Original subtitles

Here comes Team V-Zen's Rin Rindo in her new car. That said...

She's like a totally different person.

Well, that's how it goes.

It's like lots of things have aligned for her.

Impressive.

You seem in good spirits, Rin.

Right? I feel like I'm finally understanding things now.

My mind felt so clouded before.

But now, everything's clearer. Alley-oop!

It's weird. Just by moving my left leg, I can make a huge difference.

Rin Rindo crosses the line.

And what a great time she's posted.

I'm excited for the race.

This is great! Keep this up and you'll be up on that podium, Rin.

Will I?

You will!

Something on your mind?

It's just... Who would've thought she'd be able to handle this?

Look at her sim time.

She racked that up in less than a week.

She has been training for more than 10 hours a day.

She'd play games for nearly 20 hours straight back when she was a shut-in.

I think she really likes the new car.

Smirk.

It's starting to get interesting.

Yeah.

Still no better?

Sorry.

I see.

I won't hold back.

Of course.

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.

Shanghai Night Race

You want to know about the last race?

I was so frustrated, I didn't pay attention.

Aw, you're so dang cute.

Don't make fun of me.

Okay, okay. Let's see...

It was fun.

That's it?

I beat the King and the Queen. That's all that matters.

You're oddly satisfied about that.

Right?

Hey, those look good.

They just came out.

They're delicious.

Lemme have some.

I want more!

If you eat too much, you'll regret it.

I feel super good, and same goes for my appetite.

Oh, yeah. You did really well in qualifying.

Right?

I feel like something amazing is gonna happen today.

How exciting. Want me to doll you up?

Yeah, please make me look cute.

Aw, too bad. I can only make you look super cute.

Then, please make me super cute.

Exciting, huh?

Today's race will be run here at the Bai Yu Lan circuit.

The air temp is 19°C, the track temp is 29°C, and it's slightly cloudy.

The track is 6,579 meters in length, and the drivers will complete 49 laps of it.

After zooming down the main straight, the drivers enter a series of turns.

Braking will be key here.

After the continuous banked corners...

...the ninth turn is a hairpin.

Then, it's into another straight. But...

At the end, there's another tight turn!

After Turn 13 come straight numbers four and five!

Go full throttle!

But there's another turn!

This track's strength is its stop-go nature,

with its different combos of straights and turns.

And that's the Bai Yu Lan circuit.

Back to you.

Sumire-chan! Chris-san!

Thank you, Primas.

Here are the 12 racers who made it through qualifying.

The King, the Queen, and Richard are in their usual positions.

But Rin Rindo of V-ZEN is a surprise in fourth.

She's ahead of me.

I don't like that. Seriously.

And away they go!

V-ZEN's Rin hasn't moved. Is she in trouble?

Maybe it's her engine.

What is this? Everything's different!

Hey, ami-chan, do you know anything about this?

Uh, ami-chan?

I do not understand the question.

You totally did something!

Hm?

Hm?

Already? What for?

The V-ZEN car is unable to continue.

Shame. I wanted to see her race.

What is this setup?!

I thought it'd work.

There's no way it could have! No human can drive this thing!

And yet, you... This is a mobile torture device!

You know just what to say.

And I was able to drive it?

Congratulations. You have surpassed humanity.

The race restarts.

The Queen is already up with the King.

The Queen passes the King!

The midfield has entered the straight.

Kanata and Towa are doing well on their soft tires.

Move it!

Move, please.

What a spectacular tag team effort.

That goes down as a tactical victory.

Towa! No fair!

Thanks, Kanata.

The King retires the car.

Looks like he still can't overcome it.

Into Lap 7. The top two remain the same: the Queen, followed by Richard.

And I thought I could do it.

It's a real shame.

Isn't it just?

Wait, King-san?

Huh? Wh-Why? Huh?

U-Uh, are you a virtual King-san?

I've never liked night driving.

You have things you don't like?

Don't you?

I won't eat parsley or cilantro.

My situation's similar to that.

Oh, uh, I see.

Car trouble?

Gen-san messed with the setup without telling us.

Used to happen to me a lot.

The driver's limits? He'd change the setup to be two steps beyond them.

Yeah, that's it exactly!

Wait, "used to"?

He was part of our team before.

Oh, wow.

He must have high expectations of you.

Youran bears down on the Queen's Shield.

But she can't get past.

The track's wider here, but Youran just can't get by.

That's the Queen's Shield for you.

Kanata, Towa, and Ben all pit.

Due to that earlier safety car, this is a little later than planned.

Richard holds on to second place. He's not letting Youran pass.

Youran likely wishes to pit soon, but she wants to time it right.

Youran pits. And...

It hasn't worked. The Queen and Richard are using this chance to build a gap.

The Queen sets the fastest lap and breezes into the pits.

Youran hasn't caught her.

Richard pits after setting the fastest lap on the next tour.

The positions remain the same.

