Chapter Text
Nice Nature was a good runner, even she wasn’t dense enough to not see that.
Sure, having a third-place average across all her scrimmages wasn’t the same as winning, but it was pretty damn close, and there were plenty worse positions she could’ve been finding herself in.
So why hadn’t she found a trainer yet?
It was a question she’d been mulling over to herself in the months since the Tryouts. It hadn’t been particularly shocking on the day, but in the time since then? It just made no sense.
If anything, she’d gotten better since the tryouts, with the number of trainers who skulked the grounds every day, surely one of them should’ve noticed her efforts by now.
But, since none of that had happened, she found herself in the present day – sat alone at a local bar, tired of it all, and halfway through her third cranberry juice.
The place itself was nice, warmly lit and quite spacious, and they played English jazz songs over the speakers. It’d become semi-routine for Nature to spend her nights there, away from the constant commotion of Tracen Academy—just a peaceful environment for letting her mind wander.
–
At the Tryouts, she remembered the crowd of trainers, all looking for a new trainee, all with their eyes on Tokai Teio. Hovering around her like vultures to a carcass, desperate for any chance to share in her limelight.
Nature looked on, savouring every piece of sporadic eye contact that escaped the swarm, before it ducked back into its mass.
She wasn’t approached, even once.
–
There was resentment there. Nothing strong by any means, but enough to tell Nature she would’ve been picked if it hadn’t been for that prodigy snagging all the attention.
Or maybe she wouldn’t have. Maybe it would’ve ended up like this no matter what. It was already November; if she were gonna find someone to take her in, it would’ve happened already. Nature had considered the thought many times, but only now did it feel like a reasonable conclusion.
She wasn’t good enough.
She couldn’t stand it anymore, she brought her palms to her forehead and screamed her frustrations at the roof.
She hadn’t been paying attention to how many people were in the bar, but she hoped it wasn’t too many.
“Nature!” the bartender exclaimed, “Are you okay? Did something happen?”
Already trying to regain her composure, she batted her wrist in his direction, “Oh, you’re a sweetheart for worrying, Kaito, but there’s really no need. Just… thought of something embarrassing from my youth”.
His eyes lingered on her as he stepped away. She almost cut her losses and got up to leave when a deep voice came from her right.
“Sounds like I’m not the only one having a bad night, ya wanna talk about it?”
Nature’s head spun around to find a man — lean and lanky — in a grey suit-vest towering over her from two stools down. He had olive skin and curly black hair cut short and proper; if it weren’t for the babyface and goofy wave he was giving her, she might’ve assumed he was a wealthy businessman.
But looking closer, he might’ve even been younger than her.
“Sorry, bud, but there’s nothing to see here.” She shooed him away.
“That was one heck of a yell, your trainer been treating ya alright?”
Nature paused, cursing herself for not changing out of her Tracen uniform before leaving. She could tell his concern was genuine, but she also really didn’t want to spill her guts in that place a second time that night.
She needed an easy out.
“Trust me, if I had a trainer, they’d have no choice but to treat me right.” Putting her hands on her hips like she believed it. “Now if there’s no other-”
“You don’t have a trainer yet?” He was just as surprised as she was by his response. “Cutting it pretty close if you want to do the Classics next year.”
Crap
She’d already said too much, she should just cut it and leave, and hopefully never end up in this position agai-
“Why do you care? It’s not like you’re a trainer.” uuuuuuughhhhhh… here it comes…
“Well, firstly,” He leaned in a little, “I care because you seem real bummed about it, and I’m in the mood to help someone out. And secondly…” He swiftly unclipped something from his vest and slid it over to Nature, “I am also a trainer.”
Nature picked it up, and her heart skipped a beat. It was a national trainer badge, A TRACEN ONE no less! “How- Who- Why haven’t I seen you around before?” Her eyes shot between him and the badge in rapid succession.
