December 31st, New Year's Eve.
The restaurant wasn't open today.
Because…
"Ehh~ Why do you have to—hey, stop touching randomly while adjusting my obi!"
"Yayoi-san, your waist is really slender…"
Hearing Tokai Natural's voice echo down from the restaurant's second floor, Maruzensky and Mr. C.B. exchanged awkward glances.
Tomorrow was the Japanese New Year. As was customary for Uma Musume, they'd visit shrines to pray for successful races or good health in the coming year.
Typical Uma prayers, in short.
That's exactly why Maruzensky and Mr. C.B. were currently sitting in the closed restaurant.
It was also precisely because these two had jointly bought a kimono for Tokai Natural that this situation had arisen.
Not long after, carefully stepping in wooden geta, Tokai Natural slowly descended the stairs, accompanied by Chiyono O.
"How…how does it look?" Tokai Natural asked shyly.
She had almost never worn a kimono before. Because of her health, every New Year she'd been unable to casually visit shrines. So kimono felt unfamiliar to her.
If there was anything close, it might be the shiromuku she wore when marrying Rudolf.
Thus, she was rather nervous about how it would look on her.
The dark-colored kimono complemented Tokai Natural's auburn hair, bringing a vibrant flush to her expression.
Seeing her like this, Mr. C.B. awkwardly turned her head away. "It… It suits you."
Having received Mr. C.B.'s appraisal, Tokai Natural glanced aside, her gaze eventually settling on Maruzensky.
Maruzensky had been the first one to shelter her.
Therefore, the evaluation Tokai Natural most wanted to hear was hers.
Noticing Tokai Natural's expectant gaze, Maruzensky's eyes trembled slightly, but she soon regained her composure, suppressing her desires.
Thus, she offered an objective response, devoid of any extra meaning: "You look very nice."
Maruzensky stood up. "Come on, let's go. I'll drive us to a shrine a bit further away."
The "farther-away shrine" Maruzensky mentioned was specifically chosen to avoid Symboli Rudolf.
Although Rudolf would probably visit the shrine near the Symboli Family estate, there was still a possibility she'd appear around Tracen Academy, hence Maruzensky's careful choice.
Upon hearing Maruzensky's suggestion, before Tokai Natural could reply—
Mr. C.B. interjected immediately: "You're driving?"
"It's a modified civilian car. It can't go very fast."
This explanation was met with skeptical stares from both Mr. C.B. and Chiyono O.
"No way! I'll drive!" Mr. C.B. declared.
"Do you even have a driver's license?"
"Uh…"
Faced with this harsh reality check from Maruzensky, Mr. C.B. reluctantly gave up.
Watching their banter, Tokai Natural glanced between Maruzensky and Mr. C.B.
She was aware of Maruzensky's passion, yet had almost never seen her actually speed. Occasionally, though, she'd spotted Maruzensky's Red Supercar parked in the garage.
Seeing Mr. C.B. raise no further objections, Maruzensky turned back to Tokai Natural. "Let's go. My car is parked nearby."
"Mm."
After her gentle response, Tokai Natural and the others followed Maruzensky out of the restaurant.
By the time they arrived at the shrine, it was already around 11:30 PM.
Just half an hour more, and the new year would begin.
Chiyono O, wrapped warmly in a thick coat, carefully helped Tokai Natural out of the car and looked around.
The shrine Maruzensky had selected was far from Tokyo's city center. Without someone to drive, returning would require staying overnight in the nearby town.
Once Tokai Natural was safely out of the car, Maruzensky took Mr. C.B. along to find parking.
As Maruzensky hit the accelerator again, the roar of the engine blended with Mr. C.B.'s terrified scream, clearly audible to Tokai Natural:
"MARUZEN—!!!"
Hearing that voice, Tokai Natural turned her head—but all she saw was the glow of taillights vanishing around a distant bend.
I hope C.B.-san…will be okay.
Before Tokai Natural could worry further, Chiyono O's voice reached her ear: "Yayoi-san, we should head up now."
"Ah, yes."
Replying softly, Tokai Natural decided not to dwell further on Mr. C.B.'s fate and turned to ascend the stone steps behind her.
Chiyono O kept pace closely beside her, neither speeding ahead nor falling behind, carefully watching for any mishaps.
Soon, the two reached the shrine atop the hill.
Tokai Natural was slightly taken aback by the crowd gathered at the shrine entrance.
Having always been too frail to attend New Year's shrine visits, she hadn't imagined that even a small-town shrine could attract so many visitors.
Noting her reaction, Tokai Natural didn't speak, merely stepping aside from the main path slightly to wait for Maruzensky and Mr. C.B.
Seeing this, Chiyono O silently stayed by her side.
...
About twenty minutes later, Maruzensky finally arrived—along with a pale-faced Mr. C.B.
Noticing their condition, Tokai Natural opened her mouth to ask something, but Maruzensky cut her off first: "C.B. is just pale from the wind. Don't worry."
Maruzensky's explanation failed to convince Tokai Natural entirely, but…
"…Right. Exactly. Just…wind."
Mr. C.B.'s somewhat feeble voice alleviated some of Tokai Natural's concern. Still, she couldn't help but ask, "Do you need a moment to rest?"
"N-no, I'm fine. Let's…go draw our fortunes."
Taking a deep breath, Mr. C.B.'s expression somewhat recovered—but the paleness remained.
She looked at Tokai Natural earnestly: "Come on, we still need to catch hatsumōde."
Seeing Mr. C.B.'s determination, Tokai Natural finally relaxed fully.
She turned around and began to walk forward with small, careful steps.