"Uncle Francis, I knew you'd come for me." Sixty was all grins, moving to clap the man on the shoulder, but a sharp glare from him made her pull her hand back.
"I ought to have let you stew in a cell for a few days. Maybe then you'd learn some sense."
Uncle Francis shoved her into the passenger seat, his voice a low growl. "Do you have any idea how many eyes are on you? Do you know what your name represents?"
"You're a symbol, the face of Hong Kong racing, the standard-bearer for all the Uma Musume here! And this is how you set an example?"
"If your little stunt got out, every reporter would swarm you like sharks smelling blood. What would all the young girls who look up to you think then?"
"Ah, what's the big deal?"
Sixty leaned back, lacing her fingers behind her head, her stunning deep blue—almost black—hair spilling over the seat.
She stared at the car roof, shifting to get comfortable before continuing, "I'm just a runner when it comes down to it. That's all I am. If it weren't me, there'd be some other champion."
'So my image takes a hit. Big deal. That's what idols are for, right? When one falls, you just find another.'
Uncle Francis gripped the wheel, silent for a long moment before he finally sighed. "Sixty, I need to say this."
"You've been off lately. The old you would never say these things, never act like this."
"Can it still be because of those two losses? Sixty, no one wins forever. Everyone has a race they lose eventually..."
"...Alright, alright, I get it." Sixty closed her eyes.
"The police station was awful, I barely slept a wink. I'm gonna catch a few Z's now, 'kay?"
With that, she fell silent, her breathing even, as if she'd truly drifted off.
Uncle Francis could only shake his head helplessly and start the car.
'Golden Sixty, just what is going on in that head of yours?'
Even this special race that was being arranged—it was all Golden Sixty's own doing, something she'd insisted on pushing through on her own.
An Uma Musume's career is short.
Golden Sixty had been running for years now, already considered to have a relatively long career, especially while maintaining such a long winning streak.
No one can stay at their peak forever.
The fact that Golden Sixty's streak had been broken showed that promising new talents were emerging. But she still held a position of absolute dominance; a loss in one or two races didn't mean much.
The status Golden Sixty held had been built victory by victory, race by race, over years!
"Oh, right," Sixty's eyes snapped open again. "What's the arrangement for the old crew?"
"They're all staying at the villa the old master used for holidays," Uncle Francis replied offhandedly. "All your friends are here, right?"
"Pretty much. The only ones missing are a few newly debuted Uma Musume from Australia that a friend recommended. There aren't many though, that old place should have enough room, right?"
Golden Sixty held up three fingers. "Urban Sea, Agnes Digital, Sham... And here I thought I had friends everywhere. In the end, only three were willing to come."
"Maybe that just means they're the kind of friends worth keeping for life."
"Haha, you're right about that!" Golden Sixty let out a hearty laugh.
?
Platinum shifted her weight to the right, bumping against Urban Sea's slender arm; she shifted left and accidentally brushed against Agnes Digital's fingers, causing Agnes Digital to yank her hand back as if shocked.
Platinum then looked across the room.
On the opposite sofa, a bold, black-haired Uma Musume had her feet propped up on the coffee table.
She wore only a black leather jacket studded with rivets, revealing a toned, wheatish midriff and collarbone.
A vibrant red phoenix tattoo stretched from her right calf all the way up her back, like a great bird perched around her waist.
Her pale, chapped lips were parted in a grin, revealing a mouth full of sharp, predatory teeth, each of the upper ones etched with a letter, spelling out [VICTORY].
A veteran of the American racing scene, Secretariat's only rival, an extreme sports enthusiast, a woman who seemed born for rock 'n' roll—Sham.
Sham glanced left at Urban Sea, whose face immediately stiffened.
Urban Sea hurriedly picked up her teacup and took a sip—a very, very long sip. Sham glanced right at Agnes Digital, who let out a startled "eep!" and quickly grabbed the book in front of her.
Then Sham's gaze landed squarely on Platinum in the middle.
Platinum instantly felt all her hairs stand on end, fidgeting so badly she felt like performing a handstand on the spot.
'You two used up all the evasion tactics! What am I supposed to do now?'
Suffice to say, Platinum's trip to Hong Kong had been surreal.
Her very first stop in Hong Kong, and she'd been accosted by the local champion, who seemed to be making a scene. Finally getting into a car, the driver had floored it, going on a high-speed joyride through the suburbs that ended with a trip to the police station.
Thus, Platinum's first night in Hong Kong was spent with her host getting into trouble. By the time they were finally dropped off at the villa, it was almost midnight.
Her body clock already completely synced to Agnes Tachyon's schedule, Platinum had been yawning non-stop.
She hadn't even paid attention to the room assignments, just stumbling into a guest room and collapsing into bed.
She woke up in the morning to find Agnes Tachyon already gone, leaving only a message.
Turns out she'd rushed off early to attend a forum.
Platinum calculated the time and realized the forum would last quite a while, meaning the evil Agnes Tachyon's grip on her would inevitably loosen.
That was the only happy thing about coming to Hong Kong so far.
Anyway, as Platinum, grinning from ear to ear and wearing a large shirt, came downstairs rubbing her stomach, she saw Sham sitting on the sofa, looking like she'd walked straight off a different movie set.
Platinum's face froze instantly, and for a moment she wondered if she was being robbed.
Just as Platinum tried to sneak back upstairs, Sham's fierce eyes locked onto her.
"Morning."
Damn these old, creaky stairs, groaning with every step.
Turning back now would be too rude. Forcing a smile, Platinum walked over and sat on the sofa opposite Sham, thinking, 'This is it. I'm done for.'
"Go... Good morning." Her hand trembling, Platinum picked up the electric kettle, finding it full of scalding hot water. Steam even rose from the cup as she poured.
"Hey." The hoarse voice from across made Platinum jump, nearly spilling the boiling water on her hand.
'She's scary, okay? No shame in admitting that.'
"There's tea here." Sham's intense stare made Platinum feel like she was about to pull a Smith & Wesson M686 and put a bullet in her forehead any second.
"No, no, no, it's fine! Water's great." Fighting back tears, Platinum forced herself to gulp down the scalding water. Halfway through her drink, another creak came from the stairs.
Soon, Agnes Digital was sitting stiffly on the sofa next to Platinum, knees pressed together. Just as Agnes Digital was about to start reading her book upside down in panic, another creak sounded from upstairs.
Thus, the lineup on the sofa became Urban Sea, Agnes Digital, and Platinum. The three of them sat there like prisoners waiting for a firing squad.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.