The days afterward passed quietly and uneventfully. School life remained peaceful, and neither the troublesome Mejiro Ramonu nor the terrifying Satono Diamond appeared to disrupt it.
That's right, the path ahead is clear now—we just need to keep moving forward!
So don't stop now, Manhattan Cafe—hunt down those prize winnings.
After the Japanese Derby, Mejiro McQueen entered her classic year as the undisputed strongest Uma Musume of Japan's new generation.
Countless people lamented bitterly that she had missed the Satsuki Sho due to illness.
Had she won the Satsuki Sho, then the Japanese Derby, and then the upcoming Kikuka Sho, could this generation have produced another undefeated Triple Crown champion?
But even without that, an undefeated Double Crown wasn't bad at all—perhaps McQueen could even chase an alternate Triple Crown instead.
Then, unexpectedly…
Under heavy public expectations and curiosity, Mejiro McQueen dropped a bombshell announcement:
"Winner of the Japanese Derby and hailed as the strongest Uma Musume of the new era, Mejiro McQueen will not participate in this year's Kikuka Sho."
The entire Japanese Uma Musume community exploded in an uproar. Reporters swarmed Mejiro Manor seeking explanations but failed completely.
Ultimately, Mejiro Ramonu herself stepped forward with a simple statement:
"Still haven't figured it out yet? Think carefully—whose greatest regret is tied to the Kikuka Sho?"
Just one sentence—and Mejiro McQueen's previously stellar reputation plunged instantly.
Almost everyone immediately understood who Ramonu meant.
Whose greatest regret was not claiming the Kikuka Sho?
Of course, it was Twilight Song—conqueror of the American and British Triple Crowns, winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Mejiro McQueen, you arrogant brat—are you seriously refusing to fulfill our desire to witness an undefeated double crown over such a trivial reason?!
This kind of Uma Musume wasn't normal anymore. She needed to be harshly criticized!
Driven by this sentiment, hardcore Japanese traditionalists swiftly launched an overwhelming wave of slander against Mejiro McQueen.
The controversy spiraled uncontrollably. Yet, oddly enough, the Twilight Song Fan Club—filled with frontrunner Uma Musume—actually grew quite fond of McQueen:
"Lady McQueen spoke up for Twilight-sama! Lady McQueen is amazing!"
That summed up their mood fairly accurately.
Strangely, Mejiro Manor gave no significant response, simply remaining silent.
Neo Universe, however, knew plenty about this situation, sharing with Gotham Song what would happen next:
Mejiro McQueen would stubbornly refuse to respond, prompting Mejiro Ramonu into another rash decision.
URA would reorganize again.
Neo Universe described this casually, as though it happened all the time.
Indeed, it frequently did. In the parallel world Neo Universe visited most often, URA had reorganized a full seven times.
Seven times!
Yet the eighth leadership team still didn't bring much meaningful change—just slightly better PR efforts.
So, why no eighth reorganization?
Because the eighth attempt utterly infuriated Symboli Rudolf, who resigned as student council president of Central Tracen, transferring all her authority and taking over as head of URA herself.
Truly explosive stuff.
Gotham Song wasn't sure how to react after hearing that, but then again—considering it involved URA and Symboli Rudolf, it somehow made sense.
It wasn't shocking in the slightest.
After concluding there wasn't much she could do about the controversy—especially given her utter lack of public speaking ability—Gotham Song simply withdrew to focus on dealing with daily life.
Daily life…? Ah, yes, "daily life":
A constantly flustered Tokai Teio who obviously wanted to say something but never could quite spit it out; a strangely passionate and enthusiastic Manhattan Cafe; a recently discharged Agnes Tachyon who always gave Gotham Song a mysterious smile; Mejiro Bright, who had completely assumed the role of a sweet, neighborly onee-san; and finally, the gluttonous monster, Oguri Cap.
Sigh…
Was this really what daily life should look like? Could a high school girl's everyday routine be so packed that it felt ready to burst at the seams?
Watching days quietly slip by, Gotham Song eventually found herself sitting in the stands of the Kikuka Sho, wearing a fluffy woolen skirt, white tights decorated with golden patterns, and seated next to Agnes Tachyon—who had entirely switched her everyday wardrobe to a pristine white lab coat, arms crossed confidently in front of her chest.
Incidentally, Sunday Silence gazed upon Tachyon's lab coat with undisguised admiration.
Ah, old thing, at least you haven't changed one bit. Otherwise, I'd have thought this world was truly broken.
"So you see, Cafe-chan's really an idiot, isn't she? To think she'd miss two crowns simply due to insufficient prize winnings."
Agnes Tachyon spoke casually, turning to Gotham Song.
Objectively speaking… that was undeniably true.
Manhattan Cafe's skills were excellent—especially with Sunday Silence as her personal "cheat code"—yet because of various ridiculous circumstances, she'd hilariously missed both the Satsuki Sho and Japanese Derby due solely to insufficient prize earnings.
Well…
At least she made it in time for the Kikuka Sho…right?
Gotham Song observed the lively atmosphere around her.
Likely due to Mejiro McQueen's withdrawal, the crowd turnout was significantly lower than expected—but their cheering intensity hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Those local fanatics, loudly boasting about cleansing the racing world of Mejiro McQueen, screamed fervently—believing perhaps this would show off their grand spirit.
Sorry, guys. This isn't America. I might be the king of Gotham, but you're the ones who look like clowns.
A mischievous smile tugged at Gotham Song's lips as she shifted her gaze toward the racetrack.
Scream all you like. Cry out. Struggle.
Because soon you'll be weeping uncontrollably. I really hope you'll still have this much energy next year at the Kikuka Sho.
If this is your recovery after defeat, then perfect.
I'll just crush your spines once again—making sure you never stand back up.
After a moment, Gotham Song raised her cousin's cheering flag high. No matter what, Manhattan Cafe had always treated her incredibly well. And right now, what did she have to do?
Naturally, cheer wholeheartedly for Manhattan Cafe to win the Kikuka Sho.
Because next year, the landscape of Japanese Uma Musume racing would be transformed entirely.
Under Agnes Tachyon's horrified, ghost-seeing expression, Gotham Song channeled her Uma Musume endurance to vigorously wave Cafe's banner.
"Charge, Manhattan Cafe! Crush them completely!"
From afar, Sunday Silence caught a brief but unmistakable twitch on Manhattan Cafe's normally expressionless face.
Heh…You really are amusing, you little brat.
I think I might be growing fonder and fonder of you.