"This milk tea is so tasty!"
Tokai Teio held her large milk tea, smiling so happily that her eyes narrowed in delight.
This was the irresistible charm of milk tea! Even a certain Shanghai idol living in Tokyo loved HeyTea immensely. Garden Gale couldn't resist taking a few extra sips.
It really was a wonderful taste she hadn't often experienced.
It genuinely tasted great.
As they drank, Tokai Teio suddenly glanced over at Garden Gale. At exactly the same moment, Garden Gale also looked up, their eyes meeting briefly. Instantly, Garden Gale jerked her gaze away, reacting intensely, only to casually shift her eyes back a second later, pretending nothing had happened.
Tokai Teio looked away as well.
Both tacitly decided not to mention the incident at the crosswalk.
In fact, after that close call, Garden Gale hadn't dared get distracted again. She crossed the street very carefully, still determined not to break her legs. But neither spoke up to break the silence, and they'd held hands quietly until they were safely across the road.
After all, there was really no excuse to continue holding hands afterward.
Continuing to hold hands would've been weird, wouldn't it?
"By the way," Tokai Teio suddenly spoke up, deliberately restarting the conversation. After spending time together, she had gotten a pretty good sense of Garden Gale's personality—quiet, somewhat withdrawn, but honestly pretty adorable in her awkwardness. "There's only three days left until your debut race, GG-san."
"I'm jealous," she said, counting down theatrically on her fingers.
Garden Gale raised an eyebrow.
Jealous? Why are you jealous? They'd gotten close enough that it didn't feel awkward to ask directly anymore:
"Jealous?"
Tokai Teio nodded emphatically. "Yeah… I'm jealous. Of course I'm jealous! After winning your debut race and the early qualifiers… then you can finally chase after your ultimate dream. The Classic Triple Crown—Satsuki Sho, Japanese Derby, Kikuka Sho—I'm definitely going to win them all, not leaving a single one behind!"
She recited the names of the races as easily as listing dishes from a menu.
Garden Gale clearly saw the fire burning brightly in Tokai Teio's eyes.
She could see just how desperately she yearned for those three races… and the iron-clad resolve behind those simple words.
Garden Gale pressed her lips together.
What was she supposed to say?
Should she say she hoped Tokai Teio could achieve those victories?
Anyway at the moment, Garden Gale herself didn't even dare dream of entering those races.
Before she could find the words to respond, Tokai Teio continued earnestly:
"You absolutely have to win the Triple Crown too, GG-san! Be my own Mr. CB—no, wait, what am I even saying? Hahaha… but a little debut race shouldn't be an issue for you, right?"
Tokai Teio laughed awkwardly, quickly changing the subject.
You're seriously overestimating me!
Garden Gale almost screamed aloud.
Classic Triple Crown? How could I possibly?! Even if I broke my legs running, I'd never reach that speed! And my debut race is absolutely a huge problem! If it weren't, would I even be here right now clingily flirting with you? Only sticking close to you can make me stronger!
"I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem," Tokai Teio confidently continued, entirely unaware of Garden Gale's internal turmoil—especially since Garden Gale still hadn't said a single word aloud. Maybe Teio had already grown accustomed to this dynamic, as she cheerfully concluded: "After all, if there really was a problem, you wouldn't be wasting your time with me right now. You'd be desperately training at the track. Even if you don't say anything, I just know it won't be an issue."
"GG-san, you're super strong. Even stronger than me! Narita Top Road definitely won't beat you."
"Even though she's ranked first in popularity and you're second, you'll still win, forcing her to debut again next time!"
Listening to this absurd praise, Garden Gale finally couldn't hold it in anymore:
"Wait a second!"
"Actually, I've been wondering about this for ages," she gritted her teeth, finally asking outright, "Why do you even think I'm stronger than you, Teio-san? What if I'm actually weaker?"
You're stronger than me, no problems even if you don't say anything?
Nonsense!
There is a very big problem, okay?!
Unable to restrain her curiosity any longer, Garden Gale genuinely wanted to know how these Uma Musume kept coming up with such wild assumptions.
"Uh…"
Tokai Teio hesitated at the sudden question.
Then she tapped her finger thoughtfully, smiling as she answered, "Probably because of your composure."
"It just seems…like you can calmly handle anything thrown your way. Really, GG-san, that's the exact vibe you give off—like even if the sky itself came crashing down, you'd still wear an expression of total confidence. Especially when you're standing there in your hoodie, so utterly relaxed—it's as if everything's under your complete control. You're so perfect it's like looking at a work of art. Sometimes I even feel lucky that I'm one year below you, debuting next year."
"If we debuted together, I might never be able to win the Classic Triple Crown."
"You're seriously super strong."
Σ(OдO|||)ノノ
This was exactly Garden Gale's expression right now.
Ahh… so, is their delusions purely because I'm just too pretty? Is that it? That's not confidence or composure at all, you idiots! I'm just trembling in fear and hiding it behind a neutral face! I can't handle anything at all! I can't even beat Narita Top Road!
I've completely run out of energy to complain.
There were simply too many misunderstandings piled up.
She had no idea where to start explaining… Garden Gale ultimately decided it was too tiring to even try to correct the misunderstanding.
Too lazy to admit that she was actually pathetically weak.
After all, there were only three days left until the race anyway.
Still… misunderstanding this badly was dangerous! Seeing was believing, after all—even though Air Shakur managed to misunderstand despite seeing everything clearly.
Maybe it really was just because she was too pretty?
Garden Gale rubbed her temples, deciding to drop the subject entirely, and smiled lightly instead. "Oh…so that's it. Anyway, is the milk tea good, Teio-san? This is actually the first time I've ever treated someone to milk tea."
"It's super tasty! Mega delicious!" Tokai Teio raised her cup excitedly.
She really was like a kid at times.
Except during the street-crossing incident when she'd acted like a mature adult instead.
"Then, I'll treat you again next time."
Garden Gale replied casually—loosening up a little, feeling less restrained by her usual awkwardness.
Tokai Teio suddenly turned serious, asking earnestly, "Does that mean we'll meet up again next time?"
"Of course," Garden Gale replied easily. "I really do want to see you again, Teio-san."
A direct hit—she'd landed a critical hit without even realizing it!
Utterly oblivious to the impact her casual remark had on Tokai Teio, Garden Gale's words echoed clearly in Teio's ears. For a moment, Tokai Teio could only hear the wind, could only see Garden Gale in front of her, and felt her heart skip a beat.
She smiled.
I want to see you again too, Garden Gale.
Tokai Teio lightly squeezed her cup and raised it slightly, pretending to check how much was left inside.
Her happy smile was hidden behind the milk tea.
...
[Ding!]
[Bond level with Tokai Teio has exceeded 50%!]
[Reward unlocked]:
[Flexible Bones LV.5]
[Reward unlocked]:
[Center of Gravity Control LV.1]
[Special Reward]:
[A Prodigy's Intuition!]
---
T/N: HI FUTURE ME HERE, UHHHH I FORGOT SOMETHING uhhh oh yeah powerstone tracker is finally set up on my discord so i can see how many powerstones you guys get :sob: sorry if the past weeks it was over 100 anyway i should start working on garden gale's illustration, i just dont remember how big her boobs are...
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl