Fujimaru Ritsuka had no reason to refuse. He had been the one to propose a meeting to thank Maruzensky for her assistance, and as long as it was within his power, he was happy to agree to any request she might have.
After Ritsuka and his team had left Tokyo, Maruzensky had reached out to her contacts in Nagoya, arranging for various discounts and favors to be provided to them wherever possible. Ritsuka had picked up on this "anomaly" quickly. After applying a bit of initiative, he uncovered the truth and began looking for a way to express his gratitude.
A wealthy woman like her might not care about a few expenses here and there, but he couldn't simply ignore her kindness. Having realized she wasn't particularly concerned with money, he noticed something else during their first meeting:
When he first met Maruzensky, she was driving that vintage supercar. Some of the trinkets inside were trendy, but others bore the unmistakable marks of time. Furthermore, her speech was peppered with slang that had long since been swept away by the currents of history—terms that predated the car itself. All of this pointed to one fact: she was a Horse Girl from an "older era."
The fact that she didn't shy away from using these "dead words" in front of them and even took the time to introduce them to the era she lived through suggested she was a sentimental person. Therefore, over the last six months, Ritsuka had intentionally collected items from the 1970s that would match the accessories in her car. He had sent them to her as gifts, along with other vintage trinkets he'd found while "reminiscing" about the past.
By now, Ritsuka felt their relationship was fairly solid—or at least, he saw the items he'd sent displayed in her car. His judgment had been correct.
As for the two girls following him? He was only there to say thank you; he had a clear conscience. Those two were kind, gentle girls; they were likely following him out of concern that he was overworking himself, wanting to help share his burden. Seeing him out shopping with someone else should finally put their minds at ease.
As for the possibility of jealousy?
Oguri Cap had no concept of the word. Her head was filled with food, running, and familial affection. She wouldn't think of anything else. Twin Shine was even simpler; they had only known each other for half a year, and their relationship sat somewhere between friends and comrades-in-arms. He was more than happy to continue guiding her until she grew into a fully-fledged Trainer, just as he had done with Mash.
There wouldn't be any problems at all.
"That's good then," Maruzensky said with a light chuckle, watching the Trainer who believed he had everything under control. The red supercar slid smoothly into the flow of traffic.
Though she didn't know Nagoya particularly well, it didn't matter—she enjoyed the thrill of a spontaneous trip. Her only concern was that no Horse Girl ever dared to sit in her passenger seat. They usually ended up dizzy and nauseated by her driving—even "The Emperor" was no exception. Yet, she didn't consider herself a speed demon; she felt she drove quite steadily.
I wonder, Maruzensky thought, how this Trainer will handle it?
Behind them, Twin Shine and Oguri Cap frantically hailed a taxi.
"Driver! Follow that red supercar! Please!" Twin Shine said urgently.
"Oh-ho!" Seeing the two Horse Girls dressed like private detectives, the driver was instantly intrigued. "Hold on tight, girls. And if I may ask, are you filming a drama? Where are the cameras? When does it air?"
In this day and age, Horse Girls were either idols or superstars; movies and shows starring them were everywhere. It was only natural for a driver to assume as much.
"It's not finalized yet—still in the planning stages. Everything depends on the footage we get today," Twin Shine lied smoothly. She apologized to the driver in her heart; this was their real life, not a TV production.
And so, the driver unwittingly began a high-stakes pursuit. Although Horse Girls generally didn't handle vehicles well, the two girls endured through sheer willpower.
What puzzled Twin Shine was that the red car eventually pulled into a parking lot near the seaside tourist promenade. Tokyo was a port city too; why come all the way to Nagoya to look at the ocean?
She didn't have time to dwell on it. She and Oguri immediately began running, searching the area for any sign of the pair.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Maruzensky walked side-by-side along the scenic path. Though Nagoya wasn't his hometown, Ritsuka took the lead in introducing the area.
"Looking at the map, Aichi Prefecture is shaped like a fist punching into the Pacific. Nagoya is right in the palm of that fist, with the Atsumi Peninsula beside it and Ise Bay to the south." He mimicked the gesture with his hand to make the description more vivid.
