...
"Bad?" Lucian was slightly shocked for a moment, then quickly returned to calm. "Bad, huh....."
Unexpected, yet within reason.
But the other horse girls didn't think the same way he did.
"Bad?" Grass Wonder furrowed her brows. "That's not a good omen." If Lucian's result was Bad, then the "chaos" she received seemed to have a good explanation as well.
"How could this be—!? Bad... Bad!!! Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ)ﾉ" Meisho Doto covered her little mouth in surprise.
"Bad? Is there anything more bad... than Doto?" Seiun Sky's gaze wandered around once before finally landing on Meisho Doto as she spoke slowly.
Meisho Doto felt a little uncomfortable under her stare. "Me? What does this have to do with me, Seiun-chan? (⇀‸↼‶)"
"Nothing, just a sudden thought." Seiun Sky grinned, her smile carrying a bit of "mischief," clearly hiding some bad intention while pretending to look completely innocent.
Meisho Doto just treated it as a joke and shifted her attention back to the matter at hand. She anxiously leaned closer to Matikanefukukitaru. "Fukukitaru-san, is there any way to change it?"
The gazes of Lucian and the others also gathered on Matikanefukukitaru.
"Hmm... this, let me think." Matikanefukukitaru held her hands emptily over the crystal ball again, closed her eyes, and the crystal sphere emitted a hazy and mysterious glow under her palms. "Hmm—— hmm——"
"It seems there's a result..." Matikanefukukitaru's brows relaxed. She opened her eyes and then looked confused. "It's really a bit strange. Although it's 'Bad,' in the end it somehow turns into 'Good.' Maybe there's some expert helping."
Every sentence she spoke made Lucian associate it with many "dangerous" scenes that had happened in the past.
It really was turning danger into safety.
No... this Matikanefukukitaru could actually calculate some real things. That impressive?
"Cough cough, Master."
The moment the title came out, Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky simultaneously shot Lucian a white-eyed look.
Matikanefukukitaru, on the other hand, slightly straightened her back, looking quite pleased with herself.
"Is there any other information?" Lucian asked again.
"Emmm, also that the peach blossoms are a bit flourishing."
"Alright, understood. Suzuka, it's your turn." Lucian nodded and left the seat.
There was no need to ask about this peach blossom tribulation. Unless he cut it off forever or shaved his head to become a monk... otherwise, what other solution was there?
Silence Suzuka sat down on the chair and felt that Lucian had been a little tense just now, because the seat was still a bit warm.
"Does Suzuka also want to check love fortune?" Matikanefukukitaru asked enthusiastically.
"I don't need to." Silence Suzuka shook her head. What was there to check? If anyone should check, it should be Lucian, and besides, Lucian had already finished checking.
"Hmm... I want to test this year's overall fortune."
"No problem, no problem~" Matikanefukukitaru began a new round of calculation and soon had a result. "Whatever you wish will come true, peace and smoothness, hard work will be rewarded~"
"Mm, thank you." After listening, Silence Suzuka nodded but did not leave the seat. "Can it be more specific regarding race-related fortune?"
Matikanefukukitaru was about to speak when Lucian interrupted their conversation first.
"Suzuka, this kind of prediction is something I can also do."
"Lucian-kun?" Silence Suzuka raised her head, a trace of bewilderment in her clear eyes.
"Mm. Martial fortune prospers, everything goes smoothly!"
Fortune-telling results had positive and negative sides and were full of uncertainty, but the result here from him was absolute.
Facing the nightmare anew, Silence Suzuka's mindset was like an exquisite fragile item. Lucian did not want Silence Suzuka to have that hard-earned racing mindset affected by fortune-telling.
Matikanefukukitaru clearly also saw some of Lucian's intention and immediately understood, taking over the conversation:
"Mm-mm~~ Things depend on human effort. Regarding races, the balance of fate will sway uncertainly. I also can't fortune-tell a definite result~"
"Previously classmate Mejiro Palmer came to ask me related questions, and she could only give the advice of trying to change her running style~ After all, the future ultimately has to be run out with one's own two feet."
Silence Suzuka did not ask further. Instead she revealed a relieved smile and stood up to leave. "Mm, I understand."
...
The main event of the school festival was still the final stage performance.
Although last time many good songs had been heard, the signature "Uma Musume Legend" had been missing. This time the opening ceremony made up for it.
The prelude sounded, and the elevating platform slowly rose.
The lights had not fully spread yet, so only the silhouettes of the three horse girls holding hands in the center position could be seen. But Lucian had already recognized them as Mejiro McQueen, Special Week, and Tokai Teio.
The music entered the drum beat, the lights suddenly brightened, and the atmosphere on site was ignited. Several spotlight beams accurately struck the three of them, thoroughly liberating them from the shadows.
The three horse girls walked down the steps hand in hand and greeted the audience on all four sides.
⌑~♬♪⊹ "Have a lively race with the sun grandpa (harmony: okay), casually taking little steps (so what)." ~♬♪⊹⌑
The first one to open her mouth and sing was naturally our general, Special Week. Her voice was very sweet, but a relatively reserved pure sweetness.
The second to open her mouth was Tokai Teio, whose voice was truly sweet to the bone. Perhaps she had drunk too many honey special drinks and had made herself as sweet as them.
Then came Mejiro McQueen. When it was her turn, the voice suddenly lowered. Her voice was slightly deep, rich with spatial feeling, as if resting on a soft pillow woven from waves.
...
The audience below waved multicolored glow sticks, converging into a brilliant sea of stars. They shouted the last few words of each lyric segment, neat and uniform.
"Nature, Tannhauser are both up there! Turbo will also participate on this stage next time!!" Twin Turbo excitedly shouted, "Even if there's money to be earned, don't work for Trainer anymore!"
"It's like I'm forcing you." Lucian said with a wry smile.
He suddenly remembered something. Special Week and El Condor Pasa were both up there, but Seiun Sky, King Halo, and Grass Wonder were missing.
"Grass, why didn't you participate this year?"
"Average results, didn't receive an invitation."
"? Do you want me to announce your results this year?" Lucian worried she couldn't hear, so he deliberately leaned closer and shouted loudly.
"Alright, actually I suffered a small injury again, but it's already nothing major."
"What?"
Grass Wonder's voice couldn't get louder, so Lucian didn't hear clearly and had to lower his head again to put his ear closer.
Grass Wonder had no choice but to repeat what she had just said. "Why is Trainer Lucian paying so much attention to my races?"
"Of course because you're Spe-chan's and Seiun's rival!"
"Mm... what Trainer Lucian said isn't wrong either."
...
The concert entered its highest climax. The horse girls sang while dancing and even began running across the vast stage.
When the last note fell, the performing horse girls froze in a perfect ending pose in the center of the stage, chests rising and falling, faces overflowing with satisfied and joyful smiles.
The entire venue fell silent for one second, followed by even more frenzied applause and cheers!
....