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Chapter 74 - Don't Look! - 74

There's a saying that anywhere outside Tokyo is basically the countryside. Dream Weaver didn't know much about that. All she knew was that if she—currently cutting rice stalks in the fields—wasn't in the countryside, then there probably wasn't much countryside left in Japan at all.

Autumn was the season for harvest, and rice, being the main crop in Kasamatsu, was no exception.

Since Nishimoto Makusa's grandparents had sore backs and couldn't work the fields easily, the group of Uma Musume had all come out to help.

But this kind of work was tough for these young horse girls, who didn't have much experience. Dream Weaver was somewhat used to it—she'd done this kind of part-time work before and knew how to push through the physical exhaustion.

The others, though? They were struggling. Aside from her and Nishimoto Makusa, the rest were already sitting on the ridge, fanning themselves with straw hats, tongues hanging out.

Watching Nishimoto Makusa smiling as she handed them water, Dream Weaver sighed helplessly.

"Are you guys here to help or just to freeload drinks?"

"We thought cutting rice wouldn't be that hard… Who knew bending over like this would hurt so much!"

"Yeah, you two are just fitness freaks! This isn't normal!"

Nanno Sumire and Kobayashi Kaze, slumped on the edge of the field, replied weakly. Even exhausted, they still had energy to bicker—you had to give them that.

"It's really okay! I'm just grateful you all came," Nishimoto Makusa said gently. "If it were the right season, I'd treat you all to watermelon."

Hearing that, everyone's eyes lit up—especially Kobayashi Kaze, who tugged on Nishimoto Makusa's sleeve and stuck out her pinky.

"You promise then! Next summer, you have to treat everyone to watermelon!"

"Was it really that tiring? Look at Gold Ship—she hasn't even fully matured yet, and she's not complaining," Dream Weaver said, shaking her head in amusement. She pointed toward Gold Ship, who was currently running wild.

For Gold Ship, who'd always been cooped up in the city, having this much open space to run around in was a rare treat. During their travels, they were always in a hurry, and Stay Gold was always keeping an eye on her—she never got to go this wild.

Artisan Bell watched as Gold Ship, who'd found a stick from who-knows-where, waved and poked at everything in sight.

"It's just a stick… Are city Uma Musume really this easily amused?"

Nanno and the others nodded in agreement.

For country-raised horse girls like them, waving sticks and catching bugs were things they'd long grown tired of. As teenagers, they'd much rather take the twenty-minute train ride to Gifu City.

That was the only place where Nanno and Kobayashi could find the cosmetics and beauty salons they dreamed about. Even Artisan Bell's magazines with the latest Uma Musume gear info were only sold in Gifu.

Kasamatsu had nothing but fields. Nothing else.

They couldn't understand why Gold Ship, who came from Tokyo, was having so much fun here. Wasn't Tokyo better? Full of the newest, coolest things—surely that was better than boring, unchanging Kasamatsu.

Even though they'd all heard Dream Weaver's wild talk about "making it to the central leagues," these teenage Uma Musume couldn't help but feel a sense of longing for Tokyo, too.

"Hey, Dream, you used to live in a big city too, right? Why'd you come to Kasamatsu?" Artisan Bell turned and asked Dream Weaver, who was still cutting rice.

The others glanced over curiously, too.

Dream Weaver paused, then pointed at herself. "Me? From a big city?"

As far as she remembered, in this scripted mission, she was supposed to have been adopted by an old couple and lived in the countryside all along. Why was Artisan Bell asking something like that?

"You've totally got that big-city vibe all over you. Anyone can see it," Nanno said, shrugging and waving a hand like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hearing that, Dream Weaver instinctively lifted her collar and sniffed, but all she smelled was a faint earthy scent—nothing else.

"Why did you take 'vibe' so literally?! You're usually pretty sharp—what's with the airhead moment today?" Nanno burst out laughing at Dream Weaver's silly reaction, and soon the other Uma Musume were smiling too. Seeing the locally unbeatable Dream Weaver look so flustered was pretty entertaining.

Seeing them slacking off and even having the nerve to mock her, Dream Weaver felt a few veins throbbing on her forehead. She rushed over, grabbed the most boastful one of them all—Nanno—and pinched her cheeks, turning her laughter into a garbled glug-glug noise.

Letting go, Dream Weaver looked proudly at the smudge of dirt now on Naeno's face and smirked. "Whose 'vibe' is stronger now, huh?"

Nanno touched her face in disbelief. Realizing her makeup was ruined, she shot up in anger and pinched back.

"I worked so hard on this makeup, and you ruined it!"

"Who even wears makeup to work in a field? You're the weird one here!"

Not one to back down, Dream Weaver pinched Nanno's cheeks right back, and soon the two were tussling playfully among the rice stalks.

"Ooh, what a magnificent battle!"

"I'm sure all you Uma Musume with your superior dynamic vision are witnessing a truly spectacular fight!" Gold Ship announced in a low, mock-commentator's voice—no one knew when she'd slipped over.

"…I don't want to see any of this."

Oguri Roman covered her eyes in pain.

The shining image she had of Dream Weaver—the one who would lead everyone at Kasamatsu Tracen to restore the region's glory—had shattered into pieces at some point.

She really didn't want to watch Dream Weaver messing around with Nanno, making weird eek-gwah noises all the while.

Without Dream Weaver even knowing it, one young fan's admiration had quietly crumbled.

Just then, as if sensing Oguri Roman's pain, Artisan Bell patted her shoulder understandingly.

"I get it. We all get it."

She, too, missed the Dream Weaver who'd stood in front of her that day, who'd said by the window, "I'm amazing."

"Roman's one thing, but Bell, what are you trying to pull?! You were the one who started it back then!"

Dream Weaver had noticed their exchange and called out sharply. She'd never forget how betrayed she felt when she'd asked Artisan Bell for help, and instead, Bell started reciting haiku.

Feeling Oguri Roman's doubtful gaze now, Artisan Bell tapped her own head, stuck out her tongue, and said:

"Ehe!"

--+--

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.

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