Umamusume's days are numbered

This is a strange way of putting it, because if someone is rejected after confessing their feelings, even if rumors are circulating, there shouldn't be such an ambiguous expression as "arguing".

"Alright, alright, stop being so petty." Donghai shook his head naturally. "I know, for you... well, how should I put it, it's like the sky is falling down. But from other people's perspective, it's just a very ordinary argument."

"So this isn't something that can't be undone."

What is she saying? Is Donghai Ziran's head malfunctioning or is mine? Bai Jin stared blankly at her. Does Donghai Ziran think that arguing means saying "I like you" or "I don't like you"?

"I'm here to help you." Donghai naturally extended his hand towards Baijin. "I'm here to help you reconcile with the president. Come thank me, since I'm the only one in the school who truly understands the president."

"With my help, you two will definitely be able to make up as before."

Platinum seemed to understand something.

Donghai Naturally… no, not just Donghai Naturally, everyone knows there's a conflict between him and Rudolf Symbol. But… no one knows this conflict was caused by his confession?

That makes sense. So far, besides Platinum and Rudolf, only Maruzensky, Excellent Quality, and Alice know the inside story. Platinum and Rudolf, needless to say, certainly won't spread it around. As for the rest, aside from Alice (whose identity is still pending), the others aren't the type to gossip.

In other words... safe! I don't need to carry out the plan to sneak to the moon anymore, and I don't need to worry about being hunted down by Donghai Nature.

Episode 211 Advanced Techniques of Flirting

Donghai is naturally a very smart guy, and also a guy with strong execution ability.

From the moment he began to develop feelings for Rudolf, the East Blue naturally began to openly and covertly compete with Mejiro Mine.

Unlike himself, Megumi Takamori was a young lady from a wealthy family, who had received a good education and upbringing, and had always protected her younger sisters, making her an ultimate monster of autocracy who combined arrogance, elegance, aloofness, and politeness.

Rather than calling that person a person, it's more accurate to say that he's the embodiment of the term "young lady."

One only needs to listen to the symbolic everyday conversation between Mejiro Mine and Rudolf to understand. These two can casually discuss anything from today's weather to star charts, then Columbus's circumnavigation route, then a bloody incident involving gemstones in Southeast Asia, then extend that discussion to gemstone quality assessment, then to contemporary art movements, and finally even circle around to the history of Japanese literature.

Describing these two as being "mutually interested" wouldn't be accurate. Simply put, they're practically omniscient. Leaving aside Rudolf's symbolism, it's understandable that the Chairman is so powerful and omnipotent; this gives a glimpse into just how formidable Meguro Mine is. In situations like this, Tokai naturally can't get a word in edgewise. Meguro Mine represents not just herself, but the entire Meguro family. For the Meguro family, this title might just be a heavy responsibility, but to outsiders, it's an insurmountable mountain pressing down on them.

Faced with such a formidable opponent, the East Blue naturally had its own methods. When the enemy is strong and we are weak, we must form alliances and counter-alliances. We must turn neutrals into friends and neutralize adversaries. Therefore, the East Blue had already set its sights on Platinum long ago.

Unlike the difficult Sirius symbol, Platinum and Rudolf symbolize distant blood ties, but they are still blood relatives and seem silly and easy to handle.

Let's form a united front and fight against Mejiro Takamori!

“So…” Donghai naturally took advantage of Alice’s absence to occupy the lab and pulled her whiteboard in front of him. “Do you understand? The best way to deal with the president is not to confront her head-on or reason with her.”

“You can’t win an argument with Rudolph. The president is a genius who has undergone elite education; her eloquence and vision are unmatched by ordinary people. That’s a decisive difference.” Donghai naturally slapped the whiteboard.

"Perhaps Megumi Takamori could do it, but we definitely can't."

Platinum sat opposite him, nodding repeatedly. She didn't really care what Donghai actually said; he would have agreed if he'd said the chairman was the best in the world. At this moment, however, she felt a little guilty facing Donghai.

Furthermore, Platinum didn't believe that what Tokai had said would symbolically reconcile him and Rudolf. According to Platinum's calculations, the best way to reconcile the two of them now was to urge Alice to invent a time machine to travel back to the day of the Satsuki Prize and then give herself a good whack right after the competition.

“But we also have a way to deal with the president.” Donghai kept emphasizing the word “we,” making Baijin realize that the two of them were now in the same boat. “That is to take advantage of our small size—acting cute!”

Acting cute is a charm skill unique to cubs.

As we age, this skill gradually becomes less effective. This is a universal truth; the world tends to favor the vulnerable and weak.

There's no way Meguro Takamine could ever learn something like that. Putting aside her disgusting figure, Meguro Takamine has always presented herself as an ice queen, always projecting a strong and assertive image. If someone like that suddenly said to you, "No, no, I want this," your first reaction wouldn't be, "Wow, so cute!" but rather, "Has she hit her head?"

"Use unreasonable methods to dismantle the president's logic and force her to submit to you!"

“There’s a saying that goes, ‘You can never reason with a girl who’s being coquettish,’ and we,” Donghai pointed to himself and then to Baijin, “are the beneficiaries of this rule.”

