No one could ever decipher what was going on in Gold Ship's mind, so no one expected her to suddenly pull a stunt like this. Orfevre was caught off guard by the abrupt turn of events, and by the time she snapped out of it and broke off her standoff with T.M. Opera O, Gold Ship had already dashed off with Dream Weaver who-knows-where.
"Goooold Shiiip!"
Before Dream Weaver could even process the shock of being dragged away, she heard the furious roar of Orfevre echoing from afar.
In just these few short minutes, she'd been bombarded with too much information—first realizing she'd been kidnapped by Tokai Teio's group, then the sudden ambush by Orfevre and T.M. Opera O.
And just moments ago, these two Uma Musume who styled themselves as kings had started squaring off right behind her. Before she could even figure out how to defuse the tension, now she was being told that the grey-maned Uma Musume pulling her along was actually Gold Ship?!
She didn't even know what to think anymore. All she could do was instinctively keep pace with Gold Ship, staring in disbelief at her retreating figure.
As the most notoriously unruly Uma Musume at Central Tracen Academy, Gold Ship had her own special tricks for slipping away unscathed after every mishap. She led Dream Weaver on a twisting, turning route through the academy, eventually arriving at a small, completely deserted grove.
Not only had they shaken off Orfevre and the others—even Dream Weaver, who'd been following right behind Gold Ship, had no idea where they were now.
Gold Ship glanced around, confirmed the coast was clear, and finally pulled off her face mask and glasses, breathing heavily.
"Escape successful at last! Wearing that mask was suffocating little Gold Ship-sama."
She tilted her head, studying the dazed Dream Weaver with a curious look.
"Why are you staring at me? Don't tell me…"
"Has little Gold Ship-sama's beauty captivated you?!"
She exclaimed with exaggerated drama, then instantly switched to a sorrowful, self-pitying tone.
"Ah, but it's no use~ Little Gold Ship must return to the Gold Planet one day. A relationship with an Earth-born Uma Musume simply can't be!"
She even batted her eyes, putting on a pitiful act as if to say that if Dream Weaver insisted on keeping her, she'd have no choice but to reluctantly accept.
Watching Gold Ship's sudden theatrical performance, Dream Weaver's lip twitched helplessly.
Right now, she could feel a headache coming on. She had no idea what was happening or what Gold Ship was planning. After a long silence, she could only muster a weak complaint:
"At least tell me where we are first…"
Gold Ship spread her hands and shrugged at Dream Weaver as if she were an idiot.
"What are you talking about? We're obviously completing a mission at a space colony right now! Don't space out—that white robot is right ahead!"
"I could've sworn I was at Central Tracen just a few minutes ago…"
Dream Weaver looked up at Gold Ship, who stood quite a bit taller than her. At first, she'd struggled to connect this tall, white-haired Uma Musume with the small, chestnut-haired girl from her memories.
But after exchanging just a few words, she began to recognize traces of that familiar, wildly eccentric way of thinking.
Faced with this version of Gold Ship that increasingly overlapped with the past, Dream Weaver's earlier irritation gradually subsided.
Honestly, Gold Ship's debut had been far too memorable—she'd commandeered that beat-up old tricycle and charged straight into Kasamatsu Tracen, even taking out an innocent trainer along the way.
After witnessing that, Dream Weaver felt like nothing Gold Ship did could surprise her anymore.
So her thoughts returned to that tense scene from earlier, and she grew concerned again. She said to Gold Ship:
"Just take me back for now. At the very least, I might be able to talk some sense into T.M. Opera O."
Dream Weaver would've liked to calm Orfevre down too, but in this reality, she didn't actually know Orfevre. All she could do was try to soothe T.M. Opera O's temper.
Besides, now that Gold Ship had shown up, Orfevre would probably shift her focus away from T.M. Opera O. After all, from Dream Weaver's perspective, hadn't Orfevre kicked the door down specifically to apprehend Gold Ship?
But to her surprise, Gold Ship tilted her head and replied:
"Little Gold Ship doesn't think they'll keep arguing, you know."
Gold Ship had been standing right in front of them and saw everything clearly. While Orfevre and T.M. Opera O were going at it, their eyes kept drifting toward Dream Weaver—like little boys showing off in front of someone they liked, constantly checking for her reaction.
A big part of their standoff was just neither wanting to back down in front of Dream Weaver.
After all, they'd been tailing her almost all day. As long as Dream Weaver didn't notice, things hadn't escalated into a scene like the one that just happened.
It was less of an argument and more of a bid for her attention.
"Peacocks don't fan their tails for no reason—it's recorded in the ancient texts!"
But Dream Weaver didn't get it. She couldn't detect the subtle undertones in Orfevre and T.M. Opera O's behavior, and she completely missed the hint in Gold Ship's words.
She just tugged lightly on Gold Ship's sleeve and said wearily:
"There's no such ancient text. Just take me back already."
Gold Ship looked down, gazing thoughtfully at the top of Dream Weaver's head, rubbing her chin.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and that trademark mischievous grin spread across her face—like she'd just thought of another prank.
"But you see~" she drawled, spreading her hands dramatically, "little Gold Ship has no idea where we are either."
"Huh?"
Dream Weaver snapped her head up, staring at Gold Ship, who was now innocently gazing around at the scenery.
Before Dream Weaver could gather her thoughts, Gold Ship swooped in like a whirlwind, gently pushing her from behind.
"So let's head to higher ground to get our bearings!"
Before Dream Weaver could react, Gold Ship had already grabbed her wrist and started pulling her forward.
"Don't worry, if we can't find our way, little Gold Ship has plenty of experience."
"What kind of experience?" Dream Weaver asked instinctively as she was dragged along again.
"Wild survival, of course! Stay Gold-nee and I learned all sorts of things!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.