Umamusume's days are numbered

"I ran with all my might, panting... panting... and it still hurts so much!"

Alice slowly came to a stop. Her scarlet eyes darted around, and the figures before her gradually overlapped.

Fiery Steed stood stiffly in place, tears welling in her eyes. It was clear she was strong and trying hard to hold back her sobs. But normal physiological responses cannot always be controlled by one's will. Fiery Steed threw her head back and wailed, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

"—I lost!"

Platinum lay sprawled on the grass, wincing in pain from the sharp touch on her back. She looked at Alice standing before her, and shakily raised her finger, flashing a peace sign at Alice.

"—I won!"

Someone beat me, is that right?

So this is what it feels like to be surpassed by someone else?

Alice stood there, stunned. She touched her face and realized that tears were streaming down her face without her noticing.

—Soko, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, if only I could…

—Guinea Pig, it's clearly my body that's having problems, why are you so upset?

—Because, Hayashi could no longer run…

—That doesn't really matter.

I never believed I had to be the one standing on the competition field. It's just that no one can fulfill their lifelong dream, to achieve that ultimate, most cherished beauty...

She felt neither resentful nor angry. In fact, Alice felt a rare sense of relief.

—It seems that from now on, it doesn't matter if I stop running.

"Hahahaha!" Alice suddenly burst into laughter. She reached out and pulled Platinum up, but held onto Platinum's hand tightly and wouldn't let go.

"From now on, please give me your guidance, new guinea pig."

Episode 58: The Terrifying Yamato Red Steed

Yamato Akaki yawned.

Yamato Akari is determined to maintain her image as a top student, striving to be the best in everything she does—academic performance, interpersonal interactions, and mannerisms. Although she may not be fully aware of it, this earnestness and indomitable spirit are precisely what makes her so endearing.

But since I'm the only one in the lab today, it's okay to slack off a little, right?

It's quite rare for Sugoko to be away from the lab...

Yamato Akama thought to himself.

While to most people, Alice is like a mystery—her presence in class, dorm, and cafeteria seems random, and beyond that, she's practically invisible—those who know her even slightly know that her life is shockingly monotonous.

I sleep until I naturally wake up every day, and if it's breakfast time, I eat; otherwise, I just go hungry. I quickly wash my face, put on ill-fitting clothes I bought online, and head to the lab. I sit in the lab all day, and then go back to my dorm hungry at night and sleep soundly.

Apart from occasionally visiting her favorite shops, Alice practically lived in the laboratory, and once even forgot to eat for a whole day and a half.

Manhattan Coffee once made a very sharp comment about Alice: "This person is simply incapable of taking care of herself. It would be so easy to murder her. Just throw her into the lab and starve her. You don't even need to lock the door. She'll starve to death in a week."

So Yamato Akari and Manhattan Coffee would occasionally come to the lab to feed her, in case Alice really died.

When Yamato Akaki arrived at the lab today, he was surprised to find the door locked—this was the first time he had come to the lab and not seen Alice inside.

To prevent Alice from fainting from hunger inside, Yamato Akaki retrieved the spare key from under the flower bed and opened the laboratory door, only to find that there was indeed no one inside, except for the humming sound of the drying oven.

She probably went to her favorite shop... Thinking this, Yamato Akaki sat on the sofa, waiting for Alice to return.

Not long after, Yamato Akachi indeed heard a noise coming from outside the door. She immediately perked up.

"Hey, if you can't find me in the dorm, come here. I'll most likely be in the lab."

"This lab is so big, it takes up almost an entire floor, and nobody's watching you, you're all alone?"

"Yamato Akashi and Manhattan Coffee occasionally lend a hand. The other racehorse girls are all clumsy, and it would be a problem if they accidentally broke something. When I'm too busy, I ask other schools for help."

...Why is there still the sound of conversation? Yamato Akaki twitched his ears.

One voice was familiar, and the other... was also quite familiar.

"Oh, why is the door open?"

As the doorknob turned, the two entered the laboratory one after the other and immediately saw Yamato Akaki sitting on the sofa.

Yamato Akaki also saw the two people. One was wearing an ugly wool sweater, with bloodshot eyes that were misty as if seen through a Venetian blind; it was Alice. The other was dressed entirely in white, with a listless face and a pair of dark, piercing eyes that drew attention.

"—Platinum, what are you doing here?" Yamato Akaki exclaimed in surprise.

Alice and Yamato Akame knew each other.

Bai Jin and Yamato Akaki also know each other.

But when these two people are together... Yamato Akamai doesn't recognize them.

The relationship between these two people is just like the relationship between husband and wife (referring to a dish of sliced ​​beef and offal in chili sauce) – the main point is that they have absolutely no connection.

"Wait, you... you actually know each other?" Yamato Akaki fell into a brief silence, unable to find the words to express himself.

"Good evening, Akachi." Alice rubbed her messy hair and tossed her bag onto the sofa.

"Good evening." Bai Jin nodded to Yamato Akaki. They were just training together, not really close.

What... what's going on?

Alice was just naturally like that, and with a fresh and delicious racehorse girl in front of her who had outrun her, she just wanted to have a good chat with her as soon as possible; while Shirogane and Yamato Akaki were not familiar with each other, and had no idea what to talk to Yamato Akaki about.

So the two of them just walked past Yamato and Akaki as if they were invisible.

