The Winning Live soon ended, and everyone returned to Tracen Academy together. Mizuki said her goodbyes to the group.She noticed that even late at night, many girls were still training.
On her way back to the dorm, she ran into Eishin Flash, Hokko Tarumae, Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi, and others. As a daily record, she wrote them into her diary.
[Back at Tracen. Today was a great day.]
[Taiki Shuttle's performance today has everyone talking. People are already debating: who can beat her in the next NHK Mile Cup?]
[Sakura Bakushin O? Seeking the Pearl?]
[Their suggestions make sense. Seeking the Pearl is plenty strong, and Bakushin O is a beast at short distances.]
[As the saying goes: "Sakura for Speed, Mejiro for Stamina."]
[It shows the Sakura clan holds a top-tier status when it comes to speed.]
[But Sakura Bakushin O is just ridiculous, whenever she's mentioned, the word "Bakushin" comes to mind. She really feels like a hot-blooded idiot.]
[It seems like the Sakura clan isn't very bright.]
[Then there's Sakura Chiyono O. Her nickname is Silly Cow, she's a total airhead.]
[By the way, that cow isn't just silly, she also has four ears.]
Mizuki poked fun at Sakura Chiyono O, her hair parted to the sides of her face made it look like she had an extra pair of cow ears.
Simultaneously, Mizuki's diary updated in everyone's eyes. In the Ritto Dorms, Sakura Chiyono O was stunned.
'How am I an airhead? And I definitely don't have four ears! Trainer Mizuki is spreading rumors!'
She was fuming.
'Calling me a cow, are you? Next time I see you, I'll headbutt you into the sky!'
"Hahaha, she's talking about Chiyono O's hair, right? It really does look like cow ears." Yaono Muteki was struggling to suppress her laughter.
Looking at Chiyono O's hair and thinking of the words "Silly Cow" almost gave her internal injuries. Her stomach hurt from holding it in.
"Muteki-san, what are you laughing at?!" Chiyono O clutched her head, trying to hide her hair. She was reaching her breaking point, stomping her short legs in frustration.
"Ahem, I just remembered something funny." Muteki made an excuse, quickly trying to think of the saddest thing she knew to stop laughing.
"Next time we meet, I'll let her feel the power of cow horns," Chiyono O declared. A grudge had officially been formed.
Mizuki's log continued:
[Late at night, I got a fright as soon as I got back because I ran into Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi. Her dream is also the Triple Crown, but her constitution is weak. She actually dared to ask Agnes Tachyon to test a potion. She drank it and passed out instantly.]
[Ah, to be young. Falling asleep as soon as her head hits the ground.]
[Leaving Tachyon there laughing like a maniac. I couldn't believe my eyes.]
[When I went up to ask, I found out Tachyon gave her a sedative.]
[Later I figured out the reason: Tachyon was actually "caring" for her, using "Psychological Therapy" on Tsuyoshi.]
[Tachyon said Tsuyoshi always fails in training, and if it continues, she'll lose all confidence.]
[So, she used the sedative to knock her out, then drew an eight-pack of abs on her so she'd be happy when she woke up.]
[Good grief, Tsuyoshi wakes up, finds eight-pack abs, and thinks Tachyon is a miracle doctor.]
[I'm dizzy. This is Psychological Therapy?]
[She even asked me to be a lookout for her. Said it would only take a moment.]
[Nothing to do about it, I helped her out.]
[Tachyon laughed maniacally while drawing the abs, that laugh was creepy.]
[Also, I admire Tsuyoshi's guts for actually experimenting with Tachyon. Last time someone drank Tachyon's drink, their whole body started glowing. It was terrifying.]
[All I can say is, as expected of Tsuyoshi— admirable courage. Tsuyo-GOD!]
Everyone saw the log. Tokai Teio died laughing— the idea of Tsuyoshi getting abs drawn on her was too much. She wanted some too, remaining her usual lively self.
Elsewhere, Agnes Tachyon was speechless.
