"Honey! Honey! Honey!"
Tokai Teio, having finished a day of training, was happily heading toward the place where she received her daily reward—the Cold Drink Shop.
That's right, the long-awaited honey special drink!
"Hmm? Is that...?"
Teio, arriving at the shop entrance, saw a familiar figure.
"Here you go. The honey special drink: thin, small, and light."
The Cold Drink Shop Owner handed a special drink to that elegant figure.
It was Mejiro McQueen.
"McQueen?"
Teio's presence made McQueen turn around.
"Oh my, what a coincidence."
"It certainly is a coincidence, and I always get a sense of déjà vu."
It was as if they had seen this exact situation somewhere before.
"Ah, Owner, please give me a honey special drink: thick, strong, and double the size!"
Teio happily placed her order with the Owner.
"...Teio, your taste is truly difficult to compliment."
McQueen showed an expression of disapproval.
"That's where you're wrong, McQueen! The honey special drink is meant to be drunk this way. Yours has no flavor at all!"
Tokai Teio made a bold statement.
"Wha! I can't pretend I didn't hear that!"
McQueen's competitive spirit was roused.
"Hmph, you should know that even Legend approves of my taste."
"Huh? But didn't Classmate Legend say that the flavor I order is her favorite?"
"Huh?"
The two Uma Musume stared at each other.
"Here, the honey special drink: thick, strong, and double the size." The Owner handed over the honey special drink, looked at the two strangely behaving Uma Musume, and asked curiously, "Is something wrong?"
..."Ah, you mean that beautiful customer? She's a regular here too. She often tries new special drinks, but usually she just chooses the regular honey special drink."
McQueen and Teio walked silently down the road under the setting sun.
"Speaking of which, it seems like a long time since we walked home together after school."
McQueen brought up the topic.
"Is that so? Now that I think about it, you're right. Since joining the team, we often train together, but we spend less time together during breaks."
Teio also fell into reminiscing.
"You used to cling to me all the time back then."
McQueen sighed with a smile.
"No way! You started it, McQueen, right from the Entrance Ceremony!"
Teio retorted.
"Still, I never expected my relationship with you, Teio, to become like this."
"I agree. If it weren't for Legend, I might still be competing with you on my own."
Teio felt a little embarrassed.
"It wasn't entirely on your own. I admit I definitely had thoughts of competing with you, Teio. But yes, we owe it to Legend."
McQueen thought of the drink Gold Legend had handed her that day.
"...If you think about it, we don't seem to know Legend very well."
Teio suddenly said.
"Huh?"
"Look, we're friends with Legend, right? But we don't seem to know Legend's hobbies or habits. We've been friends for so long, yet we don't even know what Legend likes to drink."
"...Indeed, it seems Classmate Legend has been accommodating us all this time."
The two Uma Musume fell silent.
"Speaking of which, tomorrow is a rest day, isn't it?"
"That's right, why do you ask?"
"Do you know Legend's plans?"
"We could ask Gold Ship... Wait, are you suggesting...?"
"Let's go follow Legend!"
"Wha—!"
"...So, why did it turn out like this!"
McQueen complained with Dead Fish Eyes.
"Uh..."
Tokai Teio was speechless.
That evening, everyone from Team Spica, except the Trainer and Gold Legend, was present.
"Well, well, don't worry about the details. How could an interesting event like this happen without the Great Gold Ship being involved!"
Gold Ship was highly enthusiastic.
"Exactly! I also want to see what Big Sister Legend's daily life is like!"
Vodka was also eager to try.
"I apologize, McQueen-san, I tried to stop them."
The Good Girl, Daiwa Scarlet, apologized.
"And you're still tagging along like this."
McQueen felt helpless; it looked like today's plan was ruined.
"Hmph, what era are we in now? Why would we need to foolishly deploy everyone?"
Gold Ship sneered and pulled out a few items.
"Ta-da! Camera, recorder, headset! Essential tools for surveillance."
"Uwa..." x4
The four Uma Musume immediately backed away from Gold Ship.
"...What? I'm not committing a crime. This is just a small hobby of mine."
"I'll take your word for it for now. So, how do we use them?" McQueen asked.
"Just have one person gear up and follow Little Aunt."
"Why not just put them directly on Legend?"
Teio spotted the Key Point.
"I tried that too, but I was discovered, and I got hit with a Rider Kick."
"...Then who is the most suitable to go?"
Four pairs of eyes looked at Teio simultaneously.
"...Why are you looking at me?"
"Obviously because you, Teio, are the most suitable. You're small and hard to spot. Look, it's hard for the rest of us to hide."
Gold Ship said matter-of-factly.
Teio looked around. Gold Ship, Vodka, and Daiwa Scarlet were indeed all very conspicuous.
"What about McQueen? Her figure is about the same as mine, right?"
"Wha! Take that back immediately, and I might forgive your rudeness, Teio."
McQueen was emotionally triggered.
"McQueen could also go, but she is, after all, a sheltered Young Lady who doesn't easily blend into a crowd. Besides, you were the one who suggested this."
