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A woman's voice broke through the busy sounds of Tenkaichi Blvd. "Sir, do you have a moment?"
Kiryu prepared to look down and mumble something about not being interested in whatever she was promoting, but he felt a pamphlet already pushed against his hand. Since when were barkers this aggressive?
He glanced down at the paper he held now, against his better judgement.
"THE DANGERS OF POCKET CIRCUIT," the front cover read in a bold, scary font. Kiryu stopped walking.
"Am I reading this correctly? Is this trying to say Pocket Circuit Racing is dangerous?" he asked.
"Oh yes, have you heard of it? It's the newest craze that's corrupting kids all over Japan!"
"Corrupting? How is racing toy cars corrupting kids?" Kiryu pressed, his brows furrowed.
"It's terrible! If you unfold the literature I gave you, you'll hear the story of Takashi… Only twelve years old when he fell victim to the siren song of Pocket Circuit."
Kiryu grunted and unfolded the paper. He glanced over what was printed. A photo of a tired-looking preteen boy, surrounded by quotes from his parents and teachers.
"He showed such promise, but now all he thinks about is racing," wrote his father.
"I heard rumors he's in debt to a local gang to buy new parts for that infernal machine of his," wrote his mother.
“He cut out of my class to go race slot cars!” wrote his math teacher.
Kiryu didn't know much about parenthood, but if a twelve-year-old went into debt, that sounded like a failure on the parents' part, not on the kid or his hobby. This surely wasn't the Pocket Circuit he was familiar with, that taught kids and adults alike the value of craftsmanship and sportsmanship. And these people wanted to deny people the joy of seeing the machine they built come out on top? This wouldn't stand.
"And what are you planning to do about it?" he asked.
"Right now, we're just raising awareness! But we hope to get some sort of ordinance passed regulating these activities. "
The disdain with which she said that last word made Kiryu's whole body tense up. How dare she refer to Pocket Circuit like it's something dirty?
"But," she continued, "We're holding a meeting on Sunday for concerned Kamurocho citizens. Info is on the back.”
He turned the pamphlet over. Sure enough. Saturday at 10 am at Cafe Alps. In that moment, he knew one thing. It was his duty to go to that meeting and get to the bottom of this. For Pocket Circuit Fighter. For the kids. For Takashi, in spite of his negligent parents.
He nodded and mumbled a thanks for her time and was on his way.
____
He had to explain to Nishiki he couldn't meet him for brunch that day because he had a very important mission . Nishiki had laughed and said "Whatever you say, bro. That Tachibana sure keeps you busy, huh?"
Kiryu arrived on the scene at 10 am sharp. He saw a group of middle-aged people sitting at some pushed-together tables in the same corner Oda had chewed him out for picking for the meeting with Yamanoi. They all turned to stare as he approached.
“Are you here for the Pocket Circuit concerned parents meeting?” asked a woman in a purple blouse.
“He doesn’t look old enough to be a parent,” whispered the short-haired woman next to her, too loudly.
“Who’s to say concerned older brothers aren’t welcome too?” shot back the first woman. She turned back to Kiryu. “What’s your name?”
“Kiryu,” he replied. He hadn’t planned on lying or attempting to infiltrate the group, but it might be a good approach to lay low for a bit and listen to what these people were saying. Finesse it. Like Nishiki, or Tachibana-san.
“Alright, Kiryu, welcome to Parents Against Pocket Circuit, would you like to—” she began, only to be cut off by a bespectacled man, sitting across the table.
“We didn’t decide on that as a name yet!”
“Oh, and did you have a better idea?” Purple Blouse said
“Yes. Parents Against Car-ruption.” he said, beaming.
The entire table groaned. A woman in white chimed in. “I was pretty partial to ‘Stop This Degeneracy,’ myself.”
Short Hair rolled her eyes. “We’re talking about toy cars, not selling used panties. It’s too dramatic.” Nods all around.
