Initial O, a love live! school idol project fanfic

Edit 28/02/2017: Got off my lazy ass and added a real cover photo, fixed the summary and made the story slightly less shit (I actually called an RX-8 a FD).

However the hell people draw on a computer, it's not with a mouse, that's for sure.

Incidentally, this is a case where you can judge a book by its cover: both started off as a joke but got way too serious, resulting in a not-funny-not-serious pile of garbage.

Finally, why the hell are people following a completed story? If you want me to continue this hunk-o-junk, it's more compelling to drop a review. Followers are just a number, reviewers are real ass dudes.

Manuel - Gas Gas Gas

Love and Money

Edo Boys - No one Sleep in Tokyo

Niko - Night of Fire

Nathalie - Heartbeat

Class, class, class, I gotta make it to class.

Vibrant orange hair flutters in the wind as 16 year old Kousaka Honoka dashes through the streets. A navy blue blazer is draped over her right shoulder while a backpack strap hangs from her left. At the moment, the girl is running as fast as she can to make it to school on time.

It's not her fault she overslept, it's just that sometimes it's easy to sleep through the alarm…and Yukiho's reminder not to be late…and her mom's call to get up…and the secondary alarm…and the—well, maybe it is her fault.

Rubber scrapes against pavement as Honoka slides around a corner, her high school finally coming into sight. She's close; just a few more steps and—

The bell rings, abruptly and harshly crushing any hopes of being punctual. Oh well, Honoka prefers standing in the hallway over math class anyways.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Honoka?" chides Honoka's classmate and best friend, Sonada Umi. Amber eyes are hardened with disciplinary anger and her voice is bereft of its usual calm, which matches her midnight blue hair. "You can't afford to be late, especially since math is your weakest subject!"

The two of them are currently eating lunch under a tree in the school yard.

"I know, Umi. It's just…hard, you know?" Honoka pokes her index fingers together and shies away.

"Well, the midterms are in two weeks, so you better make an effort to be on time for them. You can still pass math if you do well on the test."

"Yes ma'am," sighs Honoka. She stares at a window, allowing herself to be distracted by the light reflecting off the glass. Now that she thinks about it, the orange haired girl realizes she's always caused her friend a lot of worry and stress because of her lackadaisical study habits and poor grades. Well not this time! Honoka swears on the name of bread that she will make Umi proud this time.

"At any rate, 1.4 million yen is just too much money." Umi's attention turns to the car magazine in her hands, and her gaze becomes wistful. "No matter how you look at it, there's just no way I'll ever be able to afford a S15."

"Oh, are you looking at cars again Umi?"

"Mmm, yeah. Like I thought, it's gotta be the 111. That's a real possibility."

"So, how much is it?"

"Let's see…this one's 300,000, and that's without insurance."

"And how much do you have saved up?"

"Just over 50,000," sighs Umi as she slumps forward in defeat. "And with our current part-time jobs, even if we work full-time over the break, we'll only be able to make about 120,000 at most."

"Boy, making money sure is tough."

"Uh-oh, lunch break is almost over." Says Umi as she glances at her watch. "We'd better hurry back; we've got a grammar test next class!"

"Hey! Wait up!"

"Thank you, please come again!"

Honoka fixes the cap on her head as she returns to her post by the gas pump. Her part time job at the Nishikino Petrol gas stand isn't glamorous, but it pays for the bread, so she doesn't complain.

"Hey, why don't we buy a 111 together?" suggests Umi from her position at the pump opposite Honoka. "If we combine our money, we can afford the loan."

"No way! I'd have to say goodbye to bread for a year! Besides, why do you want a car that badly? Your family already has one, right?"

"That automatic, front-wheel drive, diesel engine hunk-of-junk? I would hardly call that a car."

"If it's got four wheels and runs, it's a car."

"You just don't get it, do you? If it's not fun on the mountain pass, it's not a car."

"On a mountain pass? What do you do there?"

"What else? Challenge the corners! What can be more fun than attacking a corner at full speed, engine roaring and tires squealing?"

Plenty of things. In the first place, attacking a corner isn't even all that fun...

