Only One Year Left—I'll Become a Legendary Uma Musume!-Chapter 283: Only One Year Left—I’ll Become a Legendary Uma Musume! 2 [227]
"FattyQueen... no, McQueen—did you get chubby?"
Gotham Song really did have that urge. It came out of nowhere, for no clear reason—probably because she’d gotten too comfortable around her little sister.
But there was no doubt about it: Gotham Song had zero intention of holding back. She asked it flat-out.
The moment she heard it, Mejiro McQueen coughed twice like she’d choked on her food. Before Gotham Song could even switch into big-sister worry, McQueen hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth and spun on the spot—once, twice—like she was putting herself on display so Gotham Song could "see clearly."
Chubby? N-no way!
That’s absolutely, absolutely impossible, right?!
In Gotham Song’s eyes, that little performance meant exactly one thing.
My sweet idiot little sister... only someone who’s actually gained weight gets this desperate to "prove" she’s the same as before.
No—let’s add a qualifier.
Only someone who’s gained weight without noticing tries this hard, this directly, to insist she hasn’t.
Gotham Song just smiled and said nothing. In the end, she didn’t push it—spared McQueen the inevitable spiral of breakdown, self-doubt, and bashful frustration.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see that adorably tragic face. It was simply that the reality of "McQueen got chubby" was, in fact, Gotham Song’s doing. Thinking about it like that, Gotham Song suddenly felt like she didn’t have the standing to tease her. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
"..."
What—she was allowed to feel a little shame about it, okay...? She honestly considered herself a perfectly qualified good big sister.
At least, her self-image was unwavering on that point.
So in the end, Mejiro McQueen narrowly escaped the demon’s claws, and that was... well. Worth cracking open a Coke, truly a cause for celebration.
Still, Gotham Song knew she ought to start paying attention to McQueen’s condition.
Up until now, Gotham Song had been feeding McQueen shamelessly for two reasons. One: her little sister really had been skinny to an alarming degree, and eating more wouldn’t do her any harm. Two: McQueen had no desire to race, no intention of entering races—she was basically in full half-retired relaxation mode. In that situation, eating a bit more and not watching her physique so strictly was completely acceptable.
But that was before.
Gotham Song had always understood her little sister’s heart. Mejiro McQueen did love running—love the track. But compared to unknown opponents, the thing she was truly fixated on was...
She wanted to run with Gotham Song. She wanted to face her on the racecourse. Even if she lost, she wanted to break into that headwind together, side by side.
That wish had once almost become a lifelong obsession—something she couldn’t fulfill because Gotham Song wasn’t there.
But now it was different.
With Gotham Song right here, McQueen truly had the chance to challenge her sister. The Japan Cup had been a clash, sure, but back then she hadn’t known the other girl’s real identity and got caught completely off guard.
And for Mejiro McQueen, one clash was nowhere near enough to satisfy her.
So even though she hadn’t gone to the Dubai World Cup—McQueen had been waiting for a proper showdown. And now, that chance was almost here.
The Oaks were already over. Next came the Shuka Sho. After the Shuka Sho came the Breeders’ Cup across the sea, and then the day after the Breeders’ Cup...
That would be one of Mejiro McQueen’s best opportunities to launch a fair, open chase—an honest challenge—at her sister.
The Dream Cup.
For every Umamusume, it was a race brimming with temptation. And for McQueen, sure, the other girls on the Dream Cup stage had their own pull—but the real reason she cared had nothing to do with any of them.
It was simply this: her sister would enter that race. And as long as Gotham Song entered, McQueen would finally have the chance to realize her long-held wish.
Even if one fulfillment wouldn’t quiet the yearning forever—
If the opportunity was there, how could she possibly let it go?!
Mejiro McQueen would chase Gotham Song and fight her in the Dream Cup. Everyone at Mejiro Manor knew it.
And that was why the carefree days Gotham Song talked about—days where she could feed McQueen happily and casually—were coming to an end.
The Dream Cup was on its way. If her little sister wanted to enter, then what Gotham Song should do was support her—make sure she wouldn’t carry extra weight into race prep, make sure she could slide cleanly into race condition.
Sure, Gotham Song really wanted to see McQueen’s cute face when she realized she’d gained weight, but...
There was always time.
She knew her sister’s weight and condition inside out. She knew it so well that on more than one night, she’d even used her palm to "measure" that increasingly soft little belly—quietly feeling the curve for herself, just to confirm it.
So... there was no need to rush over a day or two, was there?
Once the Dream Cup was over, once McQueen’s schedule showed no next race—
Then she could do it.
—McQueen, by then you’ll be truly chubby—the kind where even you can’t deny it. Heehee.
...
Maybe Gotham Song’s buried feelings were a little too scorching.
In any case, she could practically see it: a flash of that Phantom Ruka-like glimmer flickering across Mejiro McQueen, like the ghost lady couldn’t stand Gotham Song’s dangerous thoughts anymore...
Gotham Song found it hilarious. She didn’t call it out. She simply saw her sister off to the car headed for school—then, after turning away from that reluctant, unwilling-to-part gaze, she followed her usual schedule and went to the training field.
Today, there were a few figures running on the turf that caught Gotham Song completely off guard.
Aside from the usual faces—Vernal Equinox, still active and openly set to debut and enter her rookie year, and Gentildonna, who’d already put up dazzling results in her classic year—there were two more.