Purple Shirt tried to bring order back. “Where are our manners? How must this look to Kiryu? Please excuse us,” she said, and led the rest of the table through introductions. Each parent shared a short story of what drove them here. Toshiro-san’s daughter’s grades had been slipping since she started racing. Kondo-san’s son got caught shoplifting parts. The Hashimotos, husband and wife, said their daughter had taken to gambling with her peers. Suzuki-san’s son wouldn’t listen to his parents anymore.
“What about you, Kiryu? Who in your family fell victim to the wheeled demons? Younger brother?”
Kiryu didn’t have time to unpack wheeled demons — the moment he dreaded had come. He was, as they say, on the spot. Younger brother. He thought of Nishiki. Nishiki—fallen victim—he thought about Nishiki’s bloodied face after Awano confronted him in Serena.
“Yeah… He, uh. He got into a nasty rivalry with an older guy and it uh— it turned ugly,” he said, eyes low.
“Oh no, did he get hurt?”
“Y-yeah,” Kiryu said.
Kondo, in the white blouse, wrung her hands. “Poor kid! He’s so busted up about his little bro that he can barely get his words out!”
Kiryu could barely contain his surprise. When was the last time he lied , much less had people believe him ? Is this how Tachibana-san felt?
“Older guy, huh? Speaking of— have any of you ever been down to the Stadium? Seems like the operation’s run by this guy. Calls himself Pocket Circuit Fighter, but he looks like he’s pushing thirty and I find the whole thing kind of weird,” Suzuki remarked.
Mrs. Hashimoto agreed. “God, yeah. And of course, Mayumi-chan talks about him like he’s some kind of rockstar . I don’t like it one bit.”
Kiryu clenched his fist. Showtime’s over . Come for my hobby all you want, but I draw the line at insulting Fighter’s good name. “Why would you say that about him? Pocket Circuit Fighter is an upstanding citizen. And it seems, unlike some of you , a lot of kids look up to him. You’d really say that about him while plotting to ruin his career?”
“Oi, what the hell does a yakuza like you know about upstanding citizenship anyway?” growled Mr. Hashimoto, standing up from his chair.
“I’m not a yakuza!” insisted Kiryu.
“Oh, sure . You got yakuza written all over you, kid. I bet the whole Stadium is a yakuza front and that’s why you’re getting so defensive. Bet this Circuit Fighter guy is in bed with organized crime, too,” Mr. Hashimoto said.
“He’s not in bed with anyone ,” Kiryu said, raising his voice.“How dare you make all these accusations about him, much less me?”
“You wanna fucking take this outside, you little brat?”
Kiryu stood up. “You’re making a huge mistake.”
Hashimoto’s wife pulled him back into his seat. “Don’t make a scene . You’re embarrassing everyone. And if he is a yakuza why would you fight him? Don’t you know what happens to guys who do that?”
He huffed, pride wounded.
Kiryu stayed standing. “I’ve heard enough. I won’t let you guys ruin Pocket Circuit racing for Kamurocho. Mark my words.” He didn’t hear what they said as he stormed out.
He made his way to the Stadium post-haste. Pocket Circuit Fighter and several kids turned to look when he threw open the door.
“Hey, Kazuma-kun! You look tense! You here to blow off some steam with some quality racing?”
Kiryu sighed. “I wish it were that easy. But that’s just it— Pocket Circuit as we know it could be in danger.”
Fighter’s jaw dropped. “What? What do you mean?”
“Have you noticed a change in business lately?”
That gave Fighter pause. “Come to think of it, there’s a growing handful of kids that were regulars that I haven’t seen in a while. Has something happened ? Are they okay?”
Kiryu nodded. “They’re fine, as far as I can tell. It’s their parents that are the problem. They seem to think that Pocket Circuit is dangerous for kids and they’re holding meetings. They’re trying to get Pocket Circuit banned. We have to do something.”
“What can we do? I’m not really in charge here. I just work here. I’d say you should ask the owner for help, but… The other day I heard him on the phone with someone saying that if the Stadium goes in the red, he’ll just turn it into pachinko. You may be our only hope, Kazuma-kun.”