"Well said," speaks a third voice. It belongs to their coworker and senior, a blue-eyed, blonde haired, quarter-Russian by the name of Ayase Eli. "You have a true racer's spirit within you, Umi."

"Do you really mean that, Eli-senpai?" Stars are practically shining in Umi's eyes as she asks this. "Say, once I buy a 111, will you let me join your team? I've always looked up to the Speed Stars!"

"Sure! And, since it's Saturday, everyone is meeting at Mount Otonokizaka tonight. You guys want to come? I'll drive you!"

If there were stars in Umi's eyes before, there are entire nebulae now. "I'm going, I'm going, I'm definitely going!" Turning to Honoka, the blue haired girl seizes her by the arms and shakes her. "You're going too, right Honoka? This is a rare opportunity! We get to ride in Eli-senpai's S15 and meet the whole team!"

"Um…I never said I wanted to go…." Objects Honoka quietly. Too quietly, it seems, because no one pays any attention to her or her wants.

"I'll pick you up at the bus stop at 8 pm," says Eli with a wave as she heads into the convenience store.

"Oh? Heading up to Mount Otonokizaka again tonight?" asks the manager of the gas station, a woman with dark red hair and purple eyes, as Eli passes through the sliding glass entrance.

"You know it boss. The Speed Stars have to practice regularly to defend our title as the fastest team on Mount Otonokizaka!"

"Heh, many people claim to be the fastest on Mount Otonokizaka nowadays. Back when I drove actively, there was one man who was undisputedly the fastest. And he's still driving Mount Otonokizaka today."

"No way! I know all the racers at Otonokizaka, but none of them are that fast…or old."

"That's because he drives at a different time now. After all, he's the owner of a sweets shop now."

"Huh?"

"Early every morning, he delivers his famous manjuu to the hotels at Lake Otonokizaka. It's amazing to watch his downhill speed! Because it's his business, he makes the run every day, even in the rain and snow. I'd bet a million yen that he could beat all of you in your new cars with his old 111."

"Wow…he sounds amazing. But would you really bet one million yen?"

"…"

"…One hundred thousand, but he's really good!"

"Boss…."

"I'm heading out now!" yells Honoka as she slips on her sneakers.

"Have fun!" answers her dad. "Don't stay out too late, or I'll drag you out of bed if you can't wake up in the morning!"

"Oh come on, dad! When have I ever done that?"

The silver Nissan screeches through the turn, its rear fishtailing out before swinging back in line. At the rear of the car, Honoka screams and clings onto the seat in front of her for dear life, sweat soaking her white t-shirt.

"Shut up Honoka! You're ruining Eli-senpai's concentration!" hollers Umi from the passenger seat. She's trying to put on a brave face, though the tears threatening to fall from her amber orbs betrays her fear.

Honoka's only response is another terrified screech as the car slides through another turn.

She's barely in control! It feels like we might overturn any second! And what's with these powerslides? The rear is moving way too much!

"It's only natural," says Eli in a calm tone. "Everyone gets scared when they ride with a street racer. Hey, wanna see me take the next hairpin in 2nd gear?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screams Honoka as G forces tosses her to the other side of the car.

"Are you OK, Honoka?" asks Eli with a little bit of concern and guilt. "I was really in the mood to push my car, but I didn't think it was that scary."

They're at the peak of Mount Otonokizaka now, and Honoka is sitting on the curb, taking big lungfuls of air to calm her nerves. The other people there are shooting her amused looks, but she doesn't notice. All the ginger can focus on is stopping the world from spinning.

There's a radio outpost and rest area at the peak of the mountain, giving plenty of room for the fifteen or so people gathered to park their cars and mingle around.

"You're pathetic, Honoka, getting that scared," says Umi. She regained her composure much faster, and no one can tell she was inches away from shedding tears of terror. "I bet you scream on roller coasters too."

"Well, roller coasters are different, so they're not as scary." I don't think you'd understand my fear, even if I could find the words to explain it anyways.

"Hey, we got visitors!" someone calls, and everyone's attention shifts from Honoka to the newcomers.

