Hugo leaned forward in his chair, fingers interlaced, expression thoughtful but steady.
"There's one more thing," he said. "Financial backing. My company can come in as a title sponsor or—"
"No."
The word cut through the room cleanly.
Hugo stopped mid-sentence.
It was Daichi who spoke, his tone calm but firm. Haruka had straightened at the same time, already shaking his head before the word even fully landed.
Hugo looked between them. "That's… unexpected."
Haruka exhaled slowly. "It's not that we don't appreciate it."
Daichi nodded once. "We really do. But there's a problem you need to understand before this goes any further."
The mood in the room shifted.
The easy, exploratory tone from before vanished, replaced by something heavier, something cautious. Takamori leaned back against the wall. Rin's posture stiffened. Ayaka and Hana exchanged a look. The twins stopped whispering entirely.
Hugo's eyes sharpened. "All right. Talk to me."
Haruka glanced briefly at Izamuri.
Izamuri felt his stomach tighten.
"Akagi," Haruka said.
The name alone seemed to suck the air out of the room.
Hugo's brow furrowed slightly. "Akagi… Nakamura?"
Daichi nodded. "That Akagi."
Hugo leaned back slowly. "I know of him. Everyone does. But why would he—"
"He already is," Haruka said quietly. "Watching us."
Hugo didn't interrupt again.
Daichi folded his hands on the table. "It started a few weeks ago. Before the race. Before any of this."
His eyes flicked to Izamuri again. This time, Izamuri didn't look away.
"Izamuri," Daichi continued, "did something that caught Akagi's attention. The wrong kind."
The room stayed silent.
Izamuri swallowed, then spoke, his voice low. "There was a girl."
That was all it took.
Haruka picked it up from there. "Akagi wanted to force her into marriage. Political, financial, power, lust, pick one. She didn't want it."
Hugo's jaw tightened.
"Izamuri tried to help her get away," Haruka said. "He claimed they were already a couple. Tried to scare Akagi off."
Hugo looked at Izamuri now. Really looked at him.
"And?"
Izamuri shook his head. "It didn't work."
Daichi finished the sentence. "It made Akagi notice him."
A long pause followed.
"That kind of man," Hugo said slowly, "doesn't forget slights."
"No," Haruka agreed. "He doesn't."
Hugo exhaled through his nose. "But that alone wouldn't make him target an entire team."
Daichi nodded once. "You're right."
He turned slightly in his chair.
"Nikolai."
Every head turned.
Nikolai had been standing quietly near the back of the room, arms crossed, expression unreadable. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he stepped forward, boots heavy against the floor, and rested one hand on the edge of the table.
His voice, when he spoke, was calm.
Too calm.
"I worked in Formula 4," Nikolai said. "As an engineer."
Hugo's eyes narrowed slightly. "I know."
Nikolai's lips twitched, not quite a smile. "Then you know how dirty it can get."
He glanced around the room, then back to Hugo. "Akagi was involved. Sponsors. Influence. Control."
Daichi remained silent now, letting Nikolai speak.
"He wanted me to tamper with ECUs," Nikolai continued. "Subtle changes. Nothing obvious. Enough to make sure his chosen driver always had the edge."
Hugo's expression hardened. "And you refused."
"Yes."
The word landed with weight.
"I don't cheat," Nikolai said simply. "I told him no."
A few seconds passed.
"He didn't take it well," Nikolai continued. "So he framed me."
The room went deadly quiet.
"For the murder of my friend," Nikolai said. "Another engineer. The one who backed me up."
Rin sucked in a sharp breath.
"They said I caused an accident. Said I killed him."
Hugo didn't look away.
"I was arrested," Nikolai went on. "Convicted. Fourteen years."
The number echoed in the room.
"I lost everything," Nikolai said. "My career. My name. everything"
He finally looked at Hugo again. "And I never thought I'd see that asshole again."
His jaw clenched.
"Until a few weeks ago."
Silence pressed down hard now.
Hugo leaned back slowly, one hand coming up to rub his chin. "So Akagi has a grudge against your driver," he said carefully, "and a history with your engineer."
"Yes," Haruka said. "And that's why—"
"That's why you stopped me," Hugo finished quietly.
Daichi nodded. "If your company comes in as a major sponsor, we become bigger. Louder. More visible."
"And Akagi notices," Hugo said.
"He already has," Haruka replied. "But we don't want to give him an excuse to escalate."
Hugo stared at the tabletop for a long moment.
"This isn't paranoia," Daichi added. "We've already seen how far he's willing to go."
Hugo finally looked up, eyes colder now than they'd been all afternoon.
"Akagi Nakamura," he said slowly, "doesn't just fight on track."
"No," Nikolai said. "He destroys lives."
Another silence fell. heavier, darker than before.
