A stat panel filled with five question marks genuinely startled Fujimura Hikaru.
He'd assumed that once his Appraisal Eye confirmed the phantom's existence, he'd be able to see something at least remotely "normal." He hadn't expected a situation this mysterious.
Was it because the other party had no physical body—so even the system couldn't quantify her strength?
If that was the case, there wasn't much Hikaru could do about it.
Even so, even if he couldn't read the phantom's stats, he could still use where the panel appeared to judge the phantom's position on the track.
So even if the Appraisal Eye had "failed," he could still estimate the phantom's true level by measuring the distance between Manhattan Cafe and that panel.
Tap tap tap—
On the track, Cafe was already driving her legs with everything she had. Every footfall pressed a deep imprint into the grassy surface.
Clearly, this was the full extent of what she could do right now.
But unfortunately, not only did the distance between her and the phantom fail to shrink—it steadily widened.
The black phantom seemed to notice Hikaru's gaze tracking her movement. On the face identical to Manhattan Cafe's, a smile slowly appeared.
The next second, her speed surged!
In no more than a single breath, she completely shook off Manhattan Cafe, who had been chasing desperately behind.
After that, the result barely needed saying. With such a massive advantage, the phantom defeated Manhattan Cafe with ease.
This match had been unbalanced from the very beginning.
The scales of victory had practically slammed over to the phantom's side the instant they started running…
And from this race, Hikaru finally understood what level Manhattan Cafe's so-called "friend" was at.
Strong—very strong!
Top-tier… no, stronger than top-tier.
Super top-tier.
If anything, this phantom—who knew where she came from—might even be stronger than T.M. Opera O…
Hikaru's expression turned gravely serious.
He'd assumed she'd be no more than a lone wolf. What he'd seen was a tiger.
"Well?" Manhattan Cafe asked, expressionless, as she stepped off the track.
Since she already knew her "friend's" strength, she wasn't nearly as shocked as Hikaru was.
More than the frustration of losing, she wanted to hear what Hikaru would say to her.
"Honestly… your target is far beyond what I expected. In all of Tracen—no, in all of Japan, even in the entire world—the number of racers at your friend's level definitely isn't large…"
Those words reached Manhattan Cafe's ears, and the golden eyes that had been shining with expectation dimmed at once.
But in the next moment, Hikaru shifted gears.
"…However, surpassing her isn't impossible."
The young trainer spoke with utter seriousness. In his crimson eyes, there wasn't a trace of surrender.
"I'm not talking big. Your friend is unbelievably strong, but her realm isn't something no one can reach."
His words carried a strange kind of force. Manhattan Cafe's eyes, which had dulled, slowly began to brighten again.
"Manhattan Cafe—no, Cafe. Do you trust my eye for talent?"
Hikaru stepped in front of her, meeting her golden gaze head-on.
"I… trust you," she said.
Manhattan Cafe genuinely acknowledged Fujimura Hikaru's judgment as a trainer.
"Then I'm telling you—there is absolutely the possibility within you to reach that thing's realm.
So don't give up on yourself, and don't be anxious just because you're temporarily stuck…
I stake my reputation on it: you absolutely have a chance to surpass her!"
His words were decisive, filled with unwavering conviction—like he truly believed Manhattan Cafe could reach that super top-tier realm.
Compared to vague, intangible "faith," Hikaru trusted his own eye more.
That was all.
In his view, Manhattan Cafe was one of the most outstanding seedlings among this year's newcomers.
How could someone with boundless potential be declared, from the very start, incapable of reaching the super top-tier realm?
A professional trainer had to make firm judgments when it mattered.
"You will become a horse girl who stands above her!"
Simple words became the key that opened the heart—gently prying at the girl's defenses.
Manhattan Cafe stared blankly at the young trainer before her, who was looking at her with burning intensity.
He seemed to believe in her potential more than she believed in herself.
That kind of trust—something she had never truly experienced—was so full it left her at a loss.
Beside her, the phantom threw back her head and laughed, though only Manhattan Cafe could hear it. Hikaru didn't notice a thing.
Manhattan Cafe looked at Hikaru's face with utter seriousness, as if trying to engrave every detail of him into memory.
Why does he believe in me this much…
Am I really that special in his eyes?
"I understand…" she answered, voice low and muffled.
Seeing her like that, Hikaru added,
"If later you still really want to do extra training, then come by my team in the afternoons. I'm not telling you to join my team—but if you drop in anyway, I can help arrange your extra work as a side thing. The training load should be set by a trainer, right? That would be more appropriate."
"…Fujimura-sensei," Manhattan Cafe asked after a long silence, "why go this far?"
She wasn't even his assigned horse girl—so why do this much?
Why spend so much energy on a horse girl who, strictly speaking, had nothing to do with him?
Answering questions, comforting her, even offering to structure extra training…
He couldn't possibly have that much free time. So why meddle this deeply?
Just as Manhattan Cafe couldn't read Fujimura Hikaru's mind, his answer this time also took her by surprise.
"Why go this far? What a stupid question."
"Because I can help, so I helped. Do I need any other reason?"
Hikaru lifted those crimson eyes—pure light flickering within them.
Staring at that light, Manhattan Cafe felt, for a moment, almost intoxicated.
Fujimura-sensei… the way you are right now…
That's really dangerous, you know?
—
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