Chapter Text
Some may say a race begins when the gates open…
They are wrong.
A race begins long before the sound of metal snapping apart…
…before the crowd of cheering onlookers even shows up…
…sometimes, it even begins in a field underneath a sky so vast that a child could mistake the horizon for forever.
Sometimes, it begins with a promise…
…a dream…
…or a wish.
And sometimes...
...it begins by simply arriving where and when you were supposed to.
★★★ ───────── ✪ ✪ ✪ ───────── ★★★
The morning sky above Hokkaido seemed too vast to ever end.
It stretched beyond the grazing fields, beyond the low wooden fences, beyond the dirt road cutting between waves of green grass. Clouds drifted lazily overhead, soft and white beneath the blue, while the spring wind carried the smell of soil, wildflowers, and distant rain.
Special Week ran beneath it all. This had always been her entire world.
Her new school bag, a present from her mom, bounced against her hip with every stride, her tail streaming out behind her as her shoes struck the all too familiar road. She knew every bend, every patch of loose gravel, every place the ground dipped after heavy rain. She knew which fence post leaned too far and which field sometimes held curious cattle that would lift their heads as she passed. Especially Moosuke, who always recognized her, ever since she was but a child.
This road had watched her grow up. It had watched her stumble. It had watched her get back up and keep going.
Today, she ran harder than usual; not because she was late, but because she could hardly contain the excitement that welled up within her.
"I’m finally going to Tokyo!"
Her voice carried out over the fields, startling a bird from a nearby tree.
Special Week grinned and pushed faster.
"I’m going to Tracen Academy!!!"
The road blurred beneath her. Her legs burned pleasantly. The wind brushed past her ears. The whole world seemed to open ahead, as though the path itself understood where she was going.
"And someday… I…"
A memory came to her with such warmth that, for one heartbeat, the world around her disappeared.
A hand resting gently on her head. A smile she had built her entire life around, its voice filled with belief.
'Become the best horse girl in Japan.'
Special Week opened her eyes. The horizon waited.
"I’m going to become the best horse girl in Japan!"
She sprinted toward that goal, not knowing yet that becoming the best would demand more from her than she could imagine.
Not knowing how many girls would stand in her way.
Not knowing how many would one day look at her back and wonder how they could possibly catch up.
For now, she was only Special Week…
…but one day, she would go by another name…
The Supreme Commander of Japan.
★★★ ───────── ✪ ✪ ✪ ───────── ★★★
Tokyo was too much at first…
There were too many people…
Too many buildings…
Too many signs…
Too many trains arriving from too many directions, each apparently carrying enough people to populate the small towns in Hokkaido.
Special Week stepped out of the station and stopped so abruptly that someone behind her nearly walked into her suitcase.
"S-sorry…!"
She pulled it out of the way, bowed, bumped her shoulder into another passing commuter, bowed again, and finally shuffled toward a quiet patch beside a column. Her ears twitched in a dozen directions. Announcements echoed overhead, footsteps rushed across the tile, and somewhere nearby, a machine chimed repeatedly in a cheerful tone that made Special Week feel as though it knew exactly where it was going and was judging her for not knowing that knowledge.
"S-so this is Tokyo..."
The words came out much smaller than she had intended. She had seen photographs. She had spent countless hours looking at all the brochures sent to her by the school. She had even watched television programs in which confident people walked through the city without once stopping to stare at a map in their hands.
None of that had prepared her.
A train horn sounded suddenly blared, startling her again.
"Wah!!!"
She jumped a bit, nearly dropped her bag. She caught it against her knee and spun in a full circle while trying to locate anything resembling the correct exit.
After a further incident with the exit gate, she finally managed to locate a map in front of a bookstore.
"Okay... Tracen Academy… Tracen Academy… Tracen Academy..."
Special Week stared at the map.
"...Huh?"
A tiny bead of sweat slipped down her cheek. She had survived years of training on dirt roads in the rough Hokkaido winters. She had run through rain, mud, heat, and the sort of wind that seemed personally offended by forward movement. She would not be defeated by a large piece of paper.
Special Week narrowed her eyes. The map remained uncooperative.
"Tracen is the next station over." The platform attendant who had helped her through the gate spoke to this poor horse girl stuck staring at the map on the wall.
Special Week looked back, a bit confused and still getting used to the urban environment that surrounded her.
