Original subtitles

V-ZEN Racing's participation in the season starts here.

After successfully making it through qualifying,

this will be Rin Rindo's first race.

Rin!

Asakawa-san. Komachi-san.

I told you, just Kanata is fine.

And call me Towa instead of Komachi.

Oh, okay. Kanata and Towa, then.

We're finally all together.

Our class has now assembled.

Um... Yeah, you're right.

You don't have time to be nervous.

There are two beasts here. Scary ones.

Yeah.

Well, that aside...

Whoa!

Cheese.

Huh? Huh?

Cheese...

Okay, later.

I'll send it to you.

Yeah, later.

So you do have friends.

Friends?

Friends.

Yeah! They're my friends!

Introduce me to them next time.

Thank you.

It's finally time.

Really? Now?

Get out there.

This again.

You really are fast

Congrats

You really are fast

Congrats

You really are fast

Congrats

You really are fast

Congrats

You really are fast

Congrats

You really are fast

Congrats

You really are fast

Congrats

You really are fast

Congrats

Whoa!

You really are fast

Congrats

Whoa!

You really are fast

Congrats

Whoa!

I'm so bored.

Rin, you have a guest!

Um...

Congratulations on getting that world record, Rin Rindo-kun.

Rin.

Hey, Rin. Are you asleep?

I'm awake.

But man, who would've guessed a gamer like me would become a real racer?

Life's so unpredictable.

You got that right.

Hey.

Training: check. Sim work: check. The rest is up to you.

Jeez, Hikari.

Can't you be a bit more supportive?

Rin, you can totally win this race.

Darn it!

NEX Race: Round 1!

Today, we're here in the Middle East.

The air temperature is 24.1 degrees, the track temp is 29.6,

and the atmospheric pressure is 1010.2 hPa.

The track is 6,152 meters in length, and the race will consist of 53 laps.

Now, time to go over the circuit info.

No doubt we'll see top speeds reached on the home straight.

The key to victory is how well you can pick up speed after negotiating all 17 turns.

And the corners here are spectacular.

There are plenty of areas to overtake.

This may turn into quite an intense race.

For the viewers, at least.

Wow. You're wicked.

On top of the anticipated intensity of the race,

the sand brought by these winds might cause issues for the cars.

What? So we'll see a lot of cars struggling out there?

But no need to worry.

The granite in the track was shipped over from England, and it's very grippy.

That's reassuring.

It will wear the tires down quicker, though.

You really are a meanie.

And that's the track.

Now, back to you.

Sumire-chan! Chris-san!

Thank you for that, Primas.

What's notable about today's race is we have three rookies in the field.

They are Izanami Racing's Kanata Asakawa and Towa Komachi,

and V-ZEN Racing's Rin Rindo.

Indeed. I'm excited to see how this race will turn out.

We're just about ready for the start.

Vehicle stabilized.

How embarrassing.

I didn't break anything, did I?

All green.

Well, at least I made an impression, I guess?

But I didn't want my debut to go like this!

Thankfully, she's recovered from the error.

If only we could have trained her up a bit more.

Just one year, huh?

There was a bit of trouble at the start, but all the drivers got away eventually.

I'm glad she wasn't forced to retire in her very first race.

Yes, she picked herself back up well.

There is already a battle for the lead between the King and the Queen.

They're so close. The Queen just needs to take one more step.

But that step is particularly challenging.

Not far behind that pair, Youran is dueling with Sophia,

and Richard is tailing them.

King's putting on a real show.

Moments like these will keep stacking up.

Sophia's closing in on Youran, but they're dropping back from the King and the Queen.

And Richard appears to be stopping the others from getting near.

It doesn't just appear that way. He really is holding them back.

One attempts to pass Richard on the inside, but there's just too much sand and dust.

Ah, they won't get far like that.

The King, the Queen, Youran, and Sophia are comfortable in their positions so far.

Richard has dropped to sixth.

Richard Parker.

The Queen's Shield.

I need to pass them.

The Queen and the King.

I gotta catch up to 'em.

And here come Kanata and Towa, attempting to challenge Richard.

But they can't get past.

That highlights their difference in experience.

You are currently in 11th place.

Richard is keeping all the other cars in a single file behind him.

It's like a train.

A "Richard Train," if you will.

The King's opening lap clocks in at 34.901 seconds.

He has half a second gap to the Queen.

We're now in the third lap and Revol Burst is permitted.

No one's using it.

This track has a lot of places to do battle to take into account.

Perhaps each team is calculating when is best to use it.

The picture remains unchanged.

The two rookies are attempting to make some forward progress.

But the wall... no, the Shield is too strong.

He's a master at this, isn't he?

That didn't work either.

I can't pass him!

In that case...

I'm gonna send it!

Let's try lots of things.

What do these numbers mean again?

Huh? Another curve already?

L-Left! No, I mean, right!

Distance to driver ahead—

Be quiet for a bit!

Acknowledged.

After lagging behind at the start, will Rin Rindo manage to catch up?

I plan to do just that!

Lap 10. The King and the Queen are five seconds ahead of the chasing pack.

They lead the way.

What are your impressions so far?

It's all about Richard.

He's controlling the middle part of this race.

He's today's "game master," for sure.

We should probably get her to pit.

Rin makes her first pit stop.

