"Rice is being discharged tomorrow!"
"Rice Shower-senpai is being discharged tomorrow?!"
"So fast?!"
The TCB Umamusumes were all excited upon hearing Sakura Baimu's words.
"It's only been a little over a week! She's already being discharged! That's amazing!"
"Won't Rice Shower have to wear a cast or use a wheelchair after she gets out?"
"No, she's fully recovered and can walk normally now," Sakura Baimu said with a smile.
"Really?!"
This time, not only the TCB members' Umamusumes, but even Maruzensky, standing nearby, exclaimed in unison.
"That's right, the doctor said it too. Rice Shower's recovery speed is truly astonishing, probably related to her own constitution."
"But Rice Shower forced herself to open a Zone beyond her own level despite insufficient physical strength. She shouldn't be recovering so quickly, right? Brian took a long time to recover when she opened her Zone…" Maruzensky wondered.
"I don't know. Anyway, that's it. I'll bring Rice Shower back tomorrow, and you'll all know." Sakura Baimu gave her teammates a thumbs up.
Maruzensky stared at Sakura Baimu for a while, sighing inwardly.
Tonight's plans were ruined again...
After a moment of regret, she suddenly suggested.
"Ms. Sakura, if you're picking up Rice Shower tomorrow, you'll need a car, right? How about I drive to pick her up..."
Maruzensky was interrupted in unison by Mejiro McQueen, Tokai Teio, and Smart Falcon, all with horrified expressions.
"No way!!!" x3
"Eh! Why? I'm a great driver~"
Maruzensky felt a blow to her senses at being so distrusted by her juniors.
"Maruzensky-senpai, Falco thinks you shouldn't pick up Rice Shower and Trainer-san tomorrow..."
Smart Falcon's face paled. As the leader of Fugitive SISTERS, she had personally experienced Maruzensky's driving skills.
Her driving style always boiled down to four words—"Give it your all!"
"Back when Falco practiced dancing with the Fugitive SISTERS, Maruzen always looked unhappy. Whenever we asked, she'd usually say her 'Tou-chan' was in repair, and the other spare cars weren't working properly…"
"Hiss—"
Hearing Smart Falcon's explanation, Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black suddenly understood the wild soul hidden within Maruzensky, who always was so gentle and reliable.
"Falco-chan, how could you say that! How could you mislead the juniors like that?" Maruzensky looked at Smart Falcon with a mournful expression.
"Falco was just telling the truth…"
A moment later, the TCB Umamusumes watched Maruzensky lost all her light and saw her finally gave up on picking up Rice Shower and breathed a sigh of relief.
They successfully saved Rice Shower, preventing the tragedy of her being readmitted on the day she was discharged.
Sakura Baimu checked the time on her phone and then spoke to her trainees.
"Alright, it's time for training. Let's hurry."
The Umamusumes had no objections and nodded before following Sakura Baimu to training.
Sakura Baimu led the Umamusumes to the training area, then turned around, and suddenly her lips twitched.
Because she discovered that Maruzensky was still with them.
"Ms. Maruzensky, we're about to start training..." Sakura Baimu said helplessly.
"I'm a little curious about how you guys usually train. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Maruzensky said with a smile.
"Alright, watch if you want."
Sakura Baimu nodded. Given Maruzensky's skill level, there was no way she would be hear to do anything malicious. She wasn't even confident she could outrun Maruzensky, let alone her trainees.
A moment later, the TCB members began their respective training sessions.
Maruzensky stood to the side, arms crossed, watching the TCB Umamusumes train.
Aside from wearing weighted wristbands during training, they didn't seem to have anything particularly unusual about them.
What was strange was that Sakura Baimu was using a large yellow megaphone to shout at them.
"How did she do that? Not only herself, but she also trained her trainees to the point where they could defeat Umamusume with Zones?"
Maruzensky wondered.
Ever since she learned that Sakura Baimu was the first Umamusume to break the Zone's myth,
Maruzensky realized something.
To date, all the Umamusumes who hadn't mastered a Zone but had defeated it through sheer strength were Umamusumes under Sakura Baimu's command.
"I don't quite understand... how did she do that..." Maruzensky wondered, her gaze toward Sakura Baimu growing increasingly curious.
"How many more things do you have that can still surprise me…"
A moment later, Maruzensky saw Sakura Baimu return and asked her with a smile.
"Ms. Maruzensky, after watching their training, is there anything you can offer as guidance?"
Maruzensky, in terms of strength, experience, and status, was undoubtedly among the top in Japan; asking her wouldn't hurt.
However, Sakura Baimu saw Maruzensky shake her head with a smile.
"No, when it comes to training Umamusume, I certainly can't compare to you. After all, all the Umamusumes capable of defeating Zones were trained by you, so I won't mislead others."
"That's too kind of you." Sakura Baimu chuckled softly.
"I must admit, I've misjudged you and your subordinate Umamusumes many times. Because I, like Symboli Rudolf, once believed that the Zone was unbreakable."
Maruzensky's usually carefree tone suddenly turned serious.
"However, I still want to remind you. Without further improvement, it's unlikely that McQueen can defeat the Golden Crown Eagle. Before witnessing your match against Obey Your Master, I didn't believe McQueen could beat the Golden Crown Eagle without mastering the Zone, but now I've changed my mind."
Maruzensky smiled at Sakura Baimu.
"But at the very least, McQueen needs to master the aura."
"Yes, that's what I think too."
Sakura Baimu nodded, then picked up her megaphone and walked toward Tokai Teio's direction.
Maruzensky chuckled softly, then turned her gaze back to Mejiro McQueen. She suddenly noticed that after Sakura Baimu left, Mejiro McQueen had secretly taken out a booklet and begun flipping through it.
Maruzensky's eyes narrowed at this, her curiosity instantly rekindled.