Chapter 308: Only One Year Left—I’ll Become a Legendary Uma Musume! 2 [252]

Unexpectedly, though, Gotham Song slept very well on the plane.

Usually, because of turbulence, bumps, and the plane’s constant shaking, she never slept especially well in the air. The last time she’d opened her eyes without feeling any obvious discomfort had been when she flew from Paris to London—and again on the return trip—back when her sister Mejiro Ardan had been with her.

Even though this was a plane too...?

So what was the reason she’d slept so comfortably this time?

Gotham Song didn’t dare be sure. All she remembered was that when she opened her eyes, she immediately saw Equinox looking at her from very close range, while holding her shoulder with a grip that was firm and secure, yet light enough that it wouldn’t wake her.

Aren’t we a little too close at this point?

Gotham Song felt utterly helpless, but for a moment she couldn’t think of any good way to get out of the situation, so almost like she was running away from it, she just stayed there, leaning against Equinox’s embrace.

There was over twenty centimeters of height difference between them, for heaven’s sake!

Kitasan Black, are your family’s genes just too absurd or what? Fine, you’re a giant Umamusume yourself, but your little sister’s this sturdy too?!

Though to be fair, Equinox and Kitasan Black really did feel like two completely different types.

Kitasan Black was warm and lively. Even just looking at her, you could tell she was bursting with passion and strength—the kind of blazing, tomboyish Umamusume who made people want to call her bro.

Equinox, on the other hand, wasn’t like that at all. Off the track, she was quiet and well-behaved, and with that long, straight black hair adding even more to her aura, no one would ever look at her and think of her as the same kind of fiery, high-energy Umamusume as Kitasan Black.

And yet the two of them had the same kind of solid, powerful build!

Thankfully, this was a plane—and a relatively private business-class cabin at that. There weren’t any strange stares or prying eyes around to make a person nervous.

Otherwise, if the way the two of them were acting right now got out, it wouldn’t just cause misunderstandings. Some parts of the fandom would probably lose their minds with joy.

My idol ship is real!

That was about the level of it.

Ugh. If something like that really leaked, then as far as her career as an Umamusume went, it would be completely over, wouldn’t it?

That was the thought Gotham Song trembled over—but once the low-pressure haze of just waking up fully faded, she finally came to her senses.

Oh, come on. The one hugging her right now was her own charge. Someone as close as family to begin with. What exactly was there to panic about?!

Gotham Song took a deep breath, then finally looked up at Equinox and gently pulled away a little under her gaze.

Sure enough, once Gotham Song stopped sneaking glances and looked at her openly, her charge didn’t make things difficult. She loosened her arms and let Gotham Song slip free.

"I thought I’d wake up right when it was time to get off the plane..."

"Trainer-sama, are you disappointed?"

"Not exactly..."

Half amused and half exasperated, Gotham Song poked Equinox in the cheek. Equinox looked a little unhappy over that casual remark, so Gotham Song gave her answer, then smoothly changed the subject.

"Just surprised, that’s all. By the way, Equinox-chan, is there any gift you want as a reward for your debut race?"

...

At the end of the day, Gotham Song was a mature Umamusume. At the very least, when it came to handling her own kid being upset, she was thoroughly practiced. It took almost no effort to redirect Equinox’s attention, and only then did Gotham Song take a moment to check the flight status.

There were still more than ten minutes left before landing.

They had crossed from evening into daylight, flying from nighttime Tokyo into noon in New York.

Still, time wasn’t all that tight. They finished their in-flight meal—

And as Umamusume, they even got special airplane meals. The portions were massively increased, to the point that even the two of them together ended up thoroughly satisfied. It really made a person marvel at how strange this world could be.

After getting off the plane and leaving the international airport, Gotham Song, perfectly at ease in the city, took Equinox onto the subway and headed straight toward a very familiar racecourse.

So where was Flightline’s debut race being held?

