After leaving the track, Mizuki returned to her dorm, while McQueen, Scarlet, and Vodka returned to the Ritto Dorms. Scarlet and Vodka shared a room, and they raced to see who would get to shower first.
Having received Mizuki's theoretical guidance and targeted training, Scarlet had grasped some techniques regarding her unique skill, "Red Ace." Though she hadn't fully mastered it, she had clearly become stronger and won the race to the dorm.
"Ha! I arrived first! Vodka, you lose!"
"As expected, I'm the superior one. Now you know my strength, Vodka!"
Scarlet was overjoyed— more so than if a teacher had praised her. She put her hands on her hips and gave a huff. Beside her, Vodka looked on in disbelief. She grit her teeth; when had she ever suffered such humiliation?!
"Ugh... I'm in a terrible mood! Dammit! Let's go again!"
Vodka felt something was wrong, and she refused to accept it. Usually, they used Hishi Amazon as the finish line; using the Ritto Dorm entrance as the finish line just didn't suit her!
"Tch... you? Bring it on! I won't lose even if we race a hundred times!— Oh, Air Groove-senpai! When did you get here? Um... well... how should I say— "
Scarlet was suddenly flustered. She was a model student in front of her seniors, and she had just been way too carried away.
"Are you two racing? How energetic. But hurry up and get to lunch, Oguri Cap has already set off," Air Groove said succinctly, hitting the key point.
Oguri Cap had already reached the cafeteria; if they didn't go now, there would be no food left.
"And, Scarlet, you won, right? Very good. Keep working hard, the upcoming era belongs to you all." Air Groove smiled gently, showing the grace of a senior.
"Yes, Air Groove-senpai!" Scarlet replied. She couldn't help but admire the "Empress"— she was so elegant!
Of course, that was only because Air Groove hadn't run into Symboli Rudolf yet. Once the President started telling her serious "dad jokes," Air Groove would be the one wearing a look for help. She really couldn't handle them.
In Mejiro McQueen's room:
"Hum~ hum~ hum~"
McQueen was singing cutely while showering. She had a smile on her face and a lovely, vibrant voice.
For an Uma Musume, there was something very important: the Winning Live. The winner of a race stands at the center of the stage, giving their best song and dance to the fans as a sign of ultimate gratitude. As a member of the Mejiro family, McQueen had maintained grace and poise since childhood. She had many fans supporting her, so she naturally wanted to live up to their expectations.
Therefore, when her roommate wasn't around, she would practice singing in the shower.
But if her roommate were there, she would hum very softly. Despite her elegance and poise, she could be quite shy. Out of her 500kg weight, 499kg of it would suddenly become pure bashfulness.
"Alright, while the conditioner sets, let's get focused and practice the next song!" Mejiro McQueen smiled, though she couldn't help but mutter:
"These songs I'm practicing today feel so upbeat. What kind of mental state was the author in when they wrote these? Sigh, they feel so different from my usual style...""
"...At least no one is here. To give back to my fans perfectly, I'll practice some more." McQueen cheered herself up and continued singing, her voice sounding both precious and adorable.
To achieve a better practice result, she even started dancing along. Right hand, left hand, and then together— "Uwah!"
Her stride was too wide. She slipped a few steps and ended up falling over. Fortunately, it wasn't a big deal— the floor was fine.
Meanwhile, Nice Nature was enjoying a meal at the Tracen Academy cafeteria. Sitting across from her were Matikane Tannhauser, wearing her cute beret and a confident smile, and the adorable Mayano Top Gun, who was currently trying to act like a mature woman.
Speaking of these three, they were true "heavyweights." One lacked manners (Nature), one was "brilliant" (Tannhauser), and one had been completely swindled (Top Gun). To be honest, in Tracen Academy, the only person capable of— and actually following through with— completely fooling the simple and cute little Top Gun was Nice Nature.
But for Nice Nature, it was just an occasional prank. It didn't count as "lying," right?
As for Matikane Tannhauser, don't let her quiet and well-behaved appearance fool you. That was just her being low-key. Once she pushed up her glasses and raised her hand, you'd see what true "intellectual spirit" looked like.
"Hey, hey, Maya-chan, you saw Trainer Mizuki's log too, right?" Nature began the discussion.
