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King was, unfortunately, very easy to trick. Or maybe Sei was just that good at it.
While King was thinking to herself how much of an idiot she is to be roped into this, Sei walked ahead without a care in the world, as if this was just another casual stroll.
“Where, in the three Goddesses’ names, are we even going?” King asked, her annoyance slipping through again, for maybe the third or fourth time at this point.
Sei didn’t even look back. “Relax. We’re almost there.”
—
Around an hour ago, King was just sitting in the library, mindlessly scrolling on her phone with no end in sight. She didn’t have training today, and even if she did, she doubted that it would do her any good given her mood these past few days.
With her classic year ended and having obtained neither any of the Triple Crown or even a G1 win, she has been on the receiving end of all the scolding and harsh words that came from her mother. Rows after rows of messages that were meant to degrade her, pressuring her into quitting, telling her that she should just go back home before she embarrassed herself even more than she already did. King did try to listen to her trainer and paid little mind to the woman, but that didn’t really lessen the hurt King felt reading those words considering the fact that it came from her mother. How could she not? Her mother was a legendary umamusume who has 7 G1 wins under her name, King had a reputation to live up to, and a very large one at that. And yet there she was, struggling to even get a G2 win.
King’s thought was cut off by the sound of a chair scraping next to her. Seiun Sky. Somehow, Sei was able to track down King’s exact location in Tracen, she would’ve asked why but she decided against it.
“Heeyy Kingy, what’cha doing?” Sei stretched herself across the table where they were sitting.
King sighed. “Sei, if this is another one of your pranks then I’m not in the mood for it.”
The way Sei acted to those words would make people think that King had actually plunged a knife into her heart as she let out a gasp, putting both her hands on her chest, looking as dramatic as TM Opera O herself. “I can’t believe you would think of me as such a person.”
Rolling her eyes, King continued doomscrolling on her phone. “Then why are you here?”
Sei smirked, it was time to cast her rod. “Well it was just something I found that I thought you’d be interested in, it’s pretty first-rate if you ask me.”
King’s ears twitched slightly at the word “first-rate”, though to be completely honest, she only bought half of what Sei was saying. “What kinda thing?”
It seemed like the bait was working. “I can’t really describe it with words, it’s the kind of thing you have to see to understand.”
Figuring she had literally nothing else to do with her time, King decided to humor Sei a bit. “Alright then, where is this thing you speak of.” Hoping that either she would actually see something that is “first-rate” or at least something funny that Sei found.
“Alrighty then, off we go!” Sei stands up as she points towards the doors.
“To where exactly?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
—
Despite agreeing to this, King didn’t actually have a cohesive idea of where they were going or what she was going to see. At first, she simply thought that it would be something on Tracen’s ground, but as Sei began to lead her past familiar paths… and then beyond them, she began to have doubts on whether Sei’s words are to be trusted or not.
“…Where are we going exactly?”
“Just a little farther and we’re there, don’t you worry your fancy little head.” Sei replied as she let out a giggle.
King groaned quietly as she whispered. “This had better be worth my time,” before pulling out her phone.
Meanwhile, the mint-hair girl kept leading the way, often pointing out things she saw that interested her or just quietly hummed a little tune. Occasionally glancing back to make sure King was still there. Of course she was.
—
In all fairness, King could’ve realized that this was a horrible idea and would’ve turned back when the scenery around them started changing drastically. However, because King was still staring at her phone screen and deep in her thoughts, enveloped by her anxieties, she didn’t notice they were already extremely far away from Tracen before it was too late.
“What the- Where in the hell are we Sei?!” King asked calmly, according to Seiun Sky.
Sei stopped walking briefly to turn around and answer King’s question. “Hm? On our way to see that ‘thing’?”
King had then realized that she had been tricked again by Sei’s words into following her to god knows where. And to add salt to the wound, King had no clue on where they were at the moment. So whether she likes it or not, King had to follow Sei if she wished to go back.
