If one were to ask about the first time Oguri Cap saw Ling, it was after Oguri Cap had run her retirement race.
At that time, Ling hadn't debuted yet. She wanted to communicate with others but was afraid, acting like a prickly hedgehog. This awkwardness made Oguri Cap feel that this child might need her care.
So she tried to approach her, but was met with a wary gaze and a widening distance.
Actually, she had thought it was a Horse Girl Child at the time. Later, when she learned that the other party was about to debut, she was especially surprised.
Of course, none of that mattered. The key was that after Oguri Cap realized the other party was also a Tracen student, she couldn't let go even more.
Although the other party always kept her distance from others, Oguri Cap learned from others that Ling wouldn't be as wary of humans as she was of Uma Musume. So, Oguri Cap hid her tail and ears and tried to approach her.
The result was a look from Ling as if she were looking at an idiot.
There was no helping it; as long as it was an Uma Musume, Ling could see their abilities in her vision, so no amount of disguise would do much good.
Speaking of which, wouldn't it be great if Rei Zai went to the special services bureau to catch spies with this ability?
Ahem, back to the topic, in the end, Oguri Cap retreated when Ling was so extremely wary that she even began to show aggression.
Afterward, Oguri Cap sought out Spica Trainer Okino Koji and another team member, Gold Ship.
It was truly amazing about Gold Ship. At that time, every Uma Musume was within Ling's range of rejection, except for Gold Ship.
No one knew how Gold Ship managed it. Although Ling was still very wary of her at the time, Gold Ship was indeed one of the few Uma Musume who could communicate normally with Ling.
Although everyone thought the biggest reason Ling was wary of Gold Ship at the time was because she was Gold Ship.
Of course, the only two members of Spica were indeed racking their brains over Ling's situation, and the arrival of Oguri Cap, who was famous in many ways, gave them a glimmer of hope.
Later… that was a place Ling would absolutely never mention to anyone.
Oguri Cap cured her social anxiety. The method was… she had an episode.
Ah, I'm talking about Oguri Cap.
Repeatedly trying to comfort Ling, such an awkward child, but repeatedly hitting a wall, caused her maternal instincts to accumulate and be unable to be released. The result… no one knew what happened inside the locked door that day, only that Oguri Cap came out with a satisfied smile, and inside was only Ling, wearing a kindergarten smock and with swirly eyes.
Then, the next day, although Ling was still a bit awkward, she slowly began to communicate with others, and under the subsequent influence of Heavy Gun, she gradually became cheerful.
Therefore, Ling was actually very grateful to Oguri Cap, which was why she only verbally objected to being the object of Oguri Cap's maternal release.
Of course, she would still be scared when necessary. At least, she truly couldn't handle Oguri Cap's maternal outburst, so pulling Tamamo Cross and Inari One in as assistant coaches also had the idea of using them as shields.
Anyway, these two were pretty much used to it. One more person could share the burden, so why not?
And for Oguri Cap, Ling should be the child she most actively approached, and also the one she hit the most walls with.
Nevertheless, she could see that Ling's nature wasn't bad, and in some aspects, she was very delicate, so she would also think about taking better care of her.
If possible, I'd like to see Z-chan act more spoiled~
Although Ling had matured to the point where she no longer needed so much care, Ling, who had never acted spoiled, remained Oguri Cap's biggest regret.
Her maternal intuition told her that Ling was definitely a child who liked to act spoiled, but unfortunately, she had always hidden this very well. So, when she heard that Ling had become Rei Bo a while ago, she was the most excited one.
After she came to her senses, she also came to terms with her own feelings.
Instead of seeing Rei Bo who knew nothing, it would be better to directly turn the current Z-chan into Rei Bo.
At the same time, she couldn't help but imagine all the children around her acting spoiled towards her, and the smile on her face grew brighter and brighter.
Unfortunately, in the eyes of the surrounding Uma Musume, that smile became increasingly terrifying.
"Ta… Tamamo Senior… what should we do?" Inari One was now huddled with Tamamo Cross in a corner, trembling.
"I don't know either… Where's Rei Zai? Shoot! She ran away!" Tamamo Cross had intended to pull in a helper, but her gaze shifted and met Ling's eyes.
[Take care]—that was the meaning of Ling's last glance. Then, she turned around, grabbed Special Week, and ran off.
Traitor!!!
At this moment, Oguri Cap ended her fantasy and turned her gaze towards the two.
"Ah, Xiao Tamamo and Xiao Inari~ I have some things I'd like to try out. Can you join me for a bit?"
That's right! Oguri! If I tempt her with food… Shoot!
Her gaze shifted to the other side. Oguri Cap also noticed something was off here and took the others to another part of the training ground. The other members of Spica, before leaving, gave the same look as Ling had earlier.
"Ah… speaking of which, I have to go to the Student Council later, so I'll just…" Inari One tried to find an excuse to slip away, but was pulled back by Tamamo Cross, who showed her phone.
[Tamamo Cross: Rei Zai, Inari One said to ask you to go to the Student Council for her to see what they need her to do, and then help her relay the message.]
[Absolute Zero: Got it~]
(Senior! You!) Inari One looked at Tamamo Cross.
(Want to leave? Don't even think about it!) I have to drag someone down with me.
Then the two Uma Musume were carried away by Oguri Cap, one on each side.
Meanwhile, Ling also understood what the Student Council wanted Inari One for through a phone call.
This year's Arima Kinen.
For this Arima Kinen, the Emperor also went to great lengths, determined to assemble a 'Galactic Battleship' level lineup of participants.
All members of the Student Council, who were also participating, wanted to bring a grand event to Zero. Afterwards, more Uma Musume would be invited to compete.
While some were afraid of Zero's performance in the Japan Cup, others were naturally excited.
To gallop alongside powerful rivals on the racecourse is the romance of every Uma Musume, and something they all crave. Unfortunately, the number of participants in a race is prioritized, and screening is still required, which is a big headache for the association.
Especially for those Uma Musume who have already retired; apart from those who genuinely cannot return due to physical reasons, many Uma Musume have signed up for this Arima Kinen, making the screening extremely difficult. It's worth noting that among these Uma Musume, there are many who are like 'love triangles' in races.
For instance, A lost to B, B lost to C, and A won against C, and there were also quite a few who had each won one of the Triple Crown races.
The running of Uma Musume can bring hope, and this is truly real. Zero, who has maintained an unbroken winning streak until now, has brought even more, and everyone is very grateful to her.
Therefore, for the final battle of the classic three years, the association and Tracen's high-level executives jointly decided to reciprocate with the grandest race.
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