A day later...
Somewhere in a clinic far, far away...
Urara's teacher sat in the waiting area, slouched in her seat with a deep sigh.
"Who would've thought stubbing my toe could actually break something…" she muttered, staring at her swollen foot.
"…Now look at it."
She shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms.
"Well… hopefully this shouldn't take long…" she added, half-convincing herself.
With nothing else to do, she pulled out her phone and began scrolling idly, waiting for her turn.
And the quiet hum of the clinic filled the air, and so were the other idly chatters amongst other patients.
Until—
A figure passed by.
And just for a second...
It was enough to catch her eye.
She paused.
"…Hm?"
Something about that figure...
Its posture; its presence.
It felt… familiar.
As the figure took a seat just a few chairs away.
Curiosity tugged at her.
And so she turned.
Looked.
Then, her eyes widened.
It was indeed someone she knew.
"Mary…?" she called out, lowering her phone in surprise.
Meanwhile, seated a few chairs away, Mary hadn't realized she had just passed her homeroom teacher.
At the sound of her name, she turned.
"Teach…?" she uttered, surprised.
"What are you doing here, Mary?" her teacher asked, already rising from her seat and walking (staggering) toward her.
"I… I…" Mary froze, caught off guard.
Of all places—
Here.
A clinic that was famously known for its orthopedics.
All the way in Tokyo, no less.
Especially hours away from Kouchi.
There, her teacher casually sat beside her,
"Seems like I finally found where you disappeared to," she added, "How have you been, Mary?"
"I…" Mary hesitated, still stunned.
Then she inhaled, trying to compose herself.
"I— I'm doing fine…"
Her teacher raised a brow, half-smiling.
"Running into you all the way out here… that's one heck of a coincidence, huh?"
"And now it explains why you suddenly vanished from town."
Mary simply nodded.
Quiet as always.
"So, Mary… why are you here?" her teacher asked, lowering her voice slightly.
"…Did you get hurt during training?"
Mary froze.
Her lips parted—
But no words came out.
The truth sat heavily in her.
Her teacher was right; she wasn't here by choice.
She was here because she had to be.
Hidden away.
Sent far from familiar faces by her father.
All to keep appearances intact.
All to avoid being seen… like this.
Weak.
Pathetic.
And now—
Sitting before someone from her town.
And she didn't know what to say.
She didn't know what she could say.
Then, right before she could say anything—
"It's okay, Mary…" her teacher said softly.
"You don't have to tell me."
Her teacher leaned back slightly, eyes drifting upward.
"I've seen people in similar situations before," she continued quietly. "And it's always… hard for them to confess."
"Teach…" Mary murmured, lowering.
"But you've got nothing to be afraid of," her teacher added, "Because if that's the truth. I know you'll recover in no time."
"After all," her teacher continued, sitting back up, "all those years I used to aid the others. Most of them made it back onto the field."
"It's not something that happens overnight," she added. "But time tends to favor those who are willing to wait."
Mary's gaze lowered slightly.
"…So don't worry," her teacher said with a small smile. "Your secret's safe with me."
"Everyone's got something they want to protect."
Then, there was a pause.
Until...
"But, Teach…" Mary spoke.
"Yes, Mary?"
"What do you mean… all those years you used to aid the others?"
Her teacher froze.
"…Huh?"
Mary tilted her head slightly.
"Are you by chance… used to be an orthopedist?"
For a split second, her teacher sat there, mouth slightly open.
Then she let out an awkward chuckle, scratching her cheek.
"W—Well… maybe… I am…?"
Mary blinked.
"That's…" she added quietly.
"…surprising."
Instead of boasting, her teacher immediately slumped.
"Well… it's not that big of a deal… really…"
"It's just that it used to be my dreams..."
"To assist Umamusumes..."
"Given that I'm no good at training them, might as well assist them in some other ways... I would say."
Mary watched her closely.
"So… you used to help others? With their injuries?"
"I… maybe I did," her teacher replied with an awkward smile, shrugging lightly.
"But it slowly became a pain in the as— I mean hassle," she corrected.
Then, Mary's expression immediately sharpened.
"Then… do you know the statistics?" she asked.
"The rate of athletes returning to the field after fractures…? The percentage that successfully re-integrates?"
Her teacher froze. Taken aback by the question slightly.
"I…" She choked.
"Is it true that once an Umamusume encountered a fracture, it will forever haunt them by its recurrence? Or can you provide a direct report that tells the otherwise?" Mary continued. "I need it."