Its body has not yet fully developed.

She is relatively young and is the one being taken care of in her relationship with the president.

At the same time, the president showed unexpected leniency.

These are all unique advantages!

“When the chairman tries to reason with you and persuade you, and you are acting coquettishly, then your logic and the chairman's logic are no longer on the same track. What we do is not to break the chairman's logic, but to force the chairman into our logic.”

As night deepens, when Rudolph suggests that it's getting late and he'll take you home, regardless of whether you've been drinking or not, you can use the alcohol as an excuse to snuggle in the president's arms and whisper that you don't want to be separated from him.

What? It's already too late. If we don't go back soon, it could be dangerous. I don't care, I don't care, I don't care. I finally have a chance to get this close to the president like this. I want to... feel the president's embrace a little longer.

As for the time? Isn't your house quite big? It's so late, are you really going to let me walk alone at night?

She never mentioned wanting to stay overnight at the chairman's house, yet she still managed to achieve her goal. That's the power of being charming and coquettish.

At first, Bai Jin didn't take Donghai seriously, only hoping she would leave quickly. But as she listened, she realized... what she said seemed to make some sense.

What you have learned can be applied next time!

"However, there's one more important point to note." Donghai suddenly pointed at Bai Jin, "Platinum student—you've made a fatal mistake!"

"So-called 'acting cute' and 'sulking' are two different things!"

"Acting cute is your way of achieving your goal, it's how you win the president's heart... No, for you it should be how you get closer to the president, it's a means to get closer to the president."

"The essence of acting cute is to let the president feel your adorable and charming side, not to make people think you're annoying. So, acting cute should be done in moderation!"

"If you don't control the degree well, acting cute will turn into tantrums, which will be troublesome. We're just being unreasonable, which will not only give the student council president a headache..."

It would also give the enemy an opportunity. Donghai naturally didn't say the second half of the sentence out loud; it was something he used to deal with Meguro Takamori, and he didn't need to teach it to Baijin.

"Next, I will teach you the secrets of being charming and create a perfect scene for you. Then, use the skills I teach you to get back closer to the president." Donghai gave Bai Jin a thumbs up and smiled.

Everything is under the control of the East China Sea!

Episode 212 Leading the Way in Child Soothing Techniques

Meguro Takamori walked back and forth in the student council room, holding a pointer.

"As early as the sixth century BC in ancient Greece, people had already created brilliant works. Hymns, hymns, dramas... During that period of great prosperity in Greece, and in the Hellenistic era that followed, countless magnificent works of art were created."

Rudolf sat obediently at his desk, listening to Megumi Takamine's lecture: "Speaking of drama, the most representative works are tragedies by Aeschylus and Sophocles, which took shape earlier than ancient Greek comedies... So why bring this up now?"

Ignoring Rudolf's symbolic doubts, Megumi Takamine continued on his own: "In Aristotle's Poetics, he summarized the three unities of ancient Greek drama, namely the unity of time, place, and performance, thus perfecting the creative theory of ancient Greek drama."

"But this theory is far outdated now, nearly three thousand years later," Rudolf remarked from the side.

"The focus is not on Poetics, but on Aristotle." Meguro Takamine snapped his pointer. "This genius classical scientist incorporated everything into the world of theory. Even today, in established Hollywood, some believe that truly excellent scripts are created through fleeting moments of inspiration and talent."

"Just as ancient Greek drama is to Poetics, I have also experimented with, summarized, and generalized the methods of coaxing my younger sister into a discipline that is as accurate as a theorem." A cold glint flashed in the corner of Megumi Takamine's eyes. "I call it 'The Art of Coaxing My Younger Sister'!"

Alice, who was listening nearby, almost spat out her devilish claws: "I thought you were going to say something..."

After all that rambling, is this all we're talking about?

It's like how contemporary college students desperately add references to their graduation theses in an attempt to increase their perceived value.

Maru Zenki stared at the demonic claw in Alice's hand, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Finally, she finished the bottle of Monster Energy... Maruzensky had been watching Alice play with the drink for over ten minutes, just rubbing it in her hands but not putting it in her mouth, which made Maruzensky very uncomfortable.

Actually, Megumi Takamine wasn't deliberately being pretentious. Her conversations with Rudolf were always like this, filled with a dense mix of irrelevant elements, yet they always managed to maintain a clear main theme. Tokai, of course, would always complain that the two of them talked like they were acting.

"Rudolph symbol, how many sisters have you had with so far?"

“You make it sound like sisters are mass-produced on an assembly line.” Rudolf symbolically lowered his head in thought. “There are always quite a few sisters who are related by blood, but the ones I’m currently focusing on and who fit your definition of a sister are two.”

These two are naturally the Emperor of the East Sea and Bai Jin.

To be honest, these two are not related by blood.

"Hmph." Meguro Takamine chuckled and raised the corners of his mouth. "I've gone through at least eight or ten sisters, of different ages, personalities, and circumstances. I've experienced them all."

"This is a difference in experience, Rudolf."

