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The worst part about being a renowned umamusume racer was the loss of privacy. This was a fact poorly understood by the young and the general public. If you didn't run, or were simply average at it, you didn't see what it was like. You didn't get recognized on the subway, nor have to worry about your every move being scrutinized. When you went out at night, on a weekend, you didn't have to be careful about the venue you picked. You could just go. Fun new place open? Just go. Private bar that you could take a break in for a few hours? Just go. But if Maruzensky did that to any of her old favorites from back in the day, they would be ruined forever. Either blown open so hard and fast they never held onto what made them special, or doomed to have that specialness be trampled underfoot by tourists rushing to drink at the spot that Maruzensky the Beast drank at.
But there was one bar — of many, to be fair — where that wasn't an issue.
"Le Hotel de le Masque de Champignon," Maruzensky said as she pushed open the doors and led Tazuna Hayakawa into the lobby. She was dressed plainly in a white dress that evening, with a red jumper in case she got cold. "The Mushroom Mask Hotel, where the famous can cut loose without risking their reputations."
"What do mushrooms have to do with anything?" asked Tazuna as she let the door swing shut behind her. She had changed out of the distinctive green skirt-suit she wore at Tracen and instead was wearing a simple black dress that draped lusciously over her curves without tying her down. "And why did you bring me to a hotel?"
"I have no idea," said Maruzensky to the first question, "and patience! All will be revealed!"
Tazuna looked around and exercised her patience. The room was plain, with dark painted walls and a white ceiling. The floor was black marble, with a long mat for them to wipe their shoes on. They had been escorted here by a valet in a red jacket, a service that Tazuna was wholly unaccustomed to. Maruzensky's sportscar had been parked into a private slot by an elaborate mechanism, and that had been almost frightening. The night so far had been one of the strangest that Tazuna had ever experienced, but Maruzensky turned and took her hand to give it a comforting squeeze. Strange, yes, but with Maruzensky here, Tazuna wasn't nervous.
A door opened to the side. "Ladies, good evening, and welcome to Le Masque," said a waiter wearing a white jacket and a black bowtie. Their face was obscured by a white and black rabbit mask. "Have you been here before?"
"I have, but this is my date's first time here," said Maruzensky. Tazuna shivered at the words, never before spoken aloud. Always "my friend" when they had gone to other places, always a certain distance…
"It's wonderful to have you madame," said the waiter to Tazuna. "Is this your first mask bar experience?"
"Yes," said Tazuna.
"How wonderful, I'm very excited for you!" said the waiter. "If you'll come with me, I shall explain as we walk."
The waiter stepped to the side to allow Tazuna to step into the hallway beyond. Maruzensky followed behind with a small smile.
"Le Hotel de le Masque de Champignon is an invitation only establishment first founded as an exclusive bar in 1952 by the Brothers Arakawa after acquiring the deed and the attached parking garage," the waiter explained. "The Brothers noticed that the parking garage was quite hard for pedestrians to enter if one put a guard on the outer door. They realized they could use this to provide exclusive access and privacy to those who needed it. Following a period of renovations, they extended invitations to a few select individuals and the rest is, as they say, history."
Tazuna nodded politely. The decor certainly looked like it came from 1952, or perhaps even older. The walls were paneled with dark hardwood, brushed with a satin finish, and the wall lamps were made to look like candle sconces, only with electricity instead of flame. The floor was covered by a thick red carpet that Tazuna's feet sank into. "Is the building original?"
"Not entirely," said the waiter. "This is the site of the original bar, but it has been expanded significantly in the years hence. The parking garage is largely the same as it was, though updated over the years for privacy and safety, but the bar was expanded across several lots during the Bubble Era and now covers multiple buildings. This was when we changed our name from Le Bar to Le Hotel, and began offering extended stays for our patrons."
The hallway turned a corner to reveal a room full of lockers, like those one might see at a train station, only with wood instead of plastic faces.
"This locker room is one of several on the entrance level and is where patrons receive their masks for the duration of their stay," said the waiter. "The hallway you just walked through is designed to limit access to the locker rooms, with emergency roll-up barricades at the beginning, middle, and end of the hall in case of intruders. We waitstaff are trained to ensure only one party is in a locker room at any one time and, as you will recall, our state of the art parking structure ensures that patrons are admitted only one car at a time."
"How do you pay for all of this?" Tazuna asked as she walked into the locker room. "This all sounds awfully expensive."
"Unfortunately I'm not familiar with that information, madame," said the waiter.
That just meant that the place was likely far more expensive than Tazuna could afford. She shot Maruzensky a look of concern, but the other woman simply smiled at her.
"You can tell what kind of mask is in each locker based on the icon here on the front," Maruzensky said, pointing. "See, this one is a deer mask."
