Valentine's Day, for Uma Musume in their prime, was an incredibly tempting day, especially... "Hey, hey, did you hear? Z-chan seems to be participating too!" A cheerful Uma Musume said to her friend.
"I know! I wonder if I'll get to taste it..."
Speaking of which, because of Zero's overwhelming strength on the track and her extremely imposing aura, her fans often forgot that she was actually a mare.
After all, compared to stallions, mares do have a significant natural disadvantage.
Uma Musume like Vodka, who are stronger than most stallions, are truly rare.
Zero's strength was actually on the weaker side initially. Confrontation was always her weakness in the early days of her debut, which is why she adopted the Great Escape tactic to avoid confrontation.
But all of this only lasted until the Satsuki Sho, or rather, by the time of the Satsuki Sho, her strength was already not low, it just hadn't been shown yet.
Until the NHK Mile Cup that year.
At that time, due to lack of sleep, she couldn't concentrate and had her only late start, which prevented her from getting a good position in the early stages, so she chose to run from behind.
Just when the commentators and spectators seemed to have given up, she started her own confrontation for the first time, and then, despite being heavily surrounded, she still found a fleeting opportunity and forcefully broke through.
Everyone knew about her previous disadvantage in confrontation, and seeing her current performance, anyone could guess how much effort she had put in, which also caused her popularity to skyrocket.
Effort, results, and recognition from others—this itself is something not everyone can achieve.
And even so, aside from her initial difficulty in communication, for some reason, her personality became increasingly gentle, and she also displayed her high feminine charm in daily life. Coupled with her strong abilities, basically seven or eight out of ten Uma Musume were her fans, especially those who had competed against her; they almost all joined her fan club after the race.
Then they started drawing lewd pictures of her or writing fan fiction about her.
So why are all my fans so weird!? Zero wailed in her heart.
However, most Uma Musume withdrew after seeing the lineup.
"Alright, this year's Valentine's Day Special Event is about to begin. This live report will be handled by me, Mejiro McQueen of Team Sirius."
"And for commentary, Gold Ship will be broadcasting live for everyone!"
Worried that Gold Ship might pretend to be a mare and participate in the race just for fun, the Emperor simply assigned her to the commentary booth from the start, with Mejiro McQueen, who could control her, keeping an eye on her.
Don't ask if Gold Ship *can* do it, you only need to ask if Gold Ship *wants* to do it.
You should know that this person once had an experience of solving a Rubik's Cube while running during a race and was penalized by having her results for that race nullified.
During the post-race interview, she gave the reason, "Because I suddenly wanted to see if I could solve a Rubik's Cube faster while running."
And the only one who could restrain this most free-spirited Uma Musume on Earth was Mejiro McQueen. Or rather, for some reason, Gold Ship often got the short end of the stick only with McQueen.
"Alright, then let's welcome our first contestant, Air Groove."
The atmosphere in the arena also became lively, and Air Groove and the chocolate she made appeared on the big screen.
It was a horseshoe-shaped chocolate placed on a small stand draped with red cloth. From its rounded shape to the nails and markings on the horseshoe, it looked exactly like a real horseshoe, indicating how much effort was put into it.
"A truly flawless chocolate, worthy of the name [Empress]. Just looking at it is like an work of art." McQueen secretly swallowed and gave her evaluation of the chocolate.
"Also, this competition will be voted on by every audience member. You can only vote for one person, okay?" She also stated the voting rules for this event.
After all, the main purpose of this event was for popularity, and letting the audience participate in the voting themselves would make them feel more involved.
"But honestly, I can't imagine Miss Empress handing someone chocolate and saying, 'Please accept my chocolate'~" Gold Ship, standing nearby, began to quip.
"You talk too much, A-fune." The Empress maintained her serious and earnest expression.
After all, the Emperor had Gold Ship as a commentator not only because of her potential to cause trouble but also because of her ability to liven things up. Gold Ship was very good at making a race more entertaining, and she was very willing to do so.
"Next up is contestant number two, Daiwa Scarlet's heart-shaped chocolate."
A heart-shaped chocolate, with "Happy Valentine's Day" written on it in white chocolate, and a layer of powdered sugar sprinkled on top.
"Although it's a conventional shape, you can tell the sender's feelings from all the details. It's full of the honor student's style." Ah, this one also looks delicious... sprinkling powdered sugar on chocolate is too unfair... "I can easily imagine her blushing and saying, 'Don't get the wrong idea! This is just a courtesy chocolate!' as she hands it over (laughs)." One could only say that Gold Ship truly understood this aspect.
However, Daiwa Scarlet really did have that classic tsundere vibe.
"Huh!? What the heck is that!? I would never say that!" Daiwa Scarlet, hearing Gold Ship's comment, immediately blushed and loudly retorted.
So Gold Ship really understood!
"Contestant number three is Vodka... This... what on earth is this!?" The moment Mejiro McQueen's gaze shifted to Vodka's chocolate with anticipation, she revealed a horrified expression.
What kind of chocolate was that? Why did it have a mosaic? And through the mosaic, she could still see that bizarre color!?
Damn it! Vodka! You're defiling chocolate! McQueen roared internally.
"Heh, love and romance and all that, I don't like that sickeningly sweet stuff! So I removed all the sweetness and maxed out the bitterness, spiciness, and sourness! This is my 'Chocolate of Life's Flavors'!"
Is that life's flavors or life's hardships!? The audience also complained in their hearts.
"Ah ha ha ha! It suddenly went in a strange direction! But this is the development this ship most wanted to see! Well done, Vodka, I'll vote for you later!"
"Thank you very much."
Sure enough, the competition started heading in a strange direction before it was even halfway through.
