How should she describe this?
As an Uma Musume racer, what could be the most awkward situation imaginable in one's professional life?
Was it carrying off your defeated opponent from the racecourse, forced to endure whatever vengeance she might unleash upon you later that night, completely unable to resist—or perhaps losing the race yourself and then being embraced and whisked away privately by your own opponent to be comforted?
Both scenarios sounded terribly embarrassing, yet at this very moment, Gotham Song felt that neither could be more awkward than the situation she was about to face.
How did things end up like this? Frozen in place, utterly baffled, Gotham Song stared ahead, eyes locked onto Almond Eye in the distance. The latter was sitting on a small park bench, hands resting quietly on her knees, head lowered, lost in thoughts unknown.
Things went like this: originally, Gotham Song had returned home, been dragged by the others into a celebratory party for Gentildonna, and afterward entered her own room—unsurprisingly finding Neo Universe already monopolizing her bed. Just as she was about to resign herself to this familiar situation and rest as usual, an unexpected phone call disrupted her plans.
First off, being at the very top level of the URA meant anyone closely connected with URA could easily get Gotham Song's contact information. Occasionally, Gotham Song would indeed receive calls from that side.
Of course, seeing the caller ID at first, Gotham Song had no idea who would reach out to her this late at night, and with a mindset of "there's no harm in answering, what if it's important?" she pressed the accept button.
And then, she realized she'd stumbled into serious trouble.
How could she even describe the voice coming from the other end?
Timid? Fragile? Gotham Song wasn't exactly inexperienced—having been through quite a bit as an Uma Musume in every sense, she could vividly imagine the state of the Uma Musume on the other end simply from hearing that voice.
A shattered pride, curled into a helpless ball, unable to even properly think, desperately reaching upward like someone drowning, clutching at anything that might be salvation—
In many ways, this was a striking contrast from her usual self. Had Miss Almond Eye truly been broken down by two sudden, crushing defeats to the extent of seeking help from someone like her—someone halfway to being her "enemy"?!
Yet, this also indirectly illustrated two points, didn't it?
One was… Almond Eye clearly had no one dependable around her… And the other was—
Unexpectedly, do I actually hold a rather significant position in Almond Eye's heart?
In any case, Gotham Song herself wasn't sure if her current mood could be described as helpless or emotional. Ultimately, all she did was give her reply.
Well, it's not like I could refuse to lend a hand to such a pitiful little kitten meowing at me, right? Besides, she currently had plenty of free time anyway.
Ah, perhaps it could also serve as some reverse pressure on Gentildonna? Yes, let's just say it's like that! She was totally sacrificing her precious time and freedom for the sake of her own Uma Musume, okay?!
Donna-chan, you'd better grow up properly.
Sob, sob.
Having made up her mind, Gotham Song agreed on a meeting time with Almond Eye last night, which was precisely this morning, at a park near Tokyo Racecourse.
Since she was here already, leaving wasn't an option. Although doing something like this for a stranger made Gotham Song feel slightly nervous on her way over—upon careful reflection, she began laughing instead.
Perhaps it was Almond Eye's first time being comforted by a senpai, but young Uma Musume—this certainly wasn't Gotham Song's first time playing the comforting senpai role. Therefore, there was absolutely nothing to worry about, okay?
Ah, but there was indeed something she needed to pay attention to, in one specific aspect—
She was here purely as a senpai to encourage a junior. Their relationship should remain purely a pure senior-junior one, and she must especially pay attention to preserving that!
Having been in this world for so long now, especially with certain people around her openly pointing things out, Gotham Song had long since grasped certain truths about this world, clearly understanding that doing too much could lead her to outcomes she'd never intended.
Anyway, she was just here to give guidance, nothing more!
Taking a deep breath, Gotham Song lightly patted her cheeks to steady her mood, quietly approaching Almond Eye, who seemed stuck in the dilemma of wanting to look up yet not daring—or rather, unsure whether she should. Gotham Song sat down on the other end of the bench.