He had expected Maruzensky might want to see the Kusanagi sword at the Atsuta Shrine or the keep at Nagoya Castle, but she seemed content with a simple walk by the sea. It was no trouble for him; he could talk about geography all day. He discussed the southeastern end of the Nobi Plain, the mountains to the north, and the sea to the south.
Maruzensky, however, wasn't particularly interested in the geography. She naturally walked on the side closer to the sea, occasionally turning to talk to Ritsuka about the latest happenings in the world of Horse Girls.
She mentioned a "research freak" in Central who was obsessed with speed but so messy she needed a junior from her family to manage her daily life; a "Gold" family filly with enough talent to challenge the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe; and a girl born to a self-made merchant family who was currently searching for a Trainer...
Her topics were scattered, but Ritsuka noticed a pattern: every Horse Girl she mentioned was exceptionally powerful and highly favored by the public. If Ritsuka were a typical "meta-chaser," he would likely be tempted to head to Central right then and there.
The strength of Central Horse Girls was on an entirely different level than those in regional circuits. Even a girl who dominated the regional tracks might not crack the top five in Central. They were practically different species.
Fujimaru's home was in Tokyo, a fact that hadn't changed even in this world. He had heard of the stars Maruzensky mentioned, yet after meeting Oguri Cap, he had still chosen to go to the regional circuit.
The reason was simple: if he were only chasing raw power in this era, Japanese Horse Girls couldn't even compare to those in Europe or America. He should have been in the UK, France, Ireland, or the US—not Japan.
For Ritsuka, Maruzensky's talk held no allure; his resolve was unshakable. Still, they had a pleasant conversation about the rising stars and the young ladies of the Mejiro and Symboli families.
Laughter drifted on the sea breeze. The distance between them seemed to shrink bit by bit. From Twin Shine's perspective, they were walking so close they were practically touching!
Finding them was one thing, but seeing this was hard to stomach.
"They... they're..." Twin Shine hid behind a row of hedges, her fingers gripping the railing so hard her knuckles turned white. She felt as if her heart had been submerged in a sea of lemons—it was bubbling with sourness.
She didn't realize that this was only the beginning. The worst was yet to come.
After walking for a while, Ritsuka and Maruzensky entered a charming open-air cafe and sat down under a parasol. As Ritsuka was ordering, Maruzensky's gaze drifted to a nearby crepe truck. Her blue eyes sparkled as an idea formed.
A moment later, she returned with two beautiful, delicious-looking crepes. Instead of going to her seat, she walked straight up to Ritsuka and naturally held one out to his lips.
"A little thank-you gift, Fujimaru-kun," Maruzensky winked playfully. Her expression seemed to say: Go ahead and take a bite, it's a special treat from me.
To be fed by a beautiful, older Horse Girl—and the legendary Maruzensky at that—was the kind of thing that would make people green with envy. She was a celebrity from Central! Most people would never even see her up close in their entire lives, let alone be hand-fed by her. Some might even be so jealous their cells would undergo plasmolyisis.
Watching this, Twin Shine thought: V-Vixen!
It was a rude thought, but she felt that Ritsuka and Maruzensky shouldn't be that close—at least in her mind. If they were, Ritsuka would have taken a job in Central. Why would he ever come to a small place like Kasamatsu?
In an instant, Twin Shine's perception of Maruzensky shifted. She suspected this legendary figure was trying to "prey on a younger man!" Or was it "making the young calf eat the old grass"?
Looking at the crepe so close he could bite it just by opening his mouth, Ritsuka smiled. He didn't refuse. He leaned in and took a small bite while she held it, but he immediately reached out and took the crepe into his own hands.
In doing so, he accepted her kindness without allowing the situation to look too intimate for the two girls he knew were watching from the shadows.
Bright sunshine, a cool breeze, a handsome Trainer, a stunning senior from Central, and a hand-fed crepe—it was a recipe for misunderstanding. Twin Shine's world was practically shaking. Her hands tightened on the railing as if she were strangling the "bad woman" herself.
