For some reason, it felt like something was definitely about to happen between Vernal Equinox and Satono Diamond…
Was it just my imagination?
From the moment Satono Diamond announced she wouldn't attend today's Winner's Concert, up to the point the four Uma Musume had left the racetrack and begun enjoying the afternoon, about an hour or two had passed.
How to describe what happened during these one or two hours?
Simply put…Satono Diamond and Vernal Equinox's hands hadn't separated for even a single minute!
Both girls tightly held onto Gotham Song's arms, one on each side. If not for Gotham Song herself kindly raising her arms a bit, she really felt that both of them should have gotten sore backs from constantly bending down like that.
Anyway, this atmosphere definitely didn't seem right. Even though the two of them hadn't directly exchanged any sharp glances, Gotham Song clearly sensed it—an invisible tension hanging persistently in the air, the scent of gunpowder refusing to dissipate…
As expected, Diamond and Vernal-chan still don't get along very well, huh… Ahh, this is gonna be troublesome…
After walking around aimlessly for several laps, it was actually Kitasan Black who finally stepped in to resolve the awkward situation.
As Vernal Equinox's elder sister and Satono Diamond's good friend, she put forth a highly constructive suggestion—
How about solving the issue of food first, then discussing other matters later? By the way, a rather popular open-air barbecue park had recently opened nearby; wouldn't that suit their current situation perfectly?
Although Gotham Song still couldn't quite grasp how exactly it suited the situation, she voiced no objections whatsoever, immediately indicating her approval.
What a joke—if she dared say it wasn't suitable right now, wouldn't it basically guarantee Diamond and Vernal-chan started an actual fight? Since there was a good solution already, why even risk opening her mouth?
So, that settled it!
Seeing Gotham Song had already made her decision, Satono Diamond and Vernal Equinox naturally had no objections, immediately voicing enthusiastic agreement one after the other.
With absolutely no dissenting opinions from anyone, the four Uma Musume swiftly arrived at the open-air barbecue park Kitasan Black had suggested.
Although it was called an open-air park, it actually had a designated area separated out specifically for barbecuing, complete with safety measures, and even nearby shops renting out grilling equipment and selling ingredients.
Gotham Song was deeply impressed—she'd honestly never encountered anything like this before.
Notably, after renting the grill equipment, it came time to purchase ingredients, and the shop surprisingly had clearly separated areas for Uma Musume and humans.
This wasn't some kind of discriminatory treatment; rather, it reflected an intriguing reality of this world.
Humans generally referred to barbecuing as "grilling meat," since human barbecues practically always included meat. But for Uma Musume, it was completely different.
Uma Musume wouldn't call barbecue "grilled meat," for the simple reason that Uma Musume—who mainly consumed carrots, whose sole nightmare food was literally carrots—basically never ate meat.
Even if they did, it was mostly common among American Uma Musume, while Japanese Uma Musume rarely adopted such diets. Thus, stores generally didn't offer meat products in the Uma Musume ingredient section.
Besides, even if an Uma Musume did want meat, she could just buy it from the human-designated area. "Designated" simply meant suggested; it didn't mean Uma Musume were prohibited entry—there weren't any strange restrictions like that.
Then, what exactly did Uma Musume usually barbecue?
As a "not-so-experienced" Uma Musume with three or four years under her belt, Gotham Song figured even her toes could guess precisely what the ingredients would be.
Isn't it obvious…
Gotham Song didn't really put much effort into shopping—all she had to do was nod, nod, and… keep nodding.
And then, what exactly were the ingredients they ended up buying?
Hmm. Bright red… carrots, carrots, and more carrots.
How exactly should Gotham Song describe her current feelings?
Although she'd never been particularly knowledgeable about barbecue before…
Could the past me ever have imagined I'd one day be eating a barbecue feast made entirely of carrots?
Ahaha… Life truly has no regrets left, huh?
