"Hey, hey, did you hear? Apparently a foot-massage parlor opened up in the school?"
"Huh? A place like that is actually allowed to open inside the Academy?"
"I heard it's insanely expensive too! It costs a hundred thousand yen for one visit!"
"Whoa, that's way too expensive..."
Conversations like that could be heard all over Kasamatsu Training Center Academy.
The flyers Belno Light had Norn Ace and the others hand out were finally having an effect.
By now, news of Sakuraba Ryo's foot-massage parlor had spread throughout the academy.
Most of it, however, was bad press about the absurd pricing.
A single session costing one hundred thousand yen was nowhere near affordable for an ordinary person, let alone students like them.
And really, why had the owner opened a place like this inside the academy in the first place?
Wasn't he just brain-damaged?
"...A foot-massage parlor."
Naturally, Fujimasa March, who was out doing her morning running practice in a corner of Kasamatsu Training Center Academy, couldn't avoid hearing all the strange chatter either.
At the very least, she now had some idea of the reputation surrounding this bizarre foot-massage parlor that had opened inside the academy.
What concerned Fujimasa March more, though, was that the owner of the place seemed to be that strange investor connected to Oguri Cap...
Oguri Cap...
The moment that name came to mind, Fujimasa March couldn't help but clench her fist.
She had first noticed Oguri Cap during a class training session. Back then, Oguri Cap had been the only one during practice whose results were on par with hers.
Because of that, Fujimasa March had come to see her as the greatest rival at Kasamatsu Training Center Academy, and had been paying her the corresponding level of attention ever since...
"If it's a shop opened by Oguri Cap's investor... then I should go take a look."
...
"Norn... how much longer do we have to sit here...?"
"Don't ask me. How would I know how much longer we have to sit here?"
Inside Sakuraba's foot-massage parlor, the three girls sat in the lobby in their employee uniforms, looking utterly dejected.
Their job was to welcome customers, but the shop had been open for ages and not a single person had come in, leaving them bored out of their minds.
"I mean, getting paid for doing nothing is pretty nice and all..." Rudy Lemono grumbled. "But at this point we're just slacking off on the clock!"
"Well, personally, I think it's totally normal for a place opened by a guy like Sakuraba inside the academy to end up like this," Mini the Lady said with a shrug.
"Who opens a place like this in a school, then sets the price that high? It's like he doesn't want to make money at all!"
"And seriously, with how sloppy and unserious he acts, how does he look like a proper investor...?"
"Mini, don't badmouth him behind his back," Norn Ace cut in. "No matter what, he's still our boss on paper right now. Save the trash talk until we're out of the shop."
"Besides, why do you think we're here in the first place? If you're apologizing, you should at least look like you mean it..."
"Uwah, Norn, why are you acting like such a mom?"
"Mini...!"
Just as the girls started bickering and fooling around, the bell over the door rang.
A customer had actually come in!
"Huh? March?"
Norn Ace, who had just been viciously pinching Mini the Lady's cheek, brightened the moment she spotted the girl with long teal-green hair.
"What are you doing in a place like this?"
"I was just curious, so I came to take a look. This shop's all anyone at school has been talking about lately..."
Fujimasa March looked over the shop in front of her. Aside from the three Umamusume at the entrance, who didn't look especially professional as greeters, the interior decor was decent enough, but there was still nothing about it that explained why the price was one hundred thousand yen.
Anyone who came to spend money in a place like this had to be a total sucker...
Fujimasa March snarked inwardly.
If the investor couldn't even be bothered to properly manage his own shop... was he really a normal person...?
Could he be some kind of scammer...?
Had Oguri Cap been duped?
Resting a hand against her smooth chin, Fujimasa March's eyes gleamed thoughtfully.
"Oh right, now that you're here, March, want to try the shop's services?" Norn Ace asked, suddenly remembering she was an employee and trying to drum up some business.
"The service...?" Fujimasa March shook her head. "Spending a hundred thousand yen on some weird mystery service? I'm not that kind of sucker."
