Umamusume's days are numbered

The astronomer was quite tall, over 1.7 meters, which made her popular with girls; the sense of security that height provided was one reason. In comparison, Hai Du was rather short, not to mention her already slender figure, making it almost unbelievable that she used to be a horse racer. Standing together, the difference in height made Hai Du look precarious.

The astronomers came fully prepared and there was no way they would back down to Haidu City.

Galileo...

"Big sister...no..." Upon hearing Hai Du call his name, the astronomer's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground, all his previous imposing manner completely dissipating.

Hai Dudu was startled by the astronomer's sudden outburst: "Galileo, what are you doing? Why are you kneeling down?"

"No... I was just thinking... it would be easier for you to lecture me if I knelt down. If I stand, you'll have to raise your head, which is tiring." The astronomer didn't expect his muscle memory to be so strong; as soon as he heard Hai Du call his name in a sinister tone, his body moved on its own.

"How could my older sister possibly lecture you?" Hai Dudu said with a wry smile. "This time, my older sister was wrong, and I should be the one apologizing to you."

"Are you not comfortable with that strange light? I thought that since you were willing to take her on a round-the-world trip, you two must already be..."

The astronomer breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Hai Du apologize. But when Hai Du spoke of the strange light, the astronomer couldn't stop talking.

"Big sister, you've really wronged us. Strange Light is alright as a brother, but as a girlfriend, he's too much of a torment."

As the astronomer was pulled up from the ground and sat on the sofa by Hai Dudu, he complained to Hai Dudu.

"You know that girl with the strange light? She's just like a German, rigid and stubborn, like a rock! Of course, she's pretty, and she's a pretty rock too."

"When there's nothing else going on, that guy's life has to be completely on schedule, and he can't afford to miss a single second! He arranges everything, from what time to get up in the morning, to what time to start his morning exercise, to what time to eat breakfast. Even I have to follow his rules."

"And our tastes are completely different. I really don't understand what's so interesting about those obscure and difficult literary works written by those old men who are already in the grave... oh, maybe some who aren't yet in the grave, that she can read with such relish! Even though she covers her ears whenever she hears rock music!"

"Alright, alright, stop complaining." Hai Du shook his head helplessly. "I know you two aren't a good match. So, do you think you and Bai Jin are a good match?"

"I do not know."

"do not know?"

“I haven’t even married her yet, how would I know if it’s a good match?” The astronomer paused, then continued, “But sister, do you remember what I told you when I decided to become a horse racer?”

"If you don't let me be a horse racer, I'll never talk to you again?"

“Not that sentence.” The astronomer immediately blushed. “It’s another sentence—how can I be sure I’m not suitable if I haven’t even tried it?”

Episode 317 Sisters vs. Sisters?!

Haidu admitted that the astronomers had persuaded him.

The strange light and the astronomer's arrangement were indeed a misjudgment on my part; it was my mistake. If the astronomer was indeed very resistant to it, Haidu City would have no reason to persist.

The real reason Haidu City was initially angry was that the astronomers, knowing they were trying to bring Platinum and Haidu Star together, still insisted on interfering. And despite already having a strange radiance around them, they were still eyeing something else entirely.

From my perspective, the reason I'm facilitating this matchmaking is essentially to ensure my younger siblings can live happy lives. If the astronomer truly falls in love with Platinum at first sight... then Hai Du City has no reason to refuse.

—No, there are still reasons to refuse!

I almost got tricked by this brat... From childhood to adulthood, astronomers have always been the most glib-tongued.

Hai Dudu nodded gently: "Yes, you make a good point."

"But have you considered what you'd do if you launched an offensive against Platinum?"

I'm sorry, but we live in a civilized modern society now. Not to mention other countries, at least Ireland and the United Kingdom only support monogamy.

If two brothers fight over the same bride, how can they take turns using her? They're not Mongolians.

The astronomer slapped his thigh, tears welling up in his eyes, and threw himself at Hai Dushi: "So you're only going to care about your little sister Hai Xingxing and not your little sister Galileo?"

"You've made proper arrangements for Haixing, married Baijin, and are living happily ever after. Every day is filled with love and affection. The two of you will buy a big house near our horse farm, raise a sheepdog, and live a blissful life. When you have nothing to do, you can come back to the horse farm to visit me."

"Your sister Galileo can only find a superman like Strange Light who can punch a punching bag to live with. After marriage, she will suffer from classical music and daily schedules every day, and live in fear of domestic violence, afraid that she will be beaten to death one day. She will live in fear, and you may never see me again."

"Can you bear to do this, sister? Can you bear to do this?"

Hai Dudu watched the astronomer complain to him, and gave a forced, insincere smile.

If Strange Light knew how the astronomers were slandering her behind her back, she would be heartbroken... Fortunately, she knew Strange Light and the astronomers well enough. If it were someone else here, they would have been fooled by the astronomers.

"How can you bear to steal your sister's friend? Platinum is the first friend Haidu Star has made outside of her family. What will happen to Haidu Star if you steal Platinum away from her?"

"You have friends all over the world, you've traveled halfway around the globe, yet there's not a single child who can capture your heart, and you insist on stealing your sister's only friend?"

