Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Arima Kinen. The biggest races at the end of the year for both spectators and Umamusumes. Here, the best Umamusumes of the classic and senior year gathered, determined to collect one more victory under their belt.

The race had commenced halfway past the middle leg. The chilly winter gale had long since melted away from the fervor spreading among both spectators and athletes. The spectators’ cheers roared across the racetrack, yelling support for their favorites.

A commentator’s shout rang loudly, “They’ve gone past the halfway mark! The finish line’s still a long way off, but the tension among them is palpable!”

The co-commentator next to her added, “That’s right! None of them want to give up the chance to win this race! Everyone’s pacing themselves right now, waiting for the right moment to let loose!”

“Everyone definitely has their eyes on the No. 1 favorite, Tokai Teio. Will she show us another strong performance?”

“She seems to be in great condition. The crowd is looking forward to what she’ll do!”

Waaaaaaaaaaah!

The crowd’s cheer intensified as the screen in front of the stands showed Tokai Teio. A look of determination remained in her eyes while she kept her position, carefully eyeing for the time to make her move. Her gaze focused on the runners ahead of her, making sure to adjust herself into the right position in anticipation for the final spurt.

However, that single-minded focus stopped her from noticing the gaze coming from behind her.

‘Gah, Teio pulled ahead as always,’ Nice Nature thought to herself.

Frustration filled her heart. Things didn’t seem to go her way today. Her start felt slower than usual, and her mind felt muddled. The steady rhythm of hooves around her seemed to echo inside her head, stopping her from forming a coherent thought. No matter how hard she tried to calm herself, the foreboding feeling inside her refused to leave.

‘If things continue like this… All that training is gonna be for nothing…!’

Should she pick up the pace for the lost time from her late start? Would her stamina hold up until the finish line if she did? Her thoughts constantly argued back and forth, struggling to reach a decision. Her mind whirled downwards from indecision until a different question popped up inside her.

‘...What l am I even doing here?’

A girl of her caliber shouldn’t be running in the Arima Kinen, she thought. Sure, she might’ve gotten a few wins here and there, but that didn’t mean she got better—she just got lucky. She should’ve recognized her limit and be satisfied with those results. But instead, she let herself get carried away and signed up for Arima Kinen.

‘I guess this is what I get for trying to run out of my league, huh?’

A sigh escaped between her gasps for air as her eyes landed on a figure some lengths ahead of her.

Tokai Teio.

Unlike herself, that girl deserved her spot in this race. A talented runner adored by all. Despite running into numerous tribulations, she persevered through it with the help of everyone around her and reached for the top. A tear-filled journey fitting for a main character like her.

‘Well, that’s just how it is, isn’t it? A side character like me isn't supposed to win against the main character.’

Still, something didn’t sit right with her. Even though she told herself the same thing many times before, doing so now stung so badly. Frustration ran amok inside her, threatening to tear her apart. Her head continued to pound until—

“That buried sorrow has taken shape once more, it seems.”

—a voice she didn’t recognize hummed softly inside her head.

The sudden voice snapped Nice Nature out of her thoughts. When she looked around, nobody seemed to be talking to her. No, in the first place, that voice sounded disturbingly clear despite the chaotic rumble of hooves around her. Thinking that she was just imagining things, Nice Nature tried to focus on the race.

“It’s nice to meet you, Nature.”

However, that voice returned once more inside her head. It spoke with warmth that seeped into her entire being, welcoming her like the morning sun.

“Who… are you? And how did you know my name?”

Nice Nature maintained the smallest bit of apprehension remaining within her. The situation was simply too confusing to her. Why is this happening to her in the middle of a race of all times?

“Isn’t there a more important question that you need an answer to? One that’s tearing you to shreds from within?”

But that single statement stopped any other questions from forming.

Her lips trembled. Before she could ask how the voice knew about her thoughts, she pursed her lips. She wanted to find the answer, no matter how strange the current circumstances might be. Even though she didn’t know who this voice belonged to, she just wanted to pour out the frustration that threatened to spill out to someone.

“...I thought I was already used to being the side character. I should’ve known that I couldn’t possibly win this race.”

Burning lungs, legs that had turned heavy as lead, and a tingling feeling at the back of her head. Nice Nature could already tell that she couldn’t chase that figure ahead of her. The third place was waiting for her once again, as if destined. It should’ve been a familiar feeling to her, one that she had already resigned herself to multiple times in the past.

“So why… Why is it so hard to accept it now?!”

Every time she tried to console herself, her heart ached uncontrollably. Her head hung low as she struggled to control herself. Even though she couldn’t see it, she could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks. Just what was so different between then and now? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand it.

“It must’ve been confusing, isn’t it?” The voice consoled as if embracing her. “You thought you’d grown used to your sorrow. But it has only taken root deep inside you.”

Nice Nature found it difficult to deny the voice. She hadn’t realized the scar in her heart that she thought had healed was hemorrhaging from within. The weight on her chest seemed to lighten slightly from the consolation.

“You wanted to repay everyone that believed in you. That’s why you ignored and buried your sorrow and doubts by yourself.”

The voice seemed to know her as much as she did, as if it had watched her struggles.

Nice Nature slowly muttered, “When I managed to get first place for the first time… I was relieved. I thought that I could make up for all those losses I’ve racked up. I believed that if I gave it my all, I could win even more and proudly thank everyone for sticking with someone like me.”

With effort and hard work, one can overcome the wall of talent. That was what she thought had happened. But now that she ran in the Arima Kinen, she finally realized it had been a delusion.

If the talented worked as hard as her, how could she possibly hope to catch up? What took her ten steps to fathom was cleared by the talented in a single stride. The moment the gates opened, she realized just how wide the gap between them was. Among the truly brilliant, shining stars, her glimmer was nothing more than a dull distraction in the background.

“All this time, you’ve been running for the sake of others. You didn’t want to disappoint everyone in your hometown, or your trainer who has worked alongside you,” the voice gently spoke. “But tell me, have you ever run for your own sake?”

“For my own… sake?”

A soft hum resounded before the voice continued, “What is it that you desire from the bottom of your heart?”

