The session ended. The mechanics began the long process of stripping the car for the Qualifying setup. The paddock hummed with the news of the "fast Arcadia," but the consensus was still the same: Kaito was a flash in the pan. A lucky rookie who found a gap in the traffic.
Leo walked toward the hospitality unit to get some food. His walk was steady, his shoulders back. He didn't look like a tired rookie. He looked like a predator that had just finished its first scout of the territory.
The heat of Melbourne was still intense, but for Leo Kaito, the ice was already forming. The simulation hadn't ended when he left the pod. It had just moved to a bigger screen.
And he was the only one who knew the controls.
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