Chapter 42: 42 – Deja Vu

Clouds of smoke and dirt flew into the air as Alpha drove her car across the city outer reaches. As she did, she couldn't help but glare at the woman in the car beside her.

After the initial challenge, there had been a brief exchange of words.

The winner of the evening's race kept the other woman's car.

A simple bet. One that the young woman made in a condescending tone.

Hearing that, Alpha accepted and they sped off to a more suitable location.

Even so...

How? How did that woman keep up?

As if she could hear Alpha's thoughts, the woman glanced over and smirked.

Alpha grit her teeth and then turned her attention back to the road ahead.

The city had vanished, leaving only a sprawling road leading into the countryside.

Alpha didn't know where they were going, but she wasn't going to lose to a mortal again.

Headlights illuminating the dark road. Flakes of white snow, gently drifting down. The first snowfall of the year.

Alpha ignored it and pushed her foot down again, increasing the car's speed to the limit. But even so, that damnable woman kept up. No, she was inching ahead.

Alpha grit her teeth again.

It would be easy. So easy to use her powers to push the car even further.

But this wasn't a matter of results but pride.

She wouldn't lose. She couldn't lose. Not after all that had happened already.

The asphalt roads quickly degraded as they approached a mountainside road in the distance.

Glancing at it, Alpha could see a sign hanging above a split in the road. Something or another about a mountain race track.

Seeing that, Alpha's eyes narrowed.

So this wasn't enough for her, was it?

As Alpha sped through the night beside that other woman, she noticed that the other cars following them had spread out. Judging from how affairs usually went, it seemed that they were either content to leave Alpha to that woman, or to secure the area.

Either was fine with her.

The split in the road arrived.

The black BMW suddenly swerved, heading towards Alpha's car.

Her eyes widened and she pulled her car back, avoiding the impact. But as a result, the BMW cut ahead.

"That woman...!" Alpha growled and floored the gas again, speeding up after her. "Taking advantage of the fact that this is my father's car...!"

Of course, there was no way for that woman to know that it wasn't Alpha's car.

But Alpha didn't realize her irrational thoughts. All she could think was that she was being slighted by some weak mortal woman.

"...Tch. I will apologize to Father later."

Muttering that under her breath, Alpha resolved to win no matter what damage occurred to the car.

The sound of screeching tires filled the air. White smoke covered Alpha's vision, kicked up by the BMW's swerving across the narrow road.

But it didn't matter to Alpha. She could clearly see straight through the obstruction and keep her eye on the opponent's vehicle. As she did, she realized why it was faster. "A modified vehicle, is it? Tch."

While she was still unfamiliar with the technology and innovations of her father's home world, she could sense that the vehicle in front of her was not in harmony. Some attributes had been sacrificed to emphasize others.

Like speed.

Alpha narrowed her eyes.

It seemed that since they had arrived on the track, that woman was no longer holding back. The distance between the black BMW and Alpha's car was slowly increasing.

However.

"Speed is not enough." Alpha muttered and focused on the rest of the track.

The mortal woman's hubris would be her downfall.

The race track that had been chosen was treacherous, winding across a steep mountain in erratic twists and curves. A single mistake would be enough to send the racer tumbling into the darkness below.

In short, the woman was gambling with her life.

Why she chose to wager against Alpha of all people was unknown. However, the woman would be sorely mistaken if she thought that it would be a simple race.

A sharp bend in the road up ahead.

The black BMW stopped accelerating, dropping speed to drift around it, kicking up white smoke in the air.

But Alpha-

"Futile."

Quickly judging the angle of the mountain slope on the left as well as the vehicle's weight, she jerked the steering wheel the the left at the moment the slope was shallow enough.

The black Ferrari kicked up in the air, tilted precariously on its side while the tires hugged the slope, jerking the car forward.

A completely reckless move. One that no sane person would choose to do considering the deadly consequences of failure.

Of course, that didn't apply to Alpha.

In an instant, the gap closed and then Alpha took the lead. As she did, Alpha focused on the expression of the woman in the BMW.

Shock and disbelief. But only for a brief second. Afterwards, a wide grin and strange glint shone in the woman's eyes.

Alpha twisted the steering wheel again, plopping her car back on the streets just as the road spun away from the mountain slope and into a dark forest. As she did, she huffed. "So that was not enough, was it?"

