Umamusume's days are numbered

Its dazzling golden face is often obscured.

Rudolph symbolizes the recall of her childhood memories. She rarely reminisces about her past, partly because her time as student council president is precious, and partly because she views recalling the past as a form of weakness. Today is an exception, however; she remembers her family's embrace, the twinkling stars, the winding stream after the rain…

But your everlasting summer will never fade.

It won't diminish your pure and beautiful red blossoms.

"When you live as long as time in immortal poetry..."

Platinum stopped singing. In her arms, Rudolf symbolized regular breathing. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"It's a bit early to say now... Good night, President."

Platinum stopped what she was doing with her fingers and gently brushed aside the bangs that adorned Rudolf's forehead. The usually dignified emperor did not respond to her disrespect, but simply exhaled deeply.

Platinum heard the student council door open. Kiku stood in the doorway, turning the doorknob, looking at the scene inside. Although she tried her best to maintain a composed expression, her frequently twitching eyebrows betrayed her.

"This is..." Before Qisuo could finish speaking, Baijin smiled serenely at her and put her index finger to her lips.

The air tank fell silent. At this moment, Platinum embraced Rudolf's symbolic head, a beautiful smile like that of Mona Lisa on her face. The light spots projected from the floor-to-ceiling windows behind her illuminated the student council, but only the sofa in front of Rudolf and Platinum's body blocked the sunlight.

If Michelangelo had seen this, perhaps the frescoes painted on the church would have been different.

Qi Kuo took a deep breath and slowly closed the student council door: "Excuse me."

"What's wrong? What happened inside?" The East Sea Emperor stood behind the air tank, constantly craning her neck. She was still in the stage where her body was growing rapidly, and was now two heads shorter than the air tank. She hadn't seen any of the scene in the student council just now.

Qi Cao opened his mouth, organized his thoughts, and then said to the Emperor of the East Sea in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please don't be afraid of what I'm about to say."

"No, so what happened?"

"Imagine you have a very close older sister and a father who loves you very much. Then one day, your father... adopts your sister as his mother. What should you do?"

"What kind of question is this?" The Emperor of the East Sea scratched his head. "My sister became my father's mother... Does that mean my sister became my grandmother?"

"She calls me 'sister,' and I call her 'grandma,' so we each address each other separately?"

Qi Cao patted the East Sea Emperor on the shoulder with a deep voice: "That's what I mean."

(The poem quoted in this article is Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. Translated by Liang Zongdai.)

Episode 227: Everyone Expresses Their Opinions

Inside a café next to Treson College, several shadows loomed around a table as people whispered among themselves.

One of them chuckled softly and placed the photograph on the table. Golden hair like ears of wheat, beautiful azure eyes, an expressionless face that never revealed his thoughts—the photograph depicted the new universe.

It seems a dangerous and sinister deal is about to take place in this forgotten corner.

"Sorry I'm late... I went to see the doctor for a follow-up appointment." The door to the private room was pushed open, and a well-mannered man walked in carrying a handbag. "Why aren't the lights on?"

With a snap, the gloomy atmosphere in the private room vanished instantly as the excellent person pressed the power switch, revealing the faces of the people gathered around the table.

Platinum was the one who placed the photo of the new universe on the table. At that moment, she covered her eyes in shock from the sudden bright light: "I'm going blind!"

Leodban sat closest to the door. She held the photograph of the new universe between two fingers, pondered for a moment, and looked at Platinum tentatively, saying, "We...take her out?"

Sitting to Platinum's left without hesitation was Ibuki Kagura. Seeing Platinum covering her eyes, Ibuki Kagura eagerly took out eye drops from her pocket: "Onee-sama, here you go."

Sitting unsurprisingly to Bai Jin's right was Li Yuelongmen. The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, stood close to Bai Jin like two gatekeepers.

Upon hearing Leo Deban's words, Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate twitched its ears and immediately chimed in, "My family has more experience in this area. Shall I ask Uncle He?"

"However, it would be easier to handle in Hong Kong or San Francisco, but in Japan... it might attract more attention."

After saying this, Li Yuelongmen looked at Bai Jin with anticipation, as if he would immediately smash a cup and charge out with three hundred axemen at Bai Jin's command.

Leo Deban never expected her joke to become a reality. She watched silently as the carp leaped over the dragon gate, opened her mouth, but really didn't know what to say.

Is the world I live in really this dark? "Carp leaping over the dragon gate," tell me you're just joking! Tell me!

This isn't the Treson College I remember!

Sitting in the dark café, Leo de Ban witnessed the dark side of the world.

"How long have you been sitting here? It's so stuffy." Excellent quality stood at the door, fanning his nose and complaining, "No wonder it's so dark inside during the day. You even drew the curtains and closed the windows, and you didn't turn on the air conditioning."