Well then—care to guess why Gotham Song hadn’t actually been all that pressed for time about making it to watch?

Because the debut race venue really was that familiar place.

Aqueduct Racetrack.

Whether there had been a dedicated subway stop going straight there in the original world, Gotham Song naturally had no idea. She’d never been to a racecourse in that world, after all.

But in this world—in this world with Umamusume—even a racecourse that wasn’t especially popular would absolutely have a direct line built for it. The kind where you could get off the train, exit the station, and walk straight into the venue.

Well, it was the Umamusume world. That level of importance being attached to it was only natural, wasn’t it?

In any case, enjoying that convenience, Gotham Song and Equinox crossed the city, at times switching onto elevated rail, watching the bustling, world-famous metropolis pass by around them.

Flightline’s debut race was set to begin at around three in the afternoon. Gotham Song and Equinox had gotten off the plane and onto the subway before noon.

At first glance, it didn’t feel like they had as much time as she’d imagined—but even so, by the time they got off the train, it was only around two-thirty. They had more than enough time to stroll calmly into the venue and make their way to the contestant waiting room to wait for Flightline.

In fact, even before entering the racecourse, Gotham Song had already seen the welcome awaiting Flightline along both sides of the road.

In a way, it was even more extravagant than the reception Equinox had gotten.

Which, really, made perfect sense.

Because this was Flightline.

After her official debut had been announced, photos had surfaced of her training together with Secretariat. Though, in some of the related news, there was also another Umamusume—one no one in the public could identify—who actually showed up even more often as the center of attention.

That was Fighter. Gotham Song was completely certain of it.

And Fighter had clearly gone to the trouble of disguising herself so she wouldn’t be recognized in public.

What a cautious former legend... So you’re fated to fight at the Dream Cup, huh? Interesting.

In any case, after Secretariat and Flightline started appearing in the same frame, that former legend very quickly shattered every guess the public had been making and loudly informed the entire world of one thing:

Flightline was her adopted daughter.

And from there...

Flightline’s popularity exploded in a single burst before she’d even debuted.

To the point that it surpassed even some lesser-known senior Umamusume.

Gotham Song had honestly been pretty baffled by that, and when she asked Secretariat about it, the answer she got was—

"I said it on purpose. Flightline should grow under greater pressure. If she’s going to become a legend, that’s unavoidable."

Mm. All one could say was that Old Bastard No. 2 was getting more and more like a complete lunatic.

Anyway, with the massive popularity brought by Secretariat’s name, plus the attention Flightline already ought to have had as a member of Eternal Beat, it really wasn’t exaggerated at all for her to receive this kind of overwhelming pre-race welcome under the eyes of two huge fanbases at once.

No matter how popular Kitasan Black was, she couldn’t overpower Secretariat on that front, could she?

That was about the scale of it.

So Gotham Song didn’t go interfere with Flightline’s welcome ceremony. Just as Secretariat considered it perfectly natural for Flightline to shoulder that kind of pressure, Gotham Song also felt that...

Before the race began, getting to bask in people’s attention and their crowding around her—their embraces, their companionship—that too was something perfectly natural. Something that belonged to Flightline alone.

May you become a legend, you silly, foolish speed demon, Flightline.

No—more accurately, you were born destined to become one.

Thinking that, Gotham Song waited for time to pass beside Equinox, who was still struggling to decide what kind of gift she wanted to ask for.

One minute. Two minutes. Maybe five, maybe ten.

At last, footsteps sounded in the open hallway outside the contestant waiting room.

Flightline’s footsteps were actually very distinctive—or rather, the footsteps of everyone in Eternal Beat were.

Gentildonna’s footsteps were comparatively crisp. She liked harder-soled shoes, so when they met concrete, they always gave off a clear echo. As for Gotham Song and Equinox, they were practically identical—or rather, the latter was deliberately imitating the former. Their footsteps were very quiet.