"I…"
"I know it's a lot from my request... But I need to know. I need to—"
"…Sorry, Mary," her teacher interjected, shaking her head slightly.
"I can't help you with that."
Mary blinked.
"I might have worked in orthopedics before," her teacher added, "but I can't give you exact numbers… or anything that guarantees your chances."
Mary was taken aback.
"But…" Mary continued, "it's only logical to estimate my chances based on others' recovery—"
"No, Mary!" her teacher cut in immediately.
"Don't do that."
"I did not know why you were so eager to know the statistics, but..."
"If you know... It'll only drag you down further," she added, "And that's the last thing you need right now."
Mary's gaze dropped.
"…So," she murmured, "the rate is low…?"
"Well…" her teacher hesitated, "it certainly is not zero."
"But—"
Before anything else could be said—
A voice shattered the air.
Interrupting them.
"NO! I DON'T WANT IT! I DON'T WANT IT! "
"I WANT TO RUN AGAIN! I WANT TO RACE AGAIN!"
"PLEASE DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT!"
"PLEASE LET ME RUN AGAIN! I PROMISE I WILL DO ANYTHING!"
Both of them turned instantly.
Then, an Umamusume was being wheeled out—
Struggling.
Crying.
Her voice breaking as she reached backward, desperate.
Trying to reach out to the doctors in the back, who were silently watching powerlessly.
There, she was held back by her own body.
By reality.
And the outfit she wore—
There was no mistaking it.
A Tracen uniform.
A student from that very academy.
The place many dreamed of reaching.
The place even Mary dreamed of...
Yet...
In the end...
...not everyone could survive within.
As the cries slowly faded down the corridor, both of them remained still—
Eyes fixed on the scene that had just unfolded.
Pausing their conversation along with other bystanders.
Then—
"…Will I become like that…?" Mary added.
Her voice pivoted slightly toward her teacher.
"Will I… become like her, completely incompetent to run again…?"
"…Forever lose the chance to... run again?"
With that, her teacher said nothing.
Only lowered her head.
She couldn't answer.
Because she knew...
She knew too well.
About the voices, the pleadings, and the cryings.
All those begging to be fixed.
To be healed.
One after another—
Umamusume, who had lost everything.
Umamusume, who had become nothing but a shell of despair.
The very reason why she left that world behind.
The very reason she quit her high-paying job.
The very reason why she chose a quieter life.
Becoming something smaller, being inside a small classroom in a small town.
Humble, low-paying, but peaceful.
And now—
It was right in front of her again.
Reliving all those traumas that eventually led her here today.
Over and over...
Meanwhile, Mary beside her realized.
Witnessed that she might have gone too far with her teacher.
Then, she sighed.
Decided to shift the topic.
"So… how's Urara?" she finally asked.
"…Is she doing alright?"
At the mention of Urara—
Her teacher immediately perked up.
"Yeah, she's doing fine!" she said, energy returning in an instant.
"As a matter of fact," she added, raising a finger proudly, "she got accepted as a candidate for Tracen's entrance exam!"
Mary paused.
"…That's…" she murmured, "…nice to know."
A small smile formed on her lips.
Then—
"…And?" she continued, glancing at her teacher.
"How did you do it?"
Her teacher blinked.
"…What?"
"How did you persuade them to accept her?" Mary asked calmly.
"Wh— what do you mean?" Her teacher quickly averted her gaze, scratching her head. "I didn't do anything—"
Mary let out a soft chuckle.
"Trying to fool me is quite the bold move, Teach."
"You may deny your involvement," she added, her tone composed, "but you can't deny that Urara's acceptance… defies all reasonable expectations."
"…Yeah… right…" Her teacher sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat.
"I may have… helped her a little," she admitted.
"And how exactly did you do that?"
"It's not something just anyone can pull off."
"You see... I was accepted because of my exemplary records," Mary continued calmly.
Her teacher blinked.
"Wait—Mary? You got accepted?" she cut in, surprised. "Congratulations!"
Instead, Mary just gave a small nod.
Then continued.
"But Urara…" she said, "her academic performance is… questionable. Her athletic results are inconsistent. And she's… chaotic. Bringing nothing to the plate."
"So whatever you did," Mary added, "must have been quite the string to pull."
Her teacher scratched her head again, avoiding eye contact.
"Well… it's not that big of a deal…"
She hesitated.
Then—
"You see…I may not have…"
"…written a recommendation letter."