After dropping off Nase Fumino and Super Creek at their dorm, Kuroha took McQueen back to the villa.
To celebrate McQueen winning the Japanese Derby—the highest honor an Umamusume can claim, and something she only gets one chance at in her entire life—everyone in Chasing Light had naturally prepared a celebration in advance.
This kind of team-building event, about once a month, had already become an unshakable tradition for the team.
The villa's main hall had been decorated for atmosphere. Warm yellow lighting spilled into every corner, and soft, dusky music flowed through the air.
The long table was packed with all kinds of food, and the sweet scent of barbecue, cake, and fruit juice mingled together.
"Cheers!!"
Glasses clinked with a crisp, ringing sound.
Tokai Teio excitedly tapped her glass against McQueen's, then promptly took a big bite out of the "GoroGoro Carrot" she had in hand, finishing it off in one go.
The lively girl suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. With a gloomy air, she scooted up against McQueen and muttered in frustration, "McQueen, if you win the Kikuka Sho in the second half of the year… doesn't that mean I'll only end up being the third unbeaten Triple Crown Umamusume…"
McQueen elegantly cut a small piece of delicate strawberry cake with her fork and knife and slipped it into her mouth. Hearing that, she lifted an eyebrow, her tone calm. "Third isn't so bad, is it, King?"
"It's different, you know~"
Teio shook her head and started analyzing with unusual seriousness, counting on her fingers.
"If I'm the second, then I'd be the first after Rudolf! That 'one and only successor' feeling is so cool!"
"But if I'm the third… then I'm the second after Rudolf, and it just feels like the presence is weaker by a lot."
"…"
McQueen could only sweat a little. She really had not expected Teio—usually so easygoing—to be this obsessed with such a strange ranking.
Her eyes flicked, and she raised her knife, drawing a vertical line in the air with a light laugh.
"It's fine. Even if you're the second after Rudolf, you can still be the first after Mejiro McQueen. That's also a kind of 'third,' you know~"
"Hmph!"
Teio huffed, crossing her arms and turning away. Her ponytail swished mischievously behind her.
"McQueen and Rudolf aren't the same."
"…"
McQueen fell silent on the spot. Teio could be unexpectedly stubborn sometimes.
"Oh, right, right!"
As if she suddenly remembered something, Teio stopped worrying about rankings entirely. She grabbed McQueen's hand and started dragging her toward the TV.
"I found a new co-op game a few days ago, and it's super fun. McQueen, let's play together!"
"Hurry, hurry! If we wait until the party ends, the senpai will kick us out again!"
Kicked out, huh…
McQueen stumbled along as she was pulled. She glanced back toward where her Trainer was—surrounded by a pack of senpai who looked positively ravenous—and the corner of her lips curled into a meaningful smile.
"That's not necessarily true…"
…
On the other side of the hall.
Kuroha sat on a spacious sofa, looking rather helpless.
Inari One was perched in his lap like a restless kitten.
Her fair, petite body would deliberately wriggle now and then, to the point where "software" felt like it was about to get rubbed into "hardware."
Annoyed, Kuroha tapped the twin-tailed girl lightly on the head.
"Stop messing around. Focus on throwing the dice."
"Heehee."
Inari One let out a happy sound.
Luckily, she had reacted quickly. Before anyone else could even process what was happening, she had already pounced straight into Kuroha's lap.
Otherwise, where would she ever find such a perfect seat?
At the moment, they were gathered around the coffee table playing a complex strategy board game.
Inari One, Obey Your Master, Sakura Chiyono O, and Fujimasa March were fully absorbed in their mind games, occasionally letting out frustrated cries or smug laughter.
Nearby, Mihono Bourbon was sitting very obediently on Maruzensky's lap.
That ancient-era strongest Front Runner held the expressionless little "cyber loli" in her arms with obvious adoration, repeatedly planting kisses on Bourbon's slightly baby-faced cheek.
Even so, the "cyber loli" remained unmoved, letting Maruzensky do as she pleased. Those bright, sparkling eyes stayed fixed on the board, focused on the state of play, as if she were thinking something through.
Aside from Bourbon, Rice Shower and Silence Suzuka, compared to the complicated board game, preferred simple and direct video games instead.
The two little ones sat left and right like loyal guardian spirits, carrying small stools and settling onto the carpet in front of the TV, watching Teio and McQueen on the other side as they shouted and flailed while operating the controllers.
They did not say much, but just watching everyone have fun seemed to make the two of them quietly happy.
In the last corner of the hall, a relatively quiet lounge area, three Umamusume with distinctly different vibes were seated together.
"Oguri, how does it feel?" Ardan asked.
"Mmm mmm mmm… tasty…"
Oguri Cap lifted her head with some effort to glance at Mejiro Ardan, then forcefully swallowed the food stuffed in her mouth, letting out a satisfied sigh.
Then, as naturally as breathing, she picked up a neatly arranged stack of small cakes in front of her—still untouched—and offered them to Ardan.
"Ardan, want some? These are really good."
"…I wasn't asking about the food."
Ardan sat down with a helpless, amused smile, taking the stack and placing it on the table.
"I mean the atmosphere here."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Berno Light, who was sitting on Oguri Cap's other side.
"Light, you look really tense. Are you not used to this?"
She asked with concern, seeing how Light's hands were gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, her expression drawn and stiff.
…
"N-no, not at all!"
Light froze for a moment, then hurriedly shook her head and waved her hands.
After all, she came from a prestigious family too. Social etiquette had always been part of her upbringing.
The reason she was nervous…
Light glanced around to make sure nobody was paying attention. Only then did she lean close to Ardan's ear, cautiously pointing at the towering pile of empty plates in front of Oguri Cap, lowering her voice.
"I'm just worried… Oguri might eat everything Kuroha-san prepared…"
"Ah…"
Following Light's finger, Ardan looked over and saw that the table had already been cleared of more than half the food. Even she blanked out for a second.
Today, precisely because they knew the legendary big eater Oguri Cap would be attending, their Trainer had deliberately bought plenty of premium ingredients in advance—enough to be ten times the usual amount.
Surely… it would not still be not enough, would it?
But in the next moment, Ardan maintained her elegant smile and gently shook her head.
She took out her phone and sent a restocking instruction. Then she looked back at Oguri Cap.
When Oguri Cap finally swallowed the food in her mouth again, Ardan spoke at last, her voice soft and gentle.
"Oguri, what does it feel like, being together with everyone?"
After all, this was Oguri Cap's first gathering since joining Chasing Light, and Ardan wanted to check on how she was settling in.
This ash-gray monster of a girl looked like she could spend the entire night happily munching on snacks alone…
(End of Chapter)
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