Garden Gale watched apprehensively as Air Shakur and Fine Motion approached.
Oh god, what do these two senpais want now?!
Instantly, she reverted to her familiar, anxiety-ridden self—small, helpless, and socially terrified. She'd long noticed that Air Shakur always seemed to have something going on. Not that it was a bad thing, exactly; maybe it was just how extroverted delinquents functioned.
…But still.
Reality operated by its own cruel logic, ignoring anyone's personal comfort.
No matter how much Garden Gale dreaded interacting with people, these two were obviously headed straight for her to strike up a conversation.
No—wait.
She shook her head slightly, her eyes sharpening with renewed determination. She recalled the Chameleon mission again, which required clinging onto two more Umamusume. She remembered her powerful upcoming rival, Admire Vega, the girl with multiple graded stakes victories to her name.
This time, she didn't retreat even half a step. She stood firmly, waiting for their approach.
"Hey!"
Air Shakur waved casually as she reached her, enthusiastically clapping Garden Gale's shoulder, flashing her signature shark-toothed grin. "Long time no see. Nice run at your debut."
Garden Gale intended to say "thank you"—but the words died in her throat!
How—just how—do people gracefully accept compliments?! Every time she got praised, Garden Gale just stood there like an idiot, melting into a goofy, helpless grin.
…Heh.
…Hehehe…
She quickly bit her lip, stiffly squeezing out a rushed, mumbled reply: "Thanks."
The word shot out awkwardly, cold and distant, as though pushing everyone away.
She desperately wanted to change that about herself.
Standing her ground this time had already been a huge step forward. Still, overcoming deep-rooted social anxiety couldn't happen overnight. Just as ice wasn't formed in a single day, overcoming her habits would take patience. The fact she even attempted conversation was already progress enough.
Air Shakur shrugged lightly, looking at Fine Motion instead.
Fine Motion took the cue, nodding reassuringly as if to say, "Leave it to me." The Umamusume from the lush Irish countryside smiled softly, warm and inviting, perfectly embodying gentleness itself. "Garden Gale-san," she began sweetly, "you've been training for quite a while now, haven't you? You should take a break! Proper rest is key, after all."
"We were just about to grab some ramen—would you like to come along? We've never really chatted properly before! If you don't mind, maybe we could even be friends?"
"We can train and rest together from now on."
Ah, so it was an invitation to ramen.
Garden Gale blinked.
This was fantastic! She didn't even need to summon the courage to cling onto anyone—they'd just offered themselves willingly! Air Shakur and Fine Motion perfectly filled the two remaining spots for her mission. If she befriended them, she'd instantly fulfill the mission!
She nearly agreed on the spot, a faint smile creeping onto her lips—but then her thoughts drifted back to Curren Chan, her dormmate who…well, could probably still be called a friend. Curren Chan's recent actions left her frozen in place, suddenly hesitant.
She remembered a quote from Osamu Dazai:
If I'd simply avoided these intense relationships, I wouldn't feel such deep pain right now.
…Had she not befriended Curren Chan in the first place, she wouldn't have felt betrayed. Just like now.
Garden Gale's lips parted slightly, ready to decline the offer. Having just one friend was enough for her—Tokai Teio alone was sufficient. As Teio had said, they were destined rivals, anyway.
Although it felt cruel toward Air Shakur and Fine Motion—
She turned her face away, avoiding their gaze. "I—"
The disappointment in their eyes sliced into her like a dull blade, agonizingly slow and genuinely painful—worse than any physical wound she'd ever experienced. Garden Gale desperately wanted to avoid that look…
Yet—
She—
…Ugh.
She couldn't find the right words.
She still tried to force the rejection out—
"Oh, come on." Air Shakur suddenly grabbed Garden Gale's arm, pulling her in playfully. "You've trained long enough, haven't you? Take a break and join us for some ramen! It's seriously amazing. Or is our prodigy too good to hang out with us common folk?"
It was as if Air Shakur had seen right through her hesitation.
Actually—
Air Shakur understood Garden Gale surprisingly well.
She'd been the first to witness her Color Change skill, and she'd been the first Umamusume to have a genuine, deep conversation with Garden Gale. After countless nights running into each other on deserted training grounds, both had silently recognized each other's sincerity. Garden Gale herself knew perfectly well that beneath Air Shakur's rough, shark-toothed exterior was a sensitive and caring heart.
A genuinely good person.
Sure, she could be loud sometimes—but beneath the volume was always good-natured advice.
Eeek!?
Garden Gale froze in panic again.
She'd almost been dragged straight into Air Shakur's embrace! Why was she always getting pulled around like this?!
And now…
Yet another problem arose for Garden Gale.
This was textbook emotional blackmail! Seriously—Air Shakur even pulled out the "too-good-for-us" card! It wasn't arrogance; it was pure social anxiety!
Garden Gale briefly imagined having a Rina-board of her own—not that she was totally expressionless, but close enough. If she had a board to express herself, she wouldn't be so easily misunderstood all the time!
…Whatever.
Fine, she'd accept—for the sake of the mission.
Completing the mission would give her the Character Color-Change Card, ensuring she could decisively defeat Admire Vega and fulfill the arrogant promise she'd made.
At this point—it'd be too awkward to refuse anyway.
Garden Gale finally nodded. "Then…let's go together."
Fine Motion's eyes instantly brightened into cheerful crescents. "Great!"
With that—
The three of them set off toward the academy gate.
...
Meanwhilem...
A newly arrived Umamusume quietly noticed the trio departing the training grounds.
From left to right: Air Shakur, Fine Motion, and Garden Gale—Tokai Teio recognized them at a glance. She paused, glancing at the empty training grounds. All thoughts of practice vanished as she casually pretended nothing was up—and quickly followed behind them.
---
T/N: oh no the wife saw you hanging with the boys!
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