The barbecue party lasted until late into the night.
By the time they returned to their rooms, everyone was thoroughly exhausted. Dyna barely managed to rinse her mouth before collapsing stiffly onto the bed. At last, her muscles were able to relax, and the tide of fatigue washed over her, leaving her staring blankly at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.
"Honestly, you went wild before your sleep schedule had even adjusted. Of course you're tired," Cody's Wish said, seated at the bedside. She guided Dyna's head into her lap, her fingers playing gently with Dyna's hair.
Strands of chestnut hair were woven into different shapes, and the repeated brushing over her cheeks left a faint ticklish sensation. It kept Dyna from drifting off, so she suddenly stretched both arms upward, wrapped them around Cody's Wish's waist, and buried her face in the soft warmth of her chest.
"I'm so tired… Cody's Wish, hug me…"
"All right, all right. A hug it is. Get some proper rest, okay?" Cody's Wish laughed helplessly, though not a sound escaped her lips.
Lately, Dyna had been acting more and more childishly at times like this, and Cody's Wish had noticed it. But she did not dislike it. Every time Dyna clung to her, it stirred a strange feeling in her chest. In a way, this was how a horse girl of Dyna's age ought to be.
Willful. Bright. Lively. A little unreasonable.
That was how most horse girls of this age behaved. Someone as prematurely mature as Dyna was rare—and even then, that maturity was usually the product of outside pressures. It was only maturity in the way they themselves imagined it to be.
Cody's Wish's embrace was warm, especially in a room where the sea breeze drifted in through the open window. Before long, Dyna fell asleep against her.
Smiling faintly, Cody's Wish carefully eased her down onto the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and lay beside her.
Dyna immediately curled against her again and held on tightly.
"Tch."
A faintly envious click of the tongue came from nearby.
Without even looking, Cody's Wish knew Sea the Stars was standing at the bedside, glaring at the sight of Dyna sleeping beside her.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you want to try something like this too?" Cody's Wish teased.
Sea the Stars moved to the window as if the matter were beneath her, bracing both hands on the sill. "Not at all. Sleeping with someone is embarrassing enough, and it looks exhausting. I really don't understand why you enjoy it."
If there was one hard thing about Sea the Stars, it was her mouth. Though if one kissed it, one would discover that it was quite soft after all.
"You're obviously jealous, aren't you? Really, Sea the Stars, you're terribly bad at being honest. If you care that much about Dyna, why not just say it plainly? If you keep hiding everything, you'll end up regretting the things you never did."
Cody's Wish knew the value of the present precisely because she had experienced loss before. Sea the Stars, on the other hand, had not yet been taught that lesson.
Though that was not entirely true.
Sea the Stars had once stood on the edge of losing someone important. Before the Arc, her mother had fallen critically ill and been rushed into emergency treatment. She had hovered between life and death for a full day and night. When Sea the Stars received the news, she had nearly blacked out on the Longchamp stage itself.
Still, she had adjusted. She had won the Arc. She had completed the mother-daughter legend.
And afterward, perhaps because of that brush with mortality—and perhaps because there were still races she had not won—Sea the Stars retired on the spot. She had rushed straight to the hospital to care for her mother.
To her surprise, Galileo had arrived even earlier and had been taking care of their mother properly.
"Don't underestimate me just because of how I usually act," Galileo had said back then, lightly smacking Sea the Stars on the head with a rolled-up newspaper. "I'm still your older sister. My achievements may not shine as brightly as yours, but I was the star of the Sea the Stars family too."
It was the one time Sea the Stars had not bickered back. She had simply sat primly beside the hospital bed until their mother, Sea the Stars, finally spoke up and made Galileo stop.
Because of Galileo's usual womanizing, Sea the Stars had almost forgotten that she really was the older sister—the one who would become the pillar of the family if their mother ever left them.
And in that instant, Sea the Stars had truly considered that possibility.
It terrified her.
Remembering all of it now, she shook her head so abruptly she nearly knocked it against the window frame.
"I won't regret anything. Not even losing my debut race. That was my own bad decision. There's no such thing as a remedy for regret, and I know that better than anyone. That's exactly why I don't indulge in it."
She always liked to act strong in front of others. Watching her now, Cody's Wish only smiled and shook her head. It was normal. The version of Sea the Stars in Dyna's mind only retained memories up to the Arc; she had no idea what kind of life lay beyond that.
Cody's Wish herself had no interest in what sort of horse girl she might become in the future. Her own story still had another ten years to run. She was a horse girl who transcended time, and that was why the soul of her power could be passed on to Dyna.
"Fine, you're very strong. But you should still take it easy on yourself sometimes. Dyna's mental landscape has been a lot more stable lately. It really does seem like just being in Japan puts some invisible pressure on her."
"We could always persuade her to leave Japan behind and stay in Europe," Sea the Stars said. There was a trace of selfishness in the suggestion. She wanted Dyna to remain in Europe… and perhaps even stay close to her current self.
She wanted Dyna to become one of the Sea the Stars family.
At least, she thought that might be what she wanted.
When had that thought first taken root? A month ago? Or had it already been there the first time they met?
She did not know.
But she did know this: she liked Dyna.
First as a friend. Then as someone dear. And now… perhaps as something more.
Cody's Wish had no idea what was passing through Sea the Stars's mind. Cody's Wish truly only had Dyna. To her, there was nothing else in the world that mattered. Dyna was her life itself.
Without Dyna, there would be no Cody's Wish in this world.
Late into the night, Sea the Stars sat on the windowsill in a wild, almost watchful pose. Cody's Wish and Dyna had fallen asleep leaning against each other. She alone remained awake, like a guardian spirit perched above them.
June was supposed to be a month of freedom.
