As for when Kitahara met Shanish again, that went back to a few days earlier—or, more precisely, to the night Eclipse jumped him.
Yes, night, not afternoon. By that point, facing Eclipse after she had completely made up her mind, Kitahara no longer had any room to resist.
But at the very least, he felt that since this was their first time doing this sort of thing, they should not immediately turn it into a party. So he put in some effort coaxing Eclipse into delaying the Uma-Pyoi a little, so they would not end up getting caught halfway through and only make things even more awkward.
After that night's intense exercise ended, Kitahara slowly fell asleep with complicated feelings.
But before he could fully drift off, while he was still half-asleep, the strange energy inside his body—which had already started becoming inexplicably active during Uma-Pyoi—did not calm down afterward. Instead, it grew even more restless.
At the time, however, Kitahara's mood afterward was rather complicated, so he did not have much energy to spare for noticing those details.
By the time he came back to himself, he had once again appeared in that white sea of flowers. The pure-white Umamusume was sitting quietly before him as well, and after he arrived, she turned to look at him.
"Who did you Uma-Pyoi with?"
Seeing Kitahara's utterly baffled expression, the white Umamusume explained, "The power inside your body cannot be fully mastered by a human body alone. You have to join with an Umamusume for it to develop further and become part of you."
"And this place can be said to be a Domain, a performance trance/zone, constructed from that power of yours. It had already collapsed before. If you had not gained a deeper grasp of your power, it would have been impossible for you to come here again. Since you've appeared here now, that means you must have Uma-Pyoi'd."
Because Kitahara himself did not understand what was going on with the power inside him, and because the other party did not seem hostile toward him, after thinking briefly, he chose to believe her words. Then he sat down across from her again and began another conversation with her.
Since he had been busy with the Black Market lately, Kitahara unconsciously began talking to her about it.
At first, though, Kitahara had not expected her to provide him with any help. It was more an offhand lament outside of work.
But what he had not expected was that after only a few sentences, she would take the initiative to say she was the originator of the so-called "Black Market," and that she had a rough understanding of the Black Market's current situation as well.
After that, she told Kitahara roughly the same thing he would later tell Yayoi Akikawa a few days afterward. Once he heard it, Kitahara also fell into a brief daze.
What the hell? The mole was actually me all along?
And after that earth-shaking truth, the white Umamusume told him a few other things.
"The 'Black Market' was never a market to begin with. At first, it was actually just an anonymous forum. Since people in it would occasionally exchange things, over time, it gradually picked up the nickname 'Black Market.'"
"As for its members, most of them were people who had gone through all sorts of experiences different from ordinary people, and who had intense emotions suppressed in their hearts."
"For example, Kudou-san, whom you just mentioned to me. On the surface, he looks like nothing is wrong, but in truth, he has never forgotten what happened with Clover. Even now, the guilt in his heart is still accumulating. In private, he has been taking psychiatric medication all along, and he occasionally sees a therapist for psychological treatment as well."
"As for the others, while their experiences may differ from his, they are basically similar kinds of people. I thought that gathering this group of people who shared the same suffering and establishing a completely anonymous forum might give them a channel to relax and heal."
"What I didn't expect was that once those people began communicating, while it did indeed improve their psychological and mental state, perhaps because they had suppressed themselves for too long, those extreme emotions began to ferment after they started talking. Gradually, all sorts of overly extreme ideas were born among them, and little by little, they began putting those ideas into practice..."
"As for why I didn't intervene or stop them, one reason is what I told you before. This world has been comfortable and fixed for too long. It needs some change. And I myself am the greatest and most extreme revolutionary, so I have no standing to condemn them."
"On the other hand, I can guarantee you that no matter how insane those people seem, and no matter how extreme their methods are, their original intentions and starting point are good. And even now, because of your existence, their thoughts still have not deteriorated. Instead, they have become even purer and more steadfast."
What the hell did she mean, because of me, their will became pure and steadfast? So after all that, he had become those people's spiritual leader?
Because the amount of information in the pure-white Umamusume's words was simply too enormous, Kitahara thought about it and decided to set the Black Market matter aside for now, so he could digest what he had already learned.
Moreover, aside from the Black Market, there was another question before him that was even more important and urgent to him, one he wanted to ask her about.
"Let me digest the Black Market issue for now. Let's talk about another question first."
After exhaling softly, Kitahara looked at the pure-white Umamusume before him, his expression gradually turning serious.
