Another ordinary day, but ever since Oguri Roman and Kitahara Jo returned to Kasamatsu Tracen, the place had been thriving more than ever. Even when Satou Ken rode out on that beat-up tricycle to run errands, the wind brushing against his face felt unusually gentle.
Just as he was pedaling through the school gates, he suddenly spotted a petite figure standing by the entrance, luggage in hand. As he got closer, he realized it was a gray-maned Uma Musume.
Could it be that because of the Young Crown Cup's influence, Uma Musume were now actively seeking to enroll at Kasamatsu Tracen?!
Satou Ken felt a surge of excitement as he quickly hit the brakes and hopped off the tricycle, addressing the little gray-maned Uma Musume.
"Here to enroll at Kasamatsu Tracen?!"
"Come on, hop on—I'll give you a ride into the school."
As he spoke, he gestured toward the tricycle behind him.
Gold Ship looked him up and down, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, tossed her suitcase onto the tricycle without hesitation. Before Satou Ken could even react, she had already jumped into the driver's seat and started pedaling furiously, charging straight into Kasamatsu Tracen.
"Huh?"
"Hey!"
"Wait, stop! That's my tricycle!"
Hearing Satou Ken's cries of despair behind her, Gold Ship, now in control of the tricycle, let out a cold chuckle and taunted,
"I am the tricycle!"
With that, she sped up, racing through the grounds of Kasamatsu Tracen. Satou Ken, just an ordinary human, stood no chance against an Uma Musume's speed and was quickly left in the dust.
Due to her height, Gold Ship had to stand on the pedals to keep the tricycle moving, but that didn't stop her from scanning her surroundings as she drove. Her sharp gaze swept past the old buildings, almost as if she were searching for something.
Suddenly, the sounds of Uma Musume training echoed from the distance. Gold Ship's ears perked up, and her eyes snapped toward the noise. Without hesitation, she swerved and sped off toward the track.
"This feeling... is it her?"
Just then, Kitahara Jo, who had been on his way to the track to assist with training, heard the rapid approach of wheels from behind. He instinctively turned around, his expression shifting to shock at the sight of Gold Ship.
"What? Gold Ship, from the prestigious family—why would she—"
"Out of my way!"
Before Kitahara could finish, Gold Ship shouted and charged toward him on the tricycle. He had no choice but to leap onto the nearby grass to avoid her.
"Hmph, taken out already? Is that all the trainers from the central district are capable of?"
Glancing back at Kitahara as he brushed grass off his clothes, Gold Ship let out a dismissive laugh before continuing her wild ride down the path.
By the time Kitahara collected himself, Satou Ken—who had been chasing after Gold Ship since the gate—finally caught up, hands on his knees as he gasped for breath.
"Mr. Kitahara... do you know who she is?"
"Yeah."
Kitahara stared grimly in the direction Gold Ship had vanished, his tone heavy.
"She's Gold Ship, a descendant of the prestigious Gold family. She's been showing exceptional talent since she was young."
"What?! A top-tier Uma Musume coming here? They're not trying to recruit Dream Weaver, are they?!"
Kitahara shook his head, dismissing Satou Ken's concern, but his expression remained tense.
"An Uma Musume like Gold Ship wouldn't do something like that. But that doesn't mean she isn't dangerous."
"So the prestigious family has other reasons for being here?!"
"No. It's not the family that's dangerous—it's Gold Ship herself."
"She's known as the most chaotic Uma Musume of our time. She might turn all of Kasamatsu upside down."
As he spoke, a cold sweat trickled down Kitahara's forehead. The memories of Gold Ship's past antics made him increasingly uneasy.
While the two men stood there at a loss, Gold Ship had already zoomed to the edge of the track on the tricycle.
The Uma Musume had just finished a training session and were cooling down, sweating and stretching their muscles on the field. When they spotted the familiar beat-up tricycle, they assumed Satou Ken had returned with supplies.
"Mr. Satou—"
"Did you get ice cream? We're dying out here—"
Kobayashi Kaze, always the first to act spoiled, cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and called out to the tricycle.
"It's already autumn, and you're still asking for ice cream?"
"Besides, eating too much will make you gain weight, you know."
Nanno Sumire shook her head at Kobayashi's antics, while Nishimoto Makusa smiled and chimed in with a reminder.
"I've been training so hard—there's no way I'll get fat!"
With a huff, Kobayashi broke away from the group and headed toward the tricycle. But as she got closer, she realized it wasn't Satou Ken driving—and, to her dismay, there was only a suitcase in the back.
Too disappointed to complain, Kobayashi watched as Gold Ship jumped off the tricycle. Noting that Gold Ship clearly hadn't undergone her Maturation yet, she instinctively asked,
"Little one, what are you doing here? Are you lost?"
Gold Ship glanced at Kobayashi's pink hair and snorted.
"Huh? I don't have time to play house with you right now."
A bewildered Kobayashi stood frozen, staring blankly at Gold Ship's back as she strode toward the track.
What in the world is she talking about?
The others on the track had also noticed Gold Ship by now. Like Kobayashi, they assumed she was a lost child upon seeing she hadn't undergone Maturation.
But when they tried to ask questions, Gold Ship ignored them completely, walking straight past them toward Dream Weaver.
Dream Weaver, who had been discussing tactical details with Chizuru Haibara, was drawn by the commotion. Turning around and seeing the little gray-maned Uma Musume, she remarked,
"So you are an Uma Musume. I thought you were just a kid."
Hearing this, Gold Ship's eyes lit up. She rushed up to Dream Weaver and said, almost like she was reciting a code,
"I am an Uma Musume! What's wrong with that?"
Her words left Dream Weaver momentarily speechless, seemingly surprised that Gold Ship had responded that way.
After a moment of silence, Dream Weaver glanced at the beat-up tricycle and said to Gold Ship,
"So you came all the way to Kasamatsu on that machine?"
"For an Uma Musume, the machine isn't what determines victory."
Listening to their exchange, Chizuru Haibara broke out in a cold sweat. Wasn't that tricycle Satou Ken's? And why were these two suddenly talking in some kind of code?
As a human, Chizuru couldn't make sense of it. She stroked her chin, lost in thought.
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T/N: New Uma Musume Fanfic Out!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.