Time passed peacefully after we returned to Tracen Central. The lack of any upcoming races meant most of our days blended into one continuous stream; days of training and running, all done as summer slowly inched towards the season of fall. And before I knew it, over a month had gone by since summer camp ended.
It was the weekend today, and I found myself alone in the heart of Shibuya. I was dressed rather casually today—with a leather jacket and pants reminiscent of a biker's. I leaned my back onto a light pole as I idly fiddled with the watch clasped around my wrist, glancing at the time now and again.
Surprisingly, not many people recognized me. Maybe because I wasn't wearing my Tracen Central uniform or my G1 outfit, or maybe because the clothes I'd picked for this outing were so completely different from my usual attire. Whatever the case, it was a minor blessing. Being recognized out in the open would be quite the hassle.
Then, just as I began fiddling with my watch again,
"Star!" Oguri called out to me, also dressed in her own casual clothes. It was the exact same clothes she wore in the game, and I had to blink for a moment at seeing it for the first time in real life.
The shock passed quickly, and a smile came onto my lips. "Yo, Oguri."
It was the weekend today, and surprisingly, Oguri had asked if we could go out together to Shibuya today. It was quite the surprise when she first asked that, made even worse since she randomly blurted the idea in the middle of the cafeteria.
The reason was rather benign though--
As it turned out, due to how much she'd been watching me lately, she noticed that I didn't have any accessories for my ears. No ear-coverings, no little trinkets—nothing. It was something that she'd never seen before, since even Belno Light and Fujimasa March at least had an accessory tied to their ears.
I personally hadn't really thought about it at first. After all, that was something that the game had used to signify whether an umamusume was a stallion or a filly. And since I was neither, I'd never really felt the need to accessorize myself.
But the moment she mentioned it, I began feeling…off. It wasn't anything major, but the thought of not having anything tied to my ears suddenly felt unsettling, as if a piece of myself was missing.
And clearly Oguri had noticed it as well, because she immediately asked for us to go to Shibuya to buy me a new ear accessory.
So here we are now.
Now that she was here, we began walking together towards the store Musaka had recommended for us. A high-end fashion store nestled right in the heart of Shibuya, specialized in clothing and accessories for umamusume. Apparently Musaka also knew the owner of the store, saying that the products they sold were some of the best Japan had to offer.
I didn't know just how far Musaka's influence went, but I was once again pleasantly surprised.
As we walked, we definitely attracted attention. Despite wearing different clothes, Oguri still wore her now-famous diamond-headband, and many people immediately recognized her. And since they recognized Oguri, it didn't take much for people to realize who I was as well.
Thankfully, no one seemed intent on interrupting our little outing. They pointed and watched in awe, and some even came up to us to say hello, but other than that, not much happened.
Another wondrous property of this world, I suppose. Celebrities in my previous world would be swamped if they went out in the open like we were now.
Soon enough, we made it to the store Musaka had recommended to us.
And the pictures certainly didn't do the place justice. For one, the store was massive, easily taking up enough space to house four or five different family restaurants. The whole place was also quite regal, with the walls inside beautifully lacquered and polished. A large sign hung just above the door, with the words「Golden Hooves」inscribed into it.
Both Oguri and I stared for a good moment at the store's opulence. The whole store screamed rich, and not even Tracen Central emanated the same vibes.
I gulped as I unconsciously fixed my collar. "Right-, let's go in, I guess."
"...Nn." Oguri nodded slowly.
We walked in together, and the bell jingled the door closed behind us. There was a sharply dressed man standing behind the counter, and he bowed to us as we entered. "Welcome, Lady Blossom Star, Lady Oguri Cap."
I blinked. "You know of us?"
He smiled calmly. "How can I not? You two are quite famous, after all." He shook his head. "But that aside, you two are our esteemed guests for today. It would be a dishonor not to at least recognize who you are."
Esteemed guests? What did he-?
…oh. This was probably Musaka's influence, wasn't it?
"Well, that's nice to know." I smiled. "Then I'm assuming you already know why we're here?"
He nodded. "Naturally." He stepped away from his counter and gestured towards the door just next to him. "Please, follow me inside."
Oguri and I turned to one another for a moment, before we gave him a silent nod. He smiled and led us through the door, and the room we came into was just as opulent as the one we came from.
But this time, the walls were covered with all sorts of racing outfits, hung from the walls like prized treasures. Each of them were worthy of being an umamusume's G1 outfit, and in fact, some of them looked strangely familiar, though I couldn't quite place why that was.
That was, until I came upon a G1 outfit that was eerily similar to my own, just with the blue cape I'd grown quite fond of.
Oguri and I had to stop and stare for a good moment, and the man smiled slightly as he saw our stunned stares. "That is indeed a prototype of your own G1-wear, Lady Blossom Star." He gestured towards the outfit hung on the wall. "As a fact, we were the ones who crafted the outfits for your entire team."
…fascinating.
I always wondered who made our G1 outfits, and why it was such high quality. I mean, compared to the G1 outfit of, say, Dicta Striker, ours were of significantly higher quality, nearly matching the outfit of Mejiro Ardan. I'd always been a little confused at first, since it wasn't as if we blew our entire team's budget on our G1 outfit. It turned out Musaka had once again come to our aid.
