Gotham Song couldn't shake the feeling that Almond Eye's gaze was… kind of weird. But all the way back to the academy, Almond Eye didn't do anything particularly strange, so in the end Gotham Song could only chalk it up to her own sensitivity.
Through the gates, then walking Almond Eye back to her dorm—time to say goodbye.
Almond Eye was clearly unhappy, and she'd even considered applying for a room change, but as of today, this Umamusume who'd just entered Central Tracen still wasn't in the same dorm building as Gotham Song.
After all, the dorms were where a bunch of young, rowdy Umamusume lived. Tracen's rules were pretty relaxed in most areas, but there was exactly one thing they took deadly seriously—
You had to be back at the dorm on time.
If you didn't get permission and you missed curfew, that was one of the few things Central Tracen treated with real severity.
You'd get the iron fist.
Skipping the dorm? That's not your average Umamusume anymore. Heavy punch required.
Of course, Tracen's dorm life itself was nice.
Spacious double rooms, hot water on demand, even dedicated internet lines and air conditioning—conveniences that would make college students and working adults weep with envy.
Honestly, if Gotham Song hadn't already experienced Mejiro Manor's extravagance and the First Family's quiet restraint, then the Central Tracen dorms were probably the best place she'd ever lived.
Anyway, even though Almond Eye very much wanted to move into Gotham Song's dorm building—despite Gotham Song not being at school most of the time—it obviously hadn't happened.
So faced with that reality, a particularly regretful Almond Eye could only trudge back to her own dorm.
Watching her "half-team" Umamusume act like this, Gotham Song didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Right before she left, she even gave Almond Eye a special pat—like a little "see you tomorrow" marker—and said goodbye to the suddenly-acting-like-an-idiot kid.
…That said, it had been a while since she'd been back here.
Even when nobody was living in them, Central Tracen's dorm rooms were regularly cleaned by staff. And since there was plenty of space, even though Gotham Song was away from school most of the year, her room was still kept for her.
That was one reason she came back so often.
Though, even then… the last time she'd returned had been ages ago. Was it the last time she'd coached Almond Eye?
Seriously. She was only in her first senior year, so why did she feel like Symboli Rudolf—Old Bastard No. Whatever—using the academy like a directional beacon, only coming back when absolutely necessary?
The thought made Gotham Song chuckle.
But truthfully, she liked living at school. Sure, back then Ardan-nee-san hadn't recognized who she was, and she'd had to endure Ramonu-nee-san's sudden, piercing scrutiny… but that stretch of time solving mysteries with Neo Universe had been genuinely fun.
Thanks, past me. For sticking it out.
With that, Gotham Song pushed open her door—and saw Neo Universe inside, already waiting. So still she looked like a statue, eyes fixed on the entrance.
Clearly, her little roommate had been waiting a long time.
After they came back from camping yesterday, Neo Universe and Manhattan Cafe had returned to the academy together.
They'd finally gotten out of Mejiro Manor for once—staying out a few extra days sounded great, right? With that in mind, the two of them chose to come back to the long-unvisited dorm, to reminisce about days they probably wouldn't get to relive for a while.
Only Gotham Song had underestimated Neo Universe's current state. Her idiot roommate had apparently been standing here, unmoving, staring at the door the entire time Gotham Song was gone.
All that willpower honed across countless dimensions… and she used it on this?
What an idiot!
Gotham Song let out an "Aah!" and pounced, pinning Neo Universe under her and grabbing those soft cheeks to tug hard.
Neo Universe made muffled, miserable little whimpers, but even so, the blonde Umamusume kept her hands obediently on either side of the bed. Forget resisting—she didn't even look like she'd considered it.
Soft, sweet, and perfectly bullyable if Gotham Song so desired.
Seeing Neo Universe skip straight past the "pretend to resist" stage, Gotham Song—who knew exactly what her roommate was like—obviously wasn't going to do nothing. She dipped her head and bonked foreheads once, then finally looked her in the eye.
"Tonight, if my sleeping habits are bad again, I'll be bothering you too, okay?"
"Huh… b-bad sleeping habits? Ah—o-okay. I got it. It's fine. If it's Song… anything is fine."
Neo Universe froze for a second, then quickly understood why Gotham Song was saying that.
But… Song still hasn't realized it, has she?
Or maybe she just isn't thinking in that direction at all.
Neo Universe never imagined things would turn out like this. At this point, it wasn't even that Song's sleeping habits were bad—there was no way she could say that out loud anymore.
So she didn't.
Heehee.
Neo Universe nodded, then gently wrapped both arms around Song's back and slowly tightened her hold.
"It's fine. Song's wavelength is always something I miss. If it's Song, falling asleep in your arms is completely okay. Or rather…"
"If it's Song… please do anything you want to do to me."
That wasn't even "suggestive" anymore. Is this what you learned beyond endless dimensions, Neo?
The ambiguity is doing way too much work here.
But Gotham Song could only pretend she hadn't caught it. She nodded, hugged Neo Universe, and rolled with her once across the bed—until they were pressed into the narrow corner, like that cramped space was the entire world.
After that, their conversation fell into silence.
