The Tokyo Racecourse wasn't too far from school. After the winning live ended and the crowds began to disperse, Hayato made his way out of the VIP section. The excitement was still buzzing in his chest, but he had something else on his mind.
On his way back alone, Hayato decided to swing by the shrine. Partly to pray for good luck, but also to hunt for some four-leaf clovers.
In the evening, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon.
At this hour, the shrine was practically deserted. Not a soul in sight.
With darkness creeping in, the towering sacred tree took on an almost mystical vibe. The wish lanterns and prayer plaques hanging from its branches glowed brighter and clearer against the dimming sky.
They were covered in the dreams of Uma Musume from all over.
The red ribbon Seiun Sky had left last time was still there, too.
One plaque caught his eye: "I want to win at the Yushun Himba like my mom!"
That was Air Groove's handwriting.
"Sorry, Air Groove, but Suzuka already fulfilled that wish for you. Just like she did with the Satsuki Sho."
Hayato muttered to himself without a shred of guilt.
Three more plaques hung nearby, left by BNW during their last visit. The middle one belonged to Winning Ticket: "Victory in the Derby."
"The Derby's race, known as a race that drains the luck of the Uma Musume who wins it..." Hayato mumbled as he bent down, scanning the grass for four-leaf clovers.
With the sky getting darker by the minute, finding four-leaf clovers wasn't exactly easy. He kept flipping through patches of grass, one after another.
While Hayato was searching, a purple-haired uma musume crept into the shrine grounds and sat down on a wooden bench.
Mejiro McQueen? What was she doing here? Looking for four-leaf clovers too?
The clovers weren't over there, though.
His luck must've been off the charts to run into Mejiro McQueen at a shrine, of all places.
Should he go say hi?
Just as he was about to stand up, he watched her slide the bag off her shoulder and open it. She pulled out a book. Wow, so diligent. That's Mejiro McQueen for you… Or at least, that's what Hayato wanted to say.
Except it wasn't a book. It was something wrapped in paper.
MejiroMcQueen carefully unwrapped it, and Hayato spotted a glint of drool at the corner of her mouth. Yeah, definitely food.
The paper concealed a piece of dark chocolate, already bitten into once. You could still see the teeth marks clear as day.
"Just a tiny bite. One tiny bite and that's it. I can barely stand it anymore because of that gray uma musume...."
Her sweet tooth was acting up. When it hit, the craving became unbearable.
"Ahh... It feels like heaven!"
She took a small nibble. Instantly, both her mind and mouth felt so much better.
She stared at the chocolate, and an even bigger appetite stirred inside her. Wait, was that really enough? Just a little more wouldn't hurt, right?
She hadn't eaten dinner yet anyway. She could just eat less later to make up for it.
With that excuse in mind, she opened her mouth wide and took a huge bite.
Now there was an even bigger set of teeth marks on the chocolate.
"Oh no, crap, that's way too much! I'm gonna gain weight."
She chewed with a face full of guilt, looking utterly miserable. But there was no way she was spitting out what was already in her mouth.
"Why did fate make me an Uma Musume noble bloodline but deny me the freedom to eat sweets?"
She took out her frustration on the chocolate, biting into it a few more times.
"Well, it's already like this. Might as well finish it."
Completely oblivious to her surroundings, her expression shifted between tears and laughter.
After devouring more than half of it, she finally felt satisfied enough to regain her composure.
"I'll save a bit for next time. Who knows when we'll see each other again?"
Well, this was… something.
Good luck or bad luck?
So this was the real Mejiro McQueen?
She said she wouldn't eat it, but here she was, sneaking bites.
Hayato was stuck in the most awkward position imaginable. Should he leave? Stay? Go say hi? Or make a run for it?
Since he was wearing a black suit, Mejiro McQueen, who'd been too focused on her chocolate, hadn't noticed him yet.
If he didn't leave now, it'd be pitch black soon. Yeah, running away was definitely the better option.
He made up his mind quickly. He'd come back for the four-leaf clovers in a few days.
Looking for them now was a bit premature anyway. The luck from four-leaf clovers had a time limit. Once they dried out, they'd be useless.
"Who's there? Who is it?"
The instant Hayato lifted his foot, his footsteps startled Mejiro McQueen.
She quickly hid the chocolate behind her back and wrapped it up at lightning speed. By the time Hayato walked over, she'd already stuffed it into her bag and zipped it shut.
What just happened?
Nothing. Nothing happened at all.
"What did you just see?" Her gaze was unnervingly calm.
"It's too dark. I didn't see anything." Hayato matched her poker face perfectly.
She didn't recognize him right away. Since Hayato wasn't wearing his trainer uniform or badge, she'd already categorized him as just some random passerby.
"Oh. Then you can go." Mejiro McQueen waved him off impatiently.
"Gladly!" Hayato couldn't have been more eager to get out of there. Any longer and he felt like McQueen might actually silence him for good.
"Wait. Come back."
She called him back just as he'd turned around.
When Hayato turned to face her again, she studied his features carefully.
"Have we met before? You look kinda familiar."
Doesn't she recognize me? Perfect.
Hayato's mind raced.
"Mejiro McQueen, I'm actually a fan of yours. I love watching your races. Maybe you've seen me in the stands before."
The Mejiro family's young lady hadn't transferred into the school. That left only one possibility: her time simply hadn't come yet.
While Mejiro McQueen was still processing whether he was lying or not, Hayato casually pulled out a stamina treat. Her eyes lit up immediately.
A dessert purchased with 100 legendary points from the Mall System. Eating it would restore stamina and condition to 100%.
"This is for you."
"Wow! Is this really for me?" Mejiro McQueen stared at the dessert, her excitement barely contained. But just as quickly, her enthusiasm deflated, though her eyes never left the treat.
The finished product was mainly cake, cream, and lemon. It looked amazing.
"Ahem, I can't accept this." There was genuine regret in her eyes. Too bad she'd already eaten chocolate. Otherwise, she really would've wanted to devour it.
"This is a zero-fat dessert. You can eat as much as you want without gaining any weight."
"Huh?!" Mejiro McQueen's eyes went wide.