Yet the people of this world sure were creative—because Uma Musume essentially had only one taste preference, humans had developed endless variations on carrot-based foods.
Thus, as Gotham Song stared at the various items laid out on the grill, she briefly fell into a daze.
How should she even describe this scene?
These are… all carrots, right?
Right? They're all carrots, aren't they?!
First, the simple sliced carrot chunks hardly needed description, but over there… Gotham Song repeatedly picked up a package, glanced back and forth between it and the food placed before her, and finally had to accept a shocking truth:
Those things on the grill, those sausage-shaped foods currently roasting, weren't filled with meat or starch, but instead… minced carrot paste and seasoning?!
Hmm… All she could say was that Uma Musume's tastebuds truly were mysterious. She didn't even want to mention the various carrot breads and other messy concoctions.
Anyway, it was something truly terrifying to humans but perfectly delicious for Uma Musume?!
But, upon tasting these foods, Gotham Song had to admit one thing:
You'd think a dish that looks this horrifying at first glance would taste equally dreadful, but—chew chew chew—how come it's so delicious?!
Seriously, Uma Musume's sense of taste is something incredible—especially to Gotham Song, who possessed common human sensibilities; it was simply incomprehensible.
However, she could only rely on these fascinating distractions temporarily, because over on the other side, Satono Diamond and Vernal Equinox had practically started glaring daggers at each other.
"Trainer-sama, it's grilled by Vernal-chan's own hands—are you really not going to give it a taste?"
"I—I'll eat it!"
"Well then, Big Sister Song~ You'll have to accept Diamond's sincere feelings properly too, right?"
"I—I'll eat that too…!"
Perhaps many people would envy such a scenario? Just think about it: two extremely beautiful, wealthy, high-class Uma Musume doting upon you, intimately feeding you and competing for your affection. If someone had never experienced this firsthand, it might seem enviable, right?
Envy if you want! Only someone who'd never actually endured the pain of sitting awkwardly between these two girls would fail to understand just how torturous it really was…!
Let's not mention Vernal Equinox for now—she was probably easier to handle. Although Gotham Song was still bewildered how she'd never before noticed that her cute Uma Musume had such a hidden side, even setting aside Vernal Equinox, Satono Diamond definitely was no ordinary troublemaker.
If another Uma Musume displayed overly aggressive behavior, Gotham Song might've been curious about the motives and looked for some hidden reasons behind it. But if the Uma Musume in question was Satono Diamond…
If it was Satono Diamond…!
There didn't even need to be a reason—she'd probably do absolutely anything, right?!
So, really, envy all you like—if you haven't lived it, then envy quietly. Just don't actively seek it out, because how could you possibly know whether the person actually at the center of this kind of life was feeling like laughing or crying?!
In—in any case…! She absolutely could not remain passively caught in this rhythm of endless feeding—she had to do something proactive to break the pattern!
Under Kitasan Black's sympathetic gaze, Gotham Song swallowed the final piece of carrot near her lips, not even pausing to wipe the bright red crumbs before hurriedly leaning forward and grabbing two more skewers from the grill.
Since their offensive strategy at the dining table and grill was to feed me… it's finally my turn to attack!
Clearly, the silent battle between Vernal Equinox and Satono Diamond wouldn't be ending anytime soon. So, just as the flames of war between the two Uma Musume were burning hotter than ever, Gotham Song pulled out the secret weapon she'd prepared:
"Open wide—!"
Vernal Equinox hadn't even processed what was happening yet, but instinctively opened her mouth anyway, tucking back her hair as she leaned in expectantly. Satono Diamond wasn't far behind, quickly joining in as well.
Seriously, what am I supposed to do with these two...? When they're bickering, they're a huge headache, but the moment they quiet down, they become impossibly adorable. Really, Gotham Song, your softness is going to doom you someday!
