[Short Story] Drive on

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　The misty scent of the rain lifting rises from the asphalt, and the white light of the streetlamps casts rainbow-colored rings upon it.
　Two sets of headlights appeared at the crest of the circuit's slope, cutting through the air at the same moment as they hit the curve. They slid down the gentle descent in perfect alignment.
　The reinforced carbon hoods gave off a dull gleam every time they ducked under the evenly spaced streetlamps; one engine growled like an electric bass, while the other let out a sharp hiss.
　As they approached a curve, one pulled slightly ahead to climb the wall, and the other followed, barely half a beat behind. When they entered the straightaway, the two were side-by-side again.
　After chasing each other like this for five or six laps, both slowed down without a word and lined up at the control line.
“I lose today.”
“Don't you mean, 'I lose again'?”
When Joji teased her, she replied,
“You've got a sharp tongue.”
Mami laughed, raising one eyebrow. The doors lifted like arms in a butterfly stroke, and the two stepped out of the cockpits. She crouched down, took a tin of snus from the glove box, tucked it behind her lip, closed the lid, and tossed it to him. The two enjoyed the night air.
　After a short break, they started running again. This time, they ran with their cars hovering off the ground.
　The two flipped their switches, and both car bodies floated about a meter above the ground.
　When one flashed its lights as a signal, both lifted the rear of their cars slightly, then used the recoil to move forward and ascend.
　It is one of those moments where you can feel “freedom.” They say that flying cars used to ascend vertically before moving horizontally, but now they can fly diagonally. If they couldn't fly diagonally, they wouldn't have felt this sense of liberation.
　Once they reached a sufficient altitude, Joji opened a 30-centimeter square window installed in the roof of his car. The cold outside air was sucked in and then flowed back out. Mami opened her small window in the same way to bathe in the outside air. For a brief moment, the two tried to experience the feeling of birds dancing in the vast sky. But birds must fly with more ease, and yet with more breathlessness. The cars could never be as light as birds, and birds could never run as smoothly as cars. The two savored the heavy, substantial feeling of the cars cutting through the wind.
　The two cars slowly circled the sky above the large park next to the circuit. It boasted vast grounds, consisting of lawns, forests, and artificial athletic equipment. The greenery was at its most beautiful season, but in the middle of the night, the forest breathed in black, swaying sensually.
　They enjoyed the scenery to the fullest while ascending and descending, then operated their shift levers to descend into the park's parking lot, feeling the pull of gravity.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
Without exchanging any further words, the two sank into their respective single seats and headed home.

*The top image and lead text are works by Google Gemini.
*The expressions “snus” for “snuff” and “single seat” for “one-seater car” were based on suggestions from Google Gemini. Other than that, there is no AI-generated content.
*I have also posted this work on Prologue, Everystar, and TALSE.
*Participating in the #FirstBeanStarLiteratureAward.
*On March 8th, it was collected and featured in “Everyone's 'What are you talking about'”. Thank you, Kinoko Konishi, I am very happy.

*On March 9th, it was featured in the “'What are you talking about' Department” newsletter. Thank you so much.
“What are you talking about” Department Newsletter | Kinoko Konishi | note
*Also on March 9th, it entered the trend ranking on the novel posting site Everystar (it was 93rd, but rose to 64th on March 18th).
Congratulations!
*Featured in “Sympathetic Love Articles” by #LoveArchive | App Love's Not-So-Pretty Stories. Thank you.