Gotham Song didn't say anything more. Neo Universe only clung to her, content with nothing else.
But after they stayed quiet for a while, Gotham Song finally pressed her cheek against Neo Universe's and spoke with a sigh.
"Honestly, I've thought about it before—if I could travel to parallel worlds, what would I become…?"
"Song… parallel worlds?"
Neo Universe bit her lower lip lightly. She pictured Song traveling across worlds and seeing different endings for herself—and shuddered.
"Song… it's better if you don't have that ability."
"Yeah… you're right. It's hard to even imagine, for me."
Hard to imagine. Of course—Gotham Song didn't have that ability. But she'd felt Neo Universe's trembling perfectly clearly just now.
So the one person beside her who did have that ability clearly didn't think it was a good thing.
Makes sense, too. If every ending were gentle and kind, why would Neo Universe be here with her?
People were selfish. Or rather—Neo Universe wasn't that strong.
If her goal were "no version of Gotham Song gets hurt," then she'd have left this Song long ago and gone looking for the next one.
But Neo Universe stayed here.
Careful. Happy. So careful it almost looked… humble.
That alone said everything.
Neo Universe was searching for a harbor she could finally feel safe in.
That was all.
And that was normal.
Gotham Song had never thought that was something to be ashamed of. This was just how people were.
And if she really could travel to parallel worlds… what would she see?
First off, every version of herself would probably be drowning in suffering. Simple reason: why had Neo Universe chosen this road?
Because that version of her… was gone.
Even though the culprit was literally in Gotham Song's arms right now, she didn't care much about that other self's fate.
But it did prove something, didn't it?
If one Neo Universe going mad could do all this, then what if, in other parallel worlds, someone else went mad? Or a whole crowd went mad and danced like demons?
That wasn't a bold or absurd assumption. It was entirely plausible. Otherwise, why would Neo Universe have failed so many times?
Why would she have shivered when Gotham Song brought up that topic just now?
Clearly, it had happened—over and over. Before meeting this Gotham Song, Neo Universe had probably believed failure and chaos were unavoidable.
Unthinkable.
Realizing that, Gotham Song suddenly felt it might be a good thing she couldn't see more of the parallel worlds.
Because if she did see them, she'd inevitably project them onto her own reality—turning a perfectly happy present into paranoia, into something she couldn't enjoy.
When you put it that way, maybe knowing nothing wasn't so bad.
Only fools get to be happy every day, after all.
With that thought, Gotham Song let her brain go completely. She gave Neo Universe's cheek a light nibble, then slid closer into her hair, toward those faintly trembling, fluffy ears.
"Neo… let go for a sec. I'm going to take a shower."
...
Van Gogh let out a huge sneeze.
Dawn was almost here, but she wasn't sleepy at all. Or rather—because she always went to bed early, she always woke early too.
The sky had only just started to lighten when she got up—around six or seven. Today she'd only woken a bit earlier: five-thirty.
Van Gogh had always been troubled by this. Once she opened her eyes, unless it was close to her usual bedtime, she couldn't fall back asleep.
So when it happened today, she simply got up, turned on her computer, and started grinding out her manuscript.
Maybe it was a one-off early morning. Maybe it was just a whim.
Either way, her inspiration poured out like a flood. Even the ending—something that had been tormenting her for ages—found its solution in one clean burst.
For a moment, she was so happy she almost wanted to thank Song-neesan and Ruka-sama for the endless inspiration they gave her.
Van Gogh—Classic Year—an Umamusume.
The ending had haunted her for a long, long time. With racing always in the way, she'd never been able to land on a result that felt truly complete, truly right.
But now, at last, she'd gotten her wish.
She couldn't wait. She sent the new book's content and link straight to someone across the ocean—another Umamusume she'd always admired.
Then she went into the bathroom. After washing up, she changed into the outfit she only wore for training.
The weather was perfect. And now that she'd finished her writing sprint, it was about time for her own training.
As an Umamusume, she couldn't slack.
Song-sama definitely trained diligently every single day, right?
After all, the Dream Cup—an utterly top-tier event—was waiting for her at the end of the year.
Van Gogh's conviction was clear and precise. In her mind—or rather, in the plot she'd already designed—Gotham Song was the type who was proud and coolheaded most of the time, only showing deep warmth to specific Umamusume on rare occasions.
A total training maniac.
Her image came from life. There was no fabrication here.
It was all Van Gogh's own filter and impression.
No mistake. I'm one of the people who understands Song-sama best in this world.
Something like that.
In any case, Van Gogh began her day's training. She was already a famous rising star across Europe—of course she wouldn't slack on her daily practice.
Because she was running with Gotham Song as her target.
In other words—
If you're going to admire becoming a training maniac, then all that messy, weird "everyday life with other Umamusume" stuff can get the hell away from me!
That was about the size of it. Van Gogh had fallen deep into her own world—or rather, a world shared by only herself and a few others.
And the rarest of all, the one person who affected her most—when had that connection between them been forged?
This morning.
Along with the link she sent, Van Gogh also included an invitation.
She wanted Gotham Song to see her next race with her own eyes.
Please… watch me properly, Song-sama.