Night fell.
Mochizuki and Shizen lay on two separate beds, one thinking about her sister.
The other had a dim lamp on, looking at a cookbook.
Watching her mom read under the lamp,
Tokai Mochizuki simply returned her gaze to the ceiling.
The wooden ceiling was spotless.
And reflected on the wooden ceiling was Tokai Teio.
From her appearance alone, Tokai Teio was indeed very similar to her.
At least, after completely stripping away the Uma Musume's physical characteristics, she looked very much like her.
But… Teio's innocent face lingered in Mochizuki's mind.
This made Mochizuki completely unable to understand what kind of environment Teio lived in.
Thinking of this, Mochizuki turned her head to look at her mom.
"Mom…"
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"It's opening tomorrow, right?"
She didn't ask any questions related to Teio, because Mochizuki had already guessed the general situation,
so she asked another question.
Shizen, who was reading, just nodded:
"Yes, we're preparing to open tomorrow. I wonder if we'll be able to make a profit."
Shizen's face showed a troubled expression, worried about their livelihood.
Looking at Shizen like this, Mochizuki was silent for a few seconds, then continued:
"Then, what about… the Mejiro Family?"
"The Mejiro Family is a prominent family of Uma Musume. If you want to be a Trainer, you need to remember this."
Saying this, Shizen flipped a page back in the cookbook:
"However, the Uma Musume who have been coming to the shop recently all have their own families.
If you become a Trainer in the future, you can talk to them and try to recruit their family's juniors."
Tokai Shizen's reminder made the girl nod:
"In simple terms, it means there might be successful Uma Musume in their families?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then…"
"You don't have to worry too much about that; they all seem to like you quite a bit."
Mochizuki caught the slight tilt of her head, and she already guessed why they liked her.
However, it wouldn't be good to expose such a thing.
"I see. So if I become a Trainer in the future, I'll mainly have to rely on them."
"Being a Trainer is a job that relies heavily on reputation.
If you're a complete newcomer, you might find that no good Uma Musume are willing to follow you.
But if you really want to become a Trainer, I might be able to help you choose some Uma Musume."
Tokai Shizen's words were full of confidence.
And the source of this confidence was her identity as a transmigrator.
Although she didn't know much about the history of most of the real horses, she did know who to choose among the Uma Musume.
So she just subtly hinted to her daughter, then shifted her gaze away.
"Eh, Mom, do you have an eye for Uma Musume?"
"I wouldn't call it an 'eye,' but I do have some ways to pick them out."
She didn't explain why, after all, Shizen didn't remember much about being a transmigrator.
But for someone who had been 'imprisoned' in Uma Musume every day, it was quite difficult to forget those brats who acted out every day.
So if her daughter really didn't know who to choose, Shizen could still help.
Although she might end up choosing some… well, rather subtle Uma Musume.
After all, with her unclear memory, she only remembered most of the memes.
"I see. Then, Mom, will you help me choose an Uma Musume in the future?"
Mom's suggestion immediately prompted Mochizuki to make this request.
"If there's a chance~"
Saying this, Shizen returned her gaze to the cookbook:
"You should go to sleep now, you have class tomorrow."
"I know~"
After saying this, Mochizuki closed her eyes; she really should sleep.
Although, there were still many questions left unasked,
but asking Mom's friends shouldn't be a problem, right?
Mochizuki thought this as she closed her eyes.
————————————
The next day, sitting in the passenger seat,
Tokai Mochizuki saw a red light ahead, then turned to Maruzensky:
"Aunt Maruzensky?"
"Hmm? Is something wrong, little Mochizuki?"
"Aunt Maruzensky, do I have a sister?"
Hearing this question, Maruzensky's gaze shifted slightly.
While paying attention to the traffic light, Maruzensky also watched Mochizuki.
Maruzensky knew that Shizen had given birth to twins,
but she knew this was something Mochizuki shouldn't know.
But now, Mochizuki's words…
"Mom asked me what I would do if I had a sister."
Mochizuki's next sentence slightly dispelled Maruzensky's suspicion.
With her suspicion dispelled, Maruzensky refocused her attention on the road ahead:
"Your mom, ah. Since she said it, then telling you earlier should be fine."
The green light appeared, and she lightly pressed the accelerator.
Maruzensky explained as she drove:
"You do have an older sister, but her specific name…"
"I know. I'll wait for my mom to tell me."
After saying this to Maruzensky, Tokai Mochizuki continued:
"But it's an older sister, huh…"
"You and she are twins, but because of some circumstances, your mom couldn't raise her."
After adding this, Maruzensky continued:
"But she should be brought back sometime soon."
Maruzensky, after adding this sentence, continued:
"Don't bully your older sister when she comes, okay?"
"Mm, I won't do anything to trouble Mom."
Mochizuki, saying this, had basically confirmed that she indeed had an older sister.
But… whether it was Teio or not, Mochizuki still couldn't figure out.
However, if Teio really was her older sister, then…
Mochizuki fell silent for a few seconds, thinking about this.
Because if Teio was her older sister, then once Teio fully matured,
her body shape would be like Mom's and wouldn't change.
To be honest.
Calling an Uma Musume who looked much younger than herself "older sister" felt unexpectedly awkward.
But it was also possible that Teio would grow much taller after fully maturing.
With this thought, Tokai Mochizuki was dropped off at the school gate by Maruzensky.
After getting out of the car, Mochizuki looked inside the car:
"Is Aunt Chiaki picking me up again this afternoon?"
"Yes, it's her."
Maruzensky said with a pained expression.
Seeing Maruzensky's pained expression,
Tokai Mochizuki knew why she looked troubled, so she didn't say much,
just closed the car door and turned to walk towards the school.
Urgent notice, meow!
Because the review process has switched to manual review, the approval time for new chapters each day is uncertain.
And my update schedule is too inconvenient.
So there might be situations where there's no update for a day due to the manual review process.
Please pay attention, everyone.
By the way.
The veteran driver IF is being rewritten.
Actually, the Chiaki IF should have been written first,
because the original idea was for Representative Chiaki to find Shizen.
But in the main story, she was found by the veteran driver, so let's do the veteran driver IF first.
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