"Nearl, are you all right?"
A puzzled call pulled Nearl from her deep thoughts.
Looking up, she saw the two gray-haired figures across from her craning their necks, eyes fixed on her face.
"Sorry, I was just thinking over some plans for the future. Have I been ignoring you both?"
"Not at all, that's fine. But plans you need to dwell on this much... could they be about upcoming races?"
"Right now, you should be focusing on the Triple Crown, shouldn't you? Don't let extra thoughts clutter your mind."
Tamamo Cross furrowed her brows as she offered her opinion. In her view, the Classic Triple Crown was the only thing Nearl should be concerned with right now.
To be honest, if Nearl weren't already powerful enough to seem like she was from another dimension, Tamamo wouldn't have wanted to bother her today at all.
She should be letting Nearl focus on her training.
"Don't worry. For the Triple Crown races—no, for any race at all—I've been preparing ever since I became a Racing Uma Musume. I've done all the groundwork. Now, it's just a matter of naturally reaching that stage."
Nearl had no intention of telling Tamamo Cross what she'd really been pondering.
She understood this senior well enough. That overly petite frame housed a pride far greater than most. She would never accept her junior worrying over her.
But in just that short moment earlier, Nearl's idea had fully formed.
It wasn't just for Tamamo Cross's sake, but for all the great seniors who had come before.
'But not now. I don't carry enough weight to propose this yet. At the very least, I need the Triple Crown completed, a great achievement under my belt, for it to be convincing. For now, I'll just have to keep the idea tucked away in my mind.'
"That's good then. If you didn't have that kind of confidence, you wouldn't be the junior I know. So, you're setting your sights directly on the Japanese Derby next?"
"There's a gap of several months between that and the Kikuka-shō. Are you planning to rest until October, or will you squeeze in another race to stay sharp?"
Relieved, Tamamo Cross casually plucked a hamburger steak from Oguri Cap's bowl, ignoring the suddenly sharp glare from beside her, and asked offhandedly.
"Hmm, the interval is too long. I do plan to run a few more times during the Triple Crown season. Like the NHK Mile Cup."
"Mhmm, the NHK Mile Cup, that's a G1 race too. It probably won't be easy—"
"..."
Tamamo Cross's chewing halted. The chopsticks that had been reaching toward Oguri Cap's plate froze mid-air.
Seizing the opportunity, Oguri Cap stuffed all her remaining food into her mouth, puffing her cheeks out like a hamster, refusing to let go as she stared solemnly at Tamamo beside her.
Of course. Whenever food was present, Oguri Cap's brain would yield the right of way to her stomach.
Like right now, she hadn't grasped the implication of Nearl's words at all.
About ten seconds passed. Nearl watched as Tamamo Cross's eyes widened, as if she was about to scold, then slowly grew hesitant, her gaze fixed intently on Nearl's face across the table.
She seemed on the verge of saying something, then gave up with a sigh.
"Hahh... I almost yelled out loud just now. But thinking it over, you've always had your own plans and ideas, far more reliable than mine. I suppose it's the same now."
Nearl could only smile. She didn't know how to respond.
Should she just come out and say her physical condition was so exceptional that even high-intensity G1 races once a month were relatively easy for her? That would sound like boasting.
"I believe in you. Any decision you make, I'll support it. Follow your heart."
"Tamamo-senpai—"
"I told you, just call me Tamamo! Or if you prefer, you can follow this one's lead and call me, call me..."
Her previously smooth speech suddenly hit a snag.
A faint, embarrassed blush rose to her cheeks. Tamamo Cross now felt a shame akin to being the top favorite in a race but failing to place.
No, perhaps there was a difference.
The shame of losing a race was cold as ice, heavy as iron. But this current shame felt like walking on clouds, light and floating.
"You can just call me Tama-chan too. I don't really like it much, but it does feel more intimate, I suppose."
"Tamamo-senpai, wouldn't that be a bit rude?"
"Don't worry about it, don't worry! Manners are for strangers. I think our relationship is close enough now, so using given names should be fine."
Hands on hips, chin up, she pretended it was nothing, acting as if it were perfectly natural. But the real reason behind it, only Tamamo Cross herself knew.
"Well then... Tamamo?"
"Hm? Not calling me Tama-chan? Whatever, the offer's on the table. Whether you use it or not is up to you. But I won't give up on an equally intimate name for you!"
"Wait, since when was this decided? What 'equally intimate name'?"
"Am I not a good friend to you? How sad."
"No, of course you're a friend, Tamamo."
"Then it's normal for friends to use given names. From now on, I'll call you Margaret, just like Oguri Cap does."
"What about Margaret?"
Suddenly, just as Tamamo Cross cautiously, yet joyfully, uttered Nearl's given name, the large gray head of Oguri Cap—who seemed to have finally finished her meal—came wedging in again.
"You! Finished eating and now you come to bother me, huh?"
With a face full of feigned disgust, she pushed away the greasy mug.
But secretly, Tamamo Cross let out a sigh of relief.
Oguri Cap's sudden interjection gave her time to steady her emotions. If the conversation had continued as it was, her embarrassment meter would have shot through the roof.
"So what is it about Margaret?"
The clueless gray-haired one pressed on relentlessly.
"The race, the race! Margaret says she wants to run in the NHK Mile Cup. You're an Uma Musume too, Oguri, you must know what that means."
"Don't know. Race stuff is all Kitahara's job."
That reply made Tamamo Cross clutch her face in utter agony.
"I feel like hanging around you will suck my IQ dry one day. It's a miracle Trainer Kitahara can handle everything for you like this."
"Mhmm, Kitahara is a great trainer."
"Is that the point?! I give up. I'm completely out of patience with you."
With a sigh, Tamamo Cross finally launched into an explanation herself. What else could she do? The girl's head was clearly empty.
"The NHK Mile Cup. A 1600-meter turf G1. It and the Japanese Derby are both held in May, one at the very beginning of the month, the other at the very end. They're practically [back-to-back]."
"From past to present, no Uma Musume has ever won races with such a short interval. Not even the Emperor could do it. When she barely ran in the Japan Cup after her Triple Crown, wasn't that an upset?"
"Even though there's no doubt about Margaret's strength... [back-to-back] GⅠ races, plus a mile distance which isn't exactly her specialty... it's really hard to stay calm about it."
"Haha..."
Nearl could only smile wordlessly. She knew her own situation.
'It's not just 'not my specialty.' The mile is actually my weakest distance.'
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.