Umamusume's days are numbered

"I'm telling you—your plan isn't to just find a park bench and spend the night there, is it? Have you checked the weather forecast? It's going to rain heavily tonight."

"And... you haven't even claimed your bounty yet." With that, Rudolf pulled a bank card from his pocket. "Look, you don't even have a bank card yourself. This was given to me by Miss Junchuan."

Platinum stopped in her tracks.

"Is this considered a threat, Ms. Rudolf? Isn't threatening a middle school student a bit beneath your dignity?"

“This isn’t a threat, just a request.” Rudolph symbolically placed the bank card on the table, pushed it to the other side of the table, and then let go. “Please talk to me for a while, and afterwards, whatever you think or do, I won’t care, okay?”

"At least if I have some money on hand, it's better than spending the whole night at McDonald's, right? You'll run into guys who try to pick you up."

"Besides, I went through a lot of trouble to find you, so it would be reasonable for you to at least thank me, wouldn't it?"

Yes, it's a reasonable request. Rudolf was right; his words were both reasoned and emotionally appealing. In any case, one shouldn't refuse.

Putting aside Tsuna's kindness and his symbolic gratitude to Rudolf, he should also go back and retrieve the bank card with his bounty on it. With that, he should be able to establish himself here, at least avoiding starvation on the streets. Besides, this was precisely why he participated in the competition in the first place.

But that happened several hours ago. Platinum doesn't care about that now.

Without pausing, she pushed open the bar door and walked out.

Rudolf stood there dumbfounded as Platinum slipped out of the bar.

She touched her cheek and didn't think she looked particularly fierce.

He reached out and touched the bank card again, realizing he hadn't mistaken it for a postcard.

Thinking back on what I had said, I didn't feel that I had offended her at all.

No, so they all run away? What are these foals thinking these days? Why does it seem like there's a huge generation gap after just a few years?

Are all these foals aliens?

Rudolph symbolizes looking at the mess on the ground and watching Platinum's figure run away, falling into deep self-doubt.

Episode 13: Escape and Chase

On a park bench, Platinum wrapped his windbreaker tighter around himself. The night was indeed a bit chilly; there was no moon tonight, and large, dark clouds obscured the sky. It seemed Rudolf's prediction of a downpour wasn't unfounded.

"I'm hungry..." Platinum rubbed his dry stomach, finding no trace of fat.

Reaching this level as a time traveler is unprecedented, isn't it?

Even so, Platinum remained lazily seated on the bench, showing no intention of moving. She was like the embers after the firewood had burned out, devoid of any remaining enthusiasm.

The dark green figure sat down on the other side of the bench.

"I can hear your stomach growling from this far away." Rudolph symbolically handed Platinum a can of oden. "Eat some, you're prone to catching a cold tonight."

Platinum rolled her eyes and turned away from her.

"If you don't eat, don't drink, and don't find a place to stay, do you want to kill yourself?" Rudolph symbolically places the oden can behind Platinum.

"What does this have to do with you... It's so hot!" Platinum's tail brushed against the can, and the sudden scalding sensation startled it so much that its tail stood on end, and it jumped off the bench.

"Why is oden served in cans? And why is the canned food served hot?!"

Platinum was quite exasperated.

"Exactly! When I saw the heating option, I was thinking, 'How could anyone invent such a product?'" Rudolf symbolically opened a can for himself. "Then, after buying it, I realized, 'Oh no, isn't this a complete marketing ploy?'"

An enticing aroma immediately filled the air. The steaming hot oden was very tempting to a hungry person, and Bai Jin unconsciously swallowed his saliva upon smelling the aroma.

Rudolf symbolically pushed aside the fork and waved it in the air: "Look, your body is protesting against itself. What are you struggling with?"

"I'm not eating..." Before she could finish her sentence, Platinum's body seemed to be protesting, and her stomach started rumbling.

The alluring aroma in the air seemed to converge into a colorful ribbon, drifting and wafting into Platinum's nose.

How spineless of him, Platinum chose to face his body's feedback, slunk back to his chair, and pulled open the lid of the Katsu can.

"Even when you're eating canned food, you look so miserable. Who owes you money?" Rudolf Symbol found it somewhat amusing to see Platinum holding the can to his mouth with a straight face.

