Chapter 431: 543

[The fanfic already finished in P@tr30n!]

When the group from Central Tracen arrived at the airport, they discovered that, in addition to the airport staff who were already waiting at the entrance, two familiar figures had been there for quite some time.

Before Kuroha and the others could even lower the car windows, Suave Dancer excitedly waved and shouted:

"Trainer Kuroha! McQueen! Everyone from Central, hello!"

Dancing Brave stood elegantly beside her, although the corner of her mouth twitched faintly.

The moment the vehicles came to a stop, Suave Dancer rushed forward and eagerly helped the airport staff unload the luggage.

"...Suave, what are you doing here this time?"

McQueen stared speechlessly at Suave Dancer, who was carrying a suitcase in each hand.

Only three days had passed since the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe ended, yet Suave Dancer had already visited Chasing Light no fewer than five times.

Each time, she claimed that she had come to spend time with McQueen.

However, even an idiot could tell whether McQueen was truly the person she had come to see.

"My best friend is leaving. Am I not allowed to come see her off?"

Suave Dancer set down the suitcases, planted her hands on her hips, and pretended to be offended.

That was surprisingly difficult to argue with...

Several imaginary black lines slid down McQueen's forehead.

Before long, all the luggage had been unloaded, and the airport staff efficiently took it away.

"We're about to head home."

McQueen noticed that Suave Dancer's gaze was practically glued to her trainer. She raised a slender hand and waved it in front of her face.

"We won't see each other again until next year, so don't start slacking off on your training."

"Hm? Oh! Of course I won't!"

After snapping back to reality, Suave Dancer immediately gave her a confident smile.

"Just wait until next month. I'll show you what I can do!"

"Next month?"

"I don't have time to watch every one of your races. We're in completely different time zones. Whenever you race here, it's usually the middle of the night back at Central."

McQueen answered casually.

Seeing that the rest of the team had nearly finished their preparations, she raised a hand and prepared to say goodbye.

However, a mysterious smile appeared on Suave Dancer's face.

"Who said we'll be in different time zones?"

"?"

"Hehe. I've already entered next month's G1 Japan Cup! That means we'll get to race against each other again!"

"???"

"What are you talking about? With only one month to prepare, how could you possibly beat me?"

McQueen froze, then immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Wait! Don't tell me you're planning to..."

"Ahaha..."

The dark-skinned girl scratched her head and laughed awkwardly.

"Anyway, I'll see you in Tokyo tomorrow, McQueen!"

"Tomorrow?"

McQueen's expression became increasingly strange.

"My flight is leaving within the next few hours too. If I've calculated everything correctly, I should arrive sometime tomorrow."

Suave Dancer delivered this explanation as though it were the most reasonable thing in the world.

"..."

McQueen helplessly turned toward Dancing Brave.

Dancing Brave merely spread her hands with an innocent expression.

"You really have a terrifying amount of free time..."

"Mm-hm! Hard work is my middle name!"

Suave Dancer proudly rubbed beneath her nose.

"That wasn't a compliment."

McQueen shot her down without mercy, but then released a resigned sigh.

"Do whatever you want. At this point, one more hardly makes a difference. Just do your best."

Kuroha, who had listened to most of the conversation from over thirty feet away, fell silent.

So this is how my own Umamusume see me now?

"Thank you, McQueen! You really are my best friend!"

Suave Dancer's eyes filled with tears of gratitude. She launched herself at McQueen from behind, wrapped her arms around her neck, and happily rubbed their cheeks together.

Suave Dancer and Dancing Brave's farewell was ultimately nothing more than a small interlude.

Before long, everyone from Central Tracen boarded the private jet in an orderly fashion.

The engines rumbled deeply.

The massive passenger plane slowly climbed away from the international airport, eventually shrinking into a tiny speck before disappearing into the sky.

...

Kuroha gazed at the vast sea of clouds rolling beyond the cabin window.

He then looked around at the lively cabin, where the Umamusume filled the air with cheerful conversation, and smiled warmly.

He possessed the ability to transport everyone back to Central Tracen in an instant.

However, it was better not to use such a terrifying ability too casually.

Besides, the journey itself was part of the fun.

He could not always rely on divine power and interfere without limit in the growth of these endearing girls.

Doing so would only make them blindly dependent on him and might even cause them to doubt their own strength.

It would do far more harm than good.

The flight departed from France.

It then stopped briefly in Ireland to pick up the Sea sisters before taking off once more.

With Urban Sea and Sea the Stars joining them, the already excited Umamusume from Central Tracen became even livelier.

After all, everyone had spent time together at Gilltown Stud.

Now that the Sea sisters had also joined Chasing Light, they were teammates and classmates.

Naturally, they shared far more topics and familiarity with one another than they would have with complete strangers.

The laughter inside the cabin never stopped after takeoff.

Urban Sea had a bright and outgoing personality.

However, with the exception of Bourbon and Rice, everyone around her was her senior. Surrounded by so many accomplished upperclassmen, she could not help appearing slightly reserved.

Her younger sister, Sea the Stars, was far more direct.

The moment she boarded the plane, she curled up in Kuroha's arms like a kitten.

That scene happened to fall directly within Teio's line of sight.

Teio had obediently remained in her seat because she had decided, "I'm all grown up now, so I should act more mature."

Her eyes immediately widened.

She clenched her teeth in bitter regret, leaving McQueen beside her utterly dumbfounded.

Sitting comfortably in his seat, Kuroha gently stroked the young brown-haired girl's soft hair.

He did not join the others' conversation.

Instead, he quietly watched the clouds drift beyond the window, a faint smile resting on his face.

The flight to Tokyo lasted more than ten hours, but amid the girls' clear and cheerful laughter, the time passed in the blink of an eye.

The familiar outline of the city finally returned to view.

After a gentle vibration, the aircraft landed smoothly on the runway at Haneda Airport.

With that, their magnificent overseas expedition finally reached a perfect conclusion!

(End of Chapter)

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