Legendary Uma Musume were all lunatics.
Secretariat was a maniac, Dancing Brave was a nutcase, and Twilight Song was, uh…
A short-lived ghost, yeah.
No insult here; she'd literally died young.
By the time Gotham Song finally collapsed onto the fluffy hotel bed, she'd already given up on thinking clearly.
The reason was simple:
Dancing Brave was far too exhausting.
Initially, Gotham Song had tried reasoning with Dancing Brave that Tokyo Racecourse would surely be closed this late at night.
But guess what happened?
The moment they arrived at the gate, Dancing Brave convinced the guards to let them in with barely three sentences. Minutes later, the two of them stood at the starting line under blazing floodlights, illuminating the entire track as if it were daytime.
Gotham Song had instantly gone speechless.
Alright, fine, you're a legendary Uma Musume, you win—but I'm still not Twilight Song, damn it!
Thankfully, their run hadn't reached anywhere near the intensity of their battle at Longchamp.
The main reason was simply Dancing Brave hadn't yet adjusted fully to Japan's high-speed turf, so their little nighttime "duel" had ended up as a long warm-up followed by a brief dash.
Yet, even with that, by the time they finished, it was nearly eleven at night—the trains would soon stop running.
Dancing Brave had offered to take a taxi to escort Gotham Song back to Central Tracen's gates, but even ignoring whether they'd miss curfew or not, there was a more pressing issue:
It would take two or three hours to get back!
It'd be past 1 AM before she even set foot in the dorm. Her bones would probably disintegrate from exhaustion!
Thus, Gotham Song immediately refused—and right afterward, saw Dancing Brave's sly, victorious smile.
Before she knew it, she'd been led by the hand into the nearest luxury hotel.
They'd even showered, changed into pajamas, and were now lying together in a single large bed.
Hmm… Something feels off here. But what exactly is it…?
Gotham Song couldn't pinpoint it. While Dancing Brave stepped into the bathroom, she hurriedly swallowed her hair-coloring pills, tossing the wrapper discreetly into the trash.
She lay back down just in time, as Dancing Brave walked out, drying her hair.
Thankfully, she'd learned from experience and now always carried a few extra pills just in case—
If Dancing Brave woke up tomorrow morning to see Gotham Song's hair had gone completely white, that would've been a catastrophe.
Gotham Song shivered at the mere thought:
"Song-san—no, I mean 'Ruka-san'—let's battle again. All kinds of battles, in every sense."
Yikes.
Secretariat-san, oh Secretariat-san, I miss you already.
Her conflicted expression and strange silence naturally piqued Dancing Brave's curiosity. But young fillies were often prone to odd imaginings, and Dancing Brave, who'd been through plenty herself, kindly decided against asking.
She would generously indulge Gotham Song's inexplicable whims and support her quietly.
Well...as long as it's nothing too outrageous, I suppose I can go along with whatever she asks.
Dancing Brave sat gently on the edge of the bed, playfully poking Gotham Song's cheek.
Really, what an adorable child. She's exactly like Twilight Song—too precious to resist.
I definitely owe you one this time, Secretariat. In every possible way.
Ultimately, the two silently maintained this quiet understanding. Dancing Brave's choice of a single bed was also transparently deliberate—
To melt away the distance between them by cuddling each other to sleep!
After all, they were both Uma Musume. What was the big deal about cuddling? And if cuddling was fine, surely spending a night together was equally innocent.
Following this logic, Dancing Brave got exactly what she wanted—embracing the filly with Twilight Song's face to sleep.
Though truthfully—
It was mostly because Gotham Song's medication had kicked in. She closed her eyes and instantly became defenseless, ripe for the picking.
Fortunately, the legendary Dancing Brave was honorable enough to restrain herself, merely cuddling Gotham Song closely and nothing more.
When Gotham Song awoke the next morning, she found the bed beside her empty. Her ears perked up as she heard faint noises of grooming and makeup from the bathroom.
Dancing Brave was clearly skilled, appearing before Gotham Song in flawless, elegant makeup mere minutes after the filly had sat up.
"You look refreshed. Good morning, Song-san."
"Good morning, Dancing Brave-oneesan… Um, do I have to wear makeup too?"
Before Gotham Song could finish, she found herself gently but firmly guided like a doll in front of the mirror, her face carefully washed, followed by light makeup and delicate eyebrow touch-ups.
Yet the whole process felt strangely ominous—
An unsettling intuition that something disastrous was about to happen.
But she couldn't pinpoint why, and her visible anxiety piqued Dancing Brave's curiosity even further.
Unable to determine anything, the two eventually had breakfast and headed by taxi toward Japan Central Tracen Academy.
