In Tracen, Good at Doing Time

"Did I do it?"

Silence Suzuka watched herself on the screen, never once slowing down. She nervously clasped her hands together.

"The final straight! Silence Suzuka is still out in front! Still out in front! The other Uma Musume behind her are trying to sprint, but they still haven't caught up!"

"Run! Run! Run! The final 100 meters!"

The commentator's words kept stirring the audience's emotions as she watched Silence Suzuka continue her front-running escape.

Even though the Uma Musume behind her desperately tried to catch up, all they could do was watch Silence Suzuka continue her front-running escape.

She charged toward the final finish line.

"She's here! Silence Suzuka crosses the line! She continues her front-running escape! Who could possibly catch her after she ran away from everyone?!"

That tragic Bad Ending did not happen. Silence Suzuka dashed past the thicket, made it through the turn, and finally crossed the finish line.

All her efforts had not been in vain.

She had not suffered that cruel fate. At least for now, she had done it.

Chapter 17: Liars Have to Swallow a Thousand Needles

[Uma Musume Fan]: Yes! No Bad Ending! She did it!

[Unbreakable Glass]: That's wonderful.

[Side-Eyeing Lewd Manga Teacher]: This story could count as a classic hot-blooded tale... I've never drawn an all-ages book like this before, but I could give it a try.

[Invincible Lord of Seaside]: I want to say something else, but celebrating is still the best choice. Yes!

[Motherly Demon]: Yes!

[Skipping Genius Girl]: Yes!

[Tracen Version Higuchi Madoka]: Why are you all repeating the same thing? Can't you offer a normal congratulations?

"It's wonderful that you won."

Seeing that nothing had happened to herself on the screen, Silence Suzuka couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

She smiled as she watched her smiling self on the screen, but when she and the version of herself on the screen saw Special Week carrying Zhou Yuang over, she could no longer smile.

She just felt that something was wrong.

"Trainer! I did it!"

Seeing Special Week come over with Zhou Yuang on her back, Silence Suzuka charged over like a little deer.

She noticed that Zhou Yuang still had not been put down by Special Week and couldn't help frowning.

"Um, what are you two doing?"

"Special Week, you can put me down now."

Zhou Yuang lowered his head and saw Special Week blushing, so he reached out and patted her shoulder.

Could Special Week have awakened some habit of carrying people around?

He still remembered that in real life, Special Week herself had initially disliked Chestnuts, and later the other horses had come to dislike them too.

She was the only one especially affectionate toward people.

Perhaps animals raised by humans tended to think of themselves as human too.

But the Special Week here was simply very silly and honest, acting like a complete goofball.

"Oh!"

Special Week responded, then reluctantly set Zhou Yuang down.

Then she watched Zhou Yuang walk toward Silence Suzuka, while Silence Suzuka also walked toward Zhou Yuang without the slightest hesitation.

She almost pressed herself against him.

"I did it. I'm back, Trainer-san~"

Looking at the trainer before her, Silence Suzuka extended her gloved hand.

She boldly took Zhou Yuang's hand, then hooked her little finger around his.

"Welcome back."

Zhou Yuang also reached out without hesitation and patted Silence Suzuka on the head.

Silence Suzuka's ears began flicking rhythmically.

One person and one Uma Musume, both willing.

The only one standing opposite them was Special Week, who could be seen through the gap between them, staring wide-eyed and at a loss.

"Um!"

Special Week stood there watching the two of them, and finally spoke.

It wasn't only Zhou Yuang and Silence Suzuka—even the Uma Musume in the Livestream Room felt that something was wrong.

[Uma Musume Fan]: Um, I feel like something is wrong here.

"Come to think of it, Trainer, you had Lil' Special carry you before, right?"

Before Special Week could say anything, Silence Suzuka questioned him.

If the previous Silence Suzuka had been an innocent, clueless young wife, the current Silence Suzuka was like a newlywed.

She looked at the man before her and made a reproachful expression.

"Although I'm grateful, didn't that put Lil' Special in a difficult position? The other Uma Musume will definitely gossip about it."

Silence Suzuka spoke in a tone that made it sound as though she was only looking out for Special Week.

Everyone in the Livestream Room felt that this was an issue worth paying attention to.

"That's true."

Outside the screen, Silence Suzuka nodded. She was worried about that too.

But she wondered why the look in the eyes of her screen counterpart seemed so strange.