“Well… to win the race, isn’t it?”

“And why do you want to win this race? Why does it hurt so much to lose this race?”

That question left Nice Nature pondering to herself. All this time, she had never really run for herself. The folks at her hometown thought she could achieve great things in Central, and so she went. Then, her trainer thought she had potential, and so she ran in those G1 races.

But what was the one thing that kept a side character like her going this far? Why would a side character endure those harsh training and review those race footages through the night? She remembered how she would rewind a specific footage on the TV until the tape wore out.

Bzzt!

“200 meters! She broke free from the pack! Can she keep the lead?!”

The commentator’s voice intensified along with her heartbeat. As the image of that race reflected in her eyes, she felt it. An answer that resonated with her.

“I want to be more.”

“Tokai Teio crossed the finish line by one length! Conquering Satsuki Shō, she has earned her first G1 victory!”

“More than a side character. More than a bronze collector. More than this dull glimmer.”

A wish that had always remained so far away from her.

“I want to shine brightly until she has no other choice but to look at me. That’s why I want to win this race.”

Her eyes locked into the still image of the brightest star in her sky.

“But I know very well that this ugly, impossible wish could never come true. So all I can do is look at her one-sidedly.”

She was destined to watch the main character from a distance, away from the spotlight. With that realization, she slowly felt something cracking from within. The scar in her heart was slowly tearing apart, ready to burst at its seams.

“Fated for defeat, doomed to witness the shining stars for eternity, yet wishing to capture its gaze… That is the shape of your heart and its desire, isn’t it?”

Each one of the voice’s words seemed to strike a chord within her, creating a beautiful symphony that only belonged to her. Nice Nature nestled her head against it and surrendered her will.

“Yes… If I can’t catch up to them… Then let me drag them down until they have no choice but to look at me.”

“If that’s what you desire, all you have to do is to paint the world with the color that spilled from your heart.”

“My heart…? Ah…”

Following the voice’s words, Nice Nature looked down to her chest. The gaping wound in her heart had bled, painting the world around her in a deep shade of red. A wave of warmth washed away any sensation of pain and doubt lingering within her as her color covered the world around her. It felt as if she snugly wrapped herself with a blanket, slowly sinking into a deep slumber.

Crack.

Within that slumber, a lucid dream played before her. In it, she saw an odd, four-legged creature unlike anything she’d ever seen. It raced towards the stars, stumbling against its own legs ever so often.

It had a mouth wide enough for its whispers to reach the sky.

[Mystifying Murmur]

Numerous eyes littered its head, each one cursing every single star that shone in the sky.

[All-Seeing Eyes]

The torn, bronze-plated heart pulsing in its chest continued to bathe the world with its color. Each drop of red stretched upwards, clawing against the sky. With each scratch, the sky bled more and more.

[Tri#k (Rear)]

[Domin@tor]

[Sta%ina S!phon]

[Illusi&nist]

Until the stars sank under a deep, red abyss.

[Fluste$* Fro%#[& Closer\]

[#*!&tant Pac%*unner#@]]

[$*%enzied E@] #*!aser]

[@!&!@#Late S$%#&(]

[#&*$%@&$#@$&!*$#]

“Everyone, please evacuate the area carefully! Do not push the people in front of you!”

“W-What is happening? What the hell is that thing on the track?!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Who cares! We gotta go now!”

“Don’t push me!”

“Hurry, go to the exit!”

Panic and calls for evacuation had rung across the venue, but I ignored them and moved closer toward the track instead. I couldn’t leave my trainee behind, especially after what had happened to her.

My gaze fell upon the creature roaming on the racetrack. I could barely make out her shape because of the red haze lingering around her. A trail of red liquid was left behind her, corroding the racetrack around her. My head throbbed, as if I had returned to a terrible, familiar nightmare. A memory of an encounter in the past resurfaced for a moment before I brushed it off.

“K̸̬͇̑̒͠I̵͔̙̟̎̈Á̷̜Ả̷͍̯Å̵͔̖A̵̳͗̃Ą̷͇̓̍́Ä̷͓̥A̵̖͚͊̈̀Ḁ̷͂̍͐A̷̝̳̦̅Ȧ̵̺̣͋͠Ä̶̙͖̪́A̷̺̭͍̐Ä̴̞́Ȧ̸̝͑͆͜H̴̹̊!̸̧͖͇̒!̴̡͙̜̑͐!̸̠͙̇̐”

Suddenly, the creature bellowed toward the sky. The roar was loud enough to rattle my head after covering my ears. The incessant howl resonated through the air, sending a wave of terror through the fleeing crowd.

But to me, that howl only sounded like a cry laden with sorrow.

I held onto the red scarf around my neck to stop it from being blown away and moved closer to the creature. After jumping down from the stands, I approached the racetrack’s fences, where I was close enough to notice the red ear covers on the creature. The confirmation that the creature before me was Nice Nature, no matter how obvious it was, caused my heart to drop for a moment.

But with that confirmation, my mind was made up. I tucked the paper origami trophy that I made for her last night into my pocket carefully, making sure that it wouldn't crease.

“Nature, is this the outcome that you want?” I asked her.

My question finally attracted her attention. Her head locked toward me before she made her way over to me. The haze around her followed, emanating a deathly pressure around her.

I pressed on, “If this ending is truly what you desired, then there’s nothing I can do. Once you snuff out every star out there, there will be nothing left in the sky but you.”

By now, Nice Nature had stood right in front of me. The air around me had become hard to breathe, as if it was being drained away. Hostility poured in to replace it, as if a current of static was rippling around us. I could tell that if I remained here, my end would come before I even realized it.

However, I couldn’t falter. A trainer must remain as someone dependable for their trainee, no matter the circumstances. Holding on to that belief, I collected myself and continued, “Sure, everyone will finally set their gaze upon you. But… that kind of fate is too lonely for you.”

My words received a snort from her. Maybe she had already resigned herself to that fate in the first place. Even so, I couldn’t accept that kind of ending for her.

“...Teio ran back and tried to help you earlier.”

The pressure around me faltered for a moment. A wry smile rose to my mouth after noticing her reaction. It seems that even now, she still reacts to that name.

