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Several months had already passed since that Arima Kinen. Teio, who had made a miraculous comeback, was still racing across the turf and bringing tremendous excitement to every race.
Tokai Teio was finished. Unless a miracle happened, she would never win again. Even with people saying that, Teio alone never gave up on victory. She ran clumsily, desperately, simply straight toward the win. Her run encouraged me. She proved that miracles really can happen as long as you do not give up… and I, who had nearly broken at heart, was able to stand again.
I still have not been able to return to racing. Even so, someday I will return to the turf and run with Teio again. For that sake, I spend every day on rehabilitation.
Slowly, step by step, I go through my rehabilitation. Thankfully, my injury has been progressing well, and though it is truly only a little at a time, every day I can feel that things are moving in a better direction… However, over these last few months, I have developed another worry unrelated to that.
That worry is…
“McQueen!”
“Gh… Oh, hello, Teio.”
A familiar voice came from behind me, and my chest squeezed tight. I turned around to see Teio approaching me, smiling happily and waving her hand. Seeing her made my chest hurt even more.
“Yahoo, McQueen. Are you free right now?”
“Y-yes. I suppose I am…”
“Come with me for a bit! It’s Parfait Day, and they have a limited parfait out! Let’s go eat it together!”
“Hhk.”
As she said that, Teio took hold of my right hand. The instant our hands touched, a sensation like electricity shot from that point through my whole body. My heart felt as if it would leap out of my mouth, my breath caught, and a strange sound slipped out.
“Huh? Hellooo? McQueen? What’s wrong? You’re spacing out.”
“…!”
I froze, and Teio peered up at me from below. Her voice brought me back to myself, only for Teio’s face to be there right in front of me, looking at me curiously… Ah, ahh… My heart is pounding so hard…
“I-I-I just remembered I have something to do! I-I’m sorry, Teio!”
“Ah, wait… What was that about?”
“Oh? What’s up, Mc—guh!?”
“Oh, Golshi got run over…”
Unable to bear staying there another second, I shook off Teio’s hand and fled from the spot. I only wanted to get away, and I ran on without any idea where I was going. I feel as though I collided with someone on the way, but I did not have the composure to worry about that at the time.
After running blindly for a while, I realized I was in front of the stump on the academy grounds. I braced my hands on my knees and breathed hard. At last I calmed down, and I stared at my right hand, which still seemed faintly warm from where Teio had touched it. Just that was enough to make my heartbeat begin to quicken again.
“…What in the world is wrong with me…?”
My new worry… concerned Teio.
Ever since that Arima Kinen, whenever Teio entered my sight or I heard Teio’s voice, my chest would feel as though it were squeezing tight. If Teio touched me, it became even worse, and I would panic as I had just done.
When I speak with her while everyone else is present, I somehow manage to hold a conversation. But when the two of us are alone, my palpitations grow so violent that I cannot speak properly. In the past I could talk to her normally, and I had no resistance to touching her at all. Why has this happened so suddenly…? Could it perhaps be some sort of illness…?
Thinking that, I trudged back to the dorm by myself.
“Haaah… I am back.”
“Welcome back, McQueen-san. …You sighed. Is something the matter?”
It seemed I had sighed without noticing it myself, and Ikuno-san looked at me with concern. Thinking alone will not solve anything, so perhaps I should consult Ikuno-san. She might know something.
“Y-yes… actually…”
“I see… So when you are with Teio-san, your heart often starts pounding violently.”
“That is correct. I became a little anxious that it might be some sort of illness…”
After listening to me, Ikuno-san appeared to think for a moment before opening her mouth.
“…I am not a specialist, so I cannot state anything definitively, but judging from what you have told me, there may be some possibility of illness. I believe it would be best to go to a hospital soon and receive an examination.”
“You think so after all…”
“It is always better to be safe. The heart is an indispensable organ for running. If there is some illness, finding it early should make treatment easier.”
“You are right… Thank you, Ikuno-san.”
“Not at all.”
As I thought, even matters one cannot resolve alone may show some clue to a solution when one asks someone else. I felt a little lighter.
…That aside, I must apologize to Teio for running away without saying anything… Now that I think about it, she said something about Parfait Day. I should eat with her as an apology.
