For the next three to five days, Gotham Song sank into deep gloom, troubled by inexplicable feelings she'd suddenly developed for her own cousin.
But still... We're sisters, right? Even without blood ties, we're still sisters.
Having romantic feelings for her own sister—
Ahh, Manhattan Cafe was indeed wonderful, flawless even. Completely perfect, yes. But—but still…
Sigh. Manhattan Cafe… Manhattan Cafe…
Honestly, Gotham Song felt something was very wrong.
Hadn't she simply planned to comfort her cousin, spontaneously joined her training, and then had a nice sisterly talk afterward?
Wasn't that how things were supposed to go?
Then how on earth had it ended up feeling like some pink-hued, overly-romantic scene?!
This is your fault, isn't it, Sunday Silence?!
[?]
Sunday Silence heard your message and replied with a single question mark, offering no further explanation.
Indeed, Gotham Song hadn't gathered the courage to kiss Cafe's cheek that day. After a brief pause, Manhattan Cafe herself had quickly returned to the previous atmosphere, pulling Gotham Song into a second round of training.
Just as the little filly had finally worked up her courage—it all evaporated instantly!
And so, how to put it?
In her strange, distracted mood, Gotham Song lost a race for the very first time—to her own cousin, no less.
Granted, at that moment, she hadn't been in any condition to race.
And then—
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, Gotham Song had fled the track entirely, locking herself in her room beneath the blankets.
This is humiliating. The opportunity was right there in front of me, and I let it slip away—
Sunday Silence was right, of course. That old ghost had probably teased at least eight thousand Uma Musume while alive, so she knew exactly what she was talking about.
It was only a kiss on the cheek. Sisters or even ordinary friends did it casually, didn't they?
Worst case, she could've brushed it off as just a playful prank. What consequences could there possibly be?
Ugh.
In any case, having clearly recognized her total failure, Gotham Song wallowed in shame for an entire day under the near-constant, 24-hour mocking from Sunday Silence.
It wasn't until the third day, after finally throwing a pillow at that old ghost, that she managed to summon enough courage to step outside again.
But just after dodging Tokai Teio's early-morning running invitation, Gotham Song unexpectedly found someone standing outside her door.
Mejiro Ardan, whom she hadn't seen or spoken with since their last meeting.
"Ardan-san… Is there something you need?"
"I came to apologize. I'm deeply sorry about what happened last time."
Ah, an apology… It must be about that meeting with Mejiro Ramonu, right?
Mejiro Ardan had clearly been acting with her own motives then, but judging by the results—or rather, her intentions—she'd genuinely been trying to protect and care for Gotham Song.
It wasn't difficult for Gotham Song to understand Ardan's motives. She'd wanted to prevent Ramonu from tracking Gotham Song down herself, avoiding any unpredictable consequences.
At least if Ardan had brought her to Ramonu personally, Ramonu would have kept herself restrained and rational.
Because Gotham Song had grasped these intentions clearly, she'd never held any resentment toward Mejiro Ardan—
Her gentle older sister wasn't the selfish type. Didn't she always treat everyone with calm grace, like a dignified and gentle "young mother"?
"I'm not upset, Ardan… nee-san. Really, not at all."
"That's a relief. Still, I brought you a gift."
Gotham Song subtly adjusted her way of addressing Ardan, deliberately avoiding Twilight Song's familiar terms to bring them closer. Seeing this, Ardan finally relaxed.
However, just as Gotham Song was curiously wondering what the gift might be, the door next to hers suddenly opened.
Fully dressed yet seemingly deep in thought, Mejiro Bright stepped into view. Spotting Ardan, she wore a slightly puzzled expression.
"Ardan-nee? It's been a while."
"Hello, Bright. You look well… But why exactly are you staying next door to Song?"
A subtle tension briefly passed between them, though it was gone almost immediately.
"What else but Ramonu-nee's orders? Ardan-nee, are you sure you don't want to come back to Mejiro Manor?"
If you don't come back, it'll be really hard for everyone, especially with Ramonu-nee's current state!
Mejiro Ardan hesitated briefly, clearly troubled, but eventually answered:
"At least for this year's family dinner, I'll attend."
"That's wonderful news! Oh, by the way—Song, do you want to come along?"
With perfect timing, Mejiro Bright suddenly extended the invitation toward Gotham Song. The little black-haired filly immediately broke into a cold sweat.
Am I allowed to suspect that you planned this from the start, Bright-nee? You've gotten scary!
The Mejiro family's dinner, specifically their New Year's Eve dinner, was a tradition. On the final evening of every year, members of the Mejiro and Symboli families gathered together, spending the night awaiting the transition to the new year.
Sometimes it was held at Mejiro Manor, sometimes at the Symboli residence.
Twilight Song had attended only once, at Mejiro Manor. But since she hadn't fully integrated into the family at the time, she'd kept cautious, quickly slipping away after eating, so Gotham Song didn't recall much.
Even so, she could clearly understand one thing:
There was a huge possibility she'd be walking into Mejiro Manor under an extremely awkward identity—an identity she absolutely should avoid!
Neo Universe had explicitly warned her about such scenarios!
If even Neo Universe had warned her…
Imagining strange scenes flashed through Gotham Song's mind—like entering Mejiro Manor's grand hall only to find Symboli Rudolf and Mejiro Ramonu waiting in full battle stance, giving an order, and then instantly pinning her down…
Gwah! No way, absolutely no way!
"Ah, I—this isn't really appropriate, is it? I'm not even part of the Mejiro family. Besides, my cousins are waiting for me."
At any rate, refuse first.
Bright seemed to realize something, nodding without pressing further.
"True, spending New Year's Eve with family is important. Well then, I hope you have fun. We'll see each other another time."
As Mejiro Ardan looked at Bright, she felt an unsettling vibe. Bright's words clearly had hidden meanings…
But it seemed Gotham Song hadn't noticed. Hmm… should she warn her?
Just as Mejiro Ardan was about to speak, Bright gently took hold of her wrist.
The intimately close sisters seemed to revert to their former closeness in that instant. Bright gave Ardan a playful wink—
It's not a big deal, right? Isn't a surprise like this more interesting?