Chapter Text
“I didn’t expect us to meet again so soon. Yet here we are.”
Symboli Rudolf, who was finally back in good condition to do her duties as student council president, had called for Sunday Silence in order to talk about the incidents involving the new student.
“You must’ve been quite busy for this meeting to be so delayed,” Sunday remarked, finding it odd that she wasn’t called sooner.
“Ah, my apologies. I was ill for the past few days, so I couldn’t make this happen until now,” Rudolf replied, maintaining a professional smile.
“It’s good to see you well again then.”
“Thank you.”
The two were dancing around the topic they both knew was to be discussed. Sunday doing so in order to appear compliant, Rudolf to give off the impression of a respectable and down-to-earth leading figure. If she brought it up right away, she might appear hostile, which may provoke Sunday if the stories were truthful. The polite pleasantries they exchanged were necessary to set the tone.
“May I ask how your eye has been?” asked Rudolf, “I was informed that it was injured last week.”
“I’ve been told it has fully recovered. That’s why I’ve been allowed to take off the eyepatch,” answered Sunday.
“Excellent. Please take care not to fight over food like that again to avoid such a situation. Just as you were for me, I am happy for your well-being.”
Rudolf observed the student across her desk. Ever since researching Sunday after being informed of her transfer, she knew that there was likely going to be an incident with her. She was no stranger to difficult Umamusume with great talent. Tracen Academy hosted numerous of them across different generations of racing.
But Sunday was a special case. She was unpredictable in a way that made any interaction with her feel like it would go off the rails if one minor thing happened to trigger her. If you play along with her, she may still lash out at you.
She could recall the stories Teio told her of how Sunday mistreated her during their tour around campus. It angered her that her junior was subjected to such treatment when she had only done her job as a guide. It was simply unfair.
If she were to make a comparison, the closest she could think of would be Dream Journey. However, even she had better decorum when it came to social interactions. She was particularly fond of her roommate, Orfevre.
Sunday Silence had none of that. In just her first week in Tracen, she had made no meaningful relationships. At best, she was seemingly able to get along with Special Week and Silence Suzuka. But she was told that the two still feared her more than they liked her.
“About an hour after we first met, you allegedly had a heated exchange with King Halo and Grass Wonder. I’ve already talked with them, so may I know your side?” asked Rudolf, finally getting to the point.
“I apologize for that display. I merely reciprocated their hostility towards me,” Sunday defended herself.
“They claimed that you didn’t acknowledge them despite meeting their circle,” Rudolf pressed on.
“My attention must’ve been caught more by Special Week and Suzuka, especially since the latter shared my name. Surely, that’s no reason to antagonize me, right?” Sunday rebutted.
“Not at all. However, I’m wondering why you told King to shove a rice ball in her mouth. From the testimonies I’ve received, it was seemingly uncalled for.”
“That was my mistake. She just reminded me of someone I dislike very much, which caused me to say such a thing. I meant no harm towards her specifically.”
“It was still a hurtful thing to say. You should make amends with her and explain that you didn’t mean it.”
“I’ll do so in my own time.”
It was clear that Sunday didn’t intend on apologizing to them. But Rudolf couldn’t simply force her to do so. That decision would be too short-sighted. It would only serve to get her on Sunday’s bad side. She had to maintain a harmonious relationship between them.
“I see. I shall let you off with a warning for now. But if you get involved in another incident of such a degree, I’d have to bring up the possibility of a suspension. Do you understand?” said Rudolf, receiving a nod from Sunday. “Very good. Now, I’d like to discuss the matter of your trainer for the Dream Series.”
Sunday tensed up, which didn’t escape Rudolf’s notice. “I was under the impression that I have full liberty in choosing my trainer.”
“You do, so long as they are a certified trainer who is qualified for the national level. If you have someone in mind from outside Tracen, please inform us so that we can contact them.”
Sunday nodded. “And that showcase thing… When will it happen?”
Rudolf smiled. “I see you’ve received the message I passed on to Fuji. It will be occurring tomorrow morning, before lunch. Several talented trainers will be there to observe if you were to participate. You’ll be up against a few senior-level racers and even a fellow Dream Series participant. Should I expect you to join?”
“Sure. It would be wise to do so now while my stock is still high.”
With all talking points now over with, Rudolf decided to conclude the meeting. “Excellent. I deem our meeting today to have been fruitful. I thank you for your cooperation, Sunday.” She stood up and gave a small bow.