How did King let this happen? It wasn’t like Sei said something that was so convincing and hypnotizing that it put King into a trance and followed her around mindlessly, she wasn't some kind of insect that would be attractive to bright lights that also has the word “first-rate” attached to it.
Or maybe it was simply because King liked Sei’s accompaniment. Being around that girl somehow always made King’s day just a bit better, she might be frustrating yes, but throughout all of Sei’s shenanigans, King always found herself entranced by the trickster girl. How could someone live such a carefree life that they can just nap all day and play little pranks on their friends? It was just something King can never wrap her head around. Maybe that’s why she’s so drawn to the girl, or maybe the reason has been in her face the entire time and she just can’t see it.
She didn’t say anything back, quietly accepting her fate.
—
Eventually, the scenery around them had changed enough that even King couldn’t ignore it anymore. The familiar buildings near Tracen were long gone, replaced by quiet roads and stretches of greenery that seemed to go on forever. The air felt different out here, less suffocating compared to how it was back at the academy, but far less reassuring.
King finally lowered her phone, her brows knitting together. “...Sei.”
“Hm?” Sei hummed, still walking a step ahead, hands behind her head like she didn’t have a care in the world.
“Exactly how far is this ‘thing’?”
Sei didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she slowed to a stop, rocking slightly on her heels as if she was doing some very serious calculation.
“Pretty far, I guess.”
King stared at her. “You guess?!”
Sei tilted her head, then glanced off toward the distant horizon, as if the answer might be written somewhere out there.
“I mean, we could walk the whole way…” she said thoughtfully.
A pause. King’s eye twitched. “…Seiun Sky.”
“Hm?”
“If you tell me right now that you planned to walk for hours without telling me-”
Sei clapped her hands together lightly, as if something had just occurred to her.
“Then let’s take the train.”
“…You’re unbelievable.”
Sei only grinned, already turning on her heel and gesturing forward. “C’mon, it’ll be faster this way.”
King let out a long, tired sigh, but followed anyway. After all, it’s not like she had a choice in this. Either she’ll get lost trying to find her way back, or she’ll see this through to the end and then scold Sei inside out later.
And so they both got on a train that, according to Sei, would take them to their destination, being as vague as ever.
As they sat down at their seats, King once again tried to inquire the bare minimum of information on their destination.
“Sei, can you please tell me where we’re heading already?”
“That’ll ruin the surprise now, won't it?”
King once again rolled her eyes. Defeated. Pulling her phone out, she started scrolling again.
—
As they sat there, Sei did try to make conversation to distract King from the fact that they’ve been traveling for what felt like forever. “Soooo, how are you and mom recently?” Sei wasn’t oblivious. She knew King’s relationship with her mother wasn’t exactly the most healthy thing in the world, and she probably isn’t helping much by bringing it up, but she felt like she needed to make sure all her bases were covered.
King sighed deeply as she heard Sei’s question, hesitant to answer but she did anyway. “It hasn’t really changed much since the last time you heard about it.”
Sei exhaled through her nose. “She’s still like that, huh?”
“Kind of, although it’s been worse after our classic year.”
Sei turned her head to King. "Hey, don't let it get to ya. She just doesn't get you."
"I've been trying to do that, impossible when she's my literal mother."
Sei didn’t say anything back, at least not immediately. She held her gaze on King for a moment before quietly looking forward, watching the scenery blur past the window, fields melting into streaks of green and gold, the occasional rooftop flashing by like a passing thought. It wasn’t that she didn’t have anything to say. She just chose not to. She let the silence stretch, giving the air between them time to breathe.
Finally, Sei exhaled softly through her nose and spoke, her voice quieter than before."Still, don't let it get ya down, 'kay, King?" She said, turning her head just enough to glance at King. "You ain't her after all."
Another second of silence lingered.
“…I know.”
—
After what seemed like an eternity, in fact, the sun was already beginning to set, slowly turning the sky into a shade of orange. Sei proudly declares that they’ve arrived at their destination. “Weeee’re here!”