“Funny story about that, I actually just moved to Tokyo this morning. I was supposed to get here quite a bit earlier, but a combination of family emergencies and trouble securing accommodation left me with a series of delays.” His confidence faded the longer the sentence went on. “You’re actually the first Tracen student I’ve met in person, don’t know if you’d call that an honour, but you’re certainly welcome to.”
To Nature’s chagrin, that got a snort out of her.
“Since you’re so honoured to meet me, supposedly, would you mind telling me your name?” Handing the badge back to him, which he promptly returned to his vest.
“If you want to, you can call me Trainer, otherwise it’s Matsushita Kazuki.”
“Nice Nature, it’s a pleasure.”
With another round of juices ordered, Nature and Kazuki chatted away, far into the evening. As much as she didn’t expect it, she found herself at ease talking with him. He even got her complaining about her struggles with finding a trainer, and she wasn’t worried about regretting it tomorrow. Well… maybe a little.
“Still! It’s really strange that someone with your skill hasn’t been picked up by anyone yet. Any idea what’s causing that?”
Nature peered over the top of her now fifth cranberry juice that night, noting the ripples in her crimson reflection.
“I think they can sense my drive, or lack thereof. They don’t like that my goals are feasible and realistic.”
She saw him tilt his head in her peripheral vision.
“Realistic how?”
“You know just… not the Arima Kinen, I guess.”
After a long sip, Nature realised he was waiting for her to continue.
“And- that’s all…” she groaned. Even the bartender gave her a raised eyebrow for that one.
There was silence between them for a moment, just enough for Nature to hope that the topic of discussion had ended.
“Do you mean in terms of races you can win?”
Nature’s breath hitched; of course, it wasn’t over. “Hey hey now, don’t go digging for more gossip. I already told you that was all.”
“Would you still race if you didn’t know you could win?”
“Of course I would! Why would I go into a race thinking I’m gonna win?”
The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees the moment the words left Nature’s lips.
The trainer’s expression appeared… pensive, wait, why did it look pensive?
“Hey!” She blurted out, “What’s with the look? What’d I say?”
The bar music faded into the background as Nature watched him bring his fingers to the pronounced ridge of his nose. He let out a deep sigh before finally meeting her gaze; his dark brown eyes were soft and full of unmistakable pity.
“Oi! If you have something to say, just come out with it!”
He sculled the rest of his juice before he spoke, “Nice Nature,” she nodded, “I want to be your trainer.”
The world around them faded away, leaving black nothingness in every direction. “Huh?”
“My one condition is that you make an attempt to go into every race believing you can win.”
“B-but…”
“Can you do that, Nature?”
He spoke with a steady rhythm, certainty dripping from every syllable. He couldn’t really be serious, could he? Nothing about their previous conversation had suggested this was a joke to him, so why?
Nature sputtered, “D-don’t you need to see me run first? See my form, take my times, any of that?”
“We can sort that out tomorrow if you’d like.”
“Why would you even want me as a trainee? All you’ve seen me do is drink juice and complain.”
“It was good juice, and you have fair things to complain about-”
She quickly spun to face him, “If this is a joke, it’s a really cruel one. Just… tell me if it is…”
As quickly as it happened, Nature was back facing forward in her seat, acting as the pinnacle of calm. “Please…”
The trainer stared blankly for a moment before shaking his empty glass. “Ya want another drink?”
All Nature could do was nod. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he ushered the bartender over to order the drinks. Only when the bartender had left did he speak up.
“Nature, the reason I’m offering to be your trainer isn’t some vindictive ploy for my own amusement, and I think you know that. No, my reason is I believe you can be great-”
“Oh, you really don’t need to-”
“Nah nah, wait. I’ve got a point.” Resteadying himself, he continued, “You mentioned getting third in a bunch of scrimmages, that means you were sticking to the pack of what were likely quite accomplished runners.”
“Yeah, I guess, McQueen and Ryan are pretty incredible.”