What I said wasn’t a lie. When Nice Nature’s change occurred in the middle of the race, everyone realized that something wrong was happening. While everyone else immediately backed off to evacuate, Teio had turned around and ran toward Nice Nature instead. Thankfully, Gold Ship and McQueen managed to stop her before anything happened to her.

“Even if you think no one’s looking at you, you’ve always been shining brightly out there for a lot of people. To everyone in your hometown, the people from the shopping district, me, and your friends. Your shine was never duller than anyone else.”

She let out a grief-stricken cry, as if telling me that it was already too late for her to return. The stands were devoid of spectators, and the racetrack was ruined beyond repair. There was nobody left to chase after in this barren abyss.

“Don’t worry, I have a way. As long as there’s still a part of you that wishes to reach the stars with your own strength, as long as you’re still willing to endure your pain and sorrows once more…”

I looked directly at her and faced her with a smile, just like how I would reassure her during our training. “I’ll be there to lend you a hand along the way.”

Her numerous eyes gazed towards mine in a silence that felt like an eternity. At that moment, I saw something familiar within her eyes. A glint that led me to scout her on the day we first met.

Plip, plip.

The creature’s figure began to melt like molten wax, and the haze around her slowly dissipated. From within that collapsed form, only Nice Nature remained, tears wetting her eyes. Between her sobs, she asked, “Can I… can I really do it with my own strength? I really want to, but… that gap between me and them still seems so insurmountable…”

I nodded my head immediately. “Of course. I’ll make sure you can race on today’s Arima Kinen with your own strength, so just do your best as always.”

“Today’s… Arima Kinen? What do you mean by that?” she asked, a trace of confusion audible in her voice.

I reached inside my coat and took out an alarm clock, one that you could find in a store anywhere. However, this alarm clock held a gold hue around it, resonating with both our wills. The clock’s hands, which were stopped before, began to tick backwards.

Tick.

I closed my eyes as the sounds around me began to muffle and my senses blurred. This alarm clock, one that I had manifested after my encounter with that voice, remained as the only constant in the midst of this turbulence. Before long, the sensation of the clock ticking away was the only thing that remained around me.

Tick, tock.

I could already tell what Nice Nature had gone through earlier. Although I’m not very knowledgeable with the phenomenon, my personal experience with it was enough to understand just how dangerous it was. That voice must've felt irresistible, comforting her sorrows until she surrendered herself to that pleasant warmth.

However, I knew very well that the sun, warm as it might be, also blinded one from their surroundings.

Tick, tock—

That’s why as the clock turns back, as the sun rises once more, I desperately hope.

Riiiiiing!

That I can shade her from that blinding sun.

Chapter Text

“—why do you want to win this race? Why does it hurt so much to lose this race?”

“...Huh?”

That question left Nice Nature stunned for a moment. Why did it sound so familiar to her? She could swear that she had never heard it before, but her head throbbed for a moment. The fleeting memory seemed to slip between her fingers. Like snowflakes under the sun, it slowly melted away before her eyes.

“...Don’t worry, Nature. Feel free to let your buried feelings out into the world,” the voice called again.

“O-Oh… Yeah, I was just thinking about it…” Nice Nature responded before putting aside that lingering feeling to the back of her head and resuming her line of thought.

All this time, she had never really run for herself. The folks at her hometown thought she could achieve great things in Central, and so she went. Then, her trainer thought she had potential, and so she ran in those G1 races.

But what was the one thing that kept a side character like her going this far? Why would a side character endure those harsh training and review those race footages through the night? She remembered how she would rewind a specific footage on the TV until the tape wore out.

Bzzt!

“200 meters! She broke free from the pack! Can she keep the lead?!”

The commentator’s voice intensified along with her heartbeat. As the image of that race reflected in her eyes, she felt it. An answer that resonated with her.

“I want to be more.”

“Tokai Teio crossed the finish line by one length! Conquering Satsuki Shō, she has earned her first G1 victory!”

“More than a side character. More than a bronze collector. More than this dull glimmer.”

A wish that had always remained so far away from her.

“I want to shine brightly until she has no other choice but to look at me. That’s why I want to win this race.”

Her eyes locked into the still image of the brightest star in her sky.

“But I know very well that this ugly, impossible wish could never come true. So all I can do is look at her one-sidedly.”

She was destined to watch the main character from a distance, away from the spotlight. With that realization, she slowly felt something cracking from within. The scar in her heart was slowly tearing apart, ready to burst at its seams.

Tick.

“—you’ve always been shining brightly out there for a lot of people.”

“Eh…?”

Until a memory flickered before her eyes.

Tock.

“To everyone in your hometown, the people from the shopping district, me, and your friends.”

Her head pounded as the memory slowly began to blur once more. But this time, Nice Nature struggled to recall it as best as she could. It felt like if she let this memory slip away, it would forever remain out of her reach. Ignoring the pain in her heart, she desperately reached into her mind.

Tick.

“Your shine was never duller than anyone else.”

Then, it finally clicked.

“Ah, that’s right… I remember now…” Nice Nature mumbled to herself. “It was right before the race, wasn’t it?”

Arima Kinen. The biggest races at the end of the year for both spectators and Umamusumes. Here, the best Umamusumes of the classic and senior year gathered, determined to collect one more victory under their belt.

One of the contestants, Nice Nature, nervously circled around in her waiting room.

“I’m really doing this, huh? Arima Kinen is definitely gonna be a whole different level compared to the other races… Uuugh, can I really pull this off?!” Nice Nature stressed over her decision by herself.

Clack.

“Why are you fussing around by yourself? You’re gonna tire yourself out before the race even starts.”

Her trainer entered the room through the creaking door while fiddling with a smartphone. Specks of snow clung to the trainer’s winter coat, prompting Nice Nature to brush it off. However, once she noticed the red scarf around the trainer’s neck, she immediately recoiled.

“Y-You’re really wearing that scarf around?!” she asked in surprise.

“Well, yeah. It’s cold out there, you know? Besides, someone told me that she worked really hard to make this, so I don’t want her efforts to go to waste,” the trainer replied.

