Dust White earned enough for a full day's wages through the emergency delivery task the boss gave her.
As a result, she could finally sit down and rest for a while. The moment she sat down, a passage of text appeared in her mind.
[Quest] Debut Race: 1st place: 15 Attribute Points (Freely Distributable), 50 PT. 2nd place: 10 Attribute Points (Freely Distributable), 30 PT. 3rd-5th place: 5 Attribute Points (Randomly Distributed), 10 PT. Completing the Debut Race will grant a random-tier skill.
(Stop dilly-dallying. You're already at Tracen, what are you waiting for? You're not the protagonist of some corporate slave anime.)
"What the hell? I just came to deliver stuff to Tracen, how did it turn into triggering a quest just by being here?" Dust White looked at the text with a headache. "You really have a knack for tormenting me."
"Hello... may I ask your name?" Dust White leaned toward Oguri Cap and asked softly.
"Oguri Cap," Oguri Cap replied succinctly before stuffing another bun into her mouth.
"My name is Dust White. Nice to meet you." Dust White reached out, wanting to shake Oguri Cap's hand.
"!" Oguri Cap looked at the extended hand, tilted her head in thought, and then took it. Suddenly, Oguri Cap's ears perked up as if she had seen something strange.
Name: [Oguri Cap]
Status: Perfect Condition
[Speed]: 230
[Stamina]: 201
[Power]: 270
[Guts]: 160
[Intelligence]: 223
[Skills]: Unable to Identify
'Are you kidding me? As expected of the main character. Her stats are already so much higher than mine, even during the Kasamatsu period, ah well.. She is the main character for a reason so I guess it can pass.' Dust White looked somewhat helplessly at the numerical values displayed before her. The fact that even her skills couldn't be identified was enough to illustrate the gap between them.
"Hello, Dust White." Oguri Cap said seriously, looking at her, then shook their clasped hands up and down. "Your hand feels very comfortable to touch."
"Thank you for the compliment," Dust White didn't know how to respond and could only leave this dry reply.
"Does Dust White want to run?"
"Huh?"
"The body is very honest. You really want to run."
"Really? I don't know..." Dust White had never imagined this question before. "Does the body crave running on its own?"
"Mhm, she really wants to run. Do you want to go for a run with me?" Oguri Cap nodded seriously.
"Sorry, I have things to do." Although Dust White was somewhat tempted, the most important thing right now was to run her debut race first. "Could we exchange contact information? Sorry, saying this upon first meeting is a bit too abrupt."
Oguri Cap shook her head, her ears flopping down softly on her head. "Little White, I don't have a phone."
"Why are you calling me Little White already?" Dust White didn't understand why Oguri Cap was being so friendly towards her.
"Little White's hand... feels very comfortable to touch, and her face too." Oguri Cap wiped her hand and then pinched Dust White's cheek. "Very soft and comfortable. Hugging you would definitely be very comfortable too."
"That's true," Nanami recalled that during his first few days after arriving, he held Dust White's body. Dust White, possessing characteristics of both a human and a Doll, felt like a large hugging pillow to hold. Of course I did not dare go any further than that.. I have morals after all.
"Mmm, indeed very comfortable." Seeing that Dust White didn't refute her words, Oguri Cap simply hugged her. She rubbed her cheek against Dust White's face, then narrowed her eyes like a contented kitten.
"Sigh, it's not that I dislike this sort of thing." Dust White adjusted her position a little to let Oguri Cap hug her more comfortably, 'First time meeting and she's already this comfortable, should I be concerned for my future?'
"Do you want to come watch my race?" Oguri Cap suddenly asked.
"Sure, when is it? I'll definitely support you." Dust White patted the head of this adorably simple-minded Gray Coat Horse Girl, and her mood improved watching her tail wag like a puppy's.
"Tomorrow. Kitahara said I'll run my debut race, on the 800-meter dirt track at Kasamatsu Racecourse." Oguri Cap, who was enjoying the petting, seemed to be in a much better mood and said in a somewhat cheerful tone.
"I see. I'll definitely be there tomorrow." Dust White nodded and solemnly noted the time on her phone.
"Mhm." Oguri Cap nodded happily (though her face still showed little expression).
Nanami actually understood that in this world, Oguri Cap had no connection to him and their paths wouldn't cross much. The 'Gray Monster' was Oguri Cap's nickname, and it was enough to prove her great achievements. But he still couldn't let go of this simple-minded little companion from his early days in the game.
The next day, Dust White entered Kasamatsu Racecourse as planned, carrying a thermos of soup. She happened to encounter Oguri Cap's jockey presentation segment.
"Jockey Oguri Cap raises her headgear." The commentator's voice rang out. Watching Oguri Cap energetically raise her headgear, Dust White chuckled lightly and waved to her.
