At this point, Nearl had already arrived at Mr. C.B's home. Surprisingly, it was just a small apartment, nothing like what you'd expect from a Triple Crown Uma Musume.
"So? Pretty fun, huh? This place is all twisty and hidden, like a little nest. I love that feeling—that's why I rented this place," Mr. C.B said smugly as she led the way, sounding every bit like a willful child.
"..."
Both Nearl and Fujimasa March looked at her with resigned expressions.
After unlocking the door, Mr. C.B turned around and invited them in.
"Come on in. It's a bit messy, but I tidy up every day."
That much was true. The scene that greeted Nearl and the others wasn't too bad.
Clothes were strewn about casually, and the coffee table was cluttered with items, but the room was messy rather than dirty. Nothing was where it should be, but there wasn't any dust or garbage in sight.
"So, wanna share the bed with me tonight? There's only one, after all," Mr. C.B said offhandedly as she grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and handed them over.
"No need. The sofa here is plenty big, and there's enough space in the living room to lay out a futon. We don't need to squeeze into one bed just yet," Nearl declined with a wave of her hand.
Though March didn't say anything, the relieved look on her face made it clear she agreed with Nearl.
"Suit yourselves," Mr. C.B replied, completely unbothered by the rejection, as if she'd only brought it up casually.
"Oh, by the way, how about I treat you two to dinner tonight?" Mr. C.B suggested from where she was sprawled on the sofa.
Unfortunately, this idea didn't get very far either.
"Thank you for the offer, but we already made plans to have dinner with friends tonight. I'm afraid we'll have to decline," Nearl said apologetically as she swept the floor to make space for bedding.
"Ugh~~ how boring," Mr. C.B grumbled, rolling around irritably on the sofa and making an even bigger mess of it.
"Mr. C.B, aren't you working right now? You are a Triple Crown Uma Musume, aren't you?" March couldn't help but ask, almost unable to watch her idol squirming around like that.
"Ahaha… Work? Of course I finished it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have free time to go out," Mr. C.B mumbled into a sofa cushion, her tone evasive. Hidden from view, her face showed a hint of guilt.
'Rudolf probably hasn't noticed she's been handling all the work these past few days, right? She gets so absorbed once she starts working. I even made sure to stack those files right in front of her to block her view.'
After a moment's thought, Mr. C.B felt reassured.
'No way she'll find out! Rudolf's way too straightforward.'
Comforted by that thought, she pushed the matter aside. Right now, all she wanted was to stick close to this junior who seemed warm but somehow always felt just out of reach.
Meanwhile, Oguri Cap had found Tamamo Cross during her training session. She was here to invite the White Lightning to join them for dinner.
"Huh? Oguri? What brings you here?" Tamamo Cross lowered herself from the pull-up bar, wiping sweat off with the white towel around her neck.
"Tama, come have dinner with me tonight," Oguri Cap said bluntly, getting straight to the point.
"Ha? Why should I have dinner with you? Besides, watching you eat makes me sick!"
Of course, the invitation was flatly rejected by the already irritable Tamamo Cross.
The outright refusal left Oguri Cap at a loss. She waved her hands earnestly, trying to persuade the shorter girl.
"Well, you see, it's grilled meat tonight. Really tasty, with all kinds of sauces."
"No way! Grilled meat's the worst—greasy and makes you heaty. I'm not eating that."
At the mention of grilled meat, Tamamo Cross's disgust only grew. She even shooed Oguri Cap away.
"If there's nothing else, get lost. I've still got training to do. The Japan Cup is coming up—how are you so free? Have you given up already?"
"I haven't given up!" Oguri Cap retorted, a little upset.
"But my trainer's out. He said he had something to discuss with an old friend and told me to take the day off."
"Huh? Your trainer went off to chat with someone too? Komiyama did the same—just said 'I'm going to talk to my senior' and left. Seriously, is this Nearl thing really that important?"
Hearing this, Tamamo Cross grumbled in annoyance. She'd been focused on training all day. She'd ordered the newspaper but hadn't had time to read it.
Later, Komiyama picked it up, read for a bit, then rushed out looking shocked. It had been itching at Tamamo Cross ever since.
"Nearl? You mean Margaret?"
At the familiar name, Oguri Cap perked up immediately, her ears twitching.
"What? I'm talking about—" Tamamo Cross began impatiently, eyes half-closed, before suddenly catching on.
"Wait, you know this Nearl? The one from the news?"
"Yeah, Margaret Nearl. She's my friend. I'm having dinner with her tonight."
Oguri Cap honestly laid out the situation.
Now Tamamo Cross's interest was thoroughly piqued. She rubbed her hands together, eager and ready.
"Alright! Oguri, count me in for dinner tonight! Save me a spot!"
"But you said you don't like grilled meat?"
A confused Oguri Cap repeated Tamamo Cross's earlier words, making the already thin-skinned girl even more embarrassed.
"The veggies! I like the veggies under the grilled meat, okay?!" she yelled, her face bright red. It was obviously just an excuse.
But Oguri Cap accepted it with an 'Oh, I see' expression.
"Tama, those veggies aren't clean. How about I wash a carrot for you instead?" she suggested earnestly.
"Aaargh! Why are you so impossible?! And who said you could call me Tama?!"
Tamamo Cross's ears flattened back in frustration, but Oguri Cap remained clueless.
"Well, you're short and small, so Tama just fits… Ow! What was that for?!"
Mid-sentence, Oguri Cap yelped as Tamamo Cross bit down hard on her arm. Pain made her tug at Tamamo, but the red-faced, teary-eyed girl wouldn't let go.
"You jerk… making fun of me…"
"I wasn't!"
Oguri Cap cried out, wronged.
--+--
That evening, when Nearl arrived at the barbecue restaurant with Fujimasa March, they were met with the sight of a furious Tamamo Cross and a deeply wronged-looking Oguri Cap.
"Oguri, what happened to you?" Nearl asked in confusion as Oguri Cap clung to her.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.