Completely unaware of the student council's worries, Terumi Shinsji and Offside Trap were happily playing around at the amusement park.
Traveling with them were Bugu Fumie and her trainee, Fujisan, who were sitting on a bench beneath the spinning swing ride, watching the two soaring through the air above.
"I honestly didn't expect them to have this much energy the day after a race!"
Fujisan sighed with feeling, suddenly convinced she really was getting older. She just couldn't keep up with rides like these anymore.
"Jealous, are you?" Fumie asked with a hand over her mouth, laughing softly.
The autumn breeze inside the amusement park was crisp and pleasant, and moments like this felt wonderfully relaxing to her.
Her gaze drifted up to Terumi Shinsji, who was smiling as he rode. Fumie could feel how genuinely happy he was. The Tenno Sho (Autumn) had meant too much to him. It was a farewell to the past, and a firm proof that the road ahead truly was bright. Perhaps only this victory had finally allowed him to leave behind the wound Sansho Drum had once dealt him, so that he could focus completely on the new path before him.
"Hah, no way. In a bit I'm dragging them onto the bumper cars and showing them what a real bumper car champion looks like!"
Feeling as though she'd been outdone by the juniors, Fujisan shot to her feet and declared it loudly.
Luckily, there weren't many people in the park on a Monday. A few glanced over, but Fujisan wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. She stared right back so boldly that one little girl nearby turned shy and ran off at once.
"Tone it down a little. Look, you scared the poor girl!"
"At her age, out here at this time instead of being at school? Definitely a little delinquent skipping class."
Fujisan said it stubbornly, though she still sat back down.
"There you go making things up about people again."
"I am not!"
Fumie shook her head helplessly, only for her phone to ring a second later. She pulled it out and saw Air Groove's name on the screen.
"Why is she calling?"
Fujisan, who had grown rather dissatisfied with Air Groove after listening to Offside Trap vividly recount the events of the trip, looked over at once.
"No idea. I'll know once I answer."
Above them, the spinning swing ride was slowly coming to a halt. Fumie accepted the call.
"Hello, Trainer Bugu Fumie."
Air Groove's tone was a little strange, but Fumie didn't pay it much mind and responded politely.
"I wanted to ask if you happen to know where Trainer Terumi Shinsji and Offside Trap are right now."
Only then did Fumie sense that something was off. Along the way, Offside Trap had enthusiastically described how unpleasant Air Groove had been toward the two of them, so why was she suddenly asking for their location now?
Air Groove seemed to realize that Fumie had grown wary, and quickly began explaining.
"It's like this. I want to ask whether Offside Trap intends to participate in the Japan Cup."
Exchanging a glance with Fujisan, Fumie saw her trainee lightly shake her head, signaling her not to answer carelessly.
Of course she couldn't just say whatever came to mind. Whether or not to enter a G1 race was not the sort of thing to be decided recklessly based on her own assumptions.
"If it's convenient, could you tell me where they are?" Air Groove continued stubbornly when no answer came. "I'll just ask and leave. There are some things that are clearer to explain in person."
"Am… amusement park," Fumie finally said.
In the end, she still revealed their location. She didn't want Air Groove to come disturb their outing, and she certainly didn't want her to ruin Shinsji's mood.
But she couldn't figure out why Air Groove was so determined to confirm this answer. Fumie knew that Shinsji would very likely want Offside Trap to run in the Japan Cup. Since that seemed to be the purpose of the question, she felt it was better to prioritize the matter than risk any miscommunication affecting Offside Trap's entry.
After giving fairly detailed directions, Fumie lowered her phone, then looked at Terumi Shinsji, who had already walked over. After a moment's thought, she truthfully explained what had just happened.
"Huh?"
Shinsji was puzzled too. In his view, Air Groove was the last person who ought to be personally coming to ask about this.
"Well, then let's just wait for her."
He spread his hands indifferently, then turned to Fujisan.
"So? Since we're waiting anyway, how about bumper cars first?"
Fujisan's voice earlier had been loud enough for the two of them to hear clearly from the swings, and it had immediately sparked Offside Trap's competitive spirit.
"Fine, let's go!"
Fujisan was just as fired up, springing to her feet and marching straight toward the bumper cars.
Watching the three of them charge off with excitement, Fumie pressed a hand to her forehead.
She felt like a mother who had brought three children to an amusement park—always the one sitting beside the rides, watching them play.
Maybe I should sit next to Fujisan later, she thought. The way she talks, she sounds pretty good at this.
With that in mind, Fumie jogged after her, hurrying to catch up.
…
By the time Air Groove arrived at the amusement park, the first thing she saw was Bugu Fumie lying collapsed on the ground, her expression shattered.
Standing behind her trainer, Fujisan was dusty and scuffed all over, looking deeply embarrassed.
"?"
At first Air Groove thought some kind of accident had happened. But then she saw the smug satisfaction written all over that infuriating face of Terumi Shinsji's, and knew it probably wasn't anything serious.
"So this is your 'bumper car champion'?"
"I… I just haven't played in a while. I was rusty."