Three RX's pull up. The one in front is yellow, and a third gen RX-7 with a wing affixed to the rear. The middle one is white, and a second gen RX-7. The last one is a black SPIRIT-R. A group of five other cars follow them. The distinctive mark on each car is the sticker on the side of the vehicle that reads "Red Suns".

The RX's doors open and the drivers step out. The driver of the yellow one has auburn hair and amethyst eyes, and very self-assured aura to her. Behind her is a shorter girl with short brown hair and piercing green eyes, and an even stronger presence. The last driver is taller than the other two, and sports long purple hair and turquoise eyes. They're all dressed casually in t-shirts and jeans.

Purple eyes meet green ones, and the two exchange a nod before the auburn haired girl approaches the group.

"We're members of the UTX Red Suns team." Violet eyes scan the crowd playfully. "I'm Yuuki Anju. This—" She gestures to the tallest of the three. "—is Toudou Erena, and that's Tsubasa Kira. I don't mean to be rude, but could you please point us to the fastest team, or driver, on this mountain?"

The crowd breaks into hushed chatter. Eli looks around her and, seeing that no one else is stepping up, speaks.

"That would be us, the Otonokizaka Speed Stars."

Eli's height advantage combined with the lighting results in a very intimidating shadow being cast on Anju. If the newcomer is intimidated, however, she does not let on.

"Excellent! Would you like to hold a practice session with our team here at Mount Otonokizaka?"

Murmurs of shock ripple through the crowd and even Eli looks taken aback. The tallest of the three newcomers steps forward and talks.

"What do you think? Since we usually only run with people we know, it's becoming routine. Running against other teams on different courses gives us a new challenge. We can also make new friends and exchange knowledge, and it improves the skills of all involved.

"At first we can all drive together, and then we can send representatives from each team to compete in time trials for both uphill and downhill runs. We aren't concerned about winning or losing, we only seek to develop friendship between the teams."

Despite the girl's words, there is a lot of tension in the air. Honoka wonders why; they just want to be friends.

Eli shares a glance with the girl beside her and they come to a silent conclusion.

"If you put it that way, how can we refuse?"

"Alright then, how about next Sunday at 10 o'clock?"

"Ok, fine."

They continue to exchange a few small words, but Honoka is already tuning them out. Her eyes feel heavy and—

"Awesome! This is awesome Honoka!" exclaims Umi as she grabs a fistful of Honoka's shirt and drags their faces close together. "That's the Red Suns, the fastest drivers in the entire Tokyo area! Even better, we get to see A-RISE, the famous street racers who've been featured in magazines! They're also known as the 'rotary group' because they all drive—"

Honoka interrupts Umi's excited ramblings with a loud yawn. It's not like she's bored or anything, she just feels very sleepy.

"Ho-no-ka…." The bluenette's voice drops dangerously low, and suddenly Honoka's not so sleepy anymore. Before Umi can give her a scolding, however, the sound of squealing rubber cuts through the night and draws their attention away.

The Red Suns' caravan is moving out. One by one they perform sharp turns and head downhill, their rear lights fading quickly into the night.

"We don't have to be intimidated!" someone yells. "We're going too!"

"Yeah!" choruses the crowd. The group disperses, and people run all over the place to get to their cars. The rumble of engines starting up fills the air, followed by the screeching of tires.

"Hey, Eli-senpai, what about us?" calls Umi as Eli straps herself in.

"Sorry, but when I make a serious run, I don't take passengers. Wait here. I'll pick you up later." With that, the Silvia roars out of the rest area and after the Red Suns.

It's quiet now that the station is devoid of cars and people. That is, until Umi stamps her foot on the ground and wails in self-pity.

"This sucks! Why are we the only ones without a car?"

Honoka's only response is to muffle another yawn.

Within half an hour the Speed Stars are back, defeat etched on their face.

"We couldn't keep up with them at all," says Eli with a grim look on her face. "They're on an entirely different level."

"They beat us so easily on our home course," moans the black haired girl from earlier. Apparently she's the second fastest among the Speed Stars.

"How can we compete against the Red Suns at all?" cries a third person.

