At a time like this, probably only Chihaya Yui understood what Seiun Ryoka was really thinking.
Back in Hong Kong, Ryoka had spoken with Sir about Cuihe's future. Naturally, Sir wanted his daughter to grow into an outstanding horse girl, and he had even considered sending her overseas.
Yui thought to herself, Back then, the destination Sir had in mind was Australia.
Because of certain unspoken complications, Hong Kong's geopolitical status was awkward in more ways than one. And since he had already decided to give up his British identity, it naturally would not be appropriate for Cuihe to go on an expedition to Britain. He did not want the affairs of adults to affect a horse girl's racing career.
Ryoka, meanwhile, saw it very simply:
Since she had accepted the kindness of Cuihe's family, then of course she ought to help them realize that small wish.
She would personally make a trip to Australia and leave her hoofprints there!
No—more accurately, she would leave her mark on every continent.
Elizabeth, of course, could not understand Ryoka's train of thought at all. But there was one thing about her that was excellent: whether she understood or not, she was always willing to support Ryoka's expeditions with all her strength.
"In that case, Sister, please allow me to lend you my aid!"
The petite girl shot to her feet, snapped her fan shut, and slapped it dramatically against her own soft palm.
It hurt terribly, but Elizabeth had no intention of showing any weakness in front of Ryoka. She wanted to look every bit as dashing and heroic as her beloved big sister.
The tickets had already been bought, the flight arrangements were already done, and that was supposed to be enough? Absolutely not. How could an ordinary passenger plane possibly compare to the comfort of a royal private jet? The climate difference between the northern and southern hemispheres was enormous. If Ryoka failed to receive the very best treatment and ended up unable to adapt, what then?
With a grand flourish, Elizabeth gave her orders at once.
"Bell, make the arrangements immediately. As her hosts, it is only right that we offer Sister the finest service possible!"
The maid bowed slightly and performed a flawless curtsy toward the three girls.
"As you wish."
Elizabeth herself, meanwhile, clung to Ryoka's hand and made her stay behind to chat with her a little longer, sighing and pouting in a spoiled way, just short of saying that she wished she could follow Ryoka to the ends of the earth.
Watching her, even Chihaya Yui started to feel a little uncomfortable.
Is this because of Britain's famously peculiar atmosphere? she wondered. Does Miss Elizabeth maybe… swing that way? But she was obviously still just a child.
Yui genuinely had no idea what to make of it, and could only hope she was overthinking things.
Ryoka, of course, did not think that deeply. She simply rubbed Elizabeth's delicate palm, then slipped a small jar of ointment into the girl's hand before they parted.
"Think of it as a little farewell gift. It's nothing special. And if you use it all up, I've still got more."
Elizabeth had no idea what it was, but the moment she heard Ryoka say that, her eyes lit up like stars.
And so, Seiun Ryoka and Chihaya Yui left Britain behind.
Australia, Sydney.
The seasons in the southern hemisphere were the complete opposite of those in the north. When they boarded the plane, they had been dressed in shorts and short sleeves. When they stepped off, they were wrapped in thick down jackets, gloves, scarves—the lot.
The moment they exhaled, white mist bloomed in front of their faces.
The weather was still decent for the moment, but the clouds were clearly beginning to gather. And with the temperatures over the past few days already colder than usual for the season, it would not be surprising if it snowed before long.
Chihaya Yui had a very bad feeling about this.
Ryoka had raced through torrential downpours before, yes—but if they really encountered icy or snowy conditions…
No matter how she thought about it, that was not just a little worrying.
And more than that, the climate here was so utterly different from the north. Would their bodies really be able to take it?
As she was thinking that, Yui suddenly felt an itch at the tip of her nose and let out a huge sneeze. Maybe it was because she had gone so abruptly from sweltering heat to biting cold, but she felt chilled to the bone.
Without a word, Ryoka took off her own scarf and looped it around Yui's neck, winding it once, twice, several times over, until the girl looked even more bundled up than before.
"But… your health matters even more, Ryoka…"
Yui instinctively tried to protest.
Ryoka cupped Yui's face in both hands, her left thumb resting lightly at the corner of the girl's lips so that she could not keep talking. If she let Yui continue, the girl's words would probably end up slurring into nonsense from the cold.
Making her tilt her head up and meet her eyes, Ryoka smiled faintly.
"Yui's health matters just as much. Besides, this whole thing was my own decision. If you ended up catching cold because of it, I'd feel terrible."
In truth, there was no real need to worry. With the assistance of the Wild Runes, Ryoka could practically handcraft Yui into a brand-new human being immune to both heat and cold.
But she said nothing of the sort.
She simply took Yui by the hand and led her into a taxi.
The driver turned out to be a racing fan too. He recognized Seiun Ryoka immediately and excitedly explained that his daughter adored her as well. He even asked for an autograph.
If Ryoka had not firmly insisted, the man would not have taken any fare at all.
In his own words:
"The chance to have my favorite idol sit in a car I'm driving is probably the only one I'll ever get in this lifetime. How could I possibly charge for that? No, absolutely not! If my daughter found out, she probably wouldn't speak to me for a month."
Ryoka was hardly short on money. There was no way she was going to let a fan pay out of his own pocket for her sake.
The driver left in a daze of gratitude, looking as if the greatest blessing of his life had just descended upon him.
Yui, watching him go, could not help teasing Ryoka.
"You really do influence the whole world now, don't you? The British papers are calling you the 'Emperor.' Australian cab drivers feel honored just to give you a ride. America practically started sending transfer offers the moment they laid eyes on you. If we went to South America or Africa, the reaction would probably be even more intense."
At this rate, maybe she would be welcomed like royalty.
Ryoka, however, did not care about that in the slightest. She just caught Yui by the wrist and tugged her toward the hotel.
She wanted Yui to take a proper bath, rest up, and adjust to the time difference before anything else—especially if the girl really was starting to suffer from the climate change.
Even though there were only two days left before the race.
Even though the weather looked bad enough that they might not even get a chance to familiarize themselves with the course.
Yui very honestly voiced all of those concerns, but Ryoka only pressed a hand against the girl's back and soothed her.
"Didn't I win the King George under similar conditions? This time it's a fourteen-hundred-meter turf race—much shorter than the King George. It'll be fine!"
Ryoka sounded utterly confident, as though victory were already tucked neatly into her pocket. Yui, meanwhile, could not think of a single argument to refute her with, because everything Ryoka said was objectively true.
Even as her trainer, it felt like all she could do was submit to Ryoka's lead.
And yet…
Watching Ryoka's movements, Yui blinked in confusion.
"Ryoka… why are you taking off your clothes?"
join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 210)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Completed)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Completed)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa (Completed)
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 240
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (Completed.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 160
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 125
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 180
My Harem Is Indescribable 110
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 115
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 120
Still playing traditional Honk 105
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120
What Should I Do After Switchi 70
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 140
Checking In in Demon Slayer 100
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 115
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 90
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (Completed)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 95
MYGO Beauties 80
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 100
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 135
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 150
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 70
The Uma Musume Who Became 75
I'm Definitely Not the King of 130
After Maxing Out Every Class 135
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 120
I, the Elden Sword Saint 70
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 65
No One Knows Pokémon Better 65
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 65
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 105
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 120
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 80
Honkai: The Fire Devil 115
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/70
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 85
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 80
At age 8, she co-starred with 80
Honkai: Schicksal Media 81
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 70
Chainsaw Man, but I'm Aatrox 60
Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 45
Morgan Shirou's Journey in Dan 43
DanMachi: Get to Work, Dimensi 70
Honkai: Star Rail—Kiana Cried! 36
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