Faced with Folkqueen's mortified cry, Godolphin did not seem to care at all.
She casually picked up the bunny-girl "winning outfit" from the bed, held it up in front of herself, and muttered to herself, "Hmm... We already have our own ears, so there's no need to attach this bunny-ear headband."
"But I'll still need to cut off this little round tail in the back later. Otherwise, Queen, your tail won't have anywhere to come out."
"Ah... ah..."
Those completely unabashed words made Folkqueen's cheeks flush bright red.
She stomped her foot in embarrassment and anger, then protested loudly, "Lady Godolphin! Are you even listening to me?!"
Only then did Godolphin seem to come back to herself as if waking from a dream. A bright, dazzling smile rose across her beautiful face.
"I heard you, Queen."
"Then these things..."
Folkqueen looked at the pile of various visually overwhelming lace "winning outfits" on the bed.
Seeing this, Godolphin first sat down on the bed at an unhurried pace, then reached out and patted the empty space beside her.
"Come here. Sit first."
"..."
After a moment of silence, the silver-haired New Zealand girl with heterochromatic eyes obediently walked over and sat down beside the edge of the bed.
Immediately after that, Godolphin quietly leaned close to her ear and began murmuring something only the two of them could hear.
Then Folkqueen's little face grew redder and redder.
Thump!
In the next instant, Folkqueen practically bounced straight off the bed, jumping three feet into the air on the spot.
She stammered, "T-T-T-This... how can we do something like that?!"
Godolphin tilted her little head. "Why can't we?"
Folkqueen immediately shrank her pale neck, her eyes wandering as she mumbled in a low voice, "Th-That's way too improper..."
"Mm-hm."
Hearing that, Godolphin did not answer directly. Instead, she let out a meaningful little hum.
Then she abruptly changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, ever since little Maru-beast came here with Kuroha-kun last time, have you been... sleeping well every night?"
"..."
The air seemed to freeze.
The silver-haired girl fell into a deathly silence.
Her eyes began spinning in frantic circles, and faint steam even seemed to rise from the top of her head, as if she were about to boil over.
"Do you want to join them?" Godolphin continued, delivering the fatal blow.
"..."
Folkqueen remained silent, and the steam was already beginning to make a faint humming sound.
"...Honestly."
After quietly watching Folkqueen for several seconds, Godolphin sighed, then directly gave her a gentle push from behind.
That single motion made Folkqueen shudder from head to toe.
"Why can't you face your own heart?"
The blue goddess's voice became rarely stern as she said in a low tone, "As an Umamusume, finding true love is already no easy thing."
"And for that true love to also be willing to accept an Umamusume is even harder."
"But now, those two most difficult mountains no longer exist. So why do you keep lying to yourself, again and again?!"
"..."
At this moment, Folkqueen had turned red all the way from her neck to the tips of her ears.
But after hearing those words, she suddenly raised a little hand in a strangely timid manner and weakly spoke in protest.
"Lady Godolphin..."
"What is it?"
The silver-haired beauty's eyes were still somewhat chaotic, but she still mustered her courage and slowly said, "I... I'm not refusing to face my own heart."
"I know I kind of... kind of like that guy Kuroha. And he probably likes me too!"
Hearing that, Godolphin was instead surprised. "If your feelings are mutual, then why are you still backing away?"
"I don't know what to do after confirming our relationship..."
Folkqueen immediately covered her burning cheeks. Her muffled voice came from between her fingers.
"If we end up like McQueen and Maruzensky every night... making sounds like that... I'm not mentally prepared."
At that point, Folkqueen seemed to recall last night's blush-inducing noises all over again.
She instantly became so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole and crawl into it.
?
A huge question mark slowly appeared over Godolphin's head.
After confirming love, naturally doing those "things people in love do" was the most obvious matter in the entire world, wasn't it?
To think she would resist love itself because she felt shy?
Thinking this, the blue goddess who governed "love" abruptly stood up, her expression filled with determination.
This would not do!
These children of the lower world were far too conservative. Their way of thinking had to be properly corrected!
Folkqueen stared blankly at Godolphin as she came before her.
Immediately after, she heard the goddess in front of her speak solemnly, her voice echoing through the entire room like a great bell.
"Queen!"
"Y-Yes!"
"In the name of the Three Goddesses of the Umamusume, I grant you guidance. Please answer your true heart and pursue your love to your heart's content!"
Folkqueen stared blankly at the blue goddess, whose entire body seemed to be shining with a sacred aura at that moment, and blinked in confusion.
"And you absolutely have to wear this!"
Before the words had even fully fallen, Godolphin's expression shifted.
She directly lifted that pitifully skimpy bunny-girl "winning outfit" right in front of Folkqueen's eyes.
The room fell into dead silence for several full seconds.
Only then did Folkqueen's deep breath slowly sound.
"...No."
"Huh? Why?!"
Godolphin's dignified atmosphere instantly collapsed. She hurriedly leaned in front of Folkqueen, clasping both hands together with a pleading expression.
"Trust me, wearing this will really be extremely effective!"
"It's... it's too embarrassing..."
Folkqueen secretly glanced again at that lace cutout "winning outfit," then jerked her gaze away as if she had been shocked.
Seeing this, however, the corner of Godolphin's mouth instead curved into a sly smile.
After the little therapy session Godolphin had just given her, Folkqueen's attitude had already changed from her initial "I don't want to go" into the current "I can't wear this to go."
That was simply a massive strategic victory!
But this was still far from enough!
Thinking that, Godolphin once again smiled brightly at the New Zealand girl in front of her, making Folkqueen shrink her neck uneasily.
"Queen, come. Let's sit down and talk this through properly..."
...
Several dozen minutes later, the tightly shut bedroom door was finally pushed open.
Godolphin walked out, perfectly satisfied, then turned back toward the room and said, "Then it's happily decided. Tomorrow night, I'll start things off! Queen, you only need to follow my lead."
After a long while, the door at the handle, which had been trembling slightly, was pushed open.
Folkqueen's delicate little face carefully peeked out.
On the bed, the bunny-girl outfit had already disappeared.
In its place was a midriff-baring shirt and tight pants that seemed to be the same style as what Queen had been wearing a dozen minutes earlier...
"...Can this really work?"
After staying silent for a long time, Folkqueen finally squeezed out those few words with a flushed face.
"Don't worry. We'll win!"
Godolphin chuckled and raised a thumbs-up. Then she turned, casting her gaze toward the sofa in the first-floor hall.
The person sitting there seemed to sense something. When he looked up and saw that it was Godolphin, he raised a hand slightly in greeting.
...
Down below.
Meeting Godolphin's gaze, Kuroha felt that her smile seemed oddly happy.
But he did not think too deeply about it. After chatting for a bit with the two girls beside him, he walked toward the kitchen, preparing to make a sumptuous dinner for his Umamusume.
(End of Chapter)
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