“Hey, it feels embarrassing when you say it out loud like that…” she muttered, her gaze evading the trainer’s earnest reply.

Seeing her reaction, the trainer offered, “I can make it more embarrassing if you want. What if I go around the stands screaming, ‘Nice Nature made this scarf for me!’ with my whole chest?”

“Myaaaaaaah!!! Don’t do that! Definitely don’t do that, okay!?”

A strange cry escaped Nice Nature’s mouth as she begged her trainer. Just imagining that cringeworthy spectacle was enough to flush her entire face red. If she had to race after witnessing something like that with her own eyes, she wasn’t sure if she could even get out of the starting gates.

Her trainer chuckled for some time before reassuring her, “Yeah, yeah, I’m just kidding. Feeling better yet?”

“...! I think so… Thanks for that.”

The trainer’s ridiculous act had pushed her worries aside. Her nerves that had been trembling against Arima Kinen had calmed down after seeing her trainer behaving as usual. She couldn’t help but feel grateful for the help.

“Don’t worry about it. Just give it your all in the race if you want to thank me,” the trainer said before sitting down on one of the folding chairs in the room.

A wry smile rose to Nice Nature’s lips after hearing what her trainer said. Even if she gave it her all, could she really keep up against everyone else? She’ll have to run against the best Umamusumes Japan has to offer in just a few minutes. Their legends had long since spread across Japan, unlike herself. Among their brilliant shines, her glimmer would surely be snuffed out the moment the starting gates opened. Her worries resurfaced once more before she realized it.

“...Nature.”

“Ah! Y-Yes?”

Her trainer’s call pulled Nice Nature out of her thoughts.

“You pay attention to others a lot, don’t you?” her trainer asked. “You help others out, listen to their worries, and watch over them when you can. It’s quite admirable, honestly.”

“Huh?! Why are you saying that all of a sudden?” Nice Nature was taken aback by the sudden praise. “I mean, I’m just used to helping people back home. I guess that made me pay more attention to others.”

The trainer smiled at her answer. “Right, I’d say that’s one of your strengths. But you know, if you only look at others, you won’t be able to see yourself.”

“...Eh?”

Without letting Nice Nature reply, the trainer continued, “You might think that you don’t deserve to run in Arima Kinen, but you couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked to get here with my own eyes. Do you really think the sweat and tears you’ve shed for the past year mean nothing?”

“Wow, you’re really letting it all out today, Trainer…” Nice Nature let out a dejected sigh in response. “It’s not that my hard work doesn’t mean anything. It’s just that everyone here worked just as hard as me to get here. So of course someone like me will seem like nothing. That’s just how it is.”

Although Nice Nature had downplayed herself like usual, she couldn’t deny that doing so made her feel bad. Not to mention that her trainer was probably just trying to psyche her up before the race. Denying her trainer’s words like this didn’t sit right with her.

But just as she was about to say something, her trainer handed the smartphone to Nice Nature. “No, Nature. You mean so much more than you think.”

Unsure of what her trainer meant, Nice Nature received the smartphone. When she looked at it, she found that the smartphone had just connected to a video call with someone. The video on the other side looked crowded with a lot of people cramming in front of the camera. However, she immediately recognized everyone on the call.

“Wow, it’s really Natie! It’s like we’re seeing her in the flesh, ain’t it?”

“Technology these days sure is amazing, hoho!”

“It feels like ages since we saw you, Natie!”

A look of surprise flashed in her eyes as she muttered, “Wha… Everyone from back home? What are you guys doing…?”

A middle-aged woman standing in the middle of the video call replied, “Oh, get this! We were planning to go and watch your big race, but the train stopped in the middle of the way because of some malfunction or something! We were stuck at this train station wondering what to do when your trainer called my phone.”

Nice Nature turned to her trainer, “You traded phone numbers?! Since when?”

“They gave it to me when they came over to watch your first race, telling me to call them if you need any help. I called them earlier to see if they were coming over, but turns out they were having issues on the way,” the trainer responded.

The woman on the call added on, “Your trainer tried to figure something out for us. After some time, this young miss came over and told us that your trainer asked for a favor to send this tablet over so we can call you like this and watch the race from this thing. Thank you for this, young lady, really!”

An Umamusume showed her face from the side of the screen. “I appreciate your thanks, but I was merely doing what I wanted. Do carry on with your call, please. I’ll have to prepare my observations for the Arima Kinen very soon.”

Nice Nature yelped, “A-Agnes Tachyon?! Um, thank you for your help! I’m sorry if everyone there bothered you. They’re a rowdy bunch, aren’t they?”

Agnes Tachyon brushed off her apology, “Well, I don’t mind it. But I must tell you that I didn’t come here on my own. Maruzensky initially drove me to the train station, but her car broke down on the way. An unfortunate setback, but I managed to deliver this tablet in time by going to this station on foot.”

“What?! You didn’t have to go that far! No, I mean, thank you, seriously! Now I feel kind of bad for making you do all that…” Nice Nature muttered in a panic.

A smirk grew onto Tachyon’s mouth as she thought of something. “Now that I think about it, I’ve gone above and beyond for your sake, haven’t I? In that case, may I ask you for a tiny favor in return?”

“Um, I mean… if it’s not too difficult, I guess…” Although Nature seemed wary of the sudden request, she seemed intent on hearing her out.

Tachyon let out a laugh at her response, “Heh-heh-heh, you don’t have to worry. For now… I’ll simply gather the data from your race for my research. From there, I’ll be able to adjust our experiments accordingly. Naturally, for the highest quality result possible, I’ll need no less than a victory in the Arima Kinen. So, what do you think? Can you do it?”

“Our experiment?! W-Wait, more importantly, winning Arima Kinen is…”

Before Nice Nature could mutter an excuse, everyone in the call chimed in.

“You can definitely win it, Natie!”

“We’re proud that you made it this far!”

“We’ll be watching from over here, so don’t worry about us!”

“Don’t get yourself hurt, okay?”

Hearing their overwhelming support through the call, Nice Nature pursed her lips. She was so used to making excuses, feeling sorry for herself, and being content with where she was all this time. But for some reason, she found it difficult to do so in front of the people from her hometown. A thought occurred to her on what she wanted to say, but those unfamiliar words refused to leave her mouth.

