Should she have expected anything less from a wealthy heiress like Fine Motion?
This was Garden Gale's first exposure to the true extent of Fine Motion's riches, and she was utterly floored. What Fine Motion casually called "discovering a new ramen shop" was actually her throwing money around to open an upscale establishment that combined the best ramen styles available. Of course she'd do something like this—Garden Gale realized belatedly she really should've expected it from Tracen's resident Irish aristocrat.
Fine Motion even insisted on mixing her own sauces and personally preparing dishes—
Now that was genuine passion.
Even Air Shakur looked genuinely surprised. Sure, she knew Fine Motion had money, but…this much money?
It bordered on absurdity.
"Try it!" Wearing an apron and headscarf, Fine Motion grinned proudly, looking adorably silly as she set down bowls of steaming ramen. "This is Fine Motion's specialty—free-spirited chef's lobster ramen, with fresh clovers sprinkled on top!"
"You made this yourself?" Air Shakur asked dubiously, chopsticks in hand.
"Of course! It's Fine Motion's specialty, after all. Oh, and it's also personally approved by me!" She laughed, wiping her hands before cheerfully plopping down beside Garden Gale.
Garden Gale instantly stiffened.
Extremely stiffly.
Maybe…should I scoot over? But that might look rude, wouldn't it? It would absolutely trigger another sarcastic quip from Air Shakur about "prodigies looking down on normal people." Garden Gale was still sore about that remark.
Before she could decide—
Fine Motion eagerly slid a bowl towards her. "This is my special recipe! Dig in, Garden Gale-san!"
"Y-yes ma'am!" Garden Gale stammered, back straight as a board.
She awkwardly took the chopsticks, eyeing the rather appetizing bowl of ramen. Honestly, it did look delicious. Her mouth watered as she prepared to eat—when Fine Motion suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right! Garden Gale-san, could you help me film a video?"
"A…a video?" Garden Gale echoed nervously.
Had she heard correctly?
"Yep!" Fine Motion beamed. "I'm planning to become a ramen-themed UmaTuber! Can you record me introducing my ramen?"
Garden Gale's mind froze solid.
Wait, wasn't it supposed to be just ramen? Why'd it turn into something so complicated?
Did she seriously want Garden Gale to film for her? Her eyes shot desperately toward Air Shakur, who immediately turned away, innocently whistling, pretending not to notice.
"Pretty please?" Fine Motion asked again sweetly, eyes sparkling with hope.
Ugh…
Garden Gale's hands felt numb, and her heart hardened like petrified wood. But how could she possibly refuse? Her anxiety made rejection impossible. Honestly, if Fine Motion suddenly asked for marriage at this point, after being treated to ramen, Garden Gale probably couldn't refuse that either.
"Come on, Garden Gale, help Fine Motion with the video," Air Shakur added casually, pouring gasoline onto the flames.
You traitor!
Garden Gale ground her teeth bitterly.
But there was no escape.
Stiff as a zombie, she accepted the phone, gathering her courage to stand and ask, "Um…how should I film this?"
"Just focus the camera on me!" Fine Motion replied cheerily, hands politely placed on her lap.
Okay then…
Garden Gale followed her instructions, raising the phone, adjusting the angle, and awkwardly warned before pressing record, "I'm starting now…"
"Hey, everyone~!" Fine Motion waved energetically at the camera. "This is a restaurant review—Fine Motion style! With three Umamusume, inside my own ramen shop, completely free! And all handmade by yours truly!"
She was mid-sentence when—
"Stop!" Garden Gale suddenly interrupted.
"Huh?" Fine Motion blinked. "Did something happen?"
Now fully entering her working mode, Garden Gale said briefly, "The framing's off—you need to shift slightly. Also, stir the ramen again; it's clumped up. Maybe sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top for contrast."
Fine Motion's eyes lit up. So Garden Gale-san isn't as distant as she seems!
"Shift how, exactly?" she asked obediently.
Garden Gale leaned in, carefully repositioning Fine Motion and stirring the noodles herself. It was the first genuinely close interaction they'd had. After finishing, Garden Gale nodded lightly, signaling that filming could resume.
Fine Motion immediately restarted, repeating, "This is a restaurant review—"
"Cut!" Garden Gale stopped her again abruptly. "Your hair ornament is crooked."
"Huh?" Fine Motion started to reach up, but froze when she felt gentle hands on her head, carefully adjusting her accessory.
Garden Gale, utterly absorbed, continued working without regard for anything else around her. In this state of flow, nothing else mattered but perfection. This intense focus was something she excelled at—if she could enter the right state, she could shut out everything else entirely.
Fine Motion was practically glowing. "I knew you cared about me, Garden Gale-san! You're so supportive of my ramen-themed UmaTuber dreams!" She stayed still, letting Gale gently fix her hair, relishing this unexpectedly intimate moment.
However...
Unbeknownst to them, another Umamusume had witnessed everything from the shadows. Her lips tightened into a thin line; she couldn't stand it any longer.
She stood up and approached swiftly.
Tokai Teio stepped out, pretending this meeting was purely coincidental. She looked at them, feigning sudden surprise, calling out sharply, "Air Shakur-san? Oh, and Fine Motion. And…GG…"
Fine Motion's status dropped to no honorific at all.
And for GG—just an intimate name, stripped of all distance.
"What a coincidence. You're all eating ramen here?" Tokai Teio asked with a dangerous half-smile.
Garden Gale froze instantly, hands still hovering over Fine Motion's hair ornament. It felt exactly like being caught cheating.
---
T/N: heh now she's doing the ntring, well its just cheating on her end