Chapter 037

The Slow Ride Home (そして拓海はまたボケる, Soshite Takumi ha Mata Bokeru, "Takumi is confused again") is the thirty-seventh chapter of Initial D.

Plot
Shingo's Civic lands back on the ground spinning, and finally stops with its rear bumper against the guardrail as Takumi disappears out of sight. Shingo exits the car, clutching his wrist, and mourns the damage to his car. The SpeedStars arrive, and offer him a lift to the hospital for his twisted wrist, which he reluctantly accepts.

In the early morning at the Fujiwara Tofu Store, Bunta asks Takumi about the damage to the car. He originally doesn't remember hitting the guardrail, but eventually remembers doing so in anger the previous night. Takumi regrets having damaged the car, feeling as though the car is an extension of his own body. Bunta then sends him on his tofu runs.

A few days later at the gas station, Takumi talks with Itsuki about getting his own car, which Takumi says he cant afford. Itsuki tells Takumi about the parts he's replaced on his Eight-Five.

Later that evening, Bunta pulls up to the gas station and invites Yuichi on a drive up to Akina, which he reluctantly accepts, on the condition that there will be no drifting.

On the mountain, Bunta explains that Takumi damaging the car wasn't a bad thing, as it has helped him improve his driving.

Japan

 * April 15th 1996 (Weekly Young Magazine, 1996 Volume 17)
 * August 6th 1996 (Tankōbon, Volume 04)

Chinese

 * April 1st 1998 (Tankōbon, Volume 04, Sharp Point Press)

English

 * October 22nd 2002 (Tankōbon, Volume 04, Tokyopop)
 * April 17th 2019 (Digital re-release, Volume 04, Kodansha USA)

French

 * August 27th 2009 (Tankōbon, Volume 04, Kazé)

Polish

 * December 2022 (Tankōbon 2-in-1, Volume 02, J. P. Fantastica)

Italian

 * March 28th 2023 (Tankōbon 2-in-1, Volume 02, J-Pop)

Characters (in order of appearance)

 * Takumi Fujiwara
 * Shingo Shoji
 * Itsuki Takeuchi
 * Koichiro Iketani
 * Kenji
 * Bunta Fujiwara
 * Yuichi Tachibana

Cars (in order of appearance)

 * Honda Civic SiR-II (EG6)
 * Toyota Sprinter Trueno 3door GT-APEX (AE86)
 * Nissan Silvia K's (S13)
 * Toyota Corolla Levin SR (AE85)

Tokyopop/Kodansha USA version

 * On page 6, Guardrail is misspelled as "Gaurdrail"