Satono Diamond's claim that Kitasan Black would be so upset she cried was something neither Futanari Shingang nor Duramente had heard before, and Satono Crown seemed never to have seen it either.
Surprised, Satono Crown curiously pressed, "She'd cry if she lost a race? Diamond, are you sure you're talking about Little Kita?"
"Yeah, yeah," Futanari Shingang chimed in. "I seriously can't imagine what Little Kita would look like crying—though, now that I think about it, it might actually be pretty cute."
Duramente had been about to nod in agreement with Satono Crown, but upon hearing the latter half of Futanari Shingang's words, she froze. "Cute—Little Kita?"
"Isn't she?"
Futanari Shingang shrugged and said teasingly, "Because she's always so optimistic and cheerful, and we've never seen her all teary-eyed before. If she cried—don't you think the contrast would make her kind of cute?"
"Would it... be like that?" Duramente frowned as she tried to imagine it, looking somewhat unable to understand.
At the same time, Satono Diamond looked at her older sister and nodded. "You probably didn't race much with Little Kita before, right? I mean, back in elementary school."
"After all, you were always outstanding growing up. Back then, you were a grade above Little Kita and me, and the races held at school were different too."
"That's true, but—"
Satono Crown nodded in agreement, then bit her lower lip and unconsciously glanced toward the ordering counter.
If it had been this time last year, she could have accepted the word "outstanding" from her sister. Now, though, it sounded faintly grating.
Rationally, she knew her performance since debut had not been bad at all. Whether it was her three consecutive wins after debut, or her overall record of four wins in eight races and three Major Races victories, all