After a great deal of effort, with Zero and Rudolph both explaining and providing physical evidence (the broken recording pen), Air Groove and Teio finally believed that nothing was about to happen between the two.
"Mo, Z-chan, too, threatening President with her embarrassing past." Zero and Teio were walking together in the hallway, Teio complaining in a slightly dissatisfied whisper.
"Heh, aren't you curious, Teio?" Zero's face curved into a smile, her voice like the serpent tempting Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
"!" President's embarrassing past... No, impossible, President is perfect! How could President have an embarrassing past! An angel Teio appeared in her mind and suppressed her curiosity.
No, President is also an Uma Musume. When she was immature, she would also have some things she didn't want people to know! And a little devil Teio also popped out.
So let's go confirm if it's true! The angel and the devil said in unison.
What is this? Shouldn't you two be arguing!?
Teio was a bit confused at this moment.
Because as sub-consciousnesses, we can't go against your true intentions! The angel and the devil once again spoke in unison.
What... what should I do!?
Zero, watching Teio's internal struggle, first chuckled a few times, then came to her rescue.
"Alright, I also promised her I wouldn't spread it, so I naturally won't break my promise. Even if you want to know, I won't tell you, www."
"Mo! Z-chan is too mean!" Teio immediately realized that Zero was playing a trick on her.
"Alright, alright, take this." She casually pulled out a thermos and put it into Teio's hand.
"This is?" Teio's attention was instantly drawn.
"I remember you really like Yachisan (honey), right?"
"Yes! Let me tell you! Honey is amazing!"
"Inside is honey water I made myself. Try it."
Hearing that it contained her favorite thing, Teio quickly opened the thermos, smelled it, and then... *plop*.
She fell to the ground.
Zero: ???
When Zero appeared before everyone carrying the unconscious Teio, everyone was stunned.
Didn't this child go to call President? How did she end up being carried by Zero?
"Well, I wanted to give her a dream honey drink, but she fainted after just one sniff." Zero explained.
"Z-chan... does your mountain... even produce this?" Daiwa was also a bit overwhelmed.
Dream Honey, why is it dream-like? Because its output is extremely low, and whether it even produces any depends on luck.
Only occasionally in a very large wild beehive would there be less than a small spoonful of this extremely rare essence of honey. Unlike ordinary honey, it doesn't make people who don't usually eat sweets feel cloyingly sweet. People with different tolerances for sweetness would all find it to be just the right amount of sweetness for them, an extremely dream-like honey. Especially for pastry chefs, creating a dessert made purely with Dream Honey is a symbol of honor, status, and prestige.
Yet, Zero was simply drinking it as honey water... "Well, relatively speaking, there are some secret recipes that can ensure stable production, so don't mind it too much. Do you want some?"
"Yes! Of course, yes!" Gold Ship was the first to respond.
The cool honey water didn't emit a fragrance like the previous sweet carrot cake, but when Zero poured the slightly golden liquid from the thermos, everyone present, Uma Musume and Trainer alike, couldn't help but swallow.
"Ah, it seems the thermos isn't quite enough..." Zero said, and then, amidst everyone's twitching eyes, pulled out a gigantic thermos bottle.
Many of the older members of Spica and Rigil understood Zero's inexplicable ability to pull out things that couldn't possibly be carried on her person. Only Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa were curious.
"Oh, oh, oh! Senior! This must be the so-called 'mysterious power of the East,' right!?" This was an excited El Condor Pasa.
"Yes, look~" Zero, getting into it, extended her empty hand, made a fist, then opened it, revealing a candy in the center of her palm.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Everyone clapped along.
"Alright, everyone come over with your cups. One cup of this is enough; drinking more won't do much good."
Everyone received some Dream Honey drink, including the recently awakened Tokai Teio.
It's worth mentioning that after drinking the honey water, Tokai Teio and Special Week both softened completely, their faces full of bliss.
Everyone departed at noon, and now the sky was pretty much dark.
"Alright, everyone, let's go eat. There are many good things, you know?" Zero said, wiping her hands and calling out to everyone.
Of course, she didn't do it alone; she directed the chefs here and cooked with them.
Rudolph didn't say anything about Zero's actions. She was well aware of Zero's skill, which was unregistered simply because she was too lazy to take the exams. The first person to truly taste Zero's handmade food was Rudolph herself, and she had already told the chefs to cooperate with Zero when the time came.
Twenty people. No matter how big a table was, it couldn't accommodate so many people, so they eventually simply divided up, ten people per table.
Fortunately, a large amount of food had been prepared in advance, and even after dividing it into two tables, it was completely sufficient.
