The top floor of the WMA headquarters building.
The dazzling night view of Los Angeles, like a galaxy of diamonds spilled by God, unfolded silently outside the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.
This was the private office of the WMA director, Catherine Underwood.
A space permeated with minimalism, cold luxury, and the oppressive weight of absolute power.
One of the walls was an enormous and infinite floor-to-ceiling window that offered views of the entire "City of Angels."
The other wall was composed entirely of innumerable cascading data streams of deep blue: the visualized interactive interface of the "SkyNet" system.
Apart from the obsidian desk that looked like a work of art, the entire office contained only two expensive Italian individual sofas, placed far apart, as if facing each other.
Catherine Underwood wore a pure white Versace haute couture suit, tailored like a second skin.
She sat elegantly on her "throne," delicately savoring a cup of premium Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, handcrafted by a specialist, in a fine porcelain cup.
Meanwhile, Kaito was guided by her impeccable, precise, and robotic blonde assistant to the sofa opposite, which caused him a slight chill.
Catherine tried to use this environment, which was completely cold and filled with the beauty of technology and power, to silently declare to Kaito
"This is my kingdom"
"And you are simply an interesting guest, who is about to be scrutinized by me"
She did not initiate the conversation immediately.
Instead, she extended her slender finger, adorned with an elegant French manicure, and snapped gently.
The "data cascade" behind her, which looked like deep space, changed instantly!
On the screen appeared a three-dimensional holographic model of Justify, highly realistic, composed of billions of data points.
Beside the model, all her current and real-time physiological data were displayed, with a precision of six decimal places.
The interval of every heartbeat.
The depth of every breath.
Even the average oxygen saturation of every red blood cell in her body!
"Look"
Finally, Catherine spoke.
Her voice, like her persona, was elegant and pleasant, yet at the same time reflected the absolute pride of a creator.
"This is 'perfection'"
"This is 'Science'"
"Our 'SkyNet System,' connected to the nerve centers of every elite A-rank Uma under WMA through implanted biochips, allows us to monitor, analyze, and plan every one of their actions in real time"
She stood up, with a flash of fanaticism on her face, like a scientist presenting her greatest invention to the world.
"When to train, when to rest; what to eat, what to drink, how many calories to consume; and even... their thoughts, their desires, their longings..."
"Under the precise planning of 'SkyNet,' there are no accidents, no errors, and certainly none of those ridiculous emotional collapses, there only exists the most efficient path and the only one... the Absolute Path toward victory"
The demonstration had ended.
Catherine directed her piercing gaze, like that of a hawk, toward Kaito
A seductive smile, like that of a top-tier businesswoman, appeared on her face.
"Mr. Kaito, I must admit that your 'massage technique' is truly miraculous"
"It does not seem like science; it is more of an... mmm, an ancient 'sorcery' from the East, it always introduces extremely interesting 'variables' into our data models that cannot be explained with conventional logic"
"Therefore—"
"I hereby formally invite you to join WMA, become the Chief Consultant of Special Variables for the SkyNet System"
"You will have access to the best biological laboratories in the world, the highest compensation package, and... the authority to interact with the most exceptional 'material' in the world"
"What you have to do is very simple"
"It is about quantifying your 'magic'... and making it part of our magnificent system"
This "invitation," which was practically priceless.
In appearance, it was the maximum recognition of Kaito's unique skill.
In reality, she wanted to turn this uncontrollable "Oriental Divine Dragon" into a cold, replaceable screw in her technological empire of steel.
To incorporate and control him completely.
Upon seeing that Kaito did not immediately accept this great "gift" with gratitude.
Catherine's expression darkened subtly.
She set down the coffee cup and leaned slightly forward.
A cold glow flickered in her beautiful golden eyes, the color of sapphire.
"Of course, the prerequisite for cooperation is respect"
"Justify, Zenyatt... they are my 'children,' the most perfect 'works' polished by my own hands"
"I do not wish for any outsider to use a supposed irresponsible and immeasurable 'emotion'..."
