[1998 Takarazuka Kinen. Mejiro Bright and Mejiro Dober were racing together, placed in gates 2 and 3.]
[In this race, Mejiro Bright was the heavy favorite.]
[But who knew? Mejiro Bright suddenly stopped acting like a "person." Inside Gate 2, it suddenly got excited and lunged toward Mejiro Dober. That impulsive force sent its hooves flying right in front of Dober's face.]
[To be honest, if the gate hadn't been protecting her, Mejiro Dober really would have been mounted by Mejiro Bright.]
[Dober was so terrified she turned and ran. In her heart, she was probably cursing: "Brother Bright, what is this?! This is way too creepy!"]
[Haha, I want to say it too. Brother Bright, you're way too creepy! What are you doing to your sister? You shameless prick.]
[Let go of that girl and let me handle it!]
[Speaking of getting excited, it reminds me of Kitasan Black. His poor "Little Kitisan" was actually snapped twice.]
At this moment, in Tracen:
"Wait, my brain can't keep up. What's going on?" Winning Ticket was stunned. She didn't quite understand what "mounted" meant— did it mean getting beaten up?
"Did Mejiro Bright try to physically assault her sister before the race? No way... was it to get a better ranking? Ugh, Bright-san, I really misjudged you! I thought you were just a bit of a dummy, but you're a beast in human skin!"
Narita Taishin was speechless. "Are you stupid? She hasn't explained what 'mounted' meant yet. Stop making things up in your head."
Biwa Hayahide, being more knowledgeable, was also surprised. She wondered... did that "excitement" mean that kind of bad thing?
She coughed awkwardly. It was better to pretend she didn't understand anything, or things could get messy.
"By the way, after we finish the diary, our BNW has a press conference. Remember to give a speech tomorrow," Biwa Hayahide reminded them.
"A speech? Let me do it! I'm going to stand in front of the camera and shout 'Derby' at least ten times!" Winning Ticket said confidently.
"Do you know her?"
"Never met her."
Taishin and Hayahide shook hands, reaching a consensus. Too embarrassing— this girl is definitely a bit off.
At the Mejiro Estate:
"I was almost... mounted? What does that mean?" Mejiro Dober didn't quite get it.
She thought she'd find the reason for her social anxiety and get some desensitization therapy, but after reading for ages, she just got one summary: She was almost mounted by Brother Bright.
"That Trainer Mizuki doesn't explain things clearly. I thought I could finally become a social butterfly. They say socially anxious people are just toys for social butterflies— I don't want to be a toy anymore."
Sometimes, Dober was terrified of meeting social terrorists like Gold Ship, in that situation, she really did become a toy.
"I'm such a piece of trash. It's all my fault. I deserve to die." Mejiro Bright felt it was all her fault. She was filled with guilt, wanting only to find a way to make it up to her.
At the Satono Estate:
"Little Kitisan snapped twice???" Kitasan Black made a shocked expression that looked exactly like the Tokai Teio meme.
Because her real-horse counterpart performed so well, he started a stud career after retirement. No one expected his first crop to produce the world champion, Equinox.
Kitasan Black's life has since become a never-ending cycle of breeding— over 200 cases a year, all within a few months. His "Little Kitisan" literally snapped twice.
You could say every time Equinox wins a championship, it's a knife twist for Kitasan Black. He might snap a third or fourth time.
However, Kitasan now thought the "Little Kitisan" was herself. She thought she had "snapped" twice.
"That's terrifying, Dia-chan!"
She hugged Satono Diamond in fear, looking horrified.
"It's okay, Kitasan. If you snap, I'll snap with you."
Dia-chan, the curious baby, wasn't afraid of any jinx.
As they say: "In good times, I'll join you! In bad times, I'll also join you!"
These two were truly good sisters!
Mizuki's diary continued.
[At the time, Brother Bright was finally dragged back. Who would have thought that it still wasn't over? He wasn't done yet and tried to go for an encore!]
[Mejiro Dober was completely traumatized.]
[Stay Gold was also in that race. Stego turned into a war correspondent, watching Bright and Dober with a giant question mark over his horse head.]
[He wasn't interested in that stuff. Women only slow down the speed at which he bites tails!]
[He was much more attracted to handsome stallions like Special Week...]
At the Mejiro Estate:
"Dober, I really am a piece of trash!" Mejiro Bright felt even more self-loathing. Her heart was black, what was she even doing?
She wanted to slap herself.
