Nakayama Festa's card left Dyna unable to calm down for a long while.
So far, she had only used Triumphal Ballet's power once, during her debut race. After that, she had been so busy dealing with everyday life that she had never really spent much time studying this ability in depth.
And now she was intensely curious about one thing—
Under what circumstances would a horse girl she came into contact with spontaneously condense into a power card?
"Ordinary contact definitely isn't enough. Otherwise McQueen would've practically deposited ten million yen with me by now, and a card still wouldn't have appeared... So does it require something deeper?"
Dyna sprawled over the table, flipping the hard card over and over between her fingers.
Nakayama Festa would be running in this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but judging by her current condition, the most optimistic prediction would be a minor placing at best. Meanwhile, the child around her, Camellia, had been dropping by the shop quite often lately.
In the end, Nakayama Festa had no choice but to leave 500,000 yen at the store for Camellia's future spending. But according to Camellia, when Festa went home, she reported the amount as 1.2 million.
As far as profiting off the difference went, Nakayama Festa had clearly mastered the art.
As for Dyna herself, the visible status panel she could inspect was not bad at all. At the very least, whenever she wanted to run, she had a method of effort called "allocating points." Even if the price of using it might drag her into certain swamps, it was still a trump card she could fall back on.
[Shining Dyna]
[Front-runner G / Escape G / Pace G / Leader C / Stalker C / Chaser A / Backmost A]
[Range: 1500m–3200m]
[Surface Aptitude: Turf A / Dirt A]
Note: Points gained can be understood as filling progress bars for attributes. They slightly enhance a horse girl's stats, and once a threshold is reached, can also produce a qualitative leap.
[Speed: C+]
[Competitive Spirit: G]
[Power: E+]
[Health: A]
[Intelligence: A]
[Mental Strength: A]
[Flexibility: B]
[Burst Speed: S+]
"Why are my own competitive spirit and power so weak...? I clearly fought Orfevre head-on in my debut race. Or is my competitive spirit so low because I still haven't found the meaning of 'running'?"
Dyna pressed a slender finger into the bread in front of her. The soft, springy texture pleased her immensely. Then she tore it into little pieces and ate them one by one.
Outside work, Shining Dyna had actually spent some time thinking seriously about this.
Most of the horse girls at Tracen had very understandable reasons for running.
Special Week wanted to become Japan's number one horse girl and let her mother live well.
Silence Suzuka chased the view at the front, a景色 only she herself could witness first.
Tokai Teio admired Symboli Rudolf's undefeated Triple Crown path and wanted to rise brilliantly again and again, no matter how many sunsets she had to endure...
And Dyna herself?
Only once, under the crushing pressure of survival, had she found even a momentary fighting spirit—for the sake of a few million yen in startup money.
If she were made to return to the track now, she really might become the kind of horse girl people called "lacking in fighting spirit."
"Boss, you seem kind of listless today."
Oguri Cap arrived at the shop on time. As she changed skillfully into her uniform, she noticed Dyna's condition and could not help feeling worried.
After all, at the boss's age, most horse girls were still growing up sheltered under the care of family and teachers. But the boss already had to live on her own. And with no real hobbies or entertainment to speak of, it would be all too easy for someone like that to develop psychological problems, wouldn't it?
Without hesitation, Dyna picked up a small cake and stuffed it straight into Oguri Cap's mouth, plugging it firmly shut.
Then she said, "I was thinking about why horse girls run... or rather, why I can't find a reason for myself to run."
"I never received professional training, and the things I learned when I was young didn't have much to do with running. But because I needed money to live, I had no choice but to enter a debut race and earn enough to get the shop running. Orfevre went way too far with her foul in that race, but I could tell that when she was fighting me, she was doing it with the goal of becoming 'the strongest in Japan.'"
Dyna sounded almost as though she were muttering to herself. The more she tried to untangle questions this philosophical, the more her head began to ache...
Jingle.
The bell above the door rang, cutting off the rest of what Dyna had wanted to say.
A gray-haired figure appeared in front of her—someone Dyna recognized, yet at the same time barely recognized at all because of what she was doing.
"So this is that booming bakery Festa's been talking about lately~"
Gold Ship, dressed in an immaculate white chef's uniform, folded her arms across her chest and surveyed the interior before nodding in satisfaction.
"Little Gold Ship gives it a 9.5 out of 10!"
This uninvited guest had arrived without warning, and seemed to be carrying the intention to stir up some kind of trouble, leaving Dyna a little at a loss. Gold Ship was the infamous Great Demon King of Tracen—there was nothing she wouldn't do.
Even so, Dyna still received her as a customer.
"May I help you with something?"
"Festa said this place is short on staff, so Little Gold Ship bravely volunteered to apply. My cooking skills are first-rate, and if Boss Lady doesn't believe me, you can test me on the spot!"
Gold Ship was being so serious that it almost exceeded normal human comprehension. Behind the counter, Oguri Cap felt a cosmic storm erupt inside her brain, and even Dyna found herself tempted by this unexpectedly earnest version of Gold Ship.
If one set aside Gold Ship's less serious side, she was actually a super five-star employee. Whether in terms of attracting customers or actual cooking skill, she was top-tier. After all, even Oguri Cap had applauded Gold Ship's signature fried noodles. A worker this good was delivering herself straight to Dyna's door...
Dyna swallowed.
Should she hire her?
This was such a good opportunity...
But Gold Ship was a horse girl from the Gold family.
Dyna knew Gold Ship and Orfevre were not on especially good terms, but what if one day Gold Ship casually let something slip and her situation reached Orfevre's ears?
Gold Ship was a double-edged sword.
But at the same time, the sight of Little Gold Ship being so sincerely serious gave Dyna a bit more courage. So she directly held out a hand to her.
"If Miss Gold Ship doesn't mind, then I'd be very happy to welcome you! It's just that the shop is still in its startup phase, so the work may be a little hard, and the pay won't be very high..."
"That stuff's secondary! I'm just here to experience life."
Gold Ship flashed a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.
Of course, there was one thing she did not say out loud: Nakayama Festa had actually asked her, in her spare time, to help look after Camellia and protect Dyna a little too.
After all, public safety around Tracen was not exactly reassuring. Not long ago, there had even been a case where King Halo's trainer was mugged by bikers while taking a walk, and his handbag got snatched. Luckily, the trainer's loss was recovered only because Gold Ship's speed on the straight was unmatched, and she had ended the matter with a flying kick that sent the robber straight off his motorcycle.
Dyna shrank back a little and muttered under her breath, "Gold Ship had better really be here just to 'experience life'..."
For a horse girl like Dyna, who had never truly experienced just how dangerous Tracen could be, this kind of thing was still far too shocking.
Still, after sorting out her emotions, she extended her hand toward Gold Ship once more.
"If Miss Gold Ship really doesn't mind, then this shop welcomes you! The work is relatively easy, but there are still rules you'll need to follow. I'll explain them to you later."
And in her heart, Dyna silently added one more thought:
Honestly, when it comes to rules, Gold Ship is probably less worrying than Oguri Cap...
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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