The second day of the bet.
The most advanced indoor training facilities at Tracen Academy, equipped with a holographic projection system.
Under the enormous dome, countless blue and tiny data beams were projected from the ceiling, bathing the entire track in a ghostly blue light that evoked a sense of futuristic technology.
Behind the glass wall of the observation area, Kiryuin Aoi stood with her arms crossed, her pretty face reflecting suspicion and confusion.
Beside her was Kaito's harem group, which could be considered "the most luxurious cheering squad in history".
They were also seeing this situation for the first time, whispering among themselves and observing Kaito and Agnes Tachyon with curious eyes —as if they were watching a "charlatan playing with high-tech gadgets"— while he made the final adjustments in front of the complex main control computer.
Only Narita Taishin remained on the track.
She had been informed that today she would undergo a "special dynamic optical data collection test".
Her expression remained as indifferent and solitary as ever.
It was as if, even if the Earth were to explode at any moment, it could not disturb her peaceful heart in the slightest.
The entire training center was permeated with technology and extreme tension, like the calm before the storm.
A special "psychological operation" was about to begin.
"Today's treatment does not require massages or conversation"
Said Kaito, approaching Kiryuin Aoi and calmly explaining his "treatment plan" to her.
"It only requires her to run a race"
"Run a race?"
Kiryuin's brow furrowed even deeper, her tone loaded with disdain.
"You're not so naive as to think that a simple simulated training session can change anything, are you?"
"The opponents are different"
Kaito pointed to the empty track, with a deep smile drawn on his lips.
He spoke softly into his headset, giving the order:
"Tachyon, are you ready? Let the actors take the stage"
When Agnes Tachyon pressed the bright red "Start" button on the main console...
Buzz!
A light illuminated the track!
The data streams in the air began to converge, reorganize, and build themselves frantically!
Out of nowhere, six realistic figures of Umas appeared, composed of bright and fluid blue data streams.
They were -
The Emperor, Symboli Rudolf!
Her Majesty, TM Opera O!
The Queen, Gold City!
The hero, Rice Shower!
The painter, Manhattan Cafe!
And the Empress, Air Groove!
The starting stance, muscle definition, and dominant gaze of each "Data Ghost" perfectly matched the individual's data at her peak.
Perhaps they even surpassed them!
"Is t-this... holographic data projection?!"
Kiryuin Aoi, the firm defender of science, was so shocked by what she saw that she lost her voice.
"Do you want to... simultaneously challenge the peak data of six champion Umas?!"
She finally understood how reckless, how cruel Kaito's plan really was!
As for Narita Taishin on the track, when she saw these six legendary figures appear before her in such an incredible way, her single eye, which had always been so serene, showed an expression of astonishment for the first time.
But once the initial shock passed, the competitive spirit typical of an elite athlete ignited within her.
She believed that, after all, they were nothing more than false illusions.
She decided to use her proudest strategy, [End Closer], overtaking these flashy but insubstantial "Ghosts" one by one in the second half of the race.
The race has begun!
Kaito's voice echoed throughout the venue over the loudspeaker.
Seven figures burst forth instantaneously!
First phase: The "absolute despair" of the favorites!
As soon as the race began, the "Data Ghosts" of Symboli Rudolf and TM Opera O instantly seized the leadership and precedence positions with a rhythm that was perfect according to the manuals and totally incomprehensible to common runners!
Their pace was precise to the millisecond!
Their stride frequency was as stable as an atomic clock!
This made Narita Taishin, who was used to attacking late and finding opportunities by observing the chaos of her opponents, feel lost and unable to act for the first time!
She realized that the distance between her and the two "Ghosts" ahead of her was widening steadily, relentlessly, and irreversibly from the first second of the race.
Phase two: The "Steel Cage" of the middle stage!
When the race entered the middle stage, Narita Taishin realized that she could wait no longer and tried to accelerate and sprint from the outer lane.
The "Data Ghosts" of Gold City and Air Groove immediately executed a perfect tactical response, similar to that of an AI!
They positioned themselves to the left and right, like two immovable steel walls, instantly and perfectly trapping Narita Taishin between them!
A "steel box" composed of data and tactics, totally impenetrable, completely blocking all her paths forward!
Phase three: The "double final attack" from the finish line!
Finally!
Entering the final stretch, Narita Taishin exhausted all her strength, practically burning her stamina, and barely managed to break free from the terrifying block!
She prepared to unleash her most powerful final charge, the one capable of sweeping everything away!
