Holy crap—am I seriously this famous!?
Garden Gale froze in place.
How on earth did they recognize her!?
This is seriously too weird; why did everyone she met know her?
And worst of all…Garden Gale didn't recognize these two Umamusume at all! The absolute nightmare scenario for someone with social anxiety—when others recognize you, but you have no clue who they are. Way too embarrassing! Just imagining it made her scalp itch; it was toe-curling, dig-a-three-bedroom-apartment-out-of-the-floor level awkward!
"...Mm."
Caught off guard,
Garden Gale just barely managed to admit her identity.
Beyond that, she had no idea what else to say—and couldn't say it even if she wanted to. Should she honestly confess to Shark Teeth? Wouldn't she get beaten up on the spot? They'd definitely think she was stealing their training data. And who was Shark Teeth? Air Shakur, the delinquent-looking girl who seemed super scary and literally had shark-like teeth.
Shark Teeth! Actual Shark Teeth!
Being bitten by those would definitely hurt like hell.
Maybe…
She should just apologize.
After all, it really was her fault—she shouldn't have been staring at them like that.
With that thought, Garden Gale started mentally preparing her apology speech—for the offense she'd caused.
Fine Motion, meanwhile, simply watched her profile—in overly dramatic terms, it was truly an astonishingly beautiful side profile… Her eyebrows rose slightly as she recalled the various stories she'd heard about Garden Gale, and how fascinated she'd been when hearing this particular name.
Where to begin?
Perhaps from the most famous rumors.
She'd heard of two legendary prodigies in the Junior Division—Garden Gale and Tokai Teio. Everyone believed these two Umamusume were absolute geniuses, just like Mr. C.B. and Symboli Rudolf. Everyone eagerly anticipated the stories they'd create as they grew older, sure they'd become legends in the Umamusume racing world.
That day…
Wasn't far off now.
Fine Motion and Air Shakur weren't weak by any means—but compared to those prodigies, there was still a noticeable gap.
Garden Gale stealing their training methods probably wasn't even a possibility, right?
Fine Motion raised a finger thoughtfully. And anyway, they'd only been doing basic drills just now—nothing special, no secret techniques or finishing moves. Realizing this, the crease in her brow relaxed, and she smiled gently, as soothing as nature itself:
"If that's the case... then it's just a simple misunderstanding."
"Garden Gale-san has no reason to steal Shakur's training data; someone like her wouldn't stoop to that. She must've just come to train casually and glanced over to see how we were practicing, that's all."
Garden Gale, who'd just mentally drafted her apology, froze again.
Excuse me, what?
No reason to steal your training data? Wouldn't stoop to it? Then what the heck was I doing just now!? Wasn't I literally watching you secretly to learn your training methods? Why do you understand me better than I understand myself!?
How did this suddenly turn into a wild delusion!?
Please stop making stuff up about me—I can't handle it!
I'm not some amazing, badass superstar—I'm just a weak and helpless Umamusume!
Garden Gale really, seriously froze on the spot.
But she quickly guessed—these two had probably looked at her appearance, imagined some backstory for her, and then filled in the blanks themselves. Honestly, if it hadn't been herself—if she saw such a beautiful Umamusume, elegant and solitary—she'd probably also assume the other girl was some incredible genius.
…But being made the subject of these delusions herself was too much to handle.
She'd get exposed eventually.
No matter how she tried to hide it, she'd inevitably get exposed during the debut race in seven days.
She couldn't exactly not run, right?
Garden Gale hesitated, contemplating whether to reveal her actual ability right now, come clean completely, and then beg them to supervise her to death.jpg.
"Tch."
Air Shakur made a disdainful sound, eyes drifting toward Garden Gale's exposed calves. She frowned slightly—Air Shakur didn't buy into rumors, nor did she trust exaggerated legends. She only trusted data, and data alone was truth.
Garden Gale's calves were indeed slender and gracefully shaped, yet clearly lacked the muscle definition from rigorous training.
Was she really that strong?
Something felt suspicious.
Air Shakur stroked her chin thoughtfully, folded her arms across her flat chest, and adopted an intrigued expression, pretending to speak profoundly: "Oh-ho, I see, I see… It seems Garden Gale-san really is a powerful Umamusume, huh? I've heard a bit about your legends—supposedly, you're as strong as Tokai Teio."
Second time mentioning Tokai Teio.
Who exactly was she?
A junior prodigy whose greatest weapon was her natural flexibility. With unrivaled center-of-gravity control among Umamusume, exceptional cornering on slopes, a fierce determination to win, and rigorous training habits, everyone believed this passionate Symboli Rudolf fangirl would eventually follow Rudolf's footsteps, claim the Triple Crown, and become an undisputed legend herself.
And Garden Gale was supposedly her "Mr. C.B."—
Reality extending from a dream, continuing the tale of eternal rivals who mutually loved and fought each other.
Garden Gale hadn't expected both Umamusume in front of her to get swept up into this delusion—she desperately wanted to correct them, yet the happiness flooding her expression was uncontrollable. In fact, one reason socially anxious people lacked confidence was probably because they rarely received genuine affirmation from others—so, hearing these words now made her incredibly happy.
Still smiling brightly, Garden Gale finally gathered her courage.
She decided she would honestly confess her true level, speaking out her innermost thoughts.
You can pretend for a moment, but not for a lifetime!
However—
"Then—how about we have a little match, Garden Gale-san?" Air Shakur suddenly flashed her shark teeth again, a challenging grin spreading across her face. "Getting a chance to compete with someone at your level should definitely teach me a thing or two."
Garden Gale's bright smile froze instantly on her face.
All the courage she'd just mustered instantly evaporated into thin air.
---
T/N: LMAOOOO GET FUCKED hmm can u guys guess what garden gales aptitudes and style are
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