That came from a preference for soft-soled shoes, along with Gotham Song’s habit of pressing down with the back heel first before setting the rest of her foot down lightly.

As for Flightline...

They weren’t crisp, but they were loud. Heavy footsteps carrying a dull reverberation—that was hers, a sound with remarkable presence.

Well, she was a two-meter-tall idiot of an Umamusume, after all.

Watching Flightline freeze in confusion the instant she pushed the door open, Gotham Song’s lips curled into a smile.

Never saw this coming, did you, Flightline? This is Song-sama’s surprise route...!

Your next line is: "Trainer and stupid Equinox? Why are you here?"

"Trainer and stupid Equinox? Why are you here?"

"Obviously to witness the moment you become an Umamusume, Flightline-chan."

Ah, finally. She could call her Flightline-chan so openly and legitimately now. That felt amazing.

But in Flightline’s stunned silence, Gotham Song spotted Fighter standing behind her, and what surprised her was that Fighter didn’t look puzzled in the slightest.

So you don’t think my showing up here is strange at all? Interesting. You know me that well, Miss Fighter?

That was the message in Gotham Song’s eyes, but Fighter offered no response. She merely gave Flightline a shove, sending the hulking girl—who had been blocking the entire doorway like a pillar that held down the sea—stumbling forward into the waiting room.

"Uh, um, I... I...!"

Flightline’s stammering, helpless little-girl fluster was almost comically at odds with the way her enormous frame could cast Gotham Song completely in shadow.

Cute.

Gotham Song said nothing. She only watched Flightline with a faint smile as the girl gradually blushed redder and redder, yet failed to do anything meaningful after that, until she just stood there in silence.

Still, what truly surprised Gotham Song was...

After a long silence, Flightline actually managed to take the initiative to steady herself. She took deep breaths, slowly calming down.

Now that really was unexpected.

In Gotham Song’s memory, Flightline was the kind who got so impulsive and hotheaded that once her emotions surged up, she couldn’t think effectively at all. Either a long stretch of time had to pass, or someone had to remind her to calm down—otherwise she’d stay trapped in her own feelings without making any real change.

But now, she really had grown a bit, hadn’t she?

Good. That was genuinely reassuring to see.

"I-I was just too surprised, Trainer. But... you... for you to come watch my debut race... I’m really happy."

Flightline took another deep breath. After all, what Umamusume would want no important person watching over her when she ran her debut race?

Secretariat had said she would witness her debut too. And Flightline herself didn’t really have many friends. Aside from Secretariat and Fighter behind her, the one person she especially wanted to be watching her... was probably her Trainer, Gotham Song.

Strange. She still remembered clearly how unwilling she’d been when she first joined Eternal Beat.

But now...

Deep down, Flightline truly felt that Eternal Beat was the strongest team in the world. Not just in strength, but in every possible way—it was number one under heaven.

So if Trainer was going to watch her debut race, then there was absolutely no reason for her to fail, right?

Thinking that, Flightline suddenly bent down and leaned closer to Gotham Song, then awkwardly—but recognizably, in a way that resembled a knight’s formal courtesy—expressed her solemn resolve.

"Please rest assured, Trainer. Even if it’s for your sake alone, I’ll give everything I have to win this battle."

"If only to prove it, I’ll prove just how right you were to choose me—to accept me."

I’ll offer that honor to you, and prove my strength and my invincibility!

At that moment, Flightline felt that no matter what kind of opponent or challenge stood before her, she could leave them all behind, seize the glory of victory for herself alone, and bring it back completely to the people she longed for.

So please, watch my running well—watch all of me, Trainer. To answer your strength and your heart, to answer the life you made possible for me, the life reborn through your guidance, the life that let me truly step onto the track and become an Umamusume.

Flightline was brimming with power.

I have no reason to lose.

If anything—

I have one sure-fire reason, and countless demands upon myself, to win this.