"Senior Kinkaku is truly amazing."
"Even if you flatter me like that, I won't let you off. Sit still for me!"
Mejiro McQueen and Silence Suzuka watched blankly as Gold Legend was pressed into a chair by Gold City, who took out scissors and began trimming her hair.
"Legend-san, you have friends everywhere you go. That's amazing."
Special Week said sincerely.
"Yeah, friends everywhere..."
McQueen's tone was strange.
"Are we just friends who happen to know each other too?"
Silence Suzuka asked gloomily.
"Hehe." x2
Special Week looked at the two sneering people, confused.
After the competitive eating contest ended, Silence Suzuka and Special Week joined Legend's group to stroll around the festival together.
Oguri Cap chose to go forage for food; Legend, who was with others, couldn't keep up with Oguri Cap's pace in foraging.
Moreover, Oguri Cap really had no interest in these bronze-tier matches where one could win with a simple attack but instead chose to waste skills and positioning.
As for whether to interfere with this group of Uma Musume who clearly had feelings for Legend, Oguri Cap said she didn't care.
She could see a bunch of people with feelings for Legend just by walking around Tracen.
She believed in Gold Legend, and she believed in Gold Legend's emotional intelligence.
She had been playing straight for a year, so there was no way this group of Uma Musume, still thinking about love-brain battles, would succeed.
Not everyone is Mejiro Ardan.
So Oguri Cap left to forage with peace of mind.
And she even took Deep Impact out of the sea of suffering along the way.
"Speaking of which, that child Deep Impact was almost crying when she left. It looks like she really likes Legend." Special Week said with envy, "Legend's popularity is truly good."
"Yeah." McQueen agreed with a fake smile, "Speaking of which, Special Week, are you close with that Urara from the Kochi specialty store?"
"Yeah, Urara is my classmate. I just didn't expect her to know Legend-san."
Special Week said happily.
Just now, when the group passed by that stall, Legend went up to say hello and was given quite a few things by Urara.
"Legend received even more gifts than Special Week..." Silence Suzuka whispered.
"Yeah, Urara really likes Legend-san." Special Week nodded.
"Hehe..." For some reason, Silence Suzuka and McQueen's smiles were a bit strange.
"Then there's the one who runs the gem shop, is her name Phosphophyllite?" McQueen said, keeping her smile, as if she were taking roll call.
"Yeah, she seems to be Legend-san's rival. That's so nice, being both friends and enemies." Special Week said with longing.
"Air Groove Senior also specifically came to greet Legend." Silence Suzuka said sensitively.
"Manhattan Cafe Senior from the cafe specifically brewed a cup of coffee for Legend-san." McQueen closed her eyes.
"That one from the Gundam club, Mihono Bourbon? Why does she call Legend 'Master'?" Silence Suzuka frowned slightly.
"And the one who called Legend 'Big Sister' right off the bat, is her name Rice Shower?" McQueen's tone dropped by more than three degrees.
"And that one who treated her to ramen, Fine Motion, is she a foreign Uma Musume?" Silence Suzuka added.
"And that white-haired Uma Musume who Legend greeted first, her name is Black Tiger, right?" McQueen crossed her arms, looking somewhat irritable.
The two were listing names one by one as if they were making a blacklist.
"Legend-san knows so many people. That's amazing! But do you both remember the names of so many people?" Special Week exclaimed in admiration, "Do you want to be friends with them just like Legend-san?"
"..." The two people who were listing names stopped talking.
"Eh?" Special Week didn't understand why the conversation suddenly went cold.
"I said, can you stop moving!"
"I refuse. My hair length is already at the limit."
Not far away, an argument that sounded more like bickering than a dispute drifted over.
Then Legend broke free from Gold City's headlock and ran towards McQueen and the others.
"Run!"
Seeing Legend start running, Silence Suzuka's eyes sharpened. She grabbed Special Week's arm and followed Legend's pace.
"Eh?"
McQueen, still immersed in the sorrow of roll-calling, hadn't reacted yet when she saw Gold City standing right in front of her.
"...Although Legend got away, you might barely be able to do as well."
"Huh? Nani desu wa?"
And then McQueen was done for.
...
"Phew, finally escaped. Senior Kinkaku is quite scary when she enters that state."
Legend wiped away cold sweat.
"Is everyone okay... Uh, where is everyone?"
Turning around, she saw that Silence Suzuka had already dragged Special Week far ahead.
Completely failing to notice that Legend had stopped and that Special Week, being dragged along, already had spinning eyes.
"Is this that 'I will never yield the scenery ahead to anyone' thing?"
