The rest of the week passed in a blur.
Astonishing stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her casual clothes. After all, she promised Dora to come with her to spend time.
She took one last look at her reflection. A simple denim skirt and a soft cream-colored sweater.
'Not bad' she thought with a spark of self-confidence.
Astonishing grabbed her small backpack and hurriedly went outside.
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"Hey, over here!" She found Dora waiting by the academy's main gate.
She was wearing a purple knit cardigan that looked a bit too big, paired with a black t-shirt featuring a cartoon cat eating ramen and long white pants. "Took you long enough! Woah... you look... surprisingly normal!"
"What's that supposed to mean? 💢"
"N-nothing! Anyway, we better hurry. Let's take the bus!"
Astonishing tilted her head in confusion. "Why don't we just run there?"
She stared at Astonishing, questioning her question. Dora's expression didn't just change, it flattened into a look of pure, unadulterated disbelief. She stared at Astonishing for a long three seconds, her eyes wide and unblinking. This made Astonishing feel a creeping unease
"Run there? If we run there, we'll get all sweaty and gross. Don't you agree?"
Astonishing looked down at her denim skirt. She had momentarily forgotten that running at fifty to sixt kilometers per hour tended to do unkind things to casual fashion. "Right. The bus. Of course."
Dora's face instantly snapped back into a wide, toothy grin, the serious mask vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
"Exactly! Today is about leisure, we save every single drop of stamina for tomorrow"
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"WE'RE HERE!" Dora announced, throwing her arms high in the air.
The district was a labyrinth of narrow alleys and wide boulevards, draped in colorful banners and filled with the mouth-watering aroma of cuisine.
Astonishing took a deep breath, the scent of caramelized sugar and savory street food instantly making her stomach rumble.
She turned to Dora, "H-hey, can we get some snacks first?"
"You... sigh, alright then! Let's taste the foods! Follow me!"
They stopped at a corner stall draped in deep red curtains. Dora didn't even look at the menu; she just held up two fingers.
"Two please!"
When the warm, fish-shaped pastry was pressed into Astonishing's hand, she didn't hesitate. She took a bite, and for a blissful moment, she forgets everything. The outside was a perfect golden brown, while the inside was a molten, sweet cream that made her long ears droop in pure contentment.
"Mmm... it's so good,"
"Right?!" Dora grinned, already halfway through her own. "I live not far away from here so I often come here, and I know which place have the vest food."
"What are we waiting for then, let's try them all!"
Dora puffed out her chest, "Follow the master! Next stop: the legendary 'Flaming Takoyaki' stall."
They drifted deeper into the district and the streets were becoming more crowded. Dora, perhaps going too fast, bumped into someone.
"Oof--!"
"Oi! Watch where ye're goin'! "
The person Dora had bumped into was surprisingly small, even smaller than Astonishing albeit not much.
She is an umamusume with grey hair. She wears red ear covers, with a red and blue ball on her right ear, and a red headband around her forehead. On top of her head, she wears another blue and red headband, and at the end of either side are golden clips with long red and blue tassels attached at the end.
"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Dora squeaked, holding her half-eaten pastry protectively. "I didn't see you there!"
Astonishing gives a polite bow. "We're really sorry. Are you okay?"
The girl huffed, crossing her arms and looking up at them. "Aye, well, keep yer eyes on the track, not just the snacks! Ye nearly sent me flyin' into the takoyaki grill!"
"What a coincidence! We're also here for the takoyaki!" Dora speaks again.
"Ye are? Then ye'd better be ready. The 'Flaming Takoyaki' ain't for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. "
Astonishing was fascinated by the girl's peculiar way of speaking. "You seem to know this area well,"
"Aye, ye could say that, ye're from Tracen too, ain't ye? Freshies"
"We are! I'm Dorazora, and this is Astonishing. We're both first-years"
"The name's Tamamo Cross."
Dora's eyes went wide, "Wait... Tamamo Cross? As in the 'White Lightning'? Whoa! I've seen your races! You're insane!"
