Emma Greene in the 624 crosses the finish line!
She puts herself in provisional third!
Her time was nip and tuck with the pair at the top!
After day six of qualifying, four drivers have beaten last year's course record!
MF Ghost
The King's Impatience
Oh, the camera's on me.
Yay! Make sure I look cute, okay?
Marie, this is dangerous now.
Your costume's so tight, we're a breath away from a wardrobe malfunction.
Out on the course, the final day of qualifying is underway.
Wading through the Hydro Trap is the 6 car,
driven by the original cornering wizard, Yanagida Takuya.
He negotiates the high-speed S-curve beside Benten Rock.
And while he looked unsteady earlier in the season, he's in better shape lately.
This powerful front-engine RWD BMW is like an extension of his limbs.
It's his belief that the only way to turn properly is with rear-wheel drive.
And he's dead set on confirming his conviction!
Yes, it's our solitary rear-wheel drive specialist,
who's always near the top of the popularity charts: Yanagida Takuya.
You need more than complete control over a car to call yourself a pro driver.
You're not a racing driver until you post times that show it.
The final day of qualifying should be underway in Atami.
I'm certain Mr. Beckenbauer will set an impressive time,
but my real concern is...
Mr. Moroboshi.
The 885 shoots away!
He qualified eighth on his debut at Peninsula,
but managed to climb to fifth in the race.
Overshadowed by Katagiri Kanata, who made 10 overtakes in one race,
his drive didn't get much attention...
...but no one can deny that finishing fifth on debut is deserving of high praise.
As the graduates of England's RDRS steal the spotlight...
...here we have a domestic thoroughbred, born and raised in Gunma.
Let's keep an eye on him.
Beckenbauer. Katagiri Kanata. And Sawatari Koki.
The three of you are damn fast.
But compared to how my boss drives when he's serious on public roads?
You three are no big deal. I know he's got you beat.
When I think about it in those terms, I feel a lot more relaxed.
The Godly Fifteen's big three are nothing to sweat over.
And I'm gonna make it a big four.
And he's through the Hydro Trap! The 885 gains an attention flag!
I've been wondering this for a while, but...
Isn't MFG's flag system a little, well, funky, boss?
You're only noticing that now? What took you so long?
The algorithm might assign the flags, but the actual judgment?
It's based on one man's theory about maximum speed street racing.
The man who built MFG.
So basically,
the system rewards people who drive in a way my brother would approve of.
Makes sense.
I guess that's why Fujiwara's student is always getting attention flags.
The blonde girl from yesterday proved that pretty clearly.
And Sena's starting to reflect that, too.
Did something happen between you and Sena, boss?
Nothing major.
I just gave him a big dose of something that'll keep him stable.
I have no idea what that means, but it seems to have done the trick.
Have we ever had a hotter crop of rookies than this year's batch?
The 86 on day five! The 624 on day six!
And today, we have the 885!
These big-numbered cars are thriving!
How far will these supernovas burning with potential go?
Sena roars onward!
In this end-of-summer, high-speed battle,
we've almost reached the climax of qualifying for Seaside Double Lane.
And here to wrap it up is this man,
his golden number 12 shining on an all-new white chassis.
The overwhelming favorite to win it all this season.
Reigning undefeated on a three-win streak.
A driver strong enough to see off all challengers.
Yes, the absolute king, Michael Beckenbauer, has arrived.
That German hottie is undressing me with his eyes.
It's embarrassing, but fantastic.
Five, four, three, two, one!
And he's off! The invincible Porsche is on its way!
Ogata Automotive Ltd.
That's a Cayman GT4.
It's only the fourth race, but we're already facing a "last boss" car.
The vehicle selected by the absolute king for this race
is, surprisingly, a three-pedal manual transmission with an H-pattern shifter!
That's just like ours!
Sorry, Wakana. I was hoping to get some advice.
I don't mind. I wasn't doing anything this Sunday, anyway.
Well, after what you said, I went home and rewatched the third race,
and the guest analyst said Kanata was only participating for one year.
Oh, so Yuka was right?
It's a real shock.
It hasn't come up at home?
My parents took in Kanata assuming he wouldn't be leaving for a while.
So unless he brings it up, I doubt they'd even think to ask.
Which means Kanata-san's the only one who knows for sure.
You'll have to find the guts to ask him.
I could never. I'm too scared.
I don't want to think about life without Kanata.
Something inside me just wants to preemptively reject the truth.
I don't want to know. I don't even wanna think about it.
I've never seen you so worked up over something, Ren.
It's not confirmed he's leaving yet, so don't let it get you down.
What would you do, Wakana?
I'd find the courage to ask him, even if I was afraid.
If he's gonna leave one way or another,
the sooner I accept that and make the most of the time that's left,
the fewer regrets I'd have.
