Sunday Silence was crumpled into a ball by Gotham Song, then thrown into Manhattan Cafe's room to apologize.
Oh, crumpled in a literal, physical sense. After all, Old Ghost #1 was currently in a deceased state—ghosts or whatever could apparently break physical laws and reshape themselves; fascinating, right?
Anyway, Gotham Song had plenty of fun toying around with Sunday Silence for quite a while, but—maybe it was the silver-haired filly's imagination—the old ghost seemed to have gotten a bit strange after being elbowed by her.
It was as if…
She was staring at Gotham Song with a strange and unsettling look she'd never seen before, not his usual mischievous gaze, but more like something…
Uhh, how to describe it?
Perhaps like suddenly feeling excitement after sensing something she'd long been missing?
Gotham Song couldn't understand this feeling at all, nor did she know what had suddenly made Sunday Silence excited. Surely, it couldn't be due to that fierce elbow jab or the subsequent bullying session, right?
I'm begging you, Old Ghost #1, don't letyour image collapse in my eyes.
Gotham Song pleaded inwardly, but in the end, she never voiced it. Out of trust for Sunday Silence, she refused to believe such an embarrassing thing would happen to her old friend.
But after Manhattan Cafe's room descended into complete silence, Gotham Song, who planned to ask Old Ghost #1 later how she had become physically touchable, found herself suddenly with nothing to do.
It would still be a few days until the trip to America, but of course, she wouldn't be traveling alone this time. Aside from the already agreed-upon Neo Universe, there was Secretariat, who was an American Uma Musume to begin with. Dancing Brave said she needed to return to France briefly, but would join them in America afterward.
Ruby and Mejiro Ramonu, meanwhile, were held up by tasks they couldn't escape. Tokai Teio desperately wanted to come, but was mercilessly suppressed by Symboli Rudolf.
She hadn't fully recovered, after all—the fracture sustained during the Kikuka Sho wasn't like the quick recoveries before. This healing would take a long time, extending into next year before she could even start rehabilitation training.
And yet, even that was already miraculous!
Once recovered, she would have to prepare for her senior year races, so poor Tokai Teio ended up sealed away in Tokyo.
As for Oguri Cap, she didn't seem interested in tagging along. Instead, Vernal Equinox immediately raised her hand childishly, declaring she wanted to go.
Initially, Gotham Song thought Vernal Equinox's parents probably wouldn't agree. So while she superficially agreed to her trainee's request, she added a precondition.
No matter how willing Gotham Song was, if Vernal Equinox's parents didn't give their consent, then absolutely not.
In short, the confirmed participants for the New York trip were as follows:
Neo Universe, Mejiro Ardan, Mejiro McQueen, Manhattan Cafe, and Vernal Equinox (tentative).
Having such familiar faces around naturally made Gotham Song happy deep down. However, at that thought, she realized exactly what she should be doing next.
Taking out her phone, she dialed an unfamiliar number. Feeling a rare bit of nervousness during the waiting tone, Gotham Song cleared her throat.
"Hello…? Ah, is this Uncle? This is Gotham Song. Do you have some time tonight for me to come over?"
"You have time right now…? No, no, I'm just a bit surprised. Okay, okay, I'll be there shortly. Sorry for troubling you."
Gotham Song quickly left Mejiro Manor, got into a car, and headed toward the home of this unfamiliar uncle…
Of course, it was Vernal Equinox's house!
Gotham Song moved quickly, but compared to her, the Kitasan family—having the home advantage—was even swifter.
In fact, Gotham Song had never heard Kitasan Black or Vernal Equinox talk about their family situation. It was only after she stepped inside that she suddenly realized something surprising.
Wait a minute…my trainee's family seems quite impressive as well?
She was stunned—they were also from a prestigious lineage!
Though the atmosphere felt oddly off somehow. For example, Gotham Song noticed quite a pronounced Hokkaido accent in the traditional Japanese mansion, and occasionally spotted a few strange, elderly individuals smiling benevolently at her, almost as if…
They were older members of some kind of yakuza family?