"What matters is whether it worked."

Zhou Yuang shamelessly planted his hands on his hips, looking as though he had produced decisive evidence in an argument.

"Besides, I'm human. I can't run as fast as an Uma Musume. I didn't have a vehicle, so relying on her was perfectly normal, right?"

Uma Musume had three times the physical abilities of ordinary people, and that was something normal people needed to keep in mind.

Unless they were idiots, people would not pick a fight with an Uma Musume.

"Because Lil' Special runs fast?"

Silence Suzuka looked uncomfortable at the sight of Zhou Yuang's expression.

"Exactly. Lil' Special runs fast."

If I ran faster than her, would I need her to carry me?

"But I'm still faster!"

Silence Suzuka was an idiot—a running idiot.

Whenever the subject involved running, she became a hopelessly exasperating fool.

Silence Suzuka paid no attention to Special Week beside her. Even though Special Week kept making sounds of "Eh? Eh?", Silence Suzuka continued staring at Zhou Yuang.

That tone and that confident declaration—wasn't she implying something?

[Uma Musume Fan]: I can't take it anymore. I'm going to—

[Side-Eyeing Lewd Manga Teacher]: I feel like the person above needs emergency treatment.

[Tracen Version Higuchi Madoka]: It feels more like a meme. Who actually dies on the spot just from seeing a couple?

The comments in the Livestream Room remained harmonious, filled with irrepressible laughter and cheer.

Silence Suzuka also laughed when she saw the comments.

But after laughing, Silence Suzuka looked toward the version of herself on the screen.

She seemed to have figured out what that version of herself planned to do.

"Trainer, would you like me to carry you when we run next time?"

Silence Suzuka looked seriously at Zhou Yuang while reaching out to take his hand.

"Let's go to that place again, and I'll carry you. Actually, I'd already planned to tell you before the race."

There were some things she had originally intended to say at the beginning.

But Zhou Yuang had refused her, and this time, she would not let him evade the question.

She intended to completely convey her feelings.

"I really wanted to have the scenery no one had ever seen all to myself, but my thoughts have changed. If possible, I hope that scenery won't belong to me alone."

As she held Zhou Yuang's hand, it shifted slightly.

The girl hooked her little finger around his.

"Trainer, let's share the scenery at the very front together. After that, how about we share everything else too?"

Like life, for example.

Silence Suzuka raised her head and looked at Zhou Yuang with eyes full of anticipation.

She gathered her courage and said what she had wanted to say before the race.

Just like when she chose to be a front runner, she had no regrets.

"This... sure."

Share what?

Zhou Yuang really wanted to ask for clarification, but he wasn't an idiot.

Whether he overthought it or asked outright, it would cause a huge reaction from Silence Suzuka and the comments.

And there was one more important point.

Looking at the expression in Silence Suzuka's eyes, Zhou Yuang truly had no way to refuse.

It wasn't merely that Silence Suzuka was an Uma Musume and Zhou Yuang was her trainer.

Zhou Yuang liked Silence Suzuka and already treated her as his wife.

She had practically confessed her feelings in a roundabout way. How could he not agree?

And she had taken the initiative to hook fingers with him. If he rejected her now, would she immediately enter a Bad End?

I swore I'd become a trainer who married thirty Uma Musume. Would I refuse something like this?!

Before studying abroad in Japan, he had told his parents back in his Hometown of Seres about this dream.

He had even emphasized that he would go to Japan to study abroad.

He had to fulfill his promise to others, as well as the promise he had made to himself.

That was the only way to be a healthy, well-adjusted person!

"Trainer... I'm so glad I met you."

Seeing that the person she loved had agreed, Silence Suzuka gave Zhou Yuang a sweet smile.

Her little hand shifted slightly, just as Zhou Yuang and she had hooked fingers to make a vow before.

"Then it's a promise. Anyone who breaks a promise has to swallow a thousand needles."

[Unbreakable Glass]: That's wonderful. This means we can reach a perfect ending, right?

[Tracen Version Higuchi Madoka]: If nothing goes wrong, I suppose it counts.

[Motherly Demon]: I feel like we can start preparing the red bean rice.

[Side-Eyeing Lewd Manga Teacher]: Come to think of it, where's the Uma Musume Fan? Don't tell me they really called an ambulance?

[Uma Musume Fan]: No need. I'm fine. I only died once just now.