"Good morning, Tokyo!"
After returning to Japan, Glory Dyna was in an almost absurdly high-spirited state. Strictly speaking, her energy probably should not have been wasted on trivial things like this, but she felt as if she had more than enough to spare.
There was barely any real work for her at the bakery now. All she had to do was sit in the shop and act as the mascot, so she had simply moved her laptop downstairs from her bedroom and spent her days watching videos, dramas, and browsing forums. Before she knew it, an entire day would be gone.
Maybe life had gotten a little too easy?
Still, Dyna liked days like this.
Because her summer training camp had already covered, and even overfulfilled, much of the work planned for September and October, she could afford to be this relaxed. Otherwise, her life would still be the same as the first half of the year—going back and forth between the shop and Tracen for training every single day.
Ding-ling!
The bell above the shop door rang.
As usual, Dyna lifted her eyes from the screen. It was her small way of showing respect to every customer who walked in. This time, though, when she glanced up, she did not see anyone at first. It was only when her gaze shifted downward that she spotted Camellia.
"Oh Little Lian Come here, let me hug you."
Dyna smiled warmly. She was genuinely delighted to see the little girl. From the time they first met to the point where Camellia had become a regular at the shop, Dyna had already started seeing her as a little sister.
As for the way Camellia always brought up "Big Sis Orfevre"…
Well. Selective deafness was a very useful skill.
In Dyna's mind, Camellia only needed Big Sis Dyna, Big Sis Gold Ship, Big Sis Nakayama Festa, Big Sis Gold Journey, and Big Sis Dream Journey.
She absolutely did not need to learn from that orange-cat-like gremlin Orfevre how to snarl at other horse girls all day. The last thing Dyna wanted was for such a cute little girl to grow crooked like that.
If Dyna ever noticed signs of it, she would absolutely storm the Gold household and give Orfevre a thorough lesson.
What kind of rotten influence was that on a child?
Even at Tracen, that kind of thing ought to count as a crime.
Camellia, meanwhile, instantly melted in Dyna's embrace.
She had never gotten this sort of feeling from Gold Journey, Dream Journey, or Nakayama Festa. Gold Ship did not count—she was too wild to catch in the first place. And as for Orfevre, there was no comparison.
Warm, soft, and fragrant.
That was everything Camellia could feel while pressed against Dyna.
Oh, and—
There was one more thing.
Something different from before Dyna went abroad.
"Big Sis Dyna… did you get skinny from being hungry in England?"
Camellia tilted her head up, wanting to see Dyna's reddish-brown eyes, but her attempt failed because her face ended up pressed into those overwhelming mountains on Dyna's chest instead. Even her ears were being squashed flat against her head. It felt oddly sour.
Dyna burst out laughing.
That reaction drew the attention of the other staff, but she waved lightly for them to keep working before asking, "What makes you think I starved in England?"
She had heard that more than once now. Did it really look that obvious?
Then again, with that kind of training intensity, it would not be strange if she looked slimmer. Even though she had eaten a lot, it probably still had not been enough to keep up with the physical drain.
Camellia thought very seriously before answering, "Because… your tummy turned hard."
"?!"At the register, Oguri Cap's eyes remained fixed on her phone screen, but her ears shot straight up.
She may not have caught the whole conversation, but she definitely heard the phrase "your stomach turned hard."
And with that, Oguri Cap's mind immediately launched into a horrifying spiral.
Could it be—
Had the boss gotten pregnant in England?!
Her world nearly collapsed.
The treasured cabbage they had protected so carefully at home had been ruined the moment she went overseas? Oguri had never touched a pregnant woman's stomach before, but surely it would not stay soft, right…?
Which goddamned British bastard had dared lay hands on her beloved boss?!
Oguri's ears drooped.
Dyna, meanwhile, laughed again. "Oh, that." She used her finger to lightly trace the shape of her abdomen through her clothes. "A hard stomach is actually a good thing. It means you've gotten stronger and your body's drawn out even more of its potential, so you can beat more horse girls on the track."
Oguri Cap instantly relaxed.
