"What do you mean, 'that's not Cafe'?" The others stared at Kousei, their expressions bewildered.
"I don't know what I'm saying either, but that person definitely isn't Cafe." Kousei couldn't explain it herself. No matter how she looked at it, the face was undeniably Cafe's.
She'd passed the pre-race inspection, so there was no way someone could have slipped through.
Everything pointed to the conclusion that the person on the track was Manhattan Cafe. Yet, Kousei's Wildness-fueled intuition screamed at her, urging her to reject that answer.
What's going on? Is something wrong with me?
Kousei wasn't the only one troubled. Narita Brian's face darkened as she stared intently at Cafe. Though she rarely involved herself in student affairs, as Vice President, she had a duty to ensure their safety.
If the person on the track wasn't Cafe, then where was the real one?
"Tch!" Brian clicked her tongue, her frustration palpable.
Unable to confirm the identity of the Cafe on the track, she found herself momentarily paralyzed. In contrast, Sirius remained remarkably composed, though her eyes also betrayed a deep sense of confusion.
Strange... Why does this feel so familiar?
Sirius glanced at Rudolf. The Emperor had also noticed something was amiss. Rudolf scrutinized the Cafe on the track, trying to discern any clues from her movements.
But it was just a normal warm-up. Cafe was just Cafe. Even Rudolf couldn't spot anything unusual.
"President," Air Groove said quietly, appearing behind her.
"I know. Seal the racetrack. Don't let her escape," Rudolf ordered without waiting for Air Groove to elaborate.
"Brian is already on it," Air Groove replied.
"As expected of Brian. Her intuition is truly sharp," Rudolf said, never one to withhold praise.
Rudolf's gaze returned to Cafe. Just who in the world are you?
"Spe-chan, what's wrong?" Grass Wonder noticed Special Week seemed lost in thought.
"I know! Spe-chan! You must not have eaten enough for breakfast! I brought you my secret spicy carrot burger!" El Condor Pasa exclaimed, pulling one out from who-knows-where.
"Condor!"
"I'm sorry, Grass!"
Though El Condor Pasa was clowning around, Special Week's condition was genuinely off.
"Are you okay, Spe-chan?" King Halo asked with concern.
"I'm fine, King-chan," Special Week replied, seeming to finally snap out of her daze. Her smile was a bit strained.
Seiun Sky took everything in, her gaze shifting to Cafe without a word. Someone is sealing the racetrack, she thought. Is the competitor on the track not Cafe?
A smirk played on Sei-chan's lips. Interesting.
Undercurrents swirled within the racetrack. Rudolf's deployment naturally hadn't escaped the Central Committee's notice. Though they didn't understand her intentions, they weren't content to remain idle spectators. They dispatched their own personnel to intervene.
On the track, Manhattan Cafe noticed the covert movements in the shadows and watched with amusement. Rice Shower took a half-step back. She had been studying Cafe for two months in preparation for the Spring Tenno Sho, analyzing every possible move with Kousei's help.
It was safe to say Rice Shower knew Cafe extremely well. She had planned to win the race using a marking strategy, but now she faced a new reality: the Manhattan Cafe before her might not be the real one at all.
"Who are you?" Rice Shower demanded, staring intently at Cafe.
At these words, Cafe turned her head. Her aura was completely different. If Rice Shower had only been suspicious before, now she was certain: the person before her was definitely not Cafe.
Rice Shower's guard went up instantly. "Who are you? Why did you sneak into the Spring Tenno Sho!"
She deliberately raised her voice to draw the attention of the other competitors and the audience. As she'd hoped, everyone now noticed the standoff on the track.
"What's Rice Shower saying?"
"I think she's saying that person isn't Cafe," the competitors began to whisper among themselves.
Staff members started to intervene. Infiltrating the Spring Tenno Sho was an extremely serious offense. Years ago, Kousei had been stripped of her Central Competitor registration for trespassing in the Spring Tenno Sho. If the situation was as Rice Shower claimed, this "Cafe" would face severe punishment.
"What the hell is going on? We came here specifically for Cafe! How could we mistake her? That's definitely Cafe!"
The audience grew restless. As mentioned before, most of the spectators at this Spring Tenno Sho were Cafe's fans, who had taken time off work to watch her final race.
The prolonged delay naturally sparked their dissatisfaction.
"It's her again!" For no apparent reason, the fans' anger turned on Rice Shower, even though she was only trying to ensure the competitors' safety.
"Listen," Cafe suddenly said to Rice Shower. "They're blaming you again."