Kiryu looked down at the table with all the race information. “Maybe a few races will help me think of some sort of plan.”
“Now, that , I can help you with!”
Kiryu watched Golem Tiger whir along the track. This situation kept getting worse and worse, didn’t it? A pachinko parlor , that close to Children’s Park? Kiryu remembered a few days ago when he checked out the pachinko parlor on Shichifuku St. to acquire for Tachibana. It was shady as hell. Wait- maybe that was it. He was still pretty new to it, but surely the owner would be willing to sell to Kiryu and Tachibana for the right price. Tachibana would want to maximize the value of his investment, and he’d probably know just how to deal with those stuffy parents. Golem Tiger zipped ahead of the leader to complete its last two laps at the front of the pack. All about getting ahead.
“And the winner is KAZUMA-KUN’S GOLEM TIGER!” Fighter cheered.
Kiryu grinned. “It’ll all be okay. I promise. Thanks for a great time, as always.”
____
“Kiryu-kun. The hell is this? Pocket Circuit Stadium? You want to trouble the boss with this kiddie bullshit?” Oda said, raising his eyebrows.
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand such an advanced investment,” Kiryu replied. That sounded like he knew what he was talking about… right?
Oda laughed. “Aww, isn’t Kiryu-kun so cute, acting like he knows the first thing about investments.”
Kiryu stood his ground. “For your information, they make plenty of profit, mostly from selling slot car parts.”
“Then what’s the problem? Why don’t you just go get them to hand over the deed? Am I missing something here?”
“Well,” Kiryu said, gathering professional-sounding words, “There are some… risk factors that I would like to request assistance with, to enhance the value of the investment.”
“Tch. You trying to saddle Tachibana-san with a problem property?” Oda sighed. “For shame, Kiryu-kun. Thought I taught you better than this.”
“It’s not like that ,” insisted Kiryu, “There’s just a certain… interest group causing problems with the customer base.”
“Then bust some fuckin’ heads. And maybe use yours for once. Isn’t that what we hired you to do?”
“With all due respect, Oda-san, I don’t think using force against concerned parents of slot car racing enthusiasts is gonna do us any good. Might even make things worse. I was hoping for some sort of… other approach.”
“Counter-intelligence, huh? Kind of a tall order for one investment. You’re lucky I like you, Kiryu-kun.”
“You like me? Funny, I never would’ve guessed.”
“And this is why! You can be really tolerable when you think on your feet.”
“Was that supposed to be a compliment?”
Oda laughed. Kiryu wasn’t sure what was funny. “Alright, alright. Sheesh. I’ll see what the boss and I can do. Your toy cars’ll live another day.”
____
The door chime at Pocket Circuit Stadium went off, distracting Kiryu from Cool Striker, decked out in gorgeous purple flames, disassembled on the table in front of him. His gaze flicked to the door, expecting to see Mika. She did promise to race with him and Hideki this afternoon, after all. Instead he saw a grown man in an expensive navy blue suit. Soft features but powerful presence. The one and only Tachibana-san. Kiryu straightened up and turned to face his boss, looking for words that wouldn’t come.
On top of it, as ever, Tachibana spoke first. “Ah. Kiryu-san. I was hoping I’d find you here.”
Before Kiryu could respond, Fighter spoke up. “Hello and welcome to Pocket Circuit Stadium! Do you know Kazuma-kun?”
Fighter took in the quizzical look on Tachibana’s face. “Oh. I should explain. In the world of Pocket Circuit racing, everyone is on a given name basis!”
Tachibana smiled. “Duly noted. And just as well. I came here to learn more about my firm’s new property.” He turned to face Kiryu. “But truly, my curiosity lies in the nature of… Kazuma-kun’s hobby.”
Kiryu felt his face get hot. He would have never expected the President of Tachibana Real Estate, The Second Most Badass Guy He’s Ever Met, to show up and ask about slot car racing . Or to hear that name in his voice.