"I've comforted many female students, most of whom came seeking consolation after losing a match. I've never seen anyone act like this before, even after winning a match, and still act like they're going to die."

"I didn't ask you to come."

"Then why didn't you keep running when you saw me?"

"You're not a policeman, you're not going to tie me up, and I don't want to play hide-and-seek, so why should I run?"

"That's not necessarily true. If you insist on not eating anything and throw a tantrum, I might have to take some forceful measures."

"...Really tied up? Aren't you afraid the police will come looking for you?" Platinum looked up at Rudolf's symbol in surprise.

"You're undocumented, why should the police bother with you?" Rudolf looked up, also surprised, at Platinum.

"···oh."

That's precisely why platinum deserves special attention. Rudolf thought to himself.

In fact, Rudolf Symbol had already noticed Platinum long before Surugawa Tezuna called her—she paid attention to almost every debut match.

A little guy who wasn't on the registration list went onto the track on his own and even came in first place.

The fact that she can accelerate to a high speed in a short time indicates that she has a reliable and capable ankle.

Maintaining even breathing throughout the match proves she has a large lung capacity.

The ability to land on her feet in a near-destructive manner and then immediately bounce back up indicates that she possesses sufficiently strong bones.

A near-perfect physique. This doesn't seem like someone who should appear in a debut competition; she's more suited to a high-stakes track.

This is also the most terrifying point... After watching Platinum's entire race, Rudolf realized that Platinum really couldn't run at all. In the realm of racehorses, she was a complete novice.

If an uncarved piece of jade can have such a dazzling light, what kind of monster would it be after being carefully carved?

In short, after confirming that Platinum was not a student of Tressen College, Rudolf symbolized his appreciation for talent.

This is a human rights card; we need to find a way to get her out of this mess.

Just as they were about to contact the staff at Hanshin Racecourse, Tsuna Suguru called.

Not only did the little darling not appear on the winner's stage, but he also ran away!

Rudolf symbolizes the ups and downs of his mood at that time.

Moreover, her doubts grew. She always felt that Bai Jin was shrouded in a thick fog of mystery.

...And this guy, looking at him now, has an incredibly awkward personality.

I feel I need to act as a life mentor myself.

"May I ask? Why did you choose to verbally abuse your opponents, then drive them all away, and flee the winner's stage?"

"I can understand if you were simply in a bad mood, and I can also understand the desire to dominate the winner's stage. But why did you choose to run away afterwards?"

Rudolf, in essence, already knew the answer. He didn't want to give up his first performance opportunity to anyone else, so he rudely drove the others away. But afterwards, he felt a deep sense of guilt and secretly grieved, choosing to escape the winner's stage as a form of compensation to the others…

But honestly, it's a bit distorted. It's full of a teenage girl's self-absorbed chatter. Can a child like that make friends?

Considering what Tsuna and I had said about our speculations about the child's background, I felt that it was acceptable for him to develop such a personality.

So she wanted to hear Platinum say these thoughts herself.

Otherwise, this mindset will become a shackle for her in the future, preventing her from going further.

As you participate in more competitions, this situation will become more and more frequent. If you're preoccupied with winning or losing, how can you fully focus on the race?

Long-standing experience has taught Rudolf that anyone who isn't pure on the field will suffer a crushing defeat.

Silence. Platinum didn't want to say anything.

No, it's not that I don't want to talk about it, but explaining it wouldn't make a difference.

Should I say that I'm actually a time traveler, or even a pathogen? I'd be seen as an idiot.

To be fair, Rudolf is indeed a good person to confide in. Her behavior just now shows that she has enough patience for me and is ready to listen to my complaints.

(Happy National Day!)

Episode 14 Dialogue and Heart-to-Heart Talk

Conversely, does Platinum herself have the desire to confide in someone?

Of course it exists, and it's quite strong!

Platinum hadn't been able to speak normally with anyone for a long time—as the condition worsened, patients with soul dissolution syndrome gradually became disconnected from the outside world and unable to communicate effectively with it.

In this situation, Platinum himself even developed the habit of talking to himself as a form of self-comfort.