However -
Waiting in front of her were the "Data Ghosts" of the Hero Rice Shower and the Painter Manhattan Cafe, who were also famous for their terrifying Final Accelerations!
Furthermore, their speed data had been refined by Kaito's [God's Hand] and optimized by Agnes Tachyon's [Supercomputer], a definitive version that was even slightly faster than their real peak performances!
"!!!!"
Narita Taishin was pursued savagely and desperately!
But she realized with despair that no matter how much she squeezed her stamina, optimized her running style, or burned her soul.
The distance between her and the two cold blue "ghosts," who seemed to have no limits, did not decrease; on the contrary... it widened!
That small dose of "talent" she was so proud of, which allowed her to stand firm in her arrogance.
In the face of this "divine" data, which was the culmination of "Six Champions + God's Hand Optimization + Supercomputer AI," it seemed so pale, so ridiculous, so completely vulnerable.
For the first time, she harbored the deepest doubt about herself.
"Is it possible... that my limit... is really only this...?"
In the observation area, Kaito's gaze was not fixed on the crushing race.
He was silently watching a small dedicated screen.
The screen showed Narita Taishin's real-time physiological data, and a metric highlighted in red: the "Psychological Stress Threshold".
That red value was skyrocketing wildly, exponentially, about to... break the critical point!
"Enough! Stop it now!"
Kiryuin Aoi's face turned deathly pale.
She watched the figure still struggling uselessly on the track, her voice trembling with anxiety.
"Her mind is about to break! You are destroying her!"
"It's not enough"
Kaito shook his head, with a terrifying calmness in his gaze.
"Even if that 'cage' she built with her own hands, the one holding her back, is completely shattered into pieces in the cruelest way possible..."
"The 'wolf' inside her will never know how powerful she actually is"
The race has concluded.
Narita Taishin lost to all the "Data Ghosts" by a huge margin, a result that would be considered a profound humiliation for any elite athlete.
She was the last to cross the finish line.
The moment she crossed the finish line, she could no longer remain standing.
Her legs gave way and she collapsed heavily onto the cold, ghostly blue track.
She gasped with difficulty, feeling as if her lungs were going to explode.
Sweat and tears of frustration mixed, running silently down her pale and lifeless face.
She raised her head, looking at the figures that had crossed the finish line and were now slowly dissolving into countless blue specks in the air.
Her cold, deep-rooted, and unquestionable philosophy of "talent determinism".
That robust "self-imposed cage" she had always used to protect herself and isolate herself from the entire world.
In this moment, by this absolute, undeniable, and divine "skill gap"... it was completely shattered!!!
The holographic projection on the track slowly faded out.
The entire training center returned to its initial state of emptiness and silence.
Narita Taishin remained kneeling in the center of the track, motionless, like a broken puppet stripped of all her energy.
The observation area fell into a deathly silence.
Kiryuin Aoi was too shocked to speak.
For the first time, she had witnessed a "psychological operation" so cruel, so precise, but which apparently contained a deep truth.
TM Opera O and Gold City also fell into a long silence.
While observing the man standing quietly in front of the main console, a hint of awe, which they themselves had not noticed, appeared in their eyes for the first time.
This man could not only heal their bodies.
He could even... manipulate their minds.
Kaito did not approach her immediately.
He knew that, for now, he should let her remain quiet, alone, in the "ruins" of her own spiritual world for a while.
"All right, today's 'treatment' is over"
He turned around and gave instructions to everyone in the observation area.
"Everyone, go back"
He dismissed everyone, including Kiryuin Aoi, leaving only Narita Taishin in the training facilities, which seemed so vast she might have been the only person left in the world.
Before leaving, Kiryuin Aoi finally could not contain herself.
She lunged at him and questioned him with a complex look:
"What exactly are you trying to do? Don't you know that what you're doing will destroy her completely?"
Kaito observed the small solitary figure lying kneeling on the ground in the distance.
He said something in a low voice that hit Kiryuin Aoi like a lightning bolt.
"Nothing can be established without destruction"
"Only by allowing her to personally bury her old, weak self, the one who only wallowed in self-pity while hiding in a philosophical cage..."
"Can the new 'Wolf King' rise... from these ruins of despair...?"
With that, he turned and walked away.
But he wasn't heading back to his office.
He was going somewhere to retrieve something... something that would be enough to reignite the flame in the cold and silent spiritual ruins of Narita Taishin.