Preparing the Counterattack

The three Horse Girls looked at him in that state, exchanging glances, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.

In the end, Daiwa Scarlet stepped in front of him, raised a hand, and gently patted his still-tense shoulder.

Her voice was gentle, yet carried an unquestionable firmness. "No, this isn't your fault. And it isn't anyone's fault.

"Everything you've done for Little Kita, we've all seen it. No matter what she wanted to do, no matter what kind of dream she wanted to achieve, you spared no effort in supporting and protecting her. Even when she occasionally lost her way, you patiently guided her and helped her find new goals that suited her.

"You've already done more than enough, Anjing."

Agnes Tachyon nodded as well. After wiping away some sweat, she said, "That's right. From a scientific—no, from an objective standpoint, your meeting with Little Kita and everything that has happened since could even be called inevitable. It might have been—well, fate. Or perhaps even the guidance of the Three Goddesses."

Her words drew looks of surprise and astonishment from everyone.

After all, Agnes Tachyon had always valued data, logic, and verifiable theories. Words like "the guidance of fate" should have been nearly impossible to hear from her.

But thinking back on Anjing Zhen and Kitasan Black's dramatic first meeting—getting to know each other after an accidental collision—and how they had supported one another all the way to the summit, it really did feel as though an invisible hand had been guiding that funny, chance encounter and everything that followed.

"Yes," Tokai Teio said softly as she stepped forward, her voice tinged with emotion. "Fate can be a truly strange thing sometimes."

After that brief reflection, she looked at Anjing Zhen, her expression gradually turning serious and sharp. "But, Anjing, now