Tazuna opened the locker to pull out an elegantly carved and brightly painted mask of a deer. It covered only the top half of her face and had two branching antlers coming out of the top with the blunted tines painted silver. "It's very pretty."
"Isn't it? I usually pick up a monkey mask myself." Maruzensky opened another locker further down and pulled out a mask with rosy cheeks and mischievous eyebrows. "Maru, Saru, it's funny right?"
"I think the Pr— I mean I think you are hanging around a certain someone a little too much," said Tazuna wryly.
"No fun, Shika-chan!" said Maruzensky. She tied the mask on and struck a pose. "Am I cute?"
"Very," said Tazuna. She tied her own mask on, fumbling with the ties for a moment before securing it to her face. "This is harder than it looks."
"You figure it out after a couple of tries," said Maruzensky. "Now, I'm sure Usagi-kun would have mentioned it, but let's go over mask-bar etiquette. First, always remember to call me Saru-chan."
"Saru-chan, right," said Tazuna. "And I'm Shika-chan."
"Correct! Now the next thing is, if you recognize someone here, do not use their real name."
"Of course."
"I'm glad it's obvious to you, but it's worth reminding," said Maruzensky. "Always use someone's mask to refer to them, ok?"
"Yes," said Tazuna. The rules seemed like common sense to her, but she had been part of Tracen long enough to know that common sense was not common.
"Otherwise, Le Masque is just like any other bar," said Maruzensky. "Well, I suppose it's a bit more extravagant. You'll see, we're going to have so much fun!"
"An excellent summary, madame," said the waiter. He had moved while the two of them were talking to stand next to an open stretch of wall. "Now that you are masked, we may take the elevator to the main level."
On queue, the wall rolled back to reveal an old fashioned elevator with an accordion gate and vintage dial for selecting the level. The waiter stepped over and opened the gate.
"Come on, Shika-chan," said Maruzensky. She slipped her hand into Tazuna's and pulled her forward. Tazuna had to hurry to keep up with Maruzensky's excited pace, only to fall into Maruzensky's arms in the elevator when she came to a halt and spun to catch her. Tazuna blinked as strong arms tightened around her and she felt herself pressed against a warm body. She looked up at Maruzensky's playful smile as the waiter closed the gate behind them. He pulled the lever over from "G" to "L1" with a clunk. The elevator hummed as it began its ascent.
"That was very clever of you, Saru-chan," Tazuna said, a smile spreading across her lips as well. "You should wait to buy me a drink before pulling that kind of stunt."
"I couldn't resist, Shika-chan," said Maruzensky. "You're just too cute."
"I'd rather be called beautiful," said Tazuna teasingly.
"Alright then, beautiful," said Maruzensky.
"You're just saying that," Tazuna said with a pout.
Tazuna could hear music begin to filter down from the top of the elevator shaft as Maruzensky leaned in and kissed her. "There, would I kiss you like that if you weren't beautiful?"
"I suppose not," Tazuna said. "Kiss me again."
The blast of a trumpet cut through the air as the elevator pulled up to the main bar with a ding. Maruzensky pressed her lips against the top of Tazuna's mask as the waiter pulled the gate open for them. "Maybe later, dearie."
"Another pun?"
"Unintentional, I assure you," said Maruzensky as she slipped the waiter a ten-thousand yen bill and led Tazuna out onto the floor.
The main bar was a grand, sweeping thing, with three levels of balconies surrounding the floor level booths, a dance floor, and a grandstand. Each booth seemed to be occupied by a couple, or a group of four, with the odd single drinker or larger group. A large jazz band was playing as Maruzensky and Tazuna were intercepted by a second waiter who led them towards an empty booth. Tazuna watched as the trumpeter, an umamusume, played a surprisingly gentle and sensitive solo, as if singing to a lover as she swayed to the clarinets and the tap of the drums.
The lights in the room were bright enough to find your feet, but dim enough to set a pleasant mood. Each table had its own candle — this time with real flame — and, together with the lights, it was easy to see without feeling exposed and lit up as if on stage. The seats were upholstered in wine-colored crushed velvet, the tables covered by white tablecloths, and the floor made of the same dark, matte-varnished hardwood that had been in the hallway one floor below. Chandeliers sparkled overhead, mounted high to not block the view from the balconies. The level of chatter was low, dampened by the velvet in the booths, so that despite its size the room felt warm and intimate.
Calling it a "bar" was a misnomer. This was more like a cabaret, like the ones that had sprung up in the 80s, and it had somehow survived. Why, Tazuna did not know, but even just having walked in, she was intensely grateful that it had made it.
