To Make Ends Meet, an Umamusume Takes to the Track! [16]

By the time today’s training ended, the sky had gone completely dark.

Earlier, there had still been quite a few Umamusume doing extra practice on the Turf training grounds, but now they were nowhere to be seen. After all, if they stayed any later, they would miss dinner completely.

At this hour, they had all gathered in the cafeteria to enjoy today’s meal.

For Sunset, however, dinner still felt very far away.

“I’m so hungry… I don’t want to move at all… I can’t eat until I get home. I’m gonna die…”

Trailing behind Okino, Sunset weakly protested on behalf of her stomach.

“All right, want to mooch a meal at Tracen Academy’s cafeteria? Just so you know, it’s a free buffet.”

On the principle that a free meal should be taken whenever possible, Okino offered Sunset a piece of advice.

In any case, Symboli Rudolf had said the school’s resources could be opened to Sunset. For Umamusume, the cafeteria counted as a very important resource too.

Besides, Sunset did not eat much. Even with one more of her, the cafeteria ladies would not notice at all.

“Yay! Oh, right, BOSS, you’ll come with me, right?”

The moment she heard there was a free dinner to mooch, Sunset perked right back up.

“The Umamusume cafeteria and the Trainers’ cafeteria are separate, so you’ll have to go in by yourself.”

“Ah—then forget it. There are so many Umamusume here. I’d feel too embarrassed.”

Once she heard that she would have no shield to hide behind, Sunset’s tone turned listless again.

One had to admit, this flaxen chestnut was really easy to understand. Timid, shy with strangers, mischievous, fond of money, and with a few little principles of her own. She sounded very suitable for bullying. Ah, no, delete that sentence.

“Forget it, then. I’ll head home first. See you tomorrow, BOSS!”

Lord Sunset, hungry and too embarrassed to enter the cafeteria alone, made up her mind to hurry home. If she got back any later, her portion of dinner might get divided up by Kita-chan and the others.

“Okay, be careful on the way. Starting tomorrow, the training load will go up, so remember to eat your fill!”

“Yes, BOSS! I’ll add another piece of bread to my lunch tomorrow!”

The laughing Umamusume ran out of sight. Okino stretched, satisfied in both body and mind, then headed toward the Trainers’ staff cafeteria.

Though dinner at the staff cafeteria honestly tasted average, free was the supreme principle. Faced with his shriveled wallet, Okino had long since lost any other choice. Or rather, if not for the staff cafeteria, Okino would have been eating dirt already.

“I hope today’s dishes go down a little easier…”

…

Tracen Academy was a school with an enormous campus. That much was obvious from the fact that it had more than one vast Turf training ground. When it came to developing Umamusume racing, the humans and government of this world spared no effort. After all, they were adorable beings blessed by the Three Goddesses. Not only were they loved by the gods, they were loved by the people of the world as well.

So getting lost in such a huge academy, especially after dark, did not seem like anything especially embarrassing. Sunset comforted herself with that thought.

Yes. Less than three minutes after parting ways with Okino, Sunset could no longer tell the buildings around her apart. As for the school landmarks, it was too dark for her to see them clearly.

She was also too embarrassed to ask passing Umamusume for directions. An Umamusume getting lost in an Umamusume academy sounded a little stupid.

So now, Sunset had no choice but to wander around the academy, hoping to rely on luck to find the way out.

However, the path before her seemed to be growing quieter and quieter. That made Sunset unable to stop herself from remembering the horror movie she had seen on television last time. The kind of story where someone walked alone through the woods, only for a ghost to float out and drag them away.

“But no matter how you look at it, ghost stories are just ghost stories… Looks like this isn’t the way. I should turn back.”

Sunset muttered to herself to bolster her courage, then turned around, planning to take another path.

Suddenly, a chilling wind rose behind her. In the wind, Sunset seemed to hear a woman’s low murmur.

“Ah, an Umamusume…”

Sunset turned her neck very stiffly. In the distance, there seemed to be a hazy figure, its outline blurred by the lack of light.

“Would you like some coffee?”

“I am very sorry to have disturbed your peaceful rest this humble one will leave immediately please don’t mind me just treat me like a fart and let me go!”

Before the other party could react, Sunset had already fled for her life.