Sunday followed suit. “The pleasure is mine, Rudolf.”
As Sunday was headed towards the student council room’s door, Rudolf called out to her one last time. “Let us do our best to ensure that a meeting like this won’t be needed again.”
Sunday wordlessly exited the room.
***
The day after, on Tracen Academy’s dirt training track, six students were to compete in an exhibition race. Sunday Silence was amongst them, wearing the red and white tracksuit of the academy. Several students and trainers gathered around to watch the race, including the trainer of Team Rigil, Hana Toujou. She had come for the express purpose of scouting Sunday Silence and adding her to her team.
When she first got word of the transfer student, she studied her background and got impressed by her results. 14 total races, 9 wins, and not a single finish under second during her career. Based on that alone, she would be a surefire addition to her team.
However, she also came to learn that Sunday had sustained an injury that forced her out of the Cannon Series, the United States’ version of the Twinkle Series. This would be, to her knowledge, the first time Sunday would race since the injury. So, although she did want to scout her, Hana needed to see for herself if she could still perform.
Meanwhile, Sunday had decided that four of the racers she was to face were unworthy of her attention, and it would’ve been all five had it not been for a peculiar person the fifth one was interacting with.
Dressed up in a smaller tracksuit with the exact same design was an Umamusume with rose pink hair tied in a ponytail. She was animatedly talking with a tall young man with black hair, who she assumed was her trainer, and a student with wavy brown hair and blue ear covers.
She was aware that King Halo wasn’t the same person. In fact, she didn’t even know a single thing about her. However, none of that mattered to her. Sunday wanted to punish King nonetheless for having the gall to exist with such a name. And if it took embarrassing her little friend in this race, then she’d gleefully do it.
Sunday walked on the dirt under her feet, trying to get a feel for it. The dirt seemed like it was easy enough to run on. She could tell that it was rather firm. But that was only a guess for now. She needed to actually run in order to confirm her assumptions.
A voice called out to the racers, which signified that it was time to line up. Sunday immediately took dibs on the innermost position of the left-handed track. The other racers followed, with the pink one being second from the outside.
A wooden plate with an image of a tan Umamusume wearing the same tracksuit as them was their starting and finish line. Sunday got in her stance, waiting for the go signal. Her eyes flickered over to the pink-haired Umamusume again for a moment.
“GO!”
All six runners began running, each one taking their own position. A lone front runner was trying to leave everyone behind while Sunday was in second, hogging the inside. Now that she was actually running, she determined that she had no problems running on Japanese dirt. It was actually easier than the dirt in America, which proved more unpredictable and thus needed varying approaches based on the conditions alone.
She snuck a peak behind her to gauge how far the pink Umamusume was from her. To her surprise, she was last by a gradually growing margin. Sunday wasn’t expecting her to be that bad. It was like she wasn’t even a national-level racer.
Shifting her attention back to the actual race, she could see that the front runner now held the lead by a fair margin. Maybe five lengths or so ahead, if she had to guess. If this were an actual race, she might be worried. However, she was only unimpressed at the obvious intent to show off.
Hana kept her eye on Sunday Silence, who held a firm grasp on second place. She wasn’t actively trying to close the gap between her and first place yet, but she also wasn’t allowing anyone to pass her. Each time third place tried, she slightly increased her velocity.
This strategy wasn’t anything unseen. She had found footage of Sunday’s previous races and saw that she employed a similar execution then. Her decision to wait it out in second was smart, which Hana liked. It aligned with how she preferred her racers to run, after all.
Once the racers began entering the final corner, Sunday began her spurt, as did the others behind her. However, Sunday was much faster, catching the others off-guard. She was able to catch up to the front runner in under ten seconds.
By now, the front runner had slowed down due to fatigue, as Sunday had predicted. Even if she was pretending, Sunday found that effort futile. It would be a waste of deception against someone as experienced as her.
The front runner tried to exert one last burst of speed, but Sunday had too much stamina left. She brushed past her with a very slight collision of their arms, causing the other’s running to become off-balanced and lose speed while Sunday continued running.
This didn’t escape the notice of the audience. Some were calling foul while others began dreading the scenario in which they might race against Sunday, not wanting to be disrupted like that. However, the more knowledgeable of the bunch (mostly trainers) knew it wasn’t a blatant attempt at cheating. Overseas Umamusume had a rougher racing style than Japanese Umamusume. This was seen first-hand during a previous Japan Cup, when Tamamo Cross, Oguri Cap, and Gold City represented Japan. Simply put, it was a cultural barrier.
