"Don't worry. With onee-san backing you, I guarantee nobody will dare mess with you." Maruzenski made her promise confidently.
"Heh. You might be able to back me up for now, but can you protect me for life?" Hayato laughed bitterly at himself. "I really can't go back to school now, can I?"
"Don't be so pessimistic. So, where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere. As long as there are no uma musume." Hayato looked dead inside.
"Hehe, there's an uma musume right next to you. You think you can escape after getting in my car?" Even as she said this, Maruzenski steered toward an empty highway.
The wind whipping past felt amazing. This kind of breeze was genuinely comfortable.
Compared to those five hundred uma musume, no matter how scary Maruzenski was, she couldn't be worse than that, right?
Fine. Might as well move into the old ski basement. That outcome didn't seem so bad... if her basement had room...
Switching accounts and ignoring those uma musume wouldn't solve the problem anyway.
Hayato updated his status: "Aside from training issues, I won't respond to anything."
That finally quieted things down a bit.
If it were just training questions, replying would be much simpler. He could answer one or two when he had time.
"About this situation, Rudolf said she could help you solve it. But she has a condition." Maruzenski glanced at Hayato's updated status.
"Hm? Doesn't she still owe me a favor?" Hayato felt a bit indignant, then continued, "How would she solve it?"
"It's different matters, different prices." She paused, then continued, "The solution is actually simple. She wants to use this opportunity to establish an Uma Musume consultation center. You'd be the director, with her and Air Groove as assistants. That way, uma musume won't bother you anymore."
That suggestion sounded pretty good. Imagine those weird questions. All Hayato would have to do is reply "This is Rudolf," and every problem would be instantly solved.
With Symboli Rudolf's backing, which uma musume would dare to approach?
"What's Rudolf's condition?"
"She hasn't said yet. She told me to get you to agree first."
"So she sent you as a negotiator? Taking advantage of the situation."
"Of course not. I genuinely came to take you for a ride. Whether you agree or not is your call."
If she hadn't seen Hayato looking so troubled, she wouldn't have bothered mentioning it.
Given how things were, could he really refuse?
These were terms he couldn't reject. Even if the condition was doing the winning live stage dance with her, he'd have to agree.
Putting that aside, Maruzenski's driving skills were no joke. Drifting was like child's play to her. Good thing this was a Lamborghini, or it'd be totaled by now.
She even enjoyed spinning the car 360 degrees in place, making sparks fly from the pavement. Driving like this felt like a dream.
"Haha! How's that? Riding is pretty exhilarating, right? Like becoming the wind itself?"
"Maruzen, if you were in the passenger seat, you definitely wouldn't feel this way."
"Call me Maru-nee. From now on, you're my little bro. I've got your back." After saying this, Maruzenski floored the gas pedal again, sending the speed soaring.
Hayato's hair stood on end. He wanted to scream, but didn't quite dare open his mouth. Maruzenski wavy hair looked even more stunning in the wind.
She confidently pushed the car to some kind of limit, at least over 300 kph.
Just like she said, it was like becoming the wind. No, surpassing the wind. Racing at speeds beyond the wind was something to be proud of. This kind of speed made you forget all your worries.
Intoxicating and addictive.
No wonder she loved this feeling. Hayato was slowly starting to love it too.
An hour later, the red sports car finally stopped.
If his body wasn't stronger than the average person's, he'd probably be throwing up right now.
Maruzenski parked by the ocean. She seemed to really like this place, getting out and quietly enjoying the sea breeze.
"So, Trainer, how was it? After racing, you've got to come to the beach, right? Don't you find it romantic?"
I'm not your trainer. Don't call me that so affectionately... Actually, she did just rescue me. Saying that would be pretty ungrateful...
"Yeah, the ride was really fun. This place is beautiful." When a hot girl in a Lamborghini picks you up, what complaints could you possibly have?
"Really? Then I can bring you here every day from now on."
Hey, hey, that was just a polite response. Don't take it seriously... "We'll see when there's time."
Maruzenski didn't care about any of that. She was already taking off her shoes. "Come on, Trainer. Let's do something romantic."
Her idea of "romantic" was walking barefoot on the sand. Hayato followed suit and removed his shoes too.
The morning beach had thick fog. The sun wasn't too strong.
Walking on the sand like this felt nice on the feet. Sometimes you could even find shells.
"Doesn't it feel like we're a couple, Trainer?"
"Hm?" Hayato touched his chest, not taking the bait.
What are you getting at? When am I moving into your basement?
"Don't be like that, Trainer. I'm not gonna eat you." The perceptive Maruzenski noticed Hayato wasn't happy. He seemed worried instead.
This was the complete opposite of why she'd brought him out here.
"Trainer, let's play chase. Like couples do in movies. But I'm the one running. Catch me, and I'll reward you with a hug."
She ran off as she spoke. "Come on, Trainer!"
After Maruzenski's repeated teasing, Hayato stopped hesitating and gave chase. But Maruzenski was incredibly fast. Catching her seemed impossible.
He'd already seen her stats. Over 700. Currently, Tracen's fastest uma musume.
Plus, she had a speed-devouring red skill. Combined with her unique ability and unlocked domain, she was just as terrifying as Rudolf.
Speed Eater: Slightly steals velocity from runners behind when positioned toward the front mid-race. (Mile)
She delighted in teasing Hayato. "Come catch me, Trainer!"
"Like I could actually catch you!"
"You won't know unless you try!"
She didn't run too far, occasionally stopping to let Hayato get close. But he still couldn't grab her. With just one sidestep, she'd evade him.
"Maru-nee, let me catch you just once. Just once..."
"Hehehe, is the trainer so captivated by me that his eyes have turned perverted?" Maruzenski struck seductive poses while still not letting him get close.
"If you didn't seduce me, would this even be happening?"
After one of Hayato's sudden bursts of speed, he almost caught her. Unfortunately, Maruzenski still escaped.
After that escape, she became more alert, no longer giving him a chance to get close. Now it really was a proper chase.
This old ski...
Hayato was exhausted to the bone, while Maruzenski looked like she was having the most fun she'd had in years.
--
Thx for the drawing one...