Gentildonna's Winner's Concert was terrifyingly successful. Actually, it wasn't until Gotham Song had watched the whole performance that she fully realized something.
Gentildonna, coming from such a prestigious lineage, seemed to be adept at all sorts of dances. Or rather, she had simply poured enough hard work into it. After all, Gentildonna was the kind of Uma Musume who would dedicate utmost seriousness and effort into whatever she decided to do.
But what made Gotham Song sweat profusely while watching wasn't Gentildonna's dance itself.
Because the spectator stands were extremely crowded and noisy, Gotham Song had changed into an inconspicuous outfit and hidden herself quietly in a corner.
Then, what exactly had caused Gotham Song to sweat profusely? Was there something wrong with Gentildonna's dance? No, of course not. It was because, as she watched, the whispers from nearby Uma Musume in the noisy crowd became clearly audible due to their proximity.
Well, they couldn't even really be called whispers—since the music from the stage was loud, the Uma Musume practically shouted their conversations. But compared to the general clamor, their voices didn't seem too jarring.
And what exactly were they talking about?
"As expected, Eternal Beat really is the strongest team… If only I could join…"
"Yeah, Gotham Song-sama isn't just the strongest Uma Musume; she's probably also the strongest Trainer, right? Hmm…but still, I like Gotham Song-sama's Winner's Concert more…"
If only I could see Gotham Song-sama's Winner's Concert once more in this lifetime… No matter the price, I'd gladly pay it to witness it again!
How exactly should she describe this situation? If you guys knew the person you're discussing was standing right next to you, would you fall into complete shock and paralysis?
No, that definitely wouldn't be enough, would it…?! These two Uma Musume radiated an aura of "Please, I'll do anything!" It definitely wasn't just idle talk, right?! Definitely not!
Gotham Song could even guarantee, these two Uma Musume were definitely—definitely—the type who would actually follow through!
Gulp… Too scary, gotta run.
Gotham Song did precisely that. After witnessing the fanaticism of these Uma Musume and finally understanding she herself had contributed a little to Gentildonna's incredible popularity, Gotham Song fled in panic.
Of course, she didn't give up watching Gentildonna's Winner's Concert; she simply moved from the spectator stands to a private VIP room. As a competing Uma Musume's Trainer and a legendary figure herself, Gotham Song certainly had that privilege—although this was actually her first time entering such a place.
Then, she was thoroughly pierced by Dancing Brave's completely knowing gaze.
Clearly, this person had predicted this exact scenario and had adopted the posture of waiting for Gotham Song's inevitable arrival.
But in the end, Gotham Song couldn't be bothered to argue with Dancing Brave. Incidents like this happened far too often with her, leaving nothing left to complain about. All she could think was—
Forget it, I'll just focus on the Winner's Concert. Who cares about Dancing Brave? She can't compare to even a single hair of our Gentildonna!
...
The day after the Oka Sho.
When Gotham Song climbed quietly out of Neo Universe's arms, she gently stepped onto the floor, circled carefully around the bed to avoid waking her roommate, and then finally faced Neo Universe from the other side of the bed, picking up her phone to check the latest news push notifications.
After yesterday's race, Gotham Song hadn't returned to Mejiro Manor, choosing instead to head back to Japan Central Tracen Academy with Gentildonna and Dancing Brave. Naturally, Neo Universe—who had long been waiting there—became the only Uma Musume by Gotham Song's side that night.
Dancing Brave had returned to the special dorm room she shared with Secretariat. Meanwhile, Gotham Song gave Gentildonna a rare day off. Gentildonna had been quite surprised at this sudden decision, but after brief consideration, she'd nodded and calmly accepted this unexpected development.
When Gotham Song asked if there was anything specific Gentildonna wanted to do, she'd said she planned to visit home.
Naturally, Gotham Song had no objections. After promising to meet again later at Tracen, the two parted ways toward their respective destinations.
Now, after waking up beside Neo Universe, Gotham Song eagerly checked her phone. But what exactly was she so desperate to see?
In this world, everything related to Uma Musume was intensely passionate—especially an event as prestigious as the Triple Tiara's Oka Sho, closely involving both Gotham Song and Dancing Brave.
On the way back yesterday, out of curiosity, Gotham Song had reached out to the newspaper editor she knew, asking if there'd be any special coverage.
The reply she received was:
"The editor-in-chief has quadrupled overtime pay, and he and the whole team are pulling an all-nighter to release a big story guaranteed to shake the entire Uma Musume world."
Precisely because of this foreknowledge, Gotham Song, wearing only a thin nightgown, sat on Neo Universe's bed, determined to read it immediately after waking.
She was genuinely curious, okay!
And what exactly was the headline she saw?
[A Perfect Victory of Tactics and Courage—Gentildonna, the Genius Runner who Adapts Instantly, Took the First Step Toward the Triple Tiara Yesterday: Is this the Arrival of a New Era or a Signal of Upheaval?]
A new era? Signal of upheaval…? They really dare to write that, huh? Well, was this what they called the allure of rich rewards? Anyway, in Gotham Song's eyes, this article did indeed have some substance.
Especially after yesterday's conversation with Dancing Brave, Gotham Song felt even more deeply about its contents.
Firstly, this article straightforwardly—even brutally—echoed almost exactly what Dancing Brave had said yesterday: tactics in the entire Uma Musume world were actually overly simplistic, lacking depth and strategic development.
[The overall consensus seems to be that as long as you're fast enough, you'll defeat every other Uma Musume. So, regardless of type or specialty, everyone obsessively trains only speed and stamina, ignoring everything else.]
[We must stop and ask ourselves—is this due to an overall theoretical deficiency within the Uma Musume racing community, or is it because Trainers are universally weak or lacking in awareness regarding tactics?]
