Kousei and McQueen's debut race instantly became a sensation. Initially, spectators and journalists had flocked to witness Mejiro McQueen's debut. But after witnessing that breathtaking performance, everyone's perceptions began to shift.
In particular, Kousei's reputation underwent a dramatic transformation overnight. From an obscure, even pitied, mediocre Umamusume, she became a prodigious talent capable of challenging star-level athletes.
This dual image—a graceful dancer on the track versus an aggressively relentless demon—further fueled public interest in Kousei. Her exceptionally rare running style made her all the more intriguing as a newly emerged Umamusume.
McQueen's defeat drew minimal criticism. After all, it was only her debut race, and everyone knew her true strength lay in long-distance races, where she was hailed as a potential "greatest long-distance runner of all time."
Kousei's dazzling debut made McQueen's loss easier to accept. Moreover, Kousei's energy-draining running style, combined with McQueen's ability to secure second place despite being boxed in near the finish line, led many to believe that had the race been just 200 meters longer, McQueen would have easily overtaken Kousei.
The main reason for her defeat was simply being caught off guard.
Kousei, the main topic to the news, paid no mind to the outside world's opinions. After all her hard work, she had finally made her debut—a truly hard-earned achievement. Bouncing happily down the street to buy her yakisoba bread, she hummed a little tune:
"Hmm hmm~ I debuted! I debuted! Little Kousei finally debuted!"
Whether it was her imagination or not, the yakisoba bread tasted especially delicious today.
"It's heavenly!" Kousei exclaimed with a blissful expression.
On the rooftop, she swung her legs as she savored every bite of her bread.
"Oh my, enjoying your lunch?"
McQueen had appeared on the rooftop unnoticed. She didn't look pleased, one hand on her hip and the other holding her bento box.
"Good afternoon, McQueen!" Kousei greeted her innocently, completely oblivious to the problem.
"Good afternoon!" McQueen snapped through gritted teeth. "I said, haven't you forgotten something important?"
"Something important?" Kousei looked genuinely puzzled, as if she truly couldn't remember.
"We agreed yesterday that we'd have lunch together today! I waited for you in the classroom for a full fifteen minutes, even though our classrooms are just a few steps apart!"
"Ah—" Kousei blinked, as if vaguely recalling such an agreement.
"Ah, my foot! Get down here now!"
After McQueen's forceful "persuasion," Kousei finally climbed down.
"I'm sorry, McQueen! I didn't mean to make you wait!" Kousei said, tears welling in her eyes.
"Why are you crying?" McQueen sometimes struggled to understand Kousei's thought process.
McQueen opened her bento box, revealing the same generous portions and variety of dishes as always.
"Wow! I thought McQueen's bento would be a little more refined," Kousei exclaimed.
"A bento's supposed to fill you up, so a little extra is normal, right?" McQueen replied.
Kousei glanced at the bento box, looking bewildered. "Does McQueen usually eat this much?"
As if a sore spot had been touched, McQueen suddenly looked awkward. "N-not really. I just asked the chef to make a little more today since we're eating together."
Her evasive gaze and stammering words betrayed the lie.