"What's going on here? Blocking the cafeteria entrance? Hurry up and get in!"
Speaking with a Kansai accent, Tamamo Cross had just arrived at the cafeteria entrance and gave a helpless grumble to the many Umamusumes stuck at the door before walking in.
However, when she saw that Sakura Baimu's area was completely packed with people and that a long table that was supposed to seat six was crammed with ten or so Umamusumes, her jaw dropped.
"Hey, Oguri, am I dreaming? Pinch me!"
Tamamo Cross grabbed Oguri Cap, who was ignoring all the Umamusumes and walking straight toward the self-service area, and said in a low voice.
Oguri Cap finally reacted slightly after being grabbed by Tamamo Cross. She glanced toward Sakura Baimu and slowly spoke.
"What's wrong?"
"Oguri, did you see that? That TCB trainer has so many people around her...!"
"Sakura (pronounced like Sakura in Japanese) is very popular. That's great." Oguri Cap chuckled softly, then grabbed Tamamo Cross's arm and pulled her toward the food area.
Behind Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap, the logistics Umamusume Belno Light looked toward Sakura Baimu and chuckled softly.
"Not bad, Sakura."
--
Meanwhile, Sakura Baimu, who was already used to eating alone, felt somewhat uncomfortable after receiving such enthusiastic treatment from so many new Umamusumes.
She wanted to train many Umamusumes, that was true, but this situation was clearly beyond her tolerance.
"Trainer-san~ Can I join your team? I'm really fast!" an Umamusume volunteered.
"Trainer-san, I have great stamina! You can train me however you like~"
An Umamusume sitting to Sakura Baimu's left leaned close to her ear and spoke in a sweet, coquettish voice.
"Pick me! Pick me! I can also do support work! If the other seniors on the team are tired, I can give them massages! Of course, if Trainer-san wants, I can do that too!"
...
Sakura Baimu listened to the increasingly loud voices around her, her lips twitching slightly.
Sakura Baimu was keen to recruit many senior students, but not so much freshmen. After all, she had already reserved the Classic Triple Crown and Double Tiara for Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond. Taking in too many newcomers would strain the team's resources for matches.
She glanced around and saw that none of the Umamusumes around her had a B-level difficulty rating, so she decided not to accept the enthusiastic self-recommendations.
She quickly finished her meal, tossed out a curt "Sorry, the team is currently full," and left amidst the Umamusumes' mournful sighs.
Once Sakura Baimu finished eating and left, many of the senior students in the cafeteria, including the five Umamusumes from TCB, reluctantly began to eat, their expressions ones of utter dismay.
--
A short while later, after finishing their meal, the five team members, all with somewhat strange expressions, met Sakura Baimu in the TCB activity room.
Stare~
The five Umamusumes stared silently at Sakura Baimu, seemingly waiting for her to speak first.
"Don't look at me like that. As rookie Umamusumes, Kita-chan and Dia-chan are enough," Sakura Baimu said.
"Let me tell you about the upcoming events. Tomorrow, we'll all go to Hyogo Prefecture to cheer on Teiō and McQueen at the Takarazuka Kinen."
"There are quite a few strong opponents in this competition, but as far as I know, only Rice Shower has mastered the Zone. Teiō, you have no experience competing against Zone Umamusumes, so be careful."
"Okay!" Tokai Teio nodded.
"After the Takarazuka Kinen, it's GG vs. Satono Crown's match. There won't be a beach training camp this year. If you want one, wait until next year with Kita-chan and Dia-chan."
"Understood," everyone replied in unison.
"All right, you guys train on your own today. All the trainers have a meeting later. I have to go now."
Sakura Baimu finished speaking and left the activity room, heading toward the meeting room.
--
About an hour later, Sakura Baimu left the meeting room after the meeting and started walking toward the TCB activity room.
"Is Yayoi busy with something? Why did she have Kashimoto-san hold the trainers' meeting for her?"
Sakura Baimu was talking to herself when she suddenly heard a voice beside her:
"Meow~"
Sakura Baimu looked in that direction and saw a petite figure with orange hair crouching in front of the bushes, intently staring inside.
"Meow~"
Another meow followed, but this time it didn't come from the small black cat on the petite figure's hat; it came from Akikawa Yayoi, who had a lovely smile on her face.
Sakura Baimu slapped herself in the face. So Akikawa Yayoi was busy imitating a cat's meow, which was why she hadn't had time for the meeting.
"Am I the only one who feels this way? Symboli Rudolf looks more like the chairperson than Yayoi..." Sakura Baimu muttered to herself, then walked toward Akikawa Yayoi.
Akikawa Yayoi heard footsteps, turned around, and upon seeing Sakura Baimu, a smile spread across her delicate, girlish face.
"Sakura! The meeting's over?"