"It's not that serious, really!" Mejiro Dober hurriedly grabbed her hand. If she'd been a second later, Bright would have given herself a massive slap.
[This is all quite interesting.]
[Speaking of which, I see Spe-chan and Grass-san are still picking out scripts for the January 30th ceremony.]
[But Spe-chan clearly prefers Suzuka. Suzuka-san is indeed a great girl. Aside from being flat-chested— a total landing strip— you can't find a single flaw.]
[But that doesn't mean Grass Wonder isn't excellent. It's just that Special Week gained her motivation from seeing Suzuka run, and being roommates, it was inevitable.]
[You'll have to live out those dreams in fanfictions, Grass-san!]
Inside Spica:
"I see." Grass Wonder smiled. She understood the sequence of events now. It wasn't that she wasn't good enough, it was just that Spe-chan and Suzuka were closer.
She could accept that.
After her debut, because she was from America and set an annual course record of 1:33.6 at the G1 Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes, Grass Wonder was hailed as the second coming of Maruzensky. She was even nicknamed "The Second Monster."
On the track, she had become a stand-in for Maruzensky, and in Spe-chan's heart, she seemed to be second place as well.
How interesting.
But now she could understand, since Trainer Mizuki explained the reason.
"Spe-chan, how do I compare to Suzuka-san?" Grass Wonder asked.
"Ah... you... you two are different!" Special Week panicked instantly, unaware she had stepped into a minefield.
"How are we different?" Grass Wonder pressed.
"Suzuka-san has a beautiful smile," Spe-chan answered.
"And me?" Grass Wonder smiled.
"You... your smile is also very beautiful!"
Spe-chan was terrified inside. She was clumsy with words and almost said "You look very funny," which she was sure would result in Grass killing her.
And to be fair to Special Week, she'd be right.
Inside Spica, Mizuki spoke up. "Everyone, let's go watch the Debut Race for Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet this afternoon! With those two facing off, I bet at least one of them is destined to end up in a funk."
While writing her log, Mizuki walked over toward Grass Wonder and Special Week. For some reason, she felt the air turn chilly.
'What's going on?'
Special Week was shivering. She was so grateful Trainer Mizuki had arrived, Grass-san's aura was just too overwhelming.
Even El Condor Pasa is terrified of Grass Wonder.
El might talk big on the outside, but once they're back in the dorm, it's: "A-ah! Grass-sama, there were too many people out there just now! El-chan is sorry! I'll kneel!"
Of course, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it goes to show that Grass's deterrent power is terrifying.
As for Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet, they weren't originally supposed to meet in their Debut Race. As "eternal rivals," their first actual meeting was in the G3 Tulip Sho, where Vodka encountered such a persistent opponent for the first time.
The year 2007, the era of the "Two Empresses" clashing, was revealed to the world.
In the real-horse world, by January 2023, the great-granddaughter of both Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka— Still I Rise— had already been born. These two were always at each other's throats, yet now they share the same great-granddaughter.
You could say the ship is officially locked in.
"I'm definitely winning today. If I don't... well, just pretend I never said that," Vodka said, clearly feeling the nerves.
"Hmph, just you wait and see," Daiwa Scarlet retorted.
In truth, both were acting tough but were incredibly tense. After all, they had just arrived at Tracen after their maturation. Standing on the starting line now, their racing and social experience was like a blank sheet of paper.
You could say they only have the expectation of victory right now, they haven't yet tasted the heavy weight of defeat.
It's the same for Tokai Teio— the current Teio is still a "bratty genius." Only after she tastes the weight of loss can she forge her own unyielding legend.
The legend of Tokai Teio that would have a positive influence on countless people.
Mizuki wouldn't talk to them about these heavy topics. These are things one must experience slowly. As for which of these two would end up crying today, she'd just play the spectator and comfort them.
She is truly living the dream.
Soon, Mizuki invited everyone to wander outside, since it was a rare weekend. She found a decent restaurant to get everyone fed so they'd have the energy to run the race in the afternoon.
"Trainer Mizuki, you all look so happy eating. What a group of leisurely people."
Seiun Sky happened to be there too, sitting next to the cute Nishino Flower. Seiun Sky and Nishino Flower are a "destined ship."
The old owner of Nishiyama Farm, upon learning that Sky and Flower were added to the game, downloaded Uma Musume overnight. Suddenly, the game had one more shipper in its ranks.
