[Wuhu! Anyway, I made it onto the train.]
[Now I'm sitting in the carriage with my beloved Horse Girls, watching the snowy scenery pass by.]
[After traveling for over two hours, Special Week and Daiwa Scarlet got tired and fell asleep on my shoulders.]
[As expected, they're quite dependent on their Trainer. I really feel for my girls.]
[McQueen fell asleep too, leaning against my leg. The Chonky Horse feels warm and soft, she must be exhausted as well.]
[But now, my body has to bear the leaning weight of three Horse Girls. It's a bit hard to handle.]
[But it's fine. I've got eight-pack abs, I'm a smart, cheerful woman with a sturdy build. Even a Sugar Mommy would approve!]
[Just look at me— where else can you find someone so perfect? Pretty, smart, cheerful... I know to go home when it's dark, use an umbrella when it rains, and add layers when it's cold. How did the Heavens mold me so perfectly?]
[Ahaha, praising myself every day keeps my mood beautiful.]
Mizuki was being utterly shameless. All the girls around her were asleep, mostly clinging to her. In her current posture, she actually couldn't write in a physical notebook, but she had a previous reward: Three chances to write in the diary via "thought" when her hands were occupied.
She decided to use one now.
Life was truly sweet.
Meanwhile, in the Tokyo hospital:
"Pah! Shameless."
Mejiro Ardan thought this girl's skin was incredibly thick. Just yesterday she was saying she "only felt bad" for her good little sister Ardan, and today she's feeling bad for everyone else? And what was that about "bearing the weight of three Horse Girls"...
'I bet you're loving every second of it, having them in your arms. Trainer Mizuki, is the word "shame" even in your dictionary? '
'Seriously...'
And as Ardan read on, she realized something. Sometimes, one really does need to learn to be a bit shameless. What was that about "seeking a Sugar Mommy"?
"Hmph. The more I read this diary, the more I realize how rotten this woman is!"
Speaking of the Diary, reading it has made Ardan very eager to meet the Uma Musume named "Invincible." For some reason, ever since she saw Mizuki write about her "good son Invincible," the name felt very dear to her.
This was what you call a "biological mother and daughter" finding their way to each other.
At this moment, Nice Nature also reached this part and completely lost it. Being a lover of drama herself, her laughter was incredibly cute.
"Wow... Trainer Mizuki, your words are truly wicked!"
"Hahaha! This is the first time Nature-san has seen someone so shameless. Who praises themselves for that long in a diary?"
"I wish I had half your confidence."
"And 'seeking a Sugar Mommy'... hehehe... Trainer-san, if you actually did that, wouldn't she drag you off to do something bad...?"
"Like... cough, I don't know anything, I've just seen it in TV dramas."
Neicha-san spoke, but she seemed embarrassed, her eyes darted around as she twirled her hair, her cheeks heating up.
She was just pretending to be knowledgeable, she was all high-attack but zero-defense.
However, Mayano Top Gun beside her spoke with startling directness:
"Haha! Maya-chan doesn't believe it! Where are the eight-pack abs? I have to touch them myself to believe it! And what's a 'Suggar Mommy'?!"
Mayano's bluntness was the ultimate finishing move. Nakayama Festa, hearing this, almost died of laughter right then and there.
The diary continued:
[Soon, we're arriving at the station. Everyone is awake, except for that dummy Spe, who's still sleeping.]
[She's talking in her sleep. It's about eating carrots, of course.]
[Good grief, she truly believes good food must not be wasted.]
[When I woke her up, she jumped in fright.]
[She was dazed and asked, 'Where are we?']
[With a solemn face, I told her: 'Spe-chan, we're at the hospital. The surgery was a success— you're a boy now.']
[She burst into tears on the spot.]
Seeing this, a group of girls burst out laughing. Hishi Miracle who was slacking in a corner, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hey, Trainer Mizuki, that's too much! You shouldn't scare people like that."
Even though she said it was too much, she was laughing as hard as anyone, even tearing up.
