Gold Ship's sudden appearance. Rice Shower and the rest, showing up out of nowhere.
That familiar aura. Those familiar faces. And the sensation — completely unlike a dream.
All of it added up to one thing: what was happening in front of her was real.
Her seniors had actually followed her here.
(What a pain in the neck.)
But — was that even possible? This world was outside any of the worlds the System had previously catalogued. Unless... it was because she had crossed over here?
(Does the System auto-log information for every world?)
(No — the truth is, I don't even know whether it's the System pulling strings, or the Three Goddesses orchestrating things behind the scenes. The principle and the meaning of this world-crossing are still a mystery.)
Thinking too hard about it was pointless. Whether it was the System or the Three Goddesses, neither was Kitasan Black's goal. She didn't have ambitions that grand. Slacking off, coasting through life, living the good lazy life — that was her ideal.
This turn of events had genuinely startled her. But under the panic, a thread of calm still held.
Gold Ship glanced at her sidelong.
"You're not actually scared, are you?"
Gold Ship had just posed a lethal question.
"You haven't gone and screwed things up, have you?!"
If Kitasan Black didn't have a guilty conscience, there was no reason she'd be afraid to see them.
But — what exactly would this little brat have to feel guilty about? Had she really guessed it right on the nose? Had the kid been slacking off in the Story Mode worlds, failing her Completion Conditions? Nothing else would explain why she'd be scared of facing them.
Gold Ship's current read, clearly, came loaded with heavy bias. As far as she was concerned, Kitasan Black was still that useless pony with zero interest in racing.
At that thought, she shot Kitasan Black a glare.
Pinned under Senior Gold Ship's sharp stare, Kitasan Black broke into an instant cold sweat.
"No way. I'm just — a little surprised, that's all."
"Good. Then let's shake hands. That's not too much to ask, right?"
It wasn't that Gold Ship didn't believe her. She just wanted a definitive answer — and sharing was the quickest way to get one.
Naturally, Kitasan Black wanted no part of this.
"I'm good, Senior."
"Cut the crap. Come on. Just a handshake."
Gold Ship's grin widened. For a moment she didn't even look all that menacing anymore. But Kitasan Black, watching this unfold, only grew more alarmed.
Handshake? More like memory-sharing in disguise!
There was no way. No way she was memory-sharing.
Neither of them said it outright. Both of them had long stopped caring about their own identities, but since McQueen wanted to keep this secret, they'd play along. So from the outside, it looked like the two of them were trading riddles.
A simple handshake. Why did they make it sound like a mortal affair?
The Team Spica members stared in bafflement.
Gold Ship, for her part, couldn't understand Kitasan Black's resistance either.
But Kitasan Black knew exactly why. There were far too many thoughts in her head that she couldn't afford to let her seniors see. Thoughts that — if exposed — might genuinely put her life at risk. She'd mocked her seniors more than once, after all. Even entertained a few outright blasphemous ideas about them.
When Kitasan Black refused to comply, Gold Ship's grin faded.
In the next instant, a monstrous aura began pouring out of her. The air around them grew heavy under the weight of it.
This world's Team Spica members were visibly rattled. They'd had no idea a single person's presence could be so overwhelming. From the aura alone, they could tell — this uma musume possessed skills of frightening caliber. Skills weren't yet widespread in this world, but they existed.
Seeing this, Kitasan Black had no choice but to steel herself.
"Don't make me do this the hard way." Senior Gold Ship meant it.
Kitasan Black held her line. "I said I'm good!"
Just as Gold Ship was about to make her move — a far more terrifying aura clamped down and froze her in place.
Her expression shifted abruptly. She turned toward Rice Shower.
There stood Rice Shower, wreathed in an almost tangible black aura.
"No fighting. And Senior Gold Ship — please stop bullying Kita-chan!"
When the hell did I bully this brat?
Gold Ship clicked her tongue and let go of Kitasan Black. All she'd wanted was a memory-share to confirm whether this brat had been earnestly pursuing her Story Mode missions. But Rice Shower wouldn't see it that way.
