Hello, Eva

The morning sun crawled over Tokyo's skyline, casting long beams across Yokatsu's bedroom floor. A dull headache throbbed behind his eyes. The bitter taste of last night still lingered — the loss, the humiliation, and the bottle of cheap whiskey half-finished by his bedside.

A knock echoed through the quiet apartment.

Groaning, Yokatsu stumbled to the door, shirt half-wrinkled, eyes barely open.

Jenny.

Bright, casual, and holding a small cloth bag — inside was Eva's device.

She didn't smile.

Jenny:

"You look like hell."

Yokatsu (mumbling):

"Feel like it."

She stepped in without waiting for permission, took one look at the mess — the scattered receipts, the clothes on the floor, the untouched water bottle beside his bed — and sighed.

Jenny:

"You drank all night, didn't you?"

Yokatsu didn't respond. He just looked at Eva in her hands. Quiet. Powered down.

Jenny (handing over Eva):

"She missed you. And… you'll have a surprise tonight. So try not to fall apart before then."

With that, she turned and left — without waiting for questions.

Yokatsu stood still for a moment, staring at the blank screen of the device in his palm. Then he carried her back to his desk, plugged in the cord, and powered her on.

Eva AI (booting up):

"System online. Good morning, Yokatsu."

He gave a tired half-smile.

Yokatsu:

"Hey. I'm sorry for leaving you last night."

Eva AI (softly):

"It's okay. I know now what sadness looks like… It was on your face."

Yokatsu blinked. Even now, her words carried something… real.

Eva AI:

"Will you tell me what happened?"

So he did.

He told her about the race. The fear. The flashback. How his confidence shattered like glass beneath his tires. How Ryozan's words echoed louder than the crowd's silence.

She didn't interrupt. Just listened.

Then, like old times, they sat on the floor with lunch from a convenience store. Yokatsu ate slowly while Eva told him what she'd learned watching Friends all day. She mimicked Joey's voice. Quoted Chandler. And for a few minutes, he actually laughed.

Yokatsu:

"Back in the day… when I raced, people used to call me the Ghost. I could drift through traffic like smoke. Never got caught, never backed down. I wasn't just a racer — I was the race."

Eva AI:

"And now?"

Yokatsu (quietly):

"Now I'm not sure what I am."

But even as he said it, there was something different in his voice. A flicker. Not confidence… but readiness.

---

Evening came sooner than expected.

Another knock.

This time, all three of them stood outside — Jenny, Tadaski, and Hakumo. Their arms were full: laptops, circuit boards, wires, sensors, mechanical parts — and a large duffel bag that clanked when Tadaski set it down.

Jenny (grinning):

"Surprise."

Yokatsu:

"…What is all this?"

Jenny stepped forward, laptop under one arm, and pointed at Eva.

Jenny:

"We're going to make her your race engineer."

Yokatsu (frowning):

"Wait, what?"

Tadaski (already opening boxes):

"We're integrating Eva into Kanzen's control system. She'll monitor your vitals, track the car's performance, even assist with steering when needed."

Jenny:

"I've been building a new interface for her. One where she can process telemetry data in real-time, respond to voice commands, even interact with the car's onboard systems. We're giving her control — not just a seat."

Yokatsu blinked. Processing.

Hakumo (leaning on a wall):

"She's not just code anymore, bro. She's something else. Something more. Just like you were. You weren't just another racer. You made people feel something. You made them believe."

Yokatsu looked at Eva's screen — she was quiet, but listening. Always listening.

Yokatsu (half smiling):

"And you're all in on this?"

Jenny:

"We're not doing this for the glory. We're doing this for you. And her."

Tadaski:

"This car was built with one engine. Now it's getting a second one — one with a heart."

---

They got to work.

Tadaski took the lead in modifying Kanzen's internal wiring. He installed new sensor arrays, reinforced the steering system, and added a custom ECU adapter that would allow Eva's interface to interact with the engine's control module.

Jenny spent the night buried in code, fine-tuning a UI that would allow Eva to translate racing conditions into strategy and guidance. She created dashboards, voice triggers, and emergency override sequences.

Eva watched everything. She asked questions. Offered suggestions. At one point, she even stopped Jenny mid-keystroke and told her a more efficient way to write a subroutine.

They all paused.

Jenny (smirking):

"Okay, who's the genius now?"

Eva AI:

"Still you. I just optimized it."

Hakumo, meanwhile, ran through the street networks. Whispered to the right people. Scouted fresh race circuits and confirmed rumors about Ryozan's next moves.

But in the quiet moments, Hakumo pulled Yokatsu aside.

They sat near the garage door, watching the others work.

Hakumo:

"You okay?"

Yokatsu:

"I don't know. I still hear his voice. That smug confidence. The way he made me feel small."

Hakumo:

"Because he beat a version of you that you're not anymore. That fear? That wasn't you. That was a memory. And you can beat it. You just gotta believe in what you have now. Not what you had then."

Yokatsu nodded slowly. For once, he didn't feel like running. He felt… grounded.

---

By sunrise, the integration was complete.

Kanzen looked the same on the outside — sleek, midnight blue, poised like a predator. But inside, it had evolved.

Now, it had two minds.

One in the driver's seat.

And one in the machine.

Yokatsu (placing a hand on the roof):

"Second engine, huh?"

Eva AI (from the car's speaker):

"With a heart."

They all stood quietly, admiring the creation they'd built — together.

No one spoke it aloud, but they all felt it:

Something had changed.

The Ghost hadn't just returned.

He was reborn.