Dusk. Motorcycle engines overlapped at the entrance to Tatsumi Pass. The sky shifted from orange to deep blue. Cedar trees lining the mountain slope cast long shadows. The salt smell was gone. Instead, the scent of soil and dead grass filled the pass air. It entered the lungs. All Garwing members were there. Harumichi looked at each face. Same faces from last night's warehouse gathering. The team falling apart was now complete. Just that tightened something in his chest. "[serious]Final confirmation" His voice was swallowed by the pass air. "The road surface before the cliff section—Yajima, you lead. Restrain any saboteurs. The obstacle removal team handles the 5th curve area. Move all sandbags and reflectors. Ren and I run the cliff section" Yajima nodded. His face was pale. But his eyes didn't flee. Ren stood beside him, tightening his helmet strap. Blonde hair swayed in the evening wind. Water-blue eyes looked into the pass depths. He said nothing. The moment Harumichi saw that profile, images from the previous timeline flooded his mind. 7th curve. Oil. Guardrail. Ren's bike disappearing into the cliff bottom. Tonight was different. Tonight, they ran together. "[serious]Let's go" Ren spoke briefly. That was all. Glauben's engine sound approached from far away. The race began. 　　　＊ Midway up the pass. 500 meters before the cliff section. A human presence lurked in the dark roadside. Two Glauben saboteurs hiding in the shadows stepped toward the road with oil cans—that instant. "There!" Yajima's team burst out. Three people. Parting the roadside grass. Moving to the front. One saboteur dropped the can. Metal rolled across asphalt with a dry sound. The other tried to flee. His arm was grabbed. He was thrown down. The can rolled into the grass and stopped. The oil wasn't spilled. Around the same time, another team moved near the 5th curve. Sandbags piled on the roadside. Obstacles meant to guide Ren toward the cliff-edge route—two people removed them. Heavy. Arms straining. Dragging. Kicking the reflector down the slope. A distant clang. "[serious]Done. Everything's clear" The voice came through the radio. Harumichi's earpiece picked up Yajima's voice too. "[serious]We got them. Two saboteurs secured" Harumichi heard the report while running the pass road. They did it. Two locations. Simultaneous collapse. ——Meanwhile, Takamura Ryuichi stood on his bike, gripping the radio. On the road from Nishizaki Industrial Zone toward the pass entrance. He'd sent Glauben members ahead. Takamura stayed behind to assess the situation. Two reports arrived almost simultaneously. Oil dispersal team. Restrained. Guidance obstacles. Removed. Takamura's smile vanished. His jaw tightened. Black hair swayed in the night wind. His right thumb unconsciously touched the silver bracelet on his left wrist. The calculation was wrong. He'd assumed Harumichi would act alone. Holding information alone. Trying to handle it alone. Failing to keep up—that was the future he'd predicted. But tonight was different. Multiple teams. Multiple locations. Simultaneous control. They moved as an organization. Sharing information. Dividing roles. Takamura gripped the accelerator. "[cold]……I'll go myself" He told the members ahead in a low voice. No one answered. The bike accelerated. Toward the pass. The cliff section. Directly cornering Kisaragi Ren. 　　　＊ Cliff section. The cliff-side stretch began. Right side: rock wall. Left side: guardrail—beyond it, 60 meters of darkness. Harumichi's earpiece crackled. "[serious]Takamura's coming in. Cliff section, from the south" Harumichi moved ahead of Ren's bike. "[serious]Ren, fall back. I'll handle Takamura" Ren raised his voice. "[serious]Hey——" "[serious]Trust me" That was all. Ren went silent for a moment. Then he reduced speed. Harumichi headed toward the cliff section's deepest point. The stretch with deteriorating guardrails. Headlight illuminated the road. Asphalt cracks glowed. The cliff bottom was invisible. Just darkness. Before the 7th curve. Takamura's bike came. Two bikes aligned. Headlights cut through the night cliff-side. Engine sound echoed off rock walls. Takamura didn't reduce speed. Harumichi didn't either. Running parallel. "[cold]Move aside, Sakuragi" Takamura's voice lacked its usual softness. "[cold]This