For Frankel, however, there was one unpleasant wrinkle: her trainer had informed her that she still had another race to run in July.
That news shattered her good mood to pieces.
The Sussex Stakes.
A mile race at Goodwood, right in Frankel's comfort zone. She had every confidence she would win it and make it eight straight. But—
She was unhappy.
If she went off to run the Sussex, it meant leaving this place for at least half a month. To Frankel, being unable to see Dyna for even half a month was worse than a death sentence.
After all, in Frankel's mind, the two of them were already like a sweet young couple in the throes of first love—utterly inseparable, unable to live without one another.
So yes, Frankel had absolutely thought about refusing the race. But whenever she considered the situation with the Dubai royal family, she could only sigh.
She had to go.
Still, she could at least arrange her schedule carefully. She would make sure that the moment the race ended, she could skip the tedious ceremonies and interviews and fly straight back here.
The sooner, the better.
Of course, the above description of their relationship existed only in Frankel's own head. Dyna had known her for less than two days. But it was hardly strange for someone to indulge in fantasies under those circumstances.
Treve, after hearing the news, showed almost no expression on the surface. She calmly wished Frankel success in collecting her eighth straight victory.
Inside, however, she was ecstatic.
At last. Frankel would finally be gone for a while. She laughed to herself.
Surely Frankel would not be able to harass Dyna from the racecourse, would she? That meant Dyna would be hers. Half a month alone together—nearly half as long as the time she had once spent with Dyna in France.
It was glorious.
At the beach, Dyna listened to the conversation and removed her sunglasses.
"A race in July? Then take care not to overheat, okay? I don't really know much about British summer temperatures… but being careful about heat is always a good idea. I won't even be here myself for part of that time."
"When I get back, I can see you off, then?" Frankel suggested.
Dyna thought the phrase "see you off" sounded a little odd, but shrugged it off. It was only a race. Frankel would go, return with eight straight victories, and come back here.
"Then I'll see you off when you go," Dyna said.
Frankel's eyes widened. "You're leaving too?"
It had never occurred to her that Dyna might leave before she returned. That meant she could end up going a full month without seeing Dyna. The thought was unbearable.
Dyna smiled. "I'm going to meet someone a friend asked me to see. It's a secret, so I can't tell you."
Her tone was mysterious, and she meant it.
If Frankel found out she was going to see Sea the Stars, she would surely insist on tagging along. Better to keep that knowledge to herself. It was a hidden card; there was no need for anyone else to know.
Well, except perhaps the original owner of the soul of power herself. If it was possible for Sea the Stars to meet her real self… that would certainly be interesting.
Still, she had no idea whether a horse girl could speak to the living owner of her own horse soul.
In any case, Frankel was busy preparing for her race.
And after waiting one extra day, Dyna set out on her own little journey as well.
Her navigator, naturally, was Sea the Stars.
Assuming she did not make a mistake, she should be able to guide Dyna straight to her own house.
At least, that was the theory.
Standing in a packed city bus, however, Dyna had serious doubts.
"I'm sure it was this direction… no, wait. I've never actually been here. Where exactly is this bus even going?"
Listening to Sea the Stars mutter uncertainly in her ear, Dyna did not even have a free hand to press to her forehead.
For some reason, this stretch of road was so crowded that hailing a private car was impossible until they reached a stop with more space. Worse, the bus was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, and the crush of bodies was deeply unpleasant.
Experiencing rush-hour commuting once was enough to make Dyna swear she never wanted to repeat it. At moments like this, she felt her self-employed life had been a very good choice.
Finally, at the next stop, the crowd thinned enough for her to squeeze off the bus. The moment she breathed open air again, she felt a little better.
Following Sea the Stars's directions, she booked a car on her phone and made her way to the train station. All the communication with the driver had to be handled through Sea the Stars, since Dyna's English was abysmal. Thankfully, having a live translator in her head made the whole process manageable.
Once she had bought a ticket and found a seat on the train, Dyna leaned back and sighed.
"Private cars really are better… why are there so many people everywhere?"
"That's not really true. A car would have taken longer. The train is the fastest option," Sea the Stars replied.
At that moment, another horse girl sat down beside Dyna.
She looked utterly exhausted: dressed in office wear, hollow-eyed behind round glasses, with deep dark circles under her eyes. Her eyelids were already drooping.
She hugged a briefcase to her chest, rested her chin against it, and nearly fell asleep on the spot.
Worried for her safety, Dyna gave her shoulder a gentle nudge.
"Excuse me? It's not safe to fall asleep like that…"
"Huh? Ah—thank you, thank you."
The office worker jolted awake, placed her case on the rack overhead, and slapped her own cheeks a few times to wake herself up.
Watching her, Dyna only felt her impression of salarywomen deepen.
"Where are you headed? I can wake you when we get there. You look like what you need most right now is a little sleep."
At first the woman looked reluctant to answer, but something about Dyna's presence radiated trust. In the end, she told her.
It turned out they were getting off at the same station.
"In that case, I'll wake you when we arrive. Get some rest, okay?"
"Mm… thank you so much. I've been working until two in the morning every night this week, and now I'm on a business trip. I'm dying…"
She had not even finished speaking before she slipped into an incredibly deep sleep.
Watching her, Dyna murmured, "Looks like office life is even more brutal than I imagined."
Really, though, wasn't that closer to the reality most horse girls lived? Horse girls were the smallest minority within their own species, yet they shone the brightest.
"Oh, right. Sea the Stars?"
"Mm? What is it?"
"Does this count as meeting the parents?"
The question was so sudden that even Sea the Stars, who had absorbed plenty of Eastern cultural concepts, nearly choked.
But the more she thought about it…
Dyna did have a point. By certain standards, this really did count as meeting the parents.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 147)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter185)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 185
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/1
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/23
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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