"Trainer Mizuki, don't say that out loud! If no one tests my potions in the future, I'll have to tie you up!"
...
"...Actually, I might do that anyways. I'd love to study her and find out what's so special about her and that diary..."
Tachyon let out a cold chuckle at the thought.
'Mizuki, oh Mizuki, you have truly sought your own demise!'
Beside Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe was at a loss. She could only think: 'Classic Tachyon.'
She prayed Tachyon would let her go.
"Since you have others for experiments now, can you leave me alone?'"
"Ahahahah!"
"No."
In France, Treve wore a look of shock.
"A drink that makes your whole body glow? How do you even make that? France simply doesn't have this kind of talent! I want to drink it, I want to drink it!"
Treve actually found Tachyon interesting.
If she ever gets tied up for an experiment, no one will be able to save her.
Narita Brian was also speechless. "Honestly, if Tachyon is left unchecked, she's going to commit a crime. But I'm not afraid of her drinks, I just think they taste bad."
Brian was reading quite seriously, wondering if she'd be written in one day. She hoped it would be something nice, but she had little faith in Mizuki.
'She's interesting, and I'd like to meet her, but please don't let her cause me to have a social death in front of the whole world. Would she say something like: "That Brian— she's always biting a twig like a crazy person"?'
Mizuki's diary continued:
[After seeing off Tsuyoshi, I breathed a sigh of relief. If someone saw that, they'd think I was a kidnapper.]
[On the way back, some Horse Girls greeted me and asked if I enjoyed the race. I said of course. I also ran into Eishin Flash. She's such a polite girl. She gave me a slight smile, then immediately went back to chopping bricks to train her power. A Horse Girl with a real schedule.]
[But the problem is, does Eishin Flash have OCD? Every time she sets a brick, she compares it carefully. If there's even a 1cm deviation, she swaps it out. I was baffled. That's German precision for you!]
At this moment, everyone reached this part.
"Being polite is a basic necessity, isn't it?" Eishin Flash said cutely. She felt a bit lightheaded, seeing the Trainer write about her made her a mix of nervous and excited. It felt like being exposed to everyone.
She nervously read on, agreeing with her own rigorous behavior.
However, Smart Falcon was completely lost. She wore a look of horror. Every brick accurate to 1cm? Training like that must be exhausting!
But it was fine. Falco held up a finger: No matter how tired you are, seeing Falco dance will definitely melt the day's fatigue away! ☆ She made a heart sign for Flash, but Flash wasn't looking at her, she was glued to the diary.
Falcon didn't mind and thought of something else.
'Yes! I must learn from Flash-san's attitude. Since Falco is an idol, every movement must be precise to the centimeter!'
Falcon grabbed her camera, planning to have Flash supervise her every pose later. She had no idea that Flash's supervision was "hell"— she would actually check every centimeter, and Falcon wouldn't be able to handle that level of strictness.
At that moment, the two roommates reached the next entry in the diary.
[She chopped six bricks, then seven, until the ninth one. She couldn't break it, and her hand seemed to hurt. She peeked up at me, and that glance left me stunned. How can an Uma Musume be this pretty?!]
"Eh?! What does 'that glance' mean?!" Eishin Flash's face was bright red. She didn't think she was that impressive and felt very shy. The words that came after only heightened her embarrassment.
Flash's CPU was fried. She couldn't comprehend the idea that Mizuki found her pretty enough to be astounded.
'Could Trainer Mizuki... could she actually have a crush on her?!?!'
In a Tokyo hospital:
Mejiro Ardan looked good today, her blue hair looking beautiful. She still remembered Mizuki calling her a "Daughter-in-law." She still hadn't figured out how she came to that conclusion.
'Sigh, I've been losing sleep thinking about this for days...'
Mejiro Ardan was puffing out her cheeks in a sulk, looking incredibly cute. However, her overall mood was quite good lately because her recovery was progressing well, and she would be discharged soon.
"My legs should be much better now, right?"
"Okay, the doctor isn't around... I'll just move a little."
