After she was saved by the sudden appearance of Akikawa Yayoi, Sakura still held tightly to her hood even after walking a long way, glancing back every now and then, as if afraid that an experienced driver would suddenly jump out from behind.
Rudolf Symboli couldn't possibly have done this kind of thing, but Sakura Baimu wasn't so sure about Maruzensky.
After all, this was the kind of person who dared to drag the chairman's secretary, Ms. Junkawa Tazuna, to the bar until the last train left, forcing Tazuna to take her beloved car "Ta-chan" for a late-night high-speed drive with the accelerator floored.
Sakura Baimu was never surprised by anything Maruzensky did.
"Ha ha!"
Chairman Akikawa saw Sakura Baimu's appearance and laughed heartily twice.
"They've gone so far, they won't catch up. Sakura, what are you still worried about?"
"I'm afraid Miss Maruzensky might suddenly appear…" Sakura Baimu replied helplessly.
"By the way, Yayoi, why are you still at school so late? Haven't you gone home?"
"Well~ who knows~" Akikawa Yayoi didn't explain, glancing to the side.
"Could it be that every time I come to school, you're actually watching over me from inside the school, Yayoi?"
Sakura Baimu felt that things couldn't possibly be such a coincidence. Just then, she was caught red-handed by Rudolf Symboli and the others, and Akikawa Yayoi appeared to help her out.
"It was just a coincidence, didn't I say?" Akikawa Yayoi reached out and stroked the cow cat on its head. The kitten seemed to enjoy her touch and purred contentedly.
As the two were talking, they arrived at the chairman's office inside the school.
"Sakura, you can sleep here tonight. There's no bed available, so you'll have to make do for now. You can go back tomorrow morning."
"Uh, I'm really sorry to have troubled you, Yayoi…" Sakura Baimu was suddenly touched and quickly took her bag and started rummaging through her things.
After rummaging around for a while, Sakura Baimu found a can of cat food in her bag.
Akikawa Yayoi's cats mostly lie on her hat, but there are exceptions, such as when Sakura Baimu takes out a can of cat food.
The little black and white cat's eyes lit up the moment it saw Sakura Baimu take out a can of cat food. It let out a clear "meow" and jumped to Sakura Baimu's side, rubbing against her ankles.
Sakura Baimu opened the can of cat food and placed it at her feet. The kitten immediately buried its head in it and happily began to eat.
"It's nothing, why did you have to bring anything?"
Although Akikawa Yayoi said this, she was clearly very happy. She looked at the kitten happily eating with doting eyes and remarked:
"By the way, she only gets this happy when she sees the canned food you take out, even when I buy the same brand, it doesn't have the same effect. Why is that?"
"Haha, maybe she's just happier to see me," Sakura Baimu laughed.
"By the way, Sakura, what were you doing at school today for practice?"
"The Takarazuka Kinen for Teiō and McQueen is coming up soon. There's a steep slope in the Takarazuka Kinen, similar to the one on the school track, so I'm looking for the most efficient way to climb it."
"McQueen and Teiō are so lucky to have such a dedicated trainer!"
Akikawa Yayoi's lovely young face showed an envious expression as she sighed softly.
But when she saw Sakura Baimu look up at her, she immediately dropped her envious expression and put on a sweet smile.
Sakura Baimu hesitated for a long time before finally swallowing back the words that were on the tip of her tongue: "If you're envious, I'll be your trainer."
She could tell that Akikawa Yayoi was deliberately hiding her Umamusume identity. Now was clearly not a suitable time to speak.
Sakura Baimu's main concern was that the harmonious relationship between the two would be disrupted because she discovered that Akikawa Yayoi was an Umamusume.
She stared at Akikawa Yayoi for a while, and unconsciously muttered, "She's so small..."
"Huh? What did you say, Sakura?" Akikawa Yayoi turned to look at her.
"Nothing..."
Sakura Baimu gave a perfunctory reply, lowered her head, and turned her gaze back to the kitten at her feet.
But at that moment, Sakura Baimu suddenly felt a gentle touch on her ear.
She slowly looked up and saw Akikawa Yayoi, who was curiously touching her ear.
"I'm curious!"
"Sakura, how do you usually hide your ears? Why can't we see your ears when you're at school?" Akikawa Yayoi asked.
"Oh, I can make my ears disappear normally," Sakura Baimu said jokingly.
"Wow, that's amazing." Akikawa Yayoi replied with a smile, then reached out and patted Sakura Baimu's shoulder gently, "Get some rest, you have the morning to rest tomorrow."
"Yayoi too."
Akikawa Yayoi nodded, picked up the kitten that had finished its canned food, placed it back on her hat, and then walked to the door to leave.
But then she suddenly remembered something and gently turned her head to look at Sakura Baimu.
"Sakura, you only have two years left on your suspension. Time flies, and you'll be back on the track soon."
"Perhaps," Sakura Baimu said with a smile. "If I enjoy being a trainer, I might not return to the track."
"It's alright, I'll take care of your identity issue. Just do what you like."
"Okay, we'll talk about it later," Sakura Baimu said with a smile.
"Good night."
"Goodnight, Yayoi."
After saying that, Sakura Baimu lay down on the sofa in the office, and Akikawa Yayoi turned off the office lights and gently closed the door.
--
The following morning, Sakura Baimu was awakened from her long-awaited sleep by Akikawa Yayoi, who had come to the school.
After changing into her usual trainer clothes in Akikawa Yayoi's office, she left.
Sakura Baimu went home, took a shower, put everything away, changed her clothes, and went to school for lunch.
Umamusumes have classes in the morning, and formal training begins in the afternoon.
After waiting for her four members to arrive in the activity room, Sakura Baimu placed the Takarazuka Kinen guide she had prepared in front of Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen.
"The difficulty of the Takarazuka Kinen lies in the steep uphill section before the finish line. This slope is twice as steep as the one McQueen took on the Tenno Sho (Spring), and there are two uphill sections in total."
"I've figured out the fastest way to go uphill. You and Teiō take a look, and we'll go practice in a bit."