"Hello—?"
Sakura Baimu answered the phone, replying cautiously.
"Back in Tokyo, right?" Maruzensky asked from the other end.
"No, Kita-chan and I are staying in Aichi Prefecture tonight."
"Don't try to lie to me. Kiseki-chan told me you're at the Ritto dormitory entrance right now."
"..."
Sakura Baimu was speechless for a moment, thinking, "You already know, so why are you asking me?"
"Ms. Maruzensky, is there something you need?"
"Come to the bar, I'll wait for you there."
"Tonight I..."
"Oh dear, don't be such a spoilsport. I'll go with you tomorrow night. Hurry up, hurry up, I'm so bored~"
Maruzensky spoke, then hung up.
Sakura Baimu was speechless for a while, then went to the bar Maruzensky had told her about.
As soon as she arrived, she saw Maruzensky, propping her head up with her hand, waving excitedly at her.
"Sakura, Sakura, come quick! Over here!"
"...."
Sakura Baimu had no choice but to walk to the bar and sit down in a chair one seat away from Maruzensky.
The bartender immediately placed a blue cocktail in front of Sakura Baimu.
"Can you drink?" Maruzensky asked with a smile.
"Yes…" Sakura Baimu said, taking a sip.
"How many years have you been drinking?"
"Many years, I guess."
"I heard you started drinking when you first enrolled?"
"Pretty much."
Suddenly, Sakura Baimu's invisible ears twitched. She heard a "ding-dong" sound.
Maruzensky stopped recording on her phone.
Just as Sakura Baimu was about to ask Maruzensky why she was recording her, Maruzensky suddenly covered her mouth in surprise and spoke:
"Well, you're underage and already drinking? I caught you today!"
"A sting operation???"
Sakura Baimu jumped in surprise, turning sharply to look at the sly-faced Maruzensky beside her. She pulled out her trainer badge and pointed to her age on it.
"I'm an adult, okay?"
"Yes, Sakura Baimu is an adult…"
Maruzensky grinned mischievously, sitting down next to Sakura Baimu. She brought her cherry lips close to Sakura Baimu's ear and whispered sweetly,
"But, Mejiro Sakura seems to have only recently come of age. Didn't you just say you started drinking four years ago, Miss Sakura?"
Sakura Baimu was startled by Maruzensky's words. So Maruzensky had been trying to trick her into revealing information just for this?
Having lived two lives as a "human," she was completely oblivious to the adulthood rules in Japan.
She hadn't expected to fall for Maruzensky's trap here.
"I suddenly remembered that Ms. Junkawa once told me that when you first joined Tracen Academy, you drank at the academy's year-end party. I didn't pay much attention before, but then I suddenly remembered that 'Mejiro Sakura' wasn't an adult yet, so I thought I'd come and ask..."
Maruzensky whispered in her ear, in a voice only Sakura Baimu could hear.
Her voice wasn't loud, but Sakura Baimu clearly heard the playful tone in her words.
"I never expected that Miss Sakura would actually act like a completely different person after changing her trainer role," Maruzensky chuckled. "Another unexpected find tonight, how interesting~"
"Uh." Sakura Baimu was momentarily speechless. "So, you came to find me tonight just to get information out of me?"
"Just chatting, I'm usually pretty bored anyway."
Maruzensky picked up her drink and took a sip.
"Ever since I took Rudolf for a race, she hasn't ridden in my car anymore. So sad~"
"I heard Miss Maruzen lives alone, not in the school dorms. Why not move to the dorms? It'd be more lively."
"No way, there's no place to park my car in the dorms, and there's a curfew~"
"…" Sakura Baimu was speechless for a moment, then picked up her cocktail again and took a sip.
"How was Kita-chan's match?"
"Very poor," Sakura Baimu said.
"That's amazing! By the way, I heard Rice Shower joined your team."
"Yes, a very talented child. She mastered the Zone on her own without any guidance. She can help Teiō and McQueen practice Aura."
"But no matter how good Rice Shower is, she doesn't seem to be as good as Sakura-san."
Maruzensky smiled, her blue eyes mischievously glancing at Sakura Baimu again.
"Why don't you just teach them how to master Aura yourself? Forget Golden Crown Eagle; you even beat Obey Your Master. Your Aura strength is enough to rank you in the top five of the academy."
"Are you kidding me? How could a human trainer like me possibly know how to master Aura?"
"You've probably noticed, Teiō and McQueen are incredibly strong, practically unmatched among their peers. This makes it difficult for them to face adversity, significantly impacting their ability to break through barriers and gain momentum."
"Hmm." Sakura Baimu nodded.
"Let me ask you a question. What if McQueen hadn't reached a level sufficient to defeat Golden Crown Eagle before the competition? What would you have done?"
Maruzensky looked at Sakura Baimu with a smile. It seemed she wasn't unsure of the answer, but rather waiting for Sakura Baimu to say it herself.
"What else can I do? I'll just have to personally give her 'tutoring'," Sakura Baimu said softly.
"Aren't you afraid McQueen will find out?" Maruzensky asked with a smile.
"Her? I can walk around in front of her every day and she won't even notice. What if I dye my hair, put on a disguise, and cover my face? How will she know? After all, in her memory, I haven't seen her for over four years."
"Okay. What about Teiō? You can't favor McQueen and ignore Teiō, can you?"
"I'll definitely treat them equally. They're competitors, and it wouldn't be good if either of them were too far ahead," Sakura Baimu said, then added, "Of course, except for Zones. Whoever breaks through their Zone first will be ahead, that's for sure."
"I saw the strategy guide you made for McQueen. I didn't expect you to personally create a strategy guide for your trainee Umamusume's competition."
"That's my advantage over other trainers," Sakura Baimu spoke, finishing her cocktail and standing up.
"Alright, I've finished drinking, let's go."
"It's only this late. Let me show you my 'Ta-chan,' it's very exciting~"
Maruzensky had finally caught someone to race with, so she wasn't about to let Sakura Baimu leave.
"Didn't you drink?"
"I drank a non-alcoholic beverage; I just ordered you the alcoholic one~" Maruzensky laughed.
"????"