The woman's car hummed, the sound of the engine swiftly approaching on the straightaway.

"Tch." Alpha clicked her tongue and then focused on the road ahead.

Unlike the sharp bend on the mountain slope, there were constant curved turns, like a snake's wiggling body.

For a split second, Alpha considered simply charging straight ahead through the trees. However, she noticed that a guardrail covered the sides of the roads, preventing such a feat without damaging the car.

"No matter." Alpha muttered under her breath and then focused.

The woman's actions flickered in her mind, as well as how the car moved.

If Alpha remembered correctly, that woman had used another braking system to immediately cut her speed.

A quick scan of her father's car. Then she found it.

A small lever directly on her right side that could be pulled up to stall the acceleration.

At that time, the first curve arrived.

Alpha reached over and pulled the lever. At the same time, she turned her wheel like how that woman did and made sure to keep her foot on the gas.

The black Ferrari jerked, twisting at the sudden movements. Smoke filled the air as she tried to copy the drifting move that woman did... and she managed it, barely avoiding flying out past the guard rail.

However-

*Vroooom*

-The sound of a car speeding past filled the air. The black BMW, cutting ahead with a tighter drift than Alpha performed. And as she passed, the woman in the BMW grinned, flicking Alpha off.

"You hateful...!"

Alpha grit her teeth and then pushed the gas pedal down to the floor.

The curves continued, black trees flying past, briefly illuminated by the car headlights. Smoke filled the air from the car tires burning from the drifting.

And Alpha got the hang of it. Like before, the gap between her and that black BMW closed, the two cars almost touching.

But the woman was still in the lead.

...Why?

As Alpha stared at the car that wouldn't leave her vision, she grit her teeth and questioned it.

Alpha was the Chaos Maiden. The Magnum Opus of the strongest transcendent who broke beyond the entire Three Realms. The one whom even Eternal Emperors dared not face in direct combat without ample preparations.

And... she was losing to a mere mortal?!

Alpha's heart throbbed.

Was it anger? Pain? Worry?

Alpha couldn't discern the exact emotion she felt. But she knew one thing.

She couldn't lose.

She wouldn't lose.

The pair of cars broke through the forest, the race track opening up to a steep cliff. At the same time, the road curved, hugging close to the side of a mountain. But unlike before with a sharp bend, there seemed to be a huge curve, winding to the left.

Alpha used the handbrake again to drift, quickly determining that it would be impossible to maintain speed the entire time and that she wouldn't be able to drive along the mountainside.

Smoke filled the air, the result of the tires biting the asphalt to prevent the Ferrari from flying off the cliff into the darkness.

And the same happened from up ahead, smoke filling the air from the BMW's tires as well.

But that was all.

Alpha grit her teeth, quickly gauging how much of the track was left.

After the curve, there was a straight away back to where they first started. But...

'Did I... lose?'

She couldn't close the gap.

For some reason, when that BMW drifted, the speed didn't completely drop. A smooth transition wasting no momentum at all.

But when Alpha did it, the Ferrari resisted. Try as she might, she couldn't perform as smooth of a drift.

While her superior reflexes and spatial awareness prevented her from spinning out at the worst moments, it wasn't enough.

Again, like when she fought that child in that game, there was a critical lack of understanding. Something that Alpha couldn't comprehend.

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A pang in her heart.

Alpha winced and then resisted the urge to grab her chest.

Even so, there was a sense of panic growing.

This... she was going to lose. Again.

Not only that, but she was going to lose. To a mere mortal of all people.

And when she lost, her father's car...

"No. NO."

Alpha grit her teeth, focusing all of her mind on the road ahead.

There was still time. There was still space.

If she didn't possess the skill that woman had in drifting, then Alpha would use what she did know.

Narrowing her eyes, Alpha broke time down into infinitesimal segments.

Optimizing every movement. Calculating every vector. Making the slightest adjustments to even use the wind to give her speed.

But...

But...!

The black BMW spun around, drifting backwards and parking as it crossed the finish line.

Alpha did the same, stopping the Ferrari right next to the other car.

Barely a second. Mere fractions of time short.

It was close enough to where an ordinary person had enough reason to contest the results.

But.

A soft alarm filled the air. The sound from a car door opening while the engine was on.

