When the two horse girls entered the restaurant, they were nearly startled by how silent it was.
Sure, they had shown up uninvited, but was this really necessary? Their relationship with Xingyun Liuge wasn't bad, was it? Did everyone really need to stare at them like that?
Forcing herself to endure the prickling unease crawling over her scalp, Goodbye Halo raised a hand at Xingyun and called out, "H-Hey, Xingyun. We mainly came to congratulate you. Looks like we picked the wrong time?"
She could feel it clearly: the atmosphere in the restaurant was tense. The eyes of the horse girls inside seemed almost ready to devour people alive—especially those two silver-haired girls who had run training races with Xingyun before.
Oguri Cap and Fujimasa March, was it?
They had only come to say hello. Did those two really need to glare at them so fiercely?
In the black luxury sedan parked some distance away, Lady's Secret asked the senior she respected most, "President Secretary, was it your idea to have those two come pay a visit?"
If it had been, then Lady's Secret thought Secretary's judgment was truly sharp. Both Goodbye Halo and Winning Colors were outstanding horse girls. Of course they ought to spend more time with Xingyun Liuge and strengthen their relationship with her.
Central Tracen could absolutely use "horse girl diplomacy" to build closer ties with Xingyun, and then discuss the matter of transferring her registration. This, after all, was what one would call a honey trap.
It wasn't that Rising Star couldn't have been sent instead, but Lady's Secret felt that girl wasn't suited to this kind of mission. Rising Star's mind had already shifted from "winning the Triple Crown" to "defeating Xingyun Liuge." If she were the one to visit, the conversation would probably veer straight back to racing, and the matter of transferring her registration would be delayed indefinitely.
But Secretary shook her head. "No. This was probably their own idea—or their family's."
She had indeed considered using something like a honey trap, but unless she understood Xingyun Liuge's tastes, she would not send anyone to her lightly. If Xingyun decided they had ulterior motives, things would only become harder later.
This was actually Goodbye Halo's idea.
After hearing Flame of the Phoenix, an astonishingly bold thought had leapt into her mind.
Winning Colors' domain had the attribute of fire, and its manifested form was a phoenix; the song Xingyun Liuge had chosen to perform just so happened to be Flame of the Phoenix. How could there be such a coincidence?
Most importantly, that song had never appeared in Uma Musume Legend before in any form. This was the first time it had appeared on stage—perhaps the first time it had ever been sung aloud.
There was no way it was just a coincidence.
Goodbye Halo had become convinced it was a love song Xingyun had dedicated to Winning Colors.
Especially that line—Why not wish to spread your wings with me and soar into the tomorrow we long for? That was hardly subtle. At that point, it was practically a direct confession.
Although there was less than a week left before the Belmont Stakes, and Xingyun Liuge would probably make her final confession only after ascending to the top of America, Goodbye Halo thought there was no need to drag things out. Love should be spoken aloud. There was no point in hiding it or putting it off.
So she had dragged Winning Colors along.
This was how she had put it to her friend: "Since Xingyun's already being so straightforward, you can't just give her nothing in return, Winning. Go straight at her too! This is the perfect moment to decide who's the top and who's the bottom!"
She had even gone so far as to coax her along: "Xingyun's so tiny, just like an adorable little foal. She'd definitely feel amazing in your arms."
Winning Colors, however, found this deeply confusing. It's just a song. Is there really any need to read that much into it? Couldn't it just be that you're misunderstanding things?
That said, Goodbye Halo had another reason as well: Xingyun Liuge had not immediately chased after Rising Star. Instead, she had run side by side with Winning Colors for a while, and only after Winning Colors had completely lost her chance at victory had Xingyun "betrayed" Rising Star.
"This is love, Winning!" Goodbye Halo had declared, her eyes flashing with excitement, looking very much as though she wanted to say, Don't argue—just listen to me and enjoy the moment.
Winning Colors still had her doubts. She believed Xingyun Liuge had only been trying to push her further, to force out more of her potential. But Goodbye Halo was so excited that she didn't have the heart to dampen her enthusiasm too much.
Still, if she thought about it carefully, Xingyun Liuge's actions really had been strange. Why had she gone out of her way to awaken Winning Colors' latent potential? Wasn't she afraid that Winning Colors might threaten her road to the Triple Crown?
And besides, Rising Star had been right there ahead of them. If Xingyun had truly become "absorbed" in her clash with Winning Colors, what if Rising Star had won instead?
Winning Colors couldn't make sense of it. Under Goodbye Halo's relentless guidance, she had no choice but to confront the troubling possibility:
Could it really be that Xingyun likes me?
And yet, beyond that, there wasn't a single other clue.
So after entering the restaurant, Winning Colors simply couldn't make herself take the initiative. She was afraid the whole thing might just be a beautiful misunderstanding.
Besides, she and Xingyun Liuge had known each other for less than a month. They didn't even fully understand what kind of horse girl the other was. Wasn't it a little too fast to jump straight into romance?
Caught between the hesitation of the two visiting horse girls and the silent scrutiny of the girls from Kasamatsu, Xingyun Liuge took decisive action.
She was generous, after all.
"Since you're here, sit down and eat with us," she said. Since it was a buffet, there was basically no danger of running out of food.
And if they did, then the kitchen could simply prepare more. America had vast plains and endless resources—surely a rich person wasn't going to go hungry here.
As she spoke, she took one wrist in each hand and pulled the two girls over, seating them beside Latifa.
Latifa, meanwhile, was seated on Xingyun Liuge's right.
Which meant that these two uninvited "guests" had suddenly found themselves very, very close to Xingyun Liuge.
And when the other horse girls noticed that, their gazes turned even colder.
Goodbye Halo blinked, and a very dangerous thought crossed her mind:
Could it be… every girl sitting here likes Xingyun Liuge?
If that was true, then the competition was no joke.
But Goodbye Halo wasn't afraid in the slightest. Most of the girls here were pretty weak. Only Oguri Cap, Fujimasa March, and Latifa were worth worrying about. If the winner were to be decided the old-fashioned horse-girl way—through racing—she had no intention of losing.
Thinking that, the little tuft of pink hair on top of her head sprang upright as though declaring: I have no rivals.
Winning Colors naturally knew exactly what that meant. The two of them had long been both close friends and fierce rivals.
But weren't they just here to have dinner? Why had Goodbye Halo suddenly gotten fired up?
Was she planning to start some private eating competition now?
Winning Colors had a distinct feeling that Goodbye Halo had gotten the wrong idea about something.
Wasn't tonight supposed to be her big moment?
Then why had Goodbye Halo gotten all excited on her own?
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 147)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter185)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 185
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/1
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/23
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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