You're so strong, Wakana.
Well, going through seven boyfriends teaches you a thing or two.
Wait, seven? She added another while I wasn't looking.
I really loved some of them.
Just thinking about it makes me wanna cry to this day.
You really oughta tell him how you feel, Ren, or I know you'll regret it.
He zooms into Sector 2!
He's managing to keep pace with the 4 and 86.
What a thrilling run.
This is the usual fare from the absolute king.
His driving may not look aggressive,
but one glance at his time has your jaw dropping.
He usually matches his rivals' pace over the first half,
then kicks it up a notch and blasts his way to the finish!
No writer could concoct a narrative so full of catharsis as this man's driving.
Booth to Michael. Things are going according to your plan so far.
You went through the checkpoint within two-tenths of the 4's time. Over.
This is easy. Sawatari and Katagiri are both unremarkable.
Or is it because the GT4 is simply on another level?
He enters Sector 3! And I feel this is where...
...we'll see something spectacular.
The absolute king's absolute sprint is about to be unleashed!
He's on the attack!
The 12's clearly moving differently now!
Booth to Michael. Time to kick it up a gear.
You're currently 0.3 seconds behind the 4 car. Over.
What? That can't be right.
Wait a minute. Crap.
Sawatari, you bastard. I walked right into your trap.
I should've expected your trickery.
I'm going radio silent now. Keep me updated on our times. Over.
There's still time. This is where it really begins.
He's now in the middle of Sector 3,
and he's lagging behind the 4 by 0.28 seconds.
Will he be able to turn this around?
This is odd. This isn't what we've come to expect from him.
Is the absolute king struggling here on Double Lane?
Beckenbauer seems to be panicking.
It was the same for Kanata.
Towards the end of Sector 3, he started losing time to the 4 car.
That means Sawatari Koki was going uniquely fast.
But how did he manage it?
That braking error is going to cost me.
I've lost this head-to-head.
Now you've done it, Sawatari.
You have my thanks for helping me find motivation for this race.
And I intend to pay you back with interest.
He approaches the final corner.
And he's 0.13 seconds behind without enough road left to catch up!
The king, Beckenbauer, finishes his lap 0.02 seconds off the top spot!
And so, it is Sawatari in the 4 car
who grabs a second career pole, the first of this season.
We also see that six drivers
have beaten last season's course record.
Better, but still a way to go.
I'm really scared about telling Kanata I love him.
Once I do, it could mean the end of everything.
If I am going to tell him, it's going to be at the very end.
But if Kanata's gonna go far away...
If I'm never gonna see him again...
Will there be any point in telling him how I feel?
I have no idea what to do.
I guess I really am a lonely only child who knows nothing about romance.
I feel sick. Grandma, help.
MF Ghost.
I have to say, that was the most exciting qualifying I've ever seen.
Everyone's leveled up so much.
I mean, six drivers managed to beat last year's course record.
Sawatari Koki, in particular, was absolutely on it.
Speaking of that, how do you think he managed it, Okuyama-san?
He gambled on a long shot.
The three sections of Double Lane each place different demands on suspension.
The toll roads of Sector 1
are smooth enough that suspension set up for circuit racing will work well.
But Sector 3 is the exact opposite.
The roads are a patch job, sending cars bouncing all over the place.
Now, standard procedure would be to optimize the suspension for Sector 2,
which is sort of halfway between,
but I'm guessing the 4 was set up for Sector 3's bumpy roads.
Why would he do that?
Beckenbauer tends to pace himself based on laps set by his rivals.
The plan was to use that against him.
He probably thought it was a breeze as he entered Sector 3.
The fact he didn't notice Sawatari's trap earlier
may have been carelessness from the absolute king. Or maybe overconfidence?
By comparison, Sawatari tackling Sector 1 with a flexible suspension
set up for Sector 3 probably deserves praise.
He'll likely go with a more standard setup for the actual race, but...
Damn, Sawatari.
He's a real tactician. Talk about shrewd.
It's said that out of all five courses, Double Lane is the hardest on tires.
It'll be tough for Sawatari to stay ahead even starting on pole.
I imagine Beckenbauer will be raging after his pride took a knock.
And our own driver clearly left a lot in the tank, too.
Tomorrow's race is gonna be a wild one.
Please, God. Don't take Kanata away from me.
I've always thought it strange we haven't found the backdrop to this picture.
We've found some similar buildings, but we could never get the right angle.
Don't give up. I know we can find it.
I'll never stop looking. I'm gonna keep searching until I find it.
When you're trying so hard,
I can hardly give up the search, since I'm the one who started it.
Right. It's a promise, then.
This might be my last hope.
So, honey, do you have a girlfriend?
I know some girls. But I'm bad at talking to them.