If Sunday were to pull a trick like that often during the Dream Series, it wouldn’t slide. Hana knew that she’d have to somehow break that habit in order to properly assimilate Sunday into the Japanese style of racing.
Sunday crossed the finish line nine lengths ahead of the second placer. The trainers who attended the event were in awe of seeing a racer win in such dominant fashion while the students watched in horror as they realized that the terrifying new student was also a terrifyingly good racer.
Hana internally celebrated as her worries about Sunday were squashed. She could now commence with her scouting of the foreign Umamusume. She figured that Sunday would be a fantastic dirt racer for Team Rigil, further enhancing the team’s versatility over different racetracks.
The first thing Sunday did after everyone else finished the race was to look for King Halo. She wanted to see her reaction, her frustration. She wanted her to know that she wasn’t just all talk. That there was a reason why she didn’t bother wasting her time on someone like King when they first met.
Instead, the view she saw was that of the little pink-haired Umamusume happily walking away with King and her trainer on both of her sides. Sunday was confused. She seemed to have finished last, so why was she so happy, as if the entire race was just a jogging session for her? Why was she still walking alongside her trainer despite losing?
Her inner thoughts were interrupted due to her ears catching the running footsteps headed her way. Several trainers were approaching her with opportunistic eyes. The faces of people ready to gamble for a jackpot.
“That was amazing! Would you like to join—”
“As expected from an accomplished racer like you. Why don’t you—”
“Hey! We’re not really the winningest of teams, but Team Canopus would love—”
They were all cutting each other off with their requests for them to train her. While she had expected this the moment she decided to actually make an effort during the race, it didn’t make it any less suffocating. None of the trainers who approached her were appealing in the slightest. She began considering just letting the academy pick for her so that she could move on.
That was until a most peculiar sight caught her eye. In the distance, behind the crowd of trainers, was another trainer talking to what she assumed was one of her trainees on the turf track. The thing that piqued her interest, though, was the pair of brown ears atop her equally brown hair, a red ribbon tied on the left ear with a hair clip that was seemingly designed as the letter B.
Sunday began making her way towards the turf track, ignoring the calls of every trainer she was leaving behind. However, before she could get far, a woman with black hair and white-rimmed glasses stood in her way.
“Greetings, Sunday Silence. My name is Hana Toujou, trainer of Team Rigil. After studying you and watching your race today, I have decided that—”
She was cut off by Sunday lightly pushing her aside, which, due to the strength of an Umamusume, felt more like a shove. Hana stood frozen as she watched Sunday walk away, not even giving her as much as a second glance.
Belno Light was giving advice to her trainee on how to better turn the corners on the training track. She noticed that she turned awkwardly sharp rather than curved during them, causing a great decrease in velocity.
In truth, the girl wasn’t really her trainee. She was technically being trained under the wing of Kitahara Jones, the man she was working as an assistant trainer to. Although there was a time when she was an individual trainer, that didn’t last long. And so, she returned to Kitahara’s side, where she first started.
Belno was set to dedicate training sessions to fix her trainee’s problem when a shadow suddenly fell over her.
“Hello there,” an eerily gentle and breathy voice said. Belno held her breath as she slowly turned behind her to see an Umamusume with long black hair and a visible white spot on her bangs smiling at her. Her skin was awfully pale with a scar running through her left eye, which had a red pupil in contrast to her right’s yellow.
“U-uhm… Hi…?” Belno hesitantly replied. Upon doing so, the Umamusume’s smile seemed to somehow widen as if she came to a favorable realization.
“I see you have a trainer card… Belno Light.” She read the name on the card attached to her left pocket. “How convenient. You’re going to be my trainer now, I decided.”
Belno’s mind blanked upon hearing her declaration, completely lost on what was happening. Who was this Umamusume? Why is she supposed to be her trainer now? What authority does she have to determine that she is to be trained by her?
“Come now. Let us make this official by signing the needed documents.” Belno was grabbed by the collar of her blazer and dragged towards the direction of the main building, her shoes skidding across the different terrain they were crossing.