A hundred thousand yen was no small sum for her either. No matter how she looked at it, she wasn't going to spend that much at a suspicious place like this.
"Well, fair enough. I don't think anyone would actually spend money here either," Norn Ace sighed.
"Whoa there, Norn~ Isn't that a bit much for an employee to say~"
A man's voice suddenly cut in. Sakuraba pushed open the front door and walked in, his face full of teasing amusement. He had clearly heard every word Norn Ace had just said.
"I'm not wrong, though. Look around. The whole day's almost gone and not a single customer's shown up. I'm not just hating for no reason here."
"That just means our target customers haven't shown up yet. Why are you in such a hurry~"
Sakuraba was completely unconcerned by Norn Ace's complaints.
"You're the boss, so obviously you're right... But I really am curious how you plan to serve customers. You didn't even hire any professionals, so what, are you actually going to do it yourself?"
"Of course I am. What, you don't trust my skills?"
"Then why don't you show me?"
"Heh. There aren't any customers right now, so how am I supposed to show you?"
"Tch!"
Sakuraba and Norn Ace argued with great enthusiasm, leaving Fujimasa March staring at them in bewilderment.
"Are they always this close?"
She turned and asked the loafing Mini the Lady and Rudy Lemono beside her.
"Well..."
"You get used to it..."
Mini the Lady and Rudy Lemono exchanged a glance and could only answer like that.
Just then, Sakuraba and Norn Ace's argument finally seemed to be winding down.
Norn Ace walked over to Fujimasa March and patted her on the shoulder.
"You wanted a customer, right? Well, here's one! Let March try out those amazing skills of yours!"
"Wait, didn't I just say I'm not planning to spend money on this...?" Fujimasa March said awkwardly.
"Free service! Think of it as free advertising for the shop! Let our boss properly show whether his skills are really worth that price. Don't tell me you can't do that, dear Boss Sakuraba~" Norn Ace said with a bright smile.
The moment Sakuraba heard the words "free service," his eyes lit up.
Oh-ho, Norn, you really are a great employee~
Isn't this a fantastic idea~
Fujimasa March was pretty famous around Kasamatsu Training Center Academy. If she helped advertise the place, that really would be a solid plan.
As long as he gave Fujimasa March an absolutely terrible experience, she would definitely go around badmouthing the shop all over the academy.
With her influence, the shop's reputation would definitely get even worse!
Cut off every possible path to making money!
And on top of that, he could let Fujimasa March try the service without even charging her?
Holy hell, Norn, you're a genius!
"?"
A sudden wave of goosebumps ran across Norn Ace's skin.
"That look on your face is super gross."
"Haha~"
Sakuraba laughed it off, then turned to Fujimasa March.
"Since my employee has gone this far, I'll make an exception and waive the charge for your service this time~ What do you think?"
"Uh..."
Fujimasa March hesitated.
"Oh, come on, March. Since it's free, just give it a try~"
From behind her, Norn Ace gave her a shove in Sakuraba's direction.
Seeing that there was no real way to refuse, Fujimasa March could only nod.
"All right, then. I'll try it."
...
Sakuraba led Fujimasa March through the lobby, pushed open a simply decorated wooden door, and entered a cozy little room.
The room was not large, but it was clean and tidy. A few calming landscape paintings hung on the walls, and a faint herbal fragrance lingered in the air.
A comfortable massage bed stood in the center, while a small cart beside it held various essential oils and massage tools arranged in neat rows.
"This is one of our treatment rooms," Sakuraba said with a smile, gesturing for Fujimasa March to sit. "The place may be called a foot-massage parlor on the outside, but the services we provide go well beyond just washing feet. Full-body relaxation, acupressure massage, leg relief... we offer all kinds of options. So don't worry—I'll adjust my technique based on your condition."
A little stiffly, Fujimasa March sat down at the edge of the bed, her gaze sweeping over the bottles and jars with visible suspicion.
"You really can do... any kind of massage?"
"Of course." Sakuraba casually prepared hot towels and massage oil as he answered. "Especially for Umamusume like you who train constantly—muscle fatigue and tightness are everyday problems. My technique was specifically studied for that."
