The instant the car came to a stop, Twilight Song threw open the door and leaped out, vanishing into a silver-white blur.
She bolted away with such desperate speed, you'd think the gates had just opened at the racetrack and she'd skipped straight past the warm-up into a record-setting escape.
The other Uma Musume gathered near the entrance didn't even have time to react, standing bewildered until Mejiro Ardan approached them.
"Ruka, she… what's going on?"
"Maybe she's carsick?"
Ardan wasn't quite sure how to explain—or confirm—the situation.
She'd clearly been asleep moments ago, yet had suddenly bolted… Could someone asleep become so violently carsick? She'd shown no signs of discomfort while awake.
Something felt strange, as if some crucial detail were being deliberately hidden.
An unsettling suspicion stirred inside Ardan. Standing behind the others, she bit her lower lip gently to calm herself.
I'll need to keep a closer eye on Little Ruka from now on…
After all, she showed such a gentle expression while sleeping.
---
Twilight Song raced madly through Mejiro Manor. Honestly, just running with a mouthful of water would've been bad enough—never mind that it was actually blood, thick and coppery in her throat.
And probably mixed with other unpleasant things she needed desperately to get rid of immediately.
She'd maintained this horrible state ever since leaving the car!
And even up to now!
Twilight Song felt she was about to lose her mind.
Even more frustrating, though she'd finally reached a place where she could handle the issue, she was completely lost and couldn't find a bathroom anywhere!
She couldn't exactly just spit into a random trash bin, hastily wrapped in tissues, could she?
The Mejiro family would definitely discover it!
Damn this transmigration…
Running around in circles, Twilight Song finally stumbled upon what looked like the residential wing. She immediately rushed into an unlocked room, finally freeing herself from the awful burden in her mouth.
She rinsed thoroughly, flushed repeatedly, and scrubbed every trace of blood clean from the porcelain.
Even the smallest speck was glaringly obvious on pure white tile, like a blot of green amidst blooming flowers!
It had to disappear, absolutely vanish.
Only after dealing with everything thoroughly did Twilight Song finally stagger out of the bathroom, breathing heavily as if reborn.
Hmm…
[Mejiro Ramonu]
Damn! Of all rooms, how did she end up in this lunatic's room? Thank goodness she wasn't home—that would've been terrible luck.
Twilight Song instinctively shrank her neck, glanced carefully around, then cautiously tiptoed along the hallway toward her own room.
Calling Mejiro Ramonu a lunatic wasn't exactly personal; rather, in nearly every fanfic she'd seen, this particular Uma Musume had a reputation too infamous to ignore.
Sure, the official settings weren't so exaggerated. But still, reputation had its reasons. Even though this seemed like the normal Uma Musume timeline…
Twilight Song couldn't help but entertain a paranoid fantasy that she'd transmigrated into a bizarre Trepop timeline.
Better not—if that were true, stepping into Mejiro Manor would've been like jumping straight into a predator's jaws.
In simpler terms…
She'd just spat blood in someone else's room and was understandably feeling guilty. Coupled with the twisted rumors surrounding Mejiro Ramonu's name, she was completely intimidated now.
Twilight Song passed room after room until she finally spotted her own nameplate.
Truthfully, before entering Mejiro Manor, it had been difficult to imagine exactly how a prestigious family's residence would look.
But after entering, she finally got a glimpse of its true splendor.
The lobby alone was astonishingly spacious—not extravagantly covered in gold or silver, yet still obviously designed with meticulous care, elegance, and refined taste.
Beyond that was presumably the dining hall, followed by stairs leading to a vast residential corridor.
She hadn't explored beyond that yet, but at least now she was quite curious about what her own room looked like.
Well… I'll just take a peek first?
[Twilight Song]
Pressing down the handle, the little silver-haired filly cautiously poked her head through the slight opening.
The room was large and neat, feeling more like a freshly prepared suite than one someone actively lived in.
Desk, wardrobe, a large bed, balcony, en-suite bathroom, and even a small tea table—nothing was lacking.
And then, standing right there, quietly reading a book…
Mejiro Ramonu?
Eh? Was she also part of the furniture?
Twilight Song quickly withdrew her head, double-checking the nameplate carefully:
[Twilight Song]
No mistake—it was her own room, right?
She poked her head in again.
Mejiro Ramonu, still calmly standing there.
Maybe she should confirm one more time?
[Twilight Song]
How odd. Did I imagine seeing Mejiro Ramonu? Maybe a hallucination…
Twilight Song peeked again, and suddenly found herself face-to-face with a pair of smiling eyes that had bent down to her level right behind the door.
Mejiro Peak calmly stared back at her from just behind the doorway.
Um, here's Johnny!
No, wait, that wasn't right—maybe she should've said: "Good morning, esteemed senior! Blessings upon you?"
Ahahaha…
Twilight Song silently began evaluating her chances of successfully escaping.
"Hmm, do you need to double-check again?"
Ugh, again? Would the nameplate suddenly change to "Mejiro Ramonu"?
I see.
Actually, earlier I spat blood in my own room. Yes, clearly this is Miss MejiroRamonu'sroom.
I'll just leave quietly now…
She silently stepped backward, releasing the door handle—but Mejiro Ramonu grabbed it firmly from the other side and pulled the door open completely. Her figure boldly overshadowed the small filly standing there.
"This is definitely your room. Don't doubt it, little filly. Also, everyone's waiting for you downstairs, so come with me."
Waiting? What for?
Twilight Song tilted her head, ears flicking thoughtfully without immediately responding.
As for Mejiro Ramonu? She wasn't the type to pause for explanations. She simply reached out, firmly grabbed Twilight's small hand, and marched down the corridor without question.
"It's a celebration for your debut victory, you little troublemaker."
Mejiro Ramonu wasn't as harsh as she'd appeared. She even thoughtfully shortened her strides, sparing Twilight Song the need to jog to keep up with her shorter legs.
Alright, looks like this isn't the bizarre Trepop scenario with the weird Mejiro Ramonu. That'sactually a relief…
Thinking carefully, with only a year left to live, Twilight Song really didn't need to fear being trapped in a weird scenario.
She just needed to resist any deeper connections, focus on her own goals, and that was all, right?
Surely there wouldn't be some sort of revival match later—she'd already gotten a second life, expecting a third would be ridiculous greed!
That's what Twilight Song told herself, though Mejiro Ramonu, walking ahead, had no idea of these inner thoughts.
"You don't need to be so tense. Even though you're from a branch family, once you settle in here, it's practically like being part of the main family."
The implication was clear: If you lived in Mejiro Manor, the distinction between main and branch families wasn't particularly significant. It was mostly a matter of whether your name had "Mejiro" in front of it.
"Actually, you could probably be called Mejiro Ruka, couldn't you?"
Mejiro Ramonu murmured softly, stopping suddenly to turn around with a faint smile.
"Besides… am I really that scary?"