Today was Friday. One more day would pass, and then it would be the Japanese Derby.
"I'm getting a little nervous... Do you all think I'll do well in the Derby?"
For the moment there were no customers, so Dyna sat beside the sofa, trimming and rearranging a bouquet that had begun to wilt. Looking at the drooping buds, she could not help but sigh inwardly. No matter how beautiful a flower was, once it was cut from the plant itself, its life would continue to fade, no matter how carefully it was protected. Even under Dyna's daily, meticulous care, they could only remain vibrant for about a week before withering completely.
She was so focused on tending the flowers that she failed to notice Oguri Cap approaching soundlessly from the counter. Then, all at once, Oguri spoke.
"Boss."
"Eep?!"
Startled out of nowhere, Dyna nearly slipped and stabbed her fingertip with the scissors. Luckily, her reaction was quick enough to turn the blade aside in time. She looked up at Oguri Cap's unusually stern, rigid expression and had the strange feeling she had seen her like this somewhere before. Gone was the usual blank, slightly wooden cuteness. In its place was a pressure so intense it almost made it hard to breathe.
Oguri noticed the coldness in her own demeanor and deliberately softened it after calling out to Dyna.
"Please have confidence in yourself for the Japanese Derby. You've always had a very serious inferiority complex... race-day inferiority, I mean. In everyday life, you can say all kinds of bold things to Golden Master, and you may very well be capable of carrying them out—but when it comes to the actual race, your own thoughts might cause your body to falter."
"Oguri..."
For a moment Dyna did not quite understand why Oguri Cap had suddenly become so sharp.
She removed her glasses. Her vision blurred immediately, but she could now look Oguri straight in the eye without anything between them. In those eyes, Dyna saw a blazing, intense battle spirit.
Right...
Dyna remembered.
Oguri Cap's greatest regret in life was that she had never been allowed to run in the Japanese Derby. Even the public petitions, Rudolf Symboli's personal intervention, even pleading directly with the URA had all failed to change that. She had lost her chance to compete for Derby glory.
When she had been in Kasamatsu, she had promised Kitahara that she would win the Tokai Derby. When she left Kasamatsu for Central, she had vowed she would win the Japanese Derby instead.
Those were promises she had made to the people most important to her in life.
And in the end, she had failed to fulfill either one.
Though Kitahara had been proud and delighted by her success in Central, the regret of missing both Derbies had been buried deep in Oguri Cap's heart, never brought up again.
People only remembered the legend of the Grey Cinderella she created on the stage of the Arima Kinen. They did not know that Cinderella's true wish, from beginning to end, had always been to win a Derby for the sake of the people who mattered most to her.
Whether it was the Japanese Derby or the Tokai Derby, they had both been promises to Kitahara.
And she had broken both.
"Boss, a horse girl only gets one chance in her life to run in the Derby. The one who wins the Japanese Derby isn't just called Japan's best. More important than that is the meaning behind the Derby itself. It's a kind of glory. I never got to run in any Derby at all, and yes, that is a regret. But because of what happened to me, so many horse girls after me were allowed to run in it, and that does make me happy. Still, no matter what, when you step onto that track, you only need to believe that you can run well. That's enough."
This was the most Oguri Cap had said in a long time. And as that aura wrapped itself around Dyna, it did not get driven away by the combined presence of Sea the Stars and Cody's Wish. Instead, the three presences seemed to overlap, as if neither of them disliked Oguri.
Of course Dyna understood what Oguri meant. But changing the instinctive lack of confidence inside her was not so simple.
"I know. Thank you, Oguri."
She stood up, gently set her hands on Oguri Cap's shoulders, and looked directly into her eyes, her own gaze firm.
"Believe me. When I'm on the track, I won't hold back against anyone. I'll run for first place."
It was a promise to everyone who believed in her. No matter how much Dyna herself doubted, the hopes of others would keep pushing her forward. To Dyna, her own feelings were always the last thing on the list. Even if she was confused inside, she would still keep moving ahead for the sake of other people's expectations.
Thinking about it that way, Dyna felt she really was a strange person.
But... maybe that was fine.
At the very least, she would never need to worry about how to plan her future. Living as the kind of person most people hoped for, expected, and liked—that in itself felt close to perfect. If, on top of that, she could do things that helped others, then that was already a very beautiful life.
