Chapter 68. Qiao Qiao’s Vehicle Modification Plan

A light rain began to fall from the sky.

The gentle patter seemed to be washing the world clean.

It was Wednesday, after school.

“Qiao Jun, want to go play arcade games?” Sakamoto Kazuya slung his backpack over his shoulder and asked Qiao Qiao.

Behind him stood two girls, neither of whom Qiao Qiao had seen with him before.

“I have things to do tonight,” Qiao Qiao replied as he packed up his things and stood up.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the classroom door.

“It’s him, it’s him, it’s him!”

“What’s he doing here?”

“Does he have a girlfriend in our class?”

“Oh my god, I should’ve really put on makeup today…”

They all looked over.

A graceful and approachable young man stood at the door.

It was Miyoto Hoshikawa.

“Wow, it’s Miyoto Hoshikawa,” even the girls behind Sakamoto Kazuya couldn’t help but exclaim.

The scene was reminiscent of that classic moment when the domineering CEO arrives at the high school, forcibly sweeping away the poor female lead.

Miyoto Hoshikawa was a third-year student. His classroom wasn’t in this building; he rarely passed by. For him to show up, he was clearly looking for someone.

Everyone was curious—who was he looking for?

All eyes were fixed on Miyoto Hoshikawa, especially the girls, some of whom were already filled with anticipation.

It’s possible that some had already imagined twenty volumes’ worth of shoujo manga plotlines.

And then—

Everyone watched as Miyoto Hoshikawa waved at Qiao Qiao.

“Qiao-san, I was worried you’d get caught up in trivial things, so I came to find you.”

At school, Miyoto Hoshikawa still referred to himself in a normal way.

Swish—

Everyone’s heads turned in unison, their gazes landing on Qiao Qiao.

Qiao Qiao, seventeen, a student.

“?”

Why was Miyoto Hoshikawa looking for him?

Aside from a few who knew Qiao Qiao worked as an exorcist part-time, most people’s strongest impression of him was as the straight-A student who once blew up a shoe locker.

How to put it…

“Dangerous” was not a word anyone wanted to use to describe a fellow student at their own school.

“Sorry, I’ll head out now,” Qiao Qiao quickly shouldered his backpack and obediently followed after Miyoto Hoshikawa.

This left many girls sighing in disappointment.

But among others, a spark lit in their eyes.

A domineering monk and a foreign exchange student—how intriguing.

Just that premise alone was enough for one to imagine hundreds of thousands of words of novels not suitable for children.

Qiao Qiao was oblivious to all this.

He simply followed Miyoto Hoshikawa out of the school grounds.

Their destination was a private home in the Taito ward—this was Ryosuke Shimura’s residence.

Ryosuke Shimura’s parents were busy professionals with considerable income, so he was often home alone.

Thus, this place had become the “Martial God” headquarters.

Originally, Qiao Qiao had suggested taking his scooter and giving Miyoto Hoshikawa a ride.

But Miyoto Hoshikawa refused.

So the two had to take the subway.

Qiao Qiao observed him.

Even on the subway, Miyoto Hoshikawa seemed rather tense.

Had he developed a phobia of vehicles after leaving the biker gang?

Was this some kind of biker gang PTSD?

Qiao Qiao, having read several books on war veterans’ mental health, speculated as much.

But back to the point—

To own a villa in Taito ward, Ryosuke Shimura’s family truly was wealthy.

As the buildings flashed by outside the window, Qiao Qiao couldn’t help but marvel.

Taito was basically the central district of Tokyo, and also the smallest ward.

It was home to many famous attractions: Sensoji Temple, Ueno Toshogu Shrine, and other grand temples and shrines.

Land prices were astronomical.

Ryosuke Shimura’s family had money, he had a like-minded girlfriend, and at such a young age, he was already the leader of a prominent biker gang.

Truly a model for a winning life.

Qiao Qiao followed Miyoto Hoshikawa into Ryosuke Shimura’s house, crossing the courtyard and entering the garage.

Inside was a car, battered and beaten.

The car was black and white; if a “Fujiwara Tofu Shop” sticker were placed on the door, it would be the spitting image of the car from that famous manga.

