"Sorry, our mechanic is busy right now." the receptionist replied with a smile.
Reina felt a vein popping on her head. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the head mechanic sitting in his office smoking cigarette. What busy? Lies! Such a flimsy excuse to turn her away!
Reina wanted to shout, but resisted making a scene. With fists tightened, she walked out the Workshop with furious steps. Outside, she kicked a metal can, which flew across the street before hitting the wall.
She cursed.
She lost count of the workshops she visited. Every single one of the mechanics rejected her! The reasons were all nonsensical, saying they were busy or that they are out of parts. But how did Reina not know the truth? She's too outdated!
Her parts are all relics from the past! On such an old model, those mechanic straight up rejected working on her! So they all suggested purchasing Upgrade Modules instead, but the moment they realised Reina have barely any savings, they all turned their heads and treated her like trash, kicking her out of the store!
Reina felt frustrated, but could do nothing but push on. Usually, the mechanics from the club would upgrade and modify her free-of-charge. But when she asked them, they all gave stupid excuses to turn her down. Now that the president is eager to drive her out, it was no wonder they refused to modify her in fear of facing the president's wrath.
She bit her teeth. Refusing to give up hope. She continued walking down the business district, desperation driving her insane. She didn't want to retire. She didn't want the scrapyard, where only death await her. Racing is her life-calling, and giving up is not an option.
She visited workshops after workshops. The results were just as miserable. Everyone turned her down. Sitting on the sidewalk, she was truly heartbroken. Yet just as she was about to give up, something caught her eye.
"When did a workshop open there?"
Feeling sceptical, yet also having nothing to lose, Reina walked towards it. The Workshop was incredibly shabby, and there wasn't even a reception, let alone anywhere to treat guests. If anything, this place looked like a scam! At the front, there was a young man sitting on a wooden stool.
"Hello. You do modifications here?" Reina asked, yet cautious.
Miles put away his phone, instantly dazzled by the young women. Just one look, and he already have a guess.
"You're a GearGirl?"
She nodded.
Damn. Why are every GearGirl so attractive!?
Looking at her long seductive legs wrapped in tight jeans, Miles could only reluctantly avert his eyes. "Of course, what modification do you seek?"
"Anything I can afford." She said without a heartbeat.
Miles was shocked. Looking her in the eyes, they were practically begging him. He could only nod his head. "Come in, we'll talk."
The moment she entered, a bell ran in Miles' head.
*Ding!
[ Mission triggered! ]
[ Task: serve your first customer! ]
Miles paused for a moment, then quickly composed himself. Looking around, there weren't anywhere to sit beside his stool. So he stood up and offer his seat. Reina quickly shook her head, stubbornly standing no matter how much he insisted.
"I'm Miles. Your name?"
"Reina."
Miles took a glance at the women, and he suddenly remembered something. He activated his skill: Eyes of Truth!
Ding!
[ Skill Activated! ]
A panel of information entered his eyes.
————x————
Name: GT-01 "Reina"
Top Speed: C
Acceleration: D
Handling: C+
Durability: D
Endurance: D
————x————
Staring at her stats, outside of handling that was evaluated at a C+, the rest of her performance was horrendous! Miles was deep in thought when Reina spoke.
"I don't have much, only about $50,000 saved up. I'll take anything that can increased my speed."
Miles fell into contemplation. With his years of experience as a mechanic, this task wasn't too difficult. The problem was, he never modified a GearGirl before! So he felt slightly nervous, going into unfamiliar territory.
"Can you transform? I want to see your vehicle form."
"Right now?"
"How can I modify you otherwise?"
Reina looked around the tiny workshop. After moving to an open space, she transformed! A blinding light surrounded her, causing Miles to wince. When he opened his eyes, a sporty looking coupe appeared.
"Wow."
Reina's car form looked boxy, but also had her own unique charm. She has that early 2000 Japanese aesthetic, and Miles couldn't help but compare Reina to a Silvia S14. In fact, they looked eerily similar!
Walking around, Miles appreciated this work of art, his finger tracing the bodywork, followings its beautiful curves.
"Ah… sir…" Reina spoke, her voice trembling. "It tickles!"
It took a moment for Miles to understand. His hands retracted faster than ever before. His cheeks blushing in embarrassment. How was he so stupid! These are GearGirls! The outside bodywork is like their skin! So when he was tracing his finger around….
He coughed, changing the subject.
"I've several ideas, and they'll all fit your budget.
No.1 Weight reduction— I'll remove excess body parts. Reducing weight.
No.2 Aero kit— I'll add a front spoiler and rear wing. Increasing downforce.
No.3 Air-intake— I'll improve the cooling system, so your engine can push harder.
This will cost… umm $49,999?"
Miles was quite confident in his upgrades, but when it came to pricing, he was completely clueless! Usually, such upgrades would only cost a few thousand on Earth at most, but this was not Earth, but a world with GearGirls!
Miles nervously stood in the corner, waiting for a response. Because Reina was in vehicle form, he couldn't read her expression! Which only caused him to be even more nervous! Did he overprice?
On the other side, Reina was speechless. He was skeptical about this shabby little workshop, and the mechanic here even dared to take advantage of her! She was so close to storming out of here! But upon hearing the man's suggestions, it sounded… pretty good? And not only that, the price was within her budget!
Other workshops would charge her double, or even triple for a simple upgrade! Even if Reina had some doubt about this workshop, it was a risk she must take! She wants to keep racing! Even if this mechanic was a scam, if there's the slightest possibility that her performance improves, she'll take the risk!
"How about $39,999? It's a good—"
"I'll take it!" Reina shouted firmly.
Miles was stunned, but quickly nodded! "I'll start now!"