The young woman had walked out from the BMW to open Alpha's car door. Tossing her long black hair back, the woman smiled and said, "That was a good race. For a pretty face like yourself, that is."

Alpha was quiet, staring blankly ahead.

The headlights of the Ferrari illuminated the road, revealing snowflakes drifting to the ground.

She... lost.

She lost.

To a mortal.

Again.

For the third time.

Her vision blurred.

Confused, Alpha blinked and then realized something was running down her cheeks.

"What?" The woman laughed and said, "Crying because you lost? Afraid that Daddy will be mad because her little princess lost his car?"

Alpha froze.

That... was right.

She lost, so she had to give up the car.

Those were the terms of the wager.

But...

Alpha blinked again and then glanced at the woman.

She was young. Like the other girl early in the day, it was an arrogant child who didn't know any better.

But.

But to slight her like this.

To hold herself out as superior simply because she possessed knowledge that Alpha did not, because the vehicle she used had been modified while Alpha's was not...

Alpha narrowed her eyes, killing intent flaring.

The young woman raised her eyebrow. "Hoh?" At the same time, she chuckled and then said, "You're that mad huh? Do you want to have a go, then?" She smiled, but her eyes were cold. "I'm fine with that. I've been under all sorts of stress since that Aoyama bastard went off the rails and ruined our businesses anyway." Taking a step back, the woman raised her fists, taking a fighting stance.

Alpha turned off the engine, pulling out the key. After, she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of her car, her eyes flashing red.

-Kill her.

Right. Wasn't that all she had to do?

A mere mortal standing in her way. Someone trying to demean their reputation, of hers and her father's.

Cars revved in the distance, coming to a stop nearby. Afterwards, doors opened and men in black suits exited, followed by the sounds of guns being loaded.

One man, a bald guy with scars on his face, looked to the young woman standing across from Alpha and said, "Lady Asako. Should we...?"

"Hmph." The young woman- That Lady Asako, tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ears and said, "I don't care what you guys do for that bastard of a father I have, but under me, the Seiryuu will operate according to my rules. Understand? And I'm not greedy enough to kill a crying daddy's girl for a cheap Ferrari."

"Yes, Lady Asako!"

With that shout, the men took a step back.

Asako- No, Asako Seiryuu, heiress of the Seiryuu Alliance, smirked and turned back to Alpha. "Well?"

Alpha clenched her fists and took a step forward.

But then she stopped.

*It's fine. And remember, this isn't 'that' place. It's okay to let things like these go.*

Her father's words echoed in her mind. At the same time, she recalled his smile.

That...

If she killed these mortals, what would her father think?

From how he stopped her, it was clear that he didn't intend to conquer this world. And he had mentioned that there would be no point in being here if he got involved in troublesome things.

Then... If Alpha killed these mortals and their allies learned of it.

Would that not mean that her father would have to resolve the situation?

Would that not mean that even Rin and her mother would be implicated?

Alpha knew too clearly how the chain of events ended.

The killing would not end until the problem had been wiped out at the source. Until the root was culled entirely.

But this was not the Three Realms.

Such bloodshed and retribution would be easily noticed.

And then the peaceful life they lived would be ruined.

Then...

Then...!

"What?" Asako smiled. "Having second thoughts? I mean, I'm fine with leaving this be if you just hand me the car key."

Alpha flinched, tightly holding onto the Ferrari's car key.

That... should she just do it? Should she just give up the car?

If her father truly wanted to live a peaceful life here...

But if she gave up her father's car... wouldn't she cause more trouble for him?

No. After all of this, she had already caused trouble for him.

Again.

Alpha trembled, realizing that fact.

Useless.

A hassle.

If her father found out... No. He would already know. Someone as powerful and all-seeing like him surely would have realized it.

Then... Then she...!

A car engine roaring from the distance.

"Hm?" Asako turned to look.

Alpha blinked and then did as well.

A white Toyota roared down the road before coming to screeching halt just inches from the other cars.

Everyone froze, wondering who the new arrival was.

And then the car door opened and music started blaring from inside.

*Deja Vu!

I've just been in this place before...*

A soft sigh echoed and then a male voice called out. "It's so hard when I try to be me."

*whooooooaaa!*

Alpha froze. "F-Father?"

John glanced at her, narrowing his eyes. But then he turned to Asako and said, "So you're the one who made my daughter cry, huh?"

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