Chapter 311: Only One Year Left—I’ll Become a Legendary Uma Musume! 2 [255]

Brigadier Gerard was indeed one of those Umamusume Gotham Song knew only by name and had never actually met.

And among all the legends of the past, Brigadier Gerard was even the oldest one participating in this Dream Cup.

What caught Gotham Song off guard, though, was just how much Brigadier Gerard still carried the air of youth around her.

Gotham Song didn’t quite know how to describe it. All she knew was that the very first thing Brigadier Gerard did upon coming over was stare fixedly at her without moving an inch, even putting on an unmistakably provocative posture in every sense of the word.

It was as if Gotham Song hadn’t come here to dine with her at all, but had instead shown up as ingredients she was about to "teach a lesson" to...?!

Gwah. Is Brigadier Gerard secretly a chef?

For one absurd instant, Gotham Song really did think that, then looked back nervously.

The two of them didn’t stay like that for long, though. Brigadier Gerard soon withdrew her gaze and returned to how she’d looked at first.

But Gotham Song had the distinct feeling that the other Umamusume’s interest in her hadn’t faded because she no longer cared.

Rather, it felt more like... she was expecting something.

In the end, that question never got answered. Brigadier Gerard’s composure was like an immaculate wall of bronze and iron. No matter how fiercely Gotham Song glared back at her, there was no chance of cracking it.

Left with nothing but helplessness and no solution at all, Gotham Song finally gave up thinking about it.

Forget it. Better eat first.

There was nothing else for it.

...

After dinner and a bit of rest, the next morning Gotham Song and Equinox boarded a flight home.

Was the schedule tight?

Yes. Extremely tight.

So was there any chance she could slow down?

No... better not.

Because in one week, it would be her birthday.

She’d never really had much of a sense for birthdays herself, but—the people in Mejiro Manor clearly cared a great deal about that kind of thing. And if that was the case, then all Gotham Song could do was go along with what her sister and elders wanted and do the sorts of things that would make them happy, right?

It wouldn’t cost her anything anyway... probably. Right?

Gotham Song suddenly felt a little unsure.

But once she was already on the plane, there wasn’t much point regretting it anymore.

In any case, Gotham Song had no intention of changing her mind, all the way until she got off the plane and returned to Mejiro Manor.

After that, life went right back into its usual rhythm.

Though really, saying it was "usual" wasn’t quite right. It was more like things around Gotham Song were still lively to the point of absurdity.

...

As the days passed, however, everyone seemed to fall into a shared understanding without saying it out loud.

Gotham Song herself, on the other hand, noticed absolutely none of it. She put all her attention into pre-race preparation and the training of the Umamusume on her team.

Yes.

Pre-race training.

After all, she had just seen two Umamusume in America who clearly intended to challenge her. Gotham Song had never once believed she would lose, and in fact, even if she did absolutely nothing and just maintained her normal state, there was a good chance Fighter and Brigadier Gerard still wouldn’t be able to do a thing to her—

But!

If they were coming at her with the intent to challenge her, then it was only reasonable for her to answer with a little resolve of her own, wasn’t it?

And besides.

Gotham Song had a deep premonition that, in this race, there was only one Umamusume who would truly cause her trouble.

And that was... that phantom self who had walked out of the Afterlife.

Ghost Ruka, huh? Interesting.

Other than that, the reason she kept at it so insistently was simple.

Running really did feel damn good.

Back in her Twilight Song days, the reason she trained so little had been her body. Earlier still, the reason she hadn’t exercised at all had been laziness and a lack of time.

But now?

Now there were vast fields for her to run free across. A vast world for her to sprint through however she pleased. Neither her body nor her schedule could restrain her from running anymore.

And if that was the case... then the wind on the track really was something wonderful, wasn’t it?

So in everyone else’s eyes, Gotham Song had become a bona fide training maniac.

Still, that was probably a good kind of atmosphere to have. At the very least, the entire Eternal Beat team looked like they’d been injected with pure adrenaline and were training with explosive intensity.

Watching all this unfold day after day, Mejiro Ardan could only smile helplessly.

How pitiful... for any opponents who ended up facing these girls.

They already hadn’t had much hope of winning to begin with. Now they were going to lose even more thoroughly.

