*Whoooooossshhh~~~~~*
"..."
*Flip*
The 3 individuals continue to mind their own business. The young man is devouring the content of the book, Gold City is scrolling through her phone, and Narita Brian is slacking off from her duty.
*Flip*
"Mmhh…"
"Here?"
"Yeah…"
Brian rubs her head on the young man's thigh, and he understands that she wants him to scratch an itchy spot on her scalp. He quickly placed his hand on her hair and let his fingers scratch her scalp.
"..."
The intimate scene makes Gold City feel isolated. It's as if she's disturbing a romantic picnic between lovers. She wants to leave, but she can't since people would swarm her the moment she stands up.
"Brian, which one is better to break out of a cage-in, forward leap or side leap?"
"It's situational, like most strategies. In my opinion, rather than doing it like a lift, it's better to do it like a stair. With stages."
"Wouldn't that allow the other to adapt to your movement?"
"Then you just adapt to their adaptation and go on. If you can only do it once, then just give up. They won't give up just because you escaped once."
"I see."
"..."
The supermodel doesn't say anything, but she is fuming. She wants to be where Brian is. To be asked about racing and training strategy. Instead, everyone just asked her about fashion and stuff.
Don't get her wrong. She likes it when people depend on her, but she is an Uma Musume first and a supermodel second. Being asked about something means that the person being asked has been acknowledged as having superior knowledge compared to the one asking. Does the young man consider Gold City to be dumber than him? Does he think that all of Gold City is her looks and nothing else?
Narita Brian is a powerful Uma Musume, and Gold City understands that. But even then, can't the young man ask for her opinion as well?
"Mmmh…"
Why is she angry? Did she read a bad tweet about herself?
Gold City might thought that she was being discreet about her displeasure, but her ear wasn't. Her ear is smacking against the young man's head, like a little kid smacking him for not paying attention to her.
He wants to ask, but Gold City doesn't know him. If he asks, he would look like a weirdo who knows too much about Gold City. She might even consider him a stalker.
"Uh! Too rough, idiot."
"Wash your hair properly, slacker. My fingers got caught in them. Show me your butt. I want to see if you have properly taken care of your tail."
"Who are you, my sister? The only one who can take care of me is my family."
"Brother-in-law or husband, which one would you choose?"
"Victim."
"Isn't that what you called the girls you scared off, monster?"
"It's not my fault they're such scaredy cats."
"Talking about scaredy cats, what's your experience in scaring your opponents during a race? Can you break through the cage with it?"
"The umas you're going against won't be newbies. They would've been in the business for longer than your trainee has. They won't get scared easily."
"...Hmm."
*Flip*
*smack* *smack* *smack* *smack* *smack* *smack* *smack*
If she keeps smacking her ear against me any longer, I might do something she'll regret. Sigh… Kids these days… They can't get their eyes off their phones.
Great job, Gold City. You make me sound like a boomer. Goddess damn it… I should do something to get her eyes off her damn phone.
"So it'll be the other side then… How about if I try to charm them, Gold City?"
"Mmh… Eh?"
Gold City was taken by surprise when he asked for her opinion. She had accepted that she would never be more than a beautiful statue that no one talks to, so she wasn't ready for the sudden quiz.
"I think… You can distract the other runners, but their eyes would be stuck to you."
"Hmmm… Distracted with their eyes on you… There might be a way to use this…"
"And that will be?"
"Like hell am I going to tell you, Brian. You already won the Triple Crown. Don't get too greedy."
"You really can not reflect on yourself, huh… Whatever. Make sure you train them well."
"As I said, don't be too greedy. I don't want the great Narita Brian to be humiliated under my feet."
"Kuhuhuhu! Cocky bastard."
"You seem to be so confident in defeating a Triple Crown winner when you don't have one, trainer. Why?"
"Why? Because I will train the world's strongest race Uma Musume!"
"..."
The young man turned his head to Gold City when he answered her question. He shows Gold City a smile she wishes her trainer had when he talked about her racing. A childlike joy smile with nothing but utter confidence in the umas he trains. As if questioning their power to be a strong Uma Musume was the dumbest decision one could make.
"That must be nice…"
"I know, right? I'm very lucky to be able to acquire them!"
"Yeah…"
So are they…
Gold City wants to run. She wants to be like the other Uma Musumes attending the Tracen Academy. The difference is that she is also blessed with beauty that only comes once in a thousand years. Gold City wasn't ungrateful for her beauty. Not at all. In fact, she feels blessed since she can be a supermodel and earn a great sum of money before she even becomes an adult.
An Uma Musume is born to run, and so does Gold City. Being told that you don't fit to run while being an Uma Musume is a straight-up insult, and no one has felt that more than Gold City. When a star shines so bright, you can't see the planets rotating around it. Her beauty shines so bright compared to her talent as a runner that people never even consider her as a racer. People would always be surprised when she told them that she is a runner Uma Musume, and they would try to make her stop running.
It always breaks Gold City's heart whenever someone tells her to stop running. Is she not an Uma Musume? Was her birth a mistake? Was her entire existence just a big joke? Why does it have to be her? She wants to run. She wants to be like everyone else. Why does the gift she is blessed with have to be the thing that hurts her the most?
So for her entire life, there is one thing Gold City has been wanting. Every night before she sleeps, she would wish to the 3 Goddesses. Every Christmas, she would write a letter to Santa even after knowing he doesn't exist. And that one thing that she wishes is…
"Then I'll be waiting for you to run against them, Gold City. They need a strong opponent to grow, and I'm sure you can give them that."
Someone who believes in her ability to run.
"Aahh… I… I… I'll try… I'll make sure to fulfil your expectation."
"Mmh? I… See…"
The young man notices that something has changed about Gold City, but he's not so sure what it is. And his relationship with her is merely an acquaintance, so he can't just ask without any repercussions. He becomes more confident in his assessment when the blonde supermodel rests her head on his shoulder.
Well… This isn't bad, so I won't bother.