He snapped his fingers. “There you go! All supposedly done while not believing you can win.” He leaned in again, his expression warm as freshly baked bread, “If you’ll let me, I wanna help you beat those doubts.” He held out an open palm, patiently waiting for the redhead to return the gesture.
Time slowed as she stared at the gesture. His hand was large and calloused, enticing her with outlandish promises. It shook in place the longer she observed – the nerves of the situation clearly not lost on him. Letting out a deep sigh, the girl was brought back to the present.
“Well, you’ve certainly done your job buttering me up. I guess I can give it a go.” With trained restraint, she took his hand in hers, and a partnership was born.
“Now let’s win the Arima Kinen!” he said with a smirk.
“Geez! You can’t just say things like that, we’re in public!” she replied, barely hiding her instant regret.
–
Time moved far more quickly for Nice Nature from then on. In a matter of weeks, she’d already debuted and won her second Maidan race. She played off the win as best she could, but even with the edges of her mouth betraying her on a few occasions. Not the end of the world as long as no one saw.
–
December 1990:
“I’m just saying you could get a lot of mileage out of something like this, beats the plain greys I’m always finding you wearing.”
“I mean, fair, but…” Kazuki held the vest out in front of the mirror, “...are you sure about leopard print? Isn’t it a little… flashy for someone like me?”
Nature waved her hand dismissively. “Noooooo, trust! The orange will look great on a youngster like you.” She shared a look with the clerk, who was giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Her trainer was growing more jittery by the second; it took everything for the redhead to keep a straight face through her lines.
“Hey Kimie! Would it be alright if we came back for this one? We’ve still got a bit to look at.” Nature said, finally relenting.
The teasing was fun, but she also wanted her trainer to buy something he’d actually wear. The constant greys and darker greys had gotten to her far more than she was willing to admit.
A few stores down, her trainer finally inhaled. “I think my colour’s green.”
“What?”
“Green, it definitely suits me better than orange.” Quickly undoing his top button to pull through the necklace he was wearing. Sure enough, at the end of the string was a shiny green stone in the shape of a spiral.
Nature gave him a quick one-over, “Huh, I think you’re right! Guess we can’t go back for that leopard print now.” She smirked.
“Oh no, the horror.” He feigned.
A subdued laugh was shared between the duo as Nature pulled Kazuki to another store.
–
January 1991:
Kazuki sat with practised ease as Nature re-entered her green room. She’d done great; he had no reason to be stern with her. That usual smile latched itself to Nature’s mouth as they made eye contact. She walked to the centre of the room with a slight stagger – something he’d have to inspect before she left again.
“Well, that’s that then,” she said with a shrug, “Can’t say I didn’t try, even if it was stupid to in the first place.”
His eye twitched a bit at that comment. “You did great out there.”
“Sure…”
She let herself free-fall onto the couch with a thud, the shine fading from her eyes as she stared blankly at the ceiling.
The Wakagoma Stakes – Nature’s first Open Grade race. When Kazuki had signed her up for it, they’d both been excited. A relatively easy win to secure her position in the Satsuki Sho, or it would’ve been, if Tokai Teio hadn’t shown up.
The monster of her generation.
It wasn’t a surprise that when The Monarch burst off in the last 200 meters, there was no catching her.
She crossed the line in third place.
“Sorry…” Nature grumbled, “...I know… I know you were hoping for a different outcome, but this… this is the unfortunate reality of being a side character like me. And I guess being associated with me, in your case.”
Not even the echoing cheers of Teio’s adoring fans kept them safe from their own silence.
–
April 1991:
Finding seats around lunch time was always a challenge in Tracen’s cafeteria, and one of the rare tasks made easier by Nature’s injury. Not being able to hold her own tray meant it was her job to find seating, while Ikuno Dictus grabbed food for both of them.
Perching herself at one of the window seats, she lay down her crutches and turned to see the chestnut braid of her friend bobbing from side to side in her direction. Her round rimmed glasses fogged up slightly as she positioned both trays on the table – each stacked absurdly high.
“I picked these dishes with your recovery in mind. The salmon and green salad will be especially good for fighting the inflammation in your legs. I suggest you finish all of it.” Ikuno ordered, with an almost robotic cadence.
“Thanks, Ikuno, I will… certainly try to.” Nature said, prompting a satisfied nod from Ikuno, before they both began eating.
The quality of Tracen’s cafeteria food was something Nature was never going to get over. Given the portion sizes required for umamusume compared to regular humans, most places could only serve low-grade food while maintaining the absurd quantities. Some places would outright refuse to serve umas as a result.
Being able to leave a meal satisfied was a privilege Nature rarely took lightly.
“So,” Ikuno spoke up suddenly, “The Korura Kinen, do I have that correct?”
“Mhmm!” The redhead mumbled through a mouthful of salmon.
With a quick gulp, she elaborated, “My trainer thinks it will be a good confidence boost for me, as well as a step to qualify for the Kikuka Sho. You know, assuming it all goes well…”
The chestnut nodded while adjusting her glasses, “The logic is sound, and given your expected recovery time, you should be in top form by the date of the race. I will enjoy running against you, Nature.”
“Eeehh?! You’re in the-” shame washed over Nature as she slumped in her seat, “Of course, of course you would- and you caught me acting all confident, meanwhile you’re… sorry…”
Ikuno shook her head vigorously, “Don’t be, it’s good that you want to win, makes calling you my rival worth it.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that. I haven’t done anything worth being called a rival.”
“Hmm, in that case, beat me at the Korura Kinen. That way, I have no choice but to call you my rival.” A thin smile curled on the chestnut’s otherwise serious face.
“Hmpth, fine, just don’t have any high expectations, okay?”
–
October 1991:
Nature stared down at her parfait, the one her trainer had gotten her to celebrate her victory. Only when the first bite passed her lips did it all sink in; she was on a winning streak. Not only that, a winning streak of graded races, a G3 and G2 back to back.
At the start of the year, she would’ve been lucky to win an ungraded race, and here she was with a strawberry-flavoured victory overwhelming her taste buds.
Trainer Matsushita was happily snacking away opposite her, looking as on top of the world as she felt. The look on his face when she took gold at the Kyoto Shimbun Hai was priceless, if only she’d thought to take a photo.
Her mother called earlier, far more excited than she could handle at the time; she’d have to call her back now that things had settled down. Hm… “Uh, Trainer?”
“Hmm?” He replied, looking up from his parfait.
“Have you heard anything from your family since the race?” Kazuki froze at the question just long enough for Nature to regret asking. “It’s just my Mom called me earlier to congratulate me, and just thought you might’ve… got something similar…” Nature dropped off as she subtly buried herself in her hair.
“Oh! Yeah! Right, sorry, that just took me off guard, don’t think you’ve ever asked me about my family before.” He replied, rubbing the back of his head.
Hadn’t she?
“But yeah! My sister called earlier.”
“Wow, I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“Mhm, that’s what asking is for.” He muttered, enjoying how embarrassed this conversation was making the redhead.
“What about your parents?”
Her trainer squinted a little, “Ehhhhh, my Mum doesn’t trust technology, and my Dad’s… not in my life.”
Oh…
“I still see my Mum pretty often, so I’ll just tell her next time she’s around.”
Not knowing how to follow that up, Nature returned her attention to her dessert, as did Kazuki shortly after.
“Not really a topic fit for victory parfaits, is it?” He jested.
Nature took a moment to swallow before shaking her head, “It’s good to know, though I will certainly admit to a lapse in my timing.” she chuckled.
–
The Kikuka Sho flew by with minimal fanfare, not as though Nature was expecting to win that one. Trainer Matsushita seemed to think fourth was impressive, even if it meant being a backup dancer for Winning The Soul.
Still, something was festering within Nature that she couldn’t quite identify. Anger? Frustration? The desire for more? She already felt greedy for reaching as far as she had, her shiny dream, so close but just out of reach. As that space grew thinner, the more desperate for victory she became.
She was sick. A lustful creature grasping for dreams far beyond what she should be able to obtain. They weren’t hers, but that need to win spread over her like an infection, flushing her system of the guilt she’d clung to for so long.
–
December 1991:
The Arima Kinen approached.
With another G2 win under her belt and several months’ worth of stockpiled audacity, Nice Nature approached her trainer with one sentence in mind.
“Trainer Matsushita.” She asserted.
Her stance remained strong as he bent down to offer his attention.
“You told me just over a year ago that we’d win at the Arima Kinen…” He nodded, “It was a joke at the time, some far-off dream that I’d be stupid for even seeking.” She took a deep breath.
Here it goes
“...Today, I’m gonna win it for both of us.” An eyebrow twitched as she struggled to keep her composure, holding in place just long enough for the grin to stretch across her trainer’s face.
“Thank you, Nice Nature.” He replied through staggered breath. She looked up at the lanky behemoth of a man as he vibrated with the joy of a child. She definitely heard him squeeing down the hallway as he left her green room.
The sound of her cleats against hard ground echoed through the tunnel with each step. The desaturated emptiness beyond her green room served to contrast the roaring crowds outside. It gave Nature the time needed to psych herself up for the race ahead.
But also a chance to reflect.
In a year of expected lows and incomprehensible highs, there had been one constant throughout. She didn’t want to get sappy, obviously, but that gangly giant really had helped her a lot. He’d probably say something deflective like- “You’re the one who was actually running, all I did was stand on the side.” -the way he always did when given any gratitude.
They were the same in that way.
Even at the cost of himself, he’d always find ways to make Nature feel larger than life, which was pretty difficult with a frame like hers. One day during her recovery early in the year, he’d shown up to a meeting with this bag of viper powder to help with the inflammation. He didn’t tell her how much it cost, but the way his eyes dragged across the floor when asked told her enough.
He cared about her a lot. And as she emerged from the tunnel, into view of the Nakayama stands and the thousands of cheering attendees, she vowed to return his care tenfold.
–
–
–
Droplets of snow clung to the rental’s windshield as the sky outside faded to a bleak purple. The road back to Tokyo was a passage of mountainous terrain and lightless straights, which in the winter months required a concentration unsuited for speaking.
So they drove in silence.
–
Nature hit the fourth turn like a meteor entering orbit, each step leaving craters in the turf as she flew forth. Entering the final straight with plenty in her reserves, she kicked off.
Only to be met with a wall.
Suddenly, she was being pushed out wide by the momentum of the race while others had already begun their final sprint. Lagging as she was, the moment an opening hit her line of sight, she went for it. Her opponents became a blur as she soared past them on the homestretch, leaving just two in focus, the silver-haired McQueen, and the underdog Yusaku.
Pushing harder than she ever had, she moved to close the gap, becoming a blur in her own right, as the star she’d been chasing came clear into view.
Only to vanish before she could capture it.
The gap wasn’t closing.
She crossed the line in third place.
–
For the first time since her career started, Nature felt the full weight of her loss. It pinned her to her car seat like a boulder; it really hurt. Failure was a pain she’d allowed herself the leeway of expecting in its previous renditions; she felt dumb for not expecting it now.
With the car entering onto a straight, Nature decided it was as good a time as any to speak up. She inhaled and turned to face her trainer.
“Sorry.” they both said in unison.
As the situation clicked in both of their heads, all they could do was snicker to themselves. It was a single word, and it was all they needed for now.
Kazuki dropped Nature off at Tracen’s gate while he went to drop off the rental. They exchanged goodbyes and promised to review the racing footage the next day.
By the time the rental was dropped off, the sky had darkened, hiding the icy tempest that would hit later that night. A train ride and short walk later, Kazuki was back at the Tracen gates. With his apartment just a few hundred meters down the road, he decided to take a detour to the Three Goddesses Statue.
Small piles of snow and icy slips speckled the distance between the fountain and the gate, little omens for what would arrive by morning. Looking up again, the grey clouds rolled and twisted as they bundled in close, like they were showing off during the pre-game. They took so much of Kazuki’s attention that he almost tripped when he finally reached the statue.
He sat down on its rim.
There was a certain comfort that the statue brought him. Probably not in the same way it did for umamusume, but things seemed more manageable when he was around it. Like he wasn’t alone in his frustrations.
“It’s a bit late for lounging about…” A voice bellowed from the darkness.
As quickly as he could be on his feet, he stared in the direction from which the voice had come. A lone figure emerged from the night’s camouflage, a brown-haired umamusume with pink eyes and a white cowlick. “...Wouldn’t you say, Kazuki?” She looked up at him and smiled softly.
Kazuki sighed, “Hey, Rudolf,” he replied before sitting back down, “Think you could wait till you’re out of the darkness before you ominously call out to me?”
“Ahw psssh, you know that’s less funny.” She chuckled.
Symboli Rudolf – For a woman of her status and accomplishments, she’d been shockingly easy to talk to since Kazuki first arrived at Tracen. With the number of trainer meetings she attended, they’d both gotten to know each other quite well. So when she perched herself on the rim of the fountain right next to him, it felt as simple as friends meeting up after work.
“I was watching Nice Nature’s race today, quite an impressive showing for her, I imagine she took it quite well?” Rudolf surmised.
He grinned a little before he spoke, “As surprising as it is, not really. Nature made a big declaration to win before she went out, and I think losing really took the wind out of her sails.” He fiddled with his hands as he spoke.
Rudolf nodded knowingly, “I’m glad she finally found that fire of hers, just a shame it had to come during a loss, can’t say it’s good for one’s psyche.” She was right, the thought that Nature might shrink away from that fire in coming races had weighed on him the entire car ride home. “Have you spoken about it yet?”
The young man shook his head.
“Any idea what you’re going to say?”
“I’ve got ideas, but I’m not really sure about them. I want to let her know that she can play with the big dogs, that she had this… this spark today that was incredible to see. Watching her run in that final stretch, it was like a star was lighting her way as she ran.” For a moment, Rudolf tensed up. “Well, metaphorically, of course. But it was just amazing, and I don’t want her to lose that to her doubt.”
Rudolf composed herself before Kazuki could notice, “It sounds like you have anything you need. I look forward to the day she wins a G1.”
“Me too.” He went to lean back but quickly straightened up, slowly turning to give Rudolf a mischievous smirk.
“What’s that? Wha-what are you doing?” She snickled as he got up to face the Three Goddesses Statue.
With all the melodramatics of a Theatre Major, Kazuki closed his eyes and brought his hands up in the manner of a heartfelt prayer, leaving Rudolf cackling with laughter.
“And wha-What’s this supposed to be?!” She chortled.
“I’m praying for their guidance in helping Nature win a G1.” He said nonchalantly, somehow taking it less seriously than even Rudolf.
“You know- you-HAha” She took a deep breath, “You are aware that the Goddesses only grant the wills of umas righ-?” She fell silent before the end of her sentence.
“Well, Rudolf, as I keep saying to Nature, it doesn’t hurt to try.” He opened his eyes to find Rudolf collapsed to the ground in… was that fear?
He spun to look at the statue, eyes darting up to see…
…nothing.
It was the giant man’s turn to burst out laughing, “Oh GODDESSES Rudolf, don’t scare me like that!”
“...Noted…” she finally squeaked, barely above a whisper.
Kazuki looked to the gate, and then to his watch. “This was fun, but I should probably get going.” With a friendly wave and a golden twinkle in his eye, he sauntered off into the darkness.
The last thing he remembered from that night was Rudolf’s glare, burrowing into his back as he rounded the corner.