Haidu City has tried its best to view the issue from a neutral perspective. However, regardless of the angle, it seems that the astronomers are making more of a fuss than anything else.

If you don't want to develop a further relationship with Strange Light, Haidu City will support you. But if you want to develop a further relationship with Platinum, then Haidu City won't support you.

What? You've had all sorts of girls in front of you—alluring older women, innocent younger girls, rebellious rock enthusiasts like yourself, girls with all those traits like being aloof, arrogant, and clingy—and then you turned around and went to Japan to choose Platinum? What attracted you to her? Was it her face, her figure, or her overly innocent personality?

Could it be that you're excited about her sister being your girlfriend?

The astronomer was inwardly groaning. She was truly serious; only the moment she saw Platinum did she feel a flutter in her heart. Before meeting Platinum, the astronomer had even considered just settling for a life with the abusive, classical woman—this was her destined calamity. But after meeting Platinum, it was truly her for the taking.

But from the strange light to Haidu City, not a single person believed she was serious!

What kind of image do I usually project? Can't I ever truly give my heart? This is the first time I've tried pursuing a girl; she's always the one being pursued before. Isn't this determination enough?

It now seems that Haidu City's support is out of reach... The astronomer couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow.

Haidu City will definitely side with Haidu Star. However, at the very least, Haidu City needs to acknowledge its choice.

The astronomers didn't want their relationship with Haidu City to become too strained. Choices made without her support wouldn't go far; that was the authority of the matriarch!

Of course, the astronomers themselves did not want to upset Haidu City.

"Big sister, how about this?" The astronomer's eyes rolled around twice. "Platinum doesn't have a partner right now, and neither I nor Starfish have succeeded yet."

"The Star of the Sea City will be going to participate in the Arc de Triomphe in two months, and the employment period for Rudolf Symbol and me will also be about to end in two months."

"It's in Hawaii, in just these two months. Whoever wins Platinum's heart will win all. No matter who wins in the end, the other party can't keep bothering us. Sister, you must also send us your sincere blessings."

Hai Du glanced at the astronomer: "How could Hai Xingxing possibly compare to you? You're full of bad ideas and popular with girls. It won't be long before Bai Jin is completely infatuated with you."

"That's what I thought too..." the astronomer thought to himself. Who would have thought that platinum would be so steadfast?

He was also hit on the head for no reason, and he still doesn't know who did it.

"Sis, Bai Jin also has other girls around her," the astronomer casually reminded Hai Dudu. "The other girls aren't like me, the kind older sister who would go easy on her younger sister."

"If I join the battle, then we'll be like sisters. Two against one isn't just a free kill. It's better to have only the two of us left for a final showdown than to let someone else succeed."

"Besides, I might give way to Starfish, but others might not. Even if I agree and give up my pursuit of Platinum, are you sure... Starfish will definitely be able to fight her way out?"

"She's probably still hugging her only friend on her phone and laughing like an idiot."

This time, Hai Du City remained silent for an exceptionally long time. The astronomer knew that Hai Du City had been persuaded.

Appealing to emotions won't work; in the end, you still have to reason with them!

“You have a point.” Hai Dudu pinched the end of his hair, his brow furrowed in thought. “Galileo…”

"Only war and love are ruthless, sister." The astronomer raised his fist at Haidu City.

Clutching his hair tightly, Hai Dushi finally opened his eyes and clashed his fist with the astronomer's.

Indeed, war and love are the only things that are ruthless.

(Two more bonus chapters to go)

Episode 318 Astronomers, can you please be normal?

Platinum was running in the training room wearing sportswear, on the same familiar treadmill—the youth training base was indeed luxurious; at least Platinum had never used a single-person gym before.

A row of potentially useful gym equipment, from barbells and sandbags to treadmills, is available, including many that even Platinum members had never seen before. In this small gym of about thirty square meters, everything is at your fingertips. There are hundreds of such small gyms in this building, distributed across different floors. The entire building facing the training field is made of glass, offering a clear view of the competition.

As for the swimming pool, there wasn't a separate pool for each person; there was a large swimming pool on the first floor for the racehorse girls to use. Training rooms like this usually require separate reservations, and the maximum reservation period is only one week. However, Platinum and the others could use it for two whole months without reservations.

Unlike training on the training field, indoor training serves as a warm-up for the day's training for the racehorse girl. Well, for Platinum, it's the main training method. She needs to figure out how to adjust her stride and cadence over the next two months to control her speed and further keep up with the astronomer's "road book racing method."

So Haidu Star, who had been looking around the training field, was surprised to find that the person he was waiting for had not appeared all morning.

"Stable speed... stable speed..." Platinum murmured to himself. In previous training sessions, both Nishizaki Ryu and Elise Soko were the type to patiently correct him again and again. This was the first time Platinum had faced a coach who was completely unsuitable to be a teacher—an astronomer—and the first time he'd been yelled at by a coach. Yesterday, Platinum felt a little wronged, and today he secretly made up his mind.

The weakness of yesterday has been killed; today I will be one step closer to my former self!