Hugo leaned back fully in his chair, fingers tapping once against the armrest.
"…All right," he said at last.
The word wasn't agreement.
It was understanding.
The tension in the room didn't disappear immediately after the truth was laid bare. It lingered, settling into the corners like dust after a long-neglected storm. No one spoke for several seconds. Even the faint hum of the workshop below seemed distant, muted, as if the building itself was listening.
Hugo was the first to move.
He leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest, eyes fixed not on any one person but on the space between them all. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than before. measured, deliberate.
"All right," he said. "Then we do this properly."
Haruka lifted an eyebrow. "Meaning?"
"Meaning no loud announcements. No sponsor decals slapped everywhere overnight. No press releases." Hugo glanced at Daichi. "At least, not yet."
Daichi nodded slowly. "That's what we were hoping you'd say."
Hugo's gaze shifted to Izamuri. "But we still race."
Izamuri straightened instinctively. "Of course."
"There's no point in hiding if you're already on the radar," Hugo continued. "You don't disappear. You become… careful."
Simon folded his arms. "Careful how?"
Hugo leaned forward again, elbows on the table now. "Logistics. Timing. Where eyes are, and where they aren't."
He tapped the tabletop once. "SUGO."
The word immediately anchored the conversation.
"The next round," Takamori said. "Mountain circuit. Tight access roads."
"And a nightmare for transport if you're careless," Hugo added. "Which is why we change the usual flow."
Haruka exchanged a look with Daichi. "Go on."
"For SUGO," Hugo said, "you don't send your car with your own convoy."
The room stilled.
"You drop it at my base instead."
Ayaka blinked. "Your base?"
"Yes," Hugo replied. "One day before my transport trucks leave."
Daichi's eyes narrowed—not in suspicion, but calculation. "You want to consolidate."
"Exactly," Hugo said. "My transport trucks are already heading there. They're designed to carry four cars."
Walter leaned forward slightly. "And how many are you bringing?"
"Two," Hugo answered. "This time."
A beat passed.
Simon was the one who put it together first. "So… two Hugo Speed cars, one G-Force car."
"Three cars total," Hugo confirmed. "Plenty of space. Plenty of margin."
Haruka leaned back, arms crossing. "And less attention than a separate convoy."
"Correct," Hugo said. "One less moving piece."
Izamuri shifted in his seat. "When would we need to deliver the car?"
Hugo's eyes flicked to him. "That's the other part."
He paused deliberately. "I want the car dropped off on Sunday."
There were a few surprised looks.
"Sunday?" Rin repeated. "That's early."
"It is," Hugo agreed. "But it gives us breathing room."
Daichi nodded slowly. "And Monday?"
"Monday morning," Hugo said, "the trucks leave. Early."
He glanced at Izamuri again, a faint smile touching the corner of his mouth. "I'm told you're an early person."
Izamuri hesitated, then nodded. "I don't like wasting daylight."
"Good," Hugo said. "Neither do I."
Haruka rubbed his chin. "Dropping the car Sunday means no last-minute work."
"Which is exactly the point," Hugo replied. "Everything that can go wrong usually does when people rush."
Takamori folded his arms. "What about equipment? Tools, spares?"
"Bring only what you need for the weekend," Hugo said. "My trucks already carry most of the infrastructure. Your essentials get palletized and loaded alongside ours."
Walter raised an eyebrow. "You trust us that much?"
Hugo didn't hesitate. "I wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't."
The words settled warmly, even in the heavy room.
Daichi exhaled slowly. "That also means less exposure on public roads."
"And fewer opportunities," Nikolai added quietly, "for accidents that aren't accidents."
Hugo's eyes flicked to him. "Exactly."
Another silence followed, but this one felt different, no longer tense, but thoughtful.
Haruka finally nodded. "All right."
Everyone looked at him.
"We'll do it," Haruka said. "Sunday drop-off. Monday early departure. Car goes with Hugo Speed."
Hugo smiled then, small, controlled, but genuine. "Good."
Ayaka tilted her head. "What about us? Do we follow separately?"
"Yes," Hugo replied. "Normal travel. Nothing that draws attention. You arrive as usual."
Hana glanced at Izamuri. "You okay with that?"
Izamuri didn't hesitate. "If it gets us to the grid clean, I'm fine with it."
Simon leaned back in his chair. "SUGO isn't forgiving."
"No," Hugo agreed. "But neither are politics."
That earned a few quiet nods.
Daichi glanced around the room, making sure everyone was on the same page. "Then it's settled."
He looked at Hugo. "Sunday. We'll bring the car ourselves."
"I'll have the gate cleared," Hugo said. "No paperwork delays."
Haruka exhaled, tension finally easing from his shoulders. "Feels strange."
