Under the unassailable suppression of the doctor, Gold Ship was pinned to that hospital bed for a full week. During that time, Stay Gold and Dream Journey took turns coming to look after her, while the one who stayed there the whole time was Camellia.
As for why they did not let Orfevre or Nakayama Festa come… well, Orfevre was the one chiefly responsible for putting Gold Ship in there in the first place, and Nakayama Festa could barely look after a child. If they let her take care of an alien life-form too, it might very well result in a horse girl homicide.
"It's finally here! Today's the day I get my freedom back, right? I'm finally done with those nutrition meals!"
Gold Ship danced around the hospital room in some bizarre ritualistic jig, as if she were performing a sacrifice to some unknown deity. The commotion was so loud that the horse-girl doctor outside pushed the door open and froze Gold Ship in place with a single barked command.
"This is a hospital room. Even if you're the only patient in here who's recovered, please keep it down."
This doctor came in person to do her rounds every day, so she understood Gold Ship's habits quite well. Her inner workings, however, remained completely unfathomable. What the doctor did understand very well, though, were Gold Ship's two older sisters.
So, partly for Gold Ship's safety and partly because of some personal bias of her own, the doctor turned to Stay Gold and said,
"After Gold Ship is discharged, she needs to keep to a bland diet for at least one month to prevent a relapse. Sweets are absolutely forbidden. Spicy and sour foods should be avoided as much as possible."
Gold Ship's pupils shook violently. She wanted to object, but Dream Journey's murderous glare rammed those words straight back down her throat.
Scallops… I obviously don't want to come back here! I want to go back to the Boss Lady's place. That's my real home…
Gold Ship dearly missed Dyna's cooking. When she'd heard from Oguri Cap, while still in the hospital, that the Boss Lady had cut her hand, she had nearly tried to leap out the fourth-floor window.
From the passenger seat in front, Stay Gold rolled her eyes.
"Right, right. You heard the doctor. If you want to eat something, watch yourself. Otherwise you'll end up right back here. And you don't want that, do you?"
"Scallops… of course I don't! I'm going back to the Boss Lady's place!"
Stay Gold let it pass. "Fine, fine. The Boss Lady's been preparing for an event, and you can help with that. Around mid-March, you're going to Chiba."
"Huh? Chiba? Is the Boss Lady going there for the Satsuki Sho? Why didn't she tell me that?"
Gold Ship was stunned. Nakayama Racecourse was in Chiba, wasn't it? Did this mean she'd already been officially designated as the team cook traveling with the Boss Lady?
Dream Journey gave her a more detailed explanation.
"It's a welfare event. You'll be making nutritious meals and sweets for the children. And while you're there, Light Dyna will also get familiar with Nakayama Racecourse. Since you've been there plenty of times, you can act as a guide."
At that point Gold Ship understood exactly what her role would be.
The moment they arrived at the shop, she burst out of the car and charged inside at a speed worthy of a sprinter.
"I'm baaack! Boss Lady! Oguri Cap! And Changying too!"
She sounded so delighted, like a child running home, that everyone in the shop jumped in fright. Outside, Stay Gold and Dream Journey exchanged a helpless smile. It looked like the hospitalization hadn't done any serious damage to Gold Ship after all. That set their minds at ease.
"Gold Ship? So you're finally out. You've recovered completely, right?"
Gold Ship beamed. Everything in the shop looked unchanged…
Well, not completely unchanged. There was one thing different.
The Boss Lady looked far more spirited than she had before Gold Ship went into the hospital.
"Of course I have! Was there some problem only the mighty Gold Ship could solve while I was gone?!"
In no time at all, Gold Ship had revived the entire atmosphere of the shop. After a bit of lively chatter, she rushed straight into the kitchen, threw on the one oversized clean apron, and reclaimed her lost power.
That whole afternoon, Dyna spent her time wiping glass, polishing every display window inside and out until they gleamed. Whenever it rained or snowed, the outside always ended up smeared with dust and grime, and that had always been a job Dyna handled personally.
By the time she finished, the workday was nearly over. Changying and Oguri Cap left together.
Gold Ship, however, stayed behind.
"It's already time to close, you know. If you're staying late, there's no overtime pay."
Dyna washed her hands. The cut in the center of her right palm had faded to a very faint line, but before she could reach for a towel, her view was suddenly blocked by the tall figure in front of her.
"Eep! Gold Ship, what are you doing?!"
"Obviously I'm not staying for work. I just spent over a week trapped in a hospital bed—I'm bored to death. So I wanted to stay a little while and chat with you, Boss Lady. Is that okay?"
She wheedled like a spoiled child, and Dyna could only laugh in resignation.
She had Gold Ship sit down on the sofa, then boiled a pot of green tea and set a plate of sliced fruit on the table. The two of them sat across from each other, though even seated like that, Dyna still looked far smaller than Gold Ship.
Gold Ship picked up an apple slice and popped it into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and let the sweet taste bloom across her tongue. It was bliss. After so many days of plain rice porridge, she'd practically forgotten what flavor was.
Watching Gold Ship look so happy, Dyna smiled—but inwardly, she was also thankful her stomach seemed to have a bit of poison resistance. Otherwise, that one cookie from Orfevre would probably have sent her straight to the hospital too…
"Oh, right, right! Boss Lady, I heard from Big Sis and Second Sis that you want to do an event at Boso Futaba Academy in Chiba before the Satsuki Sho?"
"Hm? Yep. Once the event's done, I'll probably stay there and wait for the Satsuki Sho to be held."
Dyna tapped a fingertip against her cheek as she answered. Half a month of adapting to the course would be more than enough for her. From what she could tell, Nakayama's main disadvantages were its slopes and its 310-meter stretch.
Gold Ship kept picking up apple slices, but her gaze kept flicking over Dyna.
Gentle. Capable. Soft-spoken. Great figure…
On the surface, the Boss Lady seemed exactly the same as ever.
And yet Gold Ship could tell that, in the week she'd been gone, something had changed.
She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was—but when she saw how Dyna's eyes lit up by several degrees at the mention of the event, Gold Ship felt she had brushed up against the answer.
"This… is your first time doing an event like this, isn't it…?"
The question slipped out of her almost by instinct.
"Not at all, actually, I've done plen—"
Dyna answered automatically, then stopped herself halfway. She coughed lightly and corrected course.
"Actually, I've watched loads of videos about doing events, so there's really no need to worry about the process!"
"And besides, the biggest headache right now is figuring out where to buy suitable saplings to plant. On March 12 we're all going on an outing to plant trees, and then take photos, have a picnic, give prizes to the well-behaved kids, and hand out stationery and toys to the others…"
She counted everything off on her fingers, one item at a time, completely oblivious to the strange look that had appeared on Gold Ship's face.
And the thing Gold Ship found strange was the date itself.
Why does it have to be March 12?
She couldn't make sense of it. What was so special about that date to Dyna?
Greenery Day was in April. Dyna could easily wait until after winning the Satsuki Sho, then tie the event into that holiday and make it even bigger—something grander, something that could rally public participation. For the Boss Lady, it would even make for a perfect activity during the rest period after the Satsuki Sho.
Still…
Gold Ship could help the Boss Lady solve the sapling problem.
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 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 126)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter130)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter89)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter157)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 133
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 125
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 84
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 143
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 115
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 99
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 75
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 75
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 52
Uma Musume: I Want All 51
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
A Guide to Aid in the Underwor 26
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
Supernatural Multiverse 27
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