Uma Musume: Beyond Peak

Just then, Teio noticed Kousei and McQueen.

"Oh!"

The two of them never expected to see Tokai Teio here.

"Teio? What are you doing here?" McQueen asked, surprised.

Teio seemed unfazed by their unexpected encounter. "Well, my leg's been acting up, so I came to find a doctor."

"What's wrong? Is it broken?" McQueen's voice tightened with concern.

"Oho~ As expected of McQueen, you cut right to the chase!" Teio remarked casually, as if the situation were trivial despite its seriousness.

"Hey! Don't be so nonchalant about this!" McQueen snapped, clearly annoyed by Teio's attitude.

Teio shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry. My leg's just a bit fragile. The doctors at Central have determined I can no longer withstand high-intensity training and races. They want me to rest for a while."

"Then you should rest!" McQueen urged.

"No way! The final leg of the Triple Crown is coming up. If I rest now, I'll miss it for sure."

McQueen opened her mouth to protest, but after a moment, she swallowed her words. Teio smiled faintly. "As expected of you, McQueen~"

McQueen tossed her head and snorted disdainfully.

Kousei remained silent, staring absently at Teio's legs.

"Is this the price of being Teio? Even after passing through the Forbidden Gate, your body still can't bear your Innate Talent."

"But why come all the way here to find a doctor? Even the Central physicians have ordered you to rest. I doubt any other doctor can help you," McQueen said, her tone gruff but her concern evident.

"Actually, this was their suggestion. Since I insisted on competing, they were desperate and remembered someone: a former professor at Central. They say he personally trained most of the current Central physicians—even that blockhead from the Mejiro Family."

"Blockhead..." McQueen's expression turned slightly awkward.

"Apparently, he's been staying in Kasuga Town recently, so I thought I'd try my luck here."

"So you know nothing about him?"

Teio pondered deeply. "Well, I do know one thing... They say he looks like a frog."

McQueen gave her a peculiar look and turned to Kousei. "Is there anyone like that in Kasuga Town?"

A bald, middle-aged man flashed through Kousei's mind, but he was only from an old cartoon she'd watched as a child.

McQueen, seeing Kousei's blank expression, figured she wouldn't recognize him either.

"Wait a minute," McQueen said suddenly, realizing a flaw in Teio's explanation. "If you came here to find the doctor, why aren't you surprised to see us? How did you even know where Kousei lived?" After all, McQueen herself had been brought here by Kousei. How could Teio possibly know?

Teio chuckled smugly. "Maybe I just know Kousei a little better than you do."

McQueen wanted to retort, but she couldn't think of a valid counterargument.

Kousei wondered if that cartoon was still on the air.

One scene, two thoughts.

"So, we're completely stuck, huh?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Seeing Teio had no leads, McQueen suggested they just relax together for a while. Teio, figuring this was ultimately a matter of luck and couldn't be forced, readily agreed.

The three pondered their next move.

"Wait!" McQueen's eyes lit up. "What if we went to Kousei's favorite place from when she was a kid?" That way, they could learn what kind of person Kousei used to be. McQueen congratulated herself on her clever idea.

"My favorite place to play as a child..." Kousei immediately knew where she wanted to take them.

Under McQueen's expectant gaze, Kousei led them to the only entertainment venue in Kasuga Town—the arcade.

"This was your favorite place to play when you were little?" McQueen seemed slightly disappointed.

Kousei's eyes clearly showed her confusion. How could anyone not enjoy playing games?

"So, McQueen, what did you do for fun as a kid?"

Faced with Kousei's question, McQueen pondered for a moment, realizing her childhood wasn't much different from Kousei's.

"Tea ceremonies, tea parties, etiquette lessons... and occasionally I'd go to baseball games with Ryan."

Kousei couldn't hide her disappointment but forced a smile. "N-no surprise there. You really do have the elegance of a proper young lady, McQueen."

Silence hung between them, a clear sign they wouldn't find common ground on this topic.

"What about you, Teio? What did you like to do as a child?" McQueen decided to change the subject to ease the awkward atmosphere.

"Hmph~ Don't be too shocked when you hear this!" Teio puffed out her chest proudly, piquing their curiosity.

"Actually, I've been the president of my fan club since I was seven! Hmph!"

The atmosphere grew subtly awkward.

"Oh!"

Kousei, without a second thought, decided to play along.

"Are you talking about President Rudolf?"

"Of course! Who else could I possibly mean?"

McQueen regretted asking the question. She already knew how much Teio adored President Rudolf.

Since they were already here, it would be a shame not to have some fun.

The trio decided to kill some time. As they were struggling to figure out what to do, Teio suddenly stopped.

"It's... President Rudolf's plushie!"

Teio's eyes lit up like stars as she pressed her face against the claw machine, greedily eyeing the Rudolf plush inside.

"Perfect! I've decided! I'm going to win every single one of President Rudolf's plushies!"

Teio pulled a stack of bills from her pocket.

"Enough already! Know when to quit!"

Despite Teio's enthusiasm, her claw machine skills were atrocious. After several failed attempts, she still hadn't gotten the hang of it.

"How is this possible?! A genius like me is failing?!" Teio retreated, utterly defeated. "If I can't win President Rudolf's plushie, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

McQueen paused, slightly surprised. "Is it really that important?"

To ensure Teio got a good night's sleep, McQueen decided to take matters into her own hands and challenge the claw machine herself.

Despite her initial confidence, McQueen inevitably failed as well. A sudden wave of fear washed over her, and the claw machine loomed menacingly in her mind. "Curse you! You claw machine demon!"

Kousei stood behind them, her face impassive. "What on earth are these two geniuses up to?"

A hand tapped McQueen on the shoulder, startling her. She whirled around to see Kousei glowing with a golden aura, her expression radiating invincible confidence.

"Let the great arcade master handle this," Kousei declared.

"Kousei!" McQueen and Teio exclaimed in unison, their voices trembling.

"Just a lowly claw machine demon? Don't get too cocky!" Kousei retorted.

Her fingers flew across the claw machine's joystick with lightning speed, leaving McQueen and Teio dumbfounded. "Is operating a claw machine really this complicated?" they wondered.

Kousei's eyes narrowed. With a swift palm strike, the claw gripped the Rudolf plushie as firmly as an arm.

"Whoa!" the two spectators gasped in unison.

Repeating her technique, Kousei swiftly cleared out the remaining Rudolf plushies. Under their awed gazes, she wiped away imaginary sweat. "Actually, claw machines have adjustable tension settings. Just tighten the grip a bit, and you won't miss."

McQueen and Teio's faces darkened, realizing they'd been played for fools. "If you knew that trick, why didn't you tell us earlier?!"

"Huh? You never asked! I assumed you enjoyed the challenge of hard mode," Kousei replied innocently.

Silence hung heavy in the air, as thick as the fog over Cambridge.