The solo ended. The trumpeter lowered their instrument, took a breath, then leaned towards the microphone. "Grab your coat," she sang, voice low and velvety, like a chocolate fountain, "grab your hat baby… leave your worries on the doorstep…"
"Oh, what's this?" Tazuna heard Maruzensky say. She turned away from the grandstand to see what Maruzensky was looking at.
"Oh my," said Tazuna. Two umamusume were cuddled together in a booth together watching the trumpeter as she sang. One had lilac hair worn long and wore an Inu mask. The other had brown hair tied back with a pink ribbon, a white swish across her brow, and wore a Neko mask. Neither was dressed in anything distinctive, though their complementary dresses were adorable, but it was impossible to not realize who they were even though their masks did, in principle, cover their faces.
"We shouldn't interrupt," Tazuna whispered to Maruzensky as they continued past.
"No, it would be rude," said Maruzensky. The waiter sat them down at an empty booth and slid two cards with the night's dining offerings and drinks menu written upon them. "Oh, but look, Shika-chan."
Tazuna looked up from the menu to see a waiter stopping by the other table. On their tray was the distinctive shape of a mont-blanc parfait and a slice of cheesecake with a piece of honeycomb and a wheel of candied lemon on top. Tazuna couldn't hear what the couple said in response, but the wiggling ears and delighted smiles made it clear how they felt.
It might have been simply good service, or it might have been that the manager knew it was the day after the Arima Kinen, saw a certain reservation come in, and put two and two together.
"Do they do this often?" Tazuna asked, smiling at the scene as it played out in front of her.
"Sometimes," said Maruzensky as the trumpeter began playing again. "The truth is we're hardly anonymous to the staff. Le Masque isn't truly anonymous, that's a fantasy. But it's a fantasy we can live inside of for a few hours in the evening to just have fun."
Tazuna slid across the booth to sit next to Maruzensky, their thighs just barely touching. A fantasy… Tazuna would take what she could get. At Tracen, they had to keep their distance. A runner and a member of faculty, fraternizing the way they did… it went against so many regulations. Good, important regulations that Tazuna herself had helped shape over the years. She believed in them. But her heart hadn't been her own to command when she had met Maruzensky. It had run off, faster than a sports car on the highway, and there was nothing Tazuna could do to catch it.
"There is a reason why they're a hotel," Maruzensky whispered into Tazuna's ear. "After dinner, if you want…"
"Yes," Tazuna breathed. "Oh, Saru-chan… Not, not even for… just to talk…"
"Of course," Maruzensky purred. "But for now, we should order something…"
The trumpeter blew the last notes of their final solo, then bowed on stage to applause from all present — or at least, those who weren't too busy with their dates. A waiter came by to take Tazuna and Maruzensky's orders as the musicians on stage swapped out for a smaller crew. Maruzensky and Tazuna slowly leaned into each other as the pianist on stage tapped out an easy groove that made the air sway but didn't pull the audience away from their partners.
Across the room, the two umamusume were partway through their desserts, eating slowly and exchanging bites with each other. A pot of tea was brought to their table, on a small stand with milk and sugar. Tazuna watched quietly as Inu-chan poured tea out for the both of them. The action was routine and casual, as something done regularly, a service to the other so frequent it might be taken for granted.
Neko-chan gave Inu-chan a kiss as she accepted the tea cup. The couple giggled, presumably over the taste of their respective desserts, transferred through the kiss.
"You're awfully lost in thought," said Maruzensky.
"Sorry," said Tazuna. She took Maruzensky's hand under the table and squeezed it tightly. "Just thinking."
"What about?"
"Being with you," said Tazuna. The line of warmth along her side tempted her to do audacious things. Half of her wanted to seize Maruzensky by the back of the head and kiss her senseless right there in front of the whole room. Half of her wanted to put two hand-widths between them and hide who they were to each other from the world. She was caught in between two forces that pulled at her equally, their grips tight around her wrists.
"Do you ever wish we could run away together?" Tazuna asked quietly. Their food arrived before Maruzensky could reply, and it gave her a moment to compose her thoughts.
"That's unexpected, coming from you," said Maruzensky. "You've always been nothing if not devoted to your duty."
"I have," said Tazuna. She picked up her fork and poked at the steak dinner in front of her absently. "My work is… only you have brought me more joy."
"Why abandon it then?"
"Our… your… the positions we hold have always prevented me from enjoying your company as often as I wish," said Tazuna. "If we were to throw that all away…"
"We already talked about why that would be unwise."
"I know."
Maruzensky reached over to slice a piece of beef off of Tazuna's steak. The meat was rosy pink in the middle. "Here, eat."
Tazuna ate the piece of beef off of Maruzensky's fork. It tasted very good.
"It wouldn't make you happy," said Maruzensky.
"No it wouldn't," said Tazuna.
"Just like I can't give up running quite yet."
"Yes."
