Night fell quickly.
Mizuki had a relaxing day. She hadn't explored much before, and only today did she realize how competitive Tracen was— even late at night, many Umas were training. For example, the BNW trio, the sound of their hooves echoed through their youthful years.
She also saw Smart Falcon in a moonlit corner, practicing her center-position dance. She had heard that no trainers thought highly of Smart Falcon and she kept losing in her debut races, yet she still practiced diligently. Her twists and kicks were effortless. Even though she was tired and had no audience, she still interacted with her "imaginary fans."
It was truly moving.
Turning around, she saw Wonder Acute. She was also practicing dancing, but her moves felt more like radio calisthenics. No wonder her nickname was "High School Grandma." Still, her movements were adorable.
What do you mean 'High School Grandma'?! This is clearly Tracen's 'Old Baby'.
She took out the diary again to record her inspiration, aiming for 600 words for tomorrow's upload.
[Late at night, I saw quite a few Horse Girls again, each one so beautiful. For example, Smart Falcon, Nishino Flower, Seiun Sky, and my Old Baby Wonder Acute. I love every cute little Uma equally.]
In that instant, everyone saw the sync-up. Almost everyone had to stop themself from shouting "Shameless!"
This morning she wrote she was a "pure, shy, and timid girl," and now at night she "loves every little Uma equally."
Haha, what a joke.
Mejiro McQueen puffed out her cheeks and said angrily: "Honestly, Trainer Mizuki, your eyes should be on us in Spica!"
But she was amused when she saw the "Old Baby" part. Trainer Mizuki really knows how to give nicknames.
Wonder Acute herself was looking at the log. "Old Baby..."
She admired Mizuki's naming ability, but didn't take it to heart. Many people were saying that Trainer Mizuki is a good person, she just likes to talk nonsense.
[I mainly chatted with Nishino Flower and Tokai Teio.]
[Tokai Teio wants to emulate Rudolf. She spent the whole afternoon reading Dad Jokes. She doesn't understand them at all, but she wanted to try saying one.]
[Then, a ridiculous scene happened.]
[Nishino Flower was watering flowers. Teio went up and asked, "Nishino Flower, are you busy right now?"]
[Nishino Flower shook her head.]
[Tokai Teio then said,"Ah! I was wondering water you doing to the flowers?"]
[Holy crap. I saw Nishino Flower freeze on the spot. The air turned solid for a few seconds. It was so freaking awkward.]
[I felt like Nishino Flower's toes were curling so hard from embarrassment she could have carved out a three-bedroom apartment in the ground.]
[Teio couldn't handle it, her face turned red. She probably realized her joke was lame.]
[She doesn't have Rudolf's thick skin. What a small fry, our Hachimi.]
"Darn it! Don't look down on me, Trainer Mizuki!"
Tokai Teio's face turned red again. She wanted to catch her and beat her up right now, but the dorms were already closed.
"Darn it, darn it, darn it!"
She started punching the air. She never expected the memories she worked so hard to suppress would attack her again.
"Hmph! And to think I had a good impression of her and thought about joining Spica. You're going to lose me!" Teio was incredibly embarrased, her face burning.
"Oh? Teio cares a lot about what Trainer Mizuki-san says. Maya knows that if someone cares that much about another person, they might like them," Mayano Top Gun said seriously after washing up, landing a critical hit on Teio.
"Eh? I like Trainer-san? Ha! It's more like she likes Teio-sama!"
Teio's CPU was almost fried by that little brat Mayano. She was destined to be unable to sleep tonight.
[Alright, time to sleep. Tomorrow starts the racing month. I wonder if I'll get rewards when the Horse Girls win their races...? Regardless, it's bedtime. When I wake up tomorrow, I'll be the most dashing wage slave in Tracen once again.]
Mizuki went to sleep. It was another happy day.
However, the Uma Musume grew quite curious when they reached the final segment.
They knew that completing a training goal would reveal information about their "real-life horse" counterparts. They wondered: Will we see what our real horses actually looked like?
Mejiro McQueen was especially curious. She'd had a dream where a fortune-teller told her that her real-life counterpart had two arms, two legs, and a stick of mochi. What on earth is that supposed to look like?
Silence Suzuka felt the same. What would her real-life self do at different ages? At five, ten, fifteen, or twenty... would she fall in love?
Would she marry? Or would she have a child of her own, just like Ardan? Would she always be together with Spe-chan?
She looked forward to knowing how her real-life story ended.
...
The next morning. At the train ticket office.
Mizuki, accompanied by Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka, Special Week, and the others, bought their tickets and entered the station. They were departing for the Kyoto Racecourse. Since the train station was near Tracen, the trip was quite convenient.
The group entered the carriage and took their seats. The train departed right on schedule. As the announcement rang out, the train began to accelerate, speeding along the distant tracks toward Kyoto.
[I'm speechless. As soon as I woke up and got ready to leave, I saw Mejiro Ramonu standing at my door.]
[She seemed like she had something to say to me, but she was hesitating and couldn't get the words out. What was that all about?]
Since Mizuki had free time on the road, she started writing in her diary again. Being a Trainer, she often carried a notebook, so it didn't look strange to others, they just assumed she was recording data.
When she woke up, she saw Mejiro Ramonu. She was indeed very beautiful, but the way she looked at Mizuki was... quite resentful.
However, Mizuki didn't know that Ramonu had come specifically to ask about Mejiro Ardan— and to settle the score for being called a "bad woman."
But to her frustration, she physically couldn't speak about the contents of the diary, so she eventually had to leave in a huff.
[To be honest, could Mejiro Ramonu actually have a crush on me? We've barely met— is my charm already that overwhelming?]
[It's possible. After all, most other Trainers are generally older. A fresh, "nice older sister" type like me is bound to be in high demand!]
"Curse her... why is it developing like this?"
Inside Tracen Academy, Mejiro Ramonu actually blushed. She was usually indifferent to romance, but Mizuki had just dropped a bombshell by publicizing her morning visit. She was now completely unable to defend herself— how was she supposed to explain this?
Beside her, Sirius Symboli's smirk was harder to suppress than an AK-47. She was dying of laughter. Seeing Ramonu with such a "cute" expression was a rare treat she intended to savor.