~⏰~
“Haaah… Lately I feel like McQueen’s avoiding me. When I talk to her, it feels like she isn’t listening a lot of the time, and just now she said she was free but ran away…”
“Well, personally I don’t think you need to worry that much. Little McQueen’s at a complicated age. Though I also think you being dense has something to do with it.”
“Huh? What are you talking about, Golshi? Did you hit your head too earlier?”
“You…”
Golshi looked at me like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. What? Did I say something that weird? Ignoring Golshi, I took a bite of my parfait. Mm, it’s really good. I think McQueen would definitely like it too. Does she dislike eating with me that much?
“Haaah…”
“Oh my, whatever is the matter, Teio? Sighing like that.”
“Ah, McQueen…”
As I hung my head with a sigh, McQueen called out to me. On the tray in her hands were two parfaits.
“May I join you?”
“O-of course! Are you done with your errand?”
“Y-yes… I am sorry for leaving so abruptly earlier…”
“N-no, it’s fine! I don’t mind at all!”
“If so, I am relieved… This may not be much of an apology, but would you like another parfait?”
“Eh!? Little McQueen is treating someone else to sweets!?”
“…Gold Ship-san, what do you take me for?”
“Yeah, Golshi. What do you take McQueen for?”
“You two…”
How awful. Acting like McQueen would never give anyone else one of her favorite foods. The only person who would do that is Spe-chan… no, even Spe-chan probably wouldn’t go that far.
“Thanks, McQueen.”
“Not at all. In any case, the parfaits here really are delicious…” munch munch
“Ahaha, yeah.”
McQueen sat across from me and began eating her parfait with a look of such happiness. I like watching her run, but I also like watching her enjoy her favorite foods like this.
As I smiled and gazed at her, McQueen bashfully averted her eyes.
“U-um, Teio… I feel rather embarrassed when you stare at me that much…”
“Hm? Ah, sorry, sorry. You just looked like you were enjoying it so much, McQueen.”
“R-really… Please do not tease me… ///”
“I’m not teasing you. Ehehe. ///”
“Hey, Golshi is here too, y’know. Don’t go entering your own little world.”
McQueen turned aside, her face red. Come to think of it, her face often turns red when she talks with me. Could she maybe have a cold…?
As I was thinking that, I noticed a bit of whipped cream from the parfait on McQueen’s cheek. She must have gotten it there because she was digging into the parfait. In a strange way, that sort of carelessness was also very like McQueen… Honestly, what am I going to do with her?
“McQueen, turn this way for a second.”
“Fue?”
“There we go… See? You had cream on your cheek. You were digging in too hard, McQueen.”
“Ah, ahh… I am sorry… I must have let my guard… down…”
“McQueen?”
McQueen’s body swayed to the side, then collapsed onto the floor. The sound of her chair falling echoed through the café.
“McQueen!?” we both shouted.
Golshi and I stood at the same time and rushed over to McQueen. McQueen lay on the floor, clutching her chest and groaning in pain.
“McQueen!? What’s wrong!? Are you okay!?”
“Ugh… My chest… hurts…”
“Get out of the way, Teio! I’ll carry her. You call an ambulance!”
“O-okay! Got it!”
The ambulance arrived quickly, and McQueen was taken straight to the hospital. I wanted to go with her, but Golshi said she would accompany her, so I waited at the academy instead. Please be okay, McQueen…
~⏰~
“My heart suddenly began beating violently… and sometimes the pain in my chest became so severe I thought I might die…”
“Hmm…”
“Is it an illness after all…?”
“Hmmm…”
The sudden, intense pain in my chest had somehow subsided, but I had never experienced chest pain so severe that it caused me to collapse. When I explained everything that had happened to the doctor, he wore a grave expression. Gold Ship-san, who had come with me, also looked somewhat uneasy.
A heavy silence hung in the air until the doctor finally seemed to steel himself and spoke.
“…I have heard your account and understand the general situation. Mejiro McQueen-san, please stay calm and listen.”
“Y-yes…”
He prefaced it that way and fixed me with a serious gaze. Ahh, so it is a heart disease after all… I am sorry, Teio… Our promise may perhaps…
“…It is lovesickness.”
““…………””
With an entirely serious face, the doctor named an illness I had never heard of. Was it such a rare disease? Gold Ship-san seemed not to know it either; her eyes went round, and her mouth hung open.
