Umamusume's days are numbered

“Uh…” Platinum scratched his head. “To be honest, I don’t know.”

"Because I've only ever been around the vicinity of Treson College."

Rudolf symbolically murmured, "...I see."

Since that's the case, there's nothing to hesitate about.

Shirogane would never come to Nerima just to visit a museum; she doesn't even want to move to Shinjuku or Shibuya.

In other words, if I don't go today, Platinum might never go again.

“I have a proposal.” Rudolf symbolically crouched down in front of Platinum, looking directly at Platinum on the same plane.

"I... drove for so long and took the subway for so long, I'm really too tired to walk anymore."

"Coincidentally, I'm a little hungry."

“So, I’ve decided to have lunch nearby, rest a bit, and then head back.” Rudolph gazed tenderly at Platinum’s face. “Could you stay with me for a bit?”

Platinum stared blankly at Rudolf's symbolic cheek for a moment before realizing what he meant, unsure how to react. She felt both shy and warm, wanting to laugh yet blushing slightly. In the end, she simply covered her cheek and nodded gently.

episode 168 Late Night Talking

Two more tourists, unknown to many, visited Nerima today.

Rudolph and Platinum strolled along, no longer rushing to a destination as before, but wandering aimlessly through the streets.

"Nerima Ward was established relatively late, so it's a relatively young place," Rudolf said as he walked down the street.

"Just like you might imagine, Toei Animation's headquarters are located in Nerima Ward. So there's a lot of anime in Nerima. Let me think... the story of Doraemon actually takes place in Nerima."

"Is there such a thing?"

"I've heard that quite a few manga artists lived in Nerima before they became famous. In other words, this place is a breeding ground for manga artists."

"Ah, wait a minute."

Rudolf, who had been walking ahead, paused, pointing to a shop on the street. It was a small, tree-lined wooden cabin, planted with many green plants, its exterior painted a uniform blue. It stood out among the other houses. There was no name on the door, only a sign hanging from the rafters.

【COFFEE & BAKED】

Rudolph went in not long before coming out carrying a bag of fluffy bread.

"I've caught the dessert just out of the oven, what good luck!" Rudolf Symbol smiled slightly, though Platinum could tell that Rudolf Symbol was actually in a very good mood after receiving the freshly baked dessert.

"Don't let the small size of this [Castanet] shop fool you, it's a long-established brand and incredibly popular right now." Rudolf, leading Platinum, sat down at a small table by the shop, placing the dessert he was holding on the table. "I'm prepared to wait in line."

The two sat at a wooden table, bathed in the soft sunlight that filtered through the layers of greenery, casting patches of light on the surface. Surrounded by carefully cultivated plants, the room remained cool even at midday.

On the table were two desserts that Rudolf had bought as a symbol, along with a cup of black tea and a cup of coffee. The soft, brown desserts were arranged on a plate, emitting a fresh, baked aroma.

With Rudolph's eagerly urging expression, Platinum awkwardly picked up a fork and gently scooped up a piece of cake from the table, putting it in her mouth. In an instant, Platinum's eyes lit up.

"...This...is quite delicious."

Given Platinum's personality, it's impossible for her to directly say that this dessert is incredibly delicious. In other words, when she hesitates and says "it's pretty good," it means that this thing has really hit her sweet spot.

"What's this called?"

Rudolph Symbol first took a sip of coffee; the black tea was for Platinum, as she guessed Platinum didn't like bitter things. Then, Rudolph Symbol also cut into a pastry and put it in her mouth, savoring its beautiful taste.

"Canelé. Don't forget to try it with black tea."

Platinum nodded. Rudolph symbolized his legs crossed, the early spring breeze rustling the leaves, causing Rudolph symbol to lose himself in thought.

Such a leisurely life... isn't bad at all.

Perhaps I've always been too tense.

Watching Platinum slowly finish the rest of the dessert, Rudolph symbolically stood up: "It's almost time, let's go back and take a look."

“Okay—” Platinum obediently followed behind Rudolf Symbol without saying much, chasing after Rudolf Symbol's steps like a fledgling bird.

Sigh, it's a little strange to see her so well-behaved all of a sudden. Rudolf even thought to himself.

"Oh, wait a minute, Chairman."

Platinum suddenly called out to Rudolph, took out his phone, and said, "Let's take a picture."

Rudolf seemed somewhat surprised: "Why not take a picture of the dessert?"

Actually, Rudolph had wanted to ask Platinum about this earlier, because in her impression, nowadays girls usually make a big splash on social media before even starting to eat, and then post it on their social media accounts. Platinum, on the other hand, seemed very down-to-earth and started eating right away.

Platinum curled her lip: "What's the point of filming food?"

"The people you're out having fun with are right beside you. Wouldn't it be much more interesting to take a group photo together than to take those other photos? Even if you did take one, only McQueen would be interested."

Rudolf paused, feeling a soft spot in his heart being touched by the platinum.

Oh dear, this child...

Before Rudolf could even savor the moment, Platinum had already impatiently placed her hand on Rudolf's shoulder, gesturing for her to bend down—the height difference between them was quite significant. Platinum held her phone high with her other hand, the blinding flash appearing in their line of sight—

———Snap.

——Things haven't been quite the same

——There's a haze on the horizon babe

———It's only been a couple of days and I miss you

"Wow!" Platinum stood next to a large number of standees, with all sorts of Pretty Cure girls from different generations displayed behind her. Some were familiar to Platinum, some were classic but she had never seen them before, and all of them were life-size standees, one-to-one in scale.

Platinum stood beside them, his hands outstretched and clenched into claws, accompanied by a ferocious roar.

"President, please take a picture of us all together!"

Platinum, still with his mouth wide open as if about to bite the standee next to him, mumbled incoherently.