One was Mejiro Ardan, who’d been away from the racecourse for a long time, yet still burst with boundless radiance on the grass today.
And the other...
Was Daiichi Ruby—someone Gotham Song hadn’t been able to meet much lately, only keeping in touch by phone during breaks, thanks to all sorts of circumstances.
Gotham Song had always known how busy Daiichi Ruby was. The Daiichi family was a colossus no less imposing than Mejiro Manor, and because it was older and more traditional, the things they had to mind were even more numerous—and more fussy.
And Ruby, as the Daiichi family’s Ruby—already involved in family affairs, a young successor in practice, half a student council figure—naturally had a mountain of matters to handle. Ramonu still had Ardan to share the load, but Ruby truly had no one else.
Just look at it—back when Ardan hadn’t returned to Mejiro Manor, didn’t Ramonu also get so busy she barely had time to see Gotham Song?
So for Ruby to be on the turf right now really did surprise her.
Wow. I sleep in a little, and suddenly I’m seeing two things that never happen. Is my pillow a dimensional portal? Was I "sleeping" yesterday, or was I flying beyond the horizon—crossing dimensions—starting a whole new run?!
?
Of course, she only thought that to herself—just to entertain her own brain. After a brief pause, she stepped forward and joined the day’s training.
If she thought about it, running really did connect countless Umamusume—ties, bonds, whatever you wanted to call them. It was because of running that Gotham Song had met so many girls, and ended up with the life and relationships she had now.
Because she had to race. Because she couldn’t not race. Because she must race—she’d formed such a fierce connection with Mejiro Ardan.
Because she raced, she’d met Daiichi Ruby on the track, too...
So—if only to repay these encounters...
Why not be a little more serious today?
Gotham Song... launch!
The tempo among the girls had been relaxed at first. It was just the rhythm of everyday training; they hadn’t formally kicked off a training race.
That was how it should’ve been.
But the instant Gotham Song stepped onto the course, it was like an invisible shockwave slammed into the group. The whole pack of Umamusume abruptly accelerated.
The first to sense it—and to start pumping her legs like crazy without even looking back, turning into a streak of falling starlight—was Vernal Equinox, already out in front.
Gentildonna seemed startled by Vernal Equinox’s sudden burst at first. But the moment she realized she’d be left behind if she didn’t respond, even without a formal signal, she chased on instinct.
And just like that, the two active runners at the front began to clash.
That duel, naturally, jolted the runners behind them.
In third, Daiichi Ruby couldn’t help glancing back to check Mejiro Ardan’s position—only to catch, with startled delight, the lively figure of Gotham Song rapidly swelling in her vision.
But the expression vanished just as quickly. Once she confirmed it, Daiichi Ruby made her decision immediately and lengthened her stride.
Clearly, she meant to launch a long-awaited, unrelenting challenge at Gotham Song on the track.
Mejiro Ardan didn’t quite understand what had happened. But the footsteps behind her, and that flash of joy on Ruby’s face when she looked back—those couldn’t lie. Piecing it together, the long-retired Umamusume felt her youth surge back through her heart. Old days looked upon her once more, stirring a body that should’ve grown dull.
Come to think of it... running with Song, challenging her...
It really had been a long time—something she’d thought about day and night.
Song, onee-chan is launching too, you know?
And so, right before Gotham Song’s eyes, Mejiro Ardan—who’d been nearer the center of her field of view—answered her silent challenge as well.
For Gotham Song, facing this for the first time, it was pure, ecstatic joy.
So Ardan-nee is a target too? Heh... this really is—
Something I can’t help trembling with excitement over!
What a strange feeling. It was only daily training. It wasn’t the racecourse.
And yet, Gotham Song still felt tide after tide rising from her chest—something formless pushing her forward, pushing her toward them.
The four girls ahead looked fired up. Was it because I showed up? Or because they want to challenge me, take the win—and they’ve just seen a glimmer of that possibility?
Oh, wow. Now that is the kind of thing that makes you curl your lips and savor how you’ll respond.
Ah, ah—what kind of fangs should I show...
Oops. Looks like I already let it slip. Whatever. My identity right now is an Umamusume, and when someone provokes you on the track—when they call you out—there’s one response, and only one.
I’m going to crush you all.
Gotham Song drew a deep breath.
In the next instant, a speed that was already outrageous surged up again—like a tidal wave meant to swallow every opponent ahead of her, violent and unstoppable.
The first to be overtaken was Mejiro Ardan. Mejiro Manor’s big sis did everything she could to hold her pace, but she’d been away from the track for far, far too long. Her competitive condition and strength were nowhere near what they’d been in her active days.
Besides—honestly, even at her peak, in front of Gotham Song, Mejiro Ardan probably would’ve only lasted a few more breaths.
Second was Ruby, who’d been in third to begin with. Daiichi Ruby, still not that far removed from racing, was stronger than Ardan—yet her stamina was simply too obvious a weakness. And even her speed advantage, such as it was, got steadily eaten away by Gotham Song, bit by bit.
Gotham Song barely had to exert herself to pass Daiichi Ruby. Under Ruby’s gaze, she closed in on the two runners even farther ahead.
But who were the final ones to be blown past?
Both Gentildonna and Vernal Equinox—together.
The reason was simple: by the time Gotham Song reached them, her two girls had already entered a parallel run, shoulder to shoulder. So naturally—
Just a few seconds.
Gotham Song slipped through the gap between them, breaking out in a way neither had expected.
She shot past like a rocket.
