It wasn't just a normal night anymore.
It was nightlife.
...
Truth be told, Garden Gale's impression of clubs was stuck firmly on clichés—ear-splitting music blasting at maximum volume, smoky fog machines pumping overhead, and flashing, dazzling darkness. Contradictory as that phrase sounded, once you stepped inside, you'd understand exactly what it meant.
Garden Gale imagined further horrors:
Bartenders aggressively pushing drinks, strangers boldly approaching to flirt... Her face slowly drained of color.
It was completely pale.
Then her imagination took another dreadful step forward: dancing—likely with some flashy, slick guy or glamorous girl, immediately grabbing her waist and dragging her onto the floor to bounce wildly to the rhythm.
Ugh…
Just picturing it made her scalp tingle.
Absolutely no way!
Goosebumps erupted all over her skin—Garden Gale had always been raised as a "good kid," naturally wary of these clubs.
With her socially anxious inability to say no added into the mix, she could clearly sense...
This car was speeding straight to Hell! Straight to the gates of doom itself!
An express train to hell.
"Um… excuse me…" She finally gathered courage, despite her inner dread.
Even if refusing wasn't her forte, Garden Gale bit her lip and meekly asked, "Can I… not go to the club?"
Air Shakur hummed thoughtfully.
Before she could reply, the driver stepped on the brakes and answered instead, "We're here. Remember to take your belongings."
...
And so—
No matter how reluctant she was—
Garden Gale timidly trailed behind Air Shakur into the club. Honestly, the moment she stepped inside, a deafening blast of music crashed over her head, mixed with bursts of cheers and screams. Countless silhouettes bounced rhythmically in the flashing lights.
"Wooow~!"
And the louder the cheers got—the deeper Garden Gale's despair grew.
It's over… it's absolutely over! Tonight really is the end! What should I even do now? Pretend I'm totally experienced? If I don't, I'll be like a little bunny devoured by wolves. But how do you even pretend?!
It was her first time in a club.
How exactly was she supposed to pretend she'd done this before?
Help! Help! Urgent help needed!
She was practically hyperventilating.
No options left, Garden Gale forced herself to stop trembling, walking through the throng with an awkwardly assumed air of casual familiarity. The dance floor was packed—some people were even wrapped around each other, practically devouring faces! Like zombies!
Literal zombies!
The kind you'd find in a Resident Evil outbreak!
But… she was an Umamusume, right? She ran fast—so no way she'd be the first to go. Wait, but what if the Emperor got infected? Wouldn't that spell total disaster?
Her nervousness spiraled into increasingly nonsensical worries.
Social anxiety had kicked in fully, and she was completely spacing out to cope.
In contrast, Air Shakur appeared utterly comfortable—clearly not a newbie here. She was already greeting acquaintances warmly.
"Hi."
Immediately, a girl nearby, with meticulous makeup, cheerfully returned, "Hello~ ! monad! Performing tonight?"
"Of course," Air Shakur replied with a bright smile, confidently nodding.
! monad?
Some kind of stage name, perhaps… Garden Gale silently filed it away.
The girl's gaze then shifted, her eyes lighting up as she spotted Garden Gale's effortlessly cool, aloof style. "Your friend? She's really cool!"
"Thanks," Air Shakur glanced briefly at Garden Gale, sincerely nodding in agreement—indeed, that stylish hoodie fit this scene perfectly, catching attention effortlessly.
Garden Gale remained silent—maintaining her carefully cultivated "untouchable cool-girl" persona.
After a few more polite exchanges, Air Shakur guided Garden Gale to an empty booth near the stage.
"Sit here for now." Air Shakur's tone was both casual and gently helpless. "I brought you here to relax. Don't be so tense—loosen up and enjoy yourself a little, can't you?" Though she was fully aware the club wasn't exactly Garden Gale's cup of tea.
Garden Gale stared at her in surprise. "How did you know I was nervous?"
"Oh please, your hands are practically knotted together. You've been squeezing them so tightly they're turning red." Air Shakur, the sharp-toothed delinquent, couldn't help but sigh at the obviousness of Garden Gale's anxiety. It was painfully evident from how rigidly uncomfortable Garden Gale looked.
…Garden Gale just nodded meekly.
She understood perfectly well.
She slowly unclenched her tightly twisted fingers and instead propped her cheek in one hand, staring blankly into the mass of people dancing wildly on the floor.
"Want something to drink?" Air Shakur casually asked again, unpacking her equipment from a small bag.
Garden Gale adopted her coldest, most distant expression. "No thanks."
Because she'd realized something:
If she kept acting chilly, distant, and dangerous, surely nobody would dare approach her. Would you casually approach the most intimidating person in your class? Absolutely not! That logic should work perfectly here.
She'd already slipped fully into her cold-queen act.
Absolutely foolproof.
Air Shakur got the message.
She nodded knowingly. "I'll be on stage for a bit. Just wait here." With that, she stood briskly, equipment in hand, ready to take the stage and embrace her second identity—as a DJ.
As she walked away—her presence transformed, step by step, blossoming into something radiant, filled with fierce confidence.
When she reached the platform—Air Shakur's entire being was infused with a vibrant, fearless energy.
Garden Gale opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Watching Air Shakur disappear into the crowd, Garden Gale steeled herself.
Fine then.
Let her go… whatever, no big deal. If I must face doom, I'll do it alone! Even by myself, I can handle this situation. Maybe the club wasn't as impossible as she'd imagined... just noisy.
Yeah.
Garden Gale began to smile faintly, pumping herself up with renewed confidence.
Come on, Garden Gale, you've got this!
"Hey there~ Are you alone? Mind if I join you?"
Before she even had three seconds to bask in her newfound bravery, an unexpected voice shattered her confidence.
If her ears weren't deceiving her… was someone speaking right in front of her? Garden Gale stiffly turned her head, trembling slightly as she faced the direction of that voice.
She completely froze.
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T/N: GARDEN GALE GETS HIT ON? -title of the chapter huehuehuehuehu air shakur gets ntr'd??? whowuodaoophewhuehuwheuwhu heuheuheuhe