Rice Shower — who treated Kitasan Black like a little sister — refused to watch her "older sister" Gold Ship bully the younger one. Faced with a Rice Shower like this, Gold Ship had no choice but to look to Mejiro McQueen.
Her look said: Aren't you going to handle this?
Who had the most authority in this family? Mejiro McQueen, the eldest, hands down. And in their particular hierarchy, strength bought you voice — and McQueen was both the eldest sister and undefeated in their internal scuffles.
Rice Shower didn't understand the situation, but Gold Ship trusted McQueen would back her up. After all, the main reason they'd come looking for Kitasan Black in the first place was to confirm whether this brat had been slacking off in the Story Mode worlds instead of tackling her Completion Conditions seriously.
She'd been right on the verge of forcing Kitasan Black to spill. And Rice Shower had just ruined the whole operation.
"That's enough. Let's stop here. Let Kita-chan go rest and get ready for her performance. As for our business — no rush. We have plenty of time."
Tokai Teio spoke up at last.
She didn't fully understand why Kita-chan was resisting so hard, but Gold Ship's approach struck her as completely out of line. Trying to force the issue like that — how was that any different from bullying someone weaker? And they were all family. Blowing this up would just make a mess.
When Tokai Teio finished, Gold Ship scoffed.
But Mejiro McQueen simply nodded. "Leave it at that."
She trusted Kita-chan. Plenty of things could be faked — but the kind of aura you accumulated through actual racing victories couldn't. And she could feel it. The current Kita-chan was different from before. That was the mark of a runner who'd collected real victories. The current Kita-chan might have already unlocked the full range of her own talent.
If that was the case, McQueen had no reason to doubt her. No reason to suspect she'd been slacking on her Story Mode missions. Because if she really had been slacking, there was no way she'd have an aura like this.
Gold Ship's impression of Kita-chan was simply rooted too deeply in the past.
With McQueen speaking up, Gold Ship let it drop.
Kitasan Black let out a long breath of relief.
Thank goodness only Senior Gold Ship was the unreasonable one.
Senior McQueen might come off as a cold, ruthless yakuza princess, but she was actually a well-mannered, well-read lady. Outside of races, she was surprisingly easy to get along with. Senior Teio needed no explanation — "the sun of Tracen" said it all. And Senior Rice Shower trusted her teammates unconditionally.
The only senior she genuinely didn't get along with was Senior Gold Ship.
And Kitasan Black knew exactly why. Senior Gold Ship detested people who squandered their natural talent — people exactly like her.
It was a clash of philosophy. Nothing to be done about it.
"I'll go change and get ready."
Kitasan Black let out a sigh.
Her first time backup-dancing on the Winner's Stage — and it was going to be under these cursed circumstances. If she weren't such a decent person at heart, she would have bolted by now. She wouldn't be stepping up to help at all.
You run the race, I dance the show?
For an uma musume, the Winner's Stage was sacred ground. Getting to sing and dance up there was a tremendous honor — something to be celebrated. But Kitasan Black just couldn't feel it. Having inherited the thoughts of her seniors and the [Player], she still stood by her original view:
Races were races. The stage was the stage.
Gold Ship narrowed her eyes, genuinely surprised. She'd fully expected Kitasan Black to try to weasel out of the Winner's Stage. In her mind, Kitasan Black was an empty, hollow personality — deeply negative by nature, the kind of girl who'd never dance someone else's victory dance.
But now Gold Ship was starting to suspect she didn't actually know the real Kitasan Black at all. She'd been taken in by Kitasan Black's surface-level act.
This kid wasn't the useless slacker she'd always assumed.
She thought back to what she'd dug up recently. In the last race — the Japan Derby — this kid had possessed this world's [Kitasan Black] and posted an incredible result.
Gold Ship was now even more certain of it. A faint smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.
(Good. You are our precious little sister, after all!)
That talent even McQueen had praised — let her see it. Let her see what you could really do.