Ignoring the triggered McQueen, Gold Ship adopted the look of an Impartial Observer, her surprisingly serious demeanor intimidating Teio.
"F-fine, I get it."
...The next morning, Tokai Teio, fully disguised, was crouching outside the Dormitory, waiting for the target to appear.
"Hey hey, this is Little Gold Ship. Can you hear me? Teio-go?"
Gold Ship's voice came through the headset.
"What the heck is 'Teio-go'? And are you sure this is okay? It's already 8:30."
Teio complained.
"No problem, no problem. Little Aunt has a very regular life. She usually wakes up at 6:30 for a morning run, then showers and gets ready by 8:00. After that, she'll play on her phone in her room for a while before heading out. The timing is just right."
As Gold Ship finished speaking, Gold Legend's bright voice appeared at the dormitory door.
"Wow, Legend's casual clothes are so pretty."
Teio exclaimed, looking at Gold Legend, who was dressed differently from usual.
"Guh, she's dressed up so beautifully. Could it be a date with a boyfriend?"
McQueen, who saw Gold Legend's new outfit through the camera, was a little flustered.
"It's nothing, really. From what I know about Little Aunt, she definitely just grabbed something random from her closet. And as for a boyfriend, I think it's more likely that the Trainer will finally get a clue and marry Miss Hua."
Gold Ship said indifferently.
"Ah, Teio, hurry and catch up!"
"Okay."
Teio rushed to follow.
They arrived at the school gate.
"Isn't that Oguri Cap-senpai? Why is she here?"
Daiwa Scarlet recognized the Gray Mane horse waiting at the entrance.
"Do they have a date? Do they know each other?"
Vodka had no resistance to such gossip.
"They're off! Teio, I'm counting on you!"
"No problem, leave it to me."
Teio followed..."Wow, this is already the eighth cafe. Haven't they had enough to eat yet? They're amazing."
In a corner of the cafe, Teio, who had ordered a honey special drink, secretly watched Oguri Cap eating heartily and Gold Legend smiling as she watched Oguri Cap.
"It looks like a gourmet tour. Hey, hey, McQueen, are you okay?" Gold Ship looked worriedly at the drooling McQueen.
"No... no problem, I can still hold on," McQueen wiped her drool and said with difficulty.
"They're so amazing. So much delicious food, and after visiting so many places, neither of them has changed their figure."
Daiwa Scarlet sighed, her unintentional words piercing the heart of a certain person nearby who gained weight easily.
"Hmm, they've separated. Are they going back?"
Teio wondered, watching the two separate after leaving the cafe.
"It's hard to say for Oguri Cap-senpai, but Little Aunt will probably play around for a while longer. She's the 'since I'm already here' type."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that since she's already out, it's not worth it if she doesn't do a few more things."
"Ah, Legend went into the arcade."
Teio, following Gold Legend, reported.
"...How should I put it, her skills are indescribable."
Daiwa Scarlet was trying to find the right words.
"Bad."
Vodka asserted.
"Bad at it, but loves to play."
McQueen complained, watching Gold Legend try every game.
After leaving the arcade, Gold Legend went to the shopping plaza.
"What did she buy?"
McQueen asked, unable to see clearly.
"Figures, models, clothes, accessories, games, dolls, and other stuff."
Teio didn't know how to complain, so she just told the truth.
"As expected of Little Aunt, 'Red with horns, three times faster,' what good taste!"
Gold Ship said excitedly.
"Is Classmate Legend also an anime enthusiast?"
McQueen originally wanted to say 'otaku,' but after thinking about Gold Legend's usual behavior, it didn't fit, so she changed her address.
"She's sending them back, that's like a young lady."
Teio complained.
Then Gold Legend left the shopping center and arrived at a park.
"What is Legend doing in a place like this?"
"Probably just wandering around."
Gold Legend encountered a crying little loli.
"What is she planning to do?"
Gold Legend pulled out a lollipop.
"Where did she get a lollipop?"
"Is that the point?"
The arriving Police Officer arrested Gold Legend.
"Ah, what do we do?"
Teio was dumbfounded.
"Let's follow and see."
Teio followed.
After waiting an hour at the police station entrance, Gold Legend was released with the Police Officer's apologetic expression.
"She looks very tired."
McQueen felt a pang of sympathy, looking at Gold Legend's weary figure.
"It seems she's planning to go back."
Teio deduced, observing Gold Legend's route.
"After all, it's six o'clock."
"Eh, what's that?"
Teio suddenly saw a familiar red supercar stop in front of Gold Legend.
"Waaah, Maruzensky-senpai!"
Teio's voice was filled with fear as she recalled some terrifying memories.
"What's wrong, Teio?"
"It seems Little Aunt is going to hell."
Gold Ship, who had experienced the same, made the sign of the cross in her heart for Gold Legend.
Then they watched Maruzensky drag Gold Legend into the car and drive away.
"...Come back, Teio."
Gold Ship said softly.
"Okay."
"What exactly happened in the end?"
Mejiro McQueen was confused.
Nothing happened today.