It seemed Gotham Song had managed to dodge the first assault from Mejiro Manor. After a quick check-in with Neo Universe, she was even more certain of this fact.
In every parallel world Neo Universe had experienced, Gotham Song had a high probability of being whisked away to Mejiro Manor immediately after her first encounter with Mejiro Ramonu—after which her daily life would quickly descend into chaos.
But having avoided capture this first time, she had bought herself at least a short window of safety.
Well, almost.
Because, unexpectedly, a certain someone had just moved in next door:
Mejiro Bright.
It was as though Mejiro Bright wasn't even trying to hide the fact that she was investigating something—openly settling into the room right next door, bold as brass.
Although mildly exasperated, Gotham Song and Neo Universe didn't particularly mind. Besides, Neo Universe's Great Encyclopedia had reassured them on one crucial point:
Most of the time, Mejiro Bright was more ally than adversary.
But honestly, it wasn't that Gotham Song hadn't thought about all this—she just genuinely had no time.
Literally, no time at all.
How could one possibly describe Gotham Song's daily routine lately?
Probably something explosive enough to make Mejiro Ramonu burst on the spot.
Each morning began with Tokai Teio's knocking, followed immediately by Neo Universe's relentless urging for her to get dressed quickly. Occasionally, they'd go for a morning run together—sometimes just the two of them, other times with Neo Universe tagging along as well.
And these group runs were becoming more frequent by the day.
At midday, Oguri Cap would invariably stage her ambush, dragging Gotham Song into an afternoon jog. Then, as dusk approached, Manhattan Cafe would punctually appear for quiet companionship.
And at night…
Evenings were often her only period of real freedom. Gotham Song enjoyed the occasional gentle jog around the turf in these moments of quiet.
The only problem…
These nights would frequently be interrupted by an increasingly enthusiastic science fanatic, Agnes Tachyon, or by Mejiro Ardan's repeated invitations for bonding.
Speaking of Mejiro Ardan, she'd seemed genuinely troubled since their previous encounter, plagued by guilt until Gotham Song reassured her repeatedly that everything was fine.
How could I ever be angry with Ardan-san?
Ultimately, Gotham Song realized something important: her relationships with everyone were steadily growing warmer.
Ah, we're all becoming such good friends, aren't we?
With these cheerful thoughts, Gotham Song enjoyed this rare moment of freedom beneath the stars, jogging leisurely along the path with the night's cool breeze brushing against her face.
Just a bit more, then I'll head back and rest. Tomorrow is the Japanese Derby after all. Though I'm not participating, a certain troublemaker definitely is.
She certainly intended to watch the race in person—after all, Mejiro McQueen was running in that G1 event.
Yet, just as Gotham Song slowed down, preparing to leave, an unfamiliar presence caught her eye near the field entrance.
Orange hair, dressed casually in green—if her memory served correctly, this was probably Silence Suzuka.
How surprising. More and more familiar faces from the Uma Musume world keep appearing, though the order's slightly different from my memory.
She'd already met Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen as newly debuted fillies, and now Silence Suzuka appeared—but Special Week was still nowhere to be found.
Not particularly inclined to interact, Gotham Song halted her steps and put on her jacket to leave. But even as she dressed, her eyes curiously followed Suzuka's hesitant movements.
After a moment of obvious indecision, Suzuka finally seemed to make up her mind. Adopting her racing stance on the track, she took off swiftly into the darkening night.
This was only the second "big runaway" Uma Musume Gotham Song had encountered, so she couldn't help but observe more closely.
While Gotham Song knew something about running as a frontrunner herself, Suzuka's condition still exceeded her expectations.
If Twin Turbo's runaway style was about sheer recklessness, and Twilight Song's own running was fearless determination, then Silence Suzuka's movements…
They could only be called pure enjoyment.
It was as though Suzuka didn't care about running itself—she simply lost herself in her own world, chasing the scenery stretching endlessly ahead of her.
Intrigued after a short pause, Gotham Song shed her jacket once again and spontaneously chased after Suzuka's trail.
Thus, two complete strangers began a run together in the dead of night—without ever exchanging a single word.
The result…
It was Gotham Song who willingly gave up.
It wasn't that she couldn't catch Suzuka—if she had chosen to launch a full assault, she would have easily closed the distance. But Suzuka's reaction to the challenge was so unexpectedly fierce it left Gotham Song stunned.
Faced with the shrinking gap between them, Silence Suzuka's response wasn't surrender—it was an explosive burst of acceleration, again and again!
Ultimately, Gotham Song decided to stop. She worried Suzuka might collapse if this continued—and Gotham Song certainly didn't want that guilt weighing on her.
Finally, after their impromptu competition ended, Suzuka slowed down and approached Gotham Song. And then…
An awkward silence fell between these two strangers.
"Um… Hello? I'm Gotham Song."
"Silence Suzuka… Thank you, Gotham-senpai, for joining me in this training."
Senpai? Gotham-senpai, huh… So Suzuka hasn't debuted yet, then.
Confirming her guess, Gotham Song nodded gently, but then a look of concern crossed her features.
"Suzuka-san… Maybe it's not my place to say this, but—is it really alright to push yourself to this extent when running?"
Suzuka's fate was one of the few tragic ones Gotham Song distinctly remembered. Such fame was truly bittersweet.
Suzuka seemed startled by Gotham Song's worry but quickly responded with unwavering resolve.
"Even so, I still want to see the view from first place."
"And besides…"
Besides?
"If the price of running like this is ending on the track like Ruka-senpai did… Even if I knew it beforehand, I wouldn't hesitate."
Gotham Song's lips twitched slightly.
How is this my fault again? I didn't cause that… right?
Suddenly, an uncomfortable thought crossed the black-haired Uma Musume's mind.
Just as Twilight Song's story had influenced Suzuka—could it be that all frontrunners had been similarly inspired?
Gotham Song desperately hoped that wasn't true.
Because, honestly, she couldn't handle responsibility for every single frontrunner out there!