"About Eclipse. Aside from the things you told me before, what else do you know?"
"For example, what relationship does she have with the Three Goddesses?"
"And, for another example, just how strong is she?"
...
Just how strong was Eclipse?
Ever since Eclipse signed up for the Satsuki Sho and prepared to race, that question had been lingering in everyone's mind.
Although they had been on the same team for a long time, most of the Umamusume around Kitahara had never actually seen Eclipse run. And even among the few who had, they did not know how to judge her strength.
After all, since entering Tracen, she had only appeared in two races in total, and she never trained. There was a severe lack of data to analyze. Even if one took the recordings of those two races and examined them frame by frame, at most, the only vague conclusion one could reach was "she isn't weak."
It was not as though no Umamusume had tried to invite Eclipse to a friendly race before the Satsuki Sho, not only to test her ability, but also because they were worried she had gone too long without racing and wanted to use that method to let her run more before the race, giving it at least some training effect.
But faced with everyone's concern and invitations, Eclipse rejected them all.
She acted as though nothing had happened at all. Even though she was about to take part in the Satsuki Sho, even though the outside world's doubts about this intruder who had suddenly joined the Satsuki Sho were rising wave after wave, she showed no reaction at all. Every day, she still stood around the training grounds as usual, quietly following behind Kitahara, watching the Umamusume on the field sweat through their training, without showing the slightest response.
However, although Eclipse showed no reaction, on the other side, Neicha—who had apparently communicated with Eclipse in private about something and had already withdrawn from the race—became unusually busy over the past few days.
On the day after her unknown conversation with Eclipse, Neicha went straight to the other three members of the team who were entering the Satsuki Sho and said she would help the three of them with special training.
Originally, when the other three little troublemakers heard Neicha say she would help them with special training, they did not pay it much mind. After all, because of her understanding with Kitahara, Neicha herself counted as half a Trainer within the team, so extra training before a race was normal. But...
"Nice Nature-san, I really don't think this is necessary..."
"Neicha, don't come any closer—"
"Neicha, I—!@￥￥%＃%＃...@￥..."
Faced with the three who had agreed to her special training, Neicha produced a training method they had never seen before.
To put it simply, over these past few days, whenever the three of them trained, Neicha stayed by their side the entire time. And every second of training, she interfered with all three of them at full power using her griefing techniques.
It was practically a hellish experience. For the three being targeted by Neicha, training over the past few days was like being dragged onto the execution ground in shackles. Every second on the training grounds was torture. The prison-like intensity of the training even made Agnes Tachyon burst into profanity at one point.
It was not that they did not understand the benefits of Neicha's training. At least after a round of training like this, even if it had only lasted a few days, their ability to withstand pressure had clearly improved.
The problem was that in the entire world, there was only one griefer Umamusume covered from head to toe in red skills and debuff skills like Neicha.
As for other Umamusume, while ordinary top-level Umamusume more or less had one or two red skills in their arsenal, like Monopolizer, the degree of influence was fairly limited. Add that to the fact that the three of them were already excellent by nature, and resisting those effects was not difficult. There was absolutely no need for this kind of special training.
However, painful as it was, for various reasons, the other three ultimately chose to accept Neicha's training.
And then, the day of the race arrived.
While Kitahara and Yayoi Akikawa were in a corner exchanging information about the Black Market, the four Umamusume on Kitahara's team also entered one after another. After they appeared, they stirred up a considerable amount of discussion in the stands.
Although the four Umamusume on the track could not hear the specific content of the audience's discussions, based on what they had learned recently, they could roughly guess that whatever was being discussed probably was not favorable toward their Trainer.
After a little more time passed, even the other participating Umamusume noticed the situation on their side and began whispering among themselves.
Although Kitahara had many friends within Tracen and had helped many Umamusume in the past, he was still only one person. No matter how many friends he knew or how many Umamusume he had helped, the number was ultimately limited.
Compared to the overall base, the people who knew the truth about him were still a minority. Otherwise, things would not have developed into the current situation.
Faced with the discussions around them, the four Umamusume under Kitahara's name each showed different reactions.
Tokai Teio puffed out her cheeks, her anger written plainly on her face. In her heart, she silently told herself that she would definitely win this race and clear Trainer-san's name.
Manhattan Cafe's expression did not change much, but her eyelids drooped slightly, and her lips trembled every now and then, as though she were speaking with someone.
