Ren woke up with a groggy yawn, stretching his arms toward the ceiling before glancing at his phone.[6:50 a.m.]
"Still early…" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. Slipping out of bed, he shivered as a rush of cold air brushed against his skin.
Last night came back to him bit by bit—the celebration after Seabiscuit's victory had gone on longer than expected. When it was over, he'd offered to drive Dream Journey and Orfèvre back to their accommodations… only to find out they were staying at the same hotel as him and Seabiscuit.
"Oh, Trainer Ren, looks like we're at the same hotel," Dream Journey had said casually from the backseat.
"Eh? Is that so?" Ren had asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
She nodded while adjusting her glasses. Orfèvre sat quietly beside her, her expression unreadable as she looked out the window.
Meanwhile, Seabiscuit had already fallen asleep in the front passenger seat, her head leaning gently against the glass.
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Now, standing in front of the mirror, Ren fixed his appearance. His reflection showed a man dressed neatly in a gray suit with matching pants, a crisp white shirt, and a black tie. He smoothed his hair back and adjusted the tie one last time.
"First impressions matter," he murmured.
He wasn't wearing this just for fun—his parents had messaged last night, saying they wanted to video call him this morning. He needed to look responsible. Otherwise, he'd just earn himself another lecture… plus the usual bonus question about when he planned to give them grandkids.
Seriously, I'm still young, he thought, sighing. Why the rush?
The phone buzzed.
[Incoming video call: Dad]
"Good morning, Mom, Dad," Ren greeted, smiling at the screen.
On it appeared a woman with gentle blue eyes and light gray hair, horse ears twitching slightly atop her head. Beside her sat an older man with streaks of gray in his dark hair—Ren's father.
"Good morning, son," they greeted in unison.
"Congratulations on the win yesterday," his mother added warmly.
"Thanks," Ren said, scratching his cheek.
The conversation flowed easily. They asked how he was doing, whether he was eating well, sleeping enough—all the usual parental checkups. Ren decided to continue chatting while heading to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.
He thought about waking Seabiscuit but decided against it. Let her sleep. After all she earned it.
After taking a plate of breakfast and a cup of coffee, Ren found a quiet corner and set his phone down so his parents could still see him.
He was mid-sip when his father's voice interrupted.
"[By the way, Ren… who's that girl behind you?]"
"Pff—!" Ren nearly sprayed his coffee. Turning around, he froze.
"Dream Journey?"
"Good morning, Trainer Ren," she greeted politely before sitting down beside him.
Ren blinked, still processing.
"[Ara? I thought your trainee was only Seabiscuit, young man,]" his mother said teasingly.
"Ah—hello, Trainer Ren's mother and father. My name is Dream Journey, it's a pleasure to meet you two." she said with a polite bow.
"[Oh, how polite! You can call me Mom if you'd like,]" Ren's mother replied with a proud nod.
Ren's eyebrow twitched. "Mother, please don't make her uncomfortable. And she's not my trainee—just… an acquaintance. We met yesterday."
Dream Journey adjusted her glasses, smiling faintly but saying nothing.
"[Hmm, what a shame,]" Ren's mother sighed dramatically.
Moments later, as the call neared its end, she added,
"[By the way, say hello to Seabiscuit's for me And call us again later, alright?]"
"Yeah, yeah," Ren said with a resigned sigh before hanging up.
He leaned back, taking a long sip of his coffee.
Dream Journey smile beside him.
"Your parents seem lovely," she add.
Ren glanced at Dream Journey beside him."By the way, why are you here?" he asked casually.
Dream Journey turned to him, expression unreadable. "Is my presence bothering you? Sorry then, I'll take my leave."
"W-wait, no, that's not what I meant!" Ren said quickly, raising a hand before she could stand. "You can stay."
She paused, then adjusted her glasses with that calm composure of hers. "Understood."
"I was just curious, that's all," Ren added, trying to recover his tone. He lifted his coffee cup—only to find it empty. Great.
Dream Journey took a sip of her own coffee and replied evenly, "I came here for the same reason as other hotel guests—to have breakfast in the early morning."
Ren opened his mouth, wanting to clarify that he hadn't meant why she was here in the restaurant, but why she was sitting next to him. In the end, he just swallowed his words and forced a polite smile."I see."
A quiet moment passed between them. The clinking of plates and utensils filled the dining hall while both of them ate in silence. Dream Journey didn't seem to mind at all; she simply enjoyed her breakfast in her calm, elegant manner.
Ren, on the other hand, scrolled through the news on his phone, unsure what else to say.
Then, the seat across from them shifted. Someone sat down—without a word.
Ren looked up from his phone and blinked. "Oh—good morning, Orfèvre."
The golden-haired girl sat opposite Dream Journey, wearing a white jacket, her arms crossed. She gave a small nod before picking up a fork and taking a bite of the dessert on her plate.
Does she… like sweets? Ren wondered, watching her chew quietly. Wait, never mind—don't all horse girls like sweets?
Beside him, Dream Journey calmly sipped her coffee and took a delicate bite of toast topped with fruit. Her eyes flicked briefly to Orfèvre's, but she didn't say anything.