The team's dejection is tangible and the atmosphere is heavy. Honoka and Umi stand by the side. Umi looks on the scene with anguish, desperately wanting to say something but not knowing what to say (and doubting her qualification to say anything in the first place). Even Honoka feels bad for the Speed Stars, and she doesn't care much for this racing thing.

"It's getting late," says Eli with such an even voice that one can almost believe she's not concerned at all. "Let's get together tomorrow and talk about it."

The group voices their agreement and disperses, but worry hangs over the head of them all. The drive down is uncomfortably subdued, and Honoka can't bring herself to fall asleep.

He hands her a paper cup filled with water, which she stows in a cupholder by the driver's seat.

"Hey! There's more than usual."

"That's because you're delivering more than usual. Remember, not a drop."

"Yeah, yeah, you got it."

Headlights flicker on and an engine rumbles to life, and the delivery car disappears into the night.

The following school week passes uneventfully. Honoka makes a gargantuan effort and only oversleeps TWICE (quite a personal accomplishment), making sure to pay extra attention in class. However, as the end of the week draws near, a somber mood falls on them.

"Ah…the math test is coming up," sighs a dejected Honoka. The two girls are making their way to the gas station right now.

"Ugh…the race is tomorrow, and the Speed Stars haven't improved at all," mutters a hopeless Umi.

"I don't get what we're learning at all! How am I supposed to do math when the numbers aren't even real?"

"Eli-senpai's changed her tires and brake pads, and our uphillist managed to shave a few seconds off her time, but they still don't compare to the Red Suns at all!"

"WE'RE DOOMED!" cry both girls simultaneously as they clutch each other for support.

Umi regains her composure first and straightens up. "I can help you study tonight, but not tomorrow; the race is happening at that time. I'd ask you to go with me, but I don't trust you to stay out so late and wake up on time for the test on the day after."

"Gee Umi, do you really have so little faith in me?"

"Oh I have plenty of faith in you. This is just for…extra faith."

"…You're the worst Umi."

Honoka lets out a breath of relief as she closes her notebook. She had spent the past two hours studying, and now her head feels very light and dizzy. Still, this torture will be worth it if she can ace the test and make Umi proud. The orange haired girl glances at the clock on the wall, which says the current time is just a few minutes past nine. If she hurries, she can make it back by eleven.

Honoka gets up and pads downstairs. She picks up the car keys before yelling to her dad:

"Hey dad, do you mind if I make the delivery a little earlier tonight?"

"Mmm? I don't mind, but what's the occasion?"

"Well, I have a test tomorrow in the morning, and I just want to make sure I'm on time."

"Heh, that's my studious little girl. You go for it."

"Gee, daaaaaaaaaaaad…." He might not be able to see her puffed cheeks, but Honoka makes sure her voice carries enough indignation to let him know. The chuckle in his voice lets her know that he knows.

"Well, the manjuu is packed and ready, so you go load them up while I get the water."

"You got it!"

Minute later, Honoka is strapped in and ready to go. She pulls the car, a white and black Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE111 with a sticker on the side that reads, 'Homura Bakery, private use', to the front of the store where her dad is waiting with a paper cup filled with water in his hand. Honoka lowers the window and takes the cup and places it in a cupholder.

"I'm off!" With that, Honoka steps on the gas and zips down the street.

The night staff is a lot friendlier at the beginning of their shift than at the end. The deliveries went smoothly, and Honoka is on her way home now. There were a lot of people standing around on the way up though. I hope they're not around still. I just wanna go home and sleep.

The Toyota zooms past a sign that reads '↑ Tokyo, Otonokizaka Pass'.

"Alright, let's get this race started! Prepare to go in 5!"

Eli gulps and glances at the yellow FD beside her. Even though in her mind and heart she knows she's no match for A-RISE, she can't go down without a fight. That would be an even bigger injury to the Speed Stars' pride than losing. She's going to give it her all and race without regrets.

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

Boy, dad's 'drive faster or your money back' playlist really works.

Honoka's car zips down the lonely road. The speedometer shows that she's going over 100km/h, and she's still on the short uphill section before she reaches the peak. After that, she's going all downhill until she reaches the city limits, and that's when the real speed comes out.

"Give me love and money, I have the rest already. Love and money coming from you is what I need," sings Honoka along with the song playing from the car's speakers.

