Myriad Dreams unwrapped a fresh piece of gum, popped it into her mouth, and chewed listlessly.
At that moment, the broadcast echoed throughout the stadium.
"Next up is the 11th race at the Tokyo Racecourse."
"Entering the track now is Gate 8, Number 12— Silence Suzuka! She sits at the top of the polls, the number one favorite!"
Just as the commentator finished, Silence Suzuka deftly pulled off her jacket and tossed it aside in a clean, stylish motion.
"The number one favorite!" Special Week's eyes sparkled, her face written with pure admiration.
Myriad Dreams, however, had a slightly different focus.
Watching Silence Suzuka finish her cool toss only to silently go back and pick the jacket up, she couldn't help but snark internally.
'I know it's a pre-race tradition to show off... but throwing it then picking it up yourself... isn't that process a bit...'
Right then, a sudden scream erupted from beside her: "AH!!!"
Myriad Dreams turned to see a man in casual clothes, a lollipop hanging from his mouth, rubbing Special Week's legs while muttering: "The leg development is quite good. As they say, nothing is impossible for a plump Uma Musume."
"Wha-Wha-What are you doing?!"
Terrified, Special Week delivered a kick straight to the man's face, sending him flying several meters back.
After being kicked several meters away, the man didn't move an inch.
Thinking she had caused a disaster, Special Week was about to step forward to check on him.
"Hey, excuse me."
To her surprise, the man climbed back up as if nothing had happened. Instead, he approached even more excitedly.
"Great power! Which stable are you from? What's your height? Weight? Truly perfect potential!"
"How incredibly rude!" Special Week backed away several steps, looking wary. "Just like Mama said, the city is full of perverts!"
"A pervert? I'm just assessing your potential!" The man looked innocent.
"You're definitely one of those guys who uses 'helping you debut' as a line to trick girls! I'm not interested!"
Having said that, Special Week immediately grabbed Myriad Dreams's hand.
"Myriad Dreams-san, let's go! Don't pay any attention to this creep!"
Myriad Dreams looked at the man, hesitating to speak. She recognized him— Trainer Okino, the trainer of Team Spica.
He had the skills, but whenever he saw a talented Uma Musume, he couldn't resist putting his hands on their legs to test their aptitude.
(T/N: I chose to go with the fanon-name of "Okino" for Spica's Trainer unlike my other translated novel. If you'd prefer the other translation, let me know)
Ultimately, Myriad Dreams said nothing and let Special Week pull her away.
At that moment, the broadcast rang out again:
"Welcome to the Twinkle Series, the massive event that involves the entire nation."
"Which Uma Musume will ultimately claim the championship?"
"Your live commentary is provided by me, Akasaka, and our guest, Miss Hosoe."
"Miss Hosoe, a pleasure to have you."
"The pleasure is mine."
"As expected, the focus remains on Silence Suzuka. The race is about to begin."
"Athletes, to your marks!"
While Special Week was still looking around, Trainer Okino approached again.
"It's you!"
"Why are you here again!" Special Week jumped back a step in fright.
"Looking at you, this must be your first time watching a race, right? And that outfit... you're from the countryside, aren't you?"
"So what if I'm from the countryside?" Special Week puffed out her chest defiantly. "I promised my Mama I'd become the best Uma Musume in Japan!"
Hearing this, Okino smiled slightly.
"Then what do you think the 'Best Uma Musume in Japan' looks like?"
Special Week was momentarily speechless, unable to answer.
Just then, the race began, and all the Uma Musume burst from the gates.
"Silence Suzuka takes the lead immediately!" the commentator shouted excitedly.
"So fast! Amazing!" Special Week marveled.
"Her running form is magnificent— simply perfect, just like I taught her!" Trainer Okino said proudly.
On the track, Silence Suzuka ran faster and faster, clocking 1,000 meters in just 57.8 seconds, eventually crossing the finish line with a massive lead.
"The winner is Silence Suzuka, claiming victory with an overwhelming margin!"
The entire audience erupted.
While Special Week was still marveling at the fact that "there's a competitor as strong as Silence Suzuka out there," Okino crouched down again, preparing to touch Special Week's legs once more.
This time, Myriad Dreams noticed in advance and kicked him away.
"Even if you are a trainer, isn't such a direct testing method a bit unbecoming?" Myriad Dreams said flatly.
The sent-flying Okino didn't get angry, instead, he laughed loudly.
"I didn't expect to run into two Uma Musume with the potential to become legends in a single day!"
"Let's go, Myriad Dreams!" Special Week pulled her, ready to leave.
Just then, Okino shouted from behind, "Aren't you going to watch? The Winning Stage after the race."
Myriad Dreams originally wanted to refuse, as they were already late for check-in, but as soon as Special Week heard the words "Winning Stage," her eyes lit up.
She looked at Myriad Dreams with an expectant gaze: "Myriad Dreams-san, let's just watch for a little bit! Just a tiny bit!"
Looking into Special Week's sparkling eyes, Myriad Dreams let out a helpless sigh.
"Fine, just for a moment."
On the Winning Stage, the victorious Uma Musume performed in the center while the other competitors danced as backups.
Myriad Dreams's mind wasn't on the show at all, she was busy thinking about how to explain their lateness to the academy.
Seeing Myriad Dreams looking downcast, Special Week asked curiously, "Myriad Dreams-san, what's wrong? Why so gloomy? The stage is so beautiful, and look how excited everyone is!"
Myriad Dreams gave a helpless smile.
"Special Week, did you forget we have something important to do?"
"Something important? Eh? EEEEEEHHHHH!!!!! We're late for enrollment!" Special Week finally cried out in realization.