"T-the next one…? Huh?"
The attendant felt sympathetic. He had seen many from the countryside getting lost their first time into Tokyo, this was nothing new.
"Did you make a mistake?" He asked.
Special Week glanced back and forth between the map and him, looking as confused as she did frustrated.
"I-I'll be fine!" She rubbed the back of her neck. "I'll just run there!"
"Are you a new student there?"
She suddenly grinned, full of excitement again. "Yes!"
The Attendant thought about suggesting she go see the nearby Race Stadium, but something made him hold his tongue.
"Ah, well, I'm sure you must be in a hurry." he dismissed the thought.
"Thank you very much for the help!"
Special Week bowed and ran off towards the direction of the Academy, having no idea how much the course of her life was about to change forever…
★★★ ───────── ✪ ✪ ✪ ───────── ★★★
The grand main front gates of Tracen Academy were even larger than they had looked in the brochure. Special Week stood outside them with her suitcase beside her and forgot, for a moment, how to move.
The academy stretched beyond the entrance in immaculate brick paths and sweeping lawns. Students crossed the grounds in groups, every horse girl Special Week saw seemed confident enough to have been born knowing exactly where every room was.
"This is it..."
The words left her in a breath.
'Tracen Academy…'
The school where Japan’s greatest Umamusume trained.
The place she had dreamed about from so far away that it had never seemed entirely real.
She had imagined this moment countless times. In most versions, she crossed the gate with her head high, sunlight shining behind her while triumphant music played from somewhere.
In reality, her fingers were trembling around the handle of her bag and her legs which had carried her across miles of Hokkaido countryside suddenly felt uncertain beneath her.
'Everyone here must already be umazing…' She thought.
Special Week watched a tall senior student pass with an effortless stride. Two girls nearby discussed race times using numbers she barely understood. Another student laughed about having trained before dawn.
Her ears lowered.
What if being the fastest girl in her small hometown had not meant anything? What if the promise she had carried all this way was too large?
'What if I’m not-'
Someone rounded the corner at the same moment.
"Wah!"
She collided with a warm body and the sharp corner of a stack of books.
The books flew upward almost comedically.
Special Week’s stomach dropped.
"Aiieeeeeee!!! I-I’m sorry!!!"
She threw out both hands in desperation. A swift hand caught the first book before it fell into hers. Then the second. The third spun once in the air and landed neatly atop the others. The fourth… Special Week caught awkwardly and quickly held it against her chest.
Not a single book had landed on the ground.
For one stunned moment, Special Week could only stare.
The girl standing before her was graceful in a way she had never known a person could be.Her smile held neither annoyance nor surprise, only an easy warmth that made the grand entrance around them feel suddenly more intimate.
Special Week blinked repeatedly.
"Y-you caught all of them...!" She couldn't believe it.
The older girl glanced at the book Special Week was clutching.
"Not all of them~ You caught that one. Good job, Pony-chan~"
Special Week looked down at the book she was holding upside down.
"O-Oh, I did…"
The girl laughed softly. Special Week's face burned hot with embarrassment.
"I-I’m sorry! I’m new! I mean, of course I’m new, but I’m really new because I’m from Hokkaido, and Tokyo is huge, and the station is huge, and there were so many trains, and I swear the map kept changing every time I tried to use it-"
The older girl’s eyes shone with amusement. Special Week stopped herself before she could somehow apologize for the national rail system.
"…Sorry..."
"It's your first day, right?"
It was kind of obvious, seeing as Special Week was still in her travel clothes, and not yet in the school's pretty light blue uniform.
"Y-Yes! I’m Special Week!" She bowed.
"Fuji Kiseki." She gave a practiced and almost princely bow.
Everything inside Special Week froze. Her ears shot upright.
"Fuji Kiseki?!"
This girl was Fuji Kiseki, THE Fuji Kiseki…
Special Week had heard about her before coming to Tracen. Everyone had. Even where she lived in Hokkaido, stories traveled about the most famous stars of the track. Her tail twitched with exhilaration.
This was a brilliant runner, a natural star, a horse girl with such commanding presence that the racecourse became a stage the moment she had stepped onto it.
Special Week's mouth moved faster than her mind.
"F-Fuji Kiseki! I’ve heard of you!! You’re umazing! You’re beautiful! You’re fast! You’re-"
Several nearby students looked over. Special Week realized she was shouting.
