He's fourteen and nobody knows his name. They say he transferred in from some school in Osaka, before that it was Nara, before that Gifu, and a billion other places. He's the new guy, he's always been the new guy, and that never changes.
But he's not content to be the new guy forever, and already he's getting a reputation. A fist-fight in the locker room with one of the older boys earns him respect for maybe being insane if nothing else. He's rude, he's rough, he's a poor kid from the other side of the country, but he's got his heroic moments, in there, and slowly but surely he's winning over a few of them.
When he meets her, the untouchable rich girl with daddy issues and a shady past, and declares on the spot that they will date before too long, she laughs, and even his new found friends are sure he's bitten off more than he can chew. But when she relents, and tells him that if he becomes the best racer in the city, she'll go out with him, he promises.
The next day he's got a part-time job stocking at Don Quijote (he still hates the theme today), a copy of the used vehicles section of the paper, and a goal.
There's just not enough hours in the day. He's not even in high school yet, and he's already strapped for time. A different academic club practically every day, cram school on the weekends - he's going to do something brilliant, something award-winning, and he's going to leave this stupid city and his mother's constant nagging to take over the family store behind. He's got to, because the idea of being here for the rest of his life kills him.
The only reason he hasn't snapped yet is the martial arts. He's got his exam for the first dan black belt coming up in a matter of weeks. Every day, after clubs, he pours his heart into katas, into sparring, into a regimen so strict even his instructor is convinced he's going to hurt himself but knows it'd be impossible to dissuade him.
The day of the test comes, a national expo, and Yasuhiro shakes his head when his sensei asks if there's anyone he'd like to invite to come watch, because he knows nobody cares but him anyways, and he's fine with that. Another step closer to being gone forever.
But he's not content to be the new guy forever, and already he's getting a reputation. A fist-fight in the locker room with one of the older boys earns him respect for maybe being insane if nothing else. He's rude, he's rough, he's a poor kid from the other side of the country, but he's got his heroic moments, in there, and slowly but surely he's winning over a few of them.
When he meets her, the untouchable rich girl with daddy issues and a shady past, and declares on the spot that they will date before too long, she laughs, and even his new found friends are sure he's bitten off more than he can chew. But when she relents, and tells him that if he becomes the best racer in the city, she'll go out with him, he promises.
The next day he's got a part-time job stocking at Don Quijote (he still hates the theme today), a copy of the used vehicles section of the paper, and a goal.
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The only reason he hasn't snapped yet is the martial arts. He's got his exam for the first dan black belt coming up in a matter of weeks. Every day, after clubs, he pours his heart into katas, into sparring, into a regimen so strict even his instructor is convinced he's going to hurt himself but knows it'd be impossible to dissuade him.
The day of the test comes, a national expo, and Yasuhiro shakes his head when his sensei asks if there's anyone he'd like to invite to come watch, because he knows nobody cares but him anyways, and he's fine with that. Another step closer to being gone forever.
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