...Though the gap between the Shuka Sho and the Breeders’ Cup didn’t actually seem that large, did it?

The moment the Breeders’ Cup came to mind, Mejiro Ardan couldn’t shake the feeling that her little sister was about to pull something outrageous again.

She had no evidence for it.

And yet in her heart, she had the overpowering feeling that something absolutely was going to happen.

The last time she’d had that feeling was when Twilight Song had flown from New York to Tokyo in the middle of the night to run in the Satsuki Sho...

So what was it going to be this time?

Mejiro Ardan felt she should find a chance to ask properly, and then properly teach her little sister what it meant to behave.

Though that could wait a few days...

Before that, she might as well let the little brat enjoy herself first.

Off in the distance, Gotham Song felt a chill crawl down her spine. But after looking left and right and finding no cause, she chose—as always—to stop thinking about it.

Forget it. If she couldn’t find the source right now, then she might as well wait for the source to come find her.

Run!

...

As the sky gradually dimmed, as afternoon gave way to night, as day turned into darkness—as time shifted into that particular moment the whole of Mejiro Manor had been preparing for lately—Gotham Song, meanwhile, wore a distinctly troubled expression.

It really was a good thing that, because of her personality, Mejiro Manor hadn’t turned her birthday into some grand aristocratic ball.

But still...!

What exactly was this absurdity where it wasn’t a public ball, but had somehow become a private ball instead?!

And what was it, exactly, that had Gotham Song looking so pained?

...

She’d been told to wear a formal dress to her own birthday party.

A formal dress.

A dress with a corseted waist.

That was the kind of thing that put your figure under immense scrutiny—

Eh? Wait a second. Gotham Song’s figure was completely fine, though?

In any case, after the initial burst of panic, Gotham Song more or less calmed down and accepted the arrangement, changing into a dress she very rarely wore.

It wasn’t the one she’d bought in New York for Daiichi Ruby’s ball.

This one had been prepared by Mejiro Manor: a pure white gown, accented with silver and gold, something much more fitting for Gotham Song as she was now.

And of course, if Gotham Song had changed into formalwear, then everyone else...?

Manhattan Cafe had changed into a rather handsome black outfit, similar in style to her Racing Outfit. Mejiro Ardan was wearing a familiar-looking white butler’s suit. As for the others, they too were dressed in similarly splendid, luxurious gowns.

Oh, though there were two exceptions.

Kitasan Black, who had come as a friend, and Equinox, who had come as her charge, had chosen outfits that were strikingly alike: red-and-black and red-and-white kimono, respectively.

And incidentally, quite a few uncommon faces had turned up at this birthday ball—Sea the Stars and Frankel, who had flown in directly from London.

Treve, who had flown in from Paris.

And then... Satono Diamond, who apparently had snuck her way in at some point without anyone noticing!

Gotham Song didn’t really mind any of that, though.

After all... they had all come for her birthday. At a time like this, saying anything else would just have been inappropriate, wouldn’t it?

Back then, she never could have imagined it.

Never could have imagined that so many people would come to celebrate her birthday.

If you’d told the her from before she crossed over—

Hey, you might become some kind of irresistible heartthrob, you know? she probably would’ve just looked at you like you were insane.

In any case, after receiving everyone’s blessings and sharing the cake that marked her birth, the event finally reached what Gotham Song considered the real centerpiece of the day—and also the most headache-inducing part.

After the ball gradually broke up and everyone else went off to rest, some willingly and some less so, Gotham Song saw the person waiting for her out on the balcony.

The one she had asked for a whole day from.

"Ramonu-neesan~ Hehe. Don’t turn around, okay?"

Gotham Song darted forward without hesitation, jumped in, and hugged her sister from behind, pressing her cheek tightly against hers.

She clearly felt Mejiro Ramonu’s body tense for an instant, then relax again with a kind of helpless indulgence.

"So I’m not allowed to turn around? Well, since you’re today’s star, I suppose I can’t very well say I won’t listen, can I?"

"You totally could, actually. But, Ramonu-neesan, um..."

What exactly was she trying to say?

Mejiro Ramonu waited quietly, one hand coming up to rest over Gotham Song’s hands where they circled her waist.