“Ah… She ran away. I wanted to ask whether she liked coffee. What a shame.”

The black-haired Umamusume drifting out of the woods looked rather regretful.

…

“Hah, hah… She shouldn’t… she shouldn’t have caught up, right?”

After running like mad for who knew how long, Sunset finally slowed down once she had spent all her strength.

Once she calmed down, Sunset, who normally had firm faith in science, finally realized that the other party was probably just an Umamusume.

“I suddenly feel like I’m pretty suited to running as a Front Runner…”

Feeling as if she had run a bit faster than she did during training, even Sunset herself was shocked by how much Stamina she apparently had. Or Guts.

“Don’t tell me I’ve been slacking off during training. Otherwise, where did all this strength come from…”

Even Sunset began doubting whether she had truly been giving her all during training.

As she panted, Sunset paid attention to her surroundings.

Not far away stood a brightly lit building, with quite a few Umamusume going in and out. It seemed to be Tracen’s cafeteria.

She had not expected that after all her wandering, she would end up here.

“Since I’m already here, should I go in and mooch a meal?”

Now that it was right in front of her, there did not seem to be any reason to refuse a free meal. Sunset began to waver again.

Still fighting a battle in her own mind, Sunset did not notice someone approaching from behind.

“Hey, you there, Umamusume. I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Something on your mind?”

“Eek!”

The sudden voice made Sunset puff up again. She hopped forward, then turned to face that Umamusume.

The Umamusume before her had long golden hair and a beautiful face, carrying herself with the air of a model. If Umamusume were born as the very definition of idols, then the one before her was an idol among idols.

An Umamusume known throughout Japan as a beautiful Umamusume model, combining gentleness with stylish gallantry, possessing both strength and beauty, and praised as a golden beauty.

“You’re a flaxen chestnut too? What a coincidence. Good evening. I’m Gold City. Ah, actually, you probably know me even without an introduction, right?”

“G-G-G-Gold City-senpai!”

Having a huge star suddenly pop out from behind her was honestly far too stimulating. It was bad for the heart.

Especially a top-class Umamusume idol like Gold City. To be honest, Sunset was one of the people drawn in by her charm. One could say that in this academy, aside from C.B.-san, the person she most wanted to meet was the girl before her.

Unlike the Gold City she saw in newspapers and on television, the Gold City before her spoke much more naturally. She had a casual, “whatever” sort of feeling about her.

Sunset did not dislike that contrast, but were stars usually this laid-back in private?

Strange knowledge had increased.

“My name is Lord Sunset. I’m very happy to meet you! Please take care of me! You’re really so beautiful, even prettier than you are on TV!”

Wagging her tail, Sunset greeted the other girl very obediently.

As fellow flaxen chestnuts, Sunset felt a natural closeness toward Gold City. When she was teased by people her age, she would occasionally be compared to Gold City too. So when she met the person herself, Sunset was somewhat excited.

“Am I? I don’t think there’s that much difference… Have you finished dinner already?”

“Ah, mm! I’m full already, just taking a walk!”

If she said she was lost in front of an idol, her Umamusume life could just end right there. So she absolutely could not say it.

After listening, Gold City nodded.

“I see. Then I’m going to eat. See you.”

Saying goodbye to Sunset, she turned and walked toward the cafeteria.

Thank goodness, thank goodness. I didn’t give myself away… But the cafeteria smells so good… I really am hungry.

When Gold City brushed past Sunset, Sunset happened to catch the faint aroma drifting over from the cafeteria, and then—

GRRR…

It was over.

Seeing Gold City look toward her stomach in confusion once again, Sunset felt that her life had completely lost all meaning.

…

“So, if you’re hungry, you should eat. Even if you don’t know anyone, people aren’t going to eat you just because they see you.”

Setting her tray on the table, Gold City casually advised Sunset, who had still gone completely blank.

“Heh… hehehe… Just let me die…”

Looking at Sunset, who was clearly still not quite normal, Gold City sighed.

“What a pain… Want some? Beef.”

Dividing half the food on her tray to Sunset, Gold City sat down across from her.

Seeing that Sunset still looked as if her soul had left her body, Gold City impatiently stuffed the food in her hand into Sunset’s mouth.

At this hour, there were not many Umamusume left in the cafeteria, so no one saw the intimate gesture between them.

