If you had a whole day off, what would you do?
Mejiro Ramonu honestly hadn't thought about that. Or rather—she hadn't had a full, uninterrupted day of rest in a very long time, so when the idea came up, she couldn't find an answer at all.
But… did she even need to answer?
This was Song's birthday present. If that was the case, wouldn't it be a little inappropriate for Mejiro Ramonu to decide what she was going to do?
There was only one person who could give a definite answer to that question.
So… what kind of vacation plan would Song give—specifically for me?
Mejiro Ramonu had to admit it: she couldn't hold back her anticipation anymore.
And yet Gotham Song clearly hadn't realized the weight of that responsibility. With Mejiro Ramonu indulging her and offering no reminders, the young Umamusume got up and returned to the track, starting her usual training.
Mejiro Ramonu didn't say a word. If anything, right now she felt… what could possibly be unsatisfying about simply watching Song like this?
They were sisters, after all. That bond was already one of the deepest and most reliable relationships in the world, wasn't it?
There was no need to want more. No need to harbor any other thoughts…
It wasn't like she wanted to be more than sisters, right?
That sort of thing… was far too shocking. So shocking it was almost impossible to even think about, wasn't it?!
In the end, Mejiro Ramonu still couldn't bring herself to make a choice.
Training went on for a long time. Gotham Song also officially announced that Vernal Equinox would make her formal debut in a newcomer race next month, then enter her classic year next year to compete for the Classic Triple Crown.
At once, the already-harmonious turf seemed to brighten with even more cheerful energy. After all, Vernal Equinox was an Umamusume everyone had watched grow up. Now she was on the verge of one of the most important moments in an Umamusume's life. By any measure—emotion or reason—everyone, no matter what their personal impression of her was, felt genuine joy and offered sincere blessings.
At times like this, you set aside your little jealousy or envy and simply congratulate Vernal Equinox.
Even Flightline, calling in right then to celebrate, was moved to the depths of her soul.
Gotham Song didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After all, imagining a two-meter-tall Umamusume sobbing like a child in the middle of the night on the other side of the ocean was… honestly difficult.
But faced with that scene, Gotham Song couldn't help smiling when she thought about what she was about to say next.
Flightline was rarely this teary… a two-meter-tall kind of "teary." Hah.
Flightline really was extremely close with Vernal Equinox. Or rather, there was no way she wouldn't be.
In Eternal Beat, with Gotham Song as the absolute, singular core, Gentildonna and Flightline were rivals in every possible sense—constantly measuring themselves against each other.
And clearly, no matter what it was, the one who won decisively was always Gentildonna. Flightline was the one who got crushed—thoroughly, repeatedly—the "weaker" one. In that situation, all Flightline could do was pour her frustrations out to Vernal Equinox, while the well-behaved Vernal Equinox listened carefully every time and then turned around to comfort this Umamusume who wasn't much shorter than her—if she was shorter at all.
Gotham Song had never actually witnessed that scene, but just picturing two-meter-tall Flightline crying like a child in front of Vernal Equinox left her unsure what expression she was supposed to make.
How to put it… Flightline was unexpectedly soft, wasn't she? Something Gotham Song could never have guessed when they first met.
But "soft" only described her on the inside. On the track, Flightline showed remarkable toughness and courage.
Sure, competing in the American environment meant she couldn't stay in Japan for long. She couldn't join in-person training, and thanks to the time difference, she couldn't always reach Gotham Song quickly.
Even so—
Flightline still never slacked off on her daily practice. She diligently followed the training plan Gotham Song gave her, and every night she sent Gotham Song the problems she'd run into during that day's training.
At the same time, after being manhandled by Gentildonna for so long, Flightline had finally realized something: her tactical reserves—her ability to respond to other Umamusume's tactics—were, frankly, abysmal.
Even if studying tactics didn't yield dramatic results, under Gotham Song's guidance she at least started forming a basic idea of how to handle certain sudden situations.
Gotham Song was, of course, happy to see that. And that was exactly why she had what she wanted to say next.
…Though now, seeing Flightline crying like this, Gotham Song hesitated a little. Was it really a good time to bring it up?
Ah, whatever. If not now, then when?
And as for how Flightline would react—
Heh. It sounded like it'd be pretty fun.
"Ahem. Flightline?"
"Ah, yes. I'm here."
Flightline's voice came through the phone. She'd dressed quite maturely today—black jacket, red hair clip. The red of her bangs and her streaks matched, like a flame that refused to lose its brilliance even after a whole day of burning.
Only… her expression was just too funny. If her eyes weren't so red, she might've looked a lot more imposing.
"Equinox's debut is definitely something to celebrate. But that's only one of the things I'm saying today, okay?"
"The next thing is about you. I'll send you the more detailed plan later, so… you can start preparing."
Start preparing…? Preparing for what?
Gotham Song could clearly see the confusion on Flightline's face. And the moment she saw it, she really couldn't hold it in anymore.
Still haven't figured it out, huh—my team's biggest idiot.
In a moment like this, what else could I possibly be telling you?
"You're wondering what you're preparing for, right? Fine. I'll just give you the answer."
"Of course it's your junior year—starting in August."
The instant Gotham Song finished speaking, she honestly started to wonder if the phone or the connection had frozen.
Because the image on the other end went completely still.
Flightline didn't react at all—like her soul had slipped out of her body.