Tamamo Cross smirked, "Aye, well, it's nice to get some recognition every once in a while..."
"...Just don't go expectin' an autograph while I'm huntin' for grub," she joked. "Anyway, we'd better move our legs. This is also my first time tryin' it, and since I'm yer senior, I'll treat ya just this once!"
"Wait, really?" Dora's eyes practically turned into sparkling diamonds. "Thank you very much!"
They arrived at a stall tucked away in a particularly narrow alley. The sign above simply read "FLAMING" in jagged, hand-painted kanji. The heat radiating from the iron plates was enough to make them sweats.
"Three boxes please!" Tamamo barked at the vendor.
The vendor slid the boxes across the counter. The sauce wasn't just red, it was a deep crimson, almost black.
"Here ye go. Don't say I didn't warn ya," Tamamo said, handing a box to each of them with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Astonishing accepted the container, feeling the heat through the cardboard. The takoyaki were glistening under a sauce that looked more like cooling lava than a condiment. A dusting of dark chili flakes sat on top, looking suspiciously like gunpowder.
"Well? What are ye waitin' for?"
Dora, never one to back down from a challenge, followed suit. "If a senior can do it, so can I!" She took a massive bite.
For three seconds, there was silence.
Then, Dora's entire face turned a shade of red. Her eyes bulged, and she began making a frantic "Hwah! Hwah!" sound, waving her hands in front of her mouth as if she could fan away the fire.
"Hot! Hot! It's actually flames! Actual flames in my mouth!" Dora gasped, looking desperately for a vending machine.
Astonishing looked down at her own box. A single takoyaki sat there, as if daring her to take a bite.
She took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and took one. She blew on it tentatively, though she suspected it would take a blizzard to truly cool this thing down. She took a bite.
At first, there was the savory crunch of the batter and the chewy, high-quality octopus. It was delicious. Then, the 'Flame' arrived.
It wasn't a slow build. It was an immediate, structural takeover of her senses. Her eyes instantly watered, and her long ears stood straight up, trembling at the tips.
"Hrrngh!" Astonishing squeezed her eyes shut, her tail puffing out like a bottle brush. The spice was a visceral force, a heat so intense it felt less like a flavor and more like she just swallowing a live coal.
The legendary "White Lightning" is also having the same faith. Her grey eyes were wide, and tears start flowing from her eyes. Her face was rapidly shifting from its usual pale to a vibrant, alarming shade of sunset orange.
Tamamo swallowed with a visible, painful gulp. "A-Aye..." she rasped, her voice sounding like she'd been gargling gravel and lava. "That... that's got a bit of a kick, don't it?"
Shelet out a shaky, wheezing laugh, though she was clearly struggling to keep her composure. "Hah... I didn't think the 'Flaming' part was a literal description. I thought it was just... marketin'!" She took a shaky breath, "But look at ye, Astonishing! Ye're still standin'!"
"I-I'm... I'm okay," Astonishing managed to squeak out, though her voice was three octaves higher than usual.
Dora finally came sprinting back from a nearby vending machine, clutching three bottles of cold milk. "Don't act tough, DRINK!"
The three of them huddled on a small wooden bench, gulping down milk to tame the fire inside their mouth.
"Phew," Tamamo finally exhaled, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "I can't feel my tongue"
"Neither can I," Dora wheezed.
Tamamo hops off the bench and face them. "Alrighty, that was some good stuffs, it's really nice to meet ya two. Ya made my day 1.5 million times better. "
Dora, finally able to breathe without hissing like a tea kettle, stood up and gave a clumsy, enthusiastic bow. "Thank you for the treat, Tamamo-senpai! We'll definitely work hard"
Astonishing stood up as well, "Thank you for the treats, Tamamo-senpai."
Tamamo let out a raspy laugh as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Aye, see that ye do!"
