Night fell.
In two separate beds, Mochizuki and Natural lay quietly.
One pondered about her sister.
The other, beneath the faint glow of a desk lamp, studied recipes.
Watching her mother reading intently under the soft light, Yayoi Mochizuki shifted her gaze back to the ceiling.
The wooden ceiling was spotless, showing nothing but Tokai Teio's face reflected in Mochizuki's imagination.
On appearance alone, Tokai Teio certainly resembled her.
At least, they looked alike if you ignored the obvious Uma Musume features.
But…
Teio's naive face lingered persistently in Mochizuki's mind.
This made it impossible for Mochizuki to understand what kind of environment that girl grew up in.
Turning her head again, Mochizuki looked at her mother.
"Mom…"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"The restaurant opens tomorrow, right?" Mochizuki didn't directly ask about Teio, having already roughly guessed the situation. Instead, she changed her question.
Natural nodded without looking up from her book. "Yeah, we're opening tomorrow. I wonder if we'll be able to turn a profit."
Natural's face showed obvious concern over their finances.
Seeing her mother like this, Mochizuki went silent for a few seconds before asking, "Then… what about the Mejiro Family?"
"The Mejiro Family is an Uma Musume racing dynasty. If you want to be a trainer, you should keep that in mind." Flipping another page of her recipe book, Natural continued, "Many of the Uma Musume who visited recently have their own family backing. If you really become a trainer, you could try contacting them and scouting their juniors."
At her mother's advice, Mochizuki nodded thoughtfully. "In other words, their families might produce promising Uma Musume?"
"Exactly."
"Then…"
"You don't need to worry too much—they seem to like you quite a bit."
Catching her mother's slight sideways glance, Mochizuki quickly realized why the Uma Musume liked her so much.
But revealing something like that would probably be awkward.
"I see. So if I really become a trainer, I'll have to rely on them quite a lot."
"Being a trainer heavily depends on reputation. If you're totally unknown, good Uma Musume probably won't follow you. But if you really want to do it, maybe I could help you pick some promising ones."
Natural's voice brimmed with confidence.
The source of this confidence, naturally, was her identity as a transmigrator.
Though she didn't remember much about real-world horse racing history, she at least knew who the strong Uma Musume should be.
Thus, she subtly hinted at this to her daughter, then quickly turned away.
"Eh, Mom, you can tell which Uma Musume are promising?"
"Not exactly 'tell,' but I do have a way to pick them out." She didn't explain further—after all, her memories of transmigration were faint by now.
But having been constantly tormented by those damn Uma Musume in her previous life, it was impossible to completely forget their names.
If Mochizuki ever struggled to pick, Natural could certainly help.
Though the choices might turn out… somewhat questionable.
Her memories were fuzzy—mostly full of memes rather than precise facts.
"In that case, Mom, can you pick some Uma Musume for me in the future?"
Hearing her mother's suggestion, Mochizuki eagerly made this request.
"If we ever get the chance~"
Natural smiled, then shifted her attention back to the recipe book. "Alright, you should sleep. You have class tomorrow."
"I know~"
Saying this, Mochizuki closed her eyes. She indeed needed rest.
Although there were still many unanswered questions, it shouldn't be a problem to ask her mom's friends later.
With these thoughts, Mochizuki drifted off to sleep.
...
The next day, sitting in the passenger seat of the car, Mochizuki turned to Maruzensky at the red light.
"Maruzen-san?"
"Hm? What is it, Mochizuki-chan?"
"Do I have a sister?"
At this question, Maruzensky's eyes shifted slightly, watching both the traffic lights and Mochizuki closely.
Maruzensky knew clearly that Natural had given birth to twins, but Mochizuki shouldn't know about that yet.
But Mochizuki had asked so directly…
"Mom asked me what I'd do if I had a sister," Mochizuki quickly clarified, slightly dispelling Maruzensky's suspicions.
With her concerns eased, Maruzensky refocused on the road ahead. "Well, since your mom brought it up herself, there shouldn't be an issue telling you earlier."
The light turned green, and Maruzensky gently stepped on the accelerator.
Driving slowly, she explained, "You do indeed have an older sister, but her name—"
"I know. I'll wait until Mom tells me herself."
Hearing Mochizuki's firm statement, Maruzensky continued, "Though I'm surprised she's your older sister..."
"You two are twins, actually. But due to certain circumstances, your mom couldn't raise her," Maruzensky explained. "But she'll probably bring her home soon."
After adding that bit, Maruzensky glanced over again. "When the time comes, make sure you don't bully your sister."
"I won't cause Mom any trouble," Mochizuki assured seriously, mentally confirming she definitely had an older sister.
However…
Whether that sister was Teio or not, she still wasn't entirely sure.
But if Teio really was her older sister, then…
Mochizuki fell silent for a few seconds at that thought.
Because if Teio truly was her sister, then after her honkaku, her height probably wouldn't grow—just like Mom's.
Honestly.
Calling an Uma Musume who looked much younger than her "Onee-chan" seemed extremely awkward.
But maybe after her honkaku, Teio's height might increase significantly.
With these thoughts, Mochizuki soon arrived at the school gates.
After getting out of the car, she turned back to Maruzensky.
"Is C.B.-san picking me up this afternoon too?"
"Mm, it's her." Maruzensky's expression suddenly looked troubled.
Seeing Maruzensky's awkward face, Mochizuki immediately understood why. So she didn't comment further—just closed the car door and turned toward the school.
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl