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Tamamo let out an exhausted sigh as she slumped down on the bed, her hands falling beside her as she felt the tension leaving her body. She could feel the stress of the race from earlier that day slowly seeping out of her, her previously heavy, tired breaths evening out.
Oguri walked into the room and flicked the light switch on, an eyebrow raising as she looked at the other Uma in a starfish position on their shared bed, looking absolutely out of it. Compared to her rival, Oguri never seemed to have trouble with her stamina, always coming out of her races barely breaking a sweat. It was no wonder why people looked up at her.
Wordlessly, Oguri let out a sigh and set their groceries on the table nearby, delicately placing her hair pin next to the plastic bag, before coming to sit down next to Tamamo, offering nothing but her presence as comfort to the tired Uma.
Neither of them said anything for a long time, only basking in the cold, air-conditioned room and each other's presence. It was almost like the heated rivalry between them had melted away, long forgotten and left behind in the tracks with shoeprints that came from spurts fueled with competition. Competition that had somehow been ignored with every night spent together—every caress of skin and squeeze of reassurance that only further blurred the line between racing rivals and... something more genuine.
Were they rivals? Maybe.
Were they friends? Not exactly.
Were they lovers?
...Either of them could've choked at that question.
But that wasn't exactly a denial, was it? Oguri held out her hand, an offering for Tamamo to take or to reject. Her eyes were filled with a quiet kind of vulnerability—the kind that said, "Do you trust me?" just with a gentle run of fingers through hair.
...And Tamamo took it. Her fingers slowly curling around Oguri's as she was helped up by her "rival".
...Maybe a bath would be nice.