When Mejiro Ramonu and Yayoi Natural walked into the hotel together, it didn't draw much attention.
They were Umamusume, after all…
Under those circumstances, the two of them went straight into a room that took up half of the entire fourth floor—so absurdly expensive that Yayoi Natural would've dropped dead on the spot.
The room's colors and layout carried a faint, oddly couple-y vibe.
Yayoi Natural only sighed, Must be nice to be rich, and stepped inside.
There wasn't any incense like she'd expected.
Instead, the air carried a clean, refreshing scent.
"I asked them to change the room," Mejiro Ramonu said. "I figured a setup that was already… arranged like that wouldn't suit you, Natural-san."
As she spoke, she looked at Yayoi Natural, then continued, "You can rest here tonight. But there's only one bed, so…"
What Mejiro Ramonu was getting at was straightforward.
Yayoi Natural glanced around. There really was only one bed.
She nodded. "Mm."
Seeing her response, Mejiro Ramonu didn't say anything else.
She simply sat down at one side of the table tucked in the corner.
In a love hotel, the table was almost an afterthought—there weren't many situations where you'd actually need it.
It was only there because the liquor bottles lined the wall, and they needed somewhere to set them down.
Mejiro Ramonu, seated at the table, turned her head toward Yayoi Natural. "Natural-san, would you like a drink?"
"N-no, thanks. My health isn't great."
She refused the invitation, but still sat down across from her.
Once Yayoi Natural settled in, Mejiro Ramonu finally tore her eyes from the liquor display and looked straight at her.
She watched her in silence for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"Natural-san?"
"…Mm."
"I got rejected."
As she said it, Mejiro Ramonu leaned forward slightly, bringing them into eye contact.
Yayoi Natural only nodded again. "I see…"
"But if it were someone else, maybe it would've worked."
Mejiro Ramonu looked at her.
She remembered a lot of things.
And above all—
The words Rudolf had once said.
If Yayoi Natural asked, then she would agree…
Realizing that, Mejiro Ramonu's gaze softened a fraction before she continued, "But you probably wouldn't say those words either, Natural-san."
With that, she propped her cheek on one hand. Facing Yayoi Natural head-on, she murmured, "How nice…"
The envy in her voice was far too unmistakable.
Yayoi Natural froze for a beat.
Then she looked away. "It's not really that nice."
She paused, then added quietly, "It might be nice for you. But for me… it's probably not a good fit."
As she spoke, Yayoi Natural stood up again.
Honestly, if Rudolf hadn't warned her, she probably wouldn't be acting like this right now.
Mejiro Ramonu's eyes tracked her as she moved.
Not long after, Yayoi Natural sat down on the bed a small distance away. "Things like that… they just feel different in different people's hands."
Only then did she glance toward the liquor behind Mejiro Ramonu.
Generally, love hotels didn't stock much alcohol. Most of the time it wasn't useful to the people who came here—if you were a couple, you were already… a couple.
Seeing that Mejiro Ramonu was clearly off, Yayoi Natural fell silent for a second, then said, "Weren't you going to drink, Ramonu-san?"
"Mm. That was the plan," Mejiro Ramonu said. "The feeling after drinking… it does let me forget this for a while."
She stood, reached back, and pulled a bottle from the wall of liquor.
She didn't offer any to Yayoi Natural. She just scanned around for an opener, then spotted one mounted on the wall.
She took it down, then looked back at Yayoi Natural.
"Are you not going to keep me company, Natural-san?"
"No."
Another invitation refused.
Mejiro Ramonu didn't seem to mind. She simply continued, "Natural-san, could you step out for a while? I… might need some time."
She needed time to steady herself—Yayoi Natural understood that.
Mejiro Ramonu hadn't exactly been doing well.
So Yayoi Natural only nodded and rose. "Then I'll—"
"Take the key."
Mejiro Ramonu set the room key on the table. "I might not be able to open the door for you later."
"…Okay. Thank you."
Yayoi Natural walked back over, took the key, and left.
Nothing unexpected happened the whole time.
It was as if the mental state Rudolf had told her to worry about simply didn't exist.
Realizing that, Yayoi Natural went to the door. "Then… see you in a bit."
She opened it and stepped out.
After she heard the door click shut, Mejiro Ramonu stood again.
With the opener in hand, she popped the bottle and headed into the bathroom.
Inside, she poured every last drop down the drain, then carried the empty bottle back out and set it on the table.
Mejiro Ramonu wasn't the type to give up easily on certain matters, so…
Once she'd worked through what Rudolf had said—
An idea surfaced in her mind.
An idea that demanded she act.
After leaving the love hotel, Yayoi Natural didn't go to Rudolf's apartment.
She planned to grab something to eat, then return to the hotel.
She needed to look after Mejiro Ramonu once she was drunk.
---
T/N: SORRY I TOOK A SMALL WEEK BREAK!!!!!!!! I ANNOUNCED IT ON THE P WEBSITE AND DISCORD
bonus chaps
100 stones → 1 bonus chap
200 stones → 2 bonus chaps
300 stones → 3 bonus chaps
and so on :3
100+ new chaps every week across all my TLs on the P website :)
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter = 5 bonus chaps...?
(for all ongoing tls)
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
instagram: hanbaowise
twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_