Tokai Teio couldn't help it either.
"Honestly, Spe-chan isn't that bright to begin with, Trainer-san shouldn't tease her."
Teio's "consolation" was actually a series of heart-piercing blows. It's a good thing Special Week wasn't there, or the General of Japan would be crying even harder while saying "That's so mean!"
[Luckily, it was just a false alarm. Spe-chan, I was wrong— I'll do it again next time.]
[But saying Special Week is a boy? No one would believe that.]
[But saying Suzuka is a boy? That actually fits her character design. Suzuka is... how should I put it... truly flat and fierce.]
[Today's portion of insulting Suzuka is complete. Suzuka-san, don't blame me, haha.]
At this very moment:
Silence Suzuka had just gone to buy some bread. Since they had arrived at the Kyoto station, she wanted something to eat on the way and some to bring back for her friends.
When she saw the log, she bit her lower lip in a mix of indignation and bashfulness.
Trainer Mizuki, what do you mean "don't blame me"?
'Explain yourself first— are you speaking in code, you jerk?!'
In fact, when Suzuka went to buy the bread, she had specially hand-picked the best seasonal bread for Trainer Mizuki, better than what she bought for herself. But the next second, she saw the Trainer calling her "flat and fierce."
You want to see how fierce she can be?
Fine!
She immediately unwrapped the bread and took several large bites, her cheeks bulging.
I'm not giving you any!
In the UK, Treve saw this and, being a bit of a simpleton, assumed Silence Suzuka was a terrifying, fierce type of Uma Musume— perhaps a delinquent? She worried Suzuka might be hard to get along with.
...
Soon, Mizuki met up with the returning Silence Suzuka, and they prepared to leave the station.
"Here, for you, Spe-chan, Vodka-san, Scarlet-san..."
Mizuki gave Suzuka a look of pure confusion as she started handing out bread to everyone.
Pointedly, Mizuki didn't get anything.
Suzuka returned that look with one filled with resentment. A few moments later, she made a small exclamation of surprise.
"Oh no— I must have forgotten your order, Trainer-san! I'm sorry!"
Mizuki, unaware of the drama, told her not to worry about it.
Although inwardly, she noted this incident down. She'd have something else to write about today.
After leaving the station, they saw Kyoto. The city had many temples, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the air was excellent. Compared to Tokyo, the pace of life here was slower and very tranquil.
Though not as affluent as Tokyo, the happiness level was high— it was a paradise for slackers. People here preferred watching Uma Musume races or going out for a drink over working.
Mizuki and the others strolled around, preparing to buy some cheering goods for Taiki Shuttle. Taiki had already debuted, so there was merchandise available, and there was a very cute design of a Western Cowboy doll. Everyone bought one to hold.
McQueen, of course, had her own doll merchandise. The dignified Eldest Daughter of the Mejiro family looked quite radiant on the shelves— and also a bit chubby. As they walked, some younger Umas looked at her with admiration, and some even asked for her autograph.
Then, Mizuki spotted the Symboli Rudolf dolls on the shelf.
This poor, washed-up Emperor, though still placed on the shelves, was tucked away in a corner. Perhaps everyone already had a Rudolf doll by now. In contrast, the Mr. CB dolls were actually selling quite well— wearing that top hat, looking incredibly elegant.
Maybe it's because Mr. CB's running style is just so thrilling. Even if she didn't beat Rudolf in the races, she at least won in terms of popularity. That is the true gold standard of Mr. CB!
On a whim, Mizuki bought one of the forgotten dolls herself. If everyone else has one, she might as well get one too, right?
They wandered around for quite a while, having a great time, until they suddenly felt like they had forgotten something.
It hit them: they had forgotten Taiki Shuttle.
They quickly headed to the designated meeting spot and found her. Even though they were fifteen minutes late, Taiki didn't mind at all.
On the contrary, her social skills were top-tier. She had found something to do on her own: teaching a group of cute little Umas English.
