More than half an hour later, aboard a Shinkansen heading toward Tokyo.
Kitahara's hand was wrapped in thick bandages; the corner of his mouth twitched, a look of helplessness on his face.
Next to him were Oguri Cap and Belno Light . The former, unusually, was glaring with tight lips, clearly angry as she looked across. The latter glanced at Kitahara with concern, then at the other side with a complex expression.
Opposite the three of them sat a 1.4-meter-tall, awkwardly embarrassed, constantly scratching-and-smiling small racehorse girl—none other than Tamamo Cross, who had been sleeping soundly in the waiting hall earlier.
Perhaps feeling awkward under their gaze, Tamamo Cross scratched her head, cleared her throat, and offered a sheepish smile:
"Um… Uncle, does your hand… still hurt?"
Before Kitahara could reply, Oguri Cap interrupted indignantly:
"Of course it hurts! You shouted so loud when waking Tamamo Cross, I could hear it from the other side! Seriously, how can you let Tamamo Cross bite your hand like it's a bowl of noodles?! And so hard! Noodles are supposed to slurp naturally, right?"
…Wait! Oguri Cap, you're focused on the wrong thing! Kitahara gawked beside her.
Belno Light followed suit:
"Yeah, even if you compare Kitahara-san to food, he should be like Kobe beef, a top-tier ingredient, right?"
…No! Light, why are you thinking like Oguri Cap?! Kitahara stared blankly at him.
The reason Kitahara's hand was bandaged was that, in the waiting hall, when he tried to wake Tamamo Cross, she had groggily mistaken his hand for noodles and chomped down.
Despite Tamamo Cross's petite build, her body was so strong and fast that when she leapt and lunged, Kitahara couldn't react in time and got a solid bite on his hand.
Fortunately, she realized quickly that it wasn't noodles and let go.
Otherwise, if she had continued, Kitahara might not have even made it to the central circuit… or, well, he would have ended up there—but via the emergency room.
A horse girl's bite force could realistically sever a finger…
Because of this, Kitahara had to go to the station's medical room for emergency bandaging, with Oguri Cap and Belno Light anxiously by his side. Tamamo Cross, fully aware and apologetic, kept bowing and saying sorry for a long time. The four ended up missing the previous train and took this one, sitting together.
Kitahara felt extremely unlucky.
He cursed himself for not paying attention to racehorses with "red forehead decorations."
In this world, nobody would know the meaning of such an ornament. Even if asked, the horse girls would only say, "I instinctively wanted to wear this decoration."
But in the other world, a "red ball on the forehead" meant "this horse bites!"Tamamo Cross's prototype horse wore a red ball!
Even after retirement, staff would post a sign at the stable: "Danger! Beware of biting!"
Having raised Oguri Cap for so long and accustomed to her obedient nature, Kitahara had forgotten this detail, and this time got caught off guard.
Next time he encountered a racehorse with a red headband, he vowed to be extremely careful—even if forced to interact, he would be extra, extra cautious. Two worlds, two rules; who knew when a horse girl might bite…
Oh, and in the other world, if a horse kicks, it wears a red decoration on its legs… like Gold Ship…
Hehe, any trainer who hadn't been kicked by Gold-Ship yet, should be lucky…
This isn't a game; if Gold-Ship used that leg force capable of overtaking fifteen horses, it could really be fatal…
Shaking off the lingering fear, Kitahara absently touched the bandages on his hand and looked helplessly at Tamamo Cross, who was sheepishly smiling and scratching her head.
"Does it hurt… Anyway, never mind that. You're Tamamo Cross, right?" She had already introduced herself when apologizing in the station's medical room.
"Ah… yes, Uncle… I'm called Tamamo Cross. Is there… a problem?" she replied cautiously.
"Not a problem," Kitahara smiled, already not very angry, seeing her awkwardness. "It's more of a coincidence."
"Coincidence?" Tamamo Cross froze.
"Yes. Before coming to the station, we ate at a noodle shop. The owner, knowing I'm a trainer going to Tokyo, mentioned he had met you. You had eaten there today," Kitahara explained with a smile.
"Coincidentally, my uncle is a central trainer, and he was at the table."
"From the owner's description, my uncle guessed your name was Tamamo Cross. When I saw you in the waiting hall, I thought you matched his description, so I knew it was you."
Oguri Cap, Belno Light, and Tamamo Cross all looked enlightened.
"Oh, so that's how Kitahara knew your name, Little Tamamo ."
"Impressive, Kitahara-san, you pay attention to Uma Musume, no wonder you recognized her instantly."
"Wait… hold on! When did we become so familiar?! Don't give me a nickname on your own! What's with 'Little Tamamo' and 'Tamamo Tam'? Call me properly, Tamamo Cross!"
Hmph, Oguri Cap and Belno Light were, as usual, overly friendly—perfect for drawing Tamamo Cross closer.
Facing their nicknames, Tamamo Cross flailed in frustration, while Kitahara secretly rejoiced.
If Oguri Cap and Light got along with her, inviting Tamamo Cross to join their team might be possible.
Oguri Cap, unaware of Kitahara's intentions, explained earnestly:
"Kitahara said I should remember others' names, but I have trouble with names. So I give nicknames; it's easier to remember."
Belno Light followed suit:
"I think 'Little Tamamo' is cute, and she really is cute."
"Ahhhh! I'm not cute! I am Tamamo Cross, the one who will be famous worldwide! How can I have a cute name like that!"
Still frustrated, Tamamo Cross grabbed her hair, hopped onto the chair, and flailed about.
Then a staff member admonished her:
"Miss Uma Musume, please don't shout or stomp on the seats inside the carriage, okay?"
"Ah… sorry, I didn't mean to," she said, sitting down gloomily.
Kitahara pondered and switched topics:
"Becoming a famous Uma Musume? That's a coincidence. My Uma Musume," he gestured to Oguri Cap, "Oguri Cap aims to be remarkable, famous worldwide. Perhaps you'll meet her on the track."
Oguri Cap paused, then radiated a rising aura of excitement:
"Facing Little Tamamo? I look forward to it! I can sense she's fast."
Hmm… though natural in personality, her racing instincts were extremely sharp.
"Well! You're fast too! Oguri Cap… no, I'll return the compliment! You're fast too, Little Ogu!"
As if sensing fate, Tamamo Cross's aura surged. She even matched the nickname playfully:
"I saw your performance at the Youth Crown Race!"
"I wasn't planning to greet you yet, waiting to test our skills at the Central Circuit. But since we met, I'll tell you now—I'll be waiting for you there!"
"Let's run together on the track, Oguri Cap!"