December 23rd.
It was the day before the Remote-controlled Automobile Race, the day designated for practice runs.
Ultimately, there were thirteen participants. The ten who had competed in the previous Golem Boat Race were joined by Jin, Lordtoss, and Marikka.
The bib numbers remained the same as the last competition. As guest participants, Jin was assigned #11, Lordtoss #12, and Marikka #13.
Incidentally, on Planet Ars, there were no jinxes or superstitions associated with numbers like four, nine, or thirteen.
"Now then, I wonder what kind of cars everyone built."
"It is quite exciting, Father."
Reiko walked beside Jin, effortlessly holding a cockpit the size of a small storage shed above her head.
As for Jin, he was carrying his finished machine... the Beetle. It was painted a sleek black.
They were currently in the middle of transporting the equipment to the competition venue.
The shape of the cockpit was a dead ringer for the arcade machines found in game centers. Then again, if he had designed it any other way, it likely would have been dreadfully difficult to use.
"That shape, refined over and over for gaming, really is the pinnacle of design," Jin muttered to himself, his spirits significantly—perhaps even excessively—elevated.
This was a byproduct of the fact that he had been repeating adjustments until late last night... or rather, until the break of dawn.
Reiko, seeing Jin looking so genuinely happy for the first time in a while, hadn't been able to bring herself to stop him.
Since the main race was scheduled for tomorrow, she resolved that Jin would be made to sleep tonight, even if it required a bit of force.
＊ ＊ ＊
Once he had finished the installation of the cockpit in his assigned booth, Jin decided to perform a test run immediately.
"Ah, Jin-sama."
Lordtoss and Marikka arrived shortly after. This brought together Bibs #11, #12, and #13.
The cockpits were lined up in numerical order from one to thirteen.
The machines belonging to the other two weren't much different from Jin's. Since the fundamental method for operating an automobile was the same as in modern Japan, the controls were unlikely to vary much.
That is, unless one had an idea like Rubina’s...
"...So, what is that?"
On Rubina's cockpit, besides the monitor screen showing the feed from the car itself, there was an additional screen.
"Oh, this? It's an overhead monitor."
"An overhead monitor?"
From the name, Jin guessed it was a monitor meant for viewing the car from a bird's-eye perspective. And then it clicked.
"I see! That's impressive, Rubina."
"Eh? You figured it out already?"
"Yeah."
In other words, aside from the driver's perspective, she had established a spectator's view—looking down at the course from directly above.
In modern Japan, a similar function was installed in a few high-end vehicles, proving incredibly useful for things like parking in a garage.
"But where is the footage coming from?"
Jin suspected it would be impossible without using a magi-device equivalent to a Peeper.
"Well, you see, I'm flying a Blow Floater up in the sky."
"I see."
Indeed, there were no regulations prohibiting such an act. Jin thought that if there was a next time, they might have to either ban it or provide the same feed to every participant, but for now, he was happy to concede to Rubina's ingenuity.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Yeah, she's in good shape."
What Jin had built was what the hobbyist world would call a "racing buggy."
The image of a Christmas present he had bought for the children at the facility with his first bonus came to mind—how a group of them had played together so harmoniously, taking turns with a single racing buggy.
Jin didn't know if such a vehicle existed in full scale, but at the size of a model, it could be reproduced perfectly.
It featured large-diameter tires for dirt racing and four-wheel independent suspension with a long stroke. The body shape was somewhat reminiscent of an F1 car, complete with a rear wing.
This wing was movable; by increasing its angle during braking, it would increase the grip of the rear wheels while simultaneously acting as an air brake.
He hadn't gone so far as to give it an aero-stabilizer structure, however. At this scale, aerodynamic effects were relatively minor.
"Jin-sama, that is truly impressive..."
The machine Marikka had built was, from Jin's perspective, quite orthodox. It was a design reminiscent of what modern Japan would call a "classic car."
It had a chassis shaped like a kamaboko on its board, with four wheels protruding from the sides. The front wheels were even equipped with mudguards.
Of course, the tire width was thick, it featured four-wheel independent suspension, and the body was made of 64 light silver.
"This is actually quite fun."
Lordtoss had also opted for a similarly orthodox shape.
In this regard, it seemed he had used the first horseless carriage Jin had ever built as a reference.
Most of the other participants Jin saw had settled on similar designs.
However, Rubina's was different.
"Hmph."
Jin let out another impressed sound.
Rubina's car looked like a racing kart. However, the body completely enclosed both the front and rear wheels, suggesting she had put a great deal of thought into aerodynamics.
The tire diameter was somewhat smaller compared to the other cars, but it didn't seem like it would be a problem on this specific course.
Since inertia and gyro effects increase during high-speed rotation, it was generally better for the tires and wheels to be as light as possible. She had likely chosen small-diameter tires for that very reason.
However, smaller tires had the disadvantage of poor performance on rough terrain and a tendency to wear down faster during long-distance driving.
"...W-Whoa, this is hard!"
It seemed Rubina was operating the machine for the first time, and she was clearly flustered.
On the other hand, Lordtoss was driving quite well, aided by his high physical abilities.
And as for Jin...
"Hmm, it's actually quite difficult when I'm the one doing it."
He appeared to be struggling more than expected.
＊ ＊. ＊
By noon that day, all the participants had gathered and were performing their practice runs.
Since the course had originally been designed for full-sized vehicles, there was plenty of room for thirteen cars to practice at once, with little worry of collisions.
Everyone was driving their cars as they pleased, trying to get a feel for the controls.
"Oh, they're really at it."
While Jin was taking a break, Trihart approached him.
"This looks quite interesting in its own right, even if the machines are small."
"It really is. You can get an overhead view of the entire course this way."
Since the race could be seen with the naked eye and was also projected onto magi-screens, it was easy for the spectators to grasp the overall flow of the competition.
"Preparing the course is much easier, too."
Jin nodded in agreement.
"It's also safer, and the ultimate goal is to compete in technical skill."
Trihart nodded back.
"That's very true. This kind of competition is a necessity as well."
Trihart then turned his gaze toward the track. Currently, about six cars were performing practice runs.
"Oh, Bib #2 is Shu, isn't it? He's quite fast."
"He is. But since today is just a practice run, I suspect everyone is still hiding their true potential."
"I see. Well, I certainly look forward to tomorrow."
Trihart said this with a warm laugh.