As the eldest sister of the Meguro family, Meguro Aldan is particularly close to Meguro Takamine, but that doesn't mean that her other siblings have a bad relationship with Meguro Takamine.

"The art of soothing your little sister is a profound theory, and it's impossible to cram it into you in a short time, which I'm sure you wouldn't want either. If you're interested in the future, come back to me, and I might be able to explain it to you in detail."

"Today, we will focus on specialized training specifically for Platinum type, deeply analyzing what's going on in her mind and how to deal with it. Then, no matter what kind of problem we encounter, we will be able to solve it easily."

As for Platinum... based on the cramming I did on her, she seemed like the former Zenshin and McQueen... no, more like Dober.

Platinum is an amalgamation of a believer and a Tobe. Oh, of course, I'm not referring to a believer who assimilated with the Great Sun God.

"Listen up, Rudolf symbol." Megumi Takamine straightened the pointer in his hand, then slammed it to the ground with a loud crack. Everyone present, even the absent-minded Alice, perked up and their attention was drawn in.

“白金的构成···大概有0.1个阿尔丹、0.1个赖恩、0.2个麦昆、0.2个善信、0.4个多伯这样的。”

"So precise? What did you use to measure it, your brain? By the way, why is there no Megakure Aurora?" Alice responded unhappily, but Megakure Takamine ignored her.

He's timid and socially awkward, but when pushed to the limit, he can unleash extraordinary potential.

She usually presents herself with an air of ease when it comes to her studies and competitions, but she also occasionally works hard behind the scenes.

Surprisingly, they have a considerate side, sometimes expressing their concern for others in subtle ways. They are willing to lend a hand within their capabilities, but they are not inclined to form deep friendships and prefer to keep their distance from people.

Sometimes she has an involuntary sense of superiority, which is quite like a rich girl.

Most importantly... she also has a pink, girlish heart.

Megumi almost covered her face in shock.

Oh my god, the more I look at them, the more they look like my younger sisters!

“And we also need to use mixed methods to deal with such hybrid types.”

“Like Meguro Doha. Sometimes she can seem very aloof. But there are different kinds of aloofness. Some of it is genuine disinterest, while some is just her way of hiding her shyness.”

"Dober makes up the largest proportion of the platinum composition, so I feel that she also has some girlish habits, such as secretly writing in a diary... or drawing romance comics."

“You’re capable, you guessed right.” Alice gave Mejiro Takamine a thumbs up. “When I went into the Platinum dormitory, I found her diary hidden in a secret compartment of her drawer.”

A brief silence fell over the student council, after which everyone continued speaking as if they hadn't heard anything.

"And with a girl like Dober...be romantic!"

"Although it may not be obvious on the surface, Dober is the type who would like a prince on a white horse, very fairytale-like."

"To get along well with a girl like this, you have to present yourself as her Prince Charming!"

"...At the very least, I have to make myself into a white horse."

Different locations, but at the same time. Both Mejiro Peak and Tokai were naturally giving their careful instruction.

Only the future races headlong into an unfathomable chaos.

Episode 213 Dressed a little more revealing

It wasn't until almost dark that Alice returned to the laboratory, looking exhausted.

"I'm exhausted... Even a racehorse girl would be exhausted from running around like this..." Alice shook her arm and took off her white coat, which was stained with beverage, and tossed it aside.

Platinum was still lying there half-dead, but her position had been changed from the three chairs she had been lying on to the sofa where Alice often sat.

Upon hearing Alice's voice as she returned, Platinum raised her arm and waved as a greeting.

Alice squinted at Platinum, thinking to herself, no wonder Rudolf Symbol got angry at the sight of this brat. She really did deserve a beating.

Alice threw her handbag onto Platinum's stomach, pulled up a chair and sat in front of Platinum, lifting her ear in an annoyed tone: "Still sleepwalking? Hurry up and get yourself ready."

"Rudolph will symbolically accompany you to dinner tonight. One dinner should be enough time for the two of you to reconcile, right?"

"Ouch, my ear, it hurts so much..." Platinum grimaced as Alice picked him up. "Tonight? I'm not going, this is too much of a rush."

"I...I haven't decided what to say yet. If I go, I'll just mess things up again..."

What if we end up arguing with Rudolf again?

Besides, how could Rudolf have unilaterally set the time and place? Indeed, he bears most of the responsibility for the whole incident, and it's only right that he apologizes. Platinum was also prepared to apologize...

But even if it's just a little bit, just a little bit, is Rudolf's symbolism completely without fault? Why don't you just give me an answer directly, whether it's acceptance or rejection? It's better than this stalemate, isn't it?

Is this how it is, as if you've already sentenced yourself to death, as if you're already treating yourself like a criminal?

...It's not that it's wrong to treat him like a prisoner, since he was in the wrong first, but please give him more time to reflect.

Seeing Bai Jin's expression, Alice knew what was on her mind.

"Don't overthink it. I set the time. Let's cut to the chase. You can wait, but I can't."

The Japanese derby is waiting for Alice Soko; how can we waste even a minute on such sentimental matters?