“Did I mistake you for someone else? Do I look very much like someone you know, little sister?”
Polaris Glacier’s tone remained gentle as she looked at the young Horse Girl in front of her, who had lowered her head slightly, appearing a bit embarrassed.
“Yes… because the hair color is similar, I thought it was… when I saw your back.”
The Horse Girl looked up, placed a hand on her chest, and after a moment of thought, continued, “My name is Mejiro McQueen. As an apology for disturbing you, please allow me to buy you some desserts.”
“An apology?”
Polaris Glacier tilted her head. She had already bought most of the desserts in this shop.
And it was just a small matter of mistaking someone; it wasn’t really a disturbance, so an apology was even less necessary, right?
She pondered for a moment, a smile appearing on her lips:
“Mejiro McQueen… can I just call you McQueen, little sister? In return, please let me give you some desserts as a thank you.”
“Huh? This…”
Mejiro McQueen was visibly stunned by her words, her brain momentarily overloaded, unsure how to respond.
Seeing this, Polaris Glacier decisively seized the opportunity, deliberately turning her gaze aside and putting on a disappointed expression:
“Or are you only allowed to offer an apology to me, but I am not allowed to offer you a thank you, McQueen?”
“No, that’s not it, of course you can, it’s just…”
“Then there’s no problem, is there? I bought a lot, so let’s eat together.”
Polaris Glacier lightly clapped her hands, smiling as she interrupted the other party’s somewhat incoherent speech, and thus, happily made the decision.
The Head Maid, who had been standing by and observing the entire scene, stroked her cheek with one hand, tilted her head slightly, and smiled without speaking.
She knew the name of Mejiro and felt that it was not a bad thing for her young lady to interact with her, so she let them be.
Noticing the figure of what seemed to be Mejiro’s Old Butler waiting outside the shop, she thought for a moment and decided to go out and greet him, explaining the general situation.
The Mejiro Old Butler nodded upon hearing this, indicating that he understood and would not disturb the two young ladies.
Inside the shop, Polaris Glacier pulled Mejiro McQueen to sit on the built-in chairs, asking the shop assistant to bring over some of the desserts that hadn’t been packaged yet.
Although she knew it was a bit impolite, when Mejiro McQueen saw the table full of desserts, she couldn’t get up, nor could she tear her eyes away.
Such a sight was simply too tempting for her!
She had originally come out today to buy desserts, and since this older sister said it was a thank you gift, why shouldn’t she accept this kindness?
But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Why had it turned out this way?
She instinctively swallowed, then heard the voice of the blue-haired Horse Girl across from her:
“Don’t be shy, eat as much as you want.”
As she spoke, she handed over a plastic fork, gently shaking it to indicate.
Seeing this, after hesitating for less than half a breath, Mejiro McQueen was defeated without a doubt, reaching out to take the fork.
With a face full of anticipation, she forked a small piece of cake from the table in front of her and put it into her mouth. Her eyes immediately lit up, and then she couldn’t stop.
Polaris Glacier watched with a smile, somewhat surprised that desserts had such a strong appeal to McQueen, making the process exceptionally smooth.
Thinking of the other party’s immediate offer of an apology, could McQueen also be some kind of young lady, like herself, and a standard young lady who had received etiquette education?
Mejiro… Mejiro… the Head Maid might know; she would ask her later.
As for now, she was also a bit impatient; she would enjoy the desserts first.
The two Horse Girl devoured the desserts like a whirlwind. Whenever the table was almost cleared, Polaris Glacier would ask the shop assistant to add more.
The shop assistant was a bit stunned. Hadn’t they agreed to take them away? Why were they eating them here?
What was the time she spent packaging for then!
As she ate, Mejiro McQueen seemed to remember something, her movements slowing slightly as she looked up and said:
“By the way, I still don’t know your name, older sister.”
“Polaris Glacier, my name is Polaris Glacier. You can just call me Polaris.”
The blue-haired Horse Girl also looked up and replied with a smile. After Tokai Teio, McQueen should be the second younger Horse Girl she had met.
“Polaris Glacier… Sister Polaris, please take care of me from now on.” Mejiro McQueen straightened up, consciously being formal.
“Alright, alright, you don’t have to be like this, just relax.”
She paused slightly, then again motioned for the shop assistant to bring more desserts.
“Keep eating, I believe you and I are both still not satisfied~”
Who knows how much time passed, but when Mejiro McQueen walked out of the shop, her stomach was already bulging.
Upon seeing this, the Mejiro Old Butler first bid farewell to the Head Maid, then went to assist his young lady.
Polaris Glacier also walked out at this moment, carrying a plastic bag containing a box of desserts, intending to take them back for others to taste.
She and Mejiro McQueen had added each other on LINE earlier and followed each other on Jun Yu Circle, so they had contact information.