Interest gleamed in Gold Ship's eyes. Before now, none of them — not herself, not that irritating Teio, not even Rice Shower, whose mental strength had been strong enough to awaken ZONE from birth — had ever earned praise from McQueen of this caliber. But little Kita-chan had.
That was exactly why, back then, Gold Ship had gotten so furious watching Kita-chan waste herself. With that kind of talent, how could you not try? As an uma musume, how could you not want to be the strongest?
A girl like that needed a thorough straightening out!
Her high expectations had been the reason for her bitter disappointment — and her fury. The Demon King craved every means of growing stronger. She was always searching for the chance to break out of her cocoon, to evolve again. Hungering to charge the ultimate summit!
After Kitasan Black disappeared into the locker room, the atmosphere outside turned profoundly strange.
This world's Team Spica had no idea what was going on with these people. One thing was clear, though — they were close with that Kita-chan. Could it be... could they really be her, from another world?
"Um...?"
[Gold Ship] stepped forward, staring wide-eyed at the long-haired, disturbingly gorgeous woman in front of her, with the vibe of a beautiful maniac.
Unlike [Gold Ship], this Gold Ship didn't have quite the same muscular build. Her muscles weren't as thick. Had it not been for the overwhelming aura and the menacing look in her eyes, she would have had the proportions of a textbook high-class lady. Add in the long hair cascading over her shoulders and her pale features, and no one would ever mistake these two for the same person if you stood them side by side.
Even so, [Gold Ship] knew, on pure instinct.
The woman in front of her was her!
"Wait — are you another me? Are you this world's Gold Ship-sama?"
"Hey, hey, hey, why do you look like that? Where's your antenna-thingy?"
Team Spica watched, in awe of this [Gold Ship]'s bravery. They were curious too, but this group was obviously not to be trifled with. Just standing there, they gave off a pressure heavier than the student council president. One glance told you — these people's strength was utterly terrifying. That aura, that vibe of overwhelming power — they were a tier above them all!
But [Gold Ship] was, after all, [Gold Ship]. She didn't know what fear was.
Gold Ship's eye twitched.
"That's my girl. You guessed right. I am you — I'm you from another world. But unlike you, I'm the Demon King who has conquered an entire world outright!"
Gold Ship said this without an ounce of embarrassment.
Even [Gold Ship] paused for a second.
Don't tell me — is this girl in her chuunibyou phase?
The expression on her face — Gold Ship could read it at a glance.
The terrifying aura flared up once more.
"I know you're me, but don't get cocky in my presence. The gap between you and me is the gap between stars and sand!"
Gold Ship gave [Gold Ship] absolutely no face.
"Oh, nice! That's definitely me — even pretending to be a lady, you still don't have the upbringing to pull it off!" [Gold Ship] said with remarkable self-awareness.
The others behind them went absolutely speechless.
Gold Ship's face twisted in indignation.
"Don't be stupid. When did I ever pretend to be a lady? And since when do ladies need to pretend? And I told you — I'm the Demon King. Strongest in the world. Do you get it or not?"
"Say what you want, but you're me. How am I ever going to become the world's strongest? I mean, yeah, Gold Ship-sama is pretty strong, sure — but world's strongest? That's a bit much, no matter how you slice it?"
[Gold Ship] had plenty of confidence, but she wasn't the young version of herself anymore — and even young Gold Ship would have balked at calling herself world's strongest. So no matter how overwhelming the other Gold Ship's aura was, she just couldn't buy it.
Gold Ship let out a cold laugh.
"Hmph. But it's the truth. The ones standing in front of you right now — every single one of us is the strongest in the world. More than that, we're Transcenders who have crossed beyond the world's limits. The strongest ever to exist, past or present!"
Gold Ship's tone was magnificently boastful.
Rice Shower quietly dialed back her aura and stepped off to the side. Gold Ship's chuunibyou act is too cringe — leave me out of it!
Mejiro McQueen, expression unchanged, subtly edged a couple of steps away.
Only Tokai Teio — a fellow enthusiast of dramatic posturing — stepped boldly forward in agreement.
"The Demon King speaks the truth!"
...
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