King looked up to see where Sei had led her. It was a beach, a very wide one at that, in the distance she could even see a few boats, as well as the descending sun over the horizon. It wasn’t anything like the beach they would usually visit during their summer camp. There were no crowds, no trace of classmates or trainers, only the hush of waves stretching across an open, endless shore. Not that it was completely devoid of people however. To the right side of the beach, King could see a family of four having fun in the water, on the other side was a couple taking pictures. That being said, the area in front of them was completely free of people.
“C’mon, let’s go!” Sei said as she jumped down from the ledge that separated the road from the beach before running towards the water.
“He-Hey, wait!” King didn’t jump down instantly, instead opting to take off her shoes first and holding them in her hand before lowering her feet onto the sands.
King caught up to Sei, who was standing on the edge of the shore with her arms wide open, she had already settled her bag down on the sands. A gust of wind from the sea rushed past them in a cool, salty breath, causing both their hairs to flow with the breeze, King’s considerably more so. Sei had her eyes closed, breathing in deeply, then letting it out in a slow, quiet exhale. The corners of her lips curved, just barely, clearly being content with the beach she had chosen.
For once, Sei didn’t say anything. But her eyes opened again. And without thinking much of it, Sei glanced to the side. King was standing just a step behind her, one hand half-raised as if she had meant to fix her hair before the wind got to it first. Strands of hair slipped through her fingers, catching the light as they fluttered wildly around her face. There was a faint crease in her brows, annoyance, maybe, …no, definitely, but it softened in the open air, less sharp than usual.
Sei watched her for a second longer than she probably should have. Then she looked away. “…Nice, right?” she said casually, like nothing had happened.
“It’s not bad, I guess…” King responded quietly, almost as if not wanting Sei to hear.
“C’mon, let’s get in already.” Sei started to take off her shoes and subsequently her thighhighs, throwing them haphazardly on the sands near where she was standing, before slowly walking towards the water.
King, on the other hand, simply sat down. The sands felt soft beneath her as she set down her bag and shoes, …and she took out her phone again. To give Sei some credit, her plan of bringing King to this beach truly wasn’t actually bad in her eyes. The sounds of waves crashing against the shore and occasional wind breezing through did help King to distract herself from everything that’s been bothering her. But even after their long and exhausting trip, King still couldn’t let go of it. Her phone.
It had been the source of all her anxiety and worries for the past few days, King herself would even acknowledge that gluing her eyes to the screen isn’t really going to help her in any way. But even after everything, her fingers didn’t move to put the phone away. It wasn’t like she expected anything different. If anything, she already knew what she’d see the moment she unlocked it, more words that pressed down on her, more reminders of everything she wasn’t.
And yet…
Her thumb hovered over the screen, refreshing out of habit.
Just in case.
Just in case this time, it would be something else.
Something lighter. Something that didn’t make her chest feel so tight.
As long as she kept staring, she didn’t have to think. Didn’t have to face that quiet, lingering weight that even the sound of the waves couldn’t quite wash away.
The screen was harsh. But it was familiar.
And right now, that was enough to keep her from letting go.
—
“Come down, water’s nice.” Sei called out to King, already ankle deep in the sea.
King’s line of thought once again gets interrupted by Sei’s voice, she looks up to answer the other girl. “I think I’m good sitting here.”
From where she stood, it wasn’t hard to see, the slight hunch in King’s posture, the way her attention stayed glued to the small glowing screen in her hands. Even here, with the ocean right in front of her.
…The fish was losing interest in the bait.
“Well, that didn’t work,” Sei whispered to herself. Maybe she should’ve expected that. Bringing King all the way out here without explaining anything, yeah, that was probably on her. Sei exhaled softly through her nose, turning her gaze back toward the horizon. For a second, she just stood there, letting the waves lap quietly around her ankles.
Glancing back at her, it didn't sit right just leaving her that way. Sei clicked her tongue. “…Guess I’ll have to try a bit harder.” One way or another, she was going to drag King into the ocean with her.
Sei began to walk away from the water, leaving the serenity it brings for a moment, and started to approach King. Damp sand clung briefly to her feet with each step, only to fall away as she moved further up the beach. The breeze felt cooler now against her skin, carrying the faint scent of salt with it.