"I’m sorry!"
Fuji’s smile only grew warmer.
"You apologize often."
"I’m sorr-"
Special Week clamped both hands over her mouth. Fuji laughed again. It was not mocking. She took the upside-down book from Special Week and added it to the stack, her expression soft.
"You look like you’re wondering whether you belong here."
Special Week stopped breathing for a moment. The noise of the entrance seemed to fade around her.
"...!"
Special Week looked away, not saying anything for a long moment. Her eyes slowly gazed up at the looming building in a way even Fuji Kiseki could see the gears turn in her head.
"Everyone here seems so incredible." She finally spoke, her fingers curled against her skirt. "I came all the way from Hokkaido. I made a promise to my mom, and I’ve trained really hard, and I know what I want to do."
She swallowed hard.
"But now that I’m actually here..."
Her voice shrank into itself, emotions bleeding through.
"What if I can’t?"
There. She had said it. The fear she had not allowed herself to think about through the entire journey down.
Fuji Kiseki stepped closer.
"You are not wrong. Everyone here is incredible."
Special Week’s ears drooped. That had not helped much, but then Fuji continued.
"But that includes you."
Special Week looked up. Fuji spoke without hesitation, as though stating something obvious.
"Tracen Academy does not open its gates by mistake."
Her eyes moved briefly to the entrance behind them.
"If you were accepted, then you are already standing where you belong."
Special Week felt the words settle somewhere deep inside her. Fuji raised one hand and patted her lightly on the head.
"The rest is up to you."
The touch lasted only a moment. The feeling remained. Special Week stared at her.
"Where I belong..."
Fuji turned toward the main path.
"You can start by heading to the Main Office in the Main Building there. I'm sure I'll see you again, soon enough."
She had taken only a few steps when Special Week found her voice again.
"Um! Fuji Kiseki-san!"
Fuji looked over her shoulder.
"Are you on a team?"
Something quietly proud entered Fuji’s smile.
"Team Rigil."
"Rigil..."
"Perhaps I’ll see you there someday."
Then she walked away as Special Week watched her cross the academy grounds. For several seconds, she did nothing. The fear was not gone. Tokyo was still enormous. Tracen Academy was still filled with girls who looked faster, stronger, and far more prepared than she felt.
But the bad feelings had shifted. They no longer stood in front of her like a wall. They had become something she could run through.
Special Week clenched her fists.
"..Yes! I belong here!"
She seized the handle of her bag and charged through towards the main building.
"I’m going to do my best!"
★★★ ───────── ✪ ✪ ✪ ───────── ★★★
Special Week waved good bye to Tazuna, the Tracen Academy Secretary who had escorted her to where her classroom was. She was grateful for this, since she was still getting used to the layout of the Academy.
It was her first real day at the Academy, having practically fallen asleep almost as soon as she hit the bed after getting shown to her dorm room the previous day, the trip to Tokyo having hit all at once. She hadn't even met, let alone seen her new roommate yet, either she had woken up before her and left or was off doing a race somewhere, Special Week had assumed. She had hoped to meet whoever it was, but was also glad she was able to get used to her new living space on her own.
This was still all rather overwhelming for someone like her. She gulped before steeling her nerves and sliding the door open. The room was already alive with conversation.
A pink-haired girl waved excitedly at everyone who entered, regardless of whether she knew them. Near the windows, a light blue-haired student rested her cheek in one hand as though the first day of school had already exhausted her. A gentle-looking girl with long hair sat with perfect posture, hands folded before her. Another student stood with one foot planted atop her chair, her mask and dramatic posture made her look as though she was there to challenge everyone in the classroom on a whim.
"Ok! Ok! How about this one? Behold!!" she announced. "The future world’s strongest has challenged you!!!"
Several students stared. The elegant dark-haired girl beside her turned calmly.
"El, Your foot."
The masked girl looked down.
"Ah..!"
She quickly removed it from the chair. Special Week remained standing in the doorway, unsure what to say. Every face seemed to turn toward her after the first horse girl finally noticed her presence. For an instant she imagined the worst possible outcome: making a fool of herself in front of her new classmates.
But, Fuji’s voice from the day before returned to her mind.
'If you were accepted, then you are already standing where you belong.'
Special Week breathed in deeply and stepped further into the room and bowed to everyone.