Offside Trap burst out laughing. She herself had barely played bumper cars before either, yet just now Fujisan had rammed her around until she couldn't tell east from west, her entire field of vision filled with Fumie's hair flying everywhere.
The female trainer had only just recovered. She regretted ever believing Fujisan's boasting and shot her trainee a resentful glare. Fujisan scratched the back of her head and smiled sheepishly, looking as honest as could be.
"Oh, you're here?"
Shinsji spotted Air Groove and waved.
He had no good feelings toward her—after all, she had always treated him badly—but seeing the ugly expression on her face only lifted his already excellent mood even higher. So much so that his greeting came out sounding downright friendly.
Air Groove noticed that and, somewhat to her own surprise, her impression of him improved slightly. The face she'd always found so irritating no longer seemed quite so unbearable.
She walked up to him, first glancing at Offside Trap—who had planted herself at his side and was looking at her with obvious vigilance—then meeting Shinsji's eyes.
His gaze was deep. Air Groove realized that in the past, she had never really paid close attention. Looking now, perhaps the man wasn't entirely worthless after all. At the very least, he had a pair of eyes that weren't unpleasant to look at.
"I already heard from Sister Fumie about the Japan Cup," Shinsji said. "So is there something you needed to confirm in person?"
He casually sat down on a nearby bench, and Offside Trap immediately seized the spot right beside him.
Air Groove's eyelid twitched. After working through her emotions for a moment, she finally spoke in a quieter voice.
"This year's Japan Cup has an unusually strong foreign lineup, so I wanted to ask whether, as the winner of the Tenno Sho (Autumn), Offside Trap would be willing to participate."
The wording was subtle enough that a glimmer of dark amusement flashed through Shinsji's eyes.
"Sounds like hardly anyone wants to run?"
"…Yes."
Air Groove had no intention of hiding it.
As the winner of the Tenno Sho (Autumn), Offside Trap had every reason to continue on the Autumn Triple Crown path; all those races were well within her range. Since there was already a high chance she would run, concealing the situation was meaningless.
"What sort of lineup is it, exactly, to scare everyone this badly?"
Shinsji narrowed his eyes slightly, genuinely curious.
Unlike the horse girls in Japan, Europe had a complete and mature system. Truly powerful European horse girls were real monsters who raced in entirely different classes, the sort whose dominance could drive nearly every rival of their generation into despair.
"The currently confirmed lineup includes winners of the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, and French Derby. There's an undefeated Arc winner. There are even two-time King George winners, along with champions of various other major G1 races."
As Air Groove listed the names, she felt an increasing sense of powerlessness herself. Even as someone who would also be running, hearing those race titles alone was enough to sap her spirit.
Bugu Fumie covered her mouth in shock. She had never imagined this year's Japan Cup could attract such a terrifying international field.
"Then why come to the Japan Cup at all?"
Even Shinsji found it hard to understand.
From a trainer's point of view, a lineup like that had no real reason to come to Japan. Even with the prize money being high, the race offered little in terms of prestige or career value compared to what they already had.
"Taiki Shuttle won the Jacques le Marois, and this year's Japan Cup prize money was increased a lot…" Air Groove hesitated, then forced herself to continue. "And Silence Suzuka's name has started spreading overseas too. That's part of it."
The moment Shinsji recalled the scene after the Tenno Sho, when the entire crowd had shouted Suzuka's name, he let out a quiet laugh of scorn without replying.
Air Groove's face flushed instantly.
The post-race interview alone had already cost JURA and the student council plenty of face. Now, having to come and hope that Offside Trap would participate instead only made her want to crawl into a hole and disappear.
"It doesn't matter. Little Yue will definitely run."
As he said this, Shinsji looked at Air Groove's evasive gaze, and the smile curling at his lips carried a trace of mockery.
"But we're only doing it for ourselves. You people like making those melodramatic pre-race promos and assigning all kinds of grand symbolic meaning to the runners. Don't involve Little Yue."
"We don't want to see certain people's ugly faces all over again. It's nauseating."
As he said that, Shinsji turned to Offside Trap. Sitting beside him, his trainee simply nodded in agreement.
"Anything else?" he asked. Then, as if suddenly thinking of something, he flashed a mischievous grin. "Want to join us? Bumper cars are pretty fun."
"No need."
Air Groove rejected the invitation immediately.
It wasn't as if she hadn't seen Bugu Fumie's miserable state—she knew exactly what Shinsji was hoping to witness.
Her gaze drifted toward the bumper cars. She had never even tried the ride before. If she agreed rashly, she would probably end up getting slammed around until she lost all sense of direction.
Seeing the flicker of disappointment pass over Shinsji's face, she turned away without wanting to look at him any longer.
"Will you be racing too?"
Offside Trap's voice suddenly called from behind her.
At once, Air Groove remembered what Offside Trap had said to her after the Tenno Sho.
"I will."
Her fists clenched, but her answer came out calm enough.
"Mm."
The reply was emotionless.
Air Groove took a deep breath and stepped forward.
All of a sudden, she found that even admitting she was weaker than Offside Trap wasn't completely unbearable anymore.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
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 (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
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