Tamamo Cross, Super Creek, Inari One, Yaeno Muteki…
Each one a name etched in racing history. Together with Oguri Cap, their legendary battles defined a golden era in Umamusume racing.
Indeed, Oguri Cap's entire career was considered miraculous precisely because of the incredible rivals she faced.
As a trainer, Yasui naturally knew all this by heart. So when Kitasan Black mentioned Oguri Cap's message, he'd easily narrowed down who these friends might be—especially since Oguri was helping Satono Crown prepare for the Tenno Sho Autumn. After all, there weren't many Umamusume who could claim to have defeated Oguri three consecutive times in that very race.
Of course, Yasui's initial guess hadn't been exactly right.
He'd assumed Oguri would invite the winners from each of her Tenno Sho Autumn losses: Tamamo Cross, Super Creek, and Yaeno Muteki. Yet, he reasoned, it was entirely understandable if Oguri simply wanted to reconnect with her old friends. Besides, Yaeno Muteki was busy and would arrive later, which explained the slight deviation.
But those were trivial details. Anticipation stirred inside him.
He could only imagine how thrilling, how passionate a reunion between these titans of the track would be…
A short while later—
"Four dots."
"Four dots."
"Eight characters."
"Chow. Six dots."
"Kong."
In a private room at Gray Impression, Yasui stared blankly from his corner seat, caught between amusement and disbelief.
In a way, the fiery showdown he'd imagined had indeed materialized.
Only it wasn't happening on the track, but over a mahjong table.
Four Umamusume sat around the table, each utterly absorbed, eyes blazing with competitive intensity.
Facing Yasui directly was Oguri Cap herself. Resting her chin on one hand, she frowned deeply, gaze locked onto her carefully arranged tiles as if they held the secrets to victory.
Across from Oguri Cap sat another silver-gray-haired Umamusume, yet shorter—far shorter. With a petite frame, she looked more like an elementary-schooler lost in deep thought.
To her right sat an even smaller Umamusume, her short, chestnut-brown hair tied into two fluffy buns. A playful festival fox-mask perched atop her head, adding a festive touch to her serious expression.
These two petite Umamusume mirrored Oguri's intensity, glaring fixedly at their tiles as though the world around them had ceased to exist.
The final player, while also concentrating, wore a serene expression, a faint smile lingering at her lips. Taller than Oguri, she was graceful and mature, her silky chestnut hair accented by a single white-streaked braid.
It was she who'd confidently declared "Kong" just now.
With a gentle smile, she drew a tile from the wall, deftly flipping an additional dora tile afterward. She briefly surveyed the dwindling wall, considering carefully.
Her eyes lit up as she glanced at her new tile, a delighted smile spreading across her face as she neatly added it to her hand, then revealed another set of four tiles.
"How fortunate. Two dots—another Kong."
Three pairs of eyes immediately snapped toward her, their intensity sharp enough to pierce the air.
But after glancing at the almost-empty wall, their tension visibly eased.
Now serious, the mature Umamusume slowly drew another tile, flipping yet another bonus tile with calm confidence. Peeking discreetly, her smile blossomed into outright joy.
"Ah—seems luck favors me again. Tsumo."
Three stunned gazes followed as she gracefully added the tile to her standing hand, laid them all out, and began counting her points.
"Four two-bamboos, four nine-dots, four green dragons, three four-bamboos, a pair of white dragons. Thankfully, that rinshan tile was perfect—otherwise, I'd have been stuck… So, with four concealed triplets and the extra dora bonuses…"
She flashed a radiant, triumphant smile.
"A yakuman—64,000 points. Pay up, everyone~"
Silence fell, thick and heavy, over the mahjong table.
Moments later, two cries of disbelief and anguish shattered it completely.
"Wha—what the heck? No way! That's impossible!"
The petite, silver-haired girl clutched her head dramatically, her heavy Kansai accent ringing out loudly. "How'd you manage four concealed triplets at a time like this?!"
"Exactly!" echoed the short-haired, fox-mask-wearing Umamusume in a distinctly Kanto accent. She spun accusingly toward her friend. "This is all your fault, Tama! If you hadn't eaten that tile earlier, we would've drawn the round already!"
"What?! How was I supposed to know Creek would pull a rinshan kaihou? Nobody expects that! Besides, I was just trying to win!"
"I don't care! It's still your fault! You owe me points now!"
"That's—that's completely unreasonable!"
As their heated argument filled the room, neither Oguri Cap nor the mature Umamusume intervened. Both wore gentle smiles, quietly accustomed to their friends' energetic bickering.
"That's impressive, Creek. Didn't realize your mahjong was this strong," Oguri Cap remarked softly, handing over her chips without protest.
Super Creek accepted gracefully, smiling warmly. "Well, the orphanage hosts lots of community activities. The neighborhood aunties love mahjong, so I figured I'd learn to get along better with them."
"Ah, I see," Oguri nodded thoughtfully. "I don't play much… Anyway, that finishes the East round, right? Time for the South round?"
"Mm… Do we continue?" Super Creek asked lightly, clearly just enjoying herself.
"Actually, I need to get started in the kitchen," Oguri stood from the table, nodding toward Yasui seated quietly in the corner. "I promised I'd cook dinner for everyone today. Why not let Yasui-san take my spot, if that's alright with you all?"
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T/N: idk how to play mahjong... both my parents know though