Why do you ask, Mum?
Can you recall the faces of those friends clearly?
Of course! You and I are good at that. Right, Mum?
That's true.
But there will come a time when you're older and in love
where you'll try to recall someone's face and struggle to do so.
When people are in love,
something in the brain stops them from accurately recalling their love's face.
Why does the brain do that?
Well, you get anxious when you forget something, right?
The anxiety makes you want to see them again.
You want to be able to look at your love whenever you want.
That's how the brain works when you're in love.
Did that happen to you, Mum?
Of course it did.
When I was in love with your father, that's how it was.
What about me? Can you remember my face?
Now that I can do.
Do you realize how many portraits of you I have in my studio?
I don't like that.
Don't be silly. You're the one I care the most about in the world.
No one else comes close.
But that's a different feeling than romantic love.
You understand, don't you, my boy?
What Mum told me was true.
I never took a picture like this before coming to Japan.
Being unable to recall a certain girl's face clearly...
That's never happened to me before.
I'm in love with Ren.
I'm not sure when it started, but I'm realizing now that it's true.
I should be happy, but I feel so unbelievably tense.
After all, I have to leave Japan eventually.
I'm not sure what to do. And I have no one I can talk to about it.
I wonder what kind of advice Mum would give me.
What would Dad say if he were here?
I miss them both so much.
Welcome to all 37.2 million MFG fans out there.
I'm your commentator, Tanaka Yoji.
The end of summer heralds a high-speed battle.
The Seaside Double Lane race is about to begin.
Today's guest in the booth is Sudo Kyoichi-san.
Sudo-san's had a long career as one of All-Japan Rally's top competitors...
...and is a trustee on the MFG steering committee.
Sudo-san, thanks for joining us.
It's a pleasure to be here.
I come from the world of rally, meaning I won't have much to share
regarding overtaking tactics and techniques,
so I might not be the best of fits.
But when it comes to driving at high speeds on public roads,
I know a thing or two.
So I'll do what I can to share that knowledge.
I hope to enlighten and entertain.
Ren. You're Ren, aren't you?
Emma-san?
I thought I'd seen you somewhere before.
I watched the third race in London and saw you give Kanata his congratulatory kiss.
I remember thinking, "That girl's got a nice figure," so you left an impression.
I had no idea.
Huh? Emma Greene's talking to Ren-chan?
I had no idea her English was so good.
I have a request for you, Ren.
If you care about Kanata... If you care about his future...
Don't try to keep him in Japan.
Racing drivers with talent like his are incredibly rare.
But the longer he stays here, the more opportunities he'll miss out on.
And I can't just stand by and let that happen.
So I'm begging you, Ren. Please.
That's not fair, Emma-san.
That's really, really unfair.
Something wrong, Ren-chan? You look like you're about to burst into tears.
Kyoko-san.
Being a woman is about being able to smile even when it hurts.
And our job as Angels is to smile.
Right. Of course.
That's better. You've got this.
Now, let's get to work. Step lively.
It's almost time for the race to start.
Right.
Five minutes to the race start.
The competitors leave the paddock and head to the start line.
Sudo-san, what will you be looking out for in today's race?
Good question.
First, I want to see how the big three interact in the early stages.
In terms of total distance, Double Lane is the longest of all five races.
There's a major risk of punishing the tires early on if the pace is too high.
So with their uncanny sprinting skills, how will this trio play it?
And what will the rookies in fourth and fifth do as a result of what happens ahead?
Moroboshi Sena and Emma Greene, you mean?
If they can insert themselves into the trio's tussle, it'll be absolute chaos.
It's an exciting setup, that's for sure.
Is this a polygon of MFG rivalries in a new Warring States period?
Ren, give me strength.
I have three cars ahead of me.
And Katagiri Kanata's right in front of me. I couldn't ask for a better spot.
I've had a plan in mind for this since qualifying ended.
Katagiri is my sole target for this race.
I'll cling to him like a plunger and won't let go, no matter what.
Then, on the final lap, we'll duke it out.
I don't care about the other cars. Or the overall positions in the race.
This is a one-on-one between me and Katagiri.
The Angels are all lined up.
Sawatari Koki in pole position is guided slowly through the gate by a drone.
Next comes Beckenbauer in the 12 car.
Then, it's Katagiri Kanata in the 86.
Moroboshi Sena in the 886. Emma Greene in the 624.
Akaba Kaito in the 2. Aiba Shun in the 9.
Suppressing the urge to speed off,
these 15 drivers focus on the drones in front of them,
waiting for that light to turn green.
And the 16, our final competitor, passes through the gate!
And there's the green!
Listen to that cacophony!
The waves in Sagami Bay will be sent back to the sea by the sheer intensity!
Next time, Turn 35: The Strongest Train.