A few days later, Myriad Dreams was pulled out of Tracen Academy by Gold Ship, still feeling half-dubious about the whole thing.
After all, the other girl had sworn up and down that there was a "very important banquet," and while Myriad harbored suspicions, she didn't want to miss out on something official.
However, the moment Gold Ship brought her before a magnificent, sprawling classical manor, the alarm bells in Myriad Dreams' heart went off instantly.
This didn't look like an ordinary meeting venue at all.
"Young lady, you've returned."
An elderly butler, dressed in a sharp suit and possessing impeccable manners, bowed respectfully to Gold Ship.
"Mm-hmm, I've brought a friend back to hang out." Gold Ship waved her hand dismissively and pulled the stiffened Myriad Dreams into the labyrinthine interior of the manor.
In the manor's opulent living room, several Uma Musume were already present.
Myriad Dreams focused her eyes, and her heart skipped a beat: There was the wildly charismatic Orfevre, the rebellious-eyed Stay Gold, and Nakayama Festa, who sat quietly to the side.
Every single one of them was a famous Uma Musume from the Gold family!
"Um... Ship-chan," Myriad Dreams whispered, tugging on Gold Ship's sleeve and lowering her voice, "Didn't you say this was an important 'banquet'? What exactly is...?"
Gold Ship answered loudly, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "That's right! A family gathering— is that not important?"
"A... family gathering?!!"
Myriad Dreams nearly jumped in shock. "But I-I'm not a member of the Gold family!"
"You clearly are!" Gold Ship put her hands on her hips, her tone as definitive as if she were stating a universal truth.
At that moment, Orfevre, who had been resting with her eyes closed on the sofa, opened them.
She stood up and walked toward Myriad Dreams with elegant yet oppressive strides.
Tilting her head slightly, her eyes scrutinized Myriad from head to toe.
"Oh? So you're the one Ship-chan keeps babbling about... the 'new family member' who was lost out in the world?"
Intimidated by her aura, Myriad Dreams hurriedly waved her hands to explain:
"No, no! I think there must be a misunderstanding! My mothers aren't part of the Gold family..."
Before she could finish, Orfevre suddenly leaned in, sniffed lightly near her neck, then straightened up.
She spoke in a tone that brooked no argument: "Hmph. The scent doesn't lie. That's the blood of the Gold family."
"Eh?!!" Myriad Dreams was utterly bewildered. "Y-You can tell just by smelling?!"
'What kind of miraculous family talent was this?'
While she was still in shock, she suddenly felt a slight tug on her tail, accompanied by a sharp pinch.
"OW—!!!"
Myriad Dreams cried out in pain and spun around.
Stay Gold had somehow slipped behind her and was gently nipping the tip of her tail with her teeth, squinting as if she were appraising a fine vintage.
"What are you doing?! That hurts!"
Myriad Dreams quickly rescued her tail and rubbed it ruefully, glaring at this eccentric senior with a wronged expression.
Stay Gold, however, didn't care at all.
Instead, she stroked her chin and nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm... this texture, this flavor... though it's faint, it's definitely a brat from our house. No mistake."
"Eh?! Identifying someone by biting their tail?!"
Myriad Dreams was completely shell-shocked.
Even though she had indeed inherited factors originating from Gold Ship, she never expected the Gold family's way of recognizing kin to be so... unconventional!
Only the quiet Nakayama Festa nodded silently from the side, seemingly approving of this method of identification.
As Stay Gold announced the start of the party, this so-called "family gathering" quickly revealed its true colors.
Aside from Nakayama Festa, who maintained an elegant silence throughout, Gold Ship, Stay Gold, Orfevre, and Dream Journey were each more rowdy than the last.
Their conversations were wildly erratic, one moment they were arguing until they were red in the face over card game rules, and the next they were performing all sorts of absurd "cheating" maneuvers during a board game.
The entire living room was filled with a noisy yet inexplicably joyful atmosphere.
Myriad Dreams was forcibly swept into the chaos.
One moment she was dragged into a card game, the next she was pushed into a chess match.
She felt more exhausted than if she had trained for a whole day straight.
Finally making it to the end of the gathering, she dragged her worn-out body and soul out of the Gold Manor gates.
Looking at the distant silhouette of Tracen Academy, Myriad Dreams let out a long, deep sigh.
"Next time... I'm never believing Gold Ship's nonsense again!"