Still, as Vernal Equinox's trainer, Gotham Song was treated with great solemnity and invited into the obviously most extravagantly decorated main hall, where she saw several individuals formally seated in hierarchical order.
Sitting at the main position behind a small table was the man Gotham Song had called earlier, the true objective of her visit—
The father of Vernal Equinox and Kitasan Black, a man named Ōno Minoru.
Only, this scene was a bit different from what Gotham Song imagined… Ugh, why didn't anyone tell me about this earlier? Had I known, I would've worn something more traditional…!
Wait, as an American Uma Musume, what traditional outfit could I even wear?
Gotham Song pondered silently but still imitated their posture, sitting in the spot designated for her.
However, as soon as Gotham Song sat down, Vernal Equinox shuffled closer to her, driven perhaps by instinct or subconscious movement.
This action gave the arriving Uma Musume some psychological comfort.
Indeed, Gotham Song's decision to visit Vernal Equinox's home during her downtime was undeniably because of her trainee.
After all, since she had promised to bring Vernal Equinox to New York, she absolutely had to formally ask permission, right?
Whether the parents agreed was one matter; whether she actually asked was entirely another!
"This is the first time we've officially met, Gotham Song-san. Oh, you don't have to be so nervous—I shouldn't look that intimidating, right?"
"Ah, yes, of course. I just didn't expect Vernal-chan's home to be such an impressive place."
After overcoming her initial shock, Gotham Song didn't have too many other feelings about it. Rather than astonished, she was simply caught off-guard, genuinely having never imagined Vernal Equinox was also from such a prominent family.
But really, wasn't it just another prestigious family?
Setting aside the fact Gotham Song already lived in Mejiro Manor, and ignoring the Daiichi family's intentions entirely—even her legendary achievements alone, coupled with the international decision-making power she held within the framework of the Uma Musume International Racing Committee, were enough for her to confidently declare one thing:
So what if it's a famous family? As if I can't become someone who makes others look up to me as a prestigious family of my own.
Even with that confidence, Gotham Song still showed full respect to Vernal Equinox's father—
After all, she was indeed his daughter's assigned trainer, someone extremely significant in her life.
This very scenario might even be a test of sorts.
"Actually, when Vernal Equinox first told me she'd found someone important—someone who recognized her potential as an Uma Musume—I was shocked."
"But after hearing that person was you, Gotham Song-san, a legendary figure already so renowned, I wasn't quite so surprised."
How to describe it?
Initially, the father worried someone might be tricking his dear daughter. Although Vernal Equinox had sensitive instincts, she always seemed slow and absent-minded, like a beautiful yet unresponsive flower.
Beautiful, yet never answering anyone's expectations; even…
Even Kitasan Black, so close to her, had failed to awaken the unseen heart of Vernal Equinox.
"Vernal Equinox" was just a name, after all—not the name of a fully realized person.
Aside from that, whenever Kitsasan Black had business to attend to, Vernal Equinox would quietly retreat to her room to stay alone, or she would run slowly around the training grounds all day.
A father's intuition naturally worried about such things first. But when Kitasan Black, who accompanied her, affirmed that the person making this judgment was the famously legendary Gotham Song—someone who'd agreed to mentor Vernal Equinox—the father wasn't so surprised anymore.
How should one describe such a mindset?
Perhaps it was the legendary insight, or perhaps it was his dear child Vernal Equinox's delayed yet enviable good fortune.
Either way, from that moment onward, this old father began paying closer attention to Gotham Song's races, as well as observing his daughter Vernal Equinox's condition.
He saw Vernal Equinox cheering among the crowd in the photographs celebrating Gotham Song's victories. Even though the images in the newspapers were quite blurry—even then—!
He was certain of one thing: even in those blurry, frozen moments, Vernal Equinox, who normally looked as lifeless as a doll, had eyes filled with dazzling brilliance.
And from a certain point onward, Vernal Equinox's entire behavior completely changed.
She began going out on her own, and occasionally even stayed over at Gotham Song's side… well, quite frequently, in fact.