That spin at the start did a number on her tires.

Perhaps they should have pitted her a lap earlier.

Hey! That car passed me!

That happens in races, yeah.

Youran and Sophia make their pit stops.

Confirmed.

'Kay.

Kanata and Towa also make their pit stops.

The leading pair now make their first pit stops,

and the leaderboard changes.

The back half of the field isn't even in sight.

There's a 24-second gap back to them, after all.

The King comes out in third, with the Queen in fourth.

Even after pitting, this is the gap.

As expected.

American Auto Racing's Melissa is passed by both Kanata and Towa.

Teamwork?

I don't think so. Look.

No difference between the softs and mediums?

I predicted soft, medium, soft would be a suboptimal strategy.

But they're in the lead, right?

What a mountain of challenges.

Well...

We're committed to a two-stop, but even if done optimally, we can't win now.

Youran and Sophia are in a dogfight.

That's what we like to see on this track.

Tire wear is a potential concern.

They make contact.

That was a little too aggressive.

Looks like the car that was hit cannot continue.

With over half of the race done, more teams are choosing to make pit stops.

There's a lot of position changes.

Decisions made from this point on can make a huge difference.

The Queen makes a pit stop.

The King stays out, however.

Perhaps she's changing tires first to go for the undercut.

The Shield tries to protect the Queen in her absence.

But he's been overtaken.

No, he's fulfilled his role.

The Queen comes out in second place. Amazing!

One lap later than the Queen, the King makes his pit stop.

So fast!

The King comes back out in first with a six-second gap over the Queen.

Looks like in the battle between Sophia and Youran,

Sophia's the first to hit the wall.

She makes a pit stop.

Youran has a smooth driving style so she wears her tires down less.

Something's yellow?

It is a yellow flag.

A chance.

You cannot pass them.

Did you read my mind?

The race has restarted.

Just six laps left. We're reaching the climax.

Um, Chitose-san?

What's wrong?

Don't I need to make a pit stop?

Are your tires in a bad way?

No, but I saw the others doing it, so I wondered if I needed to.

Well, you know, when you make a pit stop, it adds to your time.

And you're already slow, so why would you want to be even further behind?

Huh? Slow? You're so harsh.

It is the truth.

Telling the truth leads to hurt feelings.

I'm in 11th place.

One car has retired, meaning you are in last place.

Hey, ami-chan, please be quiet for a bit.

Acknowledged.

Youran has made it past Sophia.

These two have been going at it from the start,

but it looks like Youran has emerged victorious.

All right.

I need to pass at least one person. I don't want to be last on my debut!

Hey, say something.

Hey, ami-chan?

You commanded me to be quiet a moment ago.

Oh.

Uh, I'm sorry. Please keep talking.

Acknowledged.

Hey, I'm gonna try to pass that person.

I wish you all the best.

Looks like she's making a move.

She's completely unaware.

You're not going to stop her?

Whether it's a fluke or she gets lucky, I'm hoping for a surprise.

Oh?

Also...

I hate that scummy old guy there.

I can't get past!

Every line is covered.

There's no way you can be the lead.

This kid...

Either that wasn't a fluke,

or she made it not a fluke.

Heart rate and blood pressure rising.

I recommend calming down.

Rin, please calm down.

Don't wanna.

Pardon?

I don't wanna!

I don't wanna be last on my debut!

She's getting riled up again.

That's youth for you.

Hey! They blasted away!

This is a race, after all.

Vehicle approaching from behind.

Rin, I am sorry to say this, but—

Lucky me!

There was someone else behind me!

No, that is...

No way are they getting past me.

Or I'll be in last place for real!

Don't wanna be last. Don't wanna be last. Don't wanna be last.

Don't wanna be last. Don't wanna be last.

Don't wanna be last!

All right, people. Get ready to pack up.

You were in last place just a moment ago.

Don't get so cocky!

Rin, that car was not in last—

I'm taking back that place!

Revol Burst!

No way!

Seriously?

Well now.

Phew. Now I'm not last.

Wait. I still have one more lap, don't I?

Why is that flag...

Rin Rindo.

You are disqualified.

Huh?

Why?!

Rin Rindo

Disqualified

Falk-san's revenge.

"That's impossible!" That's what I thought at first.

Yup. But...

Rin did it for us!

We can do some giant killing, too!

Yeah!

Hm?

If you're a lap behind, you clear out of the way.

You're absolutely correct.

Yet you sped right on past them. Unbelievable.

You're absolutely correct.

At least learn the fundamental rules!

You're absolutely correct.

The future seems so far away.

That kid passed the King.

You sure picked up an odd one.

Disqualified in my debut race.

Disqualified!

Debut!

NEX Race: a new world of race cars built with next-gen power.

The girl dances on a stage that exceeds 500 kph.

Her goal: to become the étoile of the circuit.

I got a penalty for passing when a lap behind! I'm Rin Rindo!

You're meant to let people pass! I'm Kanata Asakawa!

Why do I have to let others pass?

Because slowpokes have no rights!

So strict!

Next time on HIGH SPEED Étoile: "The Queen's Invasion!"

The Queen's Invasion

The Queen will be here? Get me her autograph!

Name: Rin Rindo Team: V-ZEN Racing (VZR)

Illustration: Takuya Fujima