"G-Good morning!! My name is Special Week. I came from Hokkaido…"
The room quieted. Her heart thudded hard. She lifted her head and spoke once more.
"…and… my dream… is to become the best horse girl in Japan!!"
Silence.
She had practiced that sentence more times than she could remember. She had shouted it across the empty fields she loved running across. She had whispered it to herself re-assuredly at night. And now, she had said it to a room full of other horse girls just like her.
The pink-haired girl began clapping.
"Wowie! That’s so cool!!"
Others joined her in a quiet applause and acknowledgement. Special Week blinked in surprised anticipation. No one laughed at her. The masked girl grinned fiercely.
"A bold declaration! I like it! I'm El Condor Pasa!! I was born and raised in the United States!!!"
Special Week nodded. "Nice to meet you! That sounds… exciting… I guess?"
The light blue-haired student near the window gave a lazy smirk at her earlier remark..
"Best in Japan, huh? Sounds tiring."
Special Week glanced over at her. "Ah, and you…?" She stopped.
"Call me Seiun Sky~" She winked.
"R-right…! A-and you are…?" Special Week moved to the other Umamusume still looking intently at her.
The elegant girl beside the masked student smiled gently.
"Grass Wonder. It is a pleasure to meet you. It is a wonderful dream you have."
Special Week felt the remaining tension relax from her shoulders.
"Everyone… Thank you!!"
She bowed again, slightly too fast, then hurried toward an empty seat before she could turn a successful introduction into a disaster. As she sat, the pink-haired girl leaned towards her from across the aisle.
"Aaaaaand… Haru Urara!"
"Special Week!"
"Urara knows! You just said so!"
"Oh... uh, right…!"
Urara beamed as the bell suddenly rang and she perked up.
"Oh! Time to go! See you later!" She cheered before waving and running off.
Special Week's eyes widened in surprise. "S-she's not even in our class??"
"You'll get used to things around here pretty quick, I imagine." Seiun Sky smiled lazily.
Special Week smiled back. She had made her first friends.
Her first lesson went pretty well, with the subject of Racer Classes, Ranked Races, and other important subjects Special Week quickly filled multiple pages of notes on. By the time the period was over, her hand hurt from all the continuous writing, but she was relieved when her new-found horse girl friends invited her to join them at lunch in the cafeteria.
Said cafeteria nearly destroyed what remained of Special Week’s composure.
"There’s… so much food..."
She stood at the entrance of the buffet with a tray in both hands, staring at the rows of dishes: Curry, rice bowls, bread, noodles, salads, all kinds of fruits and desserts; A selection large enough to create serious moral dilemmas.
Urara once again appeared beside her with her own tray already filled with various things.
"The rice is good! The pudding is good! Urara thinks everything is good!"
Special Week turned slowly to her. "E-Everything?"
"Everything!!"
Special Week’s eyes shone. This was, without question, the greatest academy in Japan. A few minutes later, she sat at a table behind a meal that could have supported a small training camp. She took another bite and nearly melted into the chair. Everyone stared at the absurdly large amount of food she had piled on her plate, but no one said anything.
"This academy is umazing..."
Sky opened one eye.
"You’re saying that because you haven’t seen the training schedules yet."
Special Week paused halfway before taking another bite.
"..Training schedules?"
El slammed one hand against the table.
"That is how legends are forged! Training hard, and training STRONG!"
Several students turned toward them. Grass placed a gentle hand on El’s sleeve.
"Indoor voice~"
El nodded solemnly.
"Legends are forged quietly."
Special Week tried not to laugh. It felt good to have other girls her age to talk to. Her spirits lifted considerably.
"And… there teams here, right?" She brought up.
Grass nodded.
"Yes. Most students who intend to pursue the Twinkle Series seriously have to join one."
She explained the system with patient clarity. Teams offered individual training, race planning, support, and guidance. Trainers watched for and scouted promising students. Some teams were broad and unconventional. Others were highly selective. Special Week listened intently to every word.
"Do you choose which team you're on?"
"Sometimes," Grass said. "And sometimes, they choose you."
Special Week’s ears twitched.
"…Fuji Kiseki-san said she was on Team Rigil…"
The atmosphere at the table subtly changed. Sky sat up a little. Grass glanced over, her expression became openly respectful. El grinned. "Rigil!!"
