Meanwhile...
Far from the duo, inside a lively classroom, the usual morning chatters filled the air.
Students laughed with one another, compared homework, and hurriedly finished assignments they had neglected the night before.
Amidst the bustling room, four familiar figures had gathered around Sei's seat.
El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, Seiun Sky.
And, of course... Haru Urara, who was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Hey! Hey!"
Urara leaned across the desks, her eyes sparkling.
"Can you guys believe what I dreamed about last night?!"
The other three turned toward her.
"What was it?" Grass asked with a gentle smile.
Urara dramatically pointed at herself.
"I dreamed..."
"...that I turned into a helicopter!"
"...A helicopter?"
The other three froze.
For a brief moment...
Each of them unconsciously pictured the exact same thing.
A tiny pink helicopter with horse ears and Urara's cheerful face.
"My..." Grass covered her mouth with a chuckle.
"That's certainly one of the more... imaginative dreams I've ever heard."
"Right?!"
Urara nodded enthusiastically.
"And then!"
"There were bad guys chasing me!" She spread both arms wide.
"A whole bunch of evil helicopters tried to shoot me down!"
"...There were helicopter villains too?!" El was surprised.
"Yep!" Urara nodded without the slightest hesitation.
"But they couldn't catch me!"
"I dodged left!" She leaned left.
"Dodged right!" She leaned right.
"And then I flew straight up!"
She threw both hands into the air.
"Before firing back!"
She then immediately pointed both index fingers forward.
"Du du du du!"
"Du du du du!"
"And then..."
"They all exploded!" She swung both arms dramatically.
"And I defeated every single one of them in one swoop!" She puffed out her chest proudly.
"Isn't that amazing?!"
El couldn't help laughing. "¡Madre mía!"
"That's certainly a wonderful dream, Urara!"
Meanwhile, Seiun Sky barely lifted her head from the desk.
Still lying flat on her folded arms, she lazily replied, "That's cool..."
"Well... Mine wasn't nearly as exciting."
And everyone turned toward her.
"I dreamed..."
"...that I was sleeping."
"And while I was sleeping..."
"I dreamed that I was sleeping."
Urara tilted her head.
"...So..."
"You dreamed..."
"...about dreaming?"
"Mhm." Sei nodded lazily.
"It was very relaxing. I hope I can do it again some other times..."
Grass instantly let out another chuckle.
"My... I think that's somehow even more interesting than Urara's dream."
As the four of them continued their light conversation.
Suddenly—
"Wait...!" El pointed toward the corridor.
"Is that King?"
"Where?!" Urara instantly snapped toward the classroom door.
Sure enough, King was walking past the classroom.
Without thinking twice, Urara hurried to the doorway and waved both hands energetically.
"King!"
"Over here!" She called as loudly as she could.
"King!"
And King was visibly jolted.
But...
She seemingly didn't stop.
She didn't even glance toward the classroom.
Instead, she simply continued walking down the corridor.
As though she hadn't heard Urara at all.
"King...?" and Urara lowered her hand.
Her head tilted in confusion.
Behind her, the others also watched King disappear down the hallway.
"Did... something happen to her?" El asked quietly, concern underlined her tone.
Meanwhile, Grass gently clasped her hands.
"She didn't seem like herself."
"She looked... distracted."
"I wonder if she received some bad news."
While the two quietly speculated—
Urara remained standing by the doorway.
Still staring down the now-empty corridor.
A small furrow formed on her brow.
"King...?" She quietly muttered.
"That's strange... King always answers me..."
Meanwhile, Sei remained resting on her crossed arms, unlike Grass and El; Sei wasn't looking toward the corridor.
Instead... She quietly watched Urara.
A different kind of concern edged in the corner of her eyes.
But right before anyone could say another word—
The classroom bell echoed throughout the academy.
The sudden sound broke everyone's train of thought.
Including Urara, "Oh!" She visibly jolted upright slightly.
"Class is starting!"
She then quickly turned back toward the others.
"I've got to go now! Bye, guys!" She waved cheerfully.
"I'll see you guys later!"
With that, she hurried out of the classroom and dashed back toward her own.
Leaving the three behind, waving, too.
And with the bell signaling the start of another school day—
Their brief morning conversation came to an end...
...
...
...
Halfway through the lesson...
The classroom had fallen into its usual quiet.
At the front, Ishida calmly wrote notes across the blackboard while explaining the day's topic.
The only sounds were the scratching of chalk...
And the occasional turning of notebook pages.
Meanwhile...
Urara began rummaging through her desk.
"Hmm...?"
She checked one compartment.
Then another.
She even searched through her bag once more.
Only then did she freeze.
"Oh no!"
"I forgot my pen!"
"I need to borrow one..." She quietly muttered to herself.
Without much thought, she turned around in her seat.
Her eyes immediately landed on the desk behind her.
"King!"
She clasped both hands together above her head and bowed apologetically.
"Can I borrow your spare pen, please?"
"I think I accidentally left mine back at the dorm!"
King looked up and sighed.
For a brief moment, she instinctively reached into her school bag.
Her fingers had already slipped inside.
And right as her finger wrapped around her other pen.
Then—
She stopped.
Her hand trembled ever so slightly.
Slowly, she withdrew her hand from her bag.
And her expression instantly turned.
"I'm sorry," she muttered while quietly looking away.
"I don't think I brought any spare pens today."
"Why don't you ask someone else?"
At that, Urara blinked.
"...Oh."
She leaned back a little, surprised by the response.
But only for a moment.
Then her usual smile returned.
"It's okay!" She waved cheerfully.
"I'll ask someone else! Thanks, King!"
With that, she turned toward another classmate instead.
Meanwhile...
At the front of the classroom...
Ishida's eyes briefly drifted away from the blackboard.
They settled on King.
As he noticed, the distance she had suddenly placed between herself and Urara.
Their usual interaction shifted.
And his grip around the chalk tightened ever so slightly as he did.
There, a soft sigh escaped him.
He couldn't help but feel...
Terrible.
Because he knew...
That change in King's behavior...
Had only begun after their conversation...
...
...
...
A few hours earlier that day...
"So..."
Ishida looked quietly at King.
"Will you help me?"
"Will you help me secure Urara's future in this academy?"
With that, silence settled between them while King lowered her head slightly.
Until—
"No."
Ishida blinked. "I...I'm sorry?"
King then tightened her grip around the soda can.
"No. I don't think I want any part of this."
"W-Why?" Ishida stammered.
"I thought the two of you were friends."
Before he could continue, King interrupted him.
"Isn't it strange?" She slowly raised her head.
"That Urara has managed to stay at Tracen for this long despite her mediocre standards?"
"The way she's blended into this academy..."
"The way she spends her days alongside students who are far beyond her level..."
"Don't you think that's..."
"...unfair?"
"Unfair to everyone else who worked so hard to earn their place here?"
As Ishida tried to open his mouth.
"That..."
Before he could answer, King continued.
"Please don't try to convince yourself otherwise, Mr. Ishida."
"You know as well as I do."
"Helping her now would only delay the inevitable."
She lowered her gaze once more.
"You were the one who said it."
"She doesn't meet Tracen's standards."
"You said she was never meant to be here."
"That she was never supposed to enroll in the first place."
"You've seen how she races."
"You've seen how she performed on the Trial Race."
"From everything we've witnessed..."
"She's simply nowhere near the level expected of Tracen's elite."
Then King quietly concluded,
"She... just... doesn't belong here."
"And..." She looked away.
"...she never will."
Those words lingered heavily in the air and Ishida didn't reply.
No, he couldn't.
He simply watched her, and his expression remained lost for words.
There, King then took a slow breath.
"And besides..." She continued.
"You said it yourself."
"I'm someone who prioritizes myself."
"I have no interest in involving myself in other people's affairs."
"My own goals..."
"My own achievements..."
"They're more important to me than anyone else's."
"You see..."
"I still have my own dream to chase."
"My own goal to reach."
"And my own way..."
She paused briefly before she continued.
"...to prove something."
Her fingers then tightened slightly around the can.
For just an instant—
A memory surfaced.
Her mother's gaze, that judgmental look on her face.
"You're not enough."
With that, King quietly lowered her head even further.
She said nothing after that.
At that, Ishida was also rendered speechless,
"I-I see," was all he could gather in reply.
After that...
The conversation fell silent.
For a minute, only the faint fizz of the soda can in King's hands could be heard.
Only the rustle of leaves and the footsteps of passersby broke the silence.
Only when the full minute had passed did Ishida finally open his mouth.
"But... what if—"
Before he could finish—
King gently interrupted him.
"I'm truly grateful that you're trying to express your way to help Urara remain at this academy."
"But there are some things..."
"...some things you should be aware of."
"There are rules."
"And there are regulations."
"There are conditions. We're supposed to follow them."
She then bowed her head slightly.
"For that, I'm sorry, Mr. Ishida."
"This isn't something we should interfere with."
"At the end of the day..."
"It's about fairness."
"And equality within Tracen Academy."
She paused before continuing.
"Bias. Favoritism."
"Those are things we should avoid at all costs."
"No matter who they're directed toward."
Her voice became quieter.
"...Even if that person is Urara."
King looked down again.
"Just as you said."
"The academy's standards..."
"They're simply too high for someone like her."
She then raised her head again, "Perhaps..."
"A local academy would suit her abilities far better."
"Far better than this one."
With that response, Ishida slowly nodded.
"I-I see."
"If that's the conclusion you've come to..."
"Then..."
"I have no right to force you to think otherwise." He added, looking toward the campus beyond.
"And you're right."
"An academy like Tracen demands excellence."
"By every measure..."
"She doesn't meet its standards."
King gave a small nod.
"I'm glad you understand, Mr. Ishida."
Without another word, she rose from the bench.
Then bowed politely.
"Please excuse me, Mr. Ishida."
"I believe we've taken up enough of your time discussing such matters."
"And class will be starting in just a few moments."
"And thank you for your understanding. I'll see you later in class, Mr. Ishida."
"Farewell."
At that, without another word...
King simply turned and quietly walked away.
Leaving Ishida alone on the bench.
Until—
"But..." Ishida's voice rang out behind her.
And she halted for just a moment without turning around.
There, Ishida continued,
"Is a student's worth really determined only by her ability?"
"By her level?"
"By whether she meets every condition required to enter Tracen Academy?"
There, King remained silent as her hand slowly tightened around the strap of her school bag.
Behind her, Ishida continued.
"If you ever change your mind, King..."
"You know where to find me." A faint smile crossed his face.
"Because even if you've decided not to help her..."
"I'll still try."
"I'll keep searching for a way."
He looked toward the academy grounds beyond the trees.
"Because I believe every Umamusume who sets foot in this academy..."
"No matter her ability."
"No matter how high, or how low her ceiling may be..."
"Deserves the chance to experience what this place has to offer."
There, a brief silence lingered between them.
Only then Ishida quietly added,
"Farewell, King."
"And... I'll see you around later."
Upon hearing that, King remained silent.
She merely clenched her fist a little tighter.
Then adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder.
Without looking back...
She resumed walking.
Step by step.
She quietly left the secluded corner behind.
Making her way back toward her classroom.
Leaving Ishida alone on the bench.
And their conversation...
Finally over.