This world was truly peaceful. Political conflicts between countries were decided through athletic competitions. You could see events to participate in almost everywhere, every day. Every time Mejiro McQueen went out, she couldn't help but feel that this was truly a fairy-tale world.
Since the Three Goddesses existed in this world, it was probably normal for such a prosperous scene to exist.
"McQueen, here's my favorite, the extra-rich honey drink." Tokai Teio handed her a cup.
Mejiro McQueen paused for a moment, then took the drink. "Thank you."
Speaking of which, she seemed to have forgotten about this special drink that appeared so often in the anime.
Usually, she drank either sports drinks, black tea, or black coffee. She had rarely had overly sweet foods since she was young.
This was because she had a constitution that gained weight easily.
She gently put the straw to her lips and sipped. In an instant, an extreme flavor assaulted her taste buds.
Tokai Teio watched Mejiro McQueen, whose eyes had lit up like a shy little girl's, and couldn't help but smile foolishly.
Damn it, this McQueen actually has this kind of charm!
Her stare was too intense. McQueen immediately reacted.
She put on an "it's no big deal" expression to hide her feelings.
"Hmph, a commoner's drink! But it's not bad... I guess."
Tokai Teio: "..."
Apologize to me and the honey drink! This is the number one most popular drink among horse girls!
But when she saw McQueen's happy ears and tail, she immediately felt better.
McQueen—she's supposed to have this super-cold image, but those two things make her adorable.
Tokai Teio quickly shook her head. No, she actually thought McQueen was cute? That was a terrifying thought.
That's the cold-hearted, ruthless McQueen!
The great demon king that so many horse girls fear! The McQueen who has almost no friends because she's so intimidating!
"Let's go. We should find the trainer and the others," McQueen said, a little agitated.
Damn it. This body really can't resist the temptation of sweets.
A single special honey drink almost made her fall.
My body is way too easy to bribe!
But she would never allow herself to fall into this sweet trap. She would absolutely not end up like a certain rice cake glutton!
"Alright." Tokai Teio was thinking.
It seemed she had discovered one of McQueen's little secrets.
She had originally seen that McQueen's favorite drink was very bitter black coffee and thought McQueen was one of those heretics. But today she discovered that McQueen, just like her, loved sweet things. She was just enduring and restraining herself all the time.
How pitiful, McQueen. Is this the restraint that comes with being a noble young lady?
Tokai Teio had completely misunderstood.
McQueen was walking ahead, looking hesitantly at the drink she had only taken a small sip of.
'Just one drink should be fine, right? My weight is perfectly fine, and I don't usually eat fatty or sweet foods.'
Because she had the experience of being tormented by injuries, McQueen had always paid close attention to her health.
Her daily diet was a nutritional plan customized by the Mejiro family's professionals. Her body's stats were indeed much better than that glutton's—as long as you didn't mention her flat chest, which was just as flat as the glutton's.
"It's Lady McQueen and the Hero Tokai Teio!"
Soon, the two were recognized by tourists and were immediately surrounded by a crowd, unable to get out.
"...Teio, guard!"
McQueen immediately took a step back and pushed Teio in front of her. She had another weakness: she hated close contact with too many people. This was also one reason why, unlike that glutton, she didn't like to travel like a commoner on buses or trains. That kind of environment was hell for her.
"McQueen, don't push me! Everyone, please calm down! Don't scare McQueen."
"Who's scared?! Teio, you—"
"Then stop hiding behind me."
"I-I'm giving you a chance to shine! Don't you love being in the spotlight?"
"You're just being stubborn, McQueen!"
The surrounding crowd quickly calmed down, and the scene McQueen had imagined didn't happen.
"You heard her! Don't crowd! If you scare our Lady McQueen, the Knightly Order of Mejiro City will be the first to take you down!"
McQueen heard this from a rabid fan in the crowd who was decked out from head to toe in her supporter merch. Her mind was filled with question marks.
Since when did her family have a knightly order? But it seemed the fans in this world were quite self-aware. She looked at the joyful and excited gazes around her, yet no one crossed the line, which made her feel a bit relieved.
The reason McQueen hated contact with fans so much was largely because fans in the real world had ruined her impression of them.
But the horse girl world was a fairy-tale world.
After that, only a few fan representatives and little horse girls came up to ask them for autographs. Everyone was just purely expressing their affection, wanting to congratulate McQueen on her Undefeated Triple Crown and to cheer Tokai Teio on for her comeback.
Looking at fans like this, McQueen's discomfort with crowds miraculously faded quite a bit.
Soon, the crowd dispersed.
Because no one wanted to disturb McQueen and Teio's festival visit. They just couldn't help but steal glances from time to time.
"McQueen, are you okay?" Tokai Teio asked with concern.
Mejiro McQueen said with a calm face, "What are you talking about? Of course I'm fine. I am Mejiro McQueen. Nothing is too difficult for me."