“An AE86. You’ve seen ‘Initial D,’ right?” Miyoto Hoshikawa looked at the car, his expression serious.

“?” Of course, Qiao Qiao had seen that manga, which by the end had become a verdant fever dream.

He just didn’t expect biker gangs to drive such cars.

This must be a decades-old relic, right?

He’d thought a rich kid like Ryosuke Shimura would be driving a GTR or something.

“If he’d been driving a GTR that day, Ryosuke would already be dead,” Miyoto Hoshikawa explained, seeing Qiao Qiao’s confusion.

“This car was bought when I was still with Martial God. Everyone pitched in, and since we were all influenced by ‘Initial D,’ we got this secondhand car.”

Nearby, several others were waiting—the Martial God members, and some from the Yasha Princess gang.

Miho Kato had changed her clothes.

Now she wore a leather jacket, bedazzled jeans, and streaks of gold dyed through her black hair.

She was the very picture of a delinquent girl boss.

“Hm? Oh, this is just temporary dye—it washes out with water,” Miho Kato explained, seeing Qiao Qiao staring at her hair, with a laugh.

“After all, the rules at the girls’ school are pretty strict.”

By day, she was a model student at an all-girls’ school.

By night, a notorious biker gang queen.

This kind of contrast seemed to be all the rage now.

Qiao Qiao glanced around—the fact that Ryosuke Shimura hadn’t yet been discharged from the hospital indicated he’d left the keys with Miho Kato.

“All right, everyone, we’re going to exorcise that evil spirit…” Qiao Qiao began explaining their plan now that everyone had gathered.

First, regarding the vehicle choice for the race against the train, Qiao Qiao deemed a car preferable, as motorcycles lacked stability. The actions of the person in the backseat could greatly affect balance. Even if they caught up to the spirit, there might not be an opening to attack.

Second, the operation was tentatively scheduled for Friday night.

By then, the mountain road would be completely closed off and exorcists would be allowed in.

Lastly, the driver.

The driver needed to be intimately familiar with that stretch of mountain road, or else there would be no catching up with the train.

At the same time, the driver needed to possess enough spiritual power to resist the evil spirit’s mental interference and attacks.

Having laid out the plan, everyone looked at Miyoto Hoshikawa.

“This humble monk can drive,” Miyoto Hoshikawa replied, eyes closed as if in pain.

Assigning someone with vehicular trauma to drive didn’t exactly put Qiao Qiao at ease.

Especially since he’d be riding shotgun.

But after reviewing the situation and speaking with Miyoto Hoshikawa, Qiao Qiao realized there was no one better for the job.

After all, Miyoto Hoshikawa had once piloted this very AE86, decades old, to defeat every biker gang in Tokyo on that mountain road, leading Martial God to the top.

The Nightmare of Taito, Martial God’s Red Comet, the Fastest Legend of Tokyo.

Qiao Qiao believed that even with his eyes closed, Miyoto Hoshikawa could finish that stretch of road with flawless precision.

He was a Buddhist monk; surely his spiritual training would help him conquer his inner demons in the end.

With that in mind, Qiao Qiao pulled a set of blueprints from his backpack.

“Since Mr. Hoshikawa is most accustomed to this car’s handling, we’ll need to repair it over the next few days.

“Furthermore, since we’re fighting an evil spirit, I think the vehicle needs some modifications.

“For example, to protect against spectral attacks, we can add 220-millimeter composite armor to the vulnerable front and rear. In addition, reactive armor modules can be installed to improve impact resistance.

“On the roof, I’ve researched and propose mounting a 100mm rifled cannon turret with targeting optics. That way, even if we can’t catch up to the spirit, we can strike it from a distance.

“As for power, the standard car engine won’t cut it. I can arrange to purchase a B2-series V12 water-cooled diesel engine to provide sufficient thrust.

“Of course, with all these additions, the four wheels probably won’t support the weight anymore, so I suggest adding three more pairs—five pairs of road wheels in total—and fitting treads. That’ll make the car a fortress capable of withstanding any evil spirit.”

Qiao Qiao finished his elaborate proposal, voice animated.

“?”

Ryosuke Shimura’s garage was drowned in a sea of question marks.