"Hmph! Nature, you just said that being able to see the Trainer's log is a sign of a mature woman. So, stop calling me by "chan!" That's a little kid's name! Just call me Maya-san."
Hearing that she was now a "mature woman," Mayano was practically floating on air. Now, whenever she saw someone, she'd brag that she could see the diary.
"Oh my, oh my. Then Maya-san, please forgive my previous rudeness. I just didn't realize it for a second." Nice Nature spread her hands with a slightly scummy expression. She looked like she was giving Mayano a lot of face, but in reality, she was already plotting to send her to find the Trainer.
"Hahaha! It's okay, Nature! Maya-chan forgives you. Maya-chan is finally a mature woman!" Mayano Top Gun got happier the more she spoke, her tone sounding incredibly cute.
"Hehe, so Mayano-san, I'll tell you another secret about Trainer Mizuki." Nice Nature leaned over and whispered into Mayano's ear with a giggle.
Mayano Top Gun's eyes widened in surprise. "Eh?! Neicha, are you serious? The Trainer likes Uma Musume who dance in front of her?"
"Yes, didn't you notice? Trainer Mizuki wrote in her diary that her way of helping McQueen relieve stress was to find an Uma Musume to dance. Did you forget?"
Nice Nature began her performance:
"But Maya-san, keep it down. I'm only telling this secret to you. It wouldn't be good if others heard."
Top Gun immediately covered her mouth and nodded rapidly. Matikane Tannhauser watched Nice Nature tell the "secret" with a straight face and was a bit stunned.
'Was that true? Did that Trainer really have such an interest?'
She had been so scared when the diary appeared in the middle of the night that she hadn't remembered all the details.
"Okay, Nature! Mayano is going to find the Trainer right now!"
Seeing the firm look in Nice Nature's eyes, Top Gun knew she wasn't lying. It had to be true. And so, after finishing her meal, Mayano Top Gun happily set off to find Trainer Mizuki.
As for Nice Nature, she watched the departing Top Gun— soft, adorable, and so easy to trick.
"Hmm... why don't I remember seeing that in the diary? I really must need more Wit training..." Tannhauser rubbed her temples, feeling a bit dazed.
She was starting to get confused by Nice Nature's words. But she soon broke into a smile. She still had much to improve on; she didn't have time to ponder the meaning of life here.
Matikane Tannhauser was warm toward everyone. Her parents ran a cafeteria with excellent reviews, and she had always wanted to invite everyone from Tracen to eat there. She decided she'd invite Trainer Mizuki when the time came. That was just who Tannhauser was— she wanted to run hard, be loved, and be remembered.
Even if she didn't get what she wanted at Tracen or wasn't remembered by the world, she wanted to keep her heart open and be kind to everyone. At the same time, she wanted to develop more personality so that people would remember her.
At that moment, Mizuki had finished her meal and returned to the Trainers' dormitory. Her meals at Tracen consisted of four dishes and a soup, all freshly provided, with dessert and fruit options afterward. Today's dessert was a Mont-Blanc, a French pastry made with chestnut purée. The taste was remarkable.
The Uma Musume around her were very welcoming. Since she was new to Tracen and not yet familiar with the cafeteria, Symboli Rudolf— once so terrifying and mistrustful towards Mizuki— had specially walked over and explained patiently, "Trainer Mizuki, there are many post-meal desserts here. What would you like? Let me get it for you, don't be a stranger."
So this Mont-Blanc had been personally brought to her by Symboli Rudolf. Mizuki appreciated it; as the Student Council President, Rudolf was indeed thorough in everything.
However, Mizuki hadn't noticed at the time that Symboli Rudolf had walked in with Tokai Teio. So, while Rudolf and Mizuki were chatting and laughing... Teio was getting anxious on the side! Her expression seemed to say: "President, you've changed. You weren't like this before. You used to get desserts for me! Now that the new girl is here, the old one is cast aside. You don't love me anymore!"
The cheeky Teio greeted Mizuki with a pout until Rudolf got a dessert for her as well. Only then did Teio beam and revive. Her expression was like a sulking child who finally got their phone back to play games.
Naturally, Mizuki hadn't noticed Teio's mood swing at the time. She was now eating the dessert Rudolf had brought and preparing to write today's Training Diary. It had been another high-energy day. Time to start the update! She'd write about the few cute fillies she had seen today.
Hehehe!