims Aile did all this alone? Wearing a magical girl outfit that’s impossible to fix without you. Riding a bike we have no clue about?”

“W-Well, Aile asked me to help.”

“Hmm. I see! So you thought Aile’s request weighed heavier than my command to sit tight! Is that what you’re saying?”

“…I’m sorry, Boss.”

Not that I could logically counter the Boss’s words. No, I shouldn’t have.

I bowed my head and apologized. Usually, a simple apology would suffice, but regrettably, this time it wouldn’t end there.

The Boss handed me a document.

“Boss, what’s this?”

“If you make a mistake, you need to face the consequences.”

Reading the document, I frowned. The paper read:

「Evil Corporation  Vehicle Development Plan」

In other words, I was being instructed to mass-produce the anti-gravity devices and flying gadgets I had made for Aile.

“W-Wait! That’s more complicated than I thought! Figuring out how to mass-produce this tech will make my brain explode…”

“Well, that works out. You won’t be focusing on other things while doing this, will you?”

“True, but…”

Watching me struggle, the Boss grinned.

“─Well then. You need to be run ragged.”

That tone of voice conjured quite the unsavory character in my mind, and I instinctively fled the Chairman’s office with the document in hand.

I almost relapsed into PTSD.

‘To think I’d picture that professor when dealing with the Boss…’

However, it was still better than being pushed around under that professor.

With a sigh, I headed toward the laboratory.