A total loss of response, in every sense of the word.
It wasn't hard to guess what was happening, but seeing it for real still made Gotham Song want to laugh.
"T-Trainer—no, no, that's not—Song… Song-sama, you mean… my—m-my, my-my-my… my debut race and my junior year?"
Ah. Her kids could be pretty adorable in moments like this, couldn't they?
"If there isn't a second Flightline standing next to me, then yes—of course I mean you. So? Are you mentally prepared for your debut?"
"It's… it's too sudden. I still feel like I'm not strong enough… Is it really okay, Trainer-sama?"
Confidence.
It was a word many racing Umamusume never lacked. Even Flightline, at the beginning—or rather, before she met Gotham Song—had been brimming with it.
She was strong. She believed she was strong. More importantly, she didn't believe she would stay trapped in the mire of defeat forever.
In a way, Gotham Song even kind of liked that earlier, unruly Flightline.
At least compared to the Flightline in front of her now—somehow unfamiliar, actually tearing up because she'd finally reached her junior year—that older version looked more like the genius who had every right to be proud.
But maybe Gentildonna had crushed her too many times. Somehow, without anyone noticing, Flightline had turned into this type.
Gotham Song's expression turned a little strange as a sudden, odd thought struck her.
If the parents from that old world knew she'd turned their kid into something this soft… what would their reactions be?
Ugh. She couldn't even imagine it.
But it was time to rebuild Flightline's confidence.
Gotham Song didn't force the Umamusume on her team. Which meant that when she made a suggestion like this—when she asked for it—she'd already made her decision.
"I'm only making this plan because I believe you have more than enough strength to conquer the track. Don't worry, Flightline. Your junior year is only your first step. There's a long road ahead of you, and a long future waiting."
Truthfully, Flightline's ability had never been bad. Come on—she'd managed to threaten Gentildonna purely on stats even with disadvantages in course and surface. That alone was astonishing.
In other words, what Flightline had always lacked wasn't the strength to step onto the stage.
It was the strength to finish.
Outside of speed, this kid was a complete mess in most areas. Even her not-terrible stamina ended up looking worthless, because she burned through it too violently.
Her speed was always enough. For something around 2000 meters, her stamina wasn't truly lacking either.
But—
Her biggest problem, her greatest imbalance, was that she didn't have the ability to end a race with a Runaway.
And yet this idiot always started accelerating too early—accelerating without holding anything back.
So long as Flightline had the grit to restrain the urge to surge, even in the state she'd been in when she first met Gotham Song, she could've gone to the track.
At the very least, crushing a junior year shouldn't have been difficult.
"I… I understand, Trainer-sama. I'll treasure this opportunity as something I'll never get again. Please—watch me properly."
"My debut race!"
…Why does she sound like she's headed to a funeral?
Gotham Song didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The other Umamusume around them looked the same. Even Gentildonna—who, in a sense, had the deepest ties with Flightline—looked both helpless and amused, doing her best to keep her mouth from twitching upward.
Only Vernal Equinox truly looked inspired, cheering Flightline on with wholehearted enthusiasm.
All you could really say was…
Equinox, you really are a kind, good kid in every possible way.
Gotham Song felt warmed… and then exasperated. In the end, she could only pretend she hadn't noticed everyone's reactions, exchange a few pleasantries with Flightline, and then end the topic—moving on to today's training review.
Reviewing was a fine tradition in Eternal Beat. Whether it was daily training or the end of a race, Gotham Song would always make time—whenever she could—to guide her kids through recalling what they'd done and discussing it together.
Today's review went quickly. For day-to-day training, it was less "summarizing problems" and more "sharing Gotham Song's experience." After all, the Umamusume in Eternal Beat had trained for a long time, and under the deliberate insistence on good habits, major mistakes were rare.
So most of the time, the post-training review was simply a way to incubate the team's growth.
...
But after the sharing and review ended—after Gotham Song had already started to head back at an unhurried pace to enjoy the quiet of the workday's end—Gentildonna glanced, all mysterious, at Vernal Equinox and Daiichi Ruby.
"Seems like Trainer-sama's birthday is coming up soon, isn't it?"
That was Gentildonna.
"Huh? Song-neesan's birthday? Equinox wants to come!"
Naturally, that was Vernal Equinox.
"You're quite sharp, Gentildonna-san… That's right. July 22nd—just over a month from now. It looks like a long time, but in truth, time is a thing that slips away so easily, isn't it?"
That was Daiichi Ruby, pleased by the two "little ones."
Daiichi Ruby had always felt that Eternal Beat was less a team of Umamusume and more a family—close-knit and inseparable. Sure, that wasn't exactly rare among Umamusume teams, but still…
Well. The closer a team was, the easier it was for strange risks and contradictions to emerge.
But looking at things now…
It seemed Song didn't need to worry about that.
And that really was wonderful.
Daiichi Ruby sighed to herself. She didn't join the discussion—she simply listened to Gentildonna and Vernal Equinox talk about Song's birthday, and tucked the moment away in her heart.
Song… my foolish beloved…
In the hearts of your charges—your Umamusume—you stand tall and mighty, like an inviolable titan no one would dare profane.
When you're so small yourself.
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T/N: okie i read back and song did not have a dream training thing, lmaooo i just cant read anymore she just was like she woke up did her routine then went to the field
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