“…Is there some heart condition referred to by that name?”
“No. It is simply the feeling of one’s heart pounding around someone one likes.”
“O-oh my. Doctors make jokes as well, I see. Ohoho.”
“No. I am not joking.”
“Then what are you saying!? That I was carried here in an ambulance because my heart pounded from being in love!?”
“Yes. I have been a physician for quite a long time, but this is a first for me as well, so I am a little shaken.”
“Please do not say such foolish things! I would never expose myself to the disgraceful state of falling in love with someone!”
I stood from my chair without thinking and raised my voice in protest, but the doctor and the nurse merely exchanged glances.
“…She seems like a contrary sort of girl.”
“Doctor, these days we call that tsundere.”
“I see… Well then, McQueen-san, please calm down. Let us organize the details a little.”
I felt as though I had just received a rather unsatisfactory diagnosis of my character, but to move the conversation along, I sat back down.
“When a certain individual comes into your field of vision during school activities, or when you hear her voice, your heartbeat accelerates.”
“Yes, exactly!”
“And today, when that girl removed some food from your cheek, her hand touched your cheek only slightly. At that moment, your chest suddenly experienced a tight, fluttering pain… and you could not breathe.”
“That is what I have been saying!!”
He broke off there and exchanged another look with the nurse.
“…That is love.”
“I told you it is not! It is definitely a heart disease! This is the first time in my life my chest has hurt this much!”
“Then perhaps it is your first love.”
“Honestly! Why will you not understand!?”
Me? In love with Teio!? I wish he would keep such jokes in moderation! Teio is my destined partner, my rival, and someone precious to me. We admire and respect each other, and we compete every day to better ourselves. The relationship between us cannot be described with such a simplistic word!
“Gold Ship-san, you think so as well, do you not!?”
Surely Gold Ship-san would understand that sort of relationship between us. Thinking so, I turned to seek her agreement, only to find her holding her forehead and sighing heavily.
“Gold Ship-san?”
“McQueen… I’ll wait outside, so let me know when you’re done.”
“Gold Ship-san!?”
“This is the actual worst, seriously… I use this hospital sometimes too, y’know? Now I can’t come here anymore…”
Gold Ship-san slumped her shoulders in an exaggerated fashion. Faced with the unexpected betrayal of the ally I had counted on, all I could do was stand there bewildered.
“A-at any rate! Please examine me properly!”
~⏰~
After that, I underwent a detailed examination.
“This is the newest machine in our hospital, and it can be used for all kinds of things. …It is cutting-edge medical care, so the cost will be quite high. Is that acceptable?”
“If I consider my future, it is a small price to pay.”
‘Measurement complete.’
“So? How is it?”
‘She has a very beautiful, healthy heart.’
“That cannot be! Surely there must be one or two holes in my heart!”
“If there were, you would likely be dead already.”
“Then what are you saying!? That my heart pounded so hard I collapsed simply because someone touched my cheek!? I admit I was a little happy, but if I collapsed from that, it would mean I love Teio to death!!”
‘You actually do, though.’
“Gold Ship-san, please be quiet!”
“I see. So the object of your affections is Teio-san… The two of you suit each other.”
“Suit each other…”
“Do you not wish to have that sort of relationship with Teio-san?”
“Haaah… As I keep saying, I merely regard Teio as my lifelong rival and as an Umamusume worthy of standing beside me. Being told that we suit each other means nothing; I do not look at her that way.”
‘Heart rate over two hundred. It is pounding very hard.’
‘Hey, hey, little McQueen being head-over-heels, lovey-dovey, bang-bang in love with Teio is common knowledge, y’know? Quit exposing her with state-of-the-art tech already.’
“Is that really a rumor about me!?”
“From what you said earlier, it was not like that from the beginning. Did something happen to change your feelings, Gold Ship-san?”
“Why are you proceeding with this conversation without me!?”
‘Ah, probably that. Y’know, Teio’s Arima Kinen last year. Even before that I thought your sense of distance was bugged, but after that, little McQueen started really being conscious of her.’
“Ah, I see. So that was it.”
“One moment, Gold Ship-san! That has nothing to do with this!”
‘It has everything to do with it, actually.’