Dancing Brave actually came with a clear mission, closely tied to what Secretariat had discussed yesterday.
Or rather, this was her real purpose. Secretariat was pushing internationally from America to ensure proper support for Japanese Uma Musume abroad, but naturally, reforms had to start within Japan as well.
Thus, legendary Dancing Brave had arrived to negotiate directly—face-to-face—with Symboli Rudolf herself.
Curious why such directness was necessary, Gotham Song shivered at Dancing Brave's chilling explanation:
"Tell me, who do you think knows Twilight Song's racing style best in this world? Twilight Song herself?"
"No. It's me."
Only then did Gotham Song fully grasp why Secretariat had called Dancing Brave Twilight Song's greatest rival.
It wasn't just because she'd briefly led during the Arc. Rather, Dancing Brave was—
A terrifying master at analyzing opponents.
What was Dancing Brave's racing style exactly?
Was it purely a rhythm-based, late-burst miracle run? Yes, but that was only part of it.
In Twilight Song's eyes, Dancing Brave had represented formidable strength, immense confidence, and the readiness to stake everything on a race. But now Gotham Song saw clearly—
Dancing Brave was someone who meticulously dissected every opponent she ever faced.
When confronting important races or meetings, just how thoroughly did she analyze her opponents…?
Did she even know their personal habits?
After hesitantly asking this question aloud, Gotham Song received an even more chilling, profound reply:
Dancing Brave did not deny it.
Silent for the rest of the ride, they finally arrived and greeted Hayakawa Tazuna-san, who stared at them in surprise. Eventually, Gotham Song led Dancing Brave through familiar corridors to the Student Council President's office.
Unsurprisingly, Symboli Rudolf was already diligently at work, despite their early arrival.
The Emperor looked slightly startled upon hearing the knock, even more so upon seeing Gotham Song—and downright astonished after spotting Dancing Brave.
Rubbing her eyes twice, she murmured:
"I must be overworked. I'm even hallucinating Dancing Brave now…"
Even Rudolf-san can react like this? Interesting…
Gotham Song's mischievous streak resurfaced, and though she didn't dare put this prank into her diary again, she boldly trotted over, whispering devilishly to Symboli Rudolf:
"President, Dancing Brave's here to see you."
"Uh…?"
"And Secretariat's coming next!"
"Wha—?"
"And the Uma Musume you want to see most is here too!"
"..."
Hehe.
Gotham Song smiled contentedly. She had no idea whom Rudolf most wanted to see, but surely this tease would hit a nerve—and indeed, Symboli Rudolf's face showed astonishment, shock, and deep confusion.
How delightful—ow!
Before Gotham Song could savor the moment, Dancing Brave's hand firmly pressed her head downward, clearly disapproving of such mischief. She knew something Gotham Song didn't:
Who was the Uma Musume Rudolf longed most to see—the one she felt most regretful about?
Not hard to guess—only a clueless fool like Song-san would remain unaware.
Actually, isn't it odd that Song-san subconsciously avoids thinking about Twilight Song despite growing up in America? I really should look into that…
"Alright, Song-san. Apologize first."
"Ah, sorry, President. I shouldn't have teased you like that."
Thus, Gotham Song was swiftly brought to submission beneath Dancing Brave's gentle authority. Legendary Uma Musume yielded to no one—unless facing another legendary Uma Musume.
After regaining composure, Rudolf sighed:
"It's fine. Let Song-san go now… Dancing Brave-san?"
Wait—it wasn't a hallucination?!
Gotham Song clearly read the disbelief on Rudolf's face. Quickly covering herself, she added hastily:
"Secretariat's not here, really!"
Thus, Secretariat was dragged into things again.
Rudolf responded by gently poking Gotham Song's forehead, eliciting a quiet sigh from her.
At last, they finally got down to serious business.
Or rather, it was Dancing Brave's merciless one-sided slaughter of Symboli Rudolf.
After reviewing Dancing Brave's detailed plan, Rudolf opened her mouth to speak but was cut off:
"Let's skip the pointless probing. Rudolf-san, we share the same goal—to give Uma Musume freedom to compete internationally. Right?"
Gotham Song knew Rudolf had utterly lost.
Unable to refuse this powerful ally, Rudolf eventually agreed. Though unofficial, she'd quietly support Secretariat's overseas initiative.
As negotiations ended, Rudolf suddenly rose, eyes narrowed ominously at Gotham Song.
"So then, Song-san—about your earlier prank. What punishment shall it be?"
"Uh, um…"
Oops, maybe I went too far.
Raising her hands in surrender, Gotham Song pleaded silently:
Can we reconcile…please?