"Hmph~ What a bunch of complacent fools."
Kousei and her friends were chatting when they were suddenly interrupted. They looked up to see two Umamusume standing behind them.
One had healthy, tan skin and a cheerful smile. The other had blonde hair and seemed indifferent, with a perpetual pout.
That last remark must have come from the blonde-haired one, they thought.
"Ah! It's Little Cocon!" Just a Way exclaimed, immediately recognizing the pouting Umamusume.
"I wish you'd remember my name too," Bitter Glasse retorted, her tone sad.
The group exchanged glances. If that was Little Cocon, then the tanned Umamusume must be Bitter Glasse.
But wasn't she Acting Chairman Kashimoto's Dedicated Umamusume? What was she doing here?
Come to think of it, the most pressing question was:
"Way, how do you know Little Cocon and Bitter Glasse?"
Suspicious and curious eyes turned to Just a Way, who visibly trembled, clearly caught in a tight spot.
"Uh... because I'm a transfer student?" she stammered, desperately trying to sound convincing.
"Were you at the same school as Little Cocon and Bitter Glasse before?"
Just a Way stammered for a moment before picking up the carrot juice. "Anyone want some carrot juice?"
"Me! Me!" Bitter Glasse raised her hand eagerly.
"Glasse!" Little Cocon scolded gently.
"It's fine, right? We're not enemies anyway. We just finished training and worked up a sweat. How about we take a break together?"
Little Cocon seemed about to protest, but Urara cut her off.
"Come join us! It's more fun when we're all together!" Urara's cheerful smile and enthusiastic invitation finally wore down Little Cocon's resistance.
"Then I'll accept your hospitality."
Just a Way immediately cleared a spot and gestured for Little Cocon to sit. "Sit here!"
Though Little Cocon was slightly puzzled by Just a Way's enthusiasm, she chose to sit next to her anyway.
Bitter Glasse, meanwhile, squeezed in between Teio and Twin Turbo.
"Huh~ I thought Acting Chairman Kashimoto's Dedicated Umamusume would be some hard-to-handle troublemaker, but she's actually quite cute, especially that pouty one."
Little Cocon was sipping carrot juice when she suddenly choked and spat it out, while Teio wore a smug, gloating expression.
"You did that on purpose!" Little Cocon snapped, her cheeks flushing with anger and embarrassment, though she still looked rather endearing.
"My apologies, but you're just so cute," Teio said, adopting a faux-apologetic demeanor, her gaze flicking toward Kousei. Their eyes met.
"Looks like she's just like McQueen."
"Is this what they call 'tsundere'?"
Just a Way chimed in: "I wouldn't call her tsundere, exactly."
"It's just that her reaction is exactly like McQueen's. Trust me, if you praised McQueen even once, she'd make the exact same face."
Kousei, half-convinced, stared intently at McQueen, who looked utterly bewildered.
"What?" McQueen asked.
"I still think McQueen is cuter."
"Ha?!"
The carrot juice slipped from McQueen's hand, and she froze like a wooden statue.
After a long pause:
"No! What are you saying in front of everyone?! Are you mocking me?! Ugh!"
Kousei glanced sideways at Teio. "Isn't she angry?"
"That's just McQueen!"
Just a Way nodded knowingly, as if she understood perfectly.
Kousei frowned. "Am I the only one who doesn't get it?"
"Are Bitter Glasse and Little Cocon Acting Chairman Kashimoto's dedicated Umamusume?" Twin Turbo asked, looking at Bitter Glasse.
"Yes, why?"
"Then could you ask Acting Chairman Kashimoto to stop implementing the Management Education Program? Turbo doesn't want to be restricted."
"I'm sorry, Turbo. Even we can't change Acting Chairman Kashimoto's mind," Bitter Glasse said apologetically.
"Speaking of which, why is Acting Chairman Kashimoto so insistent on the Management Education Program?" McQueen asked.
"We're not entirely sure. Actually, she's been like this since Trainer first started working with Little and me. But we heard that the Trainer had another Umamusume before us, though she's never mentioned her."
"Hey! Bitter Glasse! Why are you telling them so much?!" Little Cocon looked visibly displeased.
