126: A Classic Race Viewing Experience

Just over an hour into the Nieriani Potts Asteroid Belt Cup 16-hour endurance race for fighter aircraft.

'So, timing-wise, we should soon see the first pit stop. This is when each team's overall strength is tested—reuniting with the support crew, pilot changes, and aircraft maintenance.'

"Agreed. As the first fastest run approached the edge of the asteroid belt and signaled for pit entry, they smoothly merged in. Truly impressive efficiency."

Since the race takes 16 hours, it's common for both pilots and aircraft to endure significant strain. As a result, teams typically make pit stops every hour to receive various forms of support.

The types of support vary widely, including pilot swaps, refueling fighter jets, and replacing worn-out parts. Teams that can execute pit stops smoothly tend to perform better than those relying on just a single outstanding pilot.

As a result, the pit stop scene has become one of the highlights of race viewing.

"Hmm, how about the next pilot after Fastest Run? The first pilot was amazing... but what about the next one?"

"Hard to say? At least the commander's skill and team coordination are solid. The pilot change took just a few seconds, and the aircraft checks went smoothly. The mission briefing seems to have already been completed, so that's impressive."

I wish I could learn from how quickly those technicians are checking things. It's not just speed—it's because they have a sense of what feels off and can rely on past statistics. Still, you can see the craftsmanship in their work.

Honestly, it's quite a sight to behold.

Though Joharis, Vilijanila, and I are watching different parts, the pit stop by the current top team is like a work of art—vivid and flawless, with the entire team moving as one living organism.

And in this context, "clean" means without any wasted motion... yeah, I easily overtook the team that chose to delay their pit stop slightly and restart, even though they had the lead.

Incidentally, there is a tactic where, during a pit stop, the previously used fighter is discarded and replaced with a newly prepared, fully optimized fighter stored on the support vessel.

However, each team is limited to three fighter aircraft, including spares.

Reusing a fighter that was discarded during the race is obviously not allowed.

Therefore, while such a tactic might be worth considering in the final stages of the race when even a few minutes of time loss is too costly, it is not a tactic suitable for this moment.

As an aside, if for some reason a fighter aircraft is severely damaged,

The replacement aircraft must move to the location where the previous one was destroyed before rejoining the race.

Therefore, depending on where the crash occurred, a significant time loss could result.

Also, the pilot of the destroyed fighter will be quickly recovered by the rescue team provided by the event, so there's no need to worry about them being left behind.

"Right, then. I've warmed up the pizzas."

"Been waiting for this!"

"Mmm, smells good."

That aside, since we still have plenty of time before we start moving, let's keep watching the action while enjoying our meal.

The menu includes... a simple pizza with salami, cheese, and tomatoes, fried chicken with a plain flour coating, and crispy fried potatoes with the skin on, carefully fried to perfection.

Also, there's still a bit of popcorn left over.

"Mmm, this is delicious."

"When you're watching sports, this is definitely the kind of food you'd want."

"True. There's something about eating this kind of food while watching athletes push themselves that just tastes better."

The flavor of each is top-notch.

Well, that goes without saying.

Unlike popcorn, it's something like mahjong, right? Anyway, it's a well-known product with chain stores across the entire empire, famous for its distinctive tiles.

It couldn't possibly be bad.

Hehehe.

The cheese stretches beautifully, spreading the flavors of salami and tomato throughout my mouth.

Biting through the coating and meat releases a burst of hot, juicy meat, easily consumable down to the bone thanks to the mod's effects.

The unique taste and tender, fluffy texture—only possible with the skin on—delight me.

Ah, absolutely irresistible...

"...Let me try something."

With that thought, I decide to give it a go.

"Satā, what exactly are you trying?"

"No, let me crush this leftover chili pepper-flavored popcorn just right... and place it on the pizza. Good, the cheese is holding it together now."

"I see, let me give it a try."

"Hmm, the crunch from the popcorn adds a nice texture—this is actually delicious. The spiciness is like Tabasco, really nice!"

How did it turn out?

Yeah, this is definitely something unique.

The crispiness of the pizza and the crunchiness of the popcorn are different kinds of crispiness, but together they create an interesting contrast, and the spiciness blends in nicely.

There are many factors to consider—the flavor of the pizza itself, the flavor of the popcorn, the quantities of each, the mods used, and what needs adjusting—but it's great that it turned out well.

"Ah, right. Vee."

"Mmm. What is it? Satu?"

"How long until things start moving?"

"...Yes, that's right. It'll actually start moving around seven hours from now. But we could probably begin preparations around six hours from now. We can't possibly predict the race's progression perfectly, so if the opponent adjusts their actions based on the race's development, we should account for potential errors and fluctuations."

"Understood. I'll prepare accordingly."

Just to be serious for a moment—let me say this.

I see. Six hours from now. Yeah, better prepare for anything that might happen.

As I was thinking along those lines, the monitor displaying the race leaders showed a fierce dogfight unfolding within the asteroid belt.