Episode 05: The Mountain Pass Was Already There

Episode 05: The Mountain Pass Was Already There

I bought the AE86 because of Initial D.
That part was always clear.

It wasn’t for commuting.
It wasn’t for casual driving.
There was only one purpose — to drive mountain passes.

To me, the AE86 was a car made for that.

But in truth, the mountain pass had been close to me long before I ever owned an AE86.

This was before I even had a driver’s license, back when I was working as a newspaper delivery boy.

There was an older coworker at that job.
He drove a Fairlady Z — a Z31, boxy and unmistakably from that era.

After finishing deliveries, he would often head straight for the mountain pass.

I didn’t have a license yet.
I couldn’t drive.
I could only sit in the passenger seat and feel the road through my body.

The mountain pass at night was never quiet.

Back then, there were many street racers.
On weekends, cars naturally gathered there.

Engine sounds.
Tires screaming.
Headlights crossing in the darkness.

Looking back now, it was dangerous in some ways — rough and chaotic — but undeniably full of heat.

I was only watching from the passenger seat.

The difference between those who drove and someone who couldn’t yet drive was painfully clear.

That was exactly why the thought kept growing quietly inside me:
“Someday, I’ll drive here myself.”

Until I graduated from high school, I never went to the mountain pass on my own.

I had my license.
I had my car.
And yet, somewhere inside, I was still holding myself back.

Then came graduation.

My environment changed.
How I used my time changed.
And the restraint inside me slowly disappeared.

The AE86 was no longer just something to admire.

The mountain pass changed from a place of longing into a place where I would stand myself.

From here on, watching was no longer enough.