Why is my anime art style so weird?

He's already considering whether to sell the shop and leave.

The roar of an engine interrupted his thoughts.

Koichi Ikeno didn't pay much attention; there were still a few cars passing by occasionally during the day.

What he didn't expect was...

squeak!

A Mercedes-Benz SUV drove into the rest area and parked in the parking lot in front of the convenience store.

Then Koichi Ikeno saw a young man carrying a backpack push open the car door and walk towards the convenience store.

This young man was Xu Ming.

After accepting the mission, Xu Ming had breakfast the next morning and immediately asked the driver to take him to Mount Akina.

The road was rugged and narrow, with lush trees on both sides and few cars passing by. Apart from that, Xu Ming did not find anything unusual.

As the SUV climbed the mountain road, Xu Ming soon spotted the convenience store located at the top of the mountain.

He had checked the information and found that it was a 24-hour convenience store.

Xu Ming guessed that the people in the convenience store probably knew something.

Ding!

He had just pushed open the door of the convenience store.

"welcome!"

A staff member with a small mustache and wearing a uniform stood behind the cashier, looking at him with a smile.

Xu Ming nodded, then walked to the shelf, bought a copy of Weekly Shonen Jump, grabbed two drinks, and then went to the cashier.

Cheng Hui, a total of 610 yen!

Koichi Ikeno immediately calculated the total price.

Xu Ming took out a Fukuzawa Yukichi card and handed it to him, saying something at the same time.

"keep the change."

Koichi Ikeno had just accepted the 10,000 yen note with a smile when he heard Xu Ming's words, and his expression immediately changed slightly.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously:

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

Xu Ming smiled and nodded.

Do you know the AE86 and Takumi Fujiwara?

Ikeno Hiroshi's expression changed immediately.

"How did the guest know...!?"

After a while, Koichi Ikeno's expression calmed down.

What would the guest like to know?

Xu Ming gave him a meaningful look.

"Looks like you know quite a bit, sir."

Koichi Ikeno sighed.

"That's true."

Summary of this volume

Could you elaborate?

Koichi Ikeno hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, anyway, there aren't many customers right now..."

Then he began to tell his story.

"I first met Takumi Fujiwara two years ago."

At that time, he had just won a race against a skilled driver who had traveled from another prefecture in an underground car race, and had become somewhat famous in Mount Akina.

As he continued to defeat various masters, his fame grew.

I just didn't expect... What a pity, sigh..."

Koichi Ikeno sighed and continued:

"He used to come to Akina Mountain at night to participate in underground car races, and he would occasionally come to the store to sit for a while."

I've met him several times; he's a very shy child.

I never expected something like that to happen.

Do you remember what happened a year ago?

Hiroki Ikeno nodded.

"It was raining heavily that night, and the underground car race that was originally scheduled was canceled."

As a result, he drove up the mountain alone.

After parking his car, he walked into the store looking dejected, and then only bought a few bottles of beer.

As he spoke, Koichi Ikeno pointed to the seat furthest from the wall in the row of seats facing the window.

"Look~ I remember it very clearly. He was sitting in that spot, chugging bottle after bottle of liquor, and then he suddenly slumped onto the table."

At this point, a hint of regret suddenly appeared on Koichi Ikeno's face.

"I thought he was asleep, so I didn't pay any attention to him."

That very night, I had an upset stomach again...

When I came out of the restroom, he was gone, and the AE86 parked outside had been driven away.

The next day, several reporters suddenly came up the mountain, and that's when I learned that he had driven off the guardrail and plunged off a cliff..."

Xu Ming opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Rainy night, mountain road, drunk driving—this guy must be asking for trouble.

so:

There are thousands of roads, safety first.

Driving under the influence? If you want to die, just get out of here.

Or perhaps... Takumi Fujiwara simply wanted to die.

As Xu Ming was thinking, he suddenly heard Ikeno Hiroichi's voice filled with regret.

"I shouldn't have sold him the alcohol that night!"

I should have kept an eye on him!

Xu Ming patted him on the shoulder.

"Uncle, this is not your fault."

He may have originally intended to leave this world in this way…

"Is that really... true?"

Koichi Ikeno was somewhat skeptical.

Xu Ming spread his hands.

“What decent person would drive up the mountain to drink in the middle of the night on a rainy day?”

"Well... to be honest, it's true."

Thinking this way, Ikeno Koichi's guilt lessened considerably.

This uncle is a nice guy.

Xu Ming thought to himself.

After talking with the man and with the information sent by Kato Megumi, Xu Ming had roughly pieced together the cause and course of the incident.

Next, it's just a matter of waiting for midnight to fall so we can find the other party (and conscript them).

"By the way, uncle."

Do you know which section of the road Takumi Fujiwara fell off the cliff at?

Koichi Ikeno hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

There happened to be a detailed map of the entire Akina mountain range on one wall of the convenience store, and in one corner of the map was a young and beautiful race car girl, probably left over from the time when underground racing was popular.

Koichi Ikeno pointed to one of the spots and said to Xu Ming:

"This is it."

Xu Ming looked around and realized that this location was on the other side of the way he came up the mountain.

Compared to the route Xu Ming took, this route is much more rugged and steep.

Xu Ming spotted the famous "Five Hairpin Bends" at a glance, and it was precisely where Fujiwara Takumi fell off the cliff that was the "Five Hairpin Bends"!

The Akina Mountain racing legend made his name with his "five consecutive hairpin bends," but ultimately died there—a truly ironic situation.

Xu Ming returned to the car with the drinks and comics, gave one of the drinks to the driver, and then instructed:

“Go down the mountain from the other side and stop at the five hairpin bends.”

The driver took the drink and nodded.

"Hi! Please have a seat."

Xu Ming fastened his seatbelt, started the SUV, and slowly drove towards the other side of the mountain road...

About twenty minutes later, the SUV stopped at the entrance to the five hairpin bends.

Xu Ming got out of the car and walked down the mountain along the five hairpin bends.

He stopped when he reached the third U-turn.