Sei slowed as she drew closer, her footsteps growing quieter against the sand. For a moment, she simply stood there, looking down at her, her figure overshadowing King.
And before King could even look up…
“What the-”
In a quick motion, Sei got a hold of King's phone, and immediately yanked it from her grasp, holding it high above her head.
“SEI!” King jolted upright, her hand snapping up a second too late as the phone was already out of reach. “Give that back!” She pushed herself to her feet, sands shifting under her as she stepped forward, reaching for it. Sei simply leaned back slightly, arm raised just a bit higher, the phone dangling just out of reach.
“Nuh uh.”
“What do you mean ‘nuh uh’?!” King clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed, trying again, this time stretching further, rising onto the tips of her toes in an attempt to close the distance. Still not enough. “Sei, give me back my phone!”
Sei took one step back. She smirked a bit. She was enjoying this.
“Hey, I didn’t lead you all the way out here just so you can sulk and mope in a different font.” Sei said with a semi-serious face. Well, as serious as she can get anyway.
King truly didn’t have anything to say back. Sei’s words must have struck a nerve somewhere as her face started to turn red, breaking eye contact with Sei as she looked down at the sands beneath their feet, biting her lip as it trembled slightly.
Another gust of wind went past them, blowing their hair as Sei kept her gaze on King. “Cute…” Sei thought to herself before closing her eyes and sighing.
“Either you come join me… or your phone might end up going for a swim instead.”
“Wh- Hey, don’t you dare!” King pouted as both of her fist clenches.
Sei was pleased with that answer, lowering her hand with King’s phone, taunting her as if she knew she had already won. Her brows lifted in quiet expectation. “Well?”
King froze. Her eyes flicked between Sei and the phone in her hand, her fists clenched. For a moment, it looked like she might argue, might try to salvage what little dignity she had left in this situation. But there wasn’t really a way out of this now was there?
Her shoulders sagged, just a fraction.
“…Fine.”
Sei’s smile widened, subtle, but unmistakably triumphant, as she finally handed the phone back without resistance.
King snatched the device a bit more quickly than necessary, as if reclaiming some small sense of control. Without another word, she turned and tucked it carefully into her bag before turning back to face Sei.
“Cool! Now c’mon.” Sei spun around and began walking back towards the water, hands behind her head.
King stared at the girl, and without another thought, she sighed deeply as she began taking off her thighhighs.
—
The water was colder than King expected, glistening a golden colour under the warmth of the setting sun.
She stepped in slowly, each movement careful as the waves brushed against her legs, stopping just below her knees. Her gaze stayed lowered, watching water rippled with each one of her steps.
“See? Isn’t this so much better?” Sei said as she watched King move closer to her.
“…It is quite comforting, I suppose.”
King leaned down, letting her hand submerge in the sea for a bit before bringing them up and washing her face. The chill spread instantly. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was sharp enough to make her flinch. Just enough to pull her out of her own head, if only for a moment. She stayed like that for a while, hands resting against her face, the sound of the waves filling the silence.
It helped. A little.
As King removed her hands from her face, she noticed something had appeared in front of her. Not Sei obviously, she was already there. But rather, Sei’s hand. It extended towards King, inviting her.
“Would you care to join me for a dance?”
King blinked, twice. “…What?”
"A dance. Like at the Droite. Fuji asked me to be her partner, I've got experience."
King looked around them, before returning to Sei. “Here? In the water?”
"Where else?”
Unconvinced, King stared at her for a moment longer as the waves lapped quietly between them and filling the silence Sei didn't bother to break.
“Consider it a form of training.” Sei added, as if it would be the thing that’ll tip King into agreeing.
Sighing deeply, King took Sei’s hand, standing straight up.
“You’re ridiculous.”
"Sure am."
Both of their hands were now together.
“Well, let’s see what you learned from your time with Fuji.”