"Um, I still haven’t figured out what I want to do with Ramonu-neesan yet. Ehehe...!"

As for that earlier request, because Gotham Song had ended up absent for the daytime portion of her own birthday celebration, Mejiro Ramonu had taken the initiative to extend the promised time into tonight and the entirety of tomorrow.

And even so, Gotham Song still had no idea what they ought to do.

Still, she knew perfectly well that even in a case like this, her sister wouldn’t be upset with her over it, so she had no intention of hiding anything. She simply told Mejiro Ramonu outright.

And after hearing that, Mejiro Ramonu could only smile helplessly, then reach back with her hand, feeling around for her little sister’s cheek before giving it a light pinch.

"Even though your big sister was looking forward to this very much?"

"But I seriously can’t think of anything...! This is way too hard!"

Too hard, was it?

Yes... that did seem about right.

Mejiro Ramonu knew very well why Gotham Song couldn’t come up with a proper answer.

Because the two of them really had never gone out alone together, or spent an entire day together by themselves.

That truly was an unfamiliar experience for both of them.

Especially since most of the time, "busy" wasn’t nearly enough to describe Mejiro Ramonu’s circumstances.

At that thought, Mejiro Ramonu herself fell silent for a while.

There really didn’t seem to be any especially good solution.

She knew her little sister well. Gotham Song had never really been the sort who cared much about birthdays to begin with. Asking a hopeless steel-headed idiot like her to think about how to spend an ordinary day...

it would honestly be easier to ask her to go race another event.

At least with the latter, all she had to do was run. All she had to do was stay within the realm she understood best.

So then, what should they do now?

The answer was simple.

For now—do nothing.

A smile slowly lifted the corners of Mejiro Ramonu’s lips. Even without seeing her, she could easily imagine the expression on her little sister’s face: troubled, conflicted, helpless.

After all, what about Gotham Song’s feelings had ever been hard for her to guess?

Though now that she thought about it, she herself was wearing a backless dress, and her little sister’s breath against her skin was rather warm...

And since it was already getting late, then no matter what they chose to do tomorrow, there was something more important that ought to take priority first tonight.

Mejiro Ramonu gradually shifted from resting against the back of Gotham Song’s hands to lightly taking hold of them. Then, one finger at a time, quite easily, she pried them apart, held one hand firmly in her own, and used it as leverage to pull her little sister around from behind and press her to her side.

"If Song can’t think of anything, then why not leave the thinking to me for now?"

"Guh... S-sure, I’ll just go with whatever Ramonu-neesan wants. I can’t think of anything anyway, so... mm...!"

Perhaps Mejiro Ramonu’s gaze was simply too arresting.

In any case, Gotham Song gave up resisting on the spot.

Come on—if someone else was willing to do the thinking for her in a matter like this, what reason did she still have to keep using her own brain? Since her sister already looked like she’d fully made up her mind and all Gotham Song had to do was nod and agree, then—

Gotham Song didn’t mind being a good girl one bit.

She had always been Mejiro Manor’s good girl, after all.

Seeing Gotham Song react like that, Mejiro Ramonu was not surprised in the slightest. Her smile deepened, and then she took her little sister by the hand and slowly led her away from the balcony.

"It feels like... there actually hasn’t been all that much communication between us. At least, Song, there are still parts of the house you’ve hardly visited, aren’t there?"

"Hm...? So what does that have to do with what we’re doing tonight, Ramonu-nee-san?"

It probably did have something to do with it.

Quite a lot, in fact.

Passing through the quiet corridor, Mejiro Ramonu led Gotham Song into Mejiro Manor’s resting wing.

And the first thing that came into view—was Mejiro Ramonu’s room.

Come to think of it, Gotham Song really did have a strange sort of fate with this room.

After all, in every possible sense, this was the very first room she had entered after arriving at Mejiro Manor.

But coming here, um... could it be...?

A subtle premonition rose in Gotham Song’s heart.

Clearly, however, Mejiro Ramonu had no intention whatsoever of hiding what she meant to do.

"Of course it does."

"Tonight, we’ll rest first..."

"In your room?"

---

T/N: HUH??? SEGGS?