But revenge could wait until later. Right now, there was something far more important to do—
Lunch, of course! How could you race on an empty stomach?
Twilight Song had long been curious about the legendary Tracen cafeteria.
Japan Central Tracen's cafeteria—rumored to frequently battle against the monstrous appetite of Oguri Cap, barely scraping by in the process.
A mysterious organization tasked daily with solving the dilemma of how to feed the King of the Cafeteria—how could Gotham Song not be curious?
Besides, maybe she'd even get a glimpse of Oguri Cap happily stuffing her face—
Ah, speak of the devil!
The cafeteria at noon was a lively place, bustling to an almost terrifying degree.
Considering the sheer size of this… sports academy, it made sense that lunchtime would be crowded.
Most Uma Musume had impressive appetites, and feeding all these vibrant, energetic young athletes truly required heroic effort.
Naturally, the most eye-catching figure in the cafeteria was a certain gray-haired presence behind a literal mountain of food.
Even from a distance, Song knew exactly who it was: Oguri Cap.
And she was surrounded by familiar faces too—or at least people she recognized.
Super Creek—her rival from the Japanese Derby.
Sakura Chiyono O—her opponent from both the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby.
And Yaeno Muteki, who'd dropped out of both and later got thoroughly crushed in the Takarazuka Kinen.
Maybe it's better if I stay away.
Song settled for a distant glance, satisfying her curiosity without approaching.
She remembered Neo Universe's warnings clearly:
Oguri Cap is safe—but "completely safe" might be asking too much.
Then there was the tenth warning, saying Yaeno Muteki was reliable in critical situations. Did that mean she was unreliable otherwise?
Either way, Song had no intention of starting a fierce rivalry with Oguri Cap today.
She'd quickly finish lunch, do some routine training, then return to her dorm to plot how best to wreak havoc on Japan's racing fans.
Without the specter of death chasing her anymore, she felt justified in indulging herself a bit.
With these thoughts in mind, Song went to order her meal, intending to find an empty table afterward—but before she knew it, she was staring straight into a pair of large, curious eyes.
At some point, Oguri Cap had abandoned her mountain of food to appear right in front of Gotham Song. Under everyone's wide-eyed gaze—as though they'd seen Sunday Silence herself—the gray-haired Uma Musume was openly sniffing Song's scent.
Almost instantly, Gotham Song found herself shielded behind Manhattan Cafe.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
Cafe's voice was icy cold. At that same moment, Song clearly saw another shadowy figure gently drape her arms over Cafe's shoulders, leaning her intangible body forward to peer intently at Oguri Cap.
Wait, what's happening here?!
Oguri Cap clearly hadn't noticed Cafe's hostile stance. Instead, she excitedly ignored the girl blocking her path, straining to look past her.
She whispered softly, but Song clearly read her lips.
It really is similar…both the scent and the feeling...
What the heck, Oguri Cap?! Are you really Oguri Cap?
Wait, similar to what exactly?!
Just her first day at Japan's Tracen, and Gotham Song was already breaking into a cold sweat.
What was this, some kind of terrifying idiot's intuition?
But thankfully, Oguri Cap's sudden behavior didn't escalate further. A flustered Tamamo Cross suddenly barreled over, grabbing Oguri Cap's head and forcing her into an apology.
The White Lightning had clearly never witnessed Oguri Cap stop mid-meal to behave so strangely.
The shock was so overwhelming that it took her a second to even react.
But seeing Cafe's visibly wary expression finally snapped her back to her senses, and she promptly took control of the situation.
Oguri Cap, however, looked deeply unwilling—not reluctant to apologize exactly, but as if she wanted a clear answer before doing so.
Unfortunately for her, Tamamo Cross was adamant. Eventually, the gray-haired horse girl lowered her head in defeat, ears drooping.
"Um, I wasn't really startled or anything… But Oguri Cap-san, right? Did you have something to ask?"
Of course she'd been startled—well, startled was an understatement. But since Oguri Cap had apologized quickly enough, Gotham Song saw no reason to escalate things further.
Plus, another reason was because she'd spotted Sunday Silence pulling something suspiciously gun-like from her coat pocket…
Wait, hold on! That's way too much! If that goes off, it'll be a literal crime!
In the end, Gotham Song decided it was safer to accept the apology.
"Then...would you like to join me for lunch?"
Maybe driven by sheer instinct, Oguri Cap quickly shook off her earlier gloom, and—in a move that once again shattered Tamamo Cross's worldview—boldly offered to share her food.
Never mind Tamamo Cross; even Gotham Song had no idea how to react amidst the shocked murmurs around them.
After politely declining and sitting down with her own meal, Song found herself relentlessly targeted by Oguri Cap's attempts at feeding her—
Apparently, Oguri genuinely believed the food tasted great, and was determined to bond with Song by sharing it.
As for her motive…
When Gotham Song put down her utensils, preparing to politely leave, she hesitated upon seeing Oguri Cap's expectant eyes.
"Is...there something else?"
There was definitely something else, wasn't there…
"Mm… Could we eat together again sometime? And run together too?"
Ah, so this was what it was about. But why so suddenly?
Gotham Song looked puzzled, while Oguri Cap's expression turned unusually serious—or perhaps more accurately, desperate.
"Because you're strong. You've always been strong, from way back… But back then, I never got a chance to challenge you."
So now you want a proper showdown, huh?
Wonderful! I finally get it now. How does someone come with built-in True Name detection?!
Clearly, Oguri Cap mentioning "back then" and "didn't get a chance" proved she knew exactly who Gotham Song truly was.
Wait a minute—her cover blown on day one in Japan? This was absurd!
Still, agreeing probably wouldn't hurt…
In the end, Gotham Song leaned close to Oguri Cap, whispering a quiet promise:
"You absolutely can't tell anyone about this. If you do, the deal's off."
"And whoever breaks this promise won't get to eat for an entire year."