After finalizing their plans, Neo Universe fell deeply asleep.
She was utterly exhausted. Though hugging Gotham Song had eased her mental fatigue, physical exhaustion wasn’t so easily remedied. Rather, it was precisely because her mind had finally relaxed that her body lost all strength.
Gotham Song knew exactly what that felt like—
Back at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, she’d actually still had some strength left just before collapsing. But the moment she realized she’d won, she’d completely relaxed and collapsed right onto the turf.
Ugh, thinking back on it is still embarrassing. The whole world watched me literally die of exhaustion.
But now, what exactly had happened to Mejiro Manor…? She’d have to find a chance to confirm that first. And then…
Next week was McQueen’s race, wasn’t it?
I absolutely can’t miss it.
Gotham Song diligently noted each item in her notebook—a habit she’d developed over many years.
Just as she was writing, someone suddenly knocked at her door.
Confused, Gotham Song put away her notebook and approached the door.
“Song? It’s me. Open the door.”
It was her cousin, Manhattan Cafe’s voice coming from outside.
But… was it really Manhattan Cafe?
She opened the door, but before Song could speak, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist, dragging her out and pinning her firmly against the wall before she even realized what was happening.
Seriously, why does everyone here love pinning me down so much?!
Thankfully, Manhattan Cafe didn’t mimic Neo Universe’s weird little moves. She simply stared down at her cousin, a strange, excited grin creeping onto her face.
Wait—
Did she see correctly? Since when did Manhattan Cafe smile so cheerfully—like she’d just discovered an interesting toy and couldn’t wait to break it?
“You saw me earlier, didn’t you, little Song?”
Saw you? What kind of weird question is that?
For a split second, Gotham Song was completely lost. But the next moment, her face turned deadly pale.
Under normal circumstances, no normal person would ask if someone had seen them earlier.
There was only one possibility: the entity asking this question wasn’t actually visible in the physical world. In other words—
This wasn’t Manhattan Cafe at all.
This was Sunday Silence. Oh, shit.
How was she even supposed to greet her?
Um, Your Ghostliness?
Gotham Song rapidly searched her memories for any information about Sunday Silence.
Given the current situation, one particular detail seemed the most plausible:
According to rumors, Sunday Silence’s personality and image were closer to Cafe’s original, abandoned concept—”Old Manhattan Cafe.”
And what kind of existence was Old Manhattan Cafe?
In short, she was known as the “Black Skyscraper.”
The story behind that nickname?
It referenced a certain pair of buildings that everyone knew about:
The Twin Towers.
Simply put, if Uma Musume had a danger ranking, Old Cafe would rank terrifyingly high.
Other Uma Musume might accidentally break the law occasionally—but Old Cafe?
Ahahaha…
“Um… Your Ghostliness?”
Is it too late to pretend I didn’t see you earlier?
“How interesting. Inside, you’re clearly hiding such terrifying power and spirit, yet you look so weak and timid on the outside.”
Sunday Silence was evidently fascinated with Gotham Song—so fascinated, in fact, that she was practically itching to grope the Uma Musume beneath her. Actually, she already was!
Gotham Song nearly screamed. Taking advantage of Sunday Silence’s brief distraction, she suddenly shoved her “cousin” away.
You shameless ghost, have some decency! Stop using someone else’s body to do such things!
Gotham Song was about to fight back further, but Sunday Silence instead broke into a wide grin.
“That’s more like it. Next time someone dares to do something like this to you, just kick them first and think later, got it?”
Don’t lecture me using my cousin’s face! It feels too weird!
Sunday Silence clearly knew just how bizarre her behavior was, but she simply laughed loudly, delighted.
“Gotham Song, right? Fascinating. If you’re ever in trouble, I’ll help you—so you’d better stay entertaining.”
And if I’m not entertaining enough, you’ll get rid of me, huh?
Gotham Song felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Isn’t this just a roundabout way of saying…
“Interesting woman”?
My fists are itching for a fight now.
Just give me a reason, I dare you!
“Well, I’ll head back now. Coming out once is already exhausting—I’m so sleepy.”
But before Gotham Song could respond, Sunday Silence let out an enormous yawn, and Manhattan Cafe’s body began falling backward.
Gotham Song hurriedly stepped forward, catching her cousin, who opened her eyes to meet her gaze with confusion.
“Song? Did I…just do something strange to you?”
“No, nothing happened.”
If Cafe knew what she’d just done to her cousin, she’d probably resign herself from being an older sister forever.
To spare Cafe’s feelings, Gotham Song didn’t elaborate. But the next time Sunday Silence appeared, she was determined to grab that ghost by her intangible hair and stomp her into oblivion.
She swore it on her name—Gotham Song.
Manhattan Cafe nodded vaguely, still quietly communicating with her “Friend,” trying to figure out exactly what had just happened—but in the end, she got no answers.
She could only set aside her confusion for now and turned toward Gotham Song.
“So, Song, what are your plans for the afternoon?”
Manhattan Cafe actually had plenty of free time lately. Ever since her debut race earlier in the year, her schedule had cleared up considerably, giving her ample time to look after her cousin who’d arrived from abroad.
Plans, huh…
Gotham Song remembered the first rule Neo Universe had told her—being around Manhattan Cafe was safe.
There was, in fact, something she wanted to do.
It was a promise she’d once made to Mejiro McQueen—though she couldn’t keep those earlier promises, there was still a chance now.
“I’d like to watch a race.”
“A race?”
“Yeah, a Japanese race. I’d really like to see one.”
That’s a lie. What was there to see in a Japanese race? Gotham Song’s real goal was actually to see her youngest sister—Mejiro McQueen, who had been just a small child when she left.
After all these years, what had that little girl grown into?
She hadn’t actually become a chubby horse from eating too many sweets, had she?
Gotham Song couldn’t help but grin mischievously as she returned to her room to grab a camera.
If McQueen really did put on some weight, not taking pictures would be a regret I’d carry for a lifetime!
—
This is a fan translation of 只能活一年了才更要成为传奇赛马娘! by 大渚教 All 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!
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