"What does?" Hugo asked.
"Trusting someone else with our car," Haruka said.
Hugo chuckled softly. "You're not trusting me with the car."
He looked around the room, at the mismatched group, the grease-stained hands, the quiet intensity in their eyes.
"You're trusting me with your future," he said.
No one argued.
Izamuri felt something settle in his chest then, not fear, not excitement, but resolve. This wasn't just about logistics. It was about choosing a direction.
Hugo stood, signaling the end of the discussion. "I'll send the details tonight. Address, access times, security protocol."
Daichi stood as well. "We'll be ready."
Hugo nodded once, satisfied. "Good."
As chairs shifted and people began to stand, the atmosphere felt lighter, but sharper, too. Like a blade freshly honed.
SUGO wasn't just another round anymore. It was the first real step.
Then Hugo rose from his chair with a quiet scrape of wood against the floor, the discussion clearly at its natural end. The tension that had dominated the room earlier was gone now, replaced by something steadier, purpose, perhaps, or the weight of a shared decision that could no longer be undone.
"Well," Hugo said, straightening his jacket, "that's settled."
Everyone looked at him.
"You've got about a month until SUGO," he continued. "That's not a lot of time, but it's enough if you use it properly."
Haruka nodded. "We will."
"I know," Hugo replied. "I wouldn't have come otherwise."
He glanced around the room one last time, at the cramped office, the mismatched chairs, the people who didn't look like a professional race operation at first glance but carried themselves like one when it mattered. His eyes lingered briefly on Izamuri.
"Train smart," Hugo said. "Don't burn yourself out trying to prove something too early."
Izamuri met his gaze. "Understood."
Hugo gave a small nod, then turned to Daichi. "I'll send the confirmation tonight. Sunday drop-off still stands."
Daichi replied without hesitation. "We'll be there."
"Good." Hugo stepped toward the door, then paused, his hand resting on the handle.
"One more thing," he added, glancing back over his shoulder. "Keep your heads down. Akagi doesn't lose interest easily."
The reminder hung in the air, sharp and uncomfortable.
"We know," Haruka said quietly.
Hugo opened the door and stepped out into the stairwell. His footsteps faded as he descended, the sound echoing briefly through the workshop before disappearing entirely.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Then Rin exhaled. "Well… that happened."
Ayaka let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah. That definitely happened."
Takamori folded his arms, expression thoughtful. "A month."
"Not much time," Hana added.
"But enough," Daichi said, echoing Hugo's words.
Haruka leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. The meeting had taken more out of him than he'd expected. Not because of the logistics or the risks, but because saying things out loud made them real. Akagi. Hugo. SUGO. The future of the team. None of it was abstract anymore.
"All right," Haruka said, standing. "That's it for today."
Izamuri blinked. "That's it?"
"Yes," Haruka replied. "Everyone go home."
The room reacted almost instantly.
"What, no debrief?" Tojo asked.
"No arguing over setup?" Hojo added.
"No," Haruka said firmly. "You've all done enough thinking for one day."
Daichi smiled faintly. "He's right. Let it settle."
One by one, chairs scraped back. The group began to break apart, the energy slowly diffusing as reality replaced adrenaline.
Rin grabbed his bag first. "I'm starving."
"Same," Takamori said. "I skipped lunch."
Ayaka stretched, arms raised above her head. "My brain feels like it ran a race."
Hana smiled tiredly. "At least this one didn't involve rain."
Izamuri stood last, lingering near the window for a moment. Outside, the street was quiet, the sky already beginning to soften toward evening. A month. Four weeks. It sounded short when you said it out loud, but also long enough for doubt to creep in if you let it.
He didn't plan to.
"Let's go," Haruka said, clapping his hands once. "Lock up as usual."
The group filtered down the stairs and into the workshop. The lights were switched off section by section, the familiar ritual grounding after everything that had just happened. Tools were returned, doors checked, the big shutter rolled down with a low metallic groan.
Outside, cars began to leave one by one.
Rin and Takamori headed off together, already arguing about dinner. The twins disappeared down the street on foot, still debating something animatedly. Ayaka and Hana walked toward their car, voices low, laughter soft.
Daichi lingered near the entrance, watching them go.
"You okay?" Simon asked quietly.
Daichi nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."
Walter smirked. "That's usually dangerous."
Daichi chuckled. "Only when I stop."
They exchanged a brief look, no words needed. Too much history sat between them for explanations.
Haruka locked the final door and slipped the keys into his pocket. "All right. See everyone tomorrow."
Izamuri nodded. "Tomorrow."
As they each headed their separate ways, the workshop stood silent behind them, clean, organized, and waiting.
Waiting for SUGO.
Waiting for whatever came next.
And for the first time since the season began, no one felt like they were standing still.