"Mm... Boss, good luck. You've already experienced Tokyo's long straight once. That super-long stretch will let you show your true strength. As for Golden Master... a good gate position doesn't necessarily mean good luck for her."
Oguri spoke like that while the rest of the shop staff were peeking out from the kitchen, watching the scene unfold.
For the employees, the fact that their boss was a huge celebrity already made work far more fun. And with a G1 race just around the corner, getting to be around the number one favorite horse girl every day made the job feel even more rewarding.
"Hey, speaking of the race... Boss started from the far outside in every race since her debut, right? Isn't that insanely bad luck?"
"Boss doesn't even have Central Tracen student status, right? I saw someone on the forum saying this means the JRA is rigging her barrier draws on purpose. Honestly, that sounds the most plausible. How could any horse girl be unlucky enough to draw the far outside in six straight races?"
"But the Prix Marcel Boussac draw couldn't have been rigged by hand, right? The French racing authorities wouldn't do something so petty. If anything, they'd want to give Boss a good gate and lure her over there."
"Still, the draws are all broadcast live, aren't they? Boss herself drew them. Both the Satsuki Sho and the Derby—far outside both times..."
"It's a conspiracy! They must be doing something inside the draw box where nobody can tell! Because Boss doesn't have school enrollment, they're trying to force her into the academy this way. That's so underhanded!"
The group chattered away happily. After all, with their enthusiasm for work, they always finished the day's tasks early, which left them plenty of time to slack off. Even Dyna had to praise how fast and well they worked.
Dyna's sharp ears twitched. She turned toward the kitchen and smiled.
"My luck really is that bad. The JRA draw really is just a simple lottery with little balls. I never expected I'd be this unlucky, either. Have you all finished your work? Come sit for a bit. We can chat."
"Eh?!" ×5
They had not expected the boss to overhear their gossip. But judging from her smile, she was not angry, so they all relaxed and hurried over, taking off their aprons and gathering around the wooden table. Dyna even brewed tea for them personally, which made them all flustered and grateful.
Still, they all knew one thing by now: when Boss was smiling, she was in a genuinely good mood.
"Thank you, Boss!" ×5
Each of them sat upright, holding a teacup with both hands, facing Dyna and Oguri Cap across the table.
In the eyes of the newer employees, Oguri Cap was an idol too—practically on the same level as the boss. Even though every day she mostly sat at the register spacing out or playing on her phone, ate more lunch than anyone else, and left earlier than the others...
Whenever a work problem came up, as long as they asked Oguri, she solved it. It was impossible to believe she was really such a lazy, slacking horse girl. Then again, that was only natural. How could a horse girl called miraculous be bad at this sort of job?
What they did not know was that any baking problem they ran into, Oguri had probably run into before too. Because she was greedy and got hungry often, and Dyna could not possibly bake her little snacks all day long, Oguri had used her own initiative: if she wanted food, she would make it herself.
Though it never tasted quite as good as Dyna's, it was enough to satisfy a craving. Over time, her skills had become genuinely impressive.
It just went to show that if a person—or a horse girl—really wanted to do something, they could get very good at it.
"You've all worked far beyond what I expected since you joined. I really didn't think you'd all like this job so much."
Dyna took the opportunity to hold a simple little staff meeting. Of course, it was not to criticize or settle accounts over mistakes—because every single one of them had done wonderfully.
What she really hoped was that this atmosphere, both in the shop and among the staff, could be carried on. No matter how many branches she opened in the future, she wanted to preserve this feeling.
But once the "meeting" ended, she found herself suddenly thinking of the Takarazuka branch. She had no idea how Nagakura had been managing it lately—but since it was Nagakura, there was no need to worry, was there?
Because it was Friday, and because it had effectively become an employee meeting day, Dyna simply gave the whole staff the rest of the afternoon off. There would be races at the track on Saturday and Sunday, and the Japanese Derby itself was coming up. Working through that would be absolutely out of the question.
When it was time to work, they would work properly.
And when it was time to rest, they would rest properly too.
"Mmhmm... finally quiet again..."
Dyna tossed the rag she had been using to wipe the windows into a bucket of water. After the staff had gone home, she had done another quick round of cleaning herself—but really, there had been almost nothing to do. The employees cleaned so thoroughly every day that there were barely any corners left untouched.
She was already considering raising their salaries again. The shop's revenue had been climbing steadily after the price adjustments. How could she possibly underpay people who worked this hard for her?