They really dare say that. Such blunt honesty practically blasted every Trainer in the Uma Musume community.
Yet Gotham Song agreed wholeheartedly.
Why had Dancing Brave, very early on, recognized her qualifications as a Trainer?
Because Gotham Song was a legendary Uma Musume with enough experience to teach anyone? That was only partly true. The more crucial reason was actually—though Gotham Song didn't actually need any tactical support to win—
But setting aside the fact that she really was a Great Escape idiot on the racetrack—given enough free time, Gotham Song genuinely researched tactics, coming up with some truly bizarre and imaginative ideas!
This alone convinced Dancing Brave that Gotham Song possessed genuine Trainer qualifications.
Because currently, Trainers in the entire Uma Musume world only made training plans, selected racers, and handled daily care of their Uma Musume!
Someone like Gotham Song, who actually considered tactics, was already extremely competent if she could manage the other duties as well.
In terms of tactics, the entire Uma Musume world really was stuck in a primitive state of development.
Continuing further down the article, Gotham Song saw even sharper criticisms.
"Did Gentildonna's victory yesterday truly hinge on complete dominance in speed and stamina? Perhaps stamina-wise, yes—but in fact, data clearly shows Gentildonna couldn't have defeated Almond Eye-san if she'd raced conventionally. It was precisely because of different tactical arrangements and execution that this Oka Sho saw a completely different winner."
Indeed, the data analysis was extremely rigorous. The provided charts clearly illustrated that—ignoring miracles like the Zone—Gentildonna's speed was continuously being approached by Almond Eye. Without a sufficient early lead, she truly would have been overtaken by the finishing burst of speed.
As a front-runner herself, Gotham Song understood this deeply. While her own Great Escape style didn't face such risks, regular front-runners needed to maintain a large enough gap to prevent closers from reversing positions at the end.
Yet, wasn't the race ultimately decided by Gentildonna's Zone bursting forth at the end...?
If someone actually said something like that, Gotham Song would truly scoff at it.
If facing the Zone made you lose all desire to pursue victory, then why enter the race in the first place?
The Zone was a miracle—something beyond anyone's predictions, especially when it appeared for the first time. If you gave up the pursuit of victory simply because something like that existed, then you didn't deserve the title of an Uma Musume.
Moreover, though the Zone could indeed bring enormous surprises and advantages, if tactics could assist in achieving victory—even if only a little—then what reason was there not to choose them?
[Therefore, tactics should rightfully be considered an essential element of modern Uma Musume racing. The situation on the track changes in an instant—even the slightest moment can lead to an entirely different outcome. Thus, tactical awareness is all the more crucial.]
In reality, no one would openly question why Uma Musume themselves didn't delve deeply into these matters. After all, the Uma Musume racing at full speed were adored by everyone. Also, few fans would actually expect their precious oshis to rack their brains and independently figure out these tactical intricacies.
So…
[I hope every Trainer who reads this will seriously reflect on it, and that we'll soon witness more elegant, unexpected tactical victories unfolding on the track.]
If that really did happen, wouldn't that old bastard Dancing Brave be thrilled to death—ah, forget it. Thinking about that stuff now won't help anything.
Putting down the phone, Gotham Song sat on the bed that technically belonged to Neo Universe but had never been used, swinging her legs idly, lost in thought about this matter.
Though she didn't stay lost for very long. When Gotham Song returned from her thoughts, she found Neo Universe already awake, silently watching her.
"Song? What were you looking at just now?"
"Mm, an article about Gentildonna's Oka Sho victory yesterday."
Neo Universe nodded slightly, seemingly not particularly concerned. She climbed out from under the covers, letting the pale blue blanket slide off her shoulder.
Come to think of it, it'd been quite a long time since the two of them had enjoyed such intimate closeness. It truly was nostalgic.
Hands clasped behind her back, Gotham Song quietly walked forward, gently pressing her cheek against Neo Universe's.
"Alright, let's go out for a walk, Little Universe. It's so rare that we come back to Central Tracen—I wanna see everyone, and…maybe take a quick trip to the snack street?"
Gotham Song stuck out her tongue playfully, then stepped into her slippers and headed toward the washroom.
I've been eating way too much bran lately—I miss all the delicacies at Central's snack street so badly…
Wait, come to think of it, I've been away from Central for so long… Surely the buffet restaurants nearby haven't gone bankrupt, have they…?
Generally speaking, buffet places wouldn't go bankrupt. Although prices were considerably higher than the buffets Gotham Song had known from her original world—largely due to the enormous appetites of Uma Musume—very few Uma Musume were actually short of cash.
And those few who did struggle financially would always receive discounts or free meals from the kind-hearted restaurant owners.
So, ordinarily speaking, buffets in this world shouldn't be eaten out of business by Uma Musume.
But—but! That's only under ordinary circumstances—and there was absolutely nothing ordinary about Central Tracen!
Because there existed here a terrifying grey-haired monster!
Thinking about this, Gotham Song felt her shoulders suddenly become heavier, even speeding up her washing and brushing routine, her entire being taking on an epic sense of duty.
Under Neo Universe's confused but quietly amused gaze, Gotham Song solemnly put on her everyday clothes, finally fixing up her hair before looking toward the door.
"Ready, Little Universe?"
"Yes, Brave Hero-sama."
Brave Hero-sama…? Uh, whatever, hero is hero. There's nothing wrong with it. Right, nothing wrong… Gotham Song—she was a hero.
But still, why did Neo Universe's gaze look so strange—nostalgic, almost like someone pampering a child?
"Let's go. It's time to save the world."
It was finally time to save the world—of buffet restaurant owners!
---
T/N: i decided to stop being lazy and do gentildonnas full name... (LIE LIE LIE THIS DOESNT HAPPEN UNTIL MUCH LATER -future me)
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl