The Black Phantom will appear at the [Mainichi Okan].
Reporter Fujii heard it clearly—that was exactly what the other party said.
And it wasn't a guess; the other party stated it with unwavering certainty, as if it were an already decided fact.
"H-how do you know that?"
Fujii's voice was tight, nearly hoarse with tension.
This was the kind of information he had dreamed of obtaining.
But how could a mere student from Tracen Academy possibly have information about the black Uma Musume?
Fujii was both skeptical and intrigued.
"I have my ways."
Hearing that the other party wasn't planning to explain, Fujii pressed on, unwilling to let it go.
"Then what's your relationship with the Black Phantom? Have you just seen her, or is there something more?"
"If you want to know that, the information you're holding, Mr. Fujii, isn't nearly enough."
The fact that she dared to say this suggested she had access to information ordinary people didn't.
At that thought, Fujii Senosuke's heart began to pound wildly.
Wait, hold on!
He clutched his chest, trying to calm himself.
In the past, there had been dozens, if not hundreds, of so-called leads about the black Uma Musume every day—almost none of them turned out to be true.
Now, out of nowhere, this Tracen student claimed to know the specter's identity.
Something wasn't right.
Maybe she was trying to scam him, to get information from him without giving anything in return.
He couldn't afford to trust her so easily.
Unless she could reveal something no one else knew!
"Something no one else knows…"
The black-haired girl blinked.
"That's right—share something related to her. Besides when she'll appear at the racetrack, there must be more, right? I'm not asking for much—just give me a few credible details."
"Hmm…"
The black-haired girl thought for a moment.
"There is one thing I know."
"One day, that Black Phantom appeared by the riverbank, slowly stepped into the water, and vanished."
"At the time, she didn't know she'd been photographed. It wasn't until later—"
Her voice cut off abruptly, and the reporter found himself gaping without realizing it.
How… how did she know that?!
Could it be that this girl was there that day too?
Or, as she claimed, did she really have a special source?
Whatever the case, Fujii Senosuke had to admit that this girl clearly had unusual means.
He pulled out his business card and handed it to her.
"Here's my name and contact information. If you learn anything about her, please get in touch. Of course, I'm willing to trade information for information. Whatever you want to know—whether it's about racers or races—come to me."
"As for the details on the competitors in this race, I'll give them to you now as a welcome gift."
Reporter Fujii generously handed over a copy of the materials he had compiled to the black-haired girl.
Finally, he had found a potential lead to information about the specter. This excited him even more than hearing about Sirius Symboli's return.
So many people were searching for a way in, and he'd stumbled upon it by sheer luck.
After tucking away the business card and documents, the black-haired girl nodded to him.
"I'll keep it in mind. I'll contact you when the time comes."
"I'm available 24/7—call anytime, day or night!"
Reporter Fujii thumped his chest earnestly.
"Hey, what have you two been chattering about over there all this time?"
An annoyed voice cut in—Sirius Symboli, who felt thoroughly ignored. Why did it seem like she was the odd one out here?
Whether it was the dark-haired girl or the reporter, everyone's attention should be fixed on her and unable to look away.
Finally, her motion sickness had faded, and Sirius Symboli no longer sounded half-dead.
"It's nothing, nothing, just work-related matters," Fujii Senosuke said, waving his hands dismissively.
"Ah, that reminds me—I should probably head back and file my report. I won't disturb you all any longer. Goodbye!"
With that, Reporter Fujii waved to the group, tucked his clipboard under his arm, and hurried off.
"He's gone…" Maruzensky murmured, watching him leave before turning to the others.
"Well, we should get going too, Sirius-chan."
"Maruzensky, if by 'going' you mean getting back in that red sports car, I must decline."
After those few drifts earlier, Sirius Symboli felt like she'd lost a good ten years off her life.
"It's not far to Tracen from here. I'll walk back on my own."
"But do you even remember the way? Things have changed quite a bit since you left, you know."
"That's fine. Isn't there a 'dark jewel' right here?"
Sirius glanced at the black-haired girl beside her.
"What?" The girl blinked, confused.
"Would you mind being my guide?"
"No way."
I'm not so free that I can spend my days playing tour guide. There's a lot of information in these documents—I need to study them carefully when I get back.
Every Uma Musume listed seems to have something noteworthy.
This upcoming race might turn out to be something extraordinary.
"See? She already said no. Aren't you coming back with me now, Sirius-chan?" Maruzensky asked with a smile.
That expression reminded Sirius of vengeful spirits appearing to the dying.
"Such sharp words—but that only makes you more captivating, my dark jewel."
Please don't just assign people nicknames and then keep addressing them by it, okay?
The black-haired girl was already preparing to leave. She'd been out long enough.
"Cafe, what are you doing here?"
A cold voice came from not far away.
'New York Black Tea' had somehow found her already. In a few quick strides, she was at the girl's side, her crimson eyes fixed intently on her.
"I knew it. I wondered why you were taking so long in the restroom—you weren't even in there. But then, you wouldn't need to go there anyway. You just made an excuse to slip away."
"I never thought you'd run off into the park. I've been searching everywhere for you…"
Her voice was thick with resentment.
The black-haired girl tensed.
"Why did you run off? Do you really not want… to sit with me that badly?"
"Of course not," the black-haired girl replied immediately.
"I just ran into something unexpected. I'll head back now."
"Is that so…"
New York Black Tea nodded, her gaze shifting to the two girls behind 'Manhattan Cafe.'
Maruzensky? What's she doing here? And…
"Hello, beautiful lady," the brown-haired girl exclaimed admiringly.
"I'm Sirius Symboli. And you are…?"
"…"
'Friend' has gotten involved with strange people again.
Ignoring her outright, New York Black Tea told Manhattan Cafe to follow her and leave immediately.
She'd had enough of these bizarre incidents popping up one after another.
Later, without a doubt, she would make 'friend' pay for today's troubles.
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T/N: Gacha x Multiverse Fic Up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.