Everything seemed peaceful until a sudden, icy grip clamped down on Ren's shoulder.
"Ow—" He froze. Slowly, he turned his head…
Standing behind him was Seabiscuit. She smiled warmly—too warmly. Despite her expression, not a trace of warmth reached her eyes. Her hair was messy, and from the look of it, she'd rushed straight here.
"Biscuit…?" Ren said carefully.
"Hey, Trainer…" Her voice was sweet, almost too polite. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
The grip on his shoulder tightened.
Ren swallowed hard. "W-well, you were tired from yesterday's race, so I thought you deserved a bit more rest!"
She studied his face for a moment, then finally released him with a small sigh. "I see."
Seabiscuit slid into the seat beside him, crossing her arms.
"Well, good morning, Biscuit," Ren greeted, trying to sound casual.
"Good morning," she replied, tone still cool.
Ren sighed softly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small hairbrush. Don't ask why he carried one—it just… happened to be useful.
He gently began brushing through her tangled hair. Seabiscuit's mood visibly softened, her ears twitching slightly as the tension in her shoulders eased.
"There, much better," Ren said with a faint smile. "But why'd you rush down here? You should take your time and fix your appearance first, you know."
"I know… I won't do it again," Seabiscuit murmured, looking away.
Ren nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "That's better."
Dream Journey, sitting quietly on his other side, hid her smile behind her cup. Orfèvre simply continued eating her cake, pretending not to notice but the corners of her mouth twitched upward, ever so slightly.
A single thought ran through both horse girls' minds — "What a caring trainer."
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Somewhere in another hotel—not far from where Ren and the others stayed—chaos was already brewing.
"Alert! Alert! Mars to Earth! Goldshi detects both people are gone!"A silver-gray–haired horse girl stood in the middle of the room, her straight bangs covering her forehead as she struck a stiff pose, waving her arms like a malfunctioning robot.
Her name was Gold Ship.
No one could ever predict what went through her mind. She was the most unpredictable horse girl around—part genius, part disaster, and wholly herself. Pranks, nonsense, and unprompted theatrics were her daily routine.
On the bed, a petite girl lazily turned the page of a newspaper. Her dark brown hair faded to deep ochre at the tips, and her half-lidded eyes—violet fading to gold with white pupils—barely lifted from the print.
"Yawn… Maybe they just went out to play," she murmured flatly.
This was Stay Gold, the picture of unbothered calm.
"Who even reads newspapers these days?" Gold Ship asked, flopping dramatically onto the couch.
"Me," Stay Gold replied simply, sliding the paper aside.
Before Gold Ship could retort, another voice chimed in.
"I bet they got lost."
The speaker was a horse girl with disheveled brown hair and sharp magenta eyes. Nakayama Festa, the hard-boiled gambler of the group—she lived for risk, chaos, and the thrill of unfair fights.
"Bet?" Gold Ship's hand shot up. "Ooh! I wanna bet too! Pick me, pick me!"
"The more bets, the better," Nakayama Festa said with a smirk.
"I bet," Gold Ship declared dramatically, pointing toward the ceiling, "that they found someone they interesting to!"
Nakayama Festa arched a brow. "Found someone? Yeah right. With their personalities? Not a chance." She shrugged like she was stating a scientific fact.
"There's still a chance, right?" Gold Ship pressed. "If I win, you have to give me that new dice set you bought yesterday!"
Nakayama Festa grinned. "And if I win?"
"This master—me!—will stop doing anything suspicious to you again!" Gold Ship puffed out her chest proudly.
"Suspicious?" Nakayama Festa's grin vanished. "Wait… what did you do, you idiot?!"
"Goldshi doesn't know~" Gold Ship said innocently, smiling like a fool.
Nakayama Festa lunged forward, grabbing her by the collar and shaking her violently. "Confess, you maniac!"
Stay Gold, unfazed, turned another page of her paper. "You two are so noisy…"
At that exact moment, the door slid open.
Standing there was a tall girl with sharp, intense eyes the color of deep amethyst. Her raven-black hair shimmered with purple undertones—spiky and wild yet carefully kept.
"...What's going on here?" she asked calmly.
It was Fenomeno, their stoic teammate.
"Ah! Feno!" Gold Ship shouted, immediately ducking behind her like a shield.
"Gold Ship! Get back here!" Nakayama Festa shout, chasing after her.
Within seconds, Fenomeno became the unwilling "center pillar" between the two as they ran circles around her—Gold Ship squealing, Festa yelling threats, and Fenomeno silently regretting every life choice that led her to this moment.
Stay Gold folded her newspaper, finally standing. "...Let's eat," she said dryly, tossing the paper aside.
Without waiting for a response, she walked out the door.
Gold Ship, hearing the word eat, instantly stopped running and dashed after her."Wait for meee!"
Nakayama Festa groaned but followed. "I swear, I'm gonna strangle her one day…"
Left alone in the now-empty room, Fenomeno blinked.
"...What just happened?" she muttered.
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(A/n: gold family)