Oh. So it was that.
She had abs herself, after all. She could not even remember when they first showed up—maybe back in Kasamatsu under Kitahara's training? Somehow they had stayed with her all the way into retirement, no matter how little she exercised compared to before. Other girls said defined abs added to your beauty. Oguri did not really get it.
All she knew was that no matter how much she ate, her figure never went out of shape.
"Wow. Then can I have them too? They look so cool!"
Camellia's eyes lit up, only for Dyna to firmly flick her on the forehead.
"You? Right now, what you need to do is eat properly and exercise in moderation so your body can grow well. Once you hit one fifty-five, then you can start thinking about training abs. Until then, just focus on growing up."
Dyna said that because she honestly did not believe Camellia would ever reach 155 centimeters.
Horse girls generally stopped growing around elementary or middle school age. Whatever height you were around then usually stuck for life. Exceptionally rare cases existed, of course, but Dyna had never seen one herself.
She did not think Camellia was the sort of girl who would suddenly shoot up during her prime growth phase.
In fact, Dyna had always encouraged her in a different way. Unlike the naturally gifted monsters at Central Tracen, Dyna did not see any notable racing talent in Camellia. If she really chose the path of becoming a horse girl racer, she would probably get beaten so badly by the others that she would not know east from west.
Even so, if this was the road she wanted to take, that passion still mattered.
That was why Dyna kept encouraging her to keep following her own wishes. After all, even if she never won a single race, graduating from Tracen would still guarantee Camellia a good future through the Gold family's backing.
Who knew? She might even debut as an idol instead.
And honestly, her chances of becoming a top star were probably not small. The slightly crooked blaze on her face gave her a uniquely adorable charm.
"Hmph. Big Sis Dyna's so mean… But I do eat properly! I don't pick at my food. I eat everything!"
Camellia covered the red spot on her forehead and protested, only to immediately throw herself at the next person who came through the door when the bell rang again.
Nakayama Festa caught her with a helpless expression and then looked over at Dyna.
"Yo. Long time no see."
Her hands were full, so all she could do was greet her with a tilt of the head.
Dyna waved back. "Long time no see, Festa. Have your races been going well lately?"
The words slipped out before she could stop them, and she immediately felt something was off.
Maybe she had been influenced too much by Van Gogh. That kind of sharp remark came out so naturally now.
Because yes—Dyna had been following Festa's recent results, and… well, things had not exactly been smooth.
"They've gone all right, I guess. I'm probably getting close to the end of my career now. After I run the Arc this year, I'll probably start thinking seriously about retirement." Festa smiled—a rare sight on her usually cool, unreadable face. "Last year I only managed second, and that still sticks with me. So this year, I'm aiming for the win."
"Then… Festa, good luck!"
"Of course. I won my gamble on you last time, so this time I'll gamble on myself." She took a box of Pocky from her pocket, broke it open, and held it out to Dyna. "Want one?"
Dyna did not refuse. She pulled out a stick and held it between her lips while looking at Festa.
She thought for a moment, trying to come up with something elegant or impressive to say, but failed. So instead she asked, "This year… are you heading to Longchamp without anyone going along with you?"
"Hmm? What, are you planning to come to France with me?" Festa laughed. It was clearly a joke.
"Uh… that would be pretty hard, wouldn't it? I only just came back from England, and I still have the Kikuka Sho at the end of October…"
"Relax, I'm kidding. My trainer's going with me. Just the two of us."
As she said that, she lifted the snack box slightly, though her gaze dropped a little.
This time, Festa had already realized what kind of monsters she would be facing in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. There was one in particular she could not ignore—because she had raced against her before, back at the end of the previous year.
Even if that encounter had ended in a crushing defeat, the fact that that horse had since gone on a G1 winning streak made it impossible to dismiss her. Dan Shanmeng would be the most dangerous dark horse in this year's Arc.
Still… whatever came, came.
Festa was done worrying herself sick before the race even started.