The subsequent contestant number four, Bimyo Shisei, even made a chocolate fountain fondue, and according to her, the chocolate fountain even mixed ramen broth and seasonings, making people curious about the taste while also making them somewhat hesitant to try.
"Is this some kind of penalty game?" Gold Ship still gave a fair assessment.
And Hishi Amazon saved everyone's senses. Her cute little bear-shaped chocolates instantly made everyone forget the previous bizarre situations and then sparked their girlish hearts.
"Oh my, has the flow of the competition been changed by Amazon-nee-san's hidden feminine charm that usually isn't seen!? But what would you do to me if I said, 'Your skin tone is the chocolate I want'?'"
"Gold Ship, I can guarantee you won't see tomorrow's sun." Hishi Amazon, a regular target of Gold Ship's teasing, instantly retorted.
"Eek~ So scary~"
Although the flow changed, then... "Number six... who is this!?"
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh! As expected of you, Saiju, you're really good at causing trouble!" Gold Ship on the side looked very excited.
"I don't want to be told that by you! This is a competition! Especially with *that* person participating, to win, you have to give it your all, just like in the entertainment industry in Las Vegas—no holds barred!"
Saiju... was also a very eccentric Uma Musume. In this competition, she directly wore a swimsuit, covered herself in chocolate, and presented herself as a chocolate on the display stage.
Unexpectedly, this made the gentlemen in the audience cheer.
"The executive committee will handle this! No resistance!" Then Saiju was escorted away by Tokai Teio and Special Week.
However, Special Week, in a moment of distraction during the escort, allowed her to escape.
"Mo! What is Little Special-senpai doing!?"
"Ahaha... I'm sorry..." Facing Teio's scolding, Special Week could only awkwardly scratch the back of her head.
Just now, she couldn't help but imagine Zero dressed like that, saying "Please enjoy" to her... *Slurp!*
On the other side, Zero, who was about to go on stage, suddenly felt a chill.
? Is some scoundrel trying to harm me!?
She looked around, but there was no one. Finally, she could only step onto the stage, one step at a time.
"The final contestant is the highly anticipated Z-chan, and her chocolate is... oh my? Surprisingly... quite ordinary?" Even McQueen looked a bit surprised.
Zero presented small, bite-sized chocolates, somewhat resembling cookies, but in alternating patterns of dark and white chocolate. Just looking at them, one could almost feel the inherent deliciousness.
"Why is it this style?"
The desserts Zero usually put in the training room for everyone to enjoy were one more elaborate than the next, yet for the competition, she was unexpectedly understated.
"Well, after all, no matter how good it looks, if you can't eat it, it's meaningless, isn't it?" Zero raised her index finger, winked, and then gave a strong pull with her other hand.
Identical small pieces of chocolate were packed into a giant bag, and each smaller bag contained three pieces.
"This... did you make all of this?"
"Naturally. Regardless of the competition results, these are Valentine's Day gifts for everyone here. Remember to pick up a bag on your way out~"
Because it wasn't a running race, Zero's desire to win was much lower. Thinking that the other contestants might not be able to make too much, she simply prepared chocolates for the audience.
It was also a reward for their long-standing support.
"Unexpectedly cared for... I always feel like my troublemaking self is exceptionally ugly in the face of this brilliance!" Gold Ship's expression was also a bit strange. Just now, a small bag was also presented to the two hosts.
"Alright, everyone gets a share~" Zero began handing out chocolates, and the competition was inexplicably ignored.
This child... Rudolph covered her face, a little helpless.
This exhibition competition couldn't go on, but it was compensated by an unexpected action.
She also received a piece of chocolate. As she ate it, the soft flavor of mixed dark and white chocolate filled her mouth, and after swallowing it, a warm current seemed to spread throughout her limbs.
Delicious... Besides this, she didn't know how else to describe it. If it continued, this taste alone would be enough to be crowned champion.
"An unexpected situation, but with such delicious chocolate, everyone should enjoy this day!" Gold Ship, uncharacteristically serious for once, ended the competition directly after seeing Rudolph's signal.
Unlike Air Groove's pursuit of perfection, or Daiwa Scarlet and Hishi Amazon's girlish hearts, there were no whimsical ideas. This small piece of chocolate contained only her purest kindness and care.
Eating the chocolate, Rudolph suddenly thought, if someone were to marry Zero in the future, they would surely be very happy, right?
Never mind, she should go look at study materials and learn how to make cookies. Then she could return the favor during the White Day event.
Just as she was thinking this, Rudolph's face instantly turned ashen.
"Hmm? Is something wrong, President?" Air Groove, who was beside her, asked.
"No... nothing... I'm going to the restroom," Rudolph forced a nonchalant expression and left her spot.
When she bit into the last piece of chocolate just now, her mouth was filled with wasabi, and the intensely sour sensation that shot straight to her head almost made her nose run.
She miscalculated. That girl definitely prepared a special prank chocolate for her!
Hmph, my chocolate isn't that easy to get~ Zero, while handing out chocolates, accidentally glanced at Rudolph, who was covering her mouth and rushing towards the school building, and a smile played on her lips.
After returning home yesterday, Zero suddenly felt that Rudolph's reaction that day was very strange, and she learned through Trainer Okino that Rudolph had no backup plan, which made her want to play a prank. Anyway, the participants in this event were bound to cause trouble, so she might as well make it bigger so that the competition couldn't proceed, and then she had to do it in a way that no one could find fault with, which led her to this method, and she specifically added something to one piece of chocolate in Rudolph's share.
Hmm, just a tiny bit.
Rudolph, you want to trick me? Eat wasabi!
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