Special Week looked between them all, trying to gauge the mood.
"Is it… really that famous?"
"It is one of Tracen’s elite teams," Grass answered.
El threw both hands outward. "Not one of! THE elite!! Many champions!!! Many stars!!!! Many glorious rivals worthy of El Condor Pasa!!!!!"
Grass reached for her tea. "Indoor voice."
El lowered her volume.
"Many glorious rivals worthy of El Condor Pasa.."
Special Week leaned closer. "H-How do you join??"
"It is funny you should ask, there are actually tryouts this afternoon." Grass said.
Special Week froze with her chopsticks in the air.
"This afternoon?!"
"Yes. New students may participate. It is not mandatory. We just need to fill in a recent vacancy. It is a rare opportunity, actually."
El pointed dramatically across the table.
"I thought about it! I'm gonna be trying out!! If you are also, then we shall be rivals!!!"
"Rivals..."
Special Week looked intensely at El. She was clearly strong, everything about her radiated confidence and energy. She spoke of becoming the world’s strongest as though this were not a boast but a to-do list.
The anxiety in her stomach returned. But, so did Fuji’s words…
She thought of Hokkaido. She thought of her mother. Team Rigil. Then she smiled.
"I look forward to racing you! May the best horse girl win…!"
El’s eyes seemed to ignite.
"OHHHH! A challenge accepted with honor!!!"
Sky chuckled. "First day and you’re already making enemies."
"Friends, I think is the world you are looking for." Grass corrected.
The tryout was only a few hours away. She had come to Tracen Academy with the dream of becoming the best in Japan. Now someone was offering her a starting gate.
"Urara is here now~!" Haru Urara cheered, having finally finished picking out her food. she glanced down at Special Week's tray.
"Spe-Chan, you have too much rice!" She grinned.
"E-ehhh…?"
'Nice, Urara...' Everyone else thought.
★★★ ───────── ✪ ✪ ✪ ───────── ★★★
The afternoon air smelled of cut grass and warm earth. Special Week stood near the starting area in Tracen’s trademark red and white tracksuit, stretching one leg while trying not to stare too obviously at the team members gathered beside the course.
Team Rigil was impossible not to notice.
Besides Grass Wonder, there was Air Groove, who held a clipboard with the severe concentration of someone prepared to identify and personally correct every flaw she found in the world. Hishi Amazon stood beside her with arms folded, broad confidence in every inch of her posture. Taiki Shuttle, who waved cheerfully at several runners stretching besides Special Week. Maruzensky, the undefeated racer who stood in the back as if watching everyone else, even her own team. T.M. Opera O, a promising racer with a grandiosity about her who seemed to regard the hopefuls with smug watchfulness. Narita Brian, a triple crown horse girl, who stood silently and seemingly disinterested in it all. There were so many legends on this team, including Symbol Rudolf herself, the Emperor…
And beside all of them, Fuji Kiseki.
Special Week’s heart jumped. Fuji noticed her almost immediately. She offered one small nod when their eyes met, that was all. It felt almost like a reassuring pat to Special Week’s back.
She stood up straighter, clenching her fists in determination.
El Condor Pasa stretched beside her, rolling her shoulders before adjusting her mask.
"Spe-chan."
"Y-yes?"
"When we run, hold nothing back, okay?"
El’s voice had lost none of its enthusiasm, but there was something serious beneath it now.
"I won’t."
El grinned. "Good! Neither will I!!"
Everyone had signed up and registered at the table Grass Wonder was standing behind. She had wished them all luck, smiling gently with grace. It filled Special Week with a strange, exhilarating confidence. Knowing at least two members of the team made it just a little less intimidating. This wasn't some unknown and impossible group of people out of her reach. They were all horse girls, like her.
At the front of the waiting group, Trainer Tojo stepped forward. All conversation slowly died down and hushed. Trainer Tojo did not need to raise her voice, authority seemed to travel naturally through it.
"This tryout is simple," she said. "Show us how you run."
Her gaze passed over the assembled Umamusume. "Show us what kind of racer you are."
Special Week swallowed hard, her nerves tensing up.
"For those aiming for Rigil, talent alone is not enough. We expect discipline, ambition, adaptability, and results."
The final word landed hardest.
Results.
Not hopes, promises, effort by itself.
Results.
She then asking the other races one by one what they intended to do if they were scouted. Special Week didn't have to think about what she wanted. She had known for years.