The tune and beat is great, but the lyrics…. Truly, this is a song that testifies to the moral degradation of this capitalist society. Love becomes just another word that is tossed around as easily as money, and money becomes the standard from which everything else derives value. Clearly we need a return to classical conservatism. We need to reestablish monarchy and reinstate the aristocracy and have them be the moral example everyone else follows. But instead of males being in charge, it ought to be females. After all, the patriarchy has clearly oppressed minority groups for too long and—

Whoa, I braked way too late for that turn. I hope that doesn't leave a mark. Focus, Honoka. You're driving here, not having a political discourse.

…But dang, why can't I be like this in class? Why do I only form such coherent thoughts outside of school?

As Honoka reaches the radio outpost at the peak of Mount Otonokizaka, she realizes with a sinking heart that the crowd has not gotten smaller, but has grown. Fortunately, they are all standing around at the side of the road, and their cars are parked out of the way. It's going to be a bit uncomfortable to drive normally with so much people around, but, if they're out of the way, Honoka shouldn't hit anyone.

But gee, are there a lot of people tonight. There's more gathered her right now than when she came with Eli-senpai last week. It's like there's a special event going on or something. The song that starts playing describes her thoughts well.

No one sleeps in Tokyo! All right crossing the line!

Actually, if no one sleeps in Tokyo, then it would not be all right crossing the line. After all, there would be a higher chance of there being incoming traffic, and that would result in a head-on collision. What's with dad's songs and their lyrics being awful?

All further thoughts cease as Honoka approaches the first turn. She wants to be home and resting ASAP, so she's going to push it pretty hard tonight. She's not going to waste any brainpower thinking useless thoughts.

"H-hey, that 111 was going pretty fast. Should we stop the race and let him pass?"

"No way! They left two minutes ago, and we're talking about Yuuki Anju here! There's no way some old 111 can catch up to her."

"You're right. I guess we just gotta wait and see what kind of a course record Anju sets."

Oh? There's a car in front of me, and driving quite slowly too. I suppose this is what happens when I make my deliveries so early.

The car in front is a silver car, and Honoka has the vague impression she's seen it before, but can't quite put a finger on where she's seen it before.

At any rate, Honoka closes the gap between their cars in two turns. The other driver is taking the turns way too slowly. The blue eyed girl doesn't want to wait and drive behind such a slow vehicle.

As they approach the next hairpin corner, Honoka takes the outer lane and steps on the gas, overtaking the silver car. Just before entering the turn, she lets off on the gas and applies the brakes. The high schooler turns into the corner and begins the downshift. She pushes in the clutch with her left foot while shifting her right foot to simultaneously operate the brake with the ball of her foot and pump the throttle with her heel. As she does this, she shoots out her left hand to shift down a gear, after which she releases the clutch. The car lurches forwards as weight is transferred to the front of the vehicle. Soon after the rear of the automobile swings out as the rear tires lose traction. Familiar G forces invade Honoka's stomach as she countersteers to keep the wheels along the corner's path. Once the vehicle faces the turn's exit, the orange haired girl feeds the car a bit of throttle to power through the drift.

All of this happens so quickly and smoothly that not a drop of water spills out of the cup in the cupholder. Well, it better not spill; Honoka has spent five years refining her technique, after all. When she first started delivering manjuu five years ago, she would spill water everywhere even when accelerating on a straightaway. Over time, however, she's learned how to drive smoothly and delicately, so that not a drop of water is shed, not even when she drifts around corners at high speed. This delicacy allows her to drive fast without damaging the manjuu.

Honoka blows out of the curve and continues to speed down Mount Otonokizaka.

Shock reigns among the onlookers at that corner. They assembled tonight to watch Yuuki Anju race, but the way the 111 attacked that corner is something else.

"W-whoa! I've got goosebumps!"

"That was an insane overtake!"

"What a crazy kamikaze technique! The 111 couldn't have been more than a few centimeters away from the guardrail!"

"Who on earth is driving that thing?"

"Hey, we better tell Miss Tsubasa about this, I think that guy might be fast enough to catch up to Anju!"