Legend retorted.
By the way, where is McQueen?
She looked left and right; no one was there.
"Great, I'm a loner again... Why did I say 'again'?"
Legend scratched her head.
"I feel like this scene is very familiar. Is a beautiful, airheaded young lady going to crash into my arms next?"
She waited for a moment, but no young lady crashed into Legend's arms.
"...Tsk, I've read too many novels."
After self-deprecating, Legend realized McQueen hadn't come looking for her, and Silence Suzuka and Special Week hadn't returned. She shook her head, walked to a nearby stall, and bought some cotton candy.
Strolling alone is still strolling; anyway, she would walk around for a while.
While eating and strolling, Legend walked to the courtyard.
"Hmm? What's that?"
Legend, wanting to rest for a while, noticed a figure on a courtyard bench.
"Isn't this Mejiro Bright? What are you doing here?"
Legend greeted her.
"...Oh my, good day, Legend-san. Please sit beside me. From this position, you can see very clearly."
Mejiro Bright paused for a moment, then elegantly greeted Legend and gestured for her to sit.
"See what?"
Following the guidance of curiosity, Legend sat down next to Mejiro Bright.
"Look at that leaf at the top of the tree. It's clearly autumn, and the leaves have all fallen, but it's there all alone, swaying in the wind at the very top. Although it looks like it's about to fall, it completely~ hasn't fallen yet."
Mejiro Bright finished saying this in an elegant and slow tone, then raised her head again, looking at the top of the tree.
"Eh~"
If it were an ordinary person, they would probably think this girl was inexplicable.
Unfortunately, the person here was Gold Legend.
She didn't say anything, but raised her head with interest, looking at that leaf at the top of the tree.
The two just watched that leaf quietly.
The leaf was withered and yellow, yet it did not fall with the wind.
Legend was thoughtful; her fingers moved slightly, and a breeze blew.
Swaying, the withered leaf moved with the breeze. Although it looked fragile enough to drift away with the wind at any moment, it stubbornly stood at the top of the tree, refusing to fall.
"...What a strong child."
Mejiro Bright praised.
"Yeah."
Legend nodded.
"Oh my? Someone answered?...Hmm? Legend-san, you're still here."
Mejiro Bright turned her head, somewhat surprised, to look at Legend sitting beside her.
"I've become a bit interested in that leaf. Is that not allowed?"
"...So, together?"
Guangming blinked, lost in thought.
"——Guangming, I finally found you... Eh? Legend! Why are you here?!"
Mejiro Dober trotted up to Guangming, and before she could even catch her breath, she saw Gold Legend standing to the side and jumped back two steps in fright.
"...Are you serious about those two steps back?"
Legend put on a sad expression.
"Eh? Ah! I didn't mean it like that!"
Dober hurriedly reached out, then seemed to realize something and pulled her hand back.
"Then what did you mean?"
Feeling playful, Legend feigned curiosity as she pressed for an answer.
"Um... that..."
Dober was flustered, tears of anxiety welling up.
"Don't bully Dober, okay?"
Guangming said leisurely.
"Ah, sorry. Dober is just too cute, I got a bit carried away."
Noticing Dober's tears, Legend hurriedly apologized.
"Cu-cute or whatever!"
Dober blushed.
"...Ara."
Noticing Dober's teary-eyed, blushing, shy appearance, Guangming gently covered her mouth.
"Legend-san..."
"Hmm?"
"Please bully Dober a bit more!"
Guangming said earnestly, holding Legend's hand.
"Huh?"
"Guangming!"
Dober hurriedly pulled Guangming to her side.
"What are you doing?!"
"Eh? Please bully Dober more, Legend-san." Guangming said leisurely.
"Why would you ask for something like that?!" Dober freaked out.
"Because Dober is cute?"
"Indeed."
Legend, who had moved close to Guangming, nodded.
"..."
Dober looked speechlessly at the two people who were inexplicably in sync.
"Come to think of it, the Mejiro Family stall is going to host a tea party in a bit. Will you come, Legend-san?"
"Guangming!?"
"I don't mind." Legend said calmly.
"Then it's decided Let's go"
Guangming took Dober's left hand and Legend's right hand, setting off with great enthusiasm.
"...Tell me, why did you agree to Guangming's invitation so easily?"
Following behind Guangming, Dober quietly leaned over to whisper in Legend's ear.
"I just feel like it might be interesting."
Legend replied.
"Hmm."
Having received her answer, Dober looked at Guangming in front, then at Legend beside her.
She felt that these two seemed to get along very well...
For some reason, Dober felt a bit unwilling.
---------------------------------
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