"Do your best." Dust White silently mouthed these words to Oguri Cap, then saw a man and a Horse Girl cheering for her nearby.
"Hello, may I ask who you are?" Noticing Dust White looking at them, the man walked over and asked.
"Dust White. I'm here at Oguri Cap's invitation to watch her race." Dust White politely performed a curtsy. This body seemed to instinctively carry certain movements, like an elegant noble lady.
"Oh, oh... I'm Kitahara Jo, Oguri Cap's Trainer. Pleased to meet you." Kitahara Jo was somewhat stunned by the elegant movements of the Horse Girl before him. "That is Belno Light, Oguri Cap's teammate."
"Hello." Dust White nodded, and the group's attention returned to Oguri Cap.
"Wait, haven't you noticed her shoes are worn almost to the point of falling apart?" Dust White suddenly noticed the condition of the shoes on Oguri Cap's feet wasn't right.
"Huh?!" Kitahara took a closer look. "Trouble."
Dust White said nothing, just looked at Kitahara Jo with a dissatisfied gaze, making him feel the pressure. "I'll buy her new shoes."
However, even with shoes almost broken, Oguri Cap's charging figure, like a beast hunting its prey, still impacted Dust White's heart.
"What is this?" Dust White felt a restlessness within her, a strange kind of longing.
[Restlessness] I am captured by a restless yearning. I seem to have developed some sort of... ambition. What ambition exactly?
Triggered Quest [Heart of Longing]: Break the seal of Temperance. Reward: [Heart of Longing].
The quest had only one line, one that left Dust White baffled. But she understood clearly that her heart was beating for the demeanor Oguri Cap displayed on the track.
"No, not yet, can't..." She tensed all her muscles, as if struggling with all her might against an unknown presence.
Until she saw Oguri Cap still standing alone on the track. She put down the thermos and rushed over.
"Little White, sorry I only got second place." Oguri Cap looked up, not daring to meet the eyes of the Horse Girl that stirred her heart. "I wanted to win! I wanted to win so badly, but I still lost."
"Give me your hand. It's bleeding, and needs immediate treatment. Your feet too, need to be washed right away and then given a relaxing massage." Dust White paid no mind to Oguri Cap's small emotional state. She pried open Oguri Cap's tightly clenched fist on her own, took out a roll of bandages from a small cloth bag on her person, and used the water handed over by Belno Light to wash Oguri Cap's wound before bandaging it.
"Wait, Little White... I can walk by myself..." Seeing Dust White about to carry her on her back, Oguri Cap felt a bit embarrassed and tried to refuse, but ultimately couldn't resist and ended up on Dust White's back.
And so, under Dust White's lead, Oguri Cap sat on a chair, drinking the carrot, corn, and meat stew soup Dust White had specially prepared, while receiving a relaxing massage from her.
"So amazing, Little White is so amazing." Oguri Cap narrowed her eyes in comfort, her happy expression making Belno Light somewhat curious.
"Is Miss White's massage really that incredible?"
"If you need it in the future, I can give you a massage too." Dust White wiped off some sweat, patted Belno Light's head, and smiled under her somewhat shy gaze. Perhaps because something inside her had been touched, Dust White's emotional expressions seemed to flow much more smoothly.
"Oguri Cap, I'm going to run my debut race." Dust White looked seriously at Oguri Cap before her. "I want... I want to try the feeling of running with all my might on the track."
"Do you have a Trainer?" Kitahara Jo turned his head to ask.
"Huh?" Dust White was momentarily stunned.
"You can't register without a Trainer."
"This..."
(Did you think the quest was released for nothing, kid? I've arranged the Trainer qualification for you, but I don't recommend you use it to deceive other Little Uma Musume, because you know your own capabilities best.)
"Thank God, thank the three goddesses," Dust White thanked the sharp-tongued panel somewhat speechlessly, then replied to Kitahara Jo.
"Yes, I've decided... I will stand on the track and give it my all."
Ah, as expected. That's what Oguri Cap thought. Her feeling wasn't wrong. That gentle Gray Coat Horse Girl before her harbored an incredibly terrifying monster within her heart.
"Oguri Cap, please, and everyone, witness my debut race." Dust White lowered her head and smiled. Since obtaining [Temperance], her expressions had never been as rich as they were at this moment.
"As you wish." "We look forward to it." "I hope to have a chance to speak with your Trainer." They replied thus.
Oguri Cap herself only ever had feelings for Harvest once, though the ending wasn't great.
It's a pity the protagonist actually hasn't read 'ash-gray cinderella'. His knowledge of this manga is limited to hearing the name and seeing a few memes. Otherwise, the protagonist would definitely have reminded them about the shoe issue.
Kitahara really was careless, not noticing Oguri Cap's shoes were in such bad shape.. He's still an awesome trainer though