"...those safety mats are so soft you could dive off the bridge deck and not feel a thing..."
Hearing that, Jeanne cast an involuntary glance toward Blaze on the announcer's stand. She had a sneaking suspicion the Feline wasn't joking in the slightest. Did Rhodes Island actually run extreme stunt activities on a routine basis? Judging by Blaze's offhand tone, she had likely tried it more than once.
Faced with behavior that dangerously bordered on a death wish, Jeanne could only offer her silent admiration. She then sneaked a peak at Kal'tsit beside her, whose face had visibly darkened. It was abundantly clear the doctor took issue with Blaze's reckless antics, leaving Jeanne to pray for the operator's well-being once the event concluded.
"And look at that, folks—Operator Scout is making his move to overtake! He's accelerating, he's almost got it! Ah, what a shame! ACE's massive frame completely blocks the line! He couldn't force his way through—what a missed opportunity!"
Even from the play-by-play commentary, it was obvious how fierce the competition was. Every racer was giving their all to claim victory, leaving Jeanne increasingly curious as to what grand prize awaited the champion.
Down on the course, the race continued to unfold. Jeanne observed that the pack had naturally split into three distinct tiers: the lead group fighting tooth and nail for the title, a second wave straining to close the gap, and bringing up the rear... a cluster of absolute chaotic pranksters who were clearly just here for a good time!
That third group had somehow produced an array of minor gadgets, gleefully using these harmless tools against their rivals and transforming a straight speed trial into a full-blown party game.
Watching the boisterous crowd, Jeanne briefly felt as though she had been transported straight back to Laterano. In all her long years wandering Terra, this was the very first time outside of the holy land where she had witnessed such a joyful, tight-knit group coming together purely to enjoy themselves.
When Jeanne voiced these thoughts aloud, Kal'tsit fell into a gentle silence. A faint flicker of nostalgic warmth shone in her eyes, betraying her deep satisfaction with the present state of Rhodes Island. It was clear she held genuine affection for the sanctuary she had helped build.
"Alright, folks, we've crossed the halfway mark! Leading the charge by a healthy margin is Operator ACE, showcasing agility that utterly defies his size, with Scout hot on his heels! Strangely enough, the rest of the pack is lagging quite a bit behind these two. Could it be... look at that! They've started going head-to-head! Rosmontis, what do you think? Who's taking the win? Huh... wait, did she fall asleep?"
Blaze turned toward the child beside her. Rosmontis had her head bowed, looking for all the world like she had drifted off, though she blearily raised her head the moment Blaze called her name.
"Huh? Who are you?"
Right on cue, the child had completely forgotten who Blaze was. Fortunately, her instincts recognized Blaze as a friend, keeping her from reacting with any sudden defense Arts.
"I'm Blaze! Did you forget again? Check your terminal—you definitely added me as a friend in there!"
Seeing Rosmontis so disoriented, Blaze completely abandoned her hosting duties, desperately wanting the child to recognize her right away so she wouldn't feel anxious.
"I remember... Big Sister Blaze, the cat... a clingy friend who often says behind Doctor Kal'tsit's back that she's a bit..."
Rosmontis, completely unaware she was speaking directly into an open microphone, read out her personal terminal notes line by line, including the unflattering remarks about Kal'tsit that Blaze had made in secret.
Though Blaze lunged forward to muffle the microphone before the worst of it slipped out, the fact that she had badmouthed Kal'tsit behind her back was now public knowledge. Blaze's tail puffed up in sheer terror, though she tried to console herself with the frantic hope that Doctor Kal'tsit wouldn't dwell on such minor details... right?
"Ah... ha... hahaha! Moving past those completely irrelevant details, let's turn our attention back to the race track! Where is our reigning champion right now? Wait, why is Operator Logos so far behind ACE and Scout? Did he make a fatal error earlier on? Is the reigning crown of the Chair Sliding Tournament about to be snatched away?!"
Blaze forced an insanely awkward transition, desperately redirecting the crowd's focus back to the track as if Rosmontis's words had been a collective hallucination. Yet Jeanne knew it wasn't going to be that simple—she could practically see Kal'tsit logging the infraction into a mental ledger.
When the right moment came, Doctor Kal'tsit would undoubtedly deliver a deeply unforgettable little punishment to her colorful Elite Operator.
Still, now was hardly the time to haul the offender away for a scolding. Both Jeanne and Kal'tsit understood this, quietly remaining in place to watch the rest of the race. Any unsettled scores could wait until they returned to the office.