Damn. Now I really needed to find some way to pay the old man back. It was becoming clearer and clearer just how much he was helping us from behind the scenes.
"Alas, this is not our stop." He bowed slightly. "Let us continue further."
We followed him once more, and soon enough, we came into another room. This time the whole place looked like some jewelry store, with several dozen accessories stored within glass displays.
"Here we are." He said as we stepped in. "We have, on display, nearly a hundred different accessories you may inspect on your own leisure." He smiled calmly. "In the meantime, I shall head out momentarily to take a pre-prepared set of accessories I had compiled based on Musaka's recommendations. I shall return soon." He said, and after bowing, he turned and left.
Once he was gone, Oguri and I remained in place for nearly a minute, mostly stunlocked by the entire place. This was the first time we'd ever visited a place this obviously regal, and even I couldn't stop myself from acting like a country bumpkin as we stared at the dozens of glass displays with undisguised awe.
"There's…so many…" She whispered, both amazed and somewhat terrified.
I nodded slowly as I gulped. "Haha, I wonder how this all costs…" I whispered, before I shivered. I really didn't want to know that. "A-Anyway, let's go looking around, yeah?"
Oguri nodded silently to my suggestion, and soon we began looking around, going from one display to the next to see if there were any accessories to piqued our interest.
Alas, nothing really did. Many of the accessories looked quite pretty of course, but none of them really stuck out to me. And apparently Oguri felt the same, considering how she rejected some of the accessories I pointed to at random, saying that they didn't quite fit me.
Eventually, the man came back, carefully carrying a closed wooden box in his hands. "I have returned." He announced as he placed the box on a nearby display case. "If I may have your attention, these are the accessories I believe would best complement your features."
I raised an eyebrow as I walked closer, and he smiled as he gently lifted the box open. There were a dozen different accessories carefully placed within.
And my eyes immediately turned to one of them.
Oguri peered over my shoulders as my hand slowly reached towards it; a four-pointed star minted in gold, attached to a string and clasp that would keep the accessory attached to my ears even as I ran. The star glimmered beneath the warm lights above. My skin tingled as I ran a finger across it, my eyes somewhat dazed.
The whole experience was…strange. I'd never seen this accessory before, but I felt such a strong connection to it that it made me feel almost ill. Just thinking of the fact that I'd spent most of my life without wearing it made me feel wrong, as if I'd been living with a piece of myself missing.
The man didn't seem all that surprised however. He only smiled, as if unsurprised at the strange mystical connection I'd immediately formed. "I presume this is the one you desire."
"...yeah." I eventually said, quickly pulling my hand away as the fog I felt vanished. "I think this is the one."
He nodded as he lifted the star-shaped accessory from the box. "Then, if I may ask, which ear would you like me to place this accessory on?" My mouth opened for a moment, and then closed. I didn't actually know—after all, I wasn't actually a horse in that other world. Seeing my confusion, the man smiled. "There is no need to worry. I believe you would know best."
I pursed my lips for a moment, before I sighed as I closed my eyes. Right ear or left ear? A fairly inconsequential question at first, but it wasn't something I wanted to get wrong. Something in me told me that this was important; something I couldn't let go wrong.
…
I took a breath as I made my answer.
"My left ear, please."
He smiled knowingly as he glanced at Oguri, specifically at the blue band worn around her right ear. "Of course." He brought the accessory to my head, carefully clasped the loop around my left ear, and just like that, it was done.
I stepped back, and my scalp tingled as I felt my new accessory softly bounce as I took a step. "So, how does it look?" I asked as I turned to Oguri.
"It's good." She eventually said, her eyes wide. "Really good."
I smiled shyly. "That so?" I said, and then blinked when the man held up a mirror towards me, allowing me to see the new star-shaped accessory dangling from my left ear. I gulped slightly as I felt a strange electric feeling course through my body. "Yeah, that does look pretty good, huh?"
Not just good—for the first time in my life, the reflection in the mirror looked complete. The Blossom Star that stared back at me truly looked like an umamusume, and something in my heart trembled at the realization.
Slowly, a genuine smile formed across my lips.
"Yeah, really good." I muttered to myself, satisfied.
The man smiled as he saw my satisfaction. "I am glad for that." He gently placed the mirror down, and closing the wooden box, he gestured towards the door we'd come through. "Then, if you desire, why don't we peruse some other clothes for your daily activities? Our store also provides for such occasions."
I blinked. "Wait, how about the, uh, payment?"
He chuckled softly. "There is need, Lady Blossom Star. Sir Musaka has already prepaid for whatever purchases you may make today."
I softly hissed. Aah, the old man really was going all out, huh? I really had to thank him when we got back. Probably get him a gift as well.
"Then let's go." I said, quickly shaking those thoughts away as I followed him.
Oguri also followed behind me, still staring at my new look with undisguised fascination.
.
.
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[The Hero's Soul resonates!]
[The Unique Skill [Starlit Crown] levels up!]