He blinked, his tone carrying a touch of confidence while hiding a few less-than-honest intentions underneath.
"So then, Fujimasa-san, just relax and enjoy yourself."
Sakuraba snickered inwardly as he started working.
He recalled all those terrible massage techniques from bad reviews he'd read online and specifically targeted the pressure points that were supposedly most likely to leave people sore and miserable.
He first set his sights on several spots around Fujimasa March's neck and shoulders, then drove his thumbs down hard into them. Supposedly, if you pressed too hard there, it would hurt enough to make someone bare their teeth.
"Mm..." Fujimasa March let out a soft sound, and her body tensed instinctively for a moment.
There it is, there it is! Sakuraba rejoiced inwardly. It hurts, doesn't it? Go on, get ready to leave a bad review!
And yet, the scene he had expected—Fujimasa March jumping up and accusing him—never came.
Instead, after that quiet sound, her tense body seemed to flip some kind of switch and visibly relaxed at a speed the naked eye could see.
The slight furrow in her brow smoothed out as well, and she even let out an extremely satisfied, drowsy sigh.
"Uh..." Sakuraba froze.
That reaction is wrong! Wasn't this supposed to be unbearable?
Still unwilling to believe it, he shifted targets and pressed hard with his knuckles into the tightest area of muscle on Fujimasa March's calves. Those spots ought to be especially sore after training, and pressing that hard should definitely feel awful!
"Ah..." Fujimasa March gave another short sound, but this time it sounded more like the relief that came after pain had been released.
She even unconsciously adjusted her posture to make it easier for Sakuraba to apply force.
"Th-that spot... right there... it's always so stiff after training..."
Sakuraba's hands stopped.
He was sure he wasn't being gentle. So why did it feel like... he'd actually found the right place?
Impossible! My technique is absolutely terrible—I just got lucky by accident!
Refusing to give up, Sakuraba began ravaging Fujimasa March's back and legs with complete abandon, pressing hard anywhere that looked tense, with no method at all—just random force applied wherever his instincts told him to.
And yet, to Fujimasa March, whose muscles had become exhausted and rigid from long-term high-intensity training, this utterly unskilled flailing became the most direct and effective relaxation imaginable.
Those clumsy, heavy presses happened to sink deep into the tightest layers of her overworked muscles and fascia, crudely kneading apart and crushing the fatigue and soreness that had built up there.
Now and then, a sudden increase in force made her muscles tremble slightly, but what followed each time was an unprecedented sense of lightness.
"...Amazing."
Lying face-down on the massage bed, Fujimasa March spoke in a blurred, languid voice full of disbelief.
"Even though the technique feels... kind of weird... it's so comfortable... My whole body feels lighter..."
Sakuraba: "!!!"
Staring at Fujimasa March as she relaxed completely—so comfortable she was practically about to fall asleep—he turned to stone on the spot.
This isn't how the script was supposed to go! Why is it that the more I try to make her suffer, the better she feels?!
Does my garbage technique have some kind of hidden property or something?!
Wait!
Calm down!
Calm down, me!
At this point, panicking won't help!
There's nothing for it now but to grit my teeth and keep going!
Following his memory of those supposedly miserable pressure points—the legendary spots said to make people feel especially awful when pressed—Sakuraba poured all his strength into one hard push!
In that instant, Fujimasa March's feet suddenly tensed!
Tiny currents seemed to race up her spine, and the pleasurable sensation burst toward her brain like a collapsing dam!
In the end, her mouth could no longer hold it back!
"Oooooooooooou~~~~~~~~~~~!"
Sakuraba: "?"
---
T/N: ?
WAIT! WAIT WAIT! UMAMUSUME BODIES ARE DIFFERENT FROM HUMAN BODIES! COULD IT BE WHAT IS TOO MUCH FOR HUMANS IS PERFECT FOR UMAMUSUME??? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SAKURABA YOU ARE JUST TOO SKILLED :SOB: ITS OKAY!! I BELIEVE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO LOSE MONEY SOME OTHER WAY!!!