"The weather's really nice today…"
"If only the person beside me felt just as nice."
Gotham Song glanced up at the sky, smoothly adding a cliché pick-up line as the latter half of her sentence. Seeing Almond Eye beside her still showing no reaction, she briefly felt a bit helpless.
In truth, Gotham Song had sensed Almond Eye's state long before she got close—or rather, such a pitiful little foal could naturally trigger empathy in any Uma Musume with a certain amount of experience, right?
Just think about it: she'd emerged into this world as an invincible genius, shouldering huge expectations, practically crushing her entire rookie year. Up until the very minute the classic year's first race began, she'd still been the undisputed favorite. Countless people had even prematurely crowned Almond Eye as champion of the Oka Sho!
Yet, the final outcome was nowhere near expectations—a devastating defeat marked the end of her Oka Sho. But even then, Almond Eye's heart still held frustration, still burned with the desire for victory—
Of course Almond Eye wasn't a fragile Uma Musume. If she truly were the type who couldn't handle any setbacks, wouldn't she have completely collapsed immediately after the Oka Sho?
The very fact that she made it all the way to the Japanese Oaks, maintaining excellent condition right up to the very last moment, even reflecting on her defeat and making strategic adjustments, precisely demonstrated that Almond Eye's psychological defense hadn't yet shattered—not at least until the Japanese Oaks ended. She hadn't been fragile enough to collapse then.
Maybe she still hadn't completely collapsed even now, right?
Someone who'd truly given up would never send out a desperate signal for help to a stranger…
Thinking of this, Gotham Song felt deeply moved—after all, complete collapse, or perhaps refusing to seek help from anyone around you…
Almond Eye might be inexperienced in this matter, but Gotham Song had absolutely experienced that herself.
Alright then, it seemed a gentle approach wouldn't cut it this time. If that's the case…
Gotham Song pressed her fingertips gently against Almond Eye's hand, slowly rubbing inward, and began closing her own fingers—slowly, yet with an irresistible firmness—until she finally grasped the other Uma Musume's hand, which was actually slightly larger than her own.
At first, Almond Eye resisted. Her body trembled, instinctively panicking, as if desperate to escape Gotham Song's sudden closeness—but…
How could such an unconscious reaction ever hope to stop, let alone deal with, the Demon Lord's utterly unreasonable conquest?
In the end, Almond Eye's larger hand was still firmly seized by Gotham Song's smaller one. Under the warmth of the spring sunshine, in a quiet corner of the park, with very few people around yet still several pairs of distant eyes lingering, Almond Eye was pulled roughly by Gotham Song from their initially slight distance, almost entirely closing the gap between them.
Of course, "almost entirely" meant their shoulders were intimately pressed together, yet the bench itself still had plenty of empty space.
This sudden ambush from Gotham Song seemed to drag Almond Eye forcefully out from under the dark clouds of the Japanese Oaks defeat. At last, she lifted her head, finally looking at Gotham Song, who wore a gentle smile directed straight at her.
"Should I say it again? The weather really is lovely today."
"I just wish your mood could match this weather."
You said that without even asking me how I feel first…!
But of course, Almond Eye kept these thoughts firmly in her mind, only silently nodding in response. Even though she knew clearly it would be better to actively say something—seeing the other Uma Musume put in so much effort to create conversation—she just couldn't do it. Almond Eye certainly understood such basic things. Though she lacked enough experience as a racer, it didn't mean she was utterly inexperienced in social interactions.
But knowing something was one thing; being able to actually do it was another entirely. Right now, she regretted and questioned herself endlessly—why on earth had she gotten so hot-headed last night and invited Gotham Song to meet her this morning? Her mind was in complete chaos. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but rather that she had no idea at all what to say.
"I'm sorry, Song-san, even though it was me who—mmph?"
"Shh, right now just listen to me. Understand?"
Almond Eye had obviously intended to apologize for her scattered thoughts, which prevented her from speaking coherently—but what she didn't expect at all was for Gotham Song to suddenly lift a hand and cover her lips, cutting off the apology before she could utter it.