In the midst of her confusion, a push came from her trainer. “Even if you think no one’s looking at you, you’ve always been shining brightly out there for a lot of people.”

Has that always been the case?

“To everyone in your hometown, the people from the shopping district, me, and your friends.”

Even though it felt so hard to believe those words…

“Your shine was never duller than anyone else.”

Right now, in front of those watching her, she wants to believe in it more than ever.

Gathering every bit of courage in her, she finally announced, “Okay. I’ll do my best… I’m not gonna lose this race, so make sure you watch closely!”

“Haha, Natie finally got some guts in her!”

“That’s the way you gotta do it!”

“Go for it, Natie!”

Rowdy shouts came from the video call, but Nice Nature no longer appeared flustered by it. Instead, a trace of determination was visible in her gaze. One that looked all too familiar to her trainer.

She turned toward her trainer and said, “Thank you for this, Trainer, really. I’ll make sure to do my best today!”

“Yeah, I said that, didn’t I…?”

Nice Nature wasn’t sure how she had forgotten this memory, but she paid no mind to it. Right now, she wants to hold this fleeting feeling deep inside her heart. Even if her heart was filled with nothing but pain and sorrow, she hoped that this determination could still grow within it.

After taking a deep breath, she finally muttered, “Sorry, let me take back what I said earlier.”

“Was your desire something that could be washed away by a fleeting memory? When that determination withers away, you’ll be left with nothing but your sorrows once more,” the voice responded.

The melody within that voice sounded as serene as before. It felt like if she agreed to it and surrendered herself, all her worries would melt away. Even now, her aching heart still longed for that blissful outcome.

But she also felt that if she accepted it, these precious memories would also melt away. So she stood her ground.

“No, it won’t wither away,” she replied.

As long as she remembers all the training and hard work that she went through, as long as there’s someone who would watch and remain with her along the way, she can keep running forward.

“There’s no need to thread the path filled with thorns. Suffering doesn’t correlate to results,” the voice responded once again.

Perhaps the voice had a point. After enduring countless pain and sorrows, her struggles might not yield results at the end. However…

“Everyone’s paths have always been filled with thorns. I’ve seen it all with my own eyes,” said Nice Nature.

During the years she spent at Tracen, she’d witnessed everyone’s struggles, hidden away from their fans and competitors. The sweat poured from their training, the tears shed from their losses, and the cries rang from lost opportunities—not a single one was lesser than her own.

However, she also witnessed how they would get back up. Their resolve to march forward made them shine even brighter in her eyes.

“If I don’t have the determination to at least follow their resolve, then how can I possibly hope to catch up to them?”

No matter how sweet the offer might be, she couldn’t find it in herself to take the easy way out when faced against their resolve. She would collect all the frustration, connection, and determination within her to carve her own path. Only then could she truly shine next to the brightest star in her sky.

“The path that I want to walk on is the one where I can proudly run for those who have been with me along the way. I… I won't bury these feelings ever again!”

The determination that had been buried under defeat finally broke free and bloomed against the blinding sun.

“...It seems that this is where we part ways. This, too, is the color that you wish to wield,” the voice muttered, slowly sinking into the background.

Nice Nature didn’t answer the voice. Instead, she took a step forward on the turf.

“This time, definitely…”

Her mouth softly muttered her wishes to the world without hiding them behind her excuses.

[Mystifying Murmur]

“I’ll keep going…”

Her eyes faced forward without turning away, resolved to reach that distant star in the sky.

[All-Seeing Eyes]

A red scarf softly embraced her, one similar to the scarf she had painstakingly made for someone, down to its imperfections. Even so, it still shielded her against the biting chill and the rushing wind. Each yarn knitted in it carried memories of the years she’d spent as a trainee.

“Even with my own personal trainer, even after that much training, third is all I got in me, huh?”

Memories of defeat.

“I didn’t want to be disappointed, I didn’t want to disappoint… I was afraid of getting hurt again, so I tried to make everyone give up on me! But… but still! I don’t want things to end like this!”

Memories of frustration.

“A floppy origami trophy is perfect for me. The gold foil reminiscent of thin metallic plating, the crumpled edges… It’s all very… me, isn’t it?”

“Thank you, Trainer.”

“I’ll do my best, so I expect more origami trophies, okay?”

Memories of determination.

Right now, what she must do feels clearer than ever. She planted her right foot deep into the ground, burying any doubts that remained within her.

“...[Just a Little Farther!]”

And she pushed forward.

Chapter Text

“Tokai Teio pushes herself to second place as they enter the final straight—Wait, Nature! Nice Nature’s making her way forward from third place with a ferocious momentum!”

“She’s catching up to Tokai Teio! Is she going to claim Arima Kinen for herself?!”

Waaaaaaaah!

The commentators’ exclamation sent a wave of uproar through the crowd. But none of them registered with Nice Nature. A sense of freedom had taken over her entire being. The stifling feeling on her chest had disappeared, and her legs felt light as a feather. Right now, she wants to run even faster and reach for that shining star ahead of her.

Three steps away.

But as Nice Nature took one step closer, she noticed something. Teio’s footsteps had dug deeper into the turf.

Two steps away.

A foreboding feeling washed over her, one that told her that Teio hadn't gone all out. A spark still remained within her, waiting for the right time to explode.

One step.

With a thundering step that shook the earth, Teio’s figure ignited with a burst of speed.

[Sky-High Teio Step]

Dash!

“400 meters! Tokai Teio pushes ahead, taking the lead! Nice Nature’s hot on her tail, but can she chase her before the finish line?”

Nice Nature couldn’t hide her shock. Just when she was within her reach, the one-step difference between them had stretched once more. Her hands that had relaxed clenched tightly.

‘Yeah, if beating her was that easy, I wouldn’t be down in the dumps this entire time.’

Her eyes regained their focus, but her heart refused to settle. Its beat continued to ring in her ears without any sign of letting up. The sensation felt foreign to her, and she couldn’t help but feel puzzled by it. However, it didn’t take long for Nice Nature to figure out the intent behind her heartbeat.