In order to impress the astronomers, Platinum even got up early for the first time ever and went to the gym—keep in mind, this was his very first day at the youth training base after arriving from his vacation in Hawaii! Normally, even if Alice were to carry Platinum to the training field herself, Platinum wouldn't budge an inch.

Upon arriving at the gym and changing into her workout clothes, the first thing Bai Jin did was step onto the treadmill and start running—well, it felt more like a battle with her own two legs.

"Slow down, slow down... then fast again..."

After running for just five minutes, Platinum was already sweating profusely... It wasn't that she was tired, but rather that her legs seemed to have a mind of their own and were completely out of her control.

"Is that right? It doesn't seem right... It seems right."

"Sixty kilometers per hour, sixty kilometers per hour, hold steady... It's changed again!"

Platinum wobbled along on the treadmill, her eyes glued to the numbers on the display. What started as a simple exercise was becoming increasingly difficult after two days of trying.

Will this thing turn into my nightmare for the next two months? The more Platinum ran, the more uncertain he felt.

Good morning... You're here early.

The sound of a card being swiped came from the gym door. As the astronomer entered, she made eye contact with Platinum Jin on the treadmill and paused for a moment. She had assumed Platinum Jin would be late.

Platinum was taken aback when she looked at the astronomer. She glanced down at the time; it was exactly 8:00 AM, not a second more or less. She had thought the astronomer would definitely be late!

Both of them had a sense of absurdity about how you had arrived early.

"Hmm... jogging?" The astronomer didn't say much, walked closer to Platinum, glanced at the data on the treadmill, and said, "Don't do extra training on your own in the future. If you need to do extra training, call me. Otherwise, you'll have nowhere to cry if you get injured."

"I...I understand." Platinum jumped off the treadmill, wiping her hands nervously on her shirt. She had always been on friendly terms with the astronomer, but after being scolded by her yesterday...Platform was now a little afraid of her.

Seeing Bai Jin's reaction, the astronomer knew he had gone too far the day before and inwardly cried out in alarm. Bai Jin had now turned fear into apprehension, which might later turn into resistance or even respect. Normally, such feelings from a student are quite common for a coach… but this was not what the astronomer wanted.

Astronomers want platinum to hug them and say, "Darling!"

She quickly pressed down on Platinum's shoulder, gesturing for her to sit on a chair to the side, while she straddled the sit-up bench herself: "Well... what I said yesterday was a bit too much, don't take it to heart."

The astronomer, with his clear, bright eyes, confessed with deep remorse: "Last night, I reflected deeply on my inappropriate behavior. As a coach, I yelled at my student, which I find very regrettable. I failed to control my temper. I promise that this will not happen again."

"Let's not rush. We'll identify problems and fix them as soon as possible. We'll just need to spend a little more time than others. It's normal not to learn something at first. Some people are talented, and some are not. But by learning little by little, everyone will eventually master it, regardless of their talent."

"Shall we start with the basics?"

Astronomers never imagined they'd one day become such a caring older sister. The last time they comforted someone... oh, I think it was Platinum.

In short, the astronomer spoke very sincerely, almost to the point of tears, as if he were giving his own soul a complete purification. He also encouraged Platinum, telling her not to be discouraged... although the astronomer felt that it was quite disheartening to have such poor basic skills.

The key is to change Platinum's impression of me, to make her feel that I am reliable and dependable, so that feelings can develop between us.

There's no other way. The astronomer also wants to take Platinum to bars and kindergartens to have fun, but there's nothing there. Every time they go out, two little tails follow them. The only way for the astronomer and Platinum to be alone is during private lessons at the gym.

After saying all that, the astronomer wondered if Platinum had been moved... He secretly shifted his gaze upwards, trying to catch a glimpse of Platinum's expression.

Then she saw—well, how should I put it, a rather complicated expression.

There was a slight chill, a touch of disgust, a sense of unease and disbelief, and a hint of concern—like the expression of a normal person seeing a mentally ill patient.

"Astronomer, are you... alright? Did you come here drunk?"

Episode 319 Someone's getting impatient, but I won't say who.

"Astronomer, are you... alright? Did you come here drunk?"

Why is this the reaction?

The astronomers never expected Platinum to react this way. Huh? Is it really so rare for them to show such a gentle attitude?

Forget getting drunk, the astronomer decided to abstain from alcohol for the next few days in order to make a good impression on Platinum starting today. He even arrived at the gym on the hour, which was unusual for him, just to show Platinum that he is a punctual and trustworthy person.

The astronomer must really value Platinum to do something like this. In the past, she would be late not only when she was a substitute teacher at Tokyo Tressen College, but also for her own competitions. Once, she almost got disqualified for being late—people thought the astronomer had forfeited.

The last time astronomers were this serious and dedicated was probably when they told Haidu that they wanted to be a horse racer.

"I smell it... and I don't smell of alcohol on me."

Platinum looked the astronomer over and over, and felt that the astronomer was still relatively sober. He even leaned over to smell whether the astronomer smelled of alcohol.

"Don't smell it, I haven't been drinking." The astronomer reached out and grabbed Platinum's forehead, pushing her away. "I'm serious."

"Stop making a fuss here, get on the treadmill, let me see how you're feeling today."