doesn't concern you" "[serious]It does" Harumichi answered without turning. "[cold]……If you interfere" Takamura's bike swerved toward Harumichi. A bump. Harumichi's left side approached the guardrail. Metal screamed. "[cold]I'll destroy Kisaragi Ren. Your whole team. One by one, carefully" No smile. A face Harumichi had never seen. Only calculation remained. A face accustomed to treating humans as pieces. Harumichi sensed the guardrail's position and maintained speed. His knees trembled. But his hands didn't move. "[serious]There's one thing not in your calculation" His voice cracked. Still facing forward. "[serious]I'm not alone" Before the words ended. Engine sound multiplied. From ahead. From behind. From the sides. Garwing bikes surrounded Takamura. One moved forward. One followed behind. Left and right closed in. Takamura's escape route vanished. Takamura reduced speed for the first time. Blocked front and back and sides, the bike slowed to a crawl. The guardrail loomed on the right. Beyond it: the cliff. He had to stop. The engine cut off. Silence came. 　　　＊ Takamura dismounted. Slowly. Unhurried. But he understood there was no choice. He stood at the guardrail's edge. The cliff behind him. Garwing bikes lined up ahead. Night pass road. Lights illuminated Takamura. Takamura dropped to one knee. No white teeth showed. No smile. Sharp reddish-brown eyes looked up at Harumichi. Harumichi dismounted and stood before Takamura. Night wind swept through the pass. Beyond the guardrail, 60 meters of darkness spread. One year ago—in the previous timeline, Ren fell here. Tonight, no one fell here. "[serious]What you tried to destroy is stronger than you thought" Harumichi spoke quietly. Takamura said nothing. No words came back. Every move had been read. Information extracted through spies. Road sabotaged. Guidance routes set. He'd ridden in himself. All countered. The man who moved people with intellect alone now faced something he couldn't do anything about—the power of people who trusted each other. The pass air was cold. Takamura's knees stayed on the asphalt. Unmoving. 　　　＊ Night faded. The pass sky began whitening from the eastern mountain ridge. Orange. Pink. Then light poured in. Ren stopped his bike before the guardrail. Cut the engine. Removed his helmet. Blonde hair was lit by morning sun. Water-blue eyes looked up at the pass sky. The silver piercing in his left ear reflected the dawn. He was alive. He was here. Harumichi saw that figure. Something frozen in his chest moved again. Something locked for a year. The white hospital corridor where calling Ren's name brought no answer grew distant. Why had time rewound? That answer remained unknown. He didn't care anymore. Ren was alive. That was everything. 　　　＊ Everyone returned to Kamome Wharf when morning sun began painting the sea red. Before the 3rd warehouse. The salt smell was heavy. Wave sound continued low. All members stood there, dismounted. No one spoke. But no one looked down. Ren moved behind Harumichi. Then he slapped Harumichi's back with all his strength. The sound cracked. It hurt. But Harumichi didn't move. Ren's voice came. Hoarse. "[serious]Don't carry it alone, idiot" Water-blue eyes had reddened. He was holding back tears. Still, Ren didn't smile. His serious face remained fixed on Harumichi. Harumichi laughed. Crying while laughing. It didn't feel like a good laugh, but it wouldn't stop. A voice came from behind. "[crying]Never again……I won't betray……never" Yajima had dropped to his knees. Both hands on the ground. His shoulders shook. Repeating. Over and over. No one laughed. No one blamed. Ren placed one hand on Yajima's back. The sea was red. The sky brightened. Kamome Wharf's warehouse cluster floated in the morning light. For a while, no one moved. The salt wind swept through the wharf. Then——someone started an engine. A low sound spread across the morning wharf. Another bike. Another. Engine sounds overlapped. Harumichi straddled his bike. Turned the key. The engine caught. Vibration traveled from palm to arm. He'd forgotten this sensation for a year. Ren pulled alongside. Blonde hair swayed in the wind. "[excited]Let's go" Harumichi faced forward. "[serious]Yeah" Morning light illuminated the sea. Wind blew. Garwing ran again.