And then, those eyes of hers, previously dim and unreadable, gained something else—definitely a more vibrant color.
In this budding emotion, what stage could one see clearly now?
A yearning that no one could erase, a yearning about to burst into bloom.
Thus, when the old father heard Vernal Equinox say that she wanted Gotham Song to become her lifelong trainer—someone of such crucial importance—he truly wasn't even slightly surprised.
Rather, if things hadn't reached this point, it would have been far more puzzling and heartbreaking—!
But what exactly was it that truly allowed this old father's heart to fully relax?
It was the fact that Gotham Song, despite being a busy active Uma Musume, had actually gone through the trouble of earning her trainer qualifications, and from the very beginning listed Vernal Equinox as her sole trainee.
How should one put it?
When your own daughter meets someone extraordinary like this, it always makes you both happy and a little bittersweet, doesn't it?
But—!
In the end, ultimately, this old father absolutely supported it. After all, this was the hard-won opportunity for Vernal Equinox to finally have a genuine "life"—a bond she might follow for the rest of her days, one that would bring her laughter and happiness.
Even before meeting Gotham Song in person, this old father had no intention of opposing anything the two might wish to do in the future—and after meeting her face-to-face, he became even more certain of his own thoughts.
The reason?
He hadn't even fully closed his eyes yet, and his originally quiet, doll-like daughter had already practically climbed into someone else's arms.
Little by little, nothing particularly noticeable, yet clearly felt—the steadily diminishing distance, stubborn and unwavering, entirely disregarding right or wrong, simply obeying her own feelings and refusing to stop.
Perhaps the only one who could stop Vernal Equinox from continuing this approach would be that Gotham Song-san, right?
Ah, this foolish daughter of his. Perhaps these emotions would eventually bloom and bear fruit… Well, wouldn't that be fine too?
After all, these two had long promised to be each other's lifelong trainer and trainee, hadn't they?
"Especially when you two formally became trainer and trainee—I immediately thought, ah, of course, it would naturally end up this way…?"
"However, even so, there is still one question I must clearly ask you now, Gotham Song-san…!"
Gotham Song suddenly became inexplicably tense, as though whatever words came next absolutely, absolutely must be answered truthfully, without a trace of deception.
She even reached under the table to nudge Vernal Equinox's thigh, causing her trainee to temporarily stop fidgeting closer, straighten up, and assume an especially serious posture.
"Yes, please go ahead."
"Do you possess the resolve and courage, the confidence and strength, to bear the weight of my daughter's lifelong happiness and professional glory?"
If it was to eventually become such a relationship, this was absolutely not the time to shrink back, right?
"Yes, I do. From the moment I became Vernal Equinox's trainer, I held the resolve to bear responsibility for her entire life—I have always possessed this awareness and conviction."
"And moreover, I am determined and prepared to grant her glory in her career, as well as happiness in her life."
Yet, something still felt strangely off. Gotham Song had the distinct impression the father before her wasn't actually asking whether she was willing to become Vernal Equinox's trainer, but rather, hmm…
Isn't this something more commonly asked when lovers meet each other's parents for the first time?
So strange.
Gotham Song couldn't be sure if this was the case—after all, according to her common sense, it should be—but what if this was the norm in the world of Uma Musume?
How would she even know whether trainers in the Uma Musume world were all questioned like this by parents…! This kind of interrogation was never written about in the books she'd read, either.
This was her first time experiencing it too!
But still, after all was said and done, since it was Vernal Equinox, as her senior trainer and someone she relied upon, wasn't it only natural to grant her a life of happiness and a career filled with glory?
The trainer-trainee bond was for a lifetime, after all.
Gotham Song, for some reason, suddenly had some peculiar thoughts. She quietly reached down and took hold of Vernal Equinox's hand, then spoke clearly:
"I won't entrust Vernal-chan's gaze and her future to anyone else… I won't permit or accept anything like that."
If this child had focused her eyes on me from the very beginning, then surely, that's how it ought to remain forever, right?
Isn't that so?