So, those with excellent manners would have to open the curtains in the private room and also open the windows.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Platinum, who had just finished putting in eye drops, quickly stopped him, his excellent manners still intact. "Don't open the curtains! We're on a secret mission today. What if someone outside sees us?"

This private room is located on the first floor, and the side facing the street is a whole wall of large glass, which is why there are such airtight floor-to-ceiling curtains for customers who don't want to be seen.

"So mysterious, what's going on?" Excellent qualities were pulled into a seat by Platinum's hand on her shoulder. She had only received a message from Platinum today, asking her to meet here, saying that there was something important to discuss, but she still didn't know why she was here.

"Back to the main topic." Platinum coughed a few times and pointed to the photo of the new universe on the table. "This is the important mission that the chairman gave me...

"Find out why Neo Universe chose to fight multiple times, try your best to persuade her to give up the Japanese derby, and prevent Neo Universe's trainers and Rudolph from symbolically committing the tragic fate of jumping off the building."

Do you feel the heavy responsibility on your shoulders?

"We're the student council's secret service!" Bai Jin slammed his hand on the table. "Don't you feel a special sense of mission?"

...No, so why did you call me over? Excellent Quality scratched his cheek, which was a little sweaty.

For some reason, the "Excellent Qualities" person always seems to have a "Platinum" advantage over them. Then, considering that they actually know a bit too much about the secrets symbolized by Rudolf, they feel like they have no right to refuse.

I never imagined that going to see a Satsuki-sho show would lead me to a pirate ship.

"A sudden series of battles..." Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate lowered its head and pondered, "Weren't there any signs before?"

"Probably not," Leodban said, looking troubled. It was only then that Leodban realized that even though New Universe and he had been classmates for a year, they had barely interacted, usually only exchanging a few words when handing in assignments.

Even Platinum talked to him more often.

"What unforeseen event forced her to engage in continuous battles?" Ibuki Kagura frowned, racking her brains. Her impression of the new universe was limited to someone she couldn't understand speaking and who was very pretty, not even as good-looking as Leodban. "Did her family go bankrupt? Are they in debt?"

"The prize money for a single G1 match is quite substantial, forcing the New Universe to participate in matches one after another. How much debt must her family be in?" Leo Deban complained. Among all these people, besides those with excellent qualities, Leo Deban is probably the only one with common sense.

Wait a minute, if we consider being a tsukkomi (complainer) with common sense as an attribute, wouldn't that mean that excellent qualities completely replace one's role?

My status is about to change from that of an ordinary person to that of an invisible person!

Leo Deban felt a strange sense of crisis.

“Well… perhaps we could ask Ms. Sugukawa Tsuna?” Excellent quality suggested while putting down her backpack. “Ms. Sugukawa should have all the students’ personal information.”

“That makes sense.” Carp Leaps Over the Dragon Gate nodded. “But aren’t we the Anbu? If the Anbu asks the school staff, then what’s the point of our existence?”

"You actually took this premise seriously!" Excellent Quality felt utterly helpless, as if she were talking to a poetic drama. Meanwhile, Leo Deban next to her immediately perked up his ears.

Those were clearly my lines... yet they were spoken by someone with "excellent manners."

Now I'm really going to be invisible! Invisible on the field, and now I have to be invisible even in daily chapters?

"Hmph..." Platinum crossed his arms, revealing a knowing smile. "I expected this."

"Our options don't just include Tsuna. At Tressen Academy, besides her, there's another person who knows detailed information about every student!"

Platinum waved his arm toward the door and said, "Come in, Aili Digital! The final piece of our puzzle!"

All eyes turned to the entrance. There stood Aili Digital, greeting everyone with a reserved smile.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Digital Carbon, and I'm truly grateful for everyone's invitation..."

However, no one's gaze lingered on Aili Digital. Because standing beside her was an uninvited guest.

Her golden hair, like ears of wheat, and her azure eyes were exactly the same as the face in the photo on the table.

New universe? !

Episode 228 They Came Knocking

Sometimes, clichéd horror movies use a clever ending to give the audience a final scare and an unexpected conclusion to the story.

When the protagonist, after an hour or two of terror and screams, is finally freed from the horror and screams and believes that everything is over and he can finally return to his peaceful daily life... the camera will suddenly pull back.

The doorbell that would never ring will ring again, and things that should never have appeared, buried and forgotten, will reappear. You think the crisis is over, but it still surrounds you, dragging you back into hell. And this time, there is no hope.

"Ah...ah..." Platinum's tongue was practically tied in knots. She never imagined she would encounter a new universe here.

Was it an accident? Or was it premeditated? This... shouldn't be happening.

Aili Digital also noticed that the atmosphere in the private room was a bit off; the faces of the people present all looked like they had encountered a ghost and were feeling guilty.

“I saw New Universe waiting outside the café wall, peering inside, so I assumed she was called by Platinum, and brought her in…” Alice Digital began cautiously, “…Isn’t that right?”