On the other side, Agnes Tachyon narrowed her eyes, slowly sweeping her gaze over the venue. A dangerous curve hung at the corner of her mouth, as though she were recording exactly who was running their mouth about her Guinea Pig-kun.
As for the final one, Eclipse...
She showed no reaction at all.
Even after stepping onto the track, she still looked the same as usual. Her face was indifferent, her eyes calm. Wearing a Decisive Victory Outfit similar to her ordinary clothes, she stood alone on the track, gazing at the distant sky without the slightest tension of someone about to race. She looked as though she were simply spacing out.
"Eclipse, those people are so awful. They clearly don't know anything..."
Faced with Tokai Teio's quiet complaint, Eclipse gave no response at all. She simply stood where she was until the prompt to enter the gate rang out before the start of the race. Only then did she slowly withdraw her gaze.
Because the action of drawing her gaze back took several seconds, by the time Eclipse started walking, the other Umamusume had already finished entering the gates, and the eyes of the audience in the racecourse had all gathered on her.
Then, just as another wave of discussion was about to erupt in the stands because of her behavior, Eclipse took a step toward the gate.
Tap.
Her horseshoe met the turf, making an extremely faint sound.
Logically speaking, such a tiny sound, inside a venue that had become incomparably noisy for all sorts of reasons, should not have stirred even the smallest ripple. It should have been drowned out by other sounds in the very next second.
But strangely, after Eclipse took that step, the discussion and clamor in the stands vanished in an instant.
As for the Umamusume participating in the race, who were closer to her, it was as though they had been struck by some kind of impact. Their bodies trembled for a brief moment, and then they instinctively turned back to look toward the source of that impact.
And then, they saw a scene that surpassed their understanding.
Black mist was flowing.
The pitch-black Umamusume walked forward with a calm expression. An ominous black fog coiled around her, constantly sinking downward and spreading in all directions, dyeing everything it touched an unsettling black.
And not only around her. In places farther away, around the other Umamusume, around the audience stands and Trainer stands, even above the entire racecourse, strands of black fog appeared and disappeared faintly. With Eclipse's advance, they thickened little by little.
The sunlight gradually dimmed. Unease gradually spread. It was clearly a season when the weather had already warmed, yet the people in the racecourse shivered in unison.
And that was only what the audience in the stands far from the track felt. As for the Umamusume closer to her, as she approached, their faces gradually turned pale, and their bodies began to tremble.
The terrifying pressure coming from the black Umamusume behind them was one reason. The other was that after they came into contact with the black fog flowing out from Eclipse, all sorts of emotions began fermenting in their hearts.
Sorrow, pain, fear...
Depression, irritation, regret...
Distortion, madness, despair...
They did not know what was happening to them. They only knew that after Eclipse drew near, the Umamusume with painful memories could not help recalling the deepest wounds in their hearts.
And even for those Umamusume who had not gone through any great suffering, the little setbacks and frustrations of daily life began flashing through their minds. Under the influence of the black fog, those shadows, which were not particularly deep to begin with, were magnified again and again.
In one corner of the racecourse, although Yayoi Akikawa knew that Eclipse was no ordinary Umamusume and had mentally prepared herself to some extent, when she saw the nearly insane phenomenon within the venue, she was still somewhat shaken. Even the fan in her hand stopped swaying as she could not help murmuring,
"So this is Eclipse's Domain? It really is a little... mm, frightening..."
Beside her, Kitahara was likewise watching Eclipse as she slowly entered the gate. But unlike Yayoi Akikawa, he did not pay too much attention to the shocking display of Eclipse's Domain. Instead, he looked at the black fog flowing around her and recalled Shanish's words.
"Eclipse is, in truth, nothing more than a tool the Three Goddesses created in order to kill me."
"I already told you before. I am a being born from the excess goodwill of this world. In a certain sense, you could call me the incarnation of goodwill."
"Then what do you think would be most effective for killing goodwill?"
Looking at Eclipse on the track, and at the black fog around her, Kitahara quietly spoke that answer aloud.
"Malice."
"The Eclipse by your side now was personally created by the Three Goddesses, using the strongest Umamusume ever to appear as the base, and all the accumulated malice and madness of this world as material."
"A monster through and through."
"And also the incarnation of this world's malice."
---
T/N: ALL THE WORLDS EVIL?!!!!!!!!!!!!
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