Long ago, Wang Mang assembled an army of four hundred thousand against Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, who commanded fewer than ten thousand.
A forty-to-one difference.
More than enough to crush an enemy even in a siege.
Unfortunately for Wang Mang…
His opponent refused to play fair.
A meteor fell from the sky and struck Wang Mang’s main force.
A battle that should have been guaranteed victory ended in defeat because of a natural disaster.
The pain of such a thing was impossible to describe.
It was almost as though the enemy had never been relying on those ten thousand troops in the first place.
They’d been relying on the meteor.
Li Ze felt exactly like Wang Mang right now.
He suddenly realized that everything Tazuna had said earlier was just playing around.
Only at the final moment did the blade emerge.
The picture was exhausted.
The dagger revealed.
Like the boy who cried wolf.
The first two cries were for fun.
On the third…
The wolf actually came.
And nobody believed him.
After the initial shock, Li Ze forced himself to calm down.
The situation was bad.
His reaction hadn’t escaped Tazuna.
The increasingly obvious smile on her face proved that much.
“What’s wrong, Natsume-kun?
“Are you feeling unwell?
“Or did that question surprise you?” “Yes.
I’m surprised.” After regaining control, Li Ze attempted one final struggle.
“Anyone would be shocked if someone suddenly claimed that all the identity records of a person close to them were fake.
“You’re basically saying she doesn’t exist as far as society is concerned.” Instinct told him he was near the end of the road.
But logic insisted there was still a chance to reverse the situation.
If a team could come back from a ten-thousand-gold deficit in esports…
Why couldn’t he?
Tazuna Hayakawa couldn’t possibly have authority to inspect police household-registration records, right?
Come on.
She was just the secretary of an Uma Musume academy’s chairman.
How could she— “I specifically asked the government to check the household registry.” No way.
Seriously?
An Uma Musume academy can ask the government to investigate private records?!
Aren’t Japanese officials supposed to specialize in bowing apologies?
They can actually get work done?!
For a moment, amid the smell of grilled meat, Li Ze imagined exhausted civil servants working overtime under pressure from a single telephone call.
Pitiful wage slaves.
“What exactly are you trying to say, Miss Hayakawa?
“The government should have records for Reiko.
“If it doesn’t, then that’s a problem with the government system.
“And if Reiko had no identity information, she couldn’t possibly have registered for an official Uma Musume race.” Did you really think I wouldn’t anticipate that?
I lived in China in my previous life!
I know perfectly well that without legal identity documents, you can’t do anything!
So from the very day I decided to debut as an Uma Musume, I found a way to get Reiko registered.
Didn’t expect that, did you?
Victory was back in Li Ze’s hands.
He still didn’t believe Tazuna had decisive evidence.
She was free to suspect him.
But actual proof?
She couldn’t produce it.
“That’s true.
“But why did I discover that Natsume-san’s identity was only entered into the system last month?” You can even investigate that?!
This is getting annoying!
Are your government connections really that powerful?!
Can Rudolf do this too?
Li Ze’s imagination once again filled with government employees laboring beneath invisible pressure.
“What would I know?
“I only discovered that Reiko was missing from the registry when she decided to begin racing.
“That’s why we registered her then.
“Honestly, the government is infuriating.
“How can they make a mistake with something this important?
“Don’t they understand that a single grain of dust from the bureaucracy becomes a mountain when it falls on ordinary people’s heads?” When uncertain…
Blame the government.
Certain online fandoms had taught Li Ze well.
He was never wrong.
If something went wrong…
Someone else must have caused it.
“Government work is often slow, but your bias is rather extreme, Natsume-kun.
“Actually, I visited the director of your old welfare home recently.” “The director?
“Oh.
You mean Iron Assault Children’s Home?
“I visited there with Reiko last month too.
“Is Grandma doing well?” Li Ze asked with genuine concern.
When he’d been trying to create Reiko’s identity, he’d spent a long time struggling for a solution.
Eventually, he’d returned to the welfare home and asked the elderly director for help.
She hadn’t pressed him for a detailed explanation.
She’d simply cooperated and helped establish Natsume Reiko’s legal identity.
Anyone capable of maintaining a children’s welfare home day after day possessed a level of moral character beyond what someone like Li Ze felt qualified to question.
He didn’t worry that Tazuna could extract anything from the old woman.
Once Grandma promised something…
She kept her word.
Still…
Tazuna had gone that far?
Her initiative was terrifying.
Why was she so invested in something that had nothing to do with her?
While Li Ze marveled at Tazuna’s persistence…
She spoke again.
For some reason, he felt increasingly uneasy.
Every time Tazuna opened her mouth, she produced another argument supporting the idea that Natsume Sawa and Natsume Reiko were the same person.
If Li Ze hadn’t mentally prepared himself before coming, answering each attack one by one…
He would’ve surrendered long ago.
“Grandma is doing well.
“But while I was there, I happened to meet several young adults who’d returned to visit her.
“According to them…
“None of them remember anyone named Natsume Reiko.” According to the registry…
Natsume Reiko had grown up in Iron Assault Children’s Home.
Li Ze had exploited certain bureaucratic gaps to establish that record.
Of course, a normal person couldn’t easily do that.
But Reiko was an Uma Musume.
Not a normal person.
And Iron Assault Children’s Home happened to be licensed to accept orphaned Uma Musume.
That was precisely the loophole he’d used.
But…
If Natsume Reiko had actually grown up there…
Then the other children raised in that same welfare home should remember her.
Damn it!
There’s still a development like this?!
How am I supposed to argue against that?
Have the heavens decided to destroy me?!
For the first time, Li Ze couldn’t immediately invent an excuse.
His lack of life experience left him stranded.
The fact that he’d held out this long was already the result of thick skin and extensive preparation.
His expression must have been complicated.
Just like the emotions inside him.
This defeat is not the fault of my strategy.
Heaven itself wishes me dead!
“Pfft.” Tazuna laughed.
“You’re really interesting.
“Exactly the opposite of what Mika said.” “Hm?” Li Ze mentally produced an enormous question mark.
What was this?
Humiliation?
She believed she’d already won, so now she was mocking him?
Excuse me.
I still haven’t admitted that Natsume Sawa and Natsume Reiko are the same person!
“I’ll consider that an admission.
“Though honestly, even if you keep denying it, that’s fine.
“You’re still young.
“You leave too many gaps.
“Here.
“Look at this.” Tazuna took out her phone, opened a video, and handed it to Li Ze.
“This is security footage from the racetrack.
“I specifically searched for it.
“Look.
“Natsume Reiko enters a camera blind spot.
“Immediately afterward, Natsume Sawa walks out.
“I don’t understand what method you’re using…
“But I can say with confidence that Natsume Sawa and Natsume Reiko are the same person.” She continued: “And don’t bother making excuses.
“I checked other camera angles too.
“There’s no footage of Natsume Sawa entering that blind spot.
“In fact, on that entire day, none of the entrance cameras recorded Natsume Sawa entering the venue.
“And none recorded Natsume Reiko leaving.” So from the very beginning…
You had decisive evidence?!
Tazuna Hayakawa…
This was your checkmate?!
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