"…By the way, did she win her debut race?"
The man standing beside Saito Asuka pulled out two cigarettes from his pocket.
He put one in his mouth, then offered the other, held between his fingers, to Saito Asuka.
After Saito Asuka took it, he fumbled in his coat pocket, then took a lighter from a passing staff member and lit both their cigarettes.
"She won, and she won very easily."
Saito Asuka took a deep drag from her cigarette, then watched the blue smoke she exhaled, feeling much more relaxed.
"Won very easily? How easy?"
The man asked with a smile, "By ten lengths?"
"Something like that."
Saito Asuka nodded seriously, confirming the joke: "If she hadn't had a slow start from the gate, she really might have led the entire race and finished with a huge lead."
"Is it that exaggerated?"
The man, thinking the other person was just exaggerating, shook his head.
"Let me put it this way."
Saito Asuka raised her hand and pointed to the Black-haired Horse Girl not far away: "This child, in the mid-race, went from second to last to overtake everyone, and at the final sprint, she crossed the finish line seven lengths ahead of the original first-place Uma Musume, who also used the 'Escape Horse' running style, securing the victory in her debut race."
"…You're not kidding, are you?"
The man was stunned, not even noticing the cigarette falling from his mouth to the ground.
She started accelerating in the mid-race and pulled seven lengths ahead of second place at the finish line?
Hiss… This child is terrifying!
"Also, your cigarette fell."
Only after the man reacted did Saito Asuka point to the silently burning cigarette at his feet.
"…"
The man silently lifted his foot and ground the still-lit cigarette underfoot.
"…It feels like it's been a while since we all got together, hasn't it?"
The man said this while pulling out his phone from his coat pocket: "Have dinner at my place tonight; call Nakayama Megumi over too."
"Why so sudden?"
Saito Asuka, watching the man, who clearly made a spontaneous decision, dial a number on his phone, waved her hand: "I came here to buy a pet, not to freeload a meal…"
"I'm not inviting you to dinner."
The man rolled his eyes at Saito Asuka: "…I just want to throw a belated celebration party for that child."
"As for you? You're just a rookie Trainer who just got his Trainer qualification."
"Hey, hey, hey."
Saito Asuka's face showed a wry smile upon hearing her friend say that: "You can't be like that, can you?"
"Hurry up, don't dawdle. Call Nakayama Megumi and ask her what she wants to eat, so I can call in the order."
The man completely ignored Saito Asuka and waved him off: "…I'll contact the others."
"Alright, alright."
Saito Asuka sighed and shook her head, then also took out her phone.
"Hello? Megumi? Are you free tonight?"
After the call connected, Saito Asuka, saying this to Nakayama Megumi on the other end, also glanced at Seiun Sky not far away: "If you're free, why don't you come to the pet shop for dinner?"
"Mm, mm, yes, his pet shop."
"Okay, do you want me to pick you up? …Alright then, I'll wait for you here."
After saying this, Saito Asuka hung up the phone.
"How was it? When is she coming?"
The man, who had hung up his call just before him, asked casually.
"Hmm, she said she'd be here soon."
Saito Asuka said this, then walked straight to a banana chair and lay down.
"…Then I'll leave the others to you to contact~"
"…"
The man, who had intended to say something to Saito Asuka, who was comfortably lying on the banana chair, could only glare at him upon hearing the call connect from his phone, then began to talk to another friend on the other end of the line.
…
"Cheers!"
An hour later, eight people sat in front of computers, raising their glasses to toast.
"But I really didn't expect it."
The pet shop owner, who had chugged his 'drink' from the glass, clicked his tongue: "…That there would still be an Uma Musume willing to join your Himeji Tracen Academy."
"Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean 'still'?!"
Saito Asuka retorted indignantly, but her face was still full of smiles: "Everything you've said since I came here today has been a bit rude, hasn't it?"
"Did I say something wrong?"
The pet shop owner poured himself a drink while glancing at him: "…You yourself said you didn't help her much with her training."
"…"
Saito Asuka was speechless.
Alright, it's been a long time, but Aogami's tongue is still as sharp as ever.
Taking the bottle handed to him by the pet shop owner and pouring himself a full glass, Saito Asuka tilted his head back and drank it all, ignoring the pet shop owner's warning, 'This liquor has a strong kick.'
"Alright, alright, it's been a while since we gathered like this to drink."
A man with a large belly, sitting next to the pet shop owner, smiled and smoothed things over: "Besides… didn't you, Yoshikawa Sora, say when you invited us here for dinner that it was to celebrate him finally being able to achieve his dream?"
"Who said I was celebrating him? I'm celebrating this Uma Musume's debut race victory!"
Yoshikawa Sora looked away, stubbornly insisting.
"Yes, yes, whatever you say."
The man casually brushed him off, then picked up his glass full of liquor, stood up, and raised it to the Black-haired Horse Girl sitting opposite him.
"Thank you, Uma Musume, and congratulations on your debut race victory."
"Mm-hmm, thank you, Mr. Yu~"
Seiun Sky smiled, stood up, and clinked her glass, filled with cola, against his.
"Then… I also wish you, Mr. Yu, good health and all the best~?"
The Black-haired Horse Girl responded with a cheerful smile.
"Then I'll take your good wishes, Uma Musume."
The man said, then drank the liquid in his glass.
"Fūga… Miss, right?"
Just as Seiun Sky was about to sit down, the woman next to her stood up, raised her orange juice, and gestured to the Black-haired Horse Girl beside her: "Thank you for being willing to go along with Aogami's nonsense."
"Hey, hey, hey, Lin, how can even you…"
Hearing his friends' continuous teasing, Saito Asuka could no longer hold back and opened his mouth to protest.
But very quickly, his voice was drowned out by his friends' urging to drink.
"No, I actually find it very interesting."
Seiun Sky shook her head: "And… becoming the savior of Himeji Tracen Academy, doesn't that sound very interesting?"
"…Not just interesting, it sounds very cool just hearing it."
Looking at the smiling Seiun Sky in front of her, Tōusaka Lin agreed.
…From the moment you agreed to save 'Himeji Tracen,' you had already become the 'savior.'
She thought to herself, watching the Black-haired Horse Girl, who, after clinking glasses with her, was slowly sipping the cola in her glass.