"It doesn't matter. I don't care," Rice Shower retorted firmly.
"Is that so? You really don't care?" Cafe goaded her. But before Rice Shower could reply, the staff escorted Cafe away.
Cafe's departure plunged the track into a sudden, awkward silence. Whatever peak condition the competitors had been in before the race was now completely shattered by the incident.
Rice Shower stood alone on the track, enduring the harsh glares from countless eyes.
"There's definitely something wrong with that Cafe. Senpai, do you know what's going on?" Twilight Cloud asked Kousei.
Kousei shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I know who is."
Her gaze shifted toward Tachyon. "Excuse me for a moment."
Kousei pushed through the crowd, making her way toward Tachyon's position. By the time she arrived, two others were already there.
One was Mejiro McQueen, the other Vice President Air Groove.
"What a coincidence, Air Groove Senpai," Kousei said, breaking the silence.
"Kousei... So you noticed too?" Air Groove didn't seem surprised.
Kousei moved closer to McQueen and whispered, "What are you doing here?"
"I figured it out right away," McQueen replied. "It had to be Tachyon Senpai's handiwork."
McQueen's words puzzled Kousei, but Air Groove's sharp questioning quickly drew her attention.
"Tachyon, what scheme are you pulling this time?" Air Groove demanded, her voice harsh and accusatory.
"You've got it all wrong!" Tachyon maintained her usual defiant attitude. "My reputation might not be the best, but I swear I had nothing to do with this."
"Cut the act! Everyone knows you're close with Cafe. But swapping out a competitor? That crosses the line! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to let an unknown person compete with the others?" Air Groove, usually strict, was rarely this furious. It was clear she had lost her temper.
This time, even Kousei couldn't defend Tachyon. The decision was simply too reckless.
"Fine, I admit I'm involved in this," Tachyon conceded, "but I won't admit to swapping out a competitor."
"You're still trying to deny it!" Air Groove was furious, about to explode.
"Wait! Air Groove Senpai! Maybe Tachyon Senpai isn't lying!" McQueen called out, stopping Air Groove.
"McQueen? What do you mean?" Air Groove calmed down slightly.
"Tachyon Senpai," McQueen asked, turning to Tachyon, "the person on the track is Cafe Senpai, right?"
"Of course," Tachyon replied with absolute certainty. "Check all you want."
Seeing Tachyon's unwavering composure, Air Groove began to have doubts. Tachyon doesn't seem to be lying. Could the President and Brian both have been mistaken?
Kousei also started to wonder. Was it just my imagination?
Staring at McQueen, Kousei leaned in closer. "You know something, don't you?"
"Like I said, it was just a guess."
"Tell me," Kousei pressed, her curiosity piqued.
"Well, it's somewhat related to us. Remember the team we formed back during the Seishun Cup?"
"You mean Sirius?"
"That's right," McQueen explained. "I've reviewed a lot of material about Sirius, so when I first saw her, she looked incredibly familiar. Thinking back, I realized I'd seen a similar figure in recordings related to Sirius."
"The fact that President Rudolf didn't notice was the decisive factor that cemented everyone's thinking," McQueen continued. "If I'm right, she's about to reveal her true identity any moment now."
-
The situation with Tachyon was resolved. Cafe's identity check dragged on until evening. The final results confirmed that the competitor was, without a doubt, Manhattan Cafe.
"See? It really is Cafe."
"What a fuss over nothing. A complete waste of time."
This outcome immediately turned the neutral parties against Rice Shower. Rice Shower stared at Cafe's arrogant stride, her guard not lowering in the slightest.
"Who are you, really?" Rice Shower asked again.
"What? Are you ever going to drop this?"
"If you don't want to race, then just withdraw!"
Rice Shower's accusation lit the fuse. The stadium erupted in boos, with the overwhelming majority of the crowd demanding Rice Shower's disqualification. Even the other competitors on the track glared at her with disapproval.
"Hahahaha!" Cafe suddenly erupted into wild, unending laughter.
The bizarre behavior immediately drew attention. Everyone knew Cafe would never act this way. Watching her laugh so maniacally, even her own fans began to have doubts.
"Who am I, really? That's a good question," she sneered. "I have many names, and many codenames. But... most people call me..."
With one hand, she swept her bangs aside, revealing Cafe's beautiful, delicate face. It was the exact same face, yet now it was tainted with a chilling, seven-tenths evil aura.
Arrogant and dashing, a truly wild and unrestrained soul.
[Sunday Silence]