If the third phase had lasted any longer, Platinum felt that she might have developed a split personality.

She not only wanted to confide in someone, but she was eager to do so. She wished she could pour out everything she had wanted to say over the past few years without stopping for a moment.

But then again, does saying it make any difference?

This brings us back to the very first question.

It's not that Platinum doesn't want to explain, but that no one will believe its explanation.

Claiming to have traveled from another world carrying pathogens? You might as well believe I am Qin Shi Huang.

Platinum peeked furtively at Rudolf's symbolic face. Then she realized that Rudolf was staring intently at her.

“Since you don’t want to talk about it, then I’ll start with mine.” Rudolf symbolically brushed a strand of hair from his temple.

Platinum might be unwilling to talk to him because of shyness and distrust, which is understandable. She's new to the country and doesn't know anything yet. So instead of playing the role of a confidante, he should turn this conversation into a heart-to-heart talk.

"Don't let my current appearance fool you, I used to have a very bad temper."

Platinum's ears twitched. She was still pondering Rudolf's question to her, not understanding why Rudolf had suddenly changed the subject.

"About four or five years ago, I was in my adolescence." Rudolf stroked his chin. "You know, the rebellious phase, when everyone thinks they're the most important person in the world."

"Especially me... I'm not bragging, but I was really riding high back then. The arrogance and confidence brought by my victories made me feel smug, and no one was there to pop that soap bubble for me."

Rudolph Symbol casually glossed over his racing history with the phrase "victorious experience." But Platinum understood the weight of those words. Four or five years earlier, Rudolph Symbol had achieved an unprecedented feat—the undefeated Triple Crown Pretty.

"So you can understand why, when someone doesn't know their own limitations, they will use their achievements to criticize others, or even use them to blackmail others."

I am the Undefeated Triple Crown racehorse girl, what kind of racehorse girl are you?

That's roughly it; it's a way to leave the other party speechless.

"And as they gradually swell to their peak, it's not surprising that they do things that leave people dumbfounded. No matter how brilliant their achievements are, they're still just a junior high school student at heart, and they can easily become complacent."

"So, I've also done things like you, putting pressure on the loser after winning the game, or even kicking them off the winner's stage."

"I still feel ashamed when I think about it now..." Rudolf said, awkwardly turning up the collar of his trench coat as he spoke.

"...So, why are you telling me all this? To prove that you and I are the same kind of people?" Platinum frowned as she looked at Rudolf's symbol.

"...What kind of comprehension do you have!" Rudolph Symbol almost laughed in exasperation. She reached out and vigorously rubbed Platinum's head.

"What I mean is that a person's life experience is very, very long. In this long period of life, you can be a completely different person at each different stage."

"Perhaps from your future self's perspective, the obstacles that seem insurmountable today will be insignificant. Today you may feel uneasy because you have hurt others, or you may speak ill of others in a moment of impulse. This does not mean you are a bad person or a scumbag. Leave everything to time. Time will determine what kind of person you will become, and it will also determine whether everything you do is right or wrong."

Looking at Rudolf's symbolic hand placed on her head, Platinum paused for a moment, then timidly said, "But wasn't the reason you became who you are now because you were later taken by a foreign horse?"

Although his own injuries also played a role, Rudolph's performance in international competitions was far from impressive.

This was a crushing defeat unlike anything Rudolph had ever experienced in his entire career.

"After being veiled, I realized what it means to be outdone by others and to be outmatched. Someone helped me pop that soap bubble, so I realized how much of a jerk I had been. That's why I changed my image and gradually became the person I am now... Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Platinum felt her brain trembling. Rudolph's hand, which had been stroking her, gripped her skull with a slight pressure.

Sitting opposite Platinum, Rudolph's expression remained unchanged, but the bulging veins on his forehead undoubtedly revealed his inner turmoil.

Surely no one is so narrow-minded as to kill someone to silence them if their sore spot is touched?

What happened to the tea party (oden) where women were supposed to chat freely and share their secrets?

"Hehe...you kid...it seems you know me quite well..." With a twitching smile, Rudolf leaned closer to him.

Chairman Rudolf, are you trying to kill me to silence me?

Aren't you afraid of dirtying your hands by killing me?