Like a child doing something naughty, Mejiro Ardan stole a glance at the door. Her legs felt in top condition, she felt she was already ready to head to Tracen and begin her story on the track.
As she moved her legs, a joyous expression spread across her face. She planned to apply to go home in a few days and then visit Tracen.
"When I get there, I'll ask Trainer Mizuki what this 'Daughter-in-law' thing is all about, and I'll question her about that 'Invincible' too."
Ardan's expression was firm, filled with longing for the future. At that moment, Mizuki's log updated again.
[On the last stretch of the path home, I saw Hokko Tarumae. She had just returned as well. She's from Tomakomai, possesses the most innocent smile, and is a local star back home.]
[She seems to be working really hard to promote her hometown. It's a small place currently facing population decline and economic hardship.]
[This has led to the shops she loves— despite their hard work and delicious food— having to close their shutters forever because of the lack of customers.]
[Hokko Tarumae watches this with a sense of dread. The shopkeepers in Tomakomai are all so kind to her, but she has to watch their businesses fail, feeling powerless to stop it.]
[The reason is simple: Tomakomai is just too remote.]
[The population is constantly leaking away to the outside world, and no one wants to move there to develop. If it keeps going like this, one day, Tomakomai might just vanish entirely.]
[All her memories of that place, the beautiful smiles of everyone, would dissipate into nothing.]
[So, a strong resolve grew in Hokko Tarumae's heart: she must do something for the Tomakomai she loves.]
[Thus, she volunteered to become Tomakomai's local star. By participating in races and winning G1 events, she hopes to make Tomakomai known to the whole world!]
[When Hokko Tarumae saw me, she gave me a Tomakomai business card. It listed all the city's charms— it really is a beautiful place.]
[I saw her effort and told her she could download the URA exclusive app and register for various Uma Musume forums. They have huge traffic and might help her promote the town.]
[She was deeply moved and learned how to operate online. I told her to find Twin Turbo to learn about video editing. She looked a bit confused— she doesn't know that Turbo is a hidden master of editing. Don't let her slacker attitude fool you, she actually has the skills.]
[Hokko Tarumae was shocked at the time, asking, "Wait, you can photoshop videos?" I was full of question marks— how is this child so oblivious to technology?]
[At that moment, Ines Fujin and Tamamo Cross happened to pass by. After hearing about Tarumae's situation, they followed her blog and gave her a like.]
[Neither of those two comes from a wealthy family, and since the supermarket had discounts today, they went shopping together.]
[I saw Ines Fujin buying toilet paper, slippers, body wash, and shampoo— a chaotic variety full of the scent of daily life. She even used a supermarket point card to get a bag of snacks for her younger sister. She didn't eat a single bite herself, saving it all with a face full of smiles.]
[Tamamo Cross was the same. She said she was the 'White Lightning of the Mall,' boasting about snatching up all the special-offer items.]
[Tamamo is also quite fun— small stature, but talks like a big shot.]
[The things they do are different, but one thing remains the same.]
[They are all working hard for their dreams and goals, and they all possess wonderful qualities.]
[I didn't expect today to be such a fulfilling day.]
[Time for me to sleep. I'll keep working hard tomorrow.]
[Everyone has a reason why they absolutely cannot lose. The more stories I hear, the more I find myself drawn to this world.]
At that moment, a voice rang out in Mizuki's mind.
[Ding! Diary uploaded successfully!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining rewards!]
[Reward: 5 Popularity Boosters. Can be used for upcoming Tracen fan events and cultural performances to increase the popularity of the Uma Musume and relieve the pressure of program preparation!]
"Holy crap, this is awesome!"
Mizuki felt this was great. On January 30th— Satono Diamond's birthday— there was going to be a freshman performance. Wasn't Special Week supposed to perform a play with Grass Wonder and the others?
"Maybe this can help."
After receiving them, Mizuki immediately thought of Machan and decided to use one of the boosters on her.
"Machan, this is as much as I can help you! It'll definitely get more people to remember you. Maybe there really will be merch..."