Right now, Gotham Song really had the impulse to pull out a shiny golden alarm clock and hand it directly to Treve.
What is this?
A magical little item you'll definitely need in the future!
Imagine: just as the player finally beats Treve by using an alarm clock, Treve calmly pulls out her own clock, smiles, and says—
"Well done. Shall we go again?"
Exactly how big would the player's psychological shadow be at that moment?
Ahem. Well, it was just an idle thought. Gotham Song obviously didn't have such miraculous powers to turn a normal alarm clock into an item capable of reversing time.
She shook off the fleeting fantasy and sat down beside Daiichi Ruby on a sofa across from Dancing Brave and her two distinguished guests.
Found, as always, carried herself with impeccable dignity. After politely confirming Gotham Song's identity with Dancing Brave, the two mature Uma Musume quickly began discussing official business. Compared to them…
Gotham Song, Daiichi Ruby, and Treve—clearly still counted among the kids—formed a second group entirely.
Actually, by "kids," it was mostly referring to Treve.
The lively, unrestrained filly kept sneaking glances at Gotham Song from the corner of her eye, eagerly making faces, her curiosity and excitement written plainly all over her. Eventually, without even turning to look, Found effortlessly reached over and lightly knocked Treve on the forehead.
Why are you so practiced at that? Exactly how many times have you done this before…?
Yet, even after being disciplined, Treve showed no signs of behaving herself. On the contrary, she only seemed even more restless.
Found finally gave up trying to contain Treve's energy, exchanging a helpless glance with Dancing Brave. The legendary Uma Musume smiled knowingly, waving Gotham Song over.
"Song-san, could I ask you to accompany Treve for a walk outside? Consider it a chance to familiarize yourselves with the area."
Since when did I become your family's babysitter? Gotham Song silently protested, though she didn't reject the suggestion. Truthfully, she was rather curious about the young Treve.
As Gotham Song stood to invite Treve, a thought suddenly crossed her mind:
Wait—if Treve's still just a filly now, wouldn't Orfevre also be quite young?
Maybe once I return to Japan, I'll pay a visit to the Gold family and see that Golden Ship from my strange dreams. After all, she's technically my schoolmate…
Only Gotham Song and Treve left the hall; Ruby, although traveling privately, had unfortunately lost this chance because Dancing Brave and Found's conversation unexpectedly involved matters related to Japan. As a representative of a major family, Ruby had to stay behind.
Before Gotham Song could mourn Ruby's lost opportunity, the little Alarm Clock Destroyer had eagerly bounced ahead.
Clearly familiar with the place, Treve effortlessly led Gotham Song out of the main hall and straight to Dancing Brave's private training grounds.
It was here that Gotham Song was once again reminded of just how ridiculously obsessive Dancing Brave could be.
The training field was entirely surrounded by high walls open only to the sky above.
Basically, if anyone wanted to spy on Dancing Brave's secret training methods, they'd have no choice but aerial photography.
As expected of you, Dancing Brave. You always take things to the absolute extreme.
As Gotham Song shook her head in amazed disbelief, Treve trotted lightly to the track's starting line and suddenly turned to face her.
In that instant, Treve's expression shifted from the carefree filly she'd been moments ago to something more focused—almost mature—and Gotham Song felt a foreboding chill run down her spine.
I have a very bad feeling about this. Something terrifying—something I definitely don't want to face—is about to happen, isn't it?
Is it too late to run? If I turn and bolt right now—
"Gotham Song!"
"Ah! Y-yes?"
Too late, huh? But realistically, what shocking thing could such a small filly possibly say?
Gotham Song felt inexplicably guilty, desperately hoping her intuition might be wrong, just this once—
"I like you, Gotham Song!"
"Huh?"
Strange—this is perfectly flat ground, so why does it feel like I just stepped into thin air?
Gotham Song stood frozen in shock, her powerful sense of balance barely keeping her upright. Yet no matter how long she thought about it, she simply couldn't comprehend the situation.
This… this is our first meeting, right, Treve-san?
It had to be, hadn't it?
Confessing on a first meeting? Even for a French Uma Musume, wasn't this a bit too bold?
Gotham Song forced herself to remain calm, reviewing her memories again and again, eventually certain that she and Treve had definitely never met before—outside of a certain video game, anyway.
Could it be… Treve was also a reincarnator? In that case, Gotham Song would have to seriously question whether she lived in reality or some third-rate novel.
Besides, if they had met before, why had Treve shown such blatant curiosity earlier when beside Found?
"Yep, I like you lots, Song-senpai!"
"Wait—what kind of 'like' are we talking about here?!"
Honestly, Gotham Song felt her face grow warm, probably due to embarrassment—no, not embarrassment, definitely not embarrassment…
Okay, maybe a little embarrassment.