Trainer Tojo’s gaze eventually stopped on her. "Special Week."
"Y-yes?"
Her answer came out louder than intended. A few ears turned toward her.
"What is your goal?"
Special Week inhaled. This was different from introducing herself in class. There, her dream had been a personal declaration. Here, it was a challenge.
Special Week lifted her head up high.
"I will… become the best horse girl in Japan!"
No hesitation. No apology.
Murmurs moved through the watching students. Something about the sincerity in her statement seemed to pierce the air. Air Groove’s pencil stopped against her clipboard. Fuji smiled. El laughed brightly.
Tojo’s expression remained controlled. Her eyes sharpened.
"Then show us."
Before long, it was time for the race that decided who would be lucky enough to join Team Rigil. The starting gate felt smaller from the inside. Special Week stepped into her assigned stall and placed both hands against the front barrier. Metal surrounded her.
The track toward her future lay ahead. Her pulse thudded in her ears.
This was not an official race. There were no grandstands packed with spectators, no national broadcast, no shiny trophy and sash waiting at the finish. Well, a reward DID wait at the finish line: A chance to join Team Rigil. A chance she could not let slip away.
Her body understood the moment before her mind did. Her breathing narrowed and her legs tensed. Everything unimportant began to fall away.
In another time, something might have caught her attention; A distant runner.
A glimpse of a gentle grace overlooking the track.
A girl who would have become the center of Special Week’s world.
But that runner was nowhere in her sight.
There was only the gate…
…only the track…
…only the promise…
'Become the best horse girl in Japan.'
She lowered her stance. El entered the neighboring stall.
"Are you ready?!" She shouted in what sounded to Special Week like English.
"Here I go!" Haru Urara shouted back.
Special Week didn't glanced toward them. Her focus was intense. She felt the urgency of the moment seize her.
The gates slammed opened.
She moved.
No delay.
No stumble.
No startled half-step.
Her body launched cleanly from the stall, legs driving beneath her as the entire group of hopefuls surged onto the course. The wind immediately struck her face.
Cleats hammered down on the turf all around. El Condor Pasa took the lead almost immediately. Her opening acceleration was impressive, full of force and confidence. Two other runners tried to stay ahead with her but lost ground within seconds.
"Hahahaha!" El shouted. "Catch me if you can!"
Special Week ran behind the leading group. Her breath remained steady. 'She’s fast!'
El gained another length.
'Really fast!!'
That realization did not frighten her. This was what Tracen Academy meant. The horse girls here were not distant names in magazines, they were real. Fast enough to make the air seem different around them, and fast enough to force Special Week beyond what she had been used to her whole life.
From the sideline, Air Groove watched carefully.
"That one… her posture is rough in places."
Grass Wonder also watched Special Weeks’s movement around the opening section.
"But her rhythm is honest." She added.
On the track, Special Week entered the first turn. Two racers pressed forward in pursuit of El Condor Pasa. Special Week remained close behind them. Every instinct told her to chase immediately.
'Don’t rush.' She thought. The thought came in her mother’s voice, although she had never said those exact words. Special Week remembered training on the roads back home.
'Watch. Breathe. Wait.'
El was dominating at the front, but the others chasing her were already forcing their strides. One leaned too hard into the turn. Another was spending everything just to remain close.
Special Week could feel the shape of the race changing. Some sort of hidden understanding seemed to enter her mind.She did not yet possess the language to explain it. This was the instinct of an Umamusume. Her body understood what to do…
El accelerated further. The move struck like a gust of wind. A gap widened almost instantly. Special Week’s eyes widened. For half a heartbeat, doubt found her again.
'Can I really…?'
Fuji’s voice cut through it.
'If you were accepted, then you belong here.'
Special Week’s expression tightened. Her ears angled back. She pushed. The heavy kick-off came from somewhere deep. Her stride lengthened. The turf moved cleanly beneath her.
One runner fell behind.
Then another.
The distance to El began to close. From the sideline, Tojo noticed.
"Hm.."
Air Groove’s eyes narrowed. "Not bad." She murmured.
Narita Brian grinned. "That kid’s got guts."
Taiki raised both hands. "Go! Go rookie girl! Yes!!"
"…" Symboli Rudolf said nothing.
"There you are, Pony-chan~" Fuji Kiskei grinned, satisfied.
