Seven days.
Seven days remained until the Satsuki Sho.
"How're you feeling?" Fine Motion asked, tossing her a clean white towel.
Today, Garden Gale had trained as intensely as ever.
She was keenly aware of how quickly time was slipping away, and how powerful her rivals were. Every second counted if she was going to close the gap.
Taking the towel, she wiped away the sweat from her forehead and smiled. "I'm feeling pretty good."
They were slightly shorthanded today, though. Shakur had something come up, so she didn't make it to training, leaving just Garden Gale and Fine Motion to practice seriously. Spending the whole day together at Team LOCK's training facility quickly strengthened their friendship.
"Keep it up, Garden-san!" The cheerful breeze from Ireland pumped her fists encouragingly, swinging them back and forth—no misunderstanding, this was just Fine Motion's unique method of cheering her friend on. With an inspirational grin, she pulled out her phone and pointed at the screen. "I believe these guys don't stand a chance against you! Besides, you've already beaten them both before!"
The screen displayed Admire Vega and Narita Top Road, accompanied by the third favorite, posing for a promotional shot ahead of the race.
Two of the top-favored Umamusume.
Fine Motion wasn't wrong.
Garden Gale had already handed each of them a loss. Fine Motion believed that Garden could absolutely pull off another upset. Once she did, this hidden genius would no longer be unknown; her name would resonate far and wide as the brightest rising star in the Umamusume world.
There was nothing particularly incorrect about this.
Garden Gale opened her mouth, intending to respond modestly—that it wasn't wise to boast or get overconfident.
But then her eyes locked onto Admire Vega on the screen, and her brow furrowed unconsciously.
Her attention drifted immediately to Admire Vega's outfit.
She was no longer wearing the standard Tracen Academy uniform. Instead, she was clothed from head to toe in elegant black stockings and gloves, exuding an aura of mystery and sophistication. With the sparkling star at her chest and the carefully tied ribbon, the outfit seemed uniquely crafted just for Admire Vega, perfectly complementing her style.
Garden Gale then shifted her gaze to Narita Top Road.
She, too, wore something entirely different from a school uniform.
The gleaming violet gemstone at her neckline radiated her determined spirit, and like Vega's, the entire ensemble seemed custom-made, effortlessly capturing her unique presence.
Garden Gale's instincts screamed at her—this was important, though she didn't yet understand why.
Pointing at the screen, she asked directly, "What is this?"
"Huh? Let me see." Fine Motion leaned in, scrutinizing the screen with a puzzled look. After several moments, unable to find anything unusual, she hesitantly asked, "What's wrong? I don't see anything weird."
"This." Garden Gale pointed straight at the outfits. "Why are Narita Top Road and Admire Vega wearing different clothes?"
At that moment—Garden Gale fully understood what it meant to see someone stare as though they'd spotted an actual caveman. Fine Motion's expression wasn't exaggerated at all—she genuinely looked like she'd just seen something impossible. Never in her wildest dreams had Fine Motion expected Garden Gale to be talking about the Racing Outfit!
Was there really an Umamusume who didn't know about this?
Is she serious? Pretending ignorance? Or was it Fine Motion herself who had misunderstood? All seemed equally possible.
Fine Motion cautiously asked, full of confusion, "That's… a Racing Outfit."
"Racing Outfit?"
Garden Gale's confusion persisted.
She really had no clue what that term meant. The original owner's diary had never mentioned anything about it. Who could have imagined, three months ago, that a timid little Umamusume who worried about debut races would now be competing for something so significant?
This really was ridiculous.
"You seriously don't know about Racing Outfits?" Fine Motion covered her face in disbelief. Seeing Garden's blank stare confirmed it. She genuinely had no idea. It was time for Fine Motion to explain clearly… No, wait!
Fine Motion suddenly realized something alarming.
If Garden Gale didn't know about Racing Outfits, then what about the upcoming Satsuki Sho in seven days?
Would she race without a Racing Outfit?
Clearly, if Garden didn't even know about the outfits, she wouldn't have prepared one yet.
Fine Motion sucked in a sharp breath.
This was bad—really, really bad!
A more serious problem loomed: could an Umamusume even compete without a Racing Outfit? If not, Garden Gale could hilariously lose her shot at the Classic Triple Crown due to something so trivial. Even if she could race, Fine Motion remembered clearly that a Racing Outfit was more than just personal flair—it was also a unique gesture of gratitude towards fans.
…This wasn't good at all.
Fine Motion's expression turned deadly serious. "Without a Racing Outfit, you might not even be allowed to race."
In that case…
It was up to her to help Garden Gale get one ready!
"Eh?" Garden Gale froze momentarily.
But before she could react further—in a span of mere seconds, Fine Motion had already sent a quick message to a certain mysterious contact.
[Fine Motion]:I need help.
—[Received. Three minutes!]
Satisfied, Fine Motion tucked her phone away and smiled warmly. "I'll help you get your Racing Outfit, Garden. Consider it repayment for helping me film my vlog last time. They're sending a helicopter for us—let's hurry over there."
"What?"
"Whaaat?!"
Garden Gale's mind went completely blank.
Before she could fully process anything, Fine Motion had already dragged her away.
...
"Eagle Team, Eagle Team, rooftop secured, you're cleared to land."
"Roger that, beginning descent!"
Voices crackled through a walkie-talkie. Moments later, when an actual helicopter appeared in the skies above Tracen Academy and began to descend exactly where Fine Motion had indicated, Garden Gale nearly lost the strength to even complain. The sudden escalation had thoroughly stunned her.
What in the world is this ridiculous plot twist?
What kind of person can summon a helicopter in three minutes? Are you secretly Irish royalty?
Moreover, if Fine Motion hadn't explicitly mentioned they were getting a Racing Outfit, Garden Gale would have genuinely believed they were embarking on a mission to save the world. This was all unfolding far too abruptly—like a young hero climbing into a Bugatti to slay a dragon, or Neo swallowing the red pill in The Matrix. For a moment, Garden genuinely wondered if they might actually be going to save the world.
But the fact that Fine Motion could summon a helicopter in three minutes was probably just game-logic, an event scenario from training.
Garden Gale decided not to question it further.
—Far more pressing now was a different question:
Just what kind of Racing Outfit would the Black Flash wear?
That was the true issue at hand.
---
T/N: OMG FINALLY A RACING OUTFIT!!!!!!!!! YESSSS!!!
T/N2: heres ur bonus chapssss i forgetty teehee
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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