"...to contaminate their pure souls, which were born solely for victory"
"Do you understand what I mean, Mr. Kaito?"
She was explicitly warning Kaito
"You may come here to become a useful tool"
"But you must never harbor inappropriate thoughts toward my Umas, and you must not break their absolute 'loyalty' toward me"
Faced with Catherine's recruitment, a deceptive tactic, and her unequivocal and severe warning.
Kaito simply smiled calmly.
He did not refute her directly.
Instead, he formulated a seemingly unrelated question, a question loaded with Oriental Zen philosophy.
"Ms. Underwood, your 'SkyNet' is so perfect, so powerful that it can calculate wind speed, humidity, the hardness of the terrain... but..."
"Can it calculate... the temperature of a single tear?"
Catherine was completely stunned.
She had no idea what nonsense this man was talking about.
Kaito rose slowly and walked toward the enormous floor-to-ceiling window.
He looked down at the prosperous city spreading before him, resembling a sea of stars, and spoke in a low voice:
"Your system can calculate the probability of victory, but it cannot calculate the ecstasy of winning"
"It can control the heart rate during defeat, but it cannot understand the pain following failure"
"You consider them your most perfect 'works,' you have planned for them the most perfect 'path' toward success"
"However, you have also ruthlessly snatched away their right... to contemplate the landscape while they travel that path"
He turned, meeting Catherine's gaze, which was full of confusion and lack of understanding, and smiled while uttering the most fatal words, enough to dismantle all her scientific theories.
"Your 'SkyNet' has everything..."
"It has data, models, precise instructions..."
"The only thing it lacks is a... 'Heart'"
"And Uma Musume, they turn out to be..."
"Creatures driven one hundred percent by the 'Heart'."
Kaito's words were, without a doubt, the most fundamental and complete negation of her entire philosophy!
Catherine stood up suddenly! For the first time, her voice denoted an uncontrollable fury!
"Absurd! This is totally ridiculous!"
"The heart! It is the most inefficient and uncontrollable variable in this world! It is the greatest and most absurd obstacle on the path toward victory!"
"I am helping them eliminate those useless obstacles!"
"Then, we shall see"
Kaito turned to look into her golden eyes, which were burning with anger, and smiled with serenity.
"Let's see who, on the final track..."
"Will it be your cold and perfect 'Machines' that laugh at the end...?"
"Or will it be my 'Children,' who possess burning hearts...?"
"Who will be able to create... miracles that not even God can calculate."
Given that their viewpoints were incompatible, there was no need to say more.
Catherine made a cold "please, leave" gesture toward Kaito
Indicating that the unpleasant meeting had ended.
Kaito did not say another word.
He simply nodded slightly with politeness.
Then, he turned around and left the office, which was permeated with an aura of power and technology.
After Kaito left.
Catherine remained alone in the huge and somewhat solitary office.
The anger on her face gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.
For the first time, she had run into an opponent who could not be understood by her logic, suppressed by her authority, or bought by her wealth.
She walked slowly toward the enormous "data cascade."
As if possessed, she gave an order that even to her seemed ridiculous.
[Analyze keywords: "Heart", "Temperature of... Tear"]
The data flow appearing on the screen stopped instantly.
Then, a striking bright red warning appeared.
[ERROR: Unquantifiable or undefined variable, analysis has failed.]
Catherine stared fixedly at the blinding red warning.
A trace of cruelty, which she herself had not noticed, flashed in her eyes.
She connected to the internal communication system.
She issued the latest and coldest directive to Justify's exclusive team.
"Activate 'Absolute Execution' mode."
"In the WGP (World's Strongest Uma Grand Prix) preliminaries, I don't just want her to win."
"I want her to win every race by breaking the world record!"
"I want that charlatan from the East to see with his own eyes the reality of his ridiculous 'motivational nonsense'!"
"Let him see how powerful and invincible Absolute 'Science' really is!"
A period of hellish preparation began, immensely heavy for Justify, whose goal was to defend the supreme dignity of "Science."
And Kaito knew it.
His best and only chance... was approaching rapidly.