Her deep chestnut hair cascaded down to her waist, with a striking streak of white highlighting her forehead.
The woman's head was adorned with a pair of diamond-shaped ears, and behind her flowed a lush, horselike tail—there was no doubt about it, she was an Uma Musume.
Dressed in a dark green trench coat that hugged her full chest, her expression was gentle yet carried an undeniable air of authority—the very domineering presence of the [Emperor].
The most outstanding Uma Musume in history, a world-class hall-of-famer, and perhaps even the strongest this nation had ever seen!
From her debut, she had achieved victory after victory, sweeping every major race she entered with an invincible, majestic presence, claiming the crown of the Triple Crown.
She was the first Undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume in Japan.
During her active years, she ruled the racetrack with the authority of an emperor, making all her rivals flee at the sight of her—this was Symboli Rudolf, the Uma Musume who stood at the pinnacle of them all.
And now, this very Emperor—stood right in front of Platinum.
"...Symboli Rudolf?" Platinum tsked in annoyance, casually tossing the liquor bottle aside. "Why are you here? Don't tell me you're here to enjoy the nightlife?"
Any fool could see that wasn't the case. Her timing was impeccable, and she had taken a seat right beside Platinum—she was clearly here for her.
Looks like that bottle wasn't going to be smashed after all.
With Symboli Rudolf here, given her personality, she would never allow a brawl to happen.
Whether it was someone else roughing Platinum up or Platinum starting a fight herself, neither would be permitted in her presence.
As for fighting an Uma Musume... better not even think about it.
Never mind that the one before her was a mature Uma Musume in the prime of her life—could Platinum even win?
Even if she could, getting into a scuffle would not only look ugly but also drag uninvolved people into the mess... Indiscriminately lashing out like some terrorist was out of the question.
"So you know who I am," Symboli Rudolf remarked, giving Platinum a somewhat surprised glance. "It seems you didn't come to this country completely unprepared."
"As for why I'm here... Shouldn't some people be asking themselves that instead?" Rudolf took a sip of her lemon water and sighed, her gaze fixed on Platinum.
"I'd just finished a long lecture and was thinking of grabbing a quick bite when I immediately got a call from Hayakawa Tazuna. She said some rebellious kid had gone missing, so I had to team up with Air Groove and search the streets one by one..."
"But in the end, we found you," Symboli Rudolf said with a gentle smile. "So... let me confirm. You are Platinum, right?"
"Hayakawa Tazuna..." Platinum's heart sank again. The situation had devolved to this state largely because of Hayakawa Tazuna. If it weren't for her, Platinum wouldn't have ended up on that racetrack, and things wouldn't have turned out like this.
And now, she was worried about Platinum—who had fled the Winner's Stage in such a disgraceful manner. What a damnably kind-hearted person.
Unfortunately, it was precisely that kindness... The more compassionate Hayakawa Tazuna was, the more it weighed on Platinum.
"Yes, I'm Platinum," she said, releasing the drummer's wrist and delivering a sharp kick to his back, sending him sprawling to the floor.
"Sorry for all the trouble. Please tell Ms. Hayakawa that I'm grateful for the opportunity she gave me to step onto the track—it allowed me to fulfill a dream."
She picked up the windbreaker from the floor and slung it over her shoulders.
Platinum was ready to leave. She didn't want anything to do with Symboli Rudolf or Hayakawa Tazuna right now.
She'd had her fill of causing trouble. It was time to think about... what to do next.
Symboli Rudolf looked genuinely taken aback. "Leaving already? What are you going to do now?"
"Do? What do you mean?"
"A foreigner, with half-baked Japanese, no identification, no entry records—you don't exist in any database."
"If you're not a stowaway, then there really must be a Doraemon-style anywhere door in this world." Rudolf tapped the table, signaling Platinum to look at her. "How are you going to survive? No hotel will take you in."
"Don't worry about it. I'll manage," Platinum replied without turning back, continuing toward the door.
"Tell me—your plan isn't to just find a park bench to sleep on, is it? Did you check the weather? There's a heavy storm coming tonight."
"And besides... you haven't even collected your prize money yet." As she spoke, Symboli Rudolf pulled a bank card from her pocket.
"See? You don't even have a bank account. This was handed over to me by Ms. Hayakawa."
Platinum's steps faltered.
"Is this a threat, Ms. Rudolf? Isn't it a bit beneath you to threaten a middle schooler?"
"This isn't a threat, just a request." Rudolf placed the bank card on the edge of the table and slid it toward the opposite side before letting go.
"Keep me company for a while. After that, no matter what you think or what you decide to do, I won't interfere. How does that sound?"
"At least with some money on hand, it's better than spending the night at a McDonald's, right? You might run into more guys like that one."
"Besides, I went through a lot of trouble to find you. The least you could do is thank me—it's only reasonable, isn't it?"
Yes, a reasonable request. Symboli Rudolf wasn't wrong. Her words were logical and persuasive. No matter how Platinum looked at it, she shouldn't refuse.
Not to mention Hayakawa Tazuna's kindness, or showing gratitude to Symboli Rudolf.
That bank card with her prize money—she ought to go back and take it. With that, she could establish herself here, at least enough to avoid starving on the streets. Hadn't that been her reason for joining the race in the first place?
But that was hours ago. Now, Platinum couldn't care less.
So without a moment's hesitation, she pushed open the bar door and walked out.
Symboli Rudolf could only stare blankly as Platinum slipped out of the bar like a startled cat.
She touched her own cheek, certain she didn't look that intimidating.
She reached for the bank card again—no, she hadn't mistaken it for a postcard.
She replayed her earlier words in her mind—nothing she'd said should have offended the girl.
So then, why did she run? What goes on in the minds of these young fillies nowadays? How could a gap of just a few years feel like an unfathomable generational divide?
Are all the young fillies these days from another planet?
Symboli Rudolf, gazing at the mess all over the floor and the retreating figure of Platinum, fell into a deep and bewildering silence.
--+--
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.