"Don't mention it," She gave a sharp, two-finger salute over her shoulder. "Enjoy the rest of yer day off! I'm headin' off too. I've got a bargain-sale at the grocer's I can't miss"
Tamamo Cross vanished into the crowd with surprising speed.
"She's really cool, isn't she?"
"Yeahh... " Astonishing agreed
Dora nodded vigorously, "That's a top-tier racer for you!"
"Excuse me? Girls?"
Just as they were about to move on. A tall, elegant Umamusume with long, wavy brown hair and a remarkably kind aura was making her way toward them.
"Oh! Hello!" Dora chirped, her eyes widening at the newcomer's impressive stature.
"I'm so sorry to bother you on such a lovely day. I'm looking for a dear friend of mine. She's quite small, with grey hair and red ear covers. Have you happened to see her passing by?"
"Hmm... oh yeah... she just gone over there," Dora pointed the direction Tamamo was last seen.
"Oh, thank goodness! I turned my back for just a moment, and she was gone. I'd better hurry. Sorry for interrupting your time, I hope you two have a wonderful weekend" She gave a smile and turned to leave.
.....
"Do you think it's okay to tell her that?" Astonishing asked.
"Nahh, she must've been Tamamo-senpai's friend, no need to worry about it"
Dora slapped her cheeks to get some color back into her face. "Well, now that we've survived a literal volcano, I think we've earned some real fun. We still have a whole afternoon!"
"True," Astonishing smiled, adjusting her small backpack. "What was on your list after the snacks?"
"Let's check the arcade!" Dora's enthusiasm was back in full force.
They navigated through the bustling shopping district until they reached a building pulsing with neon lights and electronic chiptunes.
"There! Astonishing, look!" Dora pointed towards the claw machine near the entrance.
"They have the limited edition Oguri Cap series!" Dora squealed, her face practically pressed against the glass. "It was so popular they need to limit the stock so the others can have a chance. Look, that's Tamamo Cross over there too"
Astonishing leaned in, peering through the glass at the colorful mountain of plushies. Dora was right, there was a tiny, grumpy-looking Tamamo Cross plushie squeezed right between two Oguri Caps.
But as her eyes drifted to the back of the pile, she spotted another one.
"Dora, look," Astonishing said, pointing to the back. "That one... isn't that the person who just talked to us?"
Dora squinted, her eyes widening as she recognized the resemblance. "You're right! Wait a minute... isn't that Super Creek?I didn't recognize her without the racing silks,"
"Alright, let's try it!" Dora pulled out a coin from her pocked and inserted it into the machine.
"Watch and learn, Aston. This is all about the 'grip and rip' method."
Whirrr-clack.
The metal claw descended, dangling precariously over the mountain of fluff. It drifted toward the tiny Tamamo Cross plushie. The claw closed, gave the plushie a gentle, almost affectionate squeeze, and then retracted, leaving the doll exactly where it was.
"IT'S RIGGED!" Dora wailed, slumped against the machine.
"Step aside, Dora. Let me try," She inserted another coin. "Let's see... where are you hiding... there you are!"
Tucked near the edge was Jungle Pocket's plushie.
"You really liked her don't you?" Dora teased.
"W-well, she's some sort of inspiration for me" she admitted.
As the claw hovered over Jungle Pocket, Astonishing hit the button. The claw landed perfectly on her head, and clawed it. The claw lifted it with a surprising amount of stability.
"You got her!"
The crane began its slow crawl toward the prize chute. Just as it reached the edge of the drop zone, the movement of the crane caused the Jungle Pocket plushie to swing and bump into a another plushie that had been precariously balanced near the top.
Thump. Thump.
The crane released Jungle Pocket into the bin, but the momentum had also knocked the TM Opera O plushie right down with it.
"DOUBLE KILL!" Dora screamed.
Astonishing took the plushies, and started squeezing the soft fabric. "Hehe~ it's very high quality. Feels really nice to touch"
She couldn't stop herself from giving the miniatures another squeeze.