"Yeah. I didn't expect that all the work would be left to Ms. Kashimoto, Ms. Tazuna, and Symboli Rudolf. They're busy meowing like cats here." Sakura Baimu smiled and walked over to Akikawa Yayoi, squatting down beside her.
"So, Yayoi, what are you doing?"
"A kitten just crawled inside, and I wanted to call it out," Akikawa Yayoi replied with a smile. "But I called for a long time, and it just wouldn't come out."
"Call it out?! What do you think you are?"
Sakura Baimu stared at Akikawa Yayoi with a look of utter disbelief, mentally rebuking her words.
"So, what kind of kitten was it? Let me help you find it," Sakura Baimu asked.
"It's so tiny, covered in orange fluff, looks so small and soft, so cute~♪" Akikawa Yayoi gestured vividly with her little hands to describe it to Sakura Baimu.
"So, Yayoi, are you introducing yourself?!"
Sakura Baimu asked suddenly, looking at Akikawa Yayoi.
"Huh?!"
Akikawa Yayoi suddenly froze, staring at Sakura Baimu for a moment with her beautiful blue eyes, a slight pink blush appearing on her porcelain-white cheeks.
Sakura Baimu smiled. She had thought she would finally have a chance to see the chairperson's shy side, but instead, she saw Akikawa Yayoi narrow her long blue eyes with a smile, make small fists in front of her, and raise her small lips slightly, letting out a meow.
"Meow~♪"
Sakura Baimu, who had been hoping Akikawa Yayoi would blush, slapped her face again after seeing Yayoi's adorable, smiling expression.
The chairperson's action was incredibly effective; she could even feel the heat rising on her cheek through her hand.
Seeing Sakura Baimu's reaction, Akikawa Yayoi's lips curled into a smug smile.
Then, Akikawa Yayoi turned her gaze back to the bushes and whispered to Sakura Baimu.
"You heard about it, didn't you? About next month."
"So you knew about it too, Yayoi." Sakura Baimu finally recovered after a long pause.
"Of course!"
What Akikawa Yayoi was referring to was what Sakura Baimu had just announced at the meeting with Acting Chairman Kashimoto Riko: the American umamusume training institution, Pluto Academy, would be coming to Tracen Academy for an exchange program next month.
"I've heard that Pluto Academy's status in the US is equivalent to Tracen Academy's in Japan. This is their first time coming to Japan for an exchange program," Sakura Baimu said.
"Actually, I think it's quite good. Letting the Umamusumes from Tracen Academy compete against strong active Umamusumes in the US beforehand will greatly help improve their skills."
"That's true." Akikawa Yayoi nodded slightly, then lowered her voice and said in a deep tone.
"American umamusume rules are different from Japan's. Their foul rules are more lenient, so some behaviors that are considered fouls in Japan are actually allowed in the US. Therefore, when Japanese Umamusumes compete against foreign Umamusumes, they are prone to injury."
"I know that." Sakura Baimu nodded.
"Also, although Pluto Academy in the US is very strong, its international reputation isn't very good. A major reason for this seems to be its conduct and foul issues," Akikawa Yayoi said.
--
In the evening, Rice Shower was in the park, giving a final practice for the Takarazuka Kinen.
"Even though Miss Bourbon has unlocked her Zone like Rice, she still lost to Miss McQueen at the last Spring Tenno Sho…"
Rice Shower muttered to herself as she trained.
She had previously met Symboli Rudolf with Mihono Bourbon, learning much about "Zones" from her.
Zones also have varying strengths; their power is not static.
Even with her Zone activated, Rice Shower still lost to Mejiro McQueen.
Knowing she couldn't defeat Mejiro McQueen in a contest of raw power, Rice Shower pinned her hopes on her Zone.
She hoped to improve her control and strength over her Zone, thereby securing victory in the Takarazuka Kinen.
After all, a newly acquired skill is the easiest to improve.
While this was her intention, Rice Shower's progress in mastering her Zone was slow. She believed that the increased power from activating her Zone was probably insufficient to rival Mejiro McQueen's raw power.
Just then, Rice Shower suddenly sensed a presence.
She turned sharply and saw a tall, slender woman with long, wavy blonde hair and a foreign appearance standing there.
"You're Miss Rice Shower, right?" the blonde Umamusume said in Japanese with a slight accent.
The blonde Umamusume held a coin in her hand, tossing and catching it repeatedly. Her dark green eyes, which looked somewhat eerie in the moonlight, narrowed into slits, reflecting Rice Shower's petite figure.
"Yes, and may I ask who you are..." Rice Shower replied shyly and hesitantly.
"Miss Rice Shower, are you looking to enhance the strength of your Zone? I have a trick I can teach you for free."
The tall, blonde Umamusume smiled and walked toward Rice Shower step by step.