Back then, Seiun Sky won the Satsuki Sho and used a "Great Escape" strategy to win the Kikuka Sho, bringing endless vitality to Nishiyama Farm. However, Sky's bloodline wasn't considered prestigious, and after retirement, no mares were willing to breed with him.
The old master of Nishiyama Farm loved Seiun Sky so much that he didn't want the bloodline to vanish, so he had Nishino Flower breed with him. Nishino Flower thus became the "Heroic Mother" of Nishiyama Farm.
Unfortunately, Nishiyama didn't produce many famous horses afterward.
If Seiun Sky and Nishino Flower appeared in the real world, the old master would surely recognize them. After all, he's their biggest fan.
"Being called 'leisurely' by you actually makes me a bit mad," Mejiro McQueen chimed in. She figured that if even Seiun Sky was calling her leisurely, her life was truly over.
"Nya-haha! Spe-chan, please look after me in the upcoming Satsuki Sho. You're getting stronger and stronger, while a girl like me can only go as far as fate takes me," Seiun Sky said, raising her hands in a cheeky, laidback gesture.
Mizuki didn't believe a word of it.
'Seiun Sky, huh? Keep bluffing. Go on. I'll still make sure my girls don't fall for your tricks!'
Grass Wonder also had a sharp look in her eyes. "Seiun-san, be honest. You didn't go fishing this Saturday— were you training? I can see you're determined to win."
Vodka added, "Yeah! Last time I passed the river, I saw you running."
Seiun Sky laughed. "Mmm, I guess you caught me. I really admire your observation skills, Grass-san. It's true I was running, but in terms of raw talent, I'm still no match for you guys. That's just a fact."
She wanted to hide her trump card, but she'd been found out.
How frustrating.
Special Week said, "That's not true, I know that Seiun-chan is amazing too! None of us will be easy to beat if we do our best!"
Soon after finishing their meal, Mizuki and the group arrived at Tokyo Racecourse.
If the feature of Kyoto Racecourse is the large outer slope, Tokyo Racecourse is a standard oval. It's not complex, with no real distinction between inner and outer tracks.
Its straight is much longer than the curves, with a long, gentle downhill and a short, steep uphill. It requires an explosive burst of power to charge up that final slope.
By now, the competitive bickering between Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet had vanished, replaced by a mutual sense of tension. Both were incredibly nervous.
Thump!
McQueen and Gold Ship saw this, shared a look, and slammed their hands onto the girls' backs.
"Ow ow ow..."
"Hiss..."
Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet let out strange Horse Girl cries.
"Feel any better? Trainer Mizuki ordered it. If you're gonna blame someone, blame that villain, it has nothing to do with little Gold Ship," Gold Ship said, immediately shifting the blame.
As a "chaos enjoyer," she wanted nothing more than for Vodka and Scarlet to give Mizuki a hard time for her own entertainment.
The only reason she restrained Daiwa Scarlet last time is because she thought that the wrath of two Uma Musume would be too much for Trainer Mizuki to handle.
"No matter how much of a villain I am, I'm not as bad as you," Mizuki said, exasperated.
Still, the mood for Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet improved significantly. They glanced at each other once more before huffing and turning their heads away. After they went in to register, there was still some time left. Mizuki decided to wrap up her diary entry.
[Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka are about to start their war. Interesting— both of them are incredibly strong.]
[I predict that one of them is definitely going to cry today.]
[Hahaha, I'll stop today's log here. Let's see what the rewards are?]
Mizuki uploaded the log and checked the rewards.
[Reward obtained! New Wit Training Equipment for Horse Girls: Mahjong!]
[Mahjong table has been placed in the Spica room. It automatically retracts when not in use to save space.]
[Rules will be provided on the table, no need for the host to explain them.]
Mizuki was stunned. she didn't expect Mahjong. But it was true— Mahjong is actually good for Wit training, and more importantly, it's efficient. Shogi trains two at a time, but Mahjong lets four people play at once.
Suddenly, she thought of Twin Turbo. With those tiny short arms, could she even reach the tiles? It would be quite a sight to see them all playing Mahjong at the New Year's party.
The Debut Race was about to begin. There weren't many runners since it was just a New Year's Debut, but Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet were desperate not to lose. If they lost here, they'd be in a funk for sure.
There were six racers in total.
Bang!
With the signal of the starting gun, Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet shot out almost simultaneously. The Debut Race distance is short, so they had to stay glued to each other from the start and give it everything they had.