"Anyway, Little Lian missed you, so I brought her by." She pulled an envelope stuffed with cash from her pocket and set it down. "I'm heading back to the academy to pack, so I'm leaving her with you for now. I'll come get her this afternoon after school."
Nakayama Festa had barely taken a step away before Dyna was already setting the envelope aside to return later. Back when Festa had sent money to support her Arc campaign, she still had not repaid that kindness. There was no way she was going to accept more money from her over something this small.
For all Orfevre had left a terrible impression on her, Dyna could not deny that the Gold family had also helped her in her most difficult days.
In that sense, her relationship with "Gold" really was both blessing and curse.
Still, looking at the bright side, most of the Gold family were friendly to her.
That said, what Dyna wanted to develop now was her connection with the Mejiro family, and also the rising Satono family.
You could not keep all your eggs in one basket.
Both Mejiro and Satono could become firm backing for her if the Gold side ever became troublesome.
"Maybe… I should get the Mejiro family involved in expanding the food business? Everyone knows Mejiro McQueen loves sweets. Maybe we could even open up a whole new area through that…"
She handed her phone over to Camellia so the little girl could watch cartoons, while Dyna herself used the laptop to keep researching.
The longer Oguri Cap watched the two of them, the stronger one feeling became.
At the very beginning, she had already sensed it—that Dyna felt like the kind of horse girl who could have become her mother.
And as time passed, that feeling had only grown stronger.
Now, with Camellia happily watching cartoons on one side while Dyna sat tapping away at her laptop on the other, the impression reached its peak.
"A single divorced mother."
The phrase popped into Oguri Cap's mind without warning.
"Strange. But somehow it fits…"
She took a bite of a cookie, her gaze flicking between Dyna and Camellia.
She had no idea why her boss was so close to that little girl from the Gold family. Was Dyna planning to use her to get some leverage over the Golds?
Oguri did not know.
But one thing she did know was that this child did not seem to have the talent to become a top horse girl.
At best…
"She'd probably cap out around Listed races. Even graded stakes would be hard."
That was the instinctive judgment of a top horse girl toward another. Every horse girl was born with a kind of aura, and that aura more or less determined how far she could go.
Sometimes that aura was aggressive, sometimes gentle, but Oguri felt almost nothing from this child.
Still…
Miracles happened.
That was Oguri's rational assessment.
Emotionally speaking, though, she had a completely different opinion.
This girl could totally win the Arima Kinen.
Yes. That was pure feeling talking.
As noon approached, Dyna stopped typing and rubbed at her stiff neck before asking Oguri, "What do you want for lunch today?"
"Tempura!"
"Tempura!"
"Sukiyaki!"
Naturally, the last one came from Oguri.
Since they had a guest today, Dyna turned to ask Camellia too.
"Umm… I'll just eat the same thing as Big Sis Oguri."
Raised in the Gold household, Camellia had always been well cared for, but in matters of food she was still hopeless. She knew what tasted good and what she liked eating, but not what any of the dishes were actually called.
Dyna could only smile helplessly. It looked like, someday, she would have to take Camellia around and properly introduce her to vegetables, fruits, and different kinds of dishes.
After a trip to the market, Chef Dyna marched straight back into the kitchen.
Besides the dishes everyone had requested, she also made several all-purpose home-style Eastern stir-fries—the kind of food with universal killing power against horse girls.
And since the staple was rice, she brought out the king of rice companions:
Tomato scrambled eggs.
The result was that Dyna had to keep running back into the kitchen to make more and more tomato scrambled eggs while everyone sat around the table.
Her own lunch went rather poorly.
But as long as everyone else ate well, it was fine.
She still had snacks, anyway.
The one who left the deepest impression was, of course, Camellia.
She was still just a child, and she had grown up surrounded by rich food and carefully prepared, highly refined cuisine in the Gold household.
Something so simple and so utterly down-to-earth as stir-fried home cooking…
It made a mark she was not going to forget anytime soon.
My body seems fine, at least.Anyway, the update's here.
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 150)
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 (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
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 195
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 Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
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 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 30
I'm Definitely Not the King of 25
After Maxing Out Every Class 25
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