Rudolf smiled and opened the camera, but didn't take a picture immediately. She added some special effects to the platinum figure on the screen—a pair of cat ears and six whiskers on its cheeks. After secretly adjusting them, Rudolf finally pressed the shutter button.

———Snap.

———When nothing really goes to plan

——You stub your toe or break your camera

———I'll do everything I can to help you through

Standing behind the Doflamingo figure, Platinum imitated Law's piloting pose, as if she were about to draw her katana, even though she was only holding onto thin air.

"Op-Op Fruit... Oh no, I forgot the name of his technique!"

Platinum slapped his forehead in frustration. Little did he know that Rudolf Symbol, who hadn't taken a picture earlier, had now taken advantage of Platinum's astonished and annoyed expression to press the shutter button.

———Snap.

——If you're feeling down

———I just wanna make you happier baby

Hidden within the roadside grocery store is a hidden gem. Step inside a narrow passage, and you'll find a bookstore tucked away.

"President, President, look at this!"

Platinum picked up a manga volume with great interest. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in other books, but she was completely captivated by these manga as soon as she saw them.

Platinum picked up a comic book; the cover featured a naked man engulfed in flames.

Imitating the content of the comic, Platinum hugged the comic book with one hand and clenched the other hand, facing Rudolf's symbol with a pained and ferocious expression.

"For my sake... use the Flame Fist on him!"

What is this child doing?

"and this!"

The cover this time features a bespectacled man in a yukata, so plain that even the nose isn't drawn on. He's carrying a huge briefcase and looks listless.

Platinum first blushed and put his hands around his neck, looking as if he was imitating a swing game with his chin.

Then he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, jumped up and shouted, "What if I really died?!"

...What is all this?

Because his knowledge of anime was limited to One Piece and Doraemon, Rudolph Symbol didn't understand any of the old and tired jokes like "Platinum" and just felt completely lost.

...Isn't this also a brilliant dry joke?

But when faced with such platinum, Rudolf couldn't help but smile.

Sometimes, whether you can understand it or not isn't that important.

The important thing is that some people actually find joy in it, and isn't that worthwhile?

This time, Rudolph took it upon himself to take out his phone and snap a picture of the platinum.

———Snap.

—Wish I was aroud

———I just wanna make you happier baby

Platinum skipped and hopped along at the front, humming a cheerful tune, carrying a handbag in her hand.

She eventually bought the comic books she had been longing for, along with several posters printed with the authors' signatures.

Now Rudolf Symbol followed behind Platinum. Platinum didn't know the way, but she was in an unusually good mood, humming a song as she wandered around, and Rudolf Symbol went with her.

"Hello, would you two like to take a look at our art exhibition?"

A sweet-looking girl wearing a silk scarf stopped Bai Jin and introduced herself to him with a slightly shy and embarrassed smile.

"An exhibition?" Platinum blinked.

"It's just ahead." The girl wearing a scarf pointed to the detached building in front of us. "We are students from the art department of Nihon University, and today is our own student-organized art exhibition..."

"Oh, it's free! As long as you don't touch anything, you can take a photo with it!"

Fearing a misunderstanding between the two, the girl wearing a scarf quickly waved her hand.

“Japan and the US…” Rudolf stroked his chin, “Are you art majors? You’re quite outstanding.”

"Hehe..." The girl wearing the scarf scratched her head involuntarily and laughed shyly.

"So, do you want to go take a look?" Rudolf asked Platinum, tilting his head to the side.

"Of course I want to see it! I've never seen a university campus before." Although she's usually quite lazy, Platinum actually has a dream of going to university!

Since we've already wandered this far, we should naturally go in and take a look, and then sing a song to express our feelings, and also see if we have any artistic talent.

——We've been doing all this late night talking

——About anything you want until the morning

"Sigh, it seems I have no artistic talent..." Platinum sighed.

Although it's called an exhibition, the paintings are only hanging in the long corridor on the first floor of the main building. But considering it's an exhibition organized by the students themselves, it's commendable that they've achieved this level of quality.

While there were some illustrations or comics that leaned towards Platinum's aesthetic, most of them were the kind that were incomprehensible even after looking at them for a long time. Platinum quickly browsed around and didn't remember much.

"Waaah... I'm sorry... We'll try to do better next time..." The girl wearing a scarf on the side also looked quite upset.

"Who painted this?" Rudolf asked, looking at the mural in front of him. This was one of the paintings that Platinum had mentioned he appreciated. It was very straightforward—it depicted a racehorse sprinting in the final moments of a race.

However, the focus of the camera was not on the winning racehorse girl, but on a dark green figure chasing after her.

Below the painting is its name: [Saint Louis Rejon Ponse].

That was the very match that symbolized Rudolph's departure from his overseas campaign and his eventual, somber retirement. And that dark green figure... was none other than the Emperor himself.

“This is my drawing…” the girl said timidly, “because I was thinking about the life of an emperor, even if he was a brilliant general who was always victorious… after experiencing Waterloo, knowing that he had failed, he still endured his injuries to complete the final battle… that really touched me.”

"I think... Rudolf at that time was the true symbol of the emperor."

Rudolf chuckled wryly. He hadn't considered all that back then...

"Don't you think so?" the girl said, her voice trembling with emotion. "The moment a building is about to collapse is when a hero's fall truly embodies heroism. It was in that match that I understood why Rudolf was called the Emperor..."

"The so-called emperor is not one who is invincible, but one who possesses breathtaking courage even in the face of defeat..."

"Alright, alright...maybe you're right." Rudolf smiled at the girl in front of him, took out a pen and notebook, and started writing something.

Then, she tore off the page and handed it to the girl: "Here, this is Napoleon's autograph."