"If you say so." Tokai Teio felt that McQueen's image had been completely shattered.
But she didn't dislike it. In fact, this side of McQueen made it even harder to look away.
Tokai Teio no longer knew why she was so drawn to Mejiro McQueen.
She remembered at the very beginning, she had just heard there was a horse girl called a genius, just like her. She became curious, investigated her, and saw the recording of her debut race. In the video, that genius horse girl, as cold as a goddess, broke the race record with overwhelming strength. It ignited her own competitive spirit as a fellow genius. But at that time, she hadn't yet realized just how terrifying that Mejiro McQueen's strength really was.
The second time she heard Mejiro McQueen's name was shortly after her own debut race. The trainer played a recording of McQueen's second race in the clubroom: the G1 Hopeful Stakes, a 2000m mid-distance race. In that race, Mejiro McQueen faced older horse girls and eliminated all her rivals by a large margin.
At that moment, Tokai Teio sensed the gap—the fact that Mejiro McQueen was stronger than her. But she didn't want to admit it. So later, when she learned McQueen also planned to run the Classic Triple Crown, she wasn't scared. Instead, she was happy, because this way she could prove her own strength by defeating her!
And then came the Satsuki Sho, the first time the two officially met.
It was also the place where her, Tokai Teio's, dream fell apart.
But Tokai Teio wasn't actually that surprised by the result.
And she had come to terms with it now. But she couldn't forget the passion that had surged within her during the Satsuki Sho, that feeling of wanting to beat McQueen.
'But why am I now afraid to run at full power? I want to run with McQueen so badly!'
Thinking of her current situation, Tokai Teio's mood sank.
However, the McQueen beside her was clearly not an observant person. She didn't notice at all.
The two arrived at the agreed-upon meeting spot.
The trainer and the others were already waiting for them. Oguri Cap had even started eating.
"McQueen, Teio, over here!" P waved and shouted.
As Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio approached, the first thing they saw was the pile of bento boxes stacked up next to Oguri Cap.
"Uhh, Oguri Cap-senpai, can you even move after all that?" Tokai Teio looked at Oguri Cap's large stomach, breaking into a sweat.
Oguri Cap didn't speak, just gave a thumbs-up, indicating that this amount wouldn't affect her movement at all.
Tokai Teio could barely watch.
When she first joined Sirius, she thought Oguri Cap-senpai was one of those cool, master-type figures.
But now, that filter was completely broken. After running her last race, Oguri Cap-senpai had completely become the team's glutton mascot. She couldn't even imagine what Oguri Cap-senpai looked like in a race anymore. Her most vivid impression was of Oguri Cap-senpai with a constantly full stomach.
The trainer even said Oguri Cap-senpai was stronger now than in her prime. That wasn't convincing at all!
During training, they never saw Oguri Cap-senpai run any particularly good times. Had the trainer raised Oguri Cap-senpai into a good-for-nothing?!
"Teio, McQueen, have you drawn your fortunes yet?" the trainer asked.
They both shook their heads.
"Then go draw one."
Tokai Teio: "Okay!"
Mejiro McQueen: "Fine."
Arriving in front of the shrine, everyone first tossed a coin and made a wish, then went to the side to draw their fortunes. Afterward, everyone opened their fortunes together. Oguri Cap got "Good Fortune." Silence Suzuka got "Small Fortune." The trainer got "Great Fortune." Tokai Teio also got "Great Fortune." As for Mejiro McQueen—she got "Great Misfortune"!
"Eh, McQueen, you don't look so good. Did you get a bad one?"
Tokai Teio leaned over and saw the two bright red words on the paper slip.
"G-Great Misfortune?! This is the first time I've ever seen someone get that!"
"Ridiculous! Such things! I, Mejiro McQueen, never believe in such ethereal nonsense!"
Mejiro McQueen shouted, trying to stay strong.
Although she didn't believe in this stuff in the real world, the problem was, this world had actual gods.
Was this really not a curse?
She now deeply regretted drawing this fortune.
Where was the time machine? Let her go back and stop her past self!
"...How about we trade? Look, the great Teio got 'Great Fortune'!"
Hearing Teio's words, McQueen regained her composure and said contemptuously, "You should keep it. After all, you're so weak. If your luck was bad on top of that, you'd never be able to fulfill your promise to race me."
"Jeez! If you're going to say that, then I'm not trading! Hmph!"
Everyone had a good time today. As for the little episode with the fortunes, no one took it to heart.
Time passed quickly, and the day of the Japan Cup arrived. This was McQueen's first race after winning the Triple Crown.
Everyone was full of confidence in Mejiro McQueen. Because she was just too strong, and her condition was excellent. She hadn't suffered any injuries from the high-intensity races. It was no exaggeration to say that Mejiro McQueen was currently the strongest horse girl in the Twinkle Series. So, people believed she would definitely win.