Garden Gale was lost in the thrill of victory—completely unaware of Symboli Rudolf closing in on her.
In fact, at that moment, she'd even forgotten the Winner's Live. She laughed happily, celebrating her triumph at the Satsuki Sho, high-fiving the Umamusume who came to congratulate her, and even striking a few bold poses for the flashing cameras.
Because right now, she was ecstatic.
Utterly ecstatic.
The sheer joy of absolute victory had gone to her head completely.
Only when the celebrations died down, and her energy gradually returned to normal, did Garden Gale finally pat her cheeks and take a deep breath.
Calm down… Calm down...
Then it hit her—the one thing that always came after a race: the Winner's Live! Her expression froze instantly.
Oh no, I completely forgot!
The happiness evaporated in an instant. She glanced nervously around…
Symboli Rudolf was nowhere in sight.
Good.
Run. Now.
She'd skipped the Winner's Live after her Wakagoma Stakes victory, earning a three-day scolding from Rudolf, who'd sworn she'd drag Garden onto the stage herself next time. But Garden Gale just couldn't do it! She didn't know how to sing, couldn't dance, and couldn't rap to save her life—was she supposed to stand up there like an idiot?
It'd be pure humiliation.
With this conviction, she ignored whatever mess running away might cause.
Garden Gale bolted forward—
But barely took one step before a voice sounded behind her.
"And just where do you think you're going?"
…Dammit.
That familiar, dreaded voice made Garden Gale freeze again. She gritted her teeth, pretending not to hear, and kept walking forward with an awkward smile. "Just going back to change! My clothes got soaked!"
"And I wanna dry my hair too," she continued hastily. "I can handle it myself, so don't worry about—"
Pretend innocence.jpg
Symboli Rudolf swiftly grabbed Garden by her hood, standing over the smaller Umamusume despite not wearing her military uniform. With commanding authority, she declared, "Get back here!"
"Wahhh!" Garden Gale let out an unintelligible yelp.
"I need to change my clothes, President!" she protested loudly, drawing amused glances from everyone nearby. Even T.M. Opera O, who'd been ready to leave, paused and jogged over curiously.
"Oh? Isn't this Garden? What's going on here? Haven't seen you in days, and now you're being dragged around by the President herself?" T.M. Opera O laughed teasingly.
You jerk—!
She was actually laughing at her!
Next time, Garden Gale swore she'd utterly crush T.M. Opera O—dominate her completely! She'd show her exactly who was boss around here! Humiliation today, domination tomorrow!
But before Garden Gale could snap back, Symboli Rudolf smoothly interjected, "Then I'll accompany you while you change and dry your hair. By the way, Garden, did you have a Winner's Live Outfit prepared? If not, I'll use all my authority as President to get you the best one—whatever style you want."
…This is bad.
Is escape impossible now?
Even as Garden Gale thought that, her determination flared. No! I can't give up yet! Even if Rudolf had her under surveillance, she'd won the Satsuki Sho with a spectacular runaway—she'd just have to seize any chance she got and sprint away again!
...
Ten minutes later, in Garden Gale's dressing room.
Symboli Rudolf sprawled leisurely on the sofa, eyes locked onto Garden Gale. "When are you planning to get changed? Everyone's waiting for you. I've turned up the heat, so you won't catch cold."
"Let me dry my hair first," Garden tried once more to stall.
Claiming to dry her hair was a transparent delaying tactic.
"…I kinda need to go to the bathroom," Garden finally muttered after hesitating repeatedly.
Rudolf immediately stood up from the sofa. "Sure, let's go. I'll accompany you."
—Why is she acting like those elementary school boys who insist on going everywhere together? Not sure, let's observe further.
"Never mind, I don't need to go anymore," Garden replied gloomily.
Symboli Rudolf couldn't help but laugh softly.
"Just get dressed. No more tricks. To ensure you don't run, I cleared out my entire schedule for the next hour and even told my friends not to bother me. All to guarantee you make it onto that Winner's Live stage."
An absolute, full-court defense.
Garden Gale was completely at a loss.
She seriously began to consider faking a broken leg.
Or maybe… pretend to faint on the spot.
But Rudolf was mercilessly thorough. "Don't even try. Even if you skip today, there's always tomorrow. If not tomorrow, the next day. As long as you're still an Umamusume, you will stand on that Winner's Live stage for this Satsuki Sho."
…Dammit.
This is hopeless.
There really was no way out.
Accepting her fate, Garden Gale's face turned ashen. She reluctantly started browsing outfits. Her tastes, practically prehistoric, meant she skipped all the fashionable, revealing costumes and settled instead on a long, classic dress—fully covered from the neck to just above the ankles.
After all, my figure's nothing special anyway.
With that resigned thought, she was just about to pick it up when her eyes suddenly landed on a sleek racing jacket nearby.
Instantly, Garden's eyes lit up. Even Rudolf felt the change in atmosphere.
But when she remembered she'd have to sing and dance on stage, her enthusiasm vanished instantly.
Fine. The jacket it is.
With a hint of shyness—totally fake, by the way—she turned toward Rudolf, clutching the outfit.
"I'm changing now, you know? It's embarrassing if you're watching."
Rudolf casually covered her eyes with her hand, completely unfazed. "Don't worry, I'm not looking—there's nothing worth looking at anyway. I'm just making sure I stay in this room so you can't slip out."
Garden Gale felt the last escape route slam shut.
Her previous spark of hope and shy act had been perfectly countered—Rudolf had sealed every single exit.
...
Thirty minutes later.
Standing backstage at the Winner's Live, Garden Gale's heart thundered like crashing waves, threatening to burst from her chest. She hadn't even stepped onstage yet, and she already felt close to fainting. Her face had gone utterly pale, drained of all life.
"Cheer up a bit!" T.M. Opera O patted Garden's shoulder comfortingly.
But...
Facing her first forced public performance ever—
Garden Gale knew nothing would lift her spirits now.
---
T/N: WTF RUDOLF WHY ARE YOU SOOO MEANNNNNNNNNNN, GIRLLLLLLLLLL