To sum it up, today's little get-together could be called a success—every guest had their fun.
King Halo got to meet the senior she admires most, Seiun Sky mooched a delicious free meal, and Grass Wonder came to understand Special Week a little better.
Truly, it was a dinner where no one got hurt~ Oh, except perhaps Grass Wonder sacrificed a bit of her sense of shame.
After dinner, at the little ones' eager request, Nearl contacted each of their families one by one and got permission for them to stay overnight—which, of course, only made things even more lively.
Once excitement kicks in, kids can be way more energetic than adults. So by bedtime, Nearl had to personally and carefully peel off the sticky notes from their faces, one by one.
"Whose idea was this anyway? Who uses glue for sticky notes?"
Muttering to herself, Nearl applied steady, gentle pressure and pulled off another note, leaving behind a patch of reddened skin.
"Oww!"
Beside her, Seiun Sky yelped at the top of her lungs.
Unlike Grass Wonder, Platinum had been the one to put the notes on her face—and Platinum didn't have Nearl's patience. She'd just yanked them off in one quick pull. It was fast, but it hurt a lot more.
"What are you yelling for? Consider it punishment for coming up with this game in the first place. 'One sticky note for every death in Dark Souls'—how could you even suggest that?"
As she spoke, Platinum glanced sideways. Over there, Special Week was sitting seiza-style, looking very well-behaved.
At least, that was what Platinum guessed.
Because right now, not an inch of Special Week's skin was visible. Her face was completely covered in layers upon layers of sticky notes, piled on top of each other like feathers on a bird's wing.
"Ahaha… well, that's… ouch!"
Seiun Sky laughed awkwardly a few times, then cried out again as another merciless yank followed.
In the end, Seiun Sky paid a painful price (meaning her cheeks stayed red and swollen all night) before the little fillies' playtime came to an end.
Of course, even if they wanted to keep playing, Nearl wouldn't have allowed it.
Maturation isn't something to take lightly. As a trade-off for their rapid growth, their need for nutrition and rest far exceeds the usual.
An Uma Musume's peak appetite in her whole life comes during her Maturation period, and it's best to get over ten hours of sleep a night too.
"So now it's time for children to go to bed properly."
Half insisting, half coaxing, Nearl got the kids settled down to sleep in the guest room. What remained was a somewhat messy living space, which Nearl planned to tidy up before resting herself.
"Hey, about that training camp—isn't it a bit too soon? The Yasuda Kinen and Takarazuka Kinen, both G1 races, are coming up, aren't they?"
Platinum, sprawled on the sofa and idly scrolling through her phone, spoke up suddenly. Even though they had more efficient ways to communicate, both Nearl and Platinum preferred talking out loud.
"That's right. It's not Tracen Academy's usual annual summer training camp—this one is special, you could say."
"Special?"
"Mhm. It's a request from President Rudolf."
Nearl picked up the plates and utensils from the table and placed them temporarily in the sink.
"She said many seniors who've been injured for a long time have shown significant improvement recently, so she wants to gather them for focused training, to help them recover their form sooner."
"So what's that got to do with you? Aren't you a rookie?"
"Maybe because the president trusts me? And this time I've been invited as an assistant trainer. Actually, only the seniors will be doing the real training. Well, I don't mind anyway. It's nice to be able to help everyone."
"So who's been invited?"
"Let's see… Oguri Cap, Ardan, Super Creek, Yaeno Muteki, Tachyon…"
"Wow, they're all amazing. Every one of them is a powerful Uma Musume who's left her mark in G1 races."
Coming from Platinum, those words carried a faint, dry humor, but she genuinely meant it.
She and Nearl weren't in the same category as Uma Musume. Using herself as a benchmark wouldn't be fair—she had enough self-awareness to know that.
"Right, they're all strong Uma Musume. There might be slight differences in ability, but any of them could come out on top on a given day. If I can help in any way with their comeback, it'll be worth it."
"Alright, alright, go ahead and help. I don't mind. But leave the keys with me before you go."
Platinum waved a hand as if shooing Nearl away, then rolled over on the sofa, propped a pillow under her head, stretched her limbs comfortably, and looked like she planned to sleep right there.
"Hey, at least go to your room. Is the sofa really that comfortable to sleep on?"
"None of your business. I could sleep on the grass back at the ranch—this sofa is way more comfortable by comparison."
"Sigh, suit yourself. Also, while I'm away, please look after Spe-chan. And don't make too much of a mess at home, remember to take out the trash, wash clothes on time…"
"Just go, go!"
"You really…"
Nearl shook her head and left. Platinum could skip a shower and sleep on the sofa just like that, but Nearl couldn't. She at least needed a quick rinse.
--+--
Three days later, Nearl arrived at the gates of Tracen Academy. Rudolf had arranged to meet her there before heading out.
"You're right on time, Nearl."
Rudolf, dressed in casual clothes, leaned elegantly against the wall. A simple wool sweater, plain non-prescription glasses, and fitted jeans—today the emperor looked every bit a stylish city woman.
As for Nearl—same old white hood, white face mask, and sunglasses, dressed like some street punk.
If it weren't for her obvious air of reliability and steadiness, the looks people gave her wouldn't be "Wow, that's an odd outfit," but "Ew, a delinquent or something?"
The emperor sighed slightly and pushed her glasses down, revealing her authoritative, pale violet eyes.
"My apologies, Nearl. I forgot about your current… reputation. I should have picked you up by car. It must have been tough dressing like an 'assassin' to get here."
"It's fine, President. Shall we go?"
Her voice came out slightly muffled behind the mask. It was clear Nearl could tolerate the outfit but didn't want to wear it longer than necessary—normally she wouldn't be in such a hurry.
"Alright, but we'll have to change the plan a bit."
Taking out her phone, Rudolf tapped a few times and sent a text.
"I originally thought we could jog slowly to the destination together, but that was too naive of me."
"I didn't realize going out had become so troublesome for you now… Let's take a car instead. Actually, I heard recently that Maruzensky-senpai bought a new car."
"…"
For some reason, Nearl had a feeling something bad was about to happen.
"Maruzensky-senpai… is she a good driver?"
Hearing Nearl's question, Rudolf shook her head.
"I don't know, but it probably won't be too outrageous. I haven't heard of any accidents involving her. Besides, she just bought a new car—she'll probably take extra care and drive even more smoothly."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.