"Li...ke?"
Oguri Cap's body froze solid. The food she'd been chewing lost all flavor, and her entire being turned mechanical.
Only her jaw kept moving at a steady rhythm; everything else was completely still.
"That's right, like."
Super Creek placed a hand over her ample bosom, the sweetness in her voice so thick it was almost cloying.
"I like my trainer. Just seeing her figure every day makes me feel at ease. The moment training ends, my first thought is to find her. Hearing her words of concern fills my heart with warmth."
"When I look back on the day before sleeping at night, the first thing that appears before my eyes are all the little moments I shared with her."
"These feelings made it impossible for me to hold back any longer, so I confessed my feelings to my trainer, and we became a couple."
Here, Super Creek shot a tender glance at Nase Fumino, who was chatting with Kitahara, and let out a soft, giggling laugh.
"I'll remember my trainer's expression for the rest of my life. Her fair face first showed confusion, then surprise and shyness, before gradually turning red, shifting from an apple to a tomato. She's usually so articulate and logical, but she became all stuttery then. It was unimaginably cute!"
"Gulp..."
Oguri Cap felt the food in her mouth lose its appeal. After swallowing, she didn't continue eating. Though her body said it wasn't full, her heart felt utterly stuffed.
"So this is 'like'? Then I don't think I like Margaret."
Carefully comparing her own feelings to Super Creek's description, Oguri Cap slumped miserably onto the table.
"I don't think of her first thing after training. I fall asleep almost as soon as I get into bed, without thinking about anything. And when Margaret shows concern for me, I don't feel anything particularly special."
"Ah... well, you don't have to compare things that strictly, you know? Everyone is different. Maybe you, Oguri Cap, are surprisingly the type who prefers a more placid kind of liking?"
Super Creek tried her best to help untangle Oguri Cap's feelings.
"Let's see, what's your first reaction when you see Nearl? Any thought is fine, just say whatever subtle feeling you had at that moment."
"It's true, I did feel excited when I saw Margaret before."
"See, see!"
Super Creek sighed in relief, as if her hypothesis had been confirmed.
"Just try to recall what you were thinking at that time. It must have been joy at seeing someone special, right?"
"..."
Oguri Cap said nothing. This abnormality gave Super Creek a sinking feeling.
"Oguri Cap? What were you thinking when you saw Nearl back then? It must have been the thrill of finally seeing someone you like, right?"
"It was because if Margaret came, she'd bring me food. And her cooking keeps getting better and better. So I was looking forward to meeting her."
"..."
At a loss for words, Super Creek could only press her palm against her forehead in defeat. She knew Oguri Cap had a big appetite, but she hadn't realized it could reach these heights.
"Then let's try another angle. How do you usually feel when you're with Nearl? Do you feel nervous, or maybe a little restless for no reason?"
"No, it feels very normal. I actually feel a bit more at ease when Margaret is around."
"That can't be right..."
Oguri Cap's answers left Super Creek utterly bewildered.
"That reaction earlier, and that look in her eyes... I couldn't have been mistaken."
Just as the conversation reached an impasse, Nearl returned with the food Oguri Cap had ordered.
"Here you go, Oguri."
She also brought a pot of Green Juice [a special drink in the Uma Musume world].
"You finished your drink, right? This is a new one."
"Okay."
With Nearl's return, Oguri Cap suddenly felt like eating again. She casually took a sip of the Green Juice and resumed her interrupted feast.
"Green Juice?! Oguri Cap drinks that with meals?"
Super Creek found it hard to comprehend. She quietly tugged on Nearl's sleeve to get her attention and whispered to her.
"Oguri's used to it. When we were kids, this was the easiest drink to make ourselves. She's been drinking it since she was little."
As she spoke, Nearl refilled the now-empty cup. The next second, Oguri Cap picked it up and drank without even looking.
Oh, and during this, Nearl also casually removed the napkins placed around Oguri Cap and replaced them with new ones.
If not for that, given Oguri Cap's eating style, her clothes would have been stained with grease long ago.
"Margaret, where are we going next?" Oguri Cap managed to ask clearly between bites.
"To the mall. I plan to buy some things."
"For yourself?"
"No. First, some gifts for Aunt Komori and your mother. They must have been happy to see me perform today. Then, a new toolbox for Lamp-chan—hers is very old. And then for you."
Nearl looked at Oguri Cap with a gaze that, while not quite matching her age, could largely be described as "fondly" caring.
"Several pairs of your socks have holes, don't they? Is your shampoo and soap running out? Do you have enough napkins in the dorm?"
"Before, Tamamo-senpai helped look after you, but now she's gone home to be with her family for a few months, and your quality of life has visibly dropped."
"I'll leave it all to Margaret."
Oguri Cap declared this generously, entrusting everything to Nearl. She'd do whatever Nearl said.
However, this kind of exchange clearly exceeded Super Creek's common sense. She thought she sensed something from their interaction and cautiously leaned close to whisper in Nearl's ear.
"Nearl, aren't you taking care of Oguri Cap a bit too much?"
"Perhaps a little. But Oguri and I did grow up together after all. She's a bit spacey like this and can't really take care of herself in daily life. How can I not worry a little more?"
Saying this, Nearl looked at Oguri Cap, whose cheeks were stuffed full and face was comically round, yet who still managed to look cute.
"Looking at her like that, I just can't stop worrying. That year before, I secretly asked Tamamo-senpai to look after her, and I covered the cost of her daily necessities. Now that I'm here at the Central district, it's only natural I take care of her myself."
"What you're doing already goes beyond the scope of just being friends, doesn't it?"
Super Creek frowned at Nearl.
"And if this continues, Oguri Cap will never learn to be independent, you know?"
"I know. So I've been thinking, how can I help Oguri find a partner who's willing to take care of her for the rest of her life? Given Oguri's fame and wealth, there must be no shortage of people willing to marry her, but finding someone truly sincere, who's genuinely willing to care for her forever... that's incredibly difficult."
"Uh..."
Staring at the troubled expression on Nearl's face, Super Creek was momentarily at a loss for words.
'Well, now I understand why Oguri Cap's feelings are so all over the place. The way you two interact is the problem itself!'
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.