Sea the Stars sat on the sofa, chin resting on one hand, staring at the buds in the vase. She was so intent on them that she seemed completely unaware her somewhat thin top had slipped enough to reveal rather a lot of the scenery at her chest. Though it was all veiled under black gauze, the faintly obscured view only made it more alluring.
"You really keep taking care of these flowers? They're nowhere near as pretty as the ones in the spirit space."
She reached out and gently poked one of them, but there was no life left in it at all. Sea the Stars disliked seeing things like that. They reminded her too much of her mother, Urban Sea, when she had been gravely ill in the hospital. Though she had recovered in the end, lingering symptoms had left her weak and listless most of the time—just like these flowers, drained of vitality. Sea the Stars hated that feeling.
"Yes... Though what do the flowers in the spirit space actually look like? I haven't been there in a long time, have I?"
"Which just proves your sleep quality has been pretty good. Want to take a look tonight?"
Cody's Wish sat opposite Sea the Stars. As she spoke, she casually tapped Sea the Stars on the shoulder. At first Sea the Stars had no idea what that meant, but when she caught Cody's Wish's gaze dropping toward her chest, she immediately adjusted her posture into a more respectable sitting position.
"Don't corrupt Dyna. Clothes like yours only need one little slip and they'll look outrageously indecent to anyone watching!"
"I wore this outfit for two whole years! How could it possibly be like that?!"
The two locked eyes. Sea the Stars puffed out her cheeks.
She absolutely would not allow anyone to insult the super stylish, trendy, fashion-forward race outfit she had designed for herself.
Cody's Wish folded her arms over her chest. Her own race uniform covered everything from her neck all the way to her ankles, never revealing an inch of skin. The contrast between her and Sea the Stars—with her daring low-rise bell-bottoms and cropped lace-up top—was almost comical. They looked like horse girls from entirely different worlds.
"In any case, you can't lead Dyna astray. And don't forget the difference in their figures. Dyna's built even better than you are."
"..."
Sea the Stars had no reply.
Because it was true. The last time, in the dream, when Dyna had put on her race outfit, the swell of Dyna's chest had almost strained against the dark gauze in front.
But that did not mean her own figure was bad!
So Sea the Stars reflexively slapped a hand against the table and shot back,
"No matter what, I'm still in way better shape than you, aren't I? You're the real flat board here!"
"Guh!"
Cody's Wish took that hit like a direct critical strike. It was true that she was flat, but saying it out loud was horribly rude! She had wanted to wear pretty, stylish clothes too, but with a figure that could not support them, she had no choice but to go with something more conservative—though no less charming.
Every horse girl loved beauty. And differences in figure were the kind of inborn limitation that could not be changed. So what if Cody's Wish was flat? What was wrong with that?
Even the calmest horse girl could lose her composure when the topic touched on things like weight or body shape.
"My chest being flat doesn't mean anything! At least I don't have to suffer over underwear and exercise!"
"Flat!"
"Guh... I also don't have to—"
"Flat!"
Cody's Wish: defeated.
Sea the Stars, as if deliberately provoking her, copied the exact same arms-folded pose Cody's Wish had used earlier—only this time she even lifted her chest slightly.
"I'm just saying, there are some things you'd never be able to teach Dyna yourself, right? In the end, I'm the only one who can do them. Still... admitting your shortcomings takes courage, so I forgive you."
"Pff—"
Cody's Wish spat out an imaginary mouthful of blood. She swore one of the greatest mistakes of her life had been becoming friends with Sea the Stars.
If they had been less close, at least there would have been some restraint. Some respect.
Damn it...
Why hadn't her chest just grown a little more back then?!
"Uh..."
Dyna, who had been listening this whole time, slowly covered her face.
Honestly, she thought Sea the Stars' size was just right.
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 142)
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 (Chapter181)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter103)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter192)
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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 173
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 166
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 110
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 190
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 165
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 156
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 81
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 102
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 120
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 80
Uma Musume: I Want All 95
I Can Copy Unique Skills 84
Summoning an Evil God, but the 66
Supernatural Multiverse 83
My Harem Is Indescribable 75
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 81
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 75
Still playing traditional Honk 55
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 60
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 55
Checking In in Demon Slayer 60
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 65
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 35
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 35
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 39
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 58
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