The final turn approached. Hishi Amazon watched from the finish line. El still led. Special Week had moved into second.
The rest of the field began to fade away around her. Her legs felt heavier with every step. She could hear El’s footfalls ahead, powerful and controlled. The final straight awaited. Special Week gritted her teeth. The distance slowly widened even further by half a length. Her body screamed for relief.
She thought of the wide open fields in Hokkaido. The promise to her moms she had carried farther than anything else.
"I'm… going…
She pushed even harder.
"...to become..."
She drove forward.
"...the BEST!!!"
Special Week accelerated again. El sensed her. The confidence on her face flickered into surprise. Special Week drew up alongside her. Their eyes met. Both shone with effort, determination, and the fierce joy of intense competition.
"I’m not done yet!!!" El shouted.
They ran shoulder to shoulder. Neither gave any ground.
Hishi Amazon waited. She already knew that one of these two girls would be her new teammate.
But which one…
Special Week huffed and gasped as she pushed herself to the brink. She gave every ounce of strength she had left. El Condor Pasa did the same. They were neck and neck. It was any uma's race.
Amazon, who stood at the finish line flashed by them in a blur.
For one suspended instant, Special Week heard nothing. She gradually slowed down with sheer and utter exhaustion, nearly stumbling through her deceleration. Her chest heaved. It hurt to breath so badly.
El slowed beside her, breathing almost as hard. Special Week turned quickly towards her. They stood together beyond the finish, both exhausted and sweating.
One girl had won her place on Team Rigil.
Hishi Amazon grinned.
"Congratulations."
★★★ ───────── ✪ ✪ ✪ ───────── ★★★
"Special Week."
She snapped upright.
"Yes?"
Trainer Tojo studied her for long enough that Special Week became aware of every possible flaw in her existence.
"Your technique needs refinement."
Special Week’s ears lowered.
"Your pacing is inexperienced."
Lower.
"Your cornering can certainly improve..."
Lower still.
Beside Trainer Tojo, Fuji Kiseki hid a smile. Special Week felt herself shrinking.
Then the Trainer continued.
"…But your start was clean. Your instincts were sharp. You have very strong acceleration, and you kept cool under pressure."
Special Week finally looked up again.
"And most importantly..." Tojo paused. "…You won."
Special Week's heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. So many emotions hit her all at once.
"From today onward, you are a member of this team, and you will learn from me, and your fellow teammates."
Special Week’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. She bowed; almost too deeply.
"I-I’ll do my best!!"
Tojo shook her head slightly, eyes still measuring her.
"You will do more than that. You will train. You will learn…"
The words carried weight. Special Week listened.
"…You will lose someday…"
Her ears twitched again. The thought hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Trainer Tojo did not soften her words.
"…And when you do, you will stand up, understand why, and become stronger."
Special Week absorbed every single word. This was not praise. She had expectations of her now, and that somehow made her feel even more certain.
"Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes!" She bowed again.
Fuji watched her with quiet approval. The country girl who had hesitated outside the academy gate the day before was still there; still earnest and awkward, but something had taken root beside all of that.
"…"
Symboli Rudolf still said nothing, only watching as Trainer Tojo stepped forward, holding her hand out.
"I'm going to work you hard."
Trainer Tojo gave a smile.
"Welcome to Team Rigil, Special Week."
★★★ ───────── ✪ ✪ ✪ ───────── ★★★
El Condor Pasa walked alone along the front path of Tracen Academy that evening, humming triumphantly despite having lost. The sky above had turned orange near the horizon.
She replayed the race in her mind. Special Week’s acceleration on the final straight had surprised her. She should have been more careful, she thought.
That fierce expression beside her seemed burned into her memory.
"A worthy rival..." She muttered.
A trash can rustled nearby. El stopped.
"Hm?"
It moved again. She narrowed her eyes.
"Que? Who goes there?!"
"Scarlet! Vodka! Sic em!" A voice called out.
El turned around and felt the brief movement from the sack being pulled over her from above.
"AHHHHHHHH?!"
Vodka grabbed one side of the wriggling sack.
"She’s stronger than she looks!"
"Pull your own weight!" Scarlet shouted back.
"Excellent! Heave ho!" Gold Ship commanded.
They carried El Condor Pasa into the evening. Her muffled resistance echoed between the buildings.