"Why did you bring me to the lab?" Platinum looked around. "It is indeed quite large, but wouldn't it be better to talk in a coffee shop?"

"Who wants to talk to you?" Alice pouted and reached out to pat Platinum's shoulder. "What I want to see... is this."

what?

no?

When Yamato Akaki heard this conversation and saw Alice's action, he almost lost his composure, thinking he had misheard.

Alice was a full half-head taller than Platinum. When she put her arm around Platinum's shoulder, her back hunched slightly, and her face wore that signature smile with a hint of pity that others couldn't decipher. Platinum gritted her teeth slightly, hunched her shoulders, and looked at Alice's hand. Although she frowned, she didn't push her away.

What kind of scene is this?

Can someone tell me what this scene is?

Yamato Akaki wished he could eat the hand he was covering his mouth with.

What exactly is the relationship between these two? They seem so close.

Alice is always lazy and listless. She won't listen to a word unless it's something she's interested in; she's a complete egoist.

Platinum is shy and timid, but also quite aggressive. Although she doesn't cause any real harm, she doesn't let others get close.

These two people are like two inert gases; even if they are pressed together, they will not have any chemical reaction.

How did they end up stuck together?

And that pose... it's practically a classic replica!

As for what's classic and what's being replicated, I can't say.

Wait, what happened to Suko? How did she go from a crazy mad scientist to a seasoned lover?

And Platinum, you may be shy, but where's your aggression? Why don't you strike hard?

Calm down, calm down. Yamato Akaki, you must maintain your composure and dignity, and remain unfazed even if Mount Tai collapses before you.

Maybe the truth isn't what you think? Maybe it's all a misunderstanding, and if it turns out to be a joke you made, that would be truly embarrassing.

Thinking this, Yamato Akaki shakily stretched out his finger, pointing at Alice and then at Platinum, who was almost in Alice's arms.

"...Um...what's going on here?"

"Excuse me for asking, what...what's your relationship?"

Episode 59 is about that kind of relationship.

"Excuse me for asking, what...what's your relationship?"

Yamato Akaki pointed shakily, his eyes darting back and forth between the two men.

Alice pointed to herself with her other hand: "What kind of relationship do we have? Isn't it obvious? You can tell at a glance."

Alice was indeed convinced by Platinum.

I am not the most beautiful racehorse girl in the world, nor am I the most qualified racehorse girl to pursue beauty.

Those dynamic steps, those simple steps that resemble a mathematical formula, are something I can no longer do.

But his predecessors and successors have already appeared.

At that moment, my consciousness was drawn to and captivated by that phosphorescent figure. Those were truly legs that held the promise of ultimate beauty—legs I had always longed for.

Stronger than Alice, stronger than the Emperor of the East Sea, stronger than Rudolf Symbol.

I will become her support, the support that helps her go further—that's the kind of relationship we have, right?

Alice felt she had explained things very clearly. Yes, for her, if she had thought about it in her mind, it was equivalent to others understanding. Truly a genius mind.

"No, no, no, that's why I asked, because I can't tell!" Yamato Akaki covered his head.

Keep your composure, Yamato Akashi.

"What did you explain?" Platinum glanced at Alice, expressing her disdain for Alice's language skills.

Well, since I see Yamato Akama all the time, it's necessary to put in a good word for him.

To avoid any misunderstandings. Although Platinum felt that a girl of this age shouldn't be so... naive as to have such wild ideas, right?

"My relationship with Alice..." Platinum rolled her eyes and thought for a moment.

This is something that can't be explained in detail, and it really stumped Platinum.

"I suppose I need something from her."

He did indeed need her help. For Platinum, the desire to win the competition wasn't actually that strong. Whoever came in first place wasn't really first, so why bother? Aside from the Yayoi Prize being a special case, Platinum generally maintained a passive, "laissez-faire" attitude.

As for Alice's pursuit... we'll talk about that later, we'll talk about that later.

The most pressing matter now is to see if Hayate A-Meng can resolve his soul dissolution syndrome.

"And then... Alice really does need me."

But whether he's even interested in running is another matter. Platinum curled his lip.

“Um… excuse me…” Yamato Akama raised his arm, trembling. “This… what exactly do you mean by ‘need’?”

"Probably...legs, body, and stuff like that," Platinum replied after thinking for a moment.

See how clearly you explained it? You fully explained your needs for your legs and your need for treatment from Eliseko.

“Of course…” Alice’s hand wandered to Platinum’s shoulder again, gazing at him intently. “This is truly the most perfect body I’ve ever seen…”

"...I completely understand." Yamato Akachi stopped trembling and her face turned ashen. She understood everything.

Yamato Akachi stood up, then tensed his legs, jumped up, and covered his head with his hands.

"—Isn't this exactly the relationship I imagined?!"

Completely disregarding his own dignity, Yamato Akaki screamed loudly.

Alice, what exactly turned you into this?

They brutally murdered the foal that had only been in school for a week.

They seize upon someone's weaknesses and then use sweet words to deceive and gain their favor.

What's next? Bring it back to the lab, but what's the next step?

Senior Alice, it's not that I don't want to believe you, but the evidence is irrefutable.

Do you not even bother to hide your desires, but instead take pride in them?

Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to resort to our trump card—

"I'm going to tell my senior from Manhattan Coffee about this!"