The sun was setting…
This was usually the liveliest time on the shopping street.
Office workers getting off shift, high schoolers pouring out after club activities, and homemakers buying ingredients for dinner…
A little girl—round-cheeked like a marshmallow—munched on cotton candy while staring straight ahead.
"Come on, Shuko," her mother said gently, taking her hand.
Shuko nodded and followed, but she couldn't help asking, "Mom, mom—what's that stick blind people hold for?"
"That's called a mobility cane. It's basically a blind person's eyes," the woman explained, even miming a few taps in the air.
"Oh… I thought it was for carrying groceries…"
"…"
Her mother's smile stiffened.
Well, that's not great. This starter character build feels off.
Should I ask my husband to reroll a new one?
No, no—kids are imaginative. Exaggerating is normal…
But when she followed her daughter's gaze—
Her smile froze even harder.
There, in the crowd, was a young man in a coat, eyes narrowed in a calm squint. His handsome features drew repeated looks from passing girls; even she couldn't help… appreciating them.
Slung over his shoulder was a black stick that looked very much like a mobility cane, and from the thicker end dangled a bag of vegetables.
Even so, he effortlessly avoided a boy walking backward while joking with friends.
"Mom… is that really a blind person?" Shuko asked.
"Uh… Mom isn't sure either… Let's go home…"
Everyone knew squinty-eyed types were suspicious.
Who knew what this one really was?
"Mom, can you buy me a stick too? I want to learn from that big brother!"
"…"
"Mom, why are you going to the seafood section?"
"Mom, why are you buying so many oysters?"
"…Sigh. Honey, this is going to be hard on you."
…
"Hah…"
Wu You let out a near-silent sigh.
With his hearing, every word from that mother-daughter pair floated cleanly into his ears.
Whether to reroll a character mattered? Not really.
She just wanted them. She was using the kid as an excuse.
Wu You lit an imaginary candle in his heart for the husband he had never met.
Beep-beep-beep.
His phone rang. The moment he answered, a familiar voice burst through—unexpected, yet unmistakable.
"Where are you right now?!"
It was a crisp, good-looking sort of female voice—pleasant to the ear, even while straining to hold back urgency.
"Ah, long time no see, Sis Fumino," Wu You greeted.
The caller was Fumino Nase, the eldest daughter of the family that had taken Wu You in—his sister in name.
Fumino was striking and sharp, a trainer with genuine ability, widely called a "star of tomorrow."
Her concern for him, however, could occasionally be… excessively enthusiastic.
"Long time no see my ass! Where the hell have you been for the last two years?! Hey—stop dragging me, Super Creek!"
"All right, all right~"
After a brief scuffle on the line, another voice came through—soft and motherly, like a warm blanket.
"Wu You It's been so long I'm Super Creek~"
Super Creek was one of Fumino's partner Uma Musume.
Strengths: outrageous talent, the kind destined to shine even on the Grade 1 stage.
Weakness: an intense fondness for "mom and baby" roleplay.
"Long time no see, Creek. How've you been?" Wu You asked.
"Wonderful It'd be even better if I could see you every day"
"Haha…"
For the record, Super Creek had been wanting to rope Wu You into "baby play" for a long time.
They exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then Fumino wrestled the phone back.
Just imagining his sister hopping around and fighting Super Creek for the handset made Wu You want to laugh.
"Anyway," Fumino said, regaining control, "I heard from the old man back home that you've returned to Tracen. True?"
"Mm-hm."
"And your record—your credentials—"
"Reset to zero."
"…"
A long silence.
As a trainer herself, Fumino knew exactly what "reset to zero" meant: every accolade, every drop of sweat, every year spent running alongside a partner—gone, with no official proof left.
"Do you want me to introduce you to a few Uma Musume?" she asked, skipping comfort and going straight to practical support.
If Wu You wanted back in the circuit, he needed a partner. That was non-negotiable.
"No," Wu You said. "I already have someone in mind."
Fumino paused, then let out a helpless little laugh.
Of course. Her little brother—already locked onto a prospect that fast.
"Hmph… Fine, then."
…
Wu You stayed on the phone with Fumino all the way home.
Where he'd traveled these past two years. What he'd eaten for lunch yesterday.
He answered everything patiently. He liked being cared about.
Even when the care came in overwhelming quantities.
Until, at the very end—
"So," Fumino asked suddenly, "where are you living right now?"
"Hm? Rented an apartment near the academy. Why?"
"…Then why aren't you living with me."
"Huh?"
"I said—why aren't you living with me?!"
"…"
Here we go again.
This bizarre tantrum segment.
Out in public, she was the cool, princely trainer admired by fans.
Only with Wu You did she let slip that stubborn, near-possessive intensity.
Why don't you live with me?
Why don't you eat with me?
Why don't you sleep with me?
Why don't you—
Every time it started, Wu You's head started aching.
"Anyway, you're going to move out of that place you've got over the bar and come to mine—hey, hey, hey! Creek!"
"All right, all right" Super Creek cut in smoothly. "Wu You, remember to come visit us at the academy sometime soon, okay?"
"No problem," Wu You said, seizing the exit. "I'll hang up now."
"Okay~"
"Hey! Super Creek, wait! Wu You, you just wait—!"
The call ended on Fumino's "threat," and Wu You finally exhaled in relief.
Thank goodness Super Creek had stepped in, or he had no idea how long he'd have had to coax his sister down.
He looked up.
He was already downstairs at his building.
A perfectly ordinary apartment block. Because it was close to Tracen Academy, vacancies were always scarce.
He'd managed to rent a unit at an absurdly low price—supposedly because the property belonged to some underworld organization.
Wu You didn't particularly care.
What he did care about was the fact that he didn't go inside immediately.
Instead, he stopped, didn't turn his head, and spoke calmly into the air behind him.
"Mm… you've been following me for quite a while. Mind telling me what you want?"
From behind a nearby utility pole, an ash-gray–haired Uma Musume in the standard Tracen tracksuit stared at him with intense focus.
Wu You had smelled her long ago.
Clean. Straightforward. A little… blank in the head.
But beyond that, there was something else—an almost stubborn passion for running.
In short: promising.
The ash-haired Uma Musume jogged over and stopped at his side.
She was tall—no shorter than Mr. C.B.—and Wu You had to tilt his head up to face her.
She didn't speak.
She just stared.
Grrr—
After a long pause, the silence finally broke with the sound of her stomach.
Wu You laughed quietly. From the vegetables he'd bought, he pulled out a carrot and held it out.
She took it with both hands.
"Th-thank you…" she murmured.
"Then I'll see you next time," Wu You said with a small smile, turning to leave.
"Ah…"
She reached out instinctively, but couldn't find words strong enough to stop him.
…
Watching Wu You vanish through the apartment entrance, Oguri Cap's alert horse ears drooped with unmistakable disappointment.
"Does he… not remember me…?"
The whisper couldn't hide how crushed she felt.
It had been more than ten years, but the gentle "big brother" from her memory had never faded.
And just now, when she got close, she'd smelled it again—
That comforting scent. That especially good scent.
Grrr—
Her stomach rumbled once more.
Oguri Cap looked down at the carrot in her hands.
Well. Given the situation…
First things first—eat.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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