The star that seemed so distant in the sky, one that felt so impossible to reach—the unfathomable distance between them was finally cut down to a mere two lengths. How could her heart remain calm upon this realization?

‘I can catch up to her!’

Her heart continued to beat fervently with this newfound thrill. Strength coursed through her legs as she pushed herself forward once more.

“300 meters! Nice Nature’s chasing after Teio from the outside! What incredible pressure!”

The distance between them began to shrink, but the finish line was approaching even faster. Nice Nature could feel it—she wouldn’t make it in time.

‘Even after all that struggle… is second all I can get?’

In all honesty, it was an improvement. She would break her streak of third place in Arima Kinen of all places, losing only to Tokai Teio. She had even put up a close fight against her. No matter how she looked at it, this would be a respectable outcome.

This race isn’t the end of her path, after all. She would learn from this outcome, improve herself, and achieve a better result in the future. The path ahead of her is full of thorns, and this is merely the first trial she’ll have to overcome later. So shouldn’t accepting this defeat be just fine?

‘...Like hell that’s fine!’

Nice Nature wiped away those thoughts instantly. She no longer wanted to accept her own excuses just to protect her petty pride. The burning determination inside her refused to be buried anymore. Besides, didn’t she promise to everyone back then that she’s not going to lose? She couldn’t allow herself to throw that promise away.

‘I want to win this race, no matter what! But just how do I…!’

Nice Nature’s desperation continued to boil as the finish line approached. Her eyes continued to scan ahead, looking for any method to push through. However, the sight of Tokai Teio in front of her remained unchanging. It was a familiar sight that she’d seen countless times from her countless defeats. At this point, she might’ve seen how Teio ran more often than Teio herself.

“You pay attention to others a lot, don’t you?”

A subtle warmth enveloped her as a certain memory played in her mind. Nice Nature couldn’t help but scoff at the perfectly timed retort, but she didn’t understand why she remembered it now of all times.

“Right, I’d say that’s one of your strengths.”

Was her observation really such an amazing thing for her trainer to regard it as one of her strengths? Just what is it that she was supposed to do with it?

“But you know, if you only look at others, you won’t be able to see yourself.”

As the memory continued to nag at her, she couldn’t help but agree with it. The world around her seemed to slow into a crawl as she finally began to look at herself. This red scarf… no, this extension of herself still puzzled her. She didn’t fully understand what it was or how it manifested itself, but she understood how to utilize it to an extent.

First, it calmed her mind with the warmth that she had received from everyone around her. Next, it carried her memories so she won’t forget them ever again. Finally, it allowed her to draw strength from her memories to push forward with determination. All her desires had coalesced and taken form as this red scarf.

But was that all there is to it?

“I want to be more.”

No, there was one remaining desire in her heart. The single-minded envy that was stuck rewatching that worn-out race footage was still a part of her. Without it, her past self wouldn’t have continued struggling through her defeats.

‘No matter how ugly this desire might be… you’re also the reason why I’m still here today, aren’t you?’

If this desire was warped, then she only needed to set it straight. She began to embrace the envy rooted in her heart.

Slither.

Red tendrils like yarn slowly began to crawl up from her heart. The memories contained within it were filled with envy and pain from her defeats.

Crawl.

The red tendrils moved toward her scarf and knitted themselves into it. From them, her years of defeat began to play before her eyes. Her heart ached, as if a pang of static shock had crossed her heart. But she persisted and accepted them. Within these memories of defeat, she desperately searched for the key to break through.

A bitter smile formed on her lips when she noticed how Teio would pull ahead in her memories. She had always seen how Teio would burst ahead in a chase to take the lead, but today was the first time she had seen it up close. When she recalled that burst of speed, she couldn’t fathom how she could possibly catch up to her.

‘...Catch up to her? Was that all I wanted?’

Nice Nature’s clenched fist tightened upon this realization. She finally realized her goal had been twisted. She had gotten so used to being behind that she only thought of catching up to Teio.

While Teio had always been running to surpass those in front of her, she had only been running to catch up to her. That difference between “catching up” and “surpassing” was the reason for the gap between them.

In that moment, a flash of inspiration struck her mind. Nice Nature’s steps began to dig deeper into the turf, mirroring the one she had seen before. She finally found the key she needed to close that gap between them. Her eyes faced forward, not toward Teio, but toward the finish line ahead of her.

[Effloresced E.G.O::Soaring Memories]

The ends of the scarf fluttered behind her, as if a pair of wings had grown behind her back. It was a pitiful pair of wings, filled with faults and its feathers crooked here and there. Nevertheless, it was a complete pair of wings that she could call her own.

With it, she took her first step to surpass the sky.

[Memories of Sky-High Teio Step]

Dash!

“200 meters! Nice Nature surges forward once again! It’s going to be a close finish between Nice Nature and Tokai Teio!”

“A-Am I seeing things?! It’s almost as if I could see a red blur trailing behind her!”

She didn’t pay any mind to the commentator or the crowds. Right now, all that exists to her are herself, the figure in front of her, and the finish line. She pushed herself harder, determined to reach the finish line even a millisecond faster.

“Is it Teio?! Nature! Teio! Nature! Nature—!”

She took one step at a time, similar to what she’d done thousands of times for the past few years. On her way here, she had taken several wrong turns and ended up walking around in circles. She repeated multiple mistakes and wallowed in despair before telling herself to be satisfied with what she achieved.

However, she went against her own words and continued on. Everyone around her guided her steps, the defeats she gathered became her stepping stones, and her envy urged her forward. Step by step, her own footprints carved a path on the turf.

It was a winding path filled with dead ends. The color red painted the path, permeating into the turf grass. However, its colors didn’t bear sorrow and regrets that dripped like blood. Instead, it contained a shade of warmth that pulled the attention of anyone who laid their eyes upon it. That thread of yarn, filled with a myriad of memories, will no longer lose its way. It will continue to reach for the skies, not to bleed it dry, but to find its place next to the other stars in the sky.

That, is her conviction.

Thump.

“—Nice Nature!”

