#esrt

Fast! One-Off Reunion! - “a fight never seen before”

Sure, they’ve fought in go-kart races, friendly challenges or during the Iwatobi Town Motor Festival, but in endurance racing, Haru and Nagisa had always shared a car.

For Haru’s wildcard return to Le Mans, the only thing they’re sharing is the 6th row of the grid. They will be starting side-by-side, and could be fighting for position in the early stages of the 24-hour race.

Sure, they’ve fought before. But never with stakes this high.

***

This happens again in the latest installment of Fast! One-Off Reunion! - which is on time, against all odds!

I intend to write a short story on Nagisa, Rei and Watanuki.

I’ve been having ideas about these three for a while, and the story will focus on that sleepover in the creepy abandoned Rest House. There will be plenty of daft antics, and Rei’s wish will be revealed.

I’ve been mostly motivated by my most recent headcanons from my motor racing AU. It’s not that I’m very actively maintaining the AU, otherwise I would have written more full-length fics (I’m more bridging the gap I’d left open between 2016 and 2018 in my mind to make sure it makes sense on the whole), but I’d like to write these ideas down properly.

Tsukuba Anime Test Illustration #3

Karasuno have joined the X2 class, renamed Trophy for 2017, with a Kia GT4 Stinger for Hinata/Nishinoya/Sawamura. They will carry over their rivalry with Aoba Johsai, who will run an Alpine for Iwaizumi/Oikawa/Yahaba, but Nekoma have opted to enter the big class.

Work in progress - Tsukuba Anime Test 2017 illustrations

Gary Oak (Team Kanto), Nagisa Hazuki (ESRT) and Naruto Uzumaki (Team7) relax in pit lane during the lunch break. All three have something to get used to this year: new circumstances, a new team or a new car.

If you’ve been following, I recently posted an idea and a brief “excerpt” of what could make a rather decent character story related to the 2017 AERS season, largely involving the race engineers Rei Ryugazaki from Free! and xxxHolic’s Kimihiro Watanuki. As I’m very unlikely to write it out, I thought I’d share where it was going.

I’d situate the part where Rei stumbles on Watanuki’s shop in July, before the teams head back out to Europe for the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Imola 4 Hours. With the race in Italy being short, it’s quite intense, and that’s where feelings would boil over between the two. In October or early November, Nagisa would somehow convince Watanuki to hop over to Iwatobi-cho, as he wants to know if the Rest House on the islands opposite the town is haunted - “the question’s been bugging me for years, Wata-chan!” There, he makes Rei, Watanuki and Domeki relive the night the Iwatobi team had, complete with the dare dice, saying it’ll bring the same spirits out. At one point in the evening, Watanuki gets out on the roof for a breather, and Rei joins him. Looking up to the stars, this is when the two talk to calm themselves down and regain respect for each other. Watanuki hasn’t sensed any evil in the building, but he has noticed something in Rei’s behaviour... and that leads to Rei confessing his wish.

Kimihiro Watanuki is the new tactician for Team Cardcaptors, and his garage is next to the Eternal Summer Racing Team’s at the pre-season test in Tsukuba. He reacts rather coldly to meeting Rei Ryugazaki - though that may have something to do with Rei’s boss reminding him of Shizuka Domeki! As the season goes on, Kimihiro and Rei develop an intense rivalry on pit wall...

“Why do you let yourself get frustrated and mad like this? You grant wishes, right? Then why don’t you just wish for a win and move on?!”