Standing in the stands and looking out over the racecourse, Yasui felt a wave of exhaustion similar to what he used to feel after high-intensity training.
More than that, though, it was the refreshing, exhilarating feeling the entire race had left behind.
He took a deep breath. The exhaustion gradually settled into simple fatigue, and the tension and excitement finally released.
It felt as if every pore in his body had opened. He clapped along with the rest of the audience, fully enjoying the pleasant atmosphere after the event.
His gaze swept across the racecourse. Special Week, El Condor Pasa, and Grass Wonder were gathered together, their expressions shifting between serious and lighthearted as they laughed.
He had no idea what they were talking about. They had been fierce rivals on the track only moments ago, yet the smiles on their faces and in their eyes now made their friendship unmistakable.
Perhaps this is where Uma Musume differ from humans. Or maybe it is simply their bond. They fight as if it is life and death on the track, yet they are so harmonious off it... Yasui thought silently.
He looked elsewhere and saw the two sisters of the Mejiro family chatting. Mejiro Dober wore a cold expression tinged with helplessness, while Mejiro Bright looked somewhat oblivious. The sharp contrast was quite amusing.
On the other side, Stay Gold and Matikanefukukitaru were walking side by side. Stay Gold scratched her head sheepishly, while Matikanefukukitaru, smiling, took off the small pouch from the back of her signature racewear, and then...
...took out a glass ball the size of a soccer ball.
Holding the glass ball in one hand and waving the fingers of her other hand over it, Matikanefukukitaru's mouth moved as if she were chanting something. Stay Gold stared at the glass ball with a mix of curiosity and anticipation.
Yasui's originally pleasant and warm mood turned slightly odd. Staring at that glass ball, his mouth gradually fell open.
Wait a minute. So this race...
Even all the races during her active career...
This charlatan... no. Has she been carrying this thing the whole time?
It was not that he did not know Matikanefukukitaru came from a shrine with a long history, or that this Uma Musume had become a shrine maiden after retiring. He certainly knew that for this G1 Dream Cup, all the Uma Musume were wearing their signature racewear for the first time in a long while.
He really had not expected that the small pouch on the back of Matikanefukukitaru's signature racewear, which he had thought was just a decoration, actually contained a glass ball for fortune-telling.
Besides, is crystal ball gazing not a Western thing?
As a Japanese shrine maiden, is it really appropriate for you to use that...?
His pleasant and warm feelings were completely replaced by a sense of oddity and the urge to complain. Yasui could not help but facepalm, just as he heard an interested voice beside him.
"Oh, oh! Fukukitaru-senpai is doing a fortune-telling for Stay Gold-senpai."
Kitasan Black's eyes sparkled as she patted Yasui with one hand and Almond Eye on the other side with her other hand.
"I saw Fukukitaru-senpai doing fortune-telling before when I went to see Teio-senpai with Dia-chan. I heard it is quite accurate."
"Really? Then did Kita-chan-senpai try it... eh?"
Turning her head curiously, Almond Eye froze instantly. Her gaze fixed oddly on the hands of Yasui and Kitasan Black, which were held together, for a moment, then lingered between the two of them for a few seconds.
Then her eyes darted around quickly. Pretending she had not seen anything, she looked toward the racecourse with an expression of great interest.
"Of course I have! I have asked Fukukitaru-senpai to help with fortune-telling several times, and it has been accurate every time!"
Unaware of Almond Eye's gaze, Kitasan Black nodded repeatedly.
"Speaking of which, Copano Rickey can also do fortune-telling, though she does not use a glass ball. She uses feng shui."
"Oh, right, Tosho-senpai too, though she does not use a glass ball either. She uses magic."
Involuntarily, Almond Eye looked over in shock. Yasui, along with Duramente, who had only been slightly interested before, also looked toward Kitasan Black.
"Kita-chan-senpai... you really know a lot of seniors..."
Seeing Yasui and Kitasan Black's held hands again, Almond Eye's gaze wandered as she said instinctively, "Later... could I ask you to introduce me...?"
Also seeing the held hands, Duramente did not mind. She glanced at them, quickly looked away, and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Kita-chan indeed knows many people."
"However, fortune-telling... feng shui... magic..."
"Do these things... really exist?"
Yasui wanted to ask that too.
Matikanefukukitaru comes from a shrine, and her hobby is crystal ball gazing. That is somewhat plausible.
Copano Rickey could be considered Kitasan Black's childhood friend. The two of them often played together in the park when they were very young.
Copano Rickey is not much older than Kitasan Black and is currently an active Uma Musume as well.
However, she chose the dirt racetrack and just won the February Stakes, a dirt G1 race, in the first half of the year, achieving the feat of the first-ever consecutive wins in that race's history.
Even though she did not choose the same race path as Kitasan Black, Yasui had still paid attention to Copano Rickey because of his own Uma Musume.
Similar to Matikanefukukitaru, Copano Rickey's family has a heritage of feng shui masters.
Feng shui masters are quite highly regarded in Japan. In the past it could be said to be groundless metaphysics, but now it is an applied discipline built on scientific foundations such as architecture, environmental psychology, and physical magnetic fields.
After several encounters, he felt that Copano Rickey's knowledge of feng shui was indeed profound and based on genuine learning. He also happened to learn that her dream after retirement was to become a feng shui master.
In other words, compared to Matikanefukukitaru's fortune-telling, Copano Rickey's feng shui was clearly much more reliable.
However, Sweep Tosho... the "Tosho-senpai" Kitasan Black mentioned... knowing magic was complete nonsense in Yasui's eyes.
Or to put it another way, it was simply an expression of this Uma Musume's extremely difficult temperament.
At least, that is what Yasui thought.
She was very headstrong and rejected training.
Once on a snowy day, she refused to train and, out of spite toward her Trainer, stood outside the practice field as immovable as a mountain all day, only reluctantly running a bit after Tokai Teio and other Student Council members intervened.
Entering the starting gate was very, very, very difficult for her.
It was so difficult that during her Arima Kinen, tens of thousands of spectators witnessed a two-minute standoff with the staff. The initial cheers and shouts of that race were all dedicated to her battle to enter the gate.
To be honest, aside from certain Uma Musume from the Gold family, Yasui could not recall anyone whose temperament could rival hers.
But it had to be said that Sweep Tosho's strength was extremely formidable.
Her application of pre-race instructions was exquisite, her speed was high, and her finishing kick was so explosive it could be described as terrifying.
Precisely because of this strength, especially her finishing kick, Sweep Tosho did indeed have the nickname "Little Witch," which Trainers mostly used to refer to her "magic-like finishing kick."
While Yasui was pondering fortune-telling, feng shui, and magic, on the other side Kitasan Black was looking at Almond Eye and Duramente with a serious face.
"Of course it is all true! Fukukitaru-senpai's fortune-telling is very accurate... oh, I already said that."
"Copano Rickey's feng shui is also very useful. I placed the lanterns in my dorm according to her suggestions, and I feel lucky every day!"
"Tosho-senpai's magic spells are also real. She knows a lot about magical girls!"
Suddenly getting excited, Kitasan Black then let out a sigh.
"Unfortunately, I came up with a spell to turn myself into a magical girl before, but it was rejected by Senpai... It seems my magic talent is still not enough."