“There. Hurry up and eat. You can’t do anything on an empty stomach.”

Amid the aroma of beef, Sunset finally came back to herself.

The Umamusume sitting with her, the one who had just fed her, was Gold City? The most famous Umamusume model in Japan, that Gold City!

She was actually sitting together with someone like that. Bliss—delicious. Chew, chew.

Though she was still somewhat hung up over her disgrace just now, seeing that Gold City did not mind at all, she reluctantly forced herself to forget the embarrassing thing that had just happened.

The beef was so good~

“So, you’re an Umamusume who came here early to take part in training? How nice. Being able to enter the academy before the enrollment season means you must be very talented, right?”

“Ahaha, maybe so… BOSS—ah, no, Trainer Okino told me that.”

“I’m jealous, of talented Umamusume.”

Gold City did not seem to care about maintaining her idol image at all. She said whatever came to mind. She was so frank that Sunset instead grew a little awkward.

Speaking of which, had Gold City-senpai just inverted her sentence?

“But putting that aside, you seemed pretty excited when you saw me. Are you a fan, maybe?”

Seeing Sunset grow a little embarrassed, Gold City very naturally changed the subject.

“Mm! Gold City-senpai is extremely beautiful. I often see your photos in my classmates’ magazines. You really are very captivating!”

“Is that so? But—”

“And the way Gold City-senpai runs is also incredibly moving! The way that golden shadow weaves through the pack is so eye-catching! I want to win races as brilliantly as Gold City-senpai too!”

Sunset looked at the beauty before her with stars in her eyes, her gaze revealing joy that could not be faked.

“My running, huh? Good. I like your answer! Here, this is special-edition merch of mine. You can have it.”

Apparently in a very good mood, Gold City pulled a small box out of the bag at her waist and handed it to Sunset.

“This… I remember it being pretty expensive…”

“Well, just think of it as the prize for winning a quiz. Still, you’ve got potential, I think.”

As she handed the box to Lord Sunset, Gold City carefully looked Sunset over, then nodded.

“Potential?”

“Has no one around you told you you’re pretty good-looking? Your height is about right too. Your aura still isn’t quite there, though. If someone gave you a serious polish, you might actually be suited to debuting as an idol too. Also, I like the name Sunset. It’s my favorite scenery.”

“Mm… Thank you.” Hearing praise from a famous model, Sunset’s face turned slightly red.

“You’re blushing. That expression is good. I’m sure plenty of people would like it.”

Gold City casually took a photo.

“Please don’t tease me…”

“I’m not. Next time, when you have time, I’ll help you do something with your hairstyle. No need for a huge change. Just a little adjustment should make you stand out a lot more.”

“Really?”

“Really. You can have a little more confidence. It’s a pain for other people when you’re that polite all the time.”

“Sorr—no, then thank you very much.”

Seeing that Gold City was about to complain again, Sunset quickly changed her words.

If fans saw such a direct Gold City, perhaps quite a few of their dreams would be shattered. But in Sunset’s eyes, this Gold City instead felt much more real.

She worried over talent, felt happy when praised, and complained when other people were troublesome.

In truth, the Umamusume at Tracen were no different from everyone anywhere else.

Once she realized that, the vague anxiety in Sunset’s heart instantly faded quite a bit.

As soon as her mood relaxed, her appetite suddenly grew.

“By the way, can I get some more dinner? I feel like this still isn’t quite enough.”

“It’s a buffet, so of course you should eat until you’re full. As long as your training load is high enough, you won’t gain weight. In my condition, eating this kind of food is usually just right~”

Gold City began earnestly passing on her experience as a senpai.

In the end, because she lacked self-control, Sunset still ate too much.

Though she complained that it was “a pain,” Gold City very considerately escorted Sunset to the campus gates. After saying goodbye to Gold City, Sunset walked home alone.

“Tracen Academy…”

This academy seemed even better than she had imagined. The Trainers were very professional, her senpai was friendly, and the food was delicious too.

So perhaps she could look forward to tomorrow, just a little?

Sunset’s heart was filled with anticipation.

T/N: m,mmmm i wanna eat her up

This is a fan translation of 迫于生计，赛马娘登上赛场！ by 扶风三尺 Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!