"Add two small spoonfuls of salt, cover it up…"
In the kitchen, an Umamusume with long brown hair chopped vegetables as she set a pot on the stove and lit the flame. On the counter beside her sat a phone playing a video—some young Umamusume food blogger's tutorial.
"Mom~ We've got a guest~~"
The brown-haired little Umamusume stuck her head into the kitchen from outside and called out in a soft, sweet voice to the Umamusume busy inside.
"Hm? What is it? Who is it?"
Setting down the utensil in her hand, the Umamusume turned to her daughter, asking in confusion.
"The lady at the door says her name is Niijinsky, and she says she's Mom's friend."
"Niijinsky? That's strange. That busybody doesn't look like the type to come see me for no reason… Whatever. Star, go open the door for the lady outside. And remember to call her Aunt Niijinsky—don't go skipping people's names all the time. It's rude."
"Okay~~"
The little Umamusume chirped back and dashed out of the kitchen. A moment later came a series of thump-thump-thumps down the stairs, followed by the sound of the front door opening.
"Hello, Aunt Niijinsky~"
"Wow~ Long time no see~ Star's gotten so big already! I even held you when you were little~ Do you remember me?"
Next came a delighted, mature-sounding voice, followed by the little Umamusume's laughter as she got scooped up.
The Umamusume in the kitchen checked the tutorial. It was time to let things simmer on low now, so she turned down the heat, wiped her hands on her apron, and got ready to leave the kitchen and head downstairs.
"Doo-doo-doo—Yo~ Urban Sea, long time no see~"
But before she could go out, the visitor had already carried the little Umamusume upstairs on her back. The child was riding on her shoulders, grinning excitedly.
Seeing her old friend again, Niijinsky opened her arms and hugged Urban Sea. The little Umamusume on her shoulders seized the chance to pat Urban Sea's hair, too.
"Niijinsky? So what wind blew you over here today, you busybody?"
In Urban Sea's impression, her old friend Niijinsky was always impossibly busy—either on a plane or just off one. It was like she was a tropical cyclone, forever roaming and never resting.
After holding the hug for a bit, Niijinsky finally let go. She lifted the small bag she'd brought and waved it in front of Urban Sea.
"I just got back from Japan and I'm planning to rest for a while. Figured it'd been ages since I'd seen you, so I came by. Also brought you some local specialties. I thought you'd be living in China right now—why are you back these days?"
"Star's starting school, and my partner's work is busy. I can't exactly go off on my own and live it up out there. I heard from Elizabeth that you went to Japan a while back to see your daughter—how was it? Is Maruzensky doing well?"
"Better than well. She's living it up more than I am. Hey, hey—Star, don't yank Auntie's hair and ears, it hurts!"
As she spoke, Niijinsky freed up a hand to steady the squirming little Umamusume on her shoulders.
"Star, be good—come down now and go downstairs, okay? We can eat soon~"
"Okay~!"
Urban Sea lifted her daughter off Niijinsky's shoulders and set her down, smiling as she patted her head and sent her off to get ready for dinner.
Catching the aroma from the kitchen, Niijinsky peeked in curiously. She saw the pot steaming on the stove—and the tutorial video still playing on the counter, not even paused.
"?"
All of a sudden, Niijinsky felt the person in the video looked familiar. Like she'd seen her not long ago.
"What are you staring into my kitchen for? What's there to see? Or are you hungry and thinking about food?"
"No… it does smell great, yes. But, Urban Sea—are you learning to cook from videos?"
"Yeah. Hey—let me recommend this creator to you. Her tutorials are really good. If you're interested in Chinese food, you should follow her."
As she spoke, Urban Sea picked up her phone and showed Niijinsky. Niijinsky looked at the creator's name—Inari_Kagura—and she finally confirmed it. This was the same creator she'd seen in Japan not long ago: that Support Umamusume who looked almost exactly like the British princess.
"How did you end up following her?"
"Simple. Star likes Chinese food, so I learned by following this creator. She's in Japan, and she's just a kid… but her Chinese cooking is really authentic. And lately, I've also seen something pretty interesting."
"Something interesting?"
Urban Sea nodded. She scrolled and found a post Kagura had made not long ago. Under it was a highlight clip uploaded by another creator—the thumbnail was Kagura waving to the crowd in thanks after crossing the finish line.
"She debuted in Japan not long ago, and the win was honestly absurd… It looks like over thirty lengths. Unbelievable. Is that really the kind of performance you can see in a newcomer race?"
"…"
Niijinsky leaned in beside Urban Sea, resting against her shoulder as they watched the post together, then the video below it. The footage matched what Maruzensky had sent her. It really was a highlight cut of Kagura's debut race.
"You even DMed that kid?"
Noticing traces of a conversation with Kagura in Urban Sea's chat list, Niijinsky raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"I did. I just felt… Japan hasn't seen a prospect that exciting in a long time, and I couldn't help giving her a little advice. I've been through it myself, after all. I don't want more kids falling into that pit."
Niijinsky felt she understood why her old friend had specifically reached out to Kagura. Urban Sea was a truly gifted professional racer, yes. Earlier in her career, she'd stayed in Japan for a time, but for various reasons that left her unhappy, she'd been forced to leave. She'd drifted to neighboring China, where she met her Trainer—now her partner. He recognized what made Urban Sea special, brought her to Europe, and found her a stage where she could truly shine.
"You know me… I'm a bit strange. People say I meddle too much. I just don't want more kids taking the long way around. Whether it's your Maruzensky, or this kid… they all deserve brighter, broader futures. And a narrow place like Japan can't contain their brilliance."
Even now, Urban Sea couldn't forget what had happened in Japan. So many years had passed, and maybe by some twist of fate, she'd seen another genius born there. Having already walked that road and stepped into that pit, she didn't want any more talent buried in an environment like that.
"Heh… you really are responsible. No wonder you used to be president of Tracen in Europe. Hey—let me tell you something fun about that kid. Since Maruzensky is her classmate, I've been keeping an eye on her too. Urban Sea, did you notice? That kid's face looks familiar."
"You see similar faces all the time. 'Familiar' doesn't prove anything. But who do you think she looks like?"
Urban Sea had also felt a subtle familiarity when she saw Kagura, but she couldn't place where she'd seen it before.
"A while back, I went to meet Elizabeth and showed her footage from that kid's School Selection Race. Guess what she said?"
"Your Majesty? You mean…"
At her friend's mysterious tone, Urban Sea's curiosity was fully hooked. Thinking about it—if Niijinsky had specifically mentioned "Your Majesty," and she herself felt that familiarity, then it was probably someone she'd seen in the British royal palace. She searched her memories quickly. In the end, she pinned down where that feeling came from—on the corridor in the palace lined with portraits of the royal family, there had been one painting like this—
"…She looks like Princess Eclipse… almost exactly? That…"
"Right?! That's what Elizabeth told me too. Hard to believe, isn't it? If we didn't all know Princess Eclipse left no descendants in history, Elizabeth and I would've thought this was the princess's secret child who ran off to Japan!"
The Queen and Niijinsky both knew Kagura couldn't possibly be related to Eclipse by blood—after all, the dead didn't have children. But that only made them more interested in figuring out the child's identity.
"Heh… that really is interesting. Now I get why you and Your Majesty would pay attention to a cooking creator."
"That's it. So—what did you talk about with that kid? How's the contact going?"
Hearing Niijinsky's question, Urban Sea turned to look at the pot on the stove, which was starting to make sounds, and smiled.
"That… we'll eat first. It's time to plate. Go wait downstairs—we'll talk while we eat."