Each table had twelve dishes and one soup, and the portions were absolutely generous. Even if Oguri Cap came... I'm sorry, I was too arrogant. Oguri Cap definitely wouldn't be able to handle it.
So, after everyone enjoyed an extremely lavish dinner, they waited for digestion before heading to the hot springs.
Zero and Rudolph, meanwhile, had arrived at the hot springs early.
"Is this the potion you mentioned that can strengthen Uma Musume bones?" Rudolph looked curiously at the delicate small bottle in Zero's hand.
"Yes, or rather, it's great that your family's hot spring here is big enough."
The hot spring was large, so large that nearly twenty Uma Musume from two teams could enter together without feeling crowded; it was practically a small warm lake.
Yet, even so, this bottle of less than fifty milliliters of potion was enough to affect the entire hot spring.
"This will start to take effect about five minutes after being added, and it will last for 3 hours." While briefly explaining the effects, she flicked the bottle's mouth. The top of the capless bottle broke off, and she poured the liquid into the hot spring.
The two had naturally showered beforehand and came here wearing bath towels. Testing the effects was one thing, but wanting to soak in the hot spring early was another.
They both soaked into the hot spring. Although the temperature was quite high, it was incredibly comfortable. Both of them involuntarily let out comfortable moans as they entered the hot spring.
After a while, the potion began to take effect. Even Rudolph could faintly feel something entering her body.
"Is this effect... so obvious?"
"Yes, but it cannot be mass-produced, and its output is extremely low."
"I see..." She finally sighed. If this potion could be produced in large quantities, Uma Musume might be able to run more freely, right?
Of course, it was just a thought.
Both understood the principle of 'a good person keeps to themselves.' Now was not the time to think about such things; they should just enjoy themselves.
"Next, it's the Takarazuka Kinen, right?" Rudolph pondered for a moment, then asked.
"Yes, who's going to target me this time?"
"Shiro Hito's physical condition has worsened again. This medicinal bath might help her recover a lot today, but overall, she still needs a good period of recuperation."
"I see..." To be honest, even she could see Shiro Hito's declining condition, but the other party had always silently endured it, pretending not to care at all.
"She's tired too. At least this year, we might still have to rely on you."
"Ah..."
Rudolph was naturally referring to the Japan Cup. This year, not many of Japan's Uma Musume were in good condition. The few Uma Musume who could participate might not be a match for the tall and strong foreign Uma Musume. Zero was the only hope, which was another reason for her surging popularity this year.
"Speaking of which, our situation is quite strange too." Rudolph sighed.
Strange? Indeed.
Zero's dislike for Rudolph wasn't a new thing, yet whenever something happened, she was Rudolph's most capable assistant.
Every time Rudolph saw Zero complete a task meticulously, she always felt that entrusting Gold Ship to bag her and bring her to the Student Council back then was truly a wise decision.
At the same time, Rudolph showed Zero a certain degree of deference and occasionally played a little trick. When the two were unhappy, they would create a tense atmosphere in private, as outsiders would see it, like before. But as soon as one side took a small step back, the other would follow suit.
"Yes, so it's better to defeat you quickly and make you cry in front of a national audience." Zero said with an indifferent expression.
"Heh, big words. I'm just afraid it'll be you who cries then." Rudolph naturally retorted in an understated manner.
"But I heard Sister Hua say that you really cried after losing to Katsuragi Ace that day?"
"Tsk, none of your business."
Even Symboli Rudolf found it hard to read the petite Uma Musume beside her.
Absolute Zero… just like the 'zero' in her name, she was present, yet at times seemed so distant.
"How is Teio doing?"
"She's fine. If nothing unexpected happens, she'll debut after Little Special finishes her Classic Triple Crown races. She should have completed her full-fledged training by then."
"Is that so? I wonder if she can do it…"
"Honestly, you look exactly like an old father worrying about his child's studies right now. Is she really not your daughter?" Rei Zai pouted.
"That's enough. Our two families just have a slight blood relation, that's all."
"I don't know about that~"
"Indeed."
They chatted like friends, occasionally bickering, until the first Uma Musume entered the area.
"Hi~ Are you two enjoying your soak?"
"Maruzensky Senior, please don't just hug me if you can help it = ="
The newcomer was none other than Maruzensky. After greeting them, she entered the hot spring and casually scooped Rei Zai into her arms.
For some reason, Rei Zai was unusually gentle while in the hot spring. She didn't resist as much as usual, only offering a perfunctory protest before letting Maruzensky hug and pet her.
Only Symboli Rudolf frowned slightly.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
👉 patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!