"Li-Living together?!"
The cry burst out of Kitasan Black like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. Her ears and tail shot straight up, and her eyes went wide and round.
In the next instant, she flailed both hands in a panic, then abruptly lowered her head. Her fingers instinctively twisted at the hem of her clothes as she stammered, "N-No... you've misunderstood, we're just... just..."
Her face turned so red it looked like a ripe tomato, as if it might start dripping color at any second. She had no idea how to explain herself.
With her thoughts in a complete tangle, she unconsciously stole a glance at the Umamusume outside the door, her heart full of confusion.
She did not know this woman at all, and yet there was something strangely familiar about her.
Especially that gentle smile. She could not shake the feeling that she had seen it somewhere before.
But she had no room to think about that right now. Every bit of her attention was stuck on those words—living together.
Her thoughts drifted helplessly back over scene after scene from these past days.
Every morning, she would get up quietly before Yasui Makoto had even woken, careful as she went to prepare breakfast.
And whenever she saw how satisfied he looked eating it, she would feel satisfied too.
Even though it was still break, and his hand had not fully healed yet, Yasui Makoto had already started doing part of his work again.
Aside from going out with her and Almond Eye, whenever he had free time, he would be checking recent race information, Association updates, training notes, papers, and all sorts of other material.
At times like that, she would never disturb him. She would just stay quietly nearby, and when she happened to look through those materials with him, she would do her best to understand them and remember them.
Only when Yasui Makoto took a break would she make any noise.
For example, she might brew him a hot cup of tea or coffee, sit beside him and chat a little, ask about things she had not understood while watching earlier, or talk about little odds and ends—interesting or uninteresting, it did not matter.
She had always thought of these days spent with Yasui Makoto, staying by his side day and night while taking care of him, as nothing more than concern and responsibility.
But now that this Umamusume outside had brought it up, the more she thought about it, the more it really did start to feel like living together.
And when she thought that, her whole body felt oddly numb and tingly.
Just as she was trying to make sense of that strange feeling—one that also made her heart race—a flash of realization suddenly crossed her mind, and she vaguely remembered something.
If it's living together... isn't that only something people who like each other do...?
Who was it that said that again...? Oh, right, Dia-chan...
I think she even said that if two people like each other, they absolutely have to live together, or else it doesn't count as liking each other...
So then, between me and Trainer... what exactly are we...?
"Li-Living together?!"
At that point, repeating Kitasan Black's words a beat later as the meaning finally caught up to her, Almond Eye instantly perked up too.
She first looked at Kitasan Black in shock, then at the Umamusume outside with an excited expression, and finally at Yasui Makoto beside her.
As her gaze darted back and forth, her eyes sparkled with gossip-hungry curiosity, as though she had just discovered a whole new world.
"Now that I think about it... it really kind of is..."
She muttered under her breath, scratching her head. "How did I never realize it before? The way Kita-senpai is right now... it really does kind of look like she's living together with Trainer..."
Suddenly, a hand came down on top of Almond Eye's head, cutting her off.
The one who did it was naturally Yasui Makoto. At that moment, wearing a faintly helpless expression, he looked at the Umamusume outside the door and said with a note of complaint,
"What do you mean, living together...? Didn't I already tell you? Kita's just been taking care of me, Mom."
The moment they heard that, both Kitasan Black and Almond Eye froze.
Kitasan Black's face, which had just been bright red, went white in an instant—then red again. All the shyness and panic in her heart was immediately replaced by crushing embarrassment.
She had never imagined that the one casually suggesting she and Trainer were living together would turn out to be Yasui Makoto's mother.
Her hands fell away from the hem of her clothes and hung helplessly at her sides before she quickly tucked them behind her back. Her head dropped so low it was almost touching her chest, as though she wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and disappear into it.
Almond Eye, meanwhile, opened her eyes even wider, her mouth parting slightly in a full-on so that's what this is expression.
She looked at Kitasan Black, then at Yasui Makoto's mother, then back at Yasui Makoto. The little flame of gossip burning inside her was instantly doused with a bucket of water, leaving behind only the ashes of embarrassment.
Good thing Trainer stopped me... If I'd gone and said something outrageous, I'd have made a total fool of myself... Even as she squirmed in embarrassment, she felt secretly relieved.
At the door, Yasui Makoto's mother took in everyone's expressions and suddenly let out a soft laugh.
She removed her knitted cap and gave her head a light shake. A pair of long black ears sprang free at the top of her head, and the long black hair that had been tucked inside the cap spilled naturally down beside her cheeks.
"All right, all right, I was only joking. Of course I know Kita-chan's just been taking care of you, you clumsy boy. Look how badly you scared them."
She stepped into the apartment as naturally as if she belonged there, walked up to Kitasan Black—who still had her head bowed and no idea what to do with her hands—and gently patted her on the head.
"So anyway, thank you for taking such good care of Mako-chan these past few days. I'm really grateful, Kita-chan."
"I can call you that, can't I?"
At that, Kitasan Black answered on instinct,
"Y-Yes, of course... a-and also... it-it's nothing, really, it's what I should've done..."
The words had barely left her mouth when a thought suddenly flashed through her head.
Mako-chan... who's that...?
A moment later, she realized it was Trainer's nickname, and could not help sneaking a glance at Yasui Makoto.
When she saw the helpless look on his face as he looked at his mother, she quickly lowered her head again.
Trainer's nickname... kind of sounds cute...
The thought came out of nowhere, and she snapped back to herself just as quickly. Realizing Yasui Makoto's mother was still standing at the entrance, she hurriedly began fumbling around in the shoe cabinet.
"I-I... would it be okay if Auntie wore my slippers? There's a spare pair here—they're brand new... they should fit, I think..."
As she searched in a fluster, avoiding eye contact like a guilty thief, the words came out in a stammer.
A meaningful glint flickered through Yasui Makoto's mother's eyes. The corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly, though on the surface she only said casually,
"Anything's fine. Thank you, Kita-chan."
As she said that, her gaze wandered through the room as if by chance.
When she saw the bed placed in the middle of the living room, the sofa pushed off to the side, and the bright red lanterns hanging from the ceiling, her smile deepened again, and that same knowing look flashed through her eyes once more.
Only then did Almond Eye, who had been standing beside Yasui Makoto the whole time, finally recover from the embarrassment of a moment ago.
She blinked, looked at Yasui Makoto, scratched her head, and said quietly,
"Trainer, your mom... looks really young. Is she thirty...? No, wait—is she even twenty-five?"
At that, Yasui Makoto blanked for a moment, then could not help laughing.
I'm already nineteen. There's no way my mom's only twenty-five. What on earth is going on in this kid's head...?
But before he could say anything, Yasui Makoto's mother took the slippers Kitasan Black handed her with lowered head, thanked her, and then smiled over at Almond Eye.
"So this must be Almond Eye. You really do know how to talk."
"I can't tell you my age, but... I certainly don't mind if you think I'm only in my twenties."
"And while I'm at it, let me introduce myself. The name I debuted under was Kikō Misuzu. You can call me Aunt Mirei."
"Of course, I'd be even happier if you called me Mirei-nee."
"Sometimes, I even make Mako-chan call me that."
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