"Ah, it's okay." Koi Leaps Over the Dragon Gate, sweating profusely, stood up, drawing the attention of Ali Digital and New Universe. "We were just chatting, it'd be more lively with more people..."

Meanwhile, behind her, in a blind spot unseen by the new universe, Carp Leaps Over the Dragon Gate frantically makes hand gestures.

Both Ibuki Kagura and Shirokin saw the gesture of the carp leaping over the dragon gate. However, Shirokin was a beat slower, while Ibuki Kagura immediately understood the meaning of the carp leaping over the dragon gate—

[I'm here to distract you; quickly destroy the evidence!]

"It's so hot! Why is this room so hot?" Ibuki Kagura stood up, covered in sweat, her eyes darting around, fanning herself with her hands.

The sweat on Ibuki Mai and Kagura's heads looks quite realistic, but it's hard to say whether it's from being scared or from the heat.

"Spring is almost over, and summer is coming soon. The spring school uniform is a bit too warm." As she said this, Ibuki Kagura took off the wool sweater she was wearing. Seemingly because she couldn't stand the heat, Ibuki Kagura unusually swept the sweater across the table while taking off her clothes, knocking the photo to the floor.

Ibuki Kagura casually draped her sweater over her shoulders and stepped onto the photograph. She was indeed sweating quite a bit; her thin school uniform shirt, damp with sweat, became faintly translucent and clung tightly to her body.

Ugh... How embarrassing... Ibuki Maikaku wanted to cry but had no tears. She always paid attention to maintaining her good image, even the way she walked, but she never expected to show up like this in front of so many people today.

For my older sister's sake, I endured it.

The carp leaping over the dragon gate kept giving Ibuki Kagura a thumbs-up from behind.

But those with excellent qualities think differently.

Idiots, you're making it too obvious! With such stiff movements, isn't it obvious to anyone that there's something wrong with you?

Although I don't know why I got involved in this, now that the new universe has seen it, I've been dragged onto the same ship.

“Perfect timing, I’m feeling hot too.” You’re very good at walking to the window and pulling the curtains. “In this hot weather, let’s not cover the curtains. Let’s open the curtains and the window to breathe some fresh air.”

They shifted the focus of the new universe to themselves, secretly carrying out their plan to cover up the destruction of evidence for Koi Leap Over the Dragon Gate and Ibuki Mai Kagura!

"Ah, this, that..." Leo Ban was flustered, frantically trying to figure out who was doing what, who was doing what was supposed to be done, and who was doing what was supposed to be done... He tried to engage in conversation with those who needed to, destroyed evidence where necessary, and changed the subject where appropriate...

What about me? Shouldn't everyone be doing their part at a time like this? What's the point of me sitting here? Am I just supposed to stand by and watch?

Am I really invisible now?

Leo Deban, oblivious to his anxieties, drew back the curtains and opened the window. A gentle breeze blew in, making the room not much cooler, but the air certainly felt fresher. At the same time, through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window, he could clearly see the people coming and going on the pedestrian street.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Alice Digital let out a small gasp and covered her lips.

"It was right here. When I saw the new universe, she was staring intently out of this window."

···ha?

Whether it was Platinum, who was tongue-tied, or Koi Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, who was desperately trying to find topics to talk about, or Ibuki Mai and Kagura, who were stepping on that photo, or Leodeban and Excellent Quality, they all froze, feeling a chill creep up their spines.

If what Aili Digital says is true, and if the excellent quality of the person just walked in and opened the curtains, wouldn't they have been able to see the new universe staring straight at them?

From the very beginning of the discussion, to when everyone was preparing to go to Tsuna Sugawa, to when they contacted Aili Digital... it all happened.

Although I know the soundproofing here is excellent, and you can't hear anything through the glass, the thought that New Universe has been watching them from the beginning, trying to figure things out, still gives me a bit of a creepy feeling.

Platinum covered her ears, trembling. She was more frightened than others because her senses were more acute. Platinum's eyesight and hearing were frighteningly good; very few could hide near her without her noticing. Even when she was asleep, if she fell asleep normally, the slightest touch would wake her up.

Excluding characters like Gold Gun Sixty who would ambush in the bathroom beforehand, Elisako who would drug the drinking water, and Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate who would hide behind a cabinet and hold their breath while delivering chocolates, the only ones who could evade Platinum's detection are from the New Universe.

Because the new universe never makes any sound, it almost makes you wonder if it walks on two legs.

Unfortunately, the student council's secret service, which had just been formed under Rudolf's symbol, was caught red-handed by the main force just minutes after its establishment... and was completely wiped out.

When everyone was disheartened, it was the new universe that had been silent all along that spoke up.

"ART...a new universe, an IDE that can feel the cornflower..."

"This doesn't make me uncomfortable."

"When you have a goal that you must achieve, what will you choose?" This question is a revelation from someone else to the new universe.

"Now, the new universe entrusts this sentence to the cornflower. This is the new universe's answer to your question."