MOOD WENT UP
"Alright, enough cuddles! We've got more to see!" Dora grabbed Astonishing by the arm, pulling her deeper into the neon labyrinth of the arcade.
They spent the next few hours inside the arcade. Dora dragged Astonishing to a rhythm game where she beats Astonishing very easily since she's not familiar with it. Astonishing on the other hand, found a racing simulator and, much to Dora's shock, managed to drift around corners with a precision that was almost frightening.
As the sun began to dip, casting long, orange shadows, Dora spotted a brightly decorated booth tucked into a corner. It was draped in sparkling curtains and covered in stickers of hearts, stars, many others.
"The Purikura booth! We can't leave without this," Dora declared, practically vibrating with excitement. "It's the ultimate rule of a girls' day out."
They stepped inside the small, brightly lit space.
"Okay, okay! For the first one, let's do a classic victory pose!" Dora shouted. She threw an arm around Astonishing's shoulder, flashing a peace sign and a toothy grin.
"Dora, I don't think this suits me. I'm not really into this kind of thing"
"No way! This is Purikura, Aston! You have to be cute!" Dora was already busy tapping the screen, selecting a frame with exploding sparkles and tiny kittens. "Okay, first one! Put your hands like this, like a little cat! Nya!"
"Listen to me first!" Astonishing protested, but the timer was already counting down.
3... 2... 1...
Panicking, Astonishing tried to copy Dora's pose, but her fingers ended up in a stiff, awkward claw shape.
Flash!
"Pfft! See, you're not that bad. It's perfect! It's 'moe'!" Dora doubled over, clutching her stomach as she laughed.
"I told you I'm not good at this!" Astonishing's face flushed red.
They ended up taking a lot more photos.
"Alright, final one, let's just do a 'Peace' sign. You can't mess that up, right?"
Astonishing took a deep breath, clutching her plushies for moral support. She steeled her nerves, held up two fingers, and give a normal smile. But just as the camera clicked, Dora tickled her side.
Flash!
The final photo captured Astonishing mid-yelp, her ears standing straight up in shock, her mouth open, and her tail a complete puffball of startled fur.
"Perfect! Absolute masterpiece!" Dora cheered as they stepped out to the editing screen.
"Dora! You did that on purpose!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Dora replied with a mischievous wink,
After the machine finished printing, Dora carefully hands a copy to Astonishing. "And here's for you"
"I look ridiculous,"
'Does my head really that round?' she thought.
They stepped out of the arcade, the evening air hitting them with a refreshing chill. The streetlights had fully taken over now, glowing a warm amber against the deep violet of the dusk sky. The district was still humming with life, but the frantic energy of the afternoon had settled into something more mellow.
"Man, I'm beat," Dora said, stretching her arms over her head with a long yawn. "Who knew having fun was so exhausting?"
But then...
Dora's eyes suddenly went wide, her yawn cutting off mid-breath. She frantically patted her pockets until she found her phone, flipping it open to check the time. Her expression shifted from exhaustion to sheer, wide-eyed terror.
"You can say that again... Hm, Dora? Why did you suddenly stop"
"CRAP! Aston, the curfew!"
The realization hit her like a cold splash of water. If they were late, Fuji would be really made, and just because Astonishing have a good relation with her, doesn't mean Fuji would go easy on her.
Dora looked at Astonishing, "Hey, Aston... remember what I said earlier? About how we shouldn't run because we'd get all sweaty and ruin our clothes?"
Astonishing looked back at Dora. "You're not suggesting..."
"Leisure time is officially over. We're going full throttle!"
Astonishing barely had time to adjust the strap of her small backpack before Dora took off like a shot.
"Wait for me!" Astonishing cried out.
And so our two young umamusumes are running as fast as they could to escape the wrath of their respective dorm leader, Fuji Kiseki and Hishi Amazon.
Luckily, the made it in time.
To be continued.
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Anyway, here's 1 hour of TM Opera O singing.
https://youtu.be/d2r7uRiDt5E?si=Edi6Sol18QFgEQVe