"Alright, follow me now! To come is 'COME,' to go is 'GO,' nod for 'YES,' shake for 'NO'~~" Taiki Shuttle was acting as an English teacher.
"Come is 'COME,' go is 'GO,' nod for 'YES,' shake for 'NO'~~" The group of young Uma Musume wagged their tails, repeating after her in milky voices. It was devastatingly cute.
"Excellent! You guys are amazing!" Taiki was having the time of her life.
When Mizuki arrived, Taiki greeted them with her classic bear-hug routine. However, it was already 1:00 PM. She had to go check in early, as the Shinzan Kinen race was scheduled for 3:45 PM. Despite being reluctant to leave and wanting to chat more, time waited for no one.
Mizuki nodded and apologized for being late. Taiki laughed it off, saying it was no problem, and waved goodbye.
But there was a catch: she actually left the group of little girls in their care.
Mizuki was stunned. Was she a babysitter now?
[Finally met up with Taiki Shuttle. Her race starts at 3:45 PM.]
[But she left, and left me with a pile of little children. How did I end up as a babysitter?!]
[Forget it, I've already settled on my persona for today...]
[Age thirty-eight, divorced with two kids.]
[Speaking of which, these little girls really love clinging to your legs. Every step I take feels like I'm dragging luggage.]
[I asked for their names.]
[One particularly lively one said her name is Equinox. Why does that sound so familiar? Is she some kind of powerhouse?]
[I probably remembered wrong. I don't think Equinox was in the Season 3 trailer...]
Mizuki was very confused, she still thought Equinox belonged to the same era as Kitasan Black.
[But this little Equinox is quite smart!]
[She was playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with another little girl. She made up a rule: if she won, she would call the other girl 'little sister,' but if she lost, the other girl got to call her 'big sister.']
[Good grief. This other little girl, apparently named Panthalassa, clearly couldn't wrap her head around the logic. She was being swindled left and right by Equinox.]
[I saw Panthalassa win the Rock-Paper-Scissors, she was overjoyed, put her hands on her hips, and happily called Equinox 'Big Sister.']
[Meanwhile, that cheeky brat Equinox turned her head away to sneak a laugh.]
[I couldn't hold it in either. Panthalassa, you certainly won the start, but it's such a pity— you got played in the end.]
[I declare: Equinox wins this encounter!~~]
Seeing this, a whole crowd of people lost it.
"Hahaha! This kid is way too smart!"
When Kitasan Black saw this, she died of laughter. But she was also curious, seeing the name "Equinox" gave her a strange feeling of closeness.
Why was that?
Little Kita couldn't figure it out, so she just kept reading, hoping she would grow up soon so she could get to Tracen Academy. Her maturation must be coming soon, right?
At Tracen Academy:
"Whoa, I almost got tripped up by Equinox's logic myself! Taishin, Hayahide, look! This kid is terrifying, isn't she?!" Winning Ticket suddenly felt this child was not to be trifled with.
However, Narita Taishin just looked speechless.
'It was one thing for a little kid like Panthalassa to get confused, but why were you, you idiot, getting confused too? We are full-grown Uma Musume!'
But even Taishin let out a rare smile as she read. That little Equinox, sneaking a laugh after tricking someone— she was a real handful, a total rascal. Taishin actually kind of wanted to meet her.
'Equinox, huh? I wonder if she'll come to Tracen later. Even Trainer Mizuki said she might be a powerhouse, maybe she really will be incredible in the future.'
Mizuki's log continued:
[Played with them for a bit longer until their teacher called them to assemble. They all said their goodbyes.]
[We checked the time, if we head over now, we'll be just in time for Taiki Shuttle's race.]
[Equinox knows I'm a Tracen Trainer, she even cutely said she'd join our Spica in the future.]
[I agreed immediately. Is this what they call a lucky find? Recruiting Horse Girls at Tracen isn't easy— sometimes you have to spend a fortune on ads. I just stumbled into one, this has to be a massive win, right?]