On the park bench, Platinum huddled deeper into her windbreaker. The night had indeed turned a bit chilly. There was no moon tonight; thick clouds blanketed the sky. It seemed Symboli Rudolf's warning about an approaching heavy storm wasn't just empty talk.
"My stomach's empty..." Platinum patted her flat belly, finding not an ounce of fat to pinch.
Had any transmigrator ever fallen to such a state? Probably unprecedented.
Even so, Platinum remained lazily slumped on the bench, showing no intention to move. She felt like the last embers of a burnt-out fire, all passion utterly spent.
A dark green figure settled on the other end of the bench.
"I could hear your stomach growling from a mile away." Symboli Rudolf handed Platinum a can of oden. "Have some. It's easy to catch a chill at night."
Platinum rolled her eyes and turned away.
"Not eating, not drinking, not finding shelter—are you trying to kill yourself?" Symboli Rudolf placed the oden can behind Platinum.
"What's it to you... Ow, hot!" Platinum's tail accidentally brushed against the can, and the sudden scalding sensation made her fur stand on end. She shot upright from the bench.
"Since when does oden come in a can?! And why is the can hot?!"
She was thoroughly flustered.
"Right? When I saw the heating option, I thought, 'Who would even invent such a product?'" Symboli Rudolf opened one for herself. "Only after buying it did it hit me—crap, I totally fell for the merchant's trick, didn't I?"
An enticing aroma instantly filled the air. The steaming oden was a powerful lure for an empty stomach. Unconsciously, Platinum swallowed.
Symboli Rudolf unfolded her fork and waved it lightly. "See? Your body is protesting. What exactly are you fighting against?"
"I'm not eating..." Before she could finish, her stomach growled loudly in rebellion.
The tempting scent in the air seemed to weave into a ribbon, drifting teasingly into Platinum's nostrils.
With a defeated sigh, Platinum chose to heed her body's signals and sheepishly sat back down, pulling open the lid of the oden can.
"Even eating from a can, you look like you're carrying the world's grievances. Who exactly owes you money?" Symboli Rudolf found it somewhat amusing, watching Platinum's stern face as she brought the can to her lips.
"I've counseled plenty of juniors, most seeking comfort after losing a race. But you're the first I've seen moping around like this after winning."
"Didn't ask you to come."
"Then why did you stop running when you saw me?"
"You're not the police. You're not going to tie me up. I'm not playing hide-and-seek, so why run?"
"Not necessarily. If you kept refusing to eat and being stubborn, I might have had to resort to some... forceful measures."
"...You'd really tie me up? Aren't you afraid the police would get involved?" Platinum looked up at Symboli Rudolf, surprised.
"You're undocumented. Why would the police care about you?" Symboli Rudolf looked back, equally surprised.
"...Oh."
And precisely because of that, Platinum warranted special attention. Symboli Rudolf quietly thought to herself.
Truth be told, Symboli Rudolf had noticed Platinum long before Hayakawa Tazuna called her—she kept an eye on almost every debut race.
A little one who wasn't on the registry, boldly stepping onto the track and boldly taking first place.
The ability to accelerate to top speed in a short time indicated strong, reliable ankles.
Maintaining even breathing throughout the race proved a capacious lung capacity.
That near-brutal footfall, slamming down and immediately springing back, suggested bones of remarkable strength.
An almost perfect body. She didn't belong in a debut race; she belonged on the graded stakes circuit.
And that was the most terrifying part... After watching Platinum's entire race, Symboli Rudolf realized Platinum truly didn't know how to run. As an Uma Musume, she was a complete novice.
An uncut gem already shining this brightly—what kind of monster would she become after careful polishing?
In short, after confirming Platinum wasn't a student of Tracen Academy, Symboli Rudolf felt a desire to nurture this talent.
This was a top-tier character card.
Gotta find a way to pull her from the gacha.jpg
Just as she was about to contact the staff at the Hanshin Racecourse, Hayakawa Tazuna's call came through.
The little prodigy not only skipped the Winner's Stage but had also run off!
Symboli Rudolf's emotions had been on a rollercoaster.
And the mysteries kept piling up. She felt Platinum was shrouded in thick mist.
...And this girl, upon closer interaction, had a truly difficult personality.
It seemed she'd have to play life coach as well.
"Can I ask you something? Why did you choose to hurl insults at your opponents, drive them all away, and then flee the Winner's Stage?"
"If you said you were simply in a bad mood, I could understand that. The desire to have the Winner's Stage all to yourself is also understandable. But why run away afterward?"
Symboli Rudolf already had an idea.
Not wanting to share her first Winner's Stage performance with anyone, she rudely chased the others off. But then, consumed by self-inflicted guilt, she ran away from the stage as a sort of compensation to them...
But honestly, it was a bit twisted. Full of the self-absorbed drama of an adolescent girl. Could a child like this even make friends?
Considering Hayakawa Tazuna's theories about this girl's background, it made sense that she might develop such a personality.
So, she wanted to hear it directly from Platinum.
Otherwise, this mindset would become a shackle, holding her back from going further.
As she competed in more races, such situations would only increase. If she fretted over gains and losses whether winning or losing, how could she focus entirely on racing?
Years of experience told Symboli Rudolf that those who weren't pure-hearted on the track would meet miserable defeat.
"..."
Silence. Platinum didn't want to say anything.
No, it wasn't that she didn't want to, but that explaining was useless.
What could she say? That she was actually from another world, and a pathogen to boot? They'd just think she was insane.
In all fairness, Symboli Rudolf seemed like an excellent confidante. Her actions so far showed she had ample patience and was fully prepared to listen.
'But I'm just not feeling it.'
--+--
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.