When he heard that, Miles Wang's face turned green with anger.
What did he mean by "Let me drive your Mecha Girl"? Was a Mecha Girl something you could just casually lend out?!
But the head referee's eyes lit up.
"As expected of a dark horse rookie—quick thinking! If he can perform the wall-hugging maneuver with Absolute Shadow, that proves everything. A full-body inspection is a waste of time, and without evidence, it's not good for a Mecha Girl's mental health either."
Miles Wang's mouth twitched.
Everyone cared about the Mecha Girl's mental health—
Who cared about his?
"Master, I think it's workable," Absolute Shadow whispered, gently tugging on Miles Wang's sleeve.
"If it really is his technique, when he drives me later, I can learn it too. Then you'll basically master the wall-hugging overtake as well, won't you?"
That… did make sense.
Miles Wang started wavering.
"If your skills aren't up to par, just let me drive your Mecha Girl. That'll settle everything—fast and simple."
Derek Su spread his hands and yawned.
A vein pulsed violently on Miles Wang's forehead.
Driving the Mecha Girl wasn't the issue—she was under contract with him anyway, so treating her like a normal race car was fine.
But coming from Derek Su's mouth, it sounded all wrong—
As if he were saying: You can't satisfy her, so let me borrow your wife. I guarantee she'll come back pregnant.
After hesitating a moment—mostly because the temptation to learn the technique was too strong—Miles Wang finally nodded.
"Fine. I'll let you drive Absolute Shadow. Let's see if you can really do the wall-hug."
Derek Su turned to Stella.
"I'm going to drive someone else's Mecha Girl. You don't mind, right?"
"Nope." Stella blinked, then leaned close, rising on tiptoe to whisper into his ear:
"But Master… won't that let them learn your technique? That feels like a bad deal for us. Worst case, we can just do a full inspection."
"I showed you the wall-hug once. Did you learn it?" Derek Su asked.
"N-no…" Stella scratched her head. "But what if that Absolute Shadow is smarter than me?"
"No, no. Out of all the Mecha Girls I've encountered, you're the smartest."
Derek Su patted her head.
If racing techniques were that easy to learn, there wouldn't have been so few top racers in his previous life.
Wall-hugging looked simple—but it required absolute mastery over timing and the machine's condition.
In his past life, he'd been a prodigy with thirty years of experience.
Absolute Shadow learning it from one quick ride?
Dream on. Even if she picked up a little, timing and experience were things a man-child like Miles Wang would never grasp.
"Master… you… you actually called me smart!"
Stella looked up at him with sparkling eyes, sniffling.
"Wuuuu… I'm the happiest Mecha Girl in the world!"
Derek Su: "…"
"I'm ready," Derek Su said, turning back to face Miles Wang.
Miles Wang gave Absolute Shadow a stiff nod, and she expanded her chassis.
"Derek Su, if you really have this level of skill, won't it bother you if I end up learning it?"
Derek Su chuckled.
"Racing techniques are made to be learned. My race footage, my cornering clips—study them as much as you want. If more racers and Mecha Girls can grasp new techniques, isn't that a good thing?
As for teaching… forget it. I'm too lazy. I can drive, but I don't teach."
The moment he said this, the atmosphere flipped.
"Mr. Derek Su is truly magnanimous! Such vision, such character! Remarkable young man!"
The head referee immediately showered him with praise.
The others nodded eagerly.
"These days, people hide new techniques the moment they discover them. But Mr. Derek Su openly allowing everyone to study his footage—that's rare!"
"Exactly! Big clubs keep their training footage under lock and key. Independent racers and Mecha Girls can only learn from tournament broadcasts. Sigh~"
Miles Wang wanted to explode.
He originally meant to provoke Derek Su with that question, yet now he looked like a petty clown.
He quickly barked:
"Stop wasting time! Just start already!"
Absolute Shadow opened her door.
Derek Su sat down very unceremoniously, dropping into the driver's seat with a heavy thud.
It wasn't his Mecha Girl, so he had no reason to be gentle—treat it like a driving school car and push it hard.
Absolute Shadow stayed silent, but Miles Wang grit his teeth so hard they almost cracked.
Absolute Shadow was his precious treasure, treated like royalty. He even wiped his shoes before stepping in himself—
And this barbarian had the audacity to treat her like that?!
"Let's take that 400-meter circular training track up ahead. If I can lift one side of Absolute Shadow's chassis, that should prove my point. Is that acceptable?"
Ignoring the fuming Miles Wang, Derek Su pointed at the track and addressed the head referee.
Head Referee: "That's sufficient. And if needed, you can redo it in the tunnel."
"Too much trouble. This is fine."
Derek Su started Absolute Shadow.
The sudden burst of acceleration forced him to admit: she had great stats.
Too bad she was stuck with an idiot.
Absolute Shadow, on the other hand, felt something entirely different.
She didn't know how to describe Derek Su's technique.
Miles Wang was already a good driver—
But compared to Derek Su, the difference was immense.
If she had to put it into words, it was: silky smooth and richly full.
His driving flowed like water, filling her with a sense of perfect control and completeness.
Just as she was about to savor the feeling—
Derek Su suddenly jerked the stick to the right, issuing a forced command to brake the right wheel.
Absolute Shadow felt her left side lift.
Just as she was about to tip over, Derek Su steered left—then right—alternating sharply, coordinating it with precise handbrake and clutch control.
Somehow, her chassis stayed lifted as she circled the entire track on one side, returning smoothly to the start.
"All done. I only meant to lift her sideways once, but to avoid nitpickers, I ran a whole lap."
Derek Su stepped out and slammed the door shut.
If Miles Wang had seen that, he'd cry for days.
But he was still frozen, staring at the track, his mind replaying Absolute Shadow circling the course on one side.
"Wh—wh—what the hell kind of technique is THAT?!"
"One-wheel laps?! And it can turn?! At that speed?!"
The head referee's eyes bulged.
"You—you recorded that, right?!"
"No…"
"I did! Hahahaha!"
"Dad, copy it for me!!"
The referees bounced around like excited kids.
Derek Su walked back to Stella, only to find her staring at him strangely.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
"No…"
Stella fidgeted, twisting her fingers.
"Master… um… is that Absolute Shadow easy to drive?"
"It handles pretty well," Derek Su said with a nod.
"Th-then… is she easier to handle than me?"
"You're still easier."
"Hehehe~"
Stella grinned foolishly.
But then Derek Su added lightly:
"Mainly because driving you really lets me understand just how skilled I am."
Stella: "…"