The next morning, the sun was shining brightly.
Kitano, having calculated the time, slowly strolled to the agreed-upon station exit.
He found a long bench and sat down, watching the cars come and go and the bustling crowds.
His mood carried a hint of anticipation at seeing his friend soon, along with a deep lament for his wallet.
“All-you-can-eat…
I hope that restaurant has enough stock today.” He had already offered a three-second silent prayer for the yakiniku restaurant in his heart.
There was still some time before the appointed hour when he arrived at the station.
He opened his phone to check the latest updates on a fishing forum.
Just then, a push notification about an Uma Musume race popped up.
He swiped it away and turned his attention to carefully studying the forum’s discussion about new fishing lures.
“Next time, I should try that new lure…”
As he was thinking, he suddenly felt a gentle tug on his clothes.
He turned around and saw Oguri Cap standing quietly behind him.
She was still wearing her iconic yellow headpiece, her silver-gray hair looked neat, her gray-white horse ears twitched slightly, and her clear cyan eyes were staring at him unblinkingly.
“Kitano-kun,” she greeted softly, her tone calm and unruffled, but her eyes held the sense of relief one feels upon seeing a familiar person.
“Oh, Cap, you’re here,” Kitano responded naturally, appraising her.
After some time, she seemed unchanged, still with that slightly naive, absorbed-in-her-own-world demeanor.
“Shall we go?”
“Mhm.” Oguri Cap nodded, naturally falling into step half a pace beside him.
Her walking speed was not fast, her gaze occasionally drawn to the signs of roadside snack stalls, but her steps steadily followed Kitano.
The two walked side by side, silent for a while.
Kitano was long accustomed to this mode of interaction; Oguri Cap was not the talkative type, especially when food wasn’t mentioned.
After a while, Oguri Cap was the first to speak.
She turned her head, her eyes brighter than before, filled with direct anticipation.
“Yakiniku, is it the all-you-can-eat kind?”
“Yes, it’s all-you-can-eat, as promised.
You can eat as much as you want.” Kitano nodded, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact.
Hearing the definite answer, Oguri Cap’s face broke into a very satisfied, faint smile, like a small animal that had received a reassuring promise.
She didn’t cheer, but her slightly quickened pace and even brighter eyes fully expressed her joy.
“Does that restaurant have many types of meat?” she asked again, her tone full of serious inquiry.
“Quite a lot.
Beef short ribs, skirt steak, diaphragm…
they have them all, and good ice cream too.”
“Ice cream…” Oguri Cap repeated softly, as if planning her battle order for later in her mind.
Watching her wholeheartedly anticipating the delicious food, Kitano couldn’t help but find it amusing, and also strangely relaxing.
Being with Oguri Cap was like this; there was no need for pleasantries or small talk.
Topics could simply and directly revolve around what to eat and whether it was delicious, a purity that was comforting.
“At least with her, I don’t have to think about the meaning of Uma Musume or the world’s frenzy,” Kitano thought.
“There’s only yakiniku, rice, and a friend who is wholeheartedly enjoying the food.”
He quickened his pace.
“Let’s walk faster.
We might have to queue if we arrive late.”
“Okay.” Oguri Cap responded, immediately catching up, and their figures quickly disappeared around the street corner leading to the yakiniku restaurant.
Stepping into the yakiniku restaurant, the rich aroma of meat instantly enveloped them both.
Guided by the staff’s “Two people?
This way, please,” Kitano and Oguri Cap sat down at a table by the wall.
Kitano skillfully ordered the most basic set meal, then pushed the menu directly in front of Oguri Cap.
“Order whatever you want to eat.”
“Mhm.” Oguri Cap took the menu, her eyes immediately becoming incredibly focused, her finger slowly tracing the list of dishes, as if studying an important battle map. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
When the first plates of meat arrived, the battle officially began.
Oguri Cap didn’t eat rudely, probably, but her speed was incredibly fast, her efficiency astonishing.
She quietly and intently flipped the slices of meat on the grill one by one.
Once the juices slightly oozed and the color was just right, she quickly picked them up, sometimes dipping them in sauce, sometimes putting them directly into her mouth, then swallowing them with hardly any chewing, and immediately starting the next round.
Her movements were smooth and steady, with a peculiar rhythm, like a machine precisely tuned for eating.
Empty plates piled up at a visible speed.
The waiter responsible for this area went from polite smiles to wide-eyed astonishment.
His serving speed could barely keep up with Oguri Cap’s plate-clearing speed.
Even the manager, accustomed to diners, couldn’t help but peek out from behind the counter, watching the ever-growing tower of empty plates with a solemn expression.
Kitano leisurely grilled his own portion, occasionally taking a few bites, but mostly focused on grilling meat for Oguri Cap, while also enjoying the expressions of the staff, as if their worldviews were being refreshed.
He suddenly recalled a famous scene from an anime in his previous life and couldn’t help but whisper a line with a mischievous smile:
“Waiter, is your food supply still sufficient?”
The nearby waiter clearly didn’t understand, but seeing Kitano’s expression, he probably guessed it wasn’t anything nice, and could only force a smile uglier than crying, then ran back to the kitchen to rush the orders.
He jogged back to the kitchen, his voice almost a sob:
“Ma-Manager!
I can’t do it!
That gray-haired customer…
we simply can’t keep up with her speed!”
From the kitchen pass-through, the empty plates could be clearly seen increasing at an alarming rate.
