In the morning, Sakura Baimu, along with a group of Umamusume from Tracen Academy, entered the academy at the behest of the academy chairman's secretary, Junkawa Tazuna.
"Good morning, Ms. Sakura It's surprising you're here so early today" Junkawa Tazuna greeted Sakura Baimu with a smile.
"Yes, I just came from the hospital, and I'm not going back..."
Sakura Baimu also greeted Junkawa Tazuna with a smile, but she suddenly jumped in fright halfway through her sentence.
Because she discovered that above Junkawa Tazuna's smiling head, a system interface had also appeared.
[Junkawa Tazuna, Training Difficulty (SS)]
"What the heck?! SS?!! Even higher than Symboli Rudolf?!!!!"
Sakura Baimu even wondered if she was seeing things.
This chairman's secretary, who not only doesn't grant system points for opening the door for her but also deducts 1500 points, is actually an Umamusume?!
Moreover, this was the highest difficulty rating for training among all the Umamusume Sakura Baimu had seen so far.
This basically meant that Junkawa Tazuna's attributes were already maxed out, requiring no further training.
Sakura Baimu stared at Junkawa Tazuna in astonishment, feeling like she had seen a ghost.
"Good heavens, not only is Yayoi an Umamusume, but even the chairman's secretary is an Umamusume! No wonder Yayoi told me before that it wouldn't matter if Miss Junkawa knew my secret; it turns out Yayoi knew Miss Junkawa was also an Umamusume!!!"
Sakura Baimu was shocked and, with a scrutinizing gaze, she walked step by step toward Junkawa Tazuna, wanting to take a closer look at this Umamusume who had never been discovered before, even more extraordinary than Emperor Symboli Rudolf.
"Speaking of which, Miss Junkawa always wears a green hat, and her ears are hidden in it?"
"She always wears a women's uniform skirt, which is much tighter than Yayoi's long dress. Where is her tail hidden? Doesn't she feel uncomfortable wearing this kind of suit-style uniform skirt?"
Sakura Baimu walked up to Junkawa Tazuna, staring intently at the chairman's secretary, as if trying to uncover all her secrets.
Even though Junkawa Tazuna was usually very good-natured and always had a smiling face, now, seeing Sakura Baimu staring at her so intently in front of so many students, her smile couldn't help but stiffen slightly.
"Sakura-san, is something the matter?"
Tazuna noticed that the Umamusume students who had been rushing to school all looked at her with alarmed expressions after seeing Sakura Baimu's actions.
Tazuna felt incredibly awkward.
"Nothing, it's just that I suddenly realized how hard it is for you, Tazuna-san. Coming to school so early every day and handling so many things, while the Director hardly has any work to do," Sakura Baimu spoke with a smile, looking away.
"Haha, the Director is actually very busy too. She also has to manage the URA (Japan Central Umamusume Racing Association), so she doesn't have much time for school matters."
Tazuna felt Sakura Baimu's gaze shift away and felt a sense of relief, letting out a soft sigh of relief.
Just as Sakura Baimu was trying to get closer to the chairman's secretary, she heard a very disgruntled voice from the side.
"Trainer-san, what are you doing blocking the way here? Can't you see that Ms. Junkawa is already annoyed?"
It was Tokai Teio.
"No, I didn't..." Junkawa Tazuna quickly explained.
"Ms. Junkawa, you don't need to say anything. Our Trainer-san is causing you trouble."
Mejiro McQueen spoke, bowing to Junkawa Tazuna as well, then looking at Sakura Baimu with disdain.
That expression seemed to say:
"Don't you know how weird your behavior looks to others?"
"Teio, you naughty thing, don't you dare badmouth your trainer in front of others."
Sakura Baimu feigned anger, ruffling Tokai Teio's head and messing up her brown hair.
"Trainer-san"
Tokai Teio let out a long, shrill, dissatisfied sound.
Mejiro McQueen stood by, silently watching Sakura Baimu and Tokai Teio's intimate actions.
She recalled what the team members had told her after training last night about Sakura Baimu wanting to touch her head but not daring to.
"Alright, alright, McQueen, you guys go to school. Get back to training this afternoon."
Sakura Baimu finally let Tokai Teio off the hook, then called out to Mejiro McQueen.
"I knew that without you saying it~"
Mejiro McQueen gracefully tossed her long hair and walked straight into the campus.
--
After Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen had walked for a while, and Sakura Baimu was finally out of sight, Tokai Teio suddenly leaned close to Mejiro McQueen's ear and whispered with a soft laugh.
"McQueen, so sour~"
"What, what are you saying?!"
Mejiro McQueen was startled, but she pretended not to understand Tokai Teio's words at all.
"McQueen wants Trainer-san to pat her head too, why not just say it?"
"Given her awful personality, if I said it, she'd laugh at me for ages…"
Mejiro McQueen answered instinctively, then suddenly realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself:
"No, I meant hypothetically. I wouldn't let a stranger pat my head; I'm not like you, Teio, I'm not a child anymore."
"Huh—? McQueen and I share the same birthday, don't we?"
"I meant behavior, behavior! Teio, you're acting like a child."
"Eh? Is that so? I remember when I had my birthday before, Canopus and the others gave me a birthday cake, and while I was out buying drinks, you ate ninety percent of it all by yourself, McQueen."
Tokai Teio tapped her chin, looking as if reminiscing.
"Nonsense! There's no way it's that much, at most eighty percent!!" Mejiro McQueen blushed and quickly explained.
"Eighty percent is still a lot!!! That's cake for seven people—Canopus, the four of us, plus you, me, and Trainer-san!!!"
"I... what could I do! It's just that that day, I..."
Mejiro McQueen's face turned bright red, then she suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Wait! Teio, how did you know about this? I remember buying two cakes, right? That's why I ate one."
"That's because Trainer-san already guessed that McQueen was greedy, so she bought another one!" Tokai Teio spoke disdainfully.
--