"Welcome to the Mejiro Mansion. We are blessed with your presence."
"Woooaahhh…"
"..."
Team Minaz arrived at the Mejiro Mansion at the break of dawn. They had been on the track for almost 9 hours, and they all would have collapsed on the ground if it weren't for the sight of the Mejiro Mansion.
It's your typical noble mansion you usually see in an Isekai anime. Wide front lawn, gardens filled with exotic flowers, lines of butlers and maids waiting for guests, and a majestic fountain straight in front of the main door.
"Please allow us to carry your luggage. We shall take care of it with the utmost care."
"You girls can hand your luggage to them."
"You're not going to, Trainer?"
"No…"
The young man couldn't deny that his image of the Mejiro Family had quite shifted after seeing McQueen that afternoon. Even after many sleepless hours, his guard is constantly up.
"Welcome back, Miss McQueen.
You have grown quite splendidly since the last time we met."
The moment they step into the mansion, a butler approaches them and greets them with a voice full of respect. He looks like he is in his 40s with neat, slick black hair and dark brown eyes. He is wearing a complete tuxedo just like the rest of the butlers here, with the sole exception that he has a golden pin on his breast pocket–an indication of a higher position compared to his peers.
"Long time no see, Mister Hayakawa.
Everyone, this is Mister Kiyotaka Hayakawa. He is the butler who has been assigned to me since childhood. Essentially working as my personal butler."
"Whoaaah… Personal butler…"
"Urara!! Shuussh!!!" The orange-haired umamusume quickly covers the mouth of the pink-haired little umamusume.
Haru Urara couldn't contain her astonishment at the special existence of Kiyotaka Hayakawa. For someone like her, personal butlers or maids only exist in Rice Shower's storybooks.
"If any of you need assistance, please do not hesitate to ask.
It is our pride and duty to fulfill all of your wishes."
"Alright then, I'll take you up on that." The young man confidently stepped forward. "While I'm still conscious, bring me to her."
"Trainer!!" McQueen yelled at her trainer when she sensed an air of hostility in his voice.
"It is safe to assume that you're Mister Igo Heita, the Trainer of Team Minaz."
The young man silently nods at the question.
"Greetings. I have been reading about you from the young lady's letters.
And it seems that she has quite underestimated your wits, Mister Trainer. You're much sharper.
Indeed, Lady Asama is waiting for you, but since you all have just arrived, we are instructed to let you recuperate."
"The girls can go to their rooms. I'm meeting her right away."
"If Trainer is going, then I will–"
"No, McQueen."
Igo Heita cut the young Mejiro's words short.
"You are all tired from the journey. You would only worsen the talk if you were there. Get some rest."
"...I understand."
Igo Heita's words sound kind, but there's an icy undertone. It feels less like he is telling them to rest, but more like telling them not to get in his way.
"If that is so, then my fellow maid shall guide you to Lady Asama's office, Mister Igo Heita."
At the butler's command, a young maid waltzes into the scene.
"Greetings, my utmost respect to you, Mister Igo Heita.
My name is Ayaka Renai. I shall humbly guide you to Lady Asama's office. Please follow me."
The young man didn't say anything and signaled the maid to lead the way. The two then walked down the massive hallway, leaving the group behind them.
"McQueen, why does trainer feel more tense than usual?" Team Minaz's number two might be a dumbass, but even she can understand the atmosphere around her trainer. "Did something happen?"
"I… I… Perhaps…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Greetings, Mister Igo Heita."
"Greetings, Miss Mejiro Asama."
Igo Heita had expected pressure, which is why he didn't freeze the moment he entered the office, but even then, he couldn't easily shrug off the heavy atmosphere inside the room.
Everything is neat and perfect. There are no stacks of papers on her table, even though the Mejiro Matriarch should be buried under a mountain of paperwork, considering what her family is. Bookshelves line the walls like soldiers, stretching from one side of the room to the other. Igo Heita almost believes that the room doesn't have side walls from that fact alone.
The floor is entirely covered in a teal, fluffy, warm carpet. If Admire Vega were brought here, this is where she would sleep. The ceiling doesn't fall short of the word 'grandiose'. While most ceilings are plain, simple, and dull in one color, the ceiling in this room is intricate, with patterns and carvings. It turns what many would know as a 2D surface into a 3D one.
And even with all of those magnificent details, a single umamusume stood above them all. If there was a stack of gold in the room, its presence could not beat the presence of the umamusume sitting behind the antique wooden table on the opposite side of the door. The massive windows that stretch from floor to ceiling behind her only heighten the presence of the umamusume.
The umamusume sitting behind the table is Mejiro Asama, The Current Matriarch of the Mejiro Family.