The manager—a burly middle-aged man who had endured countless eating challenges—frowned deeply.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and an unyielding flame ignited in his eyes:
“What are you panicking about!
We’ve been in business for so many years, what kind of scene haven’t we seen?
Uma Musume customers aren’t new!
Since the customer has an appetite, we’ll accompany her to the very end!”
He slammed his hand on the table, his voice like a bell:
“Kitchen!
Get me all the meat you’ve got!
Today, we’re going to let the customer eat to her heart’s content!
Back when the Gluttonous Demon Lord Gold Ship, as she called herself, came, didn’t we also endure it?
Are we going to lose this time?!”
“Yes, Manager!” The staff, infected by this passion, responded in unison, and the kitchen instantly transformed into a smoke-filled battlefield.
During a lull in the grilling, Kitano casually asked, “Are you adapting to training over there?”
“Mhm.” Oguri Cap nodded, her gaze still fixed on the sizzling meat slices.
“Kitahara is good.
The food…
the portions are a bit small, but it tastes good.”
“Looks like you’re not starving then.” Kitano chuckled, pushing a freshly grilled batch of meat onto her plate.
Just as Kitano thought the meal would end with her continuous storm of consumption, Oguri Cap suddenly slowed her movements.
She picked up the nearby cup, took a large gulp of barley tea, then gently set down her chopsticks.
This action almost made the busy but secretly observing staff weep with joy—was it finally over?
Oguri Cap looked up, her beautiful eyes meeting Kitano’s, less focused on food, and more on something else.
She hesitated, her voice a little softer than before.
“Kitano-kun, after my next race…
I should be able to go to the central circuit.”
“Oh?
That’s great, congratulations.” Kitano said sincerely; he knew this was the goal of many Uma Musume.
“Then…
it’ll be easier to come and visit you.” She paused, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the rim of the teacup, her gaze slightly lowered, her voice even softer, “Um…
will you…
come and watch?”
When she asked this, she seemed a little cautious, even with a hint of undetectable nervousness.
She was well aware of Kitano’s attitude toward Uma Musume races, knowing that going to watch a race was pure suffering for him.
Precisely because of this, her current appearance—wanting to ask yet fearing rejection—was clear even to Kitano.
Kitano looked at her, first stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
He put down his tongs, leaned slightly forward, looked into her eyes, his tone a mix of amusement and utmost seriousness:
“Hey, Cap, what kind of person do you take me for?
I’m not the kind of guy who utterly despises Uma Musume.”
He paused, then continued, “As a friend, and even more, as a childhood friend who grew up together with you, you’re going to challenge a more important stage, why wouldn’t I go?”
“If I said I wouldn’t go at a time like this, wouldn’t I be a terrible person?”
His voice was clear and firm.
“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely go.
I’ll cheer you on from the stands and watch your brilliant performance on the track.”
Oguri Cap listened intently, her previously anxious expression slowly relaxing, and a clearly visible smile, tinged with surprise and relief, bloomed on her face.
She nodded vigorously, her voice regaining its usual clarity, even brighter:
“Mhm.”
Immediately, she seemed a little embarrassed by Kitano’s sincere words, lowering her head slightly, a faint, almost imperceptible blush appearing on the tips of her ears, but the smile on her lips couldn’t be hidden.
“Alright,” Kitano picked up the tongs again, flipping the last few pieces of meat on the grill.
“Since I’ve decided to go, you better run well, don’t make me go for nothing.
Come on, these last few pieces, finish them.”
“Okay!” Oguri Cap immediately responded, picking up her chopsticks again, her fighting spirit seemingly even higher than before.
But our manager and staff were quite miserable.
Ideals are plump, reality is stark.
As time passed, the manager’s eyes went from initial high spirits to disbelief, finally turning into deep shock.
Oguri Cap’s stomach seemed connected to another dimension; no matter how many plates of meat were served, she could steadily and quickly decompose them all!
Kitano leisurely grilled meat, occasionally taking a few bites, but mostly acting as the chief grill master.
He watched the staff go from initial enthusiasm to later stumbling, and the manager from confident to questioning life, and couldn’t help but whisper a complaint:
“Waiter, it seems your food reserves are still too young.”
The nearby waiter was already too tired to react.
Finally, the moment Oguri Cap contentedly put down her chopsticks and softly said, “I’m full,” the entire yakiniku restaurant seemed to let out a silent, collective sigh of relief.
When paying the bill, Kitano’s eye twitched at the ridiculously large number of plates, but he calmly, with a look of pity in his eyes, paid the amount.
He and Oguri Cap walked toward the restaurant door, behind them a mountain of empty plates, like a spectacular ruin left after a fierce battle.
The manager stood behind the counter, his gaze somewhat hollow as he stared at the mountain of plates, his face showing an expression mixed with shock, relief, and a hint of transcendence.
He murmured to himself:
“So…
the Gray Monster…
doesn’t just refer to the racetrack…”
He slowly, extremely slowly, slid into the chair behind him, head bowed, eyes closed, a relieved smile on his face.
His whole being seemed to lose color, turning into a pale gray—he had burned out…
“Manager!
What’s wrong, Manager?!” A young waiter cried out in panic.
Another senior waiter looked at the manager’s state, sighed, and patted the newcomer’s shoulder.
“Stop shouting, let the manager…
rest.
This time, we have completely…
lost.”
Amidst the staff’s shouts of “Manager—!” Kitano and Oguri Cap pushed open the door, leaving the aftermath of this war behind them.
It really helps the fic grow!