Listen to her, right now…?
"You love the racetrack, love racing itself, right, Almond Eye?"
But Gotham Song's next words caught her completely off guard, plunging her mind into confusion.
Love the track, love racing…? Of course she did—if she didn't, she wouldn't have become an Uma Musume in the first place.
She hadn't become an Uma Musume simply because she possessed great talent—rather, because she wanted to become one, she pushed herself to fully realize the innate talent she was born with.
"Then, would you like to hear a story? Long ago, before I became famous, I once suffered a serious illness, you know?"
A long, long time ago—back before Gotham Song was famous. Just how long ago was that exactly? Long enough that "Gotham Song" didn't even exist yet; long enough that the rainy-day Arc hadn't yet taken place.
Honestly speaking, if Gotham Song tried to recall her mentality at that time now, it would be very difficult to reach a clear conclusion.
"Back then, I was in so much pain that I thought about giving up entirely. If I simply stopped feeling anything, the suffering would end, right?"
"Surprised?"
Almond Eye remained silent for a long moment, staring at the petite Uma Musume sitting next to her. She never imagined she'd hear such an intimate confession.
This person sitting beside her was, after all, the most celebrated, honored Uma Musume of this era—yet even she once had moments of such vulnerability…
No matter how you looked at it, considering ending one's life due to pain sounded incredibly strange, didn't it?
"You think it's strange too, huh? So now, looking back from where I stand, I've come to a simple conclusion: no matter what, if you fall down and simply give up, then there'll be no future, no more possibilities—right?"
Gotham Song lightly tightened her grip on Almond Eye's hand, pressing her slender fingers into the sensitive web between thumb and forefinger, and then suddenly leaned forward until her face completely filled Almond Eye's vision.
Don't misunderstand! The Trainer's handbook said clearly that this was an effective technique—forcing the Uma Musume to focus intently, preventing them from avoiding the topic at hand.
It wasn't like she had any improper thoughts about a junior!
She was terrified something like that might happen…
After all, she lived in an extremely delicate environment where everyone watched each other carefully. If that delicate balance were to suddenly collapse, she didn't dare imagine what could follow…
Yet, no matter how frightened she might be of something like that happening, facing this helpless Almond Eye right now—even if it risked turning into the worst possible situation—she would still firmly and sincerely act like this, wouldn't she?
Maybe Gotham Song was simply that kind of hopeless fool who, seeing someone in desperate need of help, couldn't bear to turn away…
Well, anyway, once Gentildonna had finished the Shuka Sho, Gotham Song and Almond Eye's interactions would probably become rare occurrences, something that might happen only far, far in the future, right?
So, surely, she'd be safe…
Probably.
Almond Eye didn't reply immediately. Instead, she carefully observed the Uma Musume before her, gazing into those eyes that were once again repeating something she'd already known clearly—something others had told her countless times, something she'd seen countless times before.
Yet, for some reason, hearing something she already understood deeply repeated from the mouth of the person right before her now felt surprisingly persuasive… Was it because she was a highly accomplished senior Uma Musume?
Or was it because this was the very person she wanted, eventually, to overcome?
Almond Eye didn't know. Her emotions churned endlessly, swirling in ways she couldn't even begin to explain, leaving her trapped in deep uncertainty and hesitation, not knowing how to break free.
However, there was one thing she wanted an answer to—and she needed that answer right now…!
"Then, if I do manage to pick myself back up, what if the goal I pursue in the end is to defeat you?"
"Hah? You've got some nerve saying that, kid. Maybe try beating Donna-chan first, alright? I have quite a bit of confidence in my girl, you know."
Gotham Song lightly lifted her hand and knocked Almond Eye on her head, but then, in the end, she gave a more direct answer.
"A challenge? I've never been afraid of challenges. If you really think you can defeat me, then go ahead and try."
"But if you lose to me, you better not get this downhearted again, alright?"
After all, Almond Eye had been personally guided by Gotham Song herself.
In the very next instant, surely, she'd be reborn.
---
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