A voice pulled her consciousness back, a different one from the calm and unknown voice that she had heard before. This one was filled with excitement, making her wonder just what could possibly cause the person behind it to be overtaken with such intense emotions.

“Nice Nature crossed the finish line by one length! Years of persistence culminating into victory! Today, she is the winner of Arima Kinen!”

“...I won?”

She desperately gasped for air as her mind finally processed the view in front of her. An open track laid bare before her without anyone else within it—undeniable proof of her victory. No matter how many times she blinked, thinking that she was seeing things, the sight captured by her eyes remained the same. The ringing in her ears began to cease, capturing the roar of cheers from the crowd.

“Natieeee!!!”

“That’s some amazing run right there, Natie!”

“Oooh, she finally did it… Sniff…”

Among the thousands in the crowd, she noticed familiar people from the shopping district. Their cries of joy made her wonder if the people from her hometown are watching her right now. She could bet that they would be clamoring by themselves, proudly holding the tablet that they were using to watch the race.

She wanted them to thank them all for being with her all these years. However, words couldn’t convey the intricate emotions boiling inside her heart. So she decided to do something that she could only do at this very moment.

Nice Nature pointed toward the crowd with the brightest smile that she could muster.

With this gesture, she wanted to tell them that she couldn’t possibly be here without any of them. With this smile, she wanted to shine as bright as she could for the people that had watched over her. This embarrassing pose that would probably make her cringe and kick her bedsheets at night was done with the hopes of repaying everyone for the memories that allowed her to reach this moment.

““WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!””

The crowd’s cheer exploded with excitement against Nice Nature’s winning pose. Surprised by the sudden outburst, Nice Nature ended up reeling back with her eyes widened.

“Wow, everyone’s reaction sure is intense, haha…” she muttered to herself.

However, she couldn’t blame them for their reaction. Even now, her heart still pounded from the rush, and the corner of her lips wouldn’t stop going up. This victory felt different from the ones she had ever had before, which she had dismissed as luck. Right now, she can proudly claim this victory as her own. This moment was everything that she had ever wanted.

“Whew… Congrats, Natie! That was an incredible run!”

…No, there was one more thing left, wasn’t there?

She turned toward Tokai Teio, who had called her. Although Teio had congratulated her with a smile, Nice Nature still noticed the trace of frustration lingering within her expression. Face-to-face against this side of Teio that she never thought would be directed at her, Nice Nature found herself unable to figure out what to say.

Is it right for her to accept Teio’s congratulations when she was the one that took it right before her? Or is she supposed to console her? Her mind felt like a mess from exhaustion, so she decided to say something from her heart instead.

“You ran really well too. Seeing you ahead of me… it made me push myself harder than I thought I could.”

She truly meant it from her heart. After facing off against Teio’s entire strength, Nice Nature felt that she had discovered so much more about herself. Without her, she didn’t think that she could run as well as she did earlier. Perhaps this red scarf would’ve remained rooted inside her heart, forever buried under her sorrows.

A hint of surprise flashed onto Teio’s expression before she replied, “That scarf… I’m not really sure what happened to you, but when you passed me, you felt… like me?”

“Like you? What do you mean?” Nature asked, a hint of confusion audible in her voice.

“It was like I was looking into a mirror. From that spurt and the look in your eyes, it made me figure out that you must’ve watched me so much, to the point where I could feel myself from the way you run.”

Her words caused Nice Nature to blush. Hearing Teio talk about how much Nature had been watching her made her wish she could bury her own head into the ground out of shame. How else was she supposed to react when her entire thought had been laid bare in front of her in the midst of the race? She ended up burying her face under her scarf to hide her blushing cheeks.

Unaware of Nature’s thoughts, Teio added, “But you know, that makes us pretty similar, then!”

Nice Nature peeked out of her scarf. “...Hm? How so?”

“Because I have to watch out for you the entire time as well! Whenever we’re racing against each other, I can always feel you right behind me. Then I would always think, ‘Uwaaah, if Natie passes me, I don’t think I can catch up!’ so I would get even more motivated and run even faster! And it really happened today! It made me wish that I could run just like you!” Teio explained excitedly.

Now it was Nice Nature’s turn to be surprised. Had Teio always been looking out for her like that? Was that explosion of speed she had witnessed countless times a result of her own performance? Knowing that the envy rooted within her heart had been a two-way relationship felt so ridiculous that she couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

“Ha… That means we’ve always been pushing each other to our limits, then,” Nature said.

“Yeah! So I’ll make sure to push past my limit and beat you next time!” Teio replied.

Nice Nature had never thought that the day where Teio declared to beat her would come. She couldn’t help but wonder just how far both of them could go while chasing after each other. Her heart continued to race as she looked forward to their next race.

“Okay, bring it! Now that I won against you, I guess I can be your rival now, right?” Nature declared.

Teio tilted her head with a confused look on her face. “You’ve always been my rival, though. I always know that you’ll be able to get past me if I don’t take you seriously. Um, well, you did pass me today! But! That just means I’ll have to take you even more seriously, right?!”

“Just how the heck are you gonna do that?” Nice Nature ended up responding to Teio’s reply in exasperation. A streak of mischief struck her mind, pushing her to one-up Teio. “You know what? That means I’ll have to take you super duper seriously, then!”

“Gah, no way! I can’t just let myself lose this early! But what’s more super than ‘super duper’?” Teio held her head as she ruminated on it.

“...Pfft! Ahaha!”

Despite her best efforts, Nice Nature failed to contain her laughter.

“Heeey, are you really laughing after beating me?!” Teio complained.

Nice Nature wiped a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye. “Ahaha… No, that’s not it, haha. It’s just that… I’m feeling really happy right now.”

Not only did she win the Arima Kinen against Teio, she could also hold her head high proudly and look forward to her next race against her as rivals. Her heart felt lighter than ever before. She never knew that she could be this happy in her life.

Her fingertips softly brushed the scarf on her neck. She wanted to carve even more happy memories in her path. With victory in hand, under the cheers of the crowds, and standing next to her rival, she promised to always remember this precious memory, no matter how difficult things might get in the future.

