At the top of the mountain, the SpeedStars are confronted by the Akagi RedSuns, who propose a race between the two teams. Despite his own skill behind the wheel, Takumi is terrified by Iketani's driving, with him screaming the whole ride up and feeling sick once they stopped. Iketani invites the pair of them up to Akina to see his team, the Akina SpeedStars. Much to Itsuki and Iketani's shock, Takumi says that he doesn't even know what an Eight-Six is, with the two of them telling him that it is a Toyota. Itsuki continues to talk about getting a car on their way home, before Takumi explains that he doesn't find the idea of driving on the mountain fun, to which Itsuki is shocked.Īt the gas station where they work Itsuki brings up getting an Eight-Six again, catching the attention of Koichiro Iketani. Takumi explains his relationship with Natsuki to Itsuki before the two leave school. Before she leaves she suggests that maybe she and Takumi can hang out again after their exams. Natsuki is shocked that the two of them can work so much and only make so little.
Surprised that she is talking to him after a year of being avoided, Takumi asks Natsuki if she wants anything, to which she asks how him and Itsuki get so little money. Takumi is talking with Itsuki about cars when he is confronted by Natsuki. In the summer of 199X (1996 in the Tokyopop version) Takumi is 18 and in his last year of high school.
After this Natsuki began to avoid Takumi. After practice one day during his penultimate year of high school, Takumi punched Miki, Natsuki's boyfriend and a boy a year his senior, in the face, after he continued to brag about his exploits with Natsuki. Takumi was a member of the soccer club at his high school, and was friends with Natsuki Mogi, the head of the club. Gutter techniques would go on to become one of Takumi's specialties, allowing to make his deliveries much quicker. Bunta tells him that he has also used the gutters in this way, and tells him that the gutters can also be used to jump out of a turn.
One year, during the winter, Takumi figured out how to use the gutters on the side of road to turn the car easier in the snow. Bunta then takes Takumi on a downhill run on Akina before heading home. At 5AM the next morning, Bunta comes to pick Takumi up, telling him that he was worried for him and was waiting to celebrate his birthday with him. On his 14th birthday, Takumi stays over at Itsuki's house without telling Bunta, drinking and talking about his dad, but he feels bad when he says that his father doesn't love him.
His first act was driving without a license in public, however, even after driving around for 2 hours, he was not caught due to his skill at driving. Annoyed with his father's drinking and making him drive, Takumi decides to become a delinquent, wishing for his father to be arrested. In the second year of middle school, Takumi meets Itsuki Takeuchi, a talkative boy who would go on to be his best friend.
Despite improving his skill drastically over the course of a year, he still found the task boring, and resented his father for making him drive, as it was a crime. Bunta placed a cup of water in the cupholder of the car, so that Takumi could make sure he didn't break any of the tofu, and to train his driving skill. Although he was initially scared of driving, he eventually became accustomed to the task.