***
“I was so terrified that I couldn’t properly turn her down… And now I’m officially Sunday Silence’s trainer for the Dream Series…”
Kitahara comically spit out his coffee after hearing Belno’s explanation of what transpired that morning. He had been busy training with Oguri Cap and Daiwa Scarlet to prepare them for their upcoming Dream Series races in the summer: Oguri at the 2,000 meter Oi Dirt Racecourse and Scarlet at the 2,200 meter Hanshin Turf Racecourse.
He was aware of the exhibition race that Sunday Silence was to take part in but was too busy to make it. Plus, he wasn’t particularly interested in scouting her anyway. He had too many Twinkle Series and Dream Series racers to juggle for him to add another one.
“She also persisted when I said I’m an assistant to you… Especially when the director said that my trainer’s license still allows me to take on my own trainees…” Belno recalled the words Director Akikawa said to her when they were discussing her assignment to Sunday Silence.
“Negative! Your status as an assistant trainer does not forbid you to scout your own trainees! Your qualifications as a national-level trainer differentiate you from mere apprentices! Therefore! You may scout anyone you want as long as it is recognized by me! Since this arrangement is directly being brought to my attention, I hereby declare that Sunday Silence shall now be trained under Trainer Belno Light! Consider this request approved! WAHAHAHAHA!”
In the end, even the director was on Sunday’s side. With two sides pressuring her, she had no other choice but to comply.
“That’s one hell of a training job for your first time back. An American Double Crown winner…” Kitahara remarked, still trying to process his co-worker’s situation.
“That’s too much pressure! How am I supposed to train someone this great!? I don’t even think she needs to be trained at this point! What does she need me for?” Belno continuously asked, more to herself than to Kitahara.
“Belno…” Kitahara was going to attempt to motivate her, but the door of their shared office slammed open before he could.
“BELNO!” shouted Oguri, sweating profusely and breathing heavily. When she saw Belno, she swiftly made her way towards her to crush her in a hug.
“Can’t… breathe…” Belno choked out.
“Tama told me that somebody stole you! I’m so happy you escaped!” She tightened her hug on Belno, allowing no air to enter or escape the poor trainer’s lungs.
“‘YA FOOL! ‘DAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!” Tamamo Cross berated Oguri as she too breathed heavily while entering the office.
Oguri loosened her hold on Belno. “It’s not?” she asked before releasing her friend from her embrace.
“Belno here just got scouted as someone’s trainer, Oguri. No kidnapping happened… I think,” explained Kitahara.
“Yeah, Oguri. That Umamusume who came from America picked me to become her trainer. That’s all,” added Belno.
“I see,” said Oguri, staring at the wall. She looked like she was letting her brain slowly process the information. “Does that mean you’ll hang out with her instead of me from now on?”
“I don’t really know if she’s the type of person to want to hang out, but you’re welcome to join us,” replied Belno.
Their conversation was cut off by a loud rumble emanating from Oguri’s stomach. Noticing this, Tamamo took Oguri’s hand and led her away from the office.
“Now ‘ya got yourself all hungry for getting worked up over Belno. We’re going to feed you now before it gets worse,” she said.
“Oh.” Oguri looked at her trainer and friend. “See you, Kitahara. Belno.”
The ashen-haired duo exited the office and, the two trainers were left alone once again. Kitahara took this opportunity to continue what he was trying to say to Belno earlier on.
“Belno, you’re a terrific trainer. You’ve helped me and Roppei with Oguri before, and now, you’ve helped me with the trainees I’ve scouted. You will do great with Sunday Silence. You’ve proven that you can work with great talent. This won’t be much different.”
Belno looked at Kitahara with uncertainty. “That was because you and Musaka are so good at raising the ceilings of racers. All I ever do is help them out on more specific issues. You know what happened when I trained someone on my own before. She only got better after they assigned someone else to her…”
Kitahara fixed her with a determined stare. “I remember that. You were too inexperienced to figure out the reason why she lost so frequently. But you’re more seasoned now. You should have more belief in your skills, even though you failed before.”
She wanted to believe in his words, but her prior experience had shook her up too much. Never again did she want to fail her trainee so bad that she was assigned to someone else. But now, she is put into a situation wherein a worst-case scenario may see history repeat itself.
Whether Belno Light liked it or not, she will have to be the trainer for a racer once again. She didn’t know why, but Sunday Silence chose her as her trainer. If she failed her too, she could not possibly continue on with her career. Failure cannot be an option.
I missed out on the exhibition race earlier, so I’ll have to find old race footage instead. I need to learn all about her before I can begin training her.