That's a victory for strategy. They really know what they're doing.

Sorry, Youran.

It's fine. Is there anything we can do?

Let's go for Plan D.

That'll affect tire warm-up.

But you can do it.

All right.

I'm gonna kill them.

Kanata and Towa bear down on Youran.

Kanata and Towa zoom past Youran and set their sights on Richard.

I got passed again.

A new star made in China! Liu Youran!

I've put in a lot of effort. I won't let anyone beat me at that.

To get even a tenth of a second faster...

The results are shown by the records.

I'll beat them next time.

But...

The walls were thick.

But Richard's walls are thick.

He's messing up their lines completely. What great blocking.

His tactics should be written down in a textbook.

I know he's more skilled.

This makes great practice.

Why?

I've already decided.

You're both just rookies.

Kanata and Towa challenge the Queen's Shield together, but...

No, there's three of them.

I'm not letting you have all the fun!

Youran!

You showed up.

Youran passes three cars. She's jumped up into second place.

What a memorable run. This reminds me of when she debuted.

She never missed a chance, attacking boldly at times.

In other words, she was like a huntress.

I wanted to race, too.

Do you like racing?

It finally got interesting!

Oh, hey, do you know about "out-in-out"?

Huh?

I always thought just staying on the inside was better,

but the more time a car spends going straight, the faster it goes!

That's why they say, "Drive a load of continuous corners and think about it."

You're enjoying this.

Totally! Aren't you, King-san?

I wonder.

Having almost caught up to Alice, Youran pits.

She reached her limit.

Huh?

What?

You're ready. Now, go.

What's that kid doing?

That kid?

Rin Rindo! What happened?

She had car trouble at the start of the race and had to retire.

Huh? So that yellow flag was for...

I feel like something amazing is gonna happen today.

At the start of the race?

What the heck are you doing? I mean, it's "something amazing," but...

What's wrong?

Oh, really.

The world's best nighttime view.

My favorite track.

This is the one place I refuse to lose.

It's the tag team once more. With Towa's help, Kanata slices past the Queen's Shield.

Overtaking Richard in her rookie year is quite an achievement.

I'll leave it to you, Kanata.

I'm not as nice as Richard.

Kanata challenges the Queen.

I'm worried about whether their tires will last.

What superb driving.

Her line keeps changing. On top of that, her times keeps getting better.

What kind of nonsense is this? She should be called the "Beast" instead.

Kanata pits.

Kanata blocks Richard, but that seemed quite forceful.

No, it was a good decision.

If she doesn't stop him now, she won't get another chance.

Pay attention to me, too!

Towa has arrived. Meanwhile, Kanata and Youran are challenging the Queen.

Here!

Kanata uses her Revol Burst! She passes Youran and is now in second.

But Youran hasn't given up yet.

Final lap. Will they be able to pass the Queen?

So close.

Gotta go further out.

Youran?

Where is she?

It's mine!

Youran finally makes the pass!

She was aiming for that.

I'll be taking that back.

Not on your life!

No... Not right now...

Was that a tie?

It looked like it to me, too.

The results are in.

She did it! Youran beats the Queen to the line and comes first!

It wasn't all about Youran, though. Kanata and Towa put up a great fight, too.

Man, what a fantastic race. It really gives me hope for the future of racing.

How was it?

I hate to say it, but it's like you said, Sophia.

Hm?

It was fun.

Sorry to have bothered you.

You're welcome anytime.

Hey, it's Papa.

You retired again, didn't you?

Do you get scared at night?

How many times are you gonna ask me that? I can even sleep with the lights off now.

So you can.

Hey, you're in Shanghai now, right? Then...

Japan's still quite far away.

It's okay. You're the undisputed champion!

All right, all right. What do you want?

"Something amazing."

No, you've got it all wrong! It wasn't my fault!

I think it's fine.

It really was something amazing.

You're such a meanie!

Sorry, sorry.

I was able to win because of you, Rin. Thanks.

It's okay if you don't get it.

Excuse me.

Oh, hello.

I beat you, Mr. Knight.

You and the Queen.

Yeah, it was spectacular.

You give honest compliments.

To be honest, I wouldn't have been able to do it without Kanata.

Making the most out of every situation to win...

I think that's what it means to be a first-rate driver. Your run was amazing.

Thank you.

Now then.

Rin Rindo, I need to speak with you.

What is it?

Is it true your team owns a 2000GT?

Oh, we're just borrowing it.

What? Then, what will your next car be?

There isn't a "next one."

Another classic car enthusiast.

Finally! The final race!

Qualifying for it.

Laugh or cry, it's the final race!

Qualifying for it.

What will happen in the battle between the King and the Queen?

It is qualifying.

Next time on HIGHSPEED Étoile: Beyond the High Speed!

Beyond the High Speed!

The race is on!

As I keep saying, it is qualifying.

Name: Liu Youran Team: Baihu Racing (BHR)

Illustration: Takuya Fujima