With Blaze redirecting everyone's gaze toward Logos, the crowd focused on the strikingly handsome Sarkaz moving at an unhurried, measured pace. Though a considerable gap separated him from ACE and Scout, Jeanne noticed the distance remained completely constant—he was clearly executing a deliberate plan.
"We need to find a way to team up on Logos first!" ACE called out, glancing back at Scout while maneuvering his chair. "If we let him finish whatever it is that he's planning, he's going to steal the win again! Our primary target is the same, isn't it?"
While the crowd remained tuned into Logos's movements, no one noticed ACE and Scout whispering feverishly to each other at the front of the pack. The two operators accelerated down the straightaway while hammering out a strategy to handle the reigning champion, the lenses of ACE's sunglasses flashing with a sinister glint.
"If you're serious about teaming up, show some real good faith!" Scout shot back through gritted teeth. "Ease off the gas first! Only then will I trust a word out of your mouth, you bastard!"
Scout was far from naive. The finish line was fast approaching; if he diverted his efforts to block Logos now, his own chances of securing victory would drop to near zero.
Falling from runner-up to third place—or worse—was an outcome he refused to accept. If he dropped that far down the standings, Logos might not even bother accepting his challenge next time!
"Keep the bigger picture in mind!" ACE urged, maneuvering his chair alongside Scout's. "Our core objective is keeping Logos off the top spot! As long as he doesn't win, does it really matter which one of us takes the crown?"
"Like hell! I'm not giving up—holy *Sarkaz curse*! That bastard is making his move!"
Perhaps sensing the impending finish line, Logos—who had maintained a steady, calculated distance—suddenly burst into raw acceleration! The shift in momentum was like comparing a tuned racecar to a manual wheelchair.
"Woah! Look at that, folks—Logos is pulling out his signature jet-boost technique!" Blaze roared into the microphone, her voice rising an octave in pure excitement. "If memory serves, Operator Scout suffered a heartbreaking loss to this exact trick last year! Will he find a way to counter it this time?!"
As the climax of the race approached, even Blaze couldn't contain her enthusiasm, her energetic commentary echoing across the entire flight deck.
Down on the track, Logos's chair surged forward at an absurd rate, as though an invisible, immense hand were shoving him from behind. The man was unequivocally using Arts!
In fact, his chair was hovering on the verge of taking flight! When it came to a master of Arts, possessing raw power meant having the luxury to be entirely unreasonable.
"I'll anchor him here—you make a break for the finish line!" ACE barked, abandoning any lingering ambition for victory. He knew his massive frame was the only barrier capable of halting Logos's momentum; Scout's lighter build would be swept aside in an instant.
"ACE... you... if there's a grand prize, I'll hand it all over to you!" Scout yelled back, driving his chair forward with renewed vigor. A faint swirl of breeze gathered around his frame, though its force paled in comparison to the tempest trailing Logos.
"Raaah! You shall not pass!" ACE declared, positioning his bulky body like an immovable wall directly in Logos's path. Spotting the blockade, Logos began weaving in a serpentine pattern, attempting to throw off ACE's defensive line.
"Don't think a simple trick like that will shake me!" ACE roared, unwavering in his conviction. This time, he was determined to drag the champion off his pedestal!
"If you think that's enough to stop me, you're severely underestimating my repertoire!" Facing ACE's fortress-like stance, Logos suddenly flashed the wicked, satisfied grin of a strategist whose trap had just sprung.
With a swift motion, he hoisted his chair slightly off the ground—and blasted directly into the air! Abandoning the track entirely, Logos began gliding effortlessly through the sky!
"Incredible! Operator Logos has taken to the air!" Blaze shouted, leaping to her feet on the commentary platform. "That is an outcome no one could have anticipated! He has cleared ACE! He's bypassed Scout! The championship crown is within his grasp!"
The crowd went wild as Logos pulled off a miraculous reversal from an axis no one had bothered to defend.
"That's a foul! This is a chair sliding tournament, not a chair flying competition!" Scout yelled out in sheer frustration. "You're not even competing on the same plane as the rest of us! You're way too shameless, Logos!"
To come so close to victory only to watch it fly away over his head was a devastating blow to his pride!
"Relax! Tell you what—I'll hand the grand prize over to you and just keep the trophy for myself!" Logos called back with a chuckle as he glided across the finish line, with Scout crossing a split second later.
"And there we have it, folks—our champion has been crowned!" Blaze's voice boomed across the flight deck. "Let us extend our warmest congratulations to Logos for defending his title! The grand prize for first place is a full year's supply of customized nutritional meal plans, generously sponsored by Miss Hibiscus! Let's give him a round of applause!"