Surrounded by so many people, Garden Gale's scalp was already starting to go numb, goosebumps rising all over her body. This wasn't an exaggeration at all—this was the truth of social anxiety. She shrank into herself, barely even able to speak.
Right now, she just desperately wanted to escape.
Because, in the end—she wasn't actually that close with Air Shakur or Fine Motion, right?
As for Tokai Teio's sudden question just now… she silently kept her mouth shut, afraid to respond.
Who knew just saying "I miss you" would immediately summon Teio-san without even a text reply first? Was this what maximum Action Level looked like?
Tokai Teio, meanwhile, greeted them naturally, "Hey, Fine Motion-san, Shakur-san~ How've you been these days? Doing well? You both look even prettier than usual."
Zero social anxiety detected.
Garden Gale was truly jealous.
She quietly took another step backward, slipping away from the center of conversation.
Air Shakur grinned widely in response, her smile brilliant yet slightly intimidating, "Of course I'm happy! I've gotten stronger, Teio. It's all thanks to your advice making me aware of my issues. Hehe~ Next time, I definitely won't lose again like last time. Who knows, I might become a shark and gobble you up!"
She bared those shark-like teeth again.
Flexing them like muscles.
"Well, let's race again sometime soon, then," Tokai Teio fired back without any hesitation.
She even leaned forward, hands defiantly on her hips—clearly aggressive, carrying a hint of personal grudge.
A little bit of… personal grudge over Air Shakur nearly pulling Garden Gale into her arms earlier.
Tokai Teio's focus shifted away from Air Shakur, back to Garden Gale. She tilted her head slightly to glance at the horse girl in the jet-black hoodie, hood pulled up, shaking nervously beside her. Garden Gale often wondered why everyone instantly recognized her wherever she went. Actually… it was because seeing that petite figure buried in an oversized black hoodie with the hood up was already iconic enough.
Minimalism taken to the extreme had become her signature style.
Don't bring me up, please!!!
Noticing Tokai Teio's gaze, their eyes met.
Garden Gale instantly sensed danger, desperately blinking at her, signaling for her to not shift the conversation toward her. Tokai Teio opened her mouth slightly, then quickly shut it again, seeming to understand exactly what Gale meant. After spending this much time together, she'd learned what sort of personality Garden Gale had.
Unable to help it, Tokai Teio gave a subtle nod and dropped the subject.
Garden Gale breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Looks like I dodged the bullet today… Now I'll just casually find an excuse and go be touchy with Teio-san. Training is pointless now—being touchy feely gives way better rewards anyway.
But then...
Fine Motion stepped forward instead, speaking up, "Garden Gale-san's debut race is in three days, right?"
Heyyy! What are you doing?!
Garden Gale, who had just relaxed, suddenly froze again. She immediately felt all three pairs of eyes locking onto her. She glanced nervously to the left, then to the right, her gaze briefly meeting each of theirs—but never managing to hold eye contact longer than a second.
Because it was terrifying…
She subtly took another step backward.
But there was no escaping reality! Even if she fled to the ends of the Earth, the spotlight was on her now.
She was trembling all over.
Fine Motion-san, you deserve a thousand deaths!!!
"Yes."
After a prolonged, awkward silence where no one else spoke, Garden Gale had no choice but to respond stiffly, "Three days left."
If possible, she really didn't want to be the protagonist right now.
She just wanted to be a rat sleeping soundly in the sewer—
But even rats sleeping in sewers got disturbed these days!
Fine Motion's expression grew interested. "I heard you already met Narita Top Road-san a few days ago. And you even said no matter what, Narita-san's defeat was guaranteed, so there was no hurry to race."
"You're really confident, huh? Of course, I'm not being sarcastic—I actually admire your boldness, Garden Gale-san."
Air Shakur raised her eyebrows, surprised.
She couldn't help asking, "Did something like that happen?"
"Of course," Fine Motion nodded. "Everyone already knows, Shakur, haven't you heard yet?"
Air Shakur shrugged, making a cliché main-character gesture, "Well, I don't exactly have friends, so I really hadn't heard~ But wow… 'guaranteed defeat no matter what,' that's super bold!"
I'm begging you all—please stop talking!!!
Seriously, please!!!
Garden Gale's toes were curled so tightly they could carve out a full apartment complex—four bedrooms and a living room—enough for the four of them to move in immediately. Her scalp was tingling, fingers and toes desperately clenched, her entire body twisted with embarrassment. She wished she could launch herself off Earth and straight to Mars.
I'm literally an alien now…
Exactly like when your embarrassing, chuunibyou past gets exposed...
Public Execution.
And not only that… based on Fine Motion's words, it seemed everyone already knew about this. What if she lost? What then? Would she have to commit ritual suicide to atone? Maybe she should just find someone to finish her off quickly… or bash her head against a block of tofu instead.
I'm dead… I'm seriously dead… Did I set fire and commit murder in my past life? Is that why life is treating me like this?!
Garden Gale felt genuinely dizzy.
But Tokai Teio, clearly deciding Gale's suffering wasn't enough, eagerly joined in, "Yeah, yeah! I was there, and it's totally true. GG-san was super cool back then! Like, she had this totally calm, everything-under-control vibe. You know what I mean, right?"
"I get it, I totally get it!" Air Shakur immediately chimed in enthusiastically.
I'm seriously begging you—stop talking!!
She couldn't bear it anymore.
Like a medical miracle, a mute finally finding their voice again, Garden Gale hurriedly interrupted them, looking at Tokai Teio desperately, "Let's go, Teio-san… enough talking about this. Let's go out and have fun instead…"
If she didn't muster her courage and interrupt them...
…Garden Gale would definitely drop dead on the spot.
"Hmm?" Tokai Teio tilted her head slightly, her smile instantly radiant, "Sure! Let's go have fun~ No more talking about that."
Go out and have fun?
Fine Motion's brows furrowed tightly.
Now… there were only three days left until Garden Gale's debut race against Narita Top Road.
No! Actually, today was almost over. Just two days and one night left. Every second mattered—did she really not see her opponent as important at all? Was this debut race so insignificant to Garden Gale that it was less important than spending time out with Tokai Teio?
Did she not take Narita Top Road seriously in the slightest?
Wasn't that too arrogant… too self-absorbed!?
Fine Motion turned her head away, uneasy.
And her running style, too…
Fine Motion's initial impression of Garden Gale had been good—but now, it grew worse and worse. She imagined that Narita Top Road, right now, was probably pushing herself to the absolute limit… sweating heavily, desperately training, growing stronger each second. Yes, right now, at the other end of this very moment, that blonde-haired Umamusume was still giving it everything she had.
And Garden Gale, meanwhile? Going out to play at the last minute?
She'll lose.
Fine Motion no longer saw any hope in this arrogant Umamusume.
As the old saying went… Pride goes before a fall.
But Air Shakur saw it differently, simply believing Garden Gale had the aura of a true boss.
A calm, steady confidence of having everything under control—that's all there was to it.
...
Two days left before the race.
---
bonus chaps
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200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
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