“What’s your name?” asked Fighter.
“Tetsu Tachibana,” he replied.
“Nice to meet you, Tetsu-kun! I’m Pocket Circuit Fighter! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. But I get the impression you’d have a better time learning the ins and outs from a friend.” He smiled in Kiryu’s direction. “But I’ll give you a slot car to start out with, for coming in!”
Fighter rummaged behind the table and produced a sleek blue car with basic parts and handed it over to Tachibana. Tachibana thanked him and made his way over to Kiryu’s table.
“So what do we have here?” Tachibana asked, inspecting the array of parts that suddenly felt messy and inadequate under his calm gaze.
“Well… uh… this is Cool Striker.” Suddenly that name was the stupidest thing Kiryu had ever heard. “See, normally you, uh, name your slot cars… but…” He trailed off.
“A charming little machine,” Tachibana remarked. “I really like what you’ve done with the decals.” He looked down at the car in his own hands, taking a thoughtful moment before holding it up triumphantly. “This is Yamamoto-san.”
Kiryu blinked. “Yamamoto-san?”
“As my newest associate, I believe he deserves some respect. Wouldn’t you agree, Kazuma-kun?”
That name again . Kiryu couldn’t even begin to process how that made him feel. “Yeah… That makes sense.”
“Why don’t you tell me a little more about this process?”
“Oh-- Of course. So, each race has different parameters like the racetrack, how many laps, what kind of parts you’re allowed to use. So you customize your car with different parts to make it the best it can be to win each race. Often it takes a lot of tweaking and tinkering to come out on top.”
“Ah, so there’s a whole meta-game, with engineering. Quite admirable, as a sport. I suppose it wouldn’t be too much to ask for a little help with the assembly, seeing as I’m-- well. For the same reason driving full-size cars isn’t exactly my strong suit.”
Kiryu looked down at Tachibana’s prosthetic hand. “I’d be glad to help.”
The door-chime rung again. This time it was actually Mika. She ran over to Kiryu.
“Kazuma-kun! Are you ready to race like you promised?” She looked up at Tachibana. “And who’s this?”
Kiryu stammered. “Mika-chan, this is T—” He choked on that name . Tachibana was his boss. He could not go through with this. Tachibana met his eyes with the smallest hint of a smile. He had to. For Fighter. For Tachibana . Here goes. “This is Tetsu-kun. Tetsu-kun, this is Mika-chan.” He wanted to cover his face and run away, but he did it.
Tachibana chuckled softly. “Pleasure to meet you, Mika-chan. Would it be alright if I joined you and Kazuma-kun in your race? It’s my first time here.”
“Nice to meet you too, Tetsu-kun! Yeah, you can race with us! But don’t think I’ll hold back just ‘cause you’re new!” Mika replied. She turned to Kiryu. “Woah, Kazuma-kun, is this your friend? He’s so fancy ,” Mika said.
“Yeah. He’s my friend. And also my boss. I guess he is pretty fancy. You should see his car,” Kiryu said, realized what he was saying, then added, “His real-life car. He’s still working on his Pocket Circuit car.”
Hideki noticed all the commotion and made his way over. “Look who finally decided to show up,” he said.
“Sor ry . I had extra homework today and my mom doesn’t let me race until I’m all done,” Mika retorted. “But look, Kazuma-kun brought in a new racer! Tetsu-kun!”
Hideki, with all the tact that could be expected of a nine-year-old, blurted out, “Why does Tetsu-kun wear only one glove?”
Kiryu hid his face in his hands. Leave it to the kids to embarrass him in front of his boss. But Tachibana took it in stride, smiling gently. “My right hand is a prosthesis, actually. I lost my real one a while ago.”
Hideki’s eyes were huge. “WOAH, so you’re like a cyborg? ”
Tachibana’s quiet chuckle returned and he brought a finger to his lips. “Perhaps. The Order of Cyborgs dictates I can’t tell you much more or you’d be in grave danger.”
Hideki nodded, his guise swearing secrecy. “Kazuma-kun, are all your friends this cool???”
“Heh. I’d say Tetsu-kun is definitely one of the coolest,” Kiryu replied.
Tachibana smiled. “You flatter me. Let’s get to work and make Yamamoto-san the best he can be.”
Kiryu nodded. He hadn’t expected Tachibana to be so natural with kids, but it was really endearing, if he had to be honest with himself. Someday, he was sure, Tachibana would make someone really happy with a family.
____
Fighter started the countdown and they were off. Hideki’s Fierce Arrow pulled ahead immediately, but Kiryu knew better than to count everyone out. For a first try where Tachibana insisted on choosing all the parts himself, Yamamoto-san was actually doing pretty well. Maybe Tachibana had a natural eye for this kind of thing. Kiryu wouldn’t be surprised. He was good at analytical tasks.
By the time they hit the seventh lap out of ten, Cool Striker managed to edge ahead of Fierce Arrow, followed closely by Yamamoto-san and Mika’s Danger Cobra. Kiryu managed to divert his normally laserlike focus on the race to steal a glance at Tachibana. Tachibana wasn’t looking at the track. He was looking at Kiryu, smiling softly. Tetsu-kun , he wanted to say, Yamamoto-san needs your support! Tachibana was probably just checking in on the competition. After all, Pocket Circuit is as much about machine as it is about racers. Kiryu looked back just in time to watch Cool Striker finish in first. He could barely contain his excitement as Fighter shouted his name.
“Kazuma-kun takes first place again! He’s unstoppable! ” Kiryu basked in the glory of his win, holding up his victorious machine.
Tachibana radiated a serene joy that was so uniquely… him , approaching Kiryu. “Congratulations, Kazuma-kun. You did great.”
“You did too, for a first try!”
"You may have won the race, but I find that the true victory was watching you put so much passion into your craft and derive so much joy from your triumph," Tachibana said, voice even, like he was legally allowed to say something like that.
“Oh…” Kiryu felt dizzy. “I’m glad you had a good time.”
“I feel that I understand now what I must do about the moral panic threatening our investment. And above all, I feel I understand you better, now, Kazuma-kun.”
On his way back over to the customization table to pack up his things, Kiryu overheard Mika talking to Hideki.
“I think I understand now why Kazuma-kun can’t be my boyfriend,” she said.
“Oh?” said Hideki.
“Yeah. Did you see the way Tetsu-kun looks at him? How they talk to each other… I think he’s meant to be Tetsu-kun’s boyfriend after all.”
Kiryu was going to pretend like he hadn’t heard that , he decided. Kids really do say the darndest things. He waited a moment to say goodbye to his friends and seem like he wasn’t eavesdropping and rejoined Tachibana outside the Stadium.
“Where did you say they hold these meetings again?” Tachibana asked.
“Cafe Alps. Saturdays at 10 am,” Kiryu replied.
“Then it’s settled. We have a cafe date this weekend.”
Kiryu knew he didn’t mean it like that but he still felt… warm. “Sure thing, Tachibana-san.”
____
Kiryu and Tachibana stood outside Cafe Alps, ready.
“Kiryu-san. Go in before me, and I’ll join you shortly.”
“Why?”
“Just for, as they say, the drama ,” Tachibana said, a conspiratorial grin crossing his lips. Kiryu nodded and did as he was told, not lingering on how his heart was pounding.
Kiryu barely made it to the table before Mr. Hashimoto was up and at him. “You’ve got some nerve showing your face back here again, kid . What’d you do, bring some of your yakuza thug friends with you to intimidate a bunch of defenseless parents?”
Kiryu opened his mouth to speak, but he felt a gentle hand on his elbow. Tachibana had made his entrance during that outburst.
“And who the hell is this,” scoffed Hashimoto, “Your aniki or something? Give it a rest. We don’t need your kind involved.”