From the crowds, Aoi Kiryuin, Happy Meek, and I ended up watching the race end on our feet, worried that we would miss a single moment of the race. A look of surprise still remained on our faces even after every single runner had crossed the finish line.

“Wow, that run at the homestretch was something else! What do you think, Meek?” Aoi asked.

“It was amazing. I can’t really explain it, but it felt as if that final spurt contained every single part of herself…” Happy Meek nodded, her eyes filled with thoughts. However, it didn’t take long for her resolve to return. “...but I’m not going to back down if we ever meet on the track.”

“Good, that’s the spirit!” Aoi smiled back at her. She turned her head toward me and asked, “Your trainee did really well! Congratulations to both of you! But... are you alright? You don’t look very well…”

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s been a long day, that’s all,” I let out a chuckle at her question before holding the red scarf around my neck. Its sensation on my fingertips slowly calmed my rapidly beating heart and eased my exhausted mind. Relief slowly washed over me as I laid my arms over the stand’s barrier in front of me and watched over Nice Nature.

I guess I can’t really hide my exhaustion. After all, it felt like I’ve been running around nonstop for days without any chance to rest. Every time I turned the clock back, I would wake up in my bed in the morning. Although my body still felt refreshed from its rest, my mind never had the chance to take a break since I had to help Nice Nature within the limited amount of time that I had.

On the first loop, I tried contacting the people from Nice Nature’s hometown, thinking that their support could get Nature out of her slump. However, it seemed that they were stranded on their way to watch the race due to a train malfunction. With none of them understanding how to do a video call, I was left to encourage Nice Nature by myself. I failed.

On the second loop, I tried giving them a different train route to reach the racetrack with my knowledge from the previous loop. I thought that by doing so, they could avoid the malfunctioning train and arrive in time to help Nice Nature. However, the train that they rode ended up malfunctioning as well, despite the fact that the route I gave them was working perfectly fine on the previous loop. I tried to have them encourage Nice Nature through a phone call, but it didn’t have too much of an effect. I failed.

On the third loop, I began to despair. My struggles to overturn Nice Nature’s ending felt like a pair of hands trying to stop a flowing river. Any attempts made against it would fail, as if her transformation had been ordained by fate itself. While one might think that I only need to keep trying until I find the one path that leads to a happy ending, uncertainty was brewing within my heart.

With every failure, I had to watch as Nature gave in to her sorrows again and again. Although I was doing this for the sake of Nature’s happiness, it almost seemed like I was only making her suffer eternally in time. Just how long must she continue to live in this cycle of despair? Was this really the right thing to do? Would dispelling her transformation and consoling her sorrows be a better ending than continuing to drown in it without an end in sight? I was left wandering around Tracen twiddling my thumb on my phone with my mind muddled.

Before I realized it, I found myself wandering toward the Three Goddesses statue. I wasn’t too surprised, given it wasn’t the first time this had happened to me. But what surprised me was the fact that there were already two other Umamusumes there—Maruzensky and Agnes Tachyon. It was an odd pair for sure, but in a moment of desperation, I asked for their help to deliver my tablet to the train station.

It was a plan with too many flaws, made up of “maybe”s. Maybe they could reach the train station in my stead. Maybe a video call would work better than a phone call. Maybe…

Maybe they could overturn this twisted fate.

As they agreed to help me and take their leave, I turned toward the Three Goddesses statue. I thanked them for granting this encounter with Maruzensky and Agnes Tachyon, then earnestly wished that Nice Nature would be able to complete Arima Kinen with her own strength.

When I finally left to accompany Nice Nature to the race, I began to see the thread of fate slowly untangling. Although I received an update that Maruzensky’s car was suddenly having problems, I was also informed that Tachyon had made her way to the train station on foot.

After that, everything seemed to go by in a flash. The video call with the people from Nice Nature’s hometown, her renewed determination, the blooming strength that she achieved with her own will, and then finally, her victory. The moment everything finally came to an end, when Nature could smile brightly on the racetrack, a sense of relief washed over me. After seeing that smile, I was convinced that my failed attempts weren’t a waste.

That nightmarish, barren abyss born from defeat no longer existed. The tears formed by her envy that bled and tore the sky had been replaced by smiles and laughter. What else could a trainer possibly want more than seeing their trainee’s happiness?

I clutched the alarm clock inside my coat. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth after confirming the clock no longer bore the golden hue that it had in the past loops. Although this power was undoubtedly helpful, I sincerely hoped that there would be a time where I never have to use it again. Even though I turned back time, even though her choice to forsake herself has been reverted, and even though no one else would ever know what happened, it didn’t erase the fact that it had happened.

Tick.

The bleeding sky and the lonesome creature in the barren abyss flickered in front of my eyes. Her anguished cries rang in my ears and shook the empty seats around us.

Tock.

The cloudy winter sky returned while Nice Nature talked happily to Tokai Teio on the track. The crowd’s cheer still rang around me, filling the air with overflowing excitement.

The twisted form that she embraced lingered with me, the only remaining witness to its existence. Perhaps this was the price that I had to pay for turning back time. These haunting memories would always return in my happiest moments, reminding me of the failures that I had wiped away to reach this happy ending. In a way, maybe this was the embodiment of her sorrows, “The Sky-Tearing Defeatist.”

However, I had never intended to forget my failures in the first place. I’ll continue to remember my mistakes and grow from them, just as my trainee had done. While a trainee learns from their trainer, who says that a trainer can’t learn from their trainee?

I watched Nice Nature’s smile and burned it into my memory. If my failures are intent on haunting me, then I’ll surround myself with my source of happiness. The resolve I held against that voice hadn’t faltered. I still wished for my trainees to run as far as they could with their own strength. As long as they feel the same way, I’ll turn back the clock as much as they need.

I placed the alarm clock back into my coat and took a paper origami trophy out of my pocket. The faint sheen on the origami trophy’s foil seemed to shine brighter today. Coincidentally, Nice Nature managed to find me among the crowd and began waving at me with a bright smile. I returned her wave as a thought crossed my mind—that at this moment, there’s no doubt that she is the main character.

“Congratulations on your happy ending, Nature.”