"Night of fire, you've better better stay," sings Honoka as she blows out of an S-curve. "You've better better begin the prayer to play! Night of fire, come over over me, come over over the top you'll have a night of fire!"

Maybe it's because she does it every night, but Honoka just can't understand it when Umi and others say it's fun to drive up to mountains and challenge corners. How can it be fun when it's so tedious? No matter how fast Honoka takes the turns, it's never fast enough. Why can't people just invent teleportation already so she can get these deliveries done without the two hours of commute in between?

There's a flash of red taillights in front of Honoka, but they quickly disappear around a curve.

Two cars in one night?! I'm never driving this early again!

Luckily, the new car—a yellow one—is faster than the silver one. It takes Honoka four turns to catch up, and even then she can't really close the gap. In fact, she has a feeling the yellow car is actually faster than her car; it keeps pulling ahead on straightaways. Even so, the distance between their cars is small and Honoka can keep up comfortably.

This guy isn't slow; he just takes bad lines and has bad recovery. He's managed to maintain a lead because his car is faster and there haven't been too many turns in a short amount of time, but that's going to change soon. Once we reach the upcoming five consecutive hairpin turns, he's gonna lose a lot of speed. I guess I'll pass him there, if he gives me the space.

"This is the top of the mountain. Can you hear me?" says Tsubasa into her phone.

"Miss Tsubasa?" comes the reply from speakerphone.

"Pretty soon, the two will reach the five consecutive hairpins down there. Give me the play-by-play. Tell me what's happening in as much detail as possible."

"Okay. They're close; I can hear the sound of their tires squealing!

"Here they come! Anju's FD and the 111! Anju is leading, but only by a bit! They're entering the first hairpin now!

"…! Wow! Great! That 111 is amazing! It did a perfect braking-drift! Anju is losing ground! His recovery is great too! It's so close to the guardrail!

"They're going into the second hairpin! There's no gap now!

"Recovery is the same for both of them! Now the third hairpin! The FD is taking the outside but the 111 is…!

He's taking the outside? Guess he's gonna give me that chance after all. 140…I've never taken this turn this fast before. This should work…

" Uwah! It's staying on the inside and not slowing down! The 111 is going into the hairpin at an incredible speed! Are his brakes out?"

Bump

Screech!

"W-what? Anju was passed! Easily on the inside!"

Shock is plastered all over everyone's face, though the Speed Stars have a little bit of jubilance on their visages as well.

"That can't be right," says Erena in confusion as she snatches the phone. "We don't understand what's happening! Be exact!"

"But…we were watching it…and a car shouldn't be able to turn at a speed exceeding the tire's grip, right? If it tries, the tires won't be able to grip the road and it won't turn sharply enough, thus crashing into the guardrail... And yet that 111 turned in a weird way. It was kind of like a roller coaster, even though that line was supposed to be bad on the inside turn. I have no idea what happened!"

Another bump rattles through the car as Honoka drops the inner tires into the gutter. Doing so allows her to turn at impossible speeds without experiencing understeer. Even this action is so practiced and refined that, though the water in the cup swirls around dangerously, not an iota overflows.

As Honoka predicted, she managed to pass the yellow car at the consecutive hairpins, and now the gap between them is increasing. Soon, not even its headlights are visible in her rear view mirror anymore.

The road levels out and a sign says Honoka is now within city limits. A glance at the time reveals that she completed the downhill in under half an hour. That's a new record!

"Dance to the heartbeat! Whoa-oh-oh! You better take your chances right now!" sings Honoka as she shifts down to second gear and keeps her speed slightly over the limit.

Hey, this singing business is pretty fun. Maybe I should start an idol group or something. Thinks Honoka as she drives off into the night.

I don't think anyone actually calls the AE111 '111'. Oh well, that's what I get for "modernizing" the cars. If I've made any mistakes about the cars or driving technique, please do let me know (as harshly as possible).

Kotori was supposed to be Natsuki Mogi, but Mogi doesn't play a role in the scenario I've envisioned, so she was cut. Sorry Kotori fans. As an apology, please enjoy this one line omake of the morning after.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S ALREADY 8:15?!"