"C'mon, dude, pick up," grumbled Cade, staring longingly at his laptop screen.

Koguchi, Cade's Nissan Skyline R32 friend from Japan, had promised to catch up with him that evening and to talk about what they had done since their last chat. Cade had been staring at his laptop screen for ten minutes, and the 'Pending partner connection' text was still displayed on the screen. Suddenly, the screen flashed and his friend popped into view.

"Kon'nichiwa! (Hi!)" smiled Koguchi, waving his front left tyre at Cade.

"Oh, so you decided to make a show?" chuckled Cade.

"Don't blame me that our internet provider decided to do maintenance on the network today," huffed Koguchi in reply. "I was hoping that they'd leave the work until tomorrow, but it seems they want the job over with and have started today."

"Pain, ay'e it? Ya' got summert' all planned and ready to go, then all of a sudden, fate decides to throw an obstacle in your way and taint your plans; happened to me more than enough times!" chuckled Cade.

"Anyways, we're both connected now, so we can both get talkin'," said Koguchi as he laid himself down to his frames and flattened his tyres out, taking a big sigh afterwards.

"I take it you ain't rolled a tread out the garage today?" asked Cade, who had noticed his friends sigh.

"Can't really tho', can I, with all this 'crap-vid' goin' around and being a nuisance to everyone. You know, in my town, they've said that livers are only allowed out for a maximum of... Five hours!"

"You what?!" shrieked Cade. "Five, stupid hours?! I spend triple that in a day! Goodness, they haven't half locked yas' down, 'ave they?"

"Well, I guess it's to stop the 'you-know-what' from making a bigger presence and a bigger problem to deal with," sighed Koguchi. "But ey', at least it can't infect people via webcam calls."

"With what's happened so far this year, I'd stamp your tyre on some wood, if I wer ya'!" laughed Cade. "You just don't know what'll happen next!"

Koguchi couldn't help but chuckle with his friend. "Say, how's it goin' over the pond?" He then asked. "What 'ave they got in place for you and the humos'?"

"Standard COVID restrictions: don't go out unless ya' need to, two metres, social distancing, blah blah blah," replied Cade.

"That for you livers, or humans, or both?" asked Koguchi again.

"More for the humo's, but we livers have our restrictions too," replied Cade. "Don't meet up with other living vehicles unless you need to, no visiting garages unless you need to, and don't leave the county unless... Well, ya' know."

"Ya' need to!" said Koguchi with a chuckle in his voice. "But I guess with us being...well, 'living' vehicles, we're more prone to carry the infection than our non-living counterparts, so I can see why."

"But it's not like we can get infected with the thing," said Cade. "We don't have biological nor genetic parts to us. We're literally the same as vehicles, except we talk."

"It's more along the lines of it resting on ya' body and in yer' interior. You can still carry it even if it does not affect you," said Koguchi. He then paused and giggled slightly. "They've shut the 'course down, haven't they?" He asked cheekily.

"AAaaaagghh! Don't mention it!" whined Cade, huffing his engine unhappily. "I'm still salty over the council making that decision. Why can't they just make it that only two livers can be on it at once? If I don't get back to racing soon, Zach is gonna' wipe me all over the asphalt when I do!"

"It's all for yers' and the humos' safety," said Koguchi. "That last thing anyone needs is more infections 'n that. Having these measures in place helps stamp down on the threat and slow its pace, and when this is pretty much all over, we can all get back to doing what we enjoy doing."

"I know, I know," mumbled Cade in defeat. "It's just... I... Ugh, I just hope it does one soon."

"You and me both, bud'," agreed Koguchi. "I was due to meet up with some other living sporters this time next week, and that's not going ahead now. I was really looking forward to catching up with them. Sore wa subete ōkina konrandesu (It's all just a big mess)."

"What was that last bit?" Cade asked his friend.

"Oh, the Japo' thing?" replied Koguchi. "I was just saying this is all a big mess. It is though, ain't it?"

"Hmm..." mumbled Cade quietly. "Say, how come you can speak Jap' and I can't?" He then asked his friend. "I mean, we were both built and given life in the same factory and same country."

"Well, actually you did," replied Koguchi. "And you were quite fluid too. I guess you're too young to remember. You were shipped to the states not long after you were built, and I guess you adopted the English language in a piston beat."

"I guess that makes sense," agreed Cade.

"I could teach you if ya' like?" offered Koguchi. "It's literally my first language. Chīsana tango kara mottomo fukuzatsuna tango made (From the smallest words to the most complicated ones), I know the lot."

"Since when did this turn into a virtual classroom?" chuckled Cade. "It'd be nice, but I'll pass. I can still talk to you via English, and of course, 'vroom'."

"Iya, anata wa tada taidana,-yu-more-shadesu... (Heh, you're just a lazy oil leaker)" grunted Koguchi in reply.

"What was that?" asked Cade.

"Nani mo arimasen, watashi wa anata o oirurīkā to yobimashita (Nothing, I just said that you're a lazy oil leaker)." Koguchi replied.

"Oh, hell no! You're insulting me in Jap', aren't ya?!" grumbled Cade. "Right, now I do want to learn what you're saying!"

"Anata no yumenonakade, nimuu~itto. (In your dreams, nimwit.)" chuckled Koguchi. He then laughed long and long. "You are a funny guy, Cade, you really are. No wonder why you and me stuck together when we did."

"May not be able to do it physically for some time, but I'm just glad that I can still see you on a frequent basis," said Cade happily. "You always were, and always will be the first best friend I ever had."

Koguchi looked at Cade's camera feed on his laptop and smiled warmly at his friend. "And you'll always be my first friend too, buddy." He said happily.

"Right, now that we've had the mandatory emotional moment in this conversation, I need some help with 'Turf 2 Remastered'," said Cade suddenly. "I swear I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but Lucas keeps beating my Porsche, despite it being maxed out!"

"Ā, yokatta (Oh, goodness me), we've changed subjects on the whim, haven't we?" laughed Koguchi. "OK, OK, I know what to do, as I've already beaten him."

"Welp, I'm all ears," said Cade, moving his body a little so he could hear his laptop speakers better.

And so Koguchi instructed his friend on how to beat his video game opponent. Needless to say, Cade learned that there were certain things he couldn't do in the remastered version of the game compared to the original; and he learned that the clipping through the race barriers glitch being patched was just the tip of the iceberg!