"Like is like! Is Treve not allowed to like Gotham Song?"
"What do you mean 'like,' exactly—?!"
But as their playful back-and-forth continued, Gotham Song finally looked deeply into Treve's bright, innocent eyes and realized something important.
Right now, Treve was likely too young to fully grasp what "liking" someone even meant. Could it possibly be…
An emotion closer to admiration?
The more Gotham Song considered it, the more plausible it seemed. With renewed confidence, she approached the bold little filly.
"There are lots of ways to 'like' someone. Maybe…you just really look forward to watching my races and admire me… something like that?"
"That's admiration, not like."
Gotham Song let out a relieved sigh, patting her chest to calm down.
Ah, I see. That's all it was. Thank goodness—it's nothing serious.
"Then, what do I need to do to properly 'like' you, Song-senpai?"
"Well, obviously… wait, what did you just say?!"
For a rare moment, Gotham Song sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled backward, staring wide-eyed at Treve's completely innocent face, seemingly unaware she'd just dropped a bombshell.
What does she mean, 'what should she do to like me'? Hold on, hold on, what exactly is there about me worth trying so hard to fall in love with anyway?!
"I said—what do I have to do to really 'like' you, Song-senpai?"
Thinking she'd perhaps spoken too carelessly, Treve carefully repeated herself, leaving Gotham Song even more dumbfounded.
"S-so, uh…what exactly is the reason behind this?"
"Reason...? I haven't thought about that at all!"
For the first time, the confident young French filly appeared genuinely confused, as though she'd never even considered the question before.
In fact, she clearly hadn't thought about it at all!
Exhausted from overthinking, Gotham Song managed a weak, helpless smile and sighed deeply.
Well, since even Treve herself didn't understand, maybe it really was just a fleeting impulse from a child? Surely she'd grow out of it soon enough.
Any rational person would agree.
Nevertheless, Gotham Song quietly raised Treve's danger rating to maximum in her mental notes.
Incidentally, who else shared that ranking?
Satono Diamond.
Both of these terrifying fillies were still small at the moment—why were young Uma Musume so frighteningly unpredictable?
"Listen carefully, Treve. If you just want to see me race, you don't need to actually like me. Your feelings sound more like admiration."
Gotham Song spoke seriously, placing both hands gently on Treve's small shoulders, leaning down so they were eye-level. Naturally, during this solemn conversation, their faces ended up very close.
Gotham Song's eyes held a sincere and earnest gaze; Treve, meanwhile, saw something entirely different.
Whether admiration or affection, the person she longed for was standing so close, looking directly into her eyes. Right now, Gotham Song was the entirety of Treve's world.
"There are limits to relationships between two people, you know. If you admire my racing, then you're a fan. And if you want to run alongside me, you're my rival."
Gotham Song rambled on and on, but what she truly meant was simply:
Please reconsider, Treve. I can't be your senpai, your friend, your idol, your romantic interest, and the goal you chase all at once!
Moreover, shouldn't Treve's admiration be directed at someone closer to her—like Found?!
Yet Treve merely nodded softly, then placed Gotham Song's palm against her own cheek.
"In other words, if I want to compete against you, I shouldn't like you? Instead, I should just admire you, chase after you, and work hard, right?"
"Ah… that's exactly right. What you're feeling isn't love—it's admiration."
As a self-proclaimed responsible adult, Gotham Song firmly asserted this logic.
Treve didn't answer, simply nodding obediently while savoring the warmth of Gotham Song's hand.
But…she only said I shouldn't 'like' her for now, right?
Before debuting, before beating Song-senpai—I must not say I like her. I can only express admiration.
But afterward…wouldn't that mean I'm allowed to finally like her openly?
A slow smile bloomed on Treve's face, delighted at her own flawless reasoning.
Gotham Song, meanwhile, had no idea why Treve suddenly seemed so happy, though repeated questioning brought only innocent reassurances of "admiration, nothing more."
In the end, Gotham Song surrendered, trusting that time would smooth out any lingering confusion as Treve grew older.
After all, she herself had changed dramatically from childhood to adulthood. Surely, Treve's feelings would naturally change with age as well.
Safe~ Perfectly safe.
Relaxing at last, Gotham Song turned and walked away, missing the peculiar expression on Treve's face as her hand slipped away.
Standing there alone, Treve quietly mastered a new skill on her own:
Watching. Waiting patiently for the perfect time to strike.
Now isn't the time yet, Song-senpai. For now…
I'll remain your obedient kouhai who simply admires you.
I truly hope time passes quickly—I want to grow up, step onto the track, become your rival, and finally…
Put an end to this admiration.