Seeing someone approach and hearing her name called, the gray-coated Uma Musume was startled. She quickly cleared her throat and adopted an elegant demeanor.
"Ah, Teio-san, and these are... the seniors from Spica, I presume? Good morning." At the same time, she performed an elegant bow.
"Mo~ McQueen, really! There's no need to be like this outside of school! And today is a day off!" Teio, however, casually walked over and patted her.
"Teio! You're always like this!" The Uma Musume naturally bristled, her ears perked up.
"Now, now, so what exactly happened?" Ling, with her higher social skills, naturally stepped in to mediate, pointing to Gold Ship, who was being surrounded by Daiwa, Vodka, and Little Special.
"Ah, you are Absolute Zero-senpai. I am Mejiro McQueen, the cousin of Mejiro Dober-nee-san, with whom you previously fought."
"Ah, just call me normally. For example, the disrespectful ones in our team all call me Z-chan."
"But Z-chan is only one year older than us, isn't she?" Special Week whispered.
"Little Special, some things, even if you understand them, shouldn't be said!" Suzuka quickly stopped Special Week.
I heard everything = =
"Hehe, Ling-senpai's teammates are very interesting."
"Hey~! McQueen! Don't ignore me!" Teio, who had been ignored on the side, also showed her displeasure.
"Ah, how rude of me. So, Teio, what are you doing here? Oh, if it's confidential, pretend I didn't ask."
"Of course we're here to play!" Teio stated everyone's purpose without hesitation.
"Eh? But..." Her gaze shifted to Ling.
"Training is certainly important, but if you only train without rest, even steel and iron bones will break, you know?"
"Ah, thank you for the lesson." McQueen's eyes darkened slightly.
However, Gold Ship on the side, perhaps her eyes had recovered, suddenly launched herself at McQueen with a flying tackle.
"McQueen! Try this move! Gold Ship's Tackle with a Twenty-Meter Radius!" And her strange words didn't stop.
But McQueen noticed something at that moment.
"Ah, this is?" She suddenly bent down to pick something up.
And as she bent down, Gold Ship flew directly over McQueen, crashing into a utility pole... or rather, the bush next to it, her eyes getting poked by the branches of the bush.
"My eyes ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!!!" She cried out, covering her eyes.
Everyone on the side showed a "= . =" expression.
Everyone knew about Gold Ship's constitution, where she wouldn't get hurt no matter how much she courted death, so they weren't worried about her getting injured.
"Well, A-fune caused you trouble, I apologize first."
"No need, we actually knew each other from before." McQueen quickly waved her hand.
"Ah, that's right. After all, the Mejiro Family and the Gold Family have always had a good relationship."
"Yes, so I'm already used to some of Gold Ship's behaviors." McQueen also sighed helplessly.
"I see... Wait a minute, McQueen, have you joined any team?" Ling's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Eh?"
"I see you and Teio have a pretty good relationship."
"Who, me and her... Ugh... We're rivals!" Her face flushed slightly, and she quickly denied it.
"Alright, rivals it is. So, do you want to join Spica?"
"Eh?" What was this? Why was the topic jumping so fast?
If McQueen was asked if she was willing to join Team Spica, she would naturally be willing.
Not to mention having Ling, the most popular Uma Musume today, as a senior to guide her in this team. Moreover, when she was gathering information about the team, she naturally saw many familiar names in the assistant coach column.
And with Teio also in this team, as rivals in the same team, they could better understand each other's information.
But why was she being asked to join so soon after just meeting? They hadn't even exchanged many words.
"Emmm, are you unwilling? Well, if you're in the same team, usually the Trainer wouldn't let their Uma Musume participate in the same race. But if it's our team, I can guarantee that if you want to, the Trainer will definitely agree." After all, Trainer Okino's doting on his Uma Musume was well-known.
"I understand that... but... if possible, could you give me a few days to consider it?" To agree so readily would seem too hasty. McQueen, who believed in maintaining a noble's composure, thought for a moment and proposed a compromise.
"You're right, I was abrupt. By the way, are you free? If you don't have other plans, would you like to come with us?"
"Eh? I actually came out to relax today..."
"Alright then, let's go."
"Eh?"
"It feels like Z-chan is very fond of Miss McQueen..." Special Week whispered to Suzuka.
"Well..." Suzuka, who roughly guessed the reason, could only offer an awkward yet polite smile.
After the group arrived at their destination, chatting and laughing.
"Eh? An arcade?"
"What's wrong, McQueen? As a young lady, is this your first time in a place like this?" Teio threw out the bait of provocation.
"How could that be? I'm not the kind of young lady who stays hidden away!" McQueen took the bait very appropriately.
The usually lively and clingy Teio was surprisingly aggressive in front of McQueen. Was this what a good rival was like?
"Then let's have a competition! Well, I definitely won't lose!"
"Ha!? Don't get carried away! Last time, who was it that lost and then refused to admit defeat, insisting on competing many more times!?"
Looking at Daiwa and Vodka on the other side, they had already started battling on two separate machines. This time, it seemed to be a racing game.
"Alright, let's not stand here anymore, everyone go in and play." Ling also called out to Teio and McQueen, who were still bickering, and Special Week and Suzuka, who looked a bit bewildered.
"Um... Z-chan, what do we... do here?" A terrified Special Week asked.
"? This is a place to play games, right?"
"But... over there..." Special Week, her face pale, pointed to a spot. Following her gaze, it was a large machine, "House of Horrors."
"Oh, that one. That's also an arcade game, but you have to go inside to play it. It's a horror game played in a dark environment, you know."
"Are there ghosts!?"
"It's just a game, Little Special. Are you really that scared of these things?"
She nodded frantically.
"Well, there are many other games. Suzuka, can I leave Teio and McQueen to you?"
"It's fine, and I also have something I want to try."
Following Suzuka's gaze, it was a game machine similar to a treadmill, with a large screen in front of it.
It seemed to be a game that simulated Uma Musume racing. You could choose various opponents as difficulty levels, and then run on the treadmill. If you could maintain the rhythm throughout, you could get a high score.
Ah, that suited Suzuka's style quite well.
On the side, Teio and McQueen were already playing a competitive arcade game with great enthusiasm, looking like good friends rather than rivals. Suzuka could also observe them from where she was running, though she probably only saw the finish line on the screen once she started running.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Alright, then I'll leave Little Special to you too."
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her."
Special Week on the side looked puzzled.
What was going on? Suzuka-san's statement sounded like entrusting her daughter to a kindergarten teacher?
Special Week suddenly thought of a possibility.
Did my wings get tangled!? (They didn't)