“Young lady, did you enjoy your time with Miss Mejiro?”
“It was quite enjoyable, I feel like we have a lot to talk about.”
Especially when exchanging thoughts on desserts.
“Is that so? That’s wonderful.”
After a couple of words with the Head Maid, when she looked at Mejiro McQueen again, the other party happened to smile faintly and say:
“Sister Polaris, I will always cherish this delightful time today in my memory. If you have time another day, please visit the Mejiro residence, so I can host you with my gratitude.”
“Alright, if I have time another day, I definitely will.”
Polaris Glacier nodded. Afterwards, the two Horse Girl waved goodbye and departed in different directions.
“Head Maid, is Mejiro a prominent family?”
On the way back to the manor, the blue-haired Horse Girl, who hadn’t forgotten her earlier intention to investigate, suddenly asked.
“Yes, not only a prominent family, but also a prestigious one.”
The Head Maid continued walking, slowly explaining:
“They currently aim to win the Tenno Sho, especially focusing on cultivating Horse Girl with long-distance aptitude.”
At this point, the Head Maid seemed to recall something and specifically added:
“Oh, from this year onwards, the Autumn Tenno Sho race distance has been shortened from 3200 meters to 2000 meters. This allows more Horse Girl to adapt, and the competition should be even more intense than before.”
(The shortening of the Autumn Tenno Sho race is historical fact, and the current timeline of this book is 1984, which coincides with it.)
Polaris Glacier listened and understood. Indeed, McQueen was a young lady from a family.
And from the way she addressed her when she entered the shop, she most likely had sisters.
After understanding, she didn’t dwell on it much, and the two soon returned to the manor.
In the evening, after dinner and a bath, she was once again lying on her bed, scrolling through Jun Yu Circle on her phone.
“Hmm? Special attention notification?”
As soon as she entered the circle, she suddenly found that she had gained a significant follower—
An account named “Curren” that she had noticed a long time ago, with a very large number of followers.
The other party had left a comment on her post about the Hakodate Kinen race entry announcement:
“Sister Han Hime is amazing! Karen will be there to watch the race that day, can I meet Karen? Please!”
“Karen?”
Polaris Glacier tilted her head in confusion. So this English name meant Karen.
And she said she would go to watch the race, and wanted to meet her…
While it wasn’t impossible, the actual situation was currently unclear.
She thought for a moment and chose to reply cautiously by typing:
“If there are no unexpected circumstances, yes, you can.”
About ten minutes later, the other party replied:
“Yay ⌯＞ᴗo⌯ .ᐟ.ᐟ Karen will be looking forward to it .ᐟ.ᐟ”
Polaris Glacier’s mood remained somewhat subtle afterwards, wondering if this counted as meeting a fan, and when had the other party started following her?
It just felt so sudden…
She shook her head, dispelling her thoughts, and continued to focus on other information.
Time passed quickly.
After a relatively short rest and condition adjustment, Polaris Glacier welcomed her second and final race of the month—
The G3-Grade Races Hakodate Kinen.
That morning, the Old Butler still drove, taking the three people, including the Head Maid, Kumi Trainer, and the young lady, to the train station.
Kita no Shori Homare and the other bodyguard Horse Girl took a separate taxi.
Shortly after, the two groups met at the train station and officially transferred to a train bound for the location of the Hakodate Racecourse—Hakodate City, Hokkaido.
On the train, Polaris Glacier sat in the middle seat, closing her eyes to rest as was her usual habit.
The Head Maid and Kumi Trainer were on her left and right, while the bodyguard Horse Girl stood in front of her, somewhat exaggeratedly surrounding her.
This sight drew the attention of the other passengers on the train, generating extreme interest.
Upon arrival at the station, Polaris Glacier paid no attention to the somewhat strange looks from others. She exited the station still surrounded, and then took a taxi to the racecourse.
The race was scheduled to start at 11:00 AM, and the winner’s stage was at 6:00 PM.
In terms of time, it was still a bit tight.
Upon arriving at the racecourse, she immediately entered the Players' Lounge without delay.
She took the basic racing uniform handed to her by the Head Maid, changed in the changing room, and then sat on a chair to wait.
Looking at the blue-haired Horse Girl reflected in the mirror, her mind was unexpectedly calm.
Although thinking this might be conceited, she felt that this race would likely be the same as the previous two; the other competing Horse Girl would not be able to put any pressure on her, and she only needed to run at full speed and finish the job.
Compared to the race, she was more looking forward to the winner’s stage after the race.
She felt that, imperceptibly, her mindset had undergone some kind of change.
Or perhaps she had always been this way, only realizing it now.
Could it be that she actually had the potential to become an idol?
“Just kidding.”
She smiled at her reflection. The time was just about right, so she stood up and headed to the racecourse.