"Hey, doesn't Little Cocon know the saying, 'One who takes from another is indebted, and one who eats from another is obligated'? You accepted the carefully prepared towels and carrot juice from our Kousei's trainer, didn't you? Do you realize that carrot juice was hand-squeezed by the trainer himself, sacrificing his sleep and working day and night to make it? I never expected..." Teio deliberately glanced at Little Cocon and let out a long sigh.
Little Cocon stared blankly at Just a Way, who looked just as bewildered.
"You despicable Just a Way! You schemed against me!"
"I didn't know!"
Little Cocon's eyes welled up as she frantically searched the pockets of her tracksuit, ultimately pulling out only a handful of loose coins.
With a sob in her voice, she tremblingly offered the coins to Kousei. "I'm sorry, this is all I have on me. It might not match your trainer's sincerity, but it's all I can give!"
Kousei gazed at the coins in Little Cocon's hand, then back at her earnest expression.
Is this girl a complete idiot?
She has the face of an ice goddess, but she's actually a fool?
"Don't give him any money! It's just a mass-produced juice sold all over the city. Don't listen to Teio's nonsense!" McQueen interjected, stopping Little Cocon in time. Bitter Glasse seemed used to such antics.
"Speaking of which," Kousei asked Bitter Glasse, "don't you feel oppressed under Acting Chairman Kashimoto's training?"
"You wouldn't understand what it's like to have a Trainer!" Little Cocon blurted out before Bitter Glasse could respond.
Bitter Glasse soothed Little Cocon and apologized, "I'm sorry, she gets like this whenever the Trainer is mentioned. She usually struggles to control herself, which is why she rarely speaks."
"It's alright. So, is there something you can't talk about?"
"No, though the Trainer was always strict and fixated on management, it's nothing compared to how she is now. You can tell by looking at Little and me, when we first met her, she was just a strict Trainer. She was excellent, providing us with invaluable help in running.
She also assisted us immensely with daily life, creating customized dietary plans, forbidding us from staying up late, and insisting we follow strict foot care routines-all sorts of things."
"Wait!" Kousei interrupted Bitter Glasse. "Why doesn't T ever give me a diet plan?"
McQueen rolled her eyes at Kousei. "Maybe because you've become such a glutton, devouring everything without hesitation."
"Really?"
"Yes, your weight has been steadily increasing lately. Your appetite is starting to resemble Oguri Cap-Senpai's, truly worthy of being the Grey Successor."
"But I still weigh less than you, right?"
"If I can resist indulging in high-end desserts."
Bitter Glasse's expression turned subtle. "Can I continue?"
"Go ahead."
"But everything changed after that race."
"My Japan Cup, right?"
Bitter Glasse met Kousei's gaze. "Yes, the Japan Cup. Your running style was incredibly dangerous, your actions even more so. In the final stretch, you looked like you were about to die. Tell me, what did you do?"
"Maybe I was 'letting myself die'?"
Bitter Glasse stared intently at Kousei, trying to discern something in her eyes.
"Why would you choose such a reckless running style?"
"Why did it pour rain on the day of the Derby?"
Bitter Glasse waved her hand dismissively. "When the Trainer saw everything, dangerous thoughts took root in her mind. After that, she was summoned to Central, and when she returned, she was the Acting Chairman Kashimoto we know now. We don't know what happened there, but immediately afterward came the Management Education Program. You know the rest."
"So you also know that Kashimoto's Management Education Program is unreasonable?" Teio ventured.
"Yes, but Little and I didn't say a word."
"Why not? If the Management Education Program is implemented, you and Little will have to be separated." Teio watched Bitter Glasse and Little Cocon exchange glances.
"Yes, we knew that, but we didn't care. As long as the Trainer needs our help, we'll help her. Just like how Kousei and McQueen stood by your side when you challenged the Trainer."
The two rose simultaneously, their demeanor shifting dramatically.
The two Umamusume nurtured by Kashimoto Riko began to reveal their sharpness, their icy aura shattering the tranquility beneath the trees.
"The pleasantries end here. We'll give it our all at the Seishun Cup."