“That was not anything like that! I was simply happy that Teio created a miracle for my sake! Even though her form was a mess, even though that run was far from the refined stride she had at her peak, she pressed forward for the sake of our promise and seized victory!”
“I understand the feeling, too. Your doctor had his days of love. Well, my heart is still active even now.”
“I did not ask!!”
~⏰~
After that, I underwent several more examinations, but in the end, they found no physical abnormalities at all and diagnosed me as perfectly healthy. Unconvinced, I returned to the academy.
“That doctor is a complete quack!!”
“He’s a specialist, and that’s what you’re saying about him…?”
“In that case, I shall seek a second opinion! Tomorrow, I will go to another doctor…”
“Ah! McQueen!”
“Ah. Teio…”
Teio came running toward us from the direction of the academy. Perhaps because of all the strange things I had just been told, I was overly conscious of her, and my heartbeat began to quicken more than usual.
“McQueen! Are you okay!? Were you sick!?”
“N-no… They said my heart was in perfect health…”
“O-oh… I see… Thank goodness…”
“You are exaggerating, Teio.”
“Of course I’m worried if you suddenly collapse! So what was it in the end?”
“Well… The doctor said it was something like lovesickness…”
“Ko-i-no-ya-ma-i? Is that the name of a disease?”
“No, it is not. Apparently, I collapsed because my heart was pounding from loving Teio too much, or some such nonsense.”
“Fueh…? ///”
“Fufu. Ridiculous, is it not? You and I, Teio, being such a—Teio?”
The notion was so absurd that I expected Teio to laugh it off as well. When no such reaction came, I found it strange and looked at her face. Teio’s face was rapidly turning bright red.
“T-Teio? Why are you making that face…?”
“Pi-pieh!? B-because you said you like me, McQueen… ///”
“Wh—!? /// Th-that is not what I— ///”
“Yup, that’s right. Little McQueen likes Teio so much she fainted.”
“Gold Ship-san!”
“I-I see… /// Ehehe. I’m glad… So you were the same as me… ///”
“Huh? Teio, does that mean…”
“Ueh? …Ah.”
Teio covered her mouth as though she had slipped up and averted her eyes. Which meant that Teio felt that way about me…
The instant I realized it, my face grew hotter and hotter, my heart rang so loudly that it was almost noisy, and at the same time, warm, vivid feelings welled up inside me. Until now, I had only thought of it as my chest hurting. But perhaps this truly was the love I had just been told about. Once I thought that, even the pounding in my chest that had been so painful became somehow precious.
…Ahh. I see. After all, I truly do feel that way for you…
Once I admitted it, there was no way I could ignore that emotion. I had been holding feelings for Teio this hot and intense, so why had I never noticed them…?
“Um… then… Teio, you also feel that way about me…? ///”
“E-err… well… ///”
“Haaah, this is stupid. I’m going back first. You two figure out the rest yourselves.”
Gold Ship-san, looking thoroughly fed up, left us behind and quickly walked away. Remaining there were you, your face as red as a boiled octopus, and me, whose face was surely just as red.
We both fidgeted, unable to say a single word, while an awkward silence passed between us. Teio was the first to break it.
“Um… McQueen… There’s… There’s something important I want to tell you… Is that okay?”
“Huh? Ah, y-yes!”
“…Um… I-I’ve… felt this way about you for a long time…”
The words that followed, and my reply to them, are a secret between only the two of us. But beneath the sunset, the two shadows stretching long across the ground were joined together… and that was the clearest proof that the illness we both had caught had been cured.
On the day of that miraculous Arima Kinen… I came down with an incurable disease.
Looking back now, perhaps there had been signs of it even earlier. But the symptoms clearly appeared from that day onward.
From that day on, whenever I saw, heard, or felt a certain person, an intense pain would run through my chest.
But that certain person had also come down with the same incurable disease as I had. She is embarrassed and will not tell me when it began for her, however.
And on this very day, as a new name was added to our relationship, the illness that had troubled us until now was cured.
Even so, the pain and pounding in my chest still have not subsided. That is because this time, I have come down with another illness.
This time, surely, there will be no cure. Not until we are separated… no, as long as we continue loving each other, it will stay with us forever.
But that is fine. As long as we have this illness, we can remain together forever.
With my rival, my special person, my precious partner of destiny… with you, my beloved, forever.
You think so too, do you not? Right, Teio?
The End