—
King’s grip was light at first, her fingers barely curling around Sei’s as if she could pull away at any moment. Sei didn’t comment on it, she just adjusted her hold slightly, steady and sure, before taking a small step back. King followed, just a little slower. The water shifted around their legs, making every movement feel just a little unsteady. The sand beneath her feet gave way with each step, forcing her to constantly readjust her balance.
“Sei, this isn’t exactly-”
“You’ll get used to it.” Sei said as she tried to help King get familiar with the current.
She wasn’t exactly lying when she said it was “a form of training,” with the constant waves crashing into their legs and the water receding back into the ocean, combined with the fact that every movement their legs made were just a little more taxing due the pressure of them being underwater, it was similar to how they would train in general. One wrong step on the wrong beat meant that the both of them would be tumbling down into the water beneath them.
Sei guided King, one step to the side this time, then another. Nothing complicated. Just a slow, swaying motion, like the waves themselves were setting the rhythm.
King tried to follow, but her attention kept dropping, eyes flicking down to where their feet moved beneath the water. Every step was careful, deliberate, like she was afraid of slipping. Their joined hands shifted slightly as she hesitated, her grip tightening just a little. The struggle she had was clear as it was written all over her face, brows furrowing, teeth clenching together, desperately trying not to embarrass herself. By all means, King should be one who is in charge here, she was just out of her element in this specific situation. King didn’t want to look like an amateur, not in front of Sei of all people.
Sei noticed this. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she stepped closer. The distance between them closed before King could react, the water rippling softly around their legs as their movements slowed. Then, Sei let go of one of her hands, moving it beneath King’s face, fingers brushing lightly beneath her chin, tilting her gaze towards Sei.
For just a second, there was nothing. No movements, no words. Just them gazing into one another. But it didn’t last long.
“Your eyes are beautiful, you know that? You should look up more.”
King’s breath caught. Her face was almost as red as her eyes. And before she knew it, the next step came.
Sei moved, just a small shift, but this time, King followed without looking away. Her footing was still uneven, but she stopped checking it, trusting that her body would keep up.
All of a sudden, their steps felt softer now. Not precise. Not practiced. But in sync.
Sei guided her in a slow turn, their joined hands lifting slightly as King pivoted, the water swirling around her legs. It was clumsy, her movement lagged just a bit, but she didn’t stop. And before Sei even realized, King was in control now, moving them back and forth on her command. The tension in her shoulders eased, her grip loosening, not in hesitation, but in comfort. The careful, rigid movements from before gave way to something lighter, something less controlled. King had gotten their rhythm down, moving side to side, back and forward, making the golden water around them ripple with every motion. A small smile tugged at King’s lip.
“See? Now you’re getting it.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
King’s rhythm didn’t manage to last long however, as Sei flashed a devilish grin across her face. Then her fingers shifted in King’s grasp. Subtle, almost like a warning.
“Sei…?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped in closer, and turned.
It wasn’t fast at first. Sei drew King into the motion as she pivoted, the water swirling around their legs. For a brief second, it almost felt controlled, like King could follow, like she understood where the movement was going.
Then Sei sped up.
“Wai-”
The world tilted.
Their arms pulled tight between them as Sei completed the turn, and King’s footing gave out beneath her. The sand shifted too quickly, the water dragging at her legs just enough to throw everything off.
Her balance snapped.
“SEI-!”
Her hand tightened instinctively around Sei’s, and the next step never came. Instead, she lunged forward, momentum carrying her straight into Sei. The impact wasn’t hard, but it was sudden.
Water splashed up around them as they went down together, the surface breaking in a scatter of ripples and light. King barely had time to process it before she found herself braced awkwardly against Sei, their hands still loosely tangled between them.
They both sat up from the carnage, soaked in sea water, breathing heavily, …too close together.
For a moment, everything was still.
King blinked, breath caught somewhere between shock and something else entirely.
Sei didn’t move right away. She just sat there, the water rippling quietly around them, her gaze fixed on King, still a little too close, still not pulling away.
“…Ah.”
The sound slipped out under her breath, softer than usual.