Forget it. If I'm doomed, then so be it…
Feed, feed, and feed some more. To prevent these two noisy girls from having a single spare moment to clash, Gotham Song felt like she'd turned into a ruthless barbecue-skewer machine, suppressing all of Vernal Equinox's and Satono Diamond's actions beneath an endless barrage of food.
By the end, Gotham Song—seeing stars—only managed to maintain her remaining sanity thanks to Kitasan Black secretly slipping food into her mouth.
Wait, hold on—what kind of scenario is this?!
Utterly unable to come up with any coherent thoughts, Gotham Song fell into speechlessness.
Does…does this count as Kitasan Black stealing her younger sister's role?
But as the direct beneficiary, Gotham Song blinked gratefully at Kitasan Black.
Thank you. You've given me the strength to live on!
In any case, the meal had finally come to a merciful conclusion. When Gotham Song returned the grill equipment, she felt as if the entire world had regained its colors once more.
But—!
But once again, Vernal Equinox and Satono Diamond each grabbed one of Gotham Song's arms.
"Diamond-neesan, aren't you making Trainer-sama uncomfortable?"
"Then how about letting go first, Vernal-chan?"
Wait, have these two already moved past the cold-war stage and openly started confronting each other?!
"I absolutely won't let go, Diamond-neesan. After all, I'm Trainer-sama's partner."
"Oh my, but I'm the one who met Big Sister Song first. You're the latecomer here, aren't you, Vernal-chan?"
"You two—"
"We're partners, you know? Partners for life. The kind that absolutely, definitely will never let go, Diamond-nee-san…"
"Rather, isn't it you who's shamelessly clinging on?"
Gotham Song attempted to interrupt. Gotham Song failed to interrupt. Gotham Song tried to cool the situation down. The cooling-down also utterly failed…!
These two—one older, one younger, though that was completely impossible to tell from appearances—were clearly beyond rational thought now. Gotham Song had absolutely no idea what was specifically going through their heads, but she did clearly understand one thing:
Reconciliation was completely impossible now!!
What should I do, Kitasan?! Save me!!
Desperately, Gotham Song's gaze sought out Kitasan Black, only to discover that the sturdy girl had silently stepped away.
Sorry, Miss Gotham Song. I really don't have any solutions either. Besides, it's already getting late, so I should probably be heading home now, right? Ahaha... Good luck!
Don't say it so lightly!!
After reading such a message from her erstwhile ally's eyes, Gotham Song realized a terrifying truth:
You're saying I'm now completely on my own, forced to somehow calm down Satono Diamond and Vernal Equinox alone?!
Gulp.
Th-this is just a joke, right?
Ruby, save me!!!
Calm down. Calm down! Worrying about pointless things right now is useless. First, I can't panic. Think—there must be a way to handle this situation.
Vernal Equinox and Satono Diamond were still locked in a fierce staring contest, their gazes burning like unquenchable flames. Facing a situation like this, Gotham Song was truly at a complete loss.
As for a solution… Um, the biggest—and perhaps the easiest—commonality among the three of us is…?
Is...is it our identities as Uma Musume?
Ah, Uma Musume...! I—I've got it! I have an idea now!
A perfect idea to resolve this situation!
"You two, stop for a moment."
When Gotham Song slightly raised her voice, the previously intense standoff instantly fell apart, and both pairs of eyes swiftly shifted their focus onto her.
Good… The pace is completely in my hands now. In that case…
"It's not too late yet. As a favor to me, how about running a few laps at a nearby grass course?"
As a favor to me. These words became a decisive blow in every possible sense. Vernal Equinox nodded without even pausing to think, and naturally Satono Diamond wouldn't refuse either.
In the end, Gotham Song managed to resolve the conflict through what could generously be called a crude but effective method. Truly, something worth celebrating.
"Oh, right, Big Sister Song—if one day I manage to catch up to you, will you grant me a single wish?"
Only if you can actually catch up, Diamond-chan~ But that day will never come~
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