In her eyes, the scene was magnified, replayed, and slowed down, complete with a romantic filter and a heart-breaking soundtrack. She could almost hear a crack—the sound of something breaking inside her.
Oguri Cap tilted her head in confusion. She was starting to crave crepes and cake herself. She didn't understand why Twin Shine was holding the railing so tightly. If she weren't worried about damaging public property, she would have offered to snap it for her. Shine can't do it? No problem, I'll do it.
For now, she could only stare at the crepe and imagine the flavor. It looks so good. Is it cream and strawberry? Or chocolate? Does it have carrots?
Thinking of this, Oguri murmured, "Miss Maruzensky really is a good person. She even shared with the Trainer."
Though "one for the Trainer, one for me" was her core logic during meals, she saw that Maruzensky had two crepes. However, the shapes were different, meaning different flavors. Thus, Oguri saw it as "sharing." If it were her and Ritsuka, he would usually just pat her head and watch her eat both.
Oguri felt she should learn from Maruzensky and be a "good girl."
Twin Shine noticed the detail as well, but her thoughts were the polar opposite of Oguri's. She narrowed her eyes. Wait...
Since they were different flavors, the next logical step was to "swap and taste."
After a few bites of her own crepe, Maruzensky's eyes took on an alluring glint. She whispered, "Fujimaru-kun, yours is strawberry, and mine is mango. Why don't we..."
Her pink tongue flicked briefly over her soft, full lips. "Why don't we taste each other's?"
As she spoke, she picked up a spoon that had been sitting next to her small cake.
The same mousse cake, the same hot Earl Grey tea... the girl thought. Is he being cautious? Or is he so battle-hardened that he's completely unmoved? Maruzensky was deeply curious.
She hadn't made the suggestion randomly; she waited until the food truck had started to pull away. This way, Ritsuka couldn't "break the flag" by just buying another. He couldn't possibly refuse a request from a beautiful girl, could he?
However, just as Maruzensky thought she had won, Ritsuka replied calmly, "I see. Miss Maruzensky, please excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back."
Then, Maruzensky witnessed a sight she would never forget: Fujimaru Ritsuka took off after the food truck at the speed of a hundred-meter sprinter.
The truck wasn't moving fast, but Ritsuka didn't even shout. He caught up to it in a flash, not a breath out of place, and casually greeted the owner.
Maruzensky blinked, unable to believe her eyes. ...120 meters... 7 seconds?
The final sprint of a world-class "Horse King" was terrifying, covering the final 600 meters in 29 to 30 seconds. Elite Horse Girls did it in 32 to 35 seconds. But what Ritsuka just did...
Was that a human running?!
Most importantly, his breathing was perfectly steady, as if he hadn't exerted himself at all. It was beyond absurd.
By the time Ritsuka returned with a fresh crepe, Maruzensky still hadn't recovered from the shock. She took the crepe blankly and took a bite. It was sweet, but her mind was still reeling.
"Miss Maruzensky? Miss Maruzensky?" Ritsuka prompted.
"Hmm? Fujimaru-kun?" Maruzensky masked her shock with a smile. "What is it?"
She had come here to shock the "country Horse Girls," not to be shocked by Ritsuka.
Ritsuka didn't say anything directly; he simply pointed to his own cheek. Maruzensky understood immediately—he was telling her she had cream on her face.
In that moment, a playful light returned to her eyes.
She applied a tiny bit of pressure, breaking a piece of the crepe's thin shell so the cream began to ooze out. She held the crepe in one hand and cupped the other underneath to keep it from dripping onto the ground.
Then, she let out a distressed sound. "Fujimaru-kun, I have my hands full. Could you please help me?"
Her eyes were filled with a captivating, flirtatious smile. At the same time, she cast a glance toward the hedges out of the corner of her eye, seeing a certain Horse Girl who looked nearly petrified.
The smile in her eyes deepened.
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Musume: Oguri Cap Grand Order (119 Chapters – Ongoing)
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