“You seem to be mistaken, sir,” Tachibana said. “Kiryu-san and I are involved in no such thing. My name is Tetsu Tachibana, and I’m the president of Tachibana Real Estate. Kiryu-san is my employee. It just so happens that my firm is now the proprietor of this Pocket Circuit Stadium, and Kiryu-san is in charge of management. Did you have something to discuss with us?”
“Yeah!” chimed in Suzuki, “Why do you allow your business to continue to corrupt our children? And why do you send yakuza like Kiryu in here to mess with us? The hell kind of real estate business are you running?”
“For your information, my firm is the one thing standing between the local yakuza and having a chokehold on all of Kamurocho. Would you rather have the property turned into another gambling den? A soapland, maybe? And deprive your children of wholesome entertainment? Since you asked, I acquired this business after being informed that the previous owner was considering turning it into pachinko if the dent your little movement was putting in the finances continued. Is that really what you want next to Children’s Park?”
Toshiro cut in. “You don’t understand! My daughter is flunking out of school because of your shady business. Wholesome entertainment, my ass!”
“I fail to see how it is fair to blame your failures at parenting on your children’s hobby.”
“What would a young guy like you know about parenting?” Toshiro shot back.
“With all due respect, ma’am. I may not have experience with raising children, but in my time doing business, I’ve become quite familiar with people trying to deflect responsibility.”
“How dare you ?” she spat, “First him , now you, talking like you’re some kind of fucking parenting expert —” She stopped short when Kondo gave her a look.
“If you are quite finished, may I make a suggestion for the lot of you?” Tachibana took a short pause. “I think you may find it quite enlightening to visit the Stadium yourselves and try your hand at the sport your children love so much. I tried it myself, with Kiryu-san, the other day, and found it to be quite an enjoyable experience. If your child feels like you respect them, on a human level, they will be more receptive to your attempts to push them in the right direction. And understanding firsthand what they see in Pocket Circuit Racing would be a fine start. I think you’ll find it’s nothing like the shady place you try to paint it as,” he finished, placing another one of their fear-mongering pamphlets onto the table in front of them.
They all stared at him. He continued, “If you still have such a problem with our business after that, feel free to call my firm, we’d be happy to arrange another meeting.” Tachibana placed a business card on top of the pamphlet. “Unless you have additional questions, Kiryu-san and I will take our leave now.”
The only sounds in the room were the hushed conversations of other patrons and the clink of silverware on dishes.
“In that case, I wish you all the best of luck in your parenting endeavors. And Toshiro-san, I especially hope that your daughter can find her way in school once more.”
Her eyes widened at hearing her name from a stranger. Before she could say anything, Tachibana had already turned and started to make his way towards the door. Kiryu followed.
“Tachibana-san. That was incredible. Remind me not to get on your bad side,” he said.
Tachibana’s calm smile was back. “I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“I gotta ask, though. How did you know Toshiro-san’s name?” Kiryu asked.
“I know all of their names. I did a little research. It pays to come prepared,” Tachibana replied.
“Thank you for all the help with this. It means a lot that you could take some time out of your busy schedule to help me and indulge in such a silly hobby with me.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for the most fun I’ve had in a while,” Tachibana’s voice dropped to barely audible, “ Kazuma-kun. ” Their eyes met with a shared intensity. Kiryu felt nervous and oddly comfortable, like he wanted to stay like this—
“Hey guys,” said a familiar voice, snapping Kiryu out of his reverie. Of course he’s here.
“Oda-san,” Tachibana said, voice flat.
“The van’s just around the corner, did you guys scare the shit out of some stuffy parents or what?”
Tachibana smiled. “We did. But it’s all thanks to Kiryu-san opening my eyes to the wonders of Pocket Circuit that I was able to truly do my best to improve our investment.”
Oda laughed. “Whatever you say, boss.”
Kiryu followed them to the van and with that, it was just another regular day for Tachibana Real Estate. But Kiryu knew he wouldn’t soon forget his adventures with Tetsu-kun .