Maruzensky cut another piece of meat off of Tazuna's steak and held the piece out. Tazuna took it off of the tines and chewed as Maruzensky continued. "That's why I love this place, Ta— Shika-chan. It's a fantasy, but it's an important fantasy. The kind that we need to have in order to live our lives properly. It's just like movies, or books, or amusement parks, or even the winning live at the end of a race."
"But all of those are real," said Tazuna sadly. "This place…"
"It's still real," said Maruzensky. "The music is real. The stage is real. This food is real. The others here, they are all real."
Tazuna looked around the room. Masked faces looked back at her.
"Just because something has something else layered on top, that doesn't make it less real," said Maruzensky. "The fruit at the bottom of a parfait is not less real because of the cream on top."
Inu-chan opened her mouth as Neko-chan dug into the bottom of the glass and scooped out a spoonful of strawberries with a dollop of cream. Neko-chan seemed briefly tempted to make Inu-chan play the airplane game before popping the spoon into Inu-chan's mouth. Inu-chan's ears shivered as she chewed, then swallowed. Tazuna felt a smile stretch across her mouth before she giggled and took up her own fork and knife.
"You're right, of course," said Tazuna as she cut away a piece of Maruzensky's cod and scooped it up with her fork. She held it up in front of Maruzensky's mouth. "Your analogy needs some work though."
"I was doing my best in the moment," Maruzensky said, blushing slightly before taking the bite of fish off of Tazuna's fork. "Wow, that's good."
"My steak is very good as well," said Tazuna. She smiled and let herself lean more into Maruzensky. Just for tonight, she didn't have to be Tazuna Hayakawa, assistant to the director of the prestigious Tracen Academy. Just for tonight she could be Shika-chan, who liked it when her girlfriend gave her scritches in just the right spot on her scalp. "Say, how does one book a room for the night anyway?"
"Oh, it comes with your reservation," said Maruzensky. Her voice lowered. "Feeling frisky, Shika-chan?"
"I've been frisky," Tazuna whispered back as she sliced herself some more steak. "But all in due time, Saru-chan."
Maruzensky laughed and dug into her cod. "Of course."
Tazuna took her time eating, both because she hoped it would make Maruzensky squirm and also because she genuinely was enjoying the food. The steak was cooked to perfection, the vegetables tender, the potato like a dream. Dessert was excellent too, a chewy, decadent brownie for them to share, topped with vanilla ice cream. Then espresso, and by then Maruzensky really was getting impatient. Tazuna popped both their after-coffee mints into her mouth and gave Maruzensky hers with a kiss. She was almost dragged into the hotel room.
"Good morning, Tazuna-san!" said Tokai Teio the next morning. She had dressed casually for a day of classes at Tracen Academy's university level, for which students no longer were required to wear a uniform. The entry was still through the same gates though, which made Tazuna still one of the first people Teio met in the mornings. "Wow, you've got a big thermos there!"
Tazuna sipped at her coffee and smiled back at Teio. "Good morning Teio-san. I see you. too, need some energy this morning."
"Hahaha, well, you know," said Teio awkwardly from behind her large hachimi latte. "Up late studying and everything, right?"
"Mmhm," said Tazuna. "Certainly not spending your evening with McQueen."
Teio drank her latte aggressively. "Definitely not."
"Mmhm," said Tazuna. She smiled knowingly. "Well I hope your classes go well today."
"Thanks, Tazuna-san!"
"And Teio-san," Tazuna said quietly, as Teio went to walk past her onto campus. "Let me know how that cheesecake tastes when you have a chance, I might get it next time."
Teio went bright red and squeaked. "I—"
"You're going to be late," said Tazuna.
"A-ah, right—!"
Teio ran off, glad to leave the teasing behind. Tazuna watched her go, then turned back to the gates as more umamusume approached. She waved and said good morning, chatted with those who knew her well, gave advice and help to the newest attendees.
"Tazuna-san."
"Maruzensky-san," said Tazuna as her lover walked up from behind. "I don't believe you have class today."
"No, I don't," said Maruzensky. She rubbed her nose and looked up at the sky. "I just thought… to hang out on campus today. Am I disrupting?"
"Not at all," said Tazuna. "Would you like some coffee?"
"That would be lovely."
Maruzensky leaned against the gate to the school as Tazuna handed her the mug she had been drinking out of. Steam curled around them as Tazuna poured. She felt her heart swell as the breeze blew past and she tucked her hair out of her eyes. Maruzensky lifted the mug to her lips and looked up at her over the rim. In this moment, in the morning outside of Tracen, the fantasy and the reality blurred together. Tazuna looked away, smiling, as another student approached.
"Good morning Tazuna-san!"
Tazuna waved and said joyfully: "Good morning!"