Chapter 9 - Under the Hood, Under the Radar

8:43 AM - Noctielle Garage, Minato.

The coffee was lukewarm, the morning had barely started, and already four clients had dropped off their cars, there were two calls to handle, and a truck was on its way. Naomi adjusted her mechanic's apron, tied her hair up haphazardly, and slipped her order notebook into her back pocket. "It's becoming a sport here," she murmured, pulling out the first file. The garage's popularity had grown through word of mouth, reliability, and especially discretion. People liked that the repairs were done well, without pretense or social media. And Naomi had a reputation as a girl who didn't say much but could fix anything. 10:12 AM - Her boss, Takeshi, came in with a rare smile and a phone in his hand. "Noctielle! Good news, we've signed a partnership with the Yokosuka garage. But bad news, you're going to have to make a lot of deliveries." "How many?"  "Five today, including a special one."  She raised an eyebrow. "Special how?" "You'll see. It's arriving in ten minutes." 10:34 AM - The engine sound was different: round, deep, precise. Naomi looked up, abandoning an still-open oil filter. A transport truck stopped. The ramp came down, and there it was. A Nissan GT-R R35, midnight obsidian version, forged rims, redesigned grille, perfect lines, paint like a moonless night. Naomi approached silently. Her reflection in the bodywork made her stop for a moment. "You're not a car," she whispered. "You're a monument." She ran her hand over the fender. The metal was warm, almost alive. The driver, an old trucker in a black beanie, pulled out the papers. "Delivery for transfer, Suginami garage. You have one hour." Naomi nodded. She got into the GT-R. The interior was as beautiful as the exterior: dark leather, integrated screens, an engraved steering wheel. The key vibrated slightly on contact. "You have a heart, too," she said, turning the key. The engine awoke with a heavy breath. 11:03 AM - On the road to Suginami. She drove, focused, neither too fast nor too slow. But in her mirrors, she saw two motorcycles approaching, silent. Not hostile, not curious either, just present. Two figures in black, with black helmets, no logos. They passed her, then stayed just visible enough for her to see them. She frowned. "Yakuza? Just a hunch, or a message?" 12:00 PM - Back at the garage. Naomi parked the GT-R back in the hangar. She placed her hand on the hood one last time. "You know what it's like, don't you? To have been built to go further than the others." She took off her gloves, picked up her notebook, and resumed her day. But somewhere, in a corner of Tokyo, people were already watching her trajectories not her car's, but her own.

End of Chapter 9 - Under the Hood, Under the Radar