“…Sorry,” she said, quietly. “Might’ve overdone it.”
King didn’t respond. She was still, blinking down at the water, as if her thoughts hadn’t quite caught up yet.
Then-
“…Pfft-”
The sound escaped from her before she could stop it. King’s hand flew to her mouth instinctively, eyes closed. Another breath slipped out, uneven, and then she laughed.
Not the light, practiced laugh she usually hid behind. Not the composed, elegant one she carried as part of her image. This one broke out of her in pieces, messy, breathless, completely unrestrained.
Sei blinked. Then she snickered. Finally, she began laughing with King.
King tried to rein it in at first, shoulders shaking slightly as she turned her face away, but the laughter only came back stronger, spilling out in uneven bursts as the moment caught up to her all at once.
“This is- this is entirely your fault,” she managed between breaths.
“Yeah,” Sei murmured. “Looks like it.”
She didn’t look away. Didn’t rush the moment.
They just stayed there, letting the sound of their laughter mix with the waves, committing it quietly to memory.
Because this, this wasn’t something she got to hear often.
—
By the time their laughter faded, the sun had already begun to dip down into the ocean.
They had been out of the water for a while, now sitting side by side on the sand, the tide rolling in and out just a short distance away. Luckily, they had their tracksuit with them in their bags, and despite everything, Sei did remember to bring a towel for them. Neither of them spoke for a while. They didn’t really need to. The silence between them was already word enough.
King was the first to speak up. “…Hey, Sei?”
“Hm?”
“…Thank you.”
Sei glanced at her, just briefly. “For what?”
For bringing her here. For dragging her out. For a thousand other different reasons.
Is what King would’ve responded, but instead. “…For this.” Was already enough in her eyes.
Sei hummed, looking back out at the sea. “Told you it was first-rate.”
King didn’t argue this time. A smile flashed across her face.
…A moment of silence.
Before all of a sudden, King’s bag began to vibrate, along with the muffled sound of a phone’s ringtone. It was unmistakably King’s phone. She had completely forgotten about it amidst their chaos in the ocean. King slowly unzipped her bag to search for it.
…
The screen lit up where it rested in her hand, the name displayed clear enough that she didn’t need to pick it up to know who it was.
For a split second, she didn’t move.
Sei noticed. She shifted, just slightly, already about to reach over, like before. Maybe this time, she’ll get rid of it for good, bury it in the sand, or throw it into the ocean in front of them.
But this time, King was faster. Without a word, she pressed decline. The screen went dark. She put it back into her bag. Putting it deep below all her school supplies.
As simple as that.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
King’s expression was calmer than before, lighter, in a way that hadn’t been there earlier when she had been sitting here earlier.
Sei watched her quietly. Then looked away, a small, satisfied smile tugging at her lips.
The sun dipped lower.
A comfortable silence settled between them again, the kind that didn’t feel heavy anymore.
…
King shifted.
“…Sei.”
“Hm?”
Sei barely had time to turn. Before King leaned in, pressing her lips against Sei’s cheek in a quick, light kiss. It went away as quickly as it came.
Sei blinked. Then turned to look at King.
King cleared her throat as she looked away.
“…Consider that payback,” she said, her voice carrying a hint of her usual pride again. “For earlier.”
Sei stared at her for a second longer. Her cheeks redden.
“…Heh.”
She didn’t push it. Didn’t tease. Just let it sit there, as naturally as everything else had been.
Eventually, Sei pushed herself up to her feet, brushing sand from her clothes. “Well we should be on our way back now. It’s getting late.”
King nodded, standing a moment after her.
They began to walk, leaving the shoreline of the beach behind. But after a few steps, King slowed. She glanced back.
The ocean stretched out under the fading light, waves still rolling in as they always would, the last traces of gold disappearing beyond the horizon. She lingered there for a moment, watching the tide pull back into the sea, quiet, steady, like it was carrying something away with it.
…Maybe, just for tonight, that was enough.
Then she turned, quickening her pace to catch up.
“Wait up, Sei.”
—