The Emperor's Rebuke

Just then, Mejiro McQueen returned after checking her phone and confirming that her "dark history" had indeed been deleted.

Though her face was still flushed from exercise, she had regained her usual elegance.

She shot Tokai Teio a mildly reproachful glance before taking a seat as well.

Pretending not to notice her friend's reproach, Tokai Teio smiled and turned to Kitasan Black. Her tone became gentle yet earnest as she steered the conversation back on track. "So, Little Kita, when you asked about adjectives for dreams and representative races earlier—were you troubled by something?"

At that, Kitasan Black quickly suppressed her smile and nodded seriously, briefly explaining her thoughts on "dream keywords." "—It started when Grandpa brought it up. I thought about it too, but I couldn't come up with anything.

"Afterward, I asked A-Zhen, Agnes Tachyon, and Symboli Akagi too. Everyone gave me different answers.

"But lately—"

She paused. "I suppose it was seeing Crown and the others preparing for their races. It made me feel that everyone has something clear they want to pursue. So I wanted to define my own reason for running more clearly, to make my dream more definite.

"Mm, that's probably it."

"I see. So it's like—"

Tokai Teio nodded thoughtfully. After pondering for a moment, her gaze held understanding. "You want to sum up a certain stage of your career. Or rather, give it a footnote."

"Footnote—a summary—" Kitasan Black's eyes lit up at those words. "That's right! That's exactly what I mean!"

Yet after affirming her thoughts, Tokai Teio abruptly changed tack, her tone taking on a meaningful note. "It's—well, it's a very good idea. But, Little Kita, have you noticed something?"

"? What?" Kitasan Black froze.

Tokai Teio glanced at Mejiro McQueen beside her, exchanging a look of Tacit Understanding before