“Bewitched Night Hill” Episode 24 (Final)

That night, Takuya and Zakuro were at the usual parking lot on the summit.
At that place where the two of them first met.
Zakuro said.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah. I’m going to beat you, Zakuro. If only to repay the favor I owe you.”
“So that’s what you were thinking. I’m happy. But since we’re doing this, I’m going to give it my all too. Be prepared.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”

It was decided that Takuya would lead onto the road.
He pulled out slowly from the summit parking lot, and once he cleared the first corner, the Civic went full throttle in the lead.
The feel of the Civic had changed significantly since the engine swap.
Thanks to the well-balanced weight reduction, its combat capability had also increased considerably.
But Zakuro’s Mark II wouldn’t let him pull away easily.
That was to be expected.
When you combine the car that Ayame called her masterpiece with the skills of Zakuro, who had no equal on this mountain, you get the ultimate fighter.
It seemed like Takuya had the advantage, but because Zakuro was applying pressure from behind, he actually had very little breathing room.
Takuya thought that this battle was also a test of mental strength.

On the straight in the first half of the mountain, Zakuro’s yamabuki-colored Mark II used its raw power to pull ahead in one go.
Zakuro was bold.
That’s why she could keep attacking.
But being passed once was within Takuya’s expectations.
To pass her back in the technical section in the second half, he first had to make sure he didn’t fall behind.
Thinking this, Takuya used the full width of the corners, exiting them in a way that allowed him to accelerate without losing as much speed as possible.
I don’t know if it’s effective on a mountain pass, but I’m staying right behind Zakuro so I can get into her slipstream.
Back then, every time I cleared a corner after being passed, her brake lights would get further away.
But it’s different now.
The size of the brake light glow I see from the driver’s seat hasn’t changed.
I want to dive in if there’s an opening.
But Zakuro doesn’t show any openings.
She isn’t the type to be rattled by feints either.
Takuya decided to wait patiently for the point to make his move.

While chasing Zakuro, Takuya remembered everything from the time they first met until now.
Until that time he first met Zakuro, he had been the fastest on this pass in both name and reality.
The day he lost to Zakuro, he was shocked, but he found himself drawn to her mysterious charm.
When he learned that Zakuro was a fox spirit, he felt like he understood the reason for the mysterious aura she exuded.
But even though Zakuro was a fox spirit, there were parts of her that were no different from an ordinary girl.
She laughed when something made her happy, felt down when something was sad, and got angry when something annoyed her.
Other than the fact that she occasionally used mysterious magic, she was just a normal girl.
Takuya liked seeing Zakuro’s smiling face.
When she smiled with her eyes narrowed and a full grin, she was like the sun.
He felt like he could get energy from her too.
For Takuya, who had always driven alone, Zakuro had become an irreplaceable person.
He had learned a lot, too.
Though, he was certainly flustered the first time he had her ride in the passenger seat.
Today, he wanted to show her how much he had grown since then and repay her.
That was the mood he was in.

Halfway up the mountain, the handling of Zakuro’s Mark II started to look suspicious.
Actually, both of them were at a much higher pace than when they first battled.
Zakuro must have been trying to be careful not to put too much strain on the tires, but the Mark II is a relatively heavy car.
The tires and brakes must have been under more strain than Takuya’s Civic.
So Takuya tried to shake her up.
He tried poking his nose in when entering corners.
She didn’t seem to panic, but it should have had some effect.
The Mark II is a larger car than the Civic.
She could block quite a bit.
But it was starting to look like he could dive in if there was an opening.
Thinking that all he had to do was wait for that moment, Takuya gripped the steering wheel.

In the second half of the mountain, they entered the technical section.
As always, Takuya’s Civic was stuck right behind Zakuro’s Mark II.
And on a short straight, Takuya decided to make his move.
He shifted down and slammed on the accelerator.
He was side-by-side with Zakuro’s Mark II.
They dove into the corner just like that.
Neither of them would hit the brakes.
It felt like a choice between backing off or falling off the cliff.
He delayed braking until the very last second.
Then Zakuro hit the brakes.
Takuya hit the brakes a beat later.
Then, in the acceleration battle, Takuya’s Civic, which had the weight advantage, pulled a step ahead.
He pressed the accelerator delicately to transmit the engine’s power to the road surface as much as possible.
And Takuya’s Civic pulled ahead.
But Zakuro hadn’t given up yet.
She kept trying to dive in if there was an opening.
They pulled alongside each other many times.
Each time, Takuya had to block her line, which was exhausting for him.
And then the final corner; whoever came out of this in the lead was guaranteed the win.
Takuya took the inside.
Zakuro stayed slightly behind.
And Takuya accelerated, using the full width of the road.
The first car to emerge from the final corner was Takuya’s Civic.
He raced to the finish line with everything he had.
The winner was Takuya.

As they always did, the two parked their cars in the parking lot by the three-way junction.
Zakuro, who had gotten out of the car, said.
“So you’ve become the fastest on this pass. Congratulations, Takuya.”
“It’s not about being the fastest; I just wanted to return what you gave me. Did I manage to repay you, Zakuro?”
“You’re always repaying me.”
“Huh?”
“When I see you looking like you’re having fun, I feel fulfilled too. So I think that’s how you’ve repaid me.”
“Is that so?”
Takuya realized that he and Zakuro felt the same way.
If Zakuro was having fun, he would have fun, and if he was having fun, Zakuro would have fun.
He had already finished repaying what he had received.
But it was good for Takuya to have had this battle as a milestone.
Because he was able to show Zakuro that he was different from who he was back then.
As he was thinking that, Zakuro opened her mouth.
“Hey Takuya, don’t you think the winner of a battle needs a prize?”
“No, the fact that I won is enough for me.”
“Just close your eyes...”
Takuya closed his eyes.
Then, something soft touched his lips.
At first it was light, then it touched him for longer and longer.
“...I love you, Takuya.”
“I love you too, Zakuro.”
When Takuya said that, Zakuro smiled and said.
“I’m not much, but please take care of me, Takuya.”
The two embraced and exchanged a kiss under the full moon.

It was the birth of a legend of speed, known to no one.

The End