As the two sat at the table, the servants quietly placed dinner before King and her mother.
Neither spoke at first. Only the faint clinking of silverware against porcelain broke the silence.
Only once the servants had finished serving and withdrawn did King's mother elegantly pick up her utensils before calmly resuming the conversation.
"Anyway..."
"I do hope that girl won't interfere with your future in any way."
She took another bite before continuing.
"And I expect you to make sure that never happens."
"We never truly know the character of another."
"That girl may have shown you kindness merely to secure your favor. Such things are hardly uncommon."
"Those of our standing must always be mindful. There will always be those who seek to benefit from the privileges we possess."
"It is only prudent that we maintain proper distance. Familiarity with those far beneath our station rarely ends to our advantage."
Upon hearing those words, King's grip tightened around her utensils as her head remained lowered.
Barely above a whisper, she muttered, "But... Asaji isn't that kind of person."
"She would never do such a thing to harm me..."
Though it was barely audible, the murmur was enough for her mother to catch a slight glimpse of what she had said.
"What is it?" her mother asked.
Instantly, King corrected herself.
"N-Nothing, Mother..."
"Is that so...?" Her mother raised an eyebrow before continuing.
"Then, let us enjoy the remainder of our dinner. You should retire early tonight."
"Make sure you're well-rested for the day ahead."
"A disciplined mind is cultivated through consistent rest, focus, and diligence. Never allow yourself to become complacent."
"Ye-yes, Mother..." King nodded.
With that, they continued the rest of their meal in silence.
Before long, the memory began to blur once more.
Her vision trembled.
Slowly, the dining room and the voices faded away...
...
...
...
King's eyes suddenly widened as she snapped back to reality.
There, she realized... She was back on the racetrack, back in the race against Seiun Sky.
But the moment that realization dawned on her, suddenly—
Her focus broke.
Before she could react, her body pitched forward.
As though something had suddenly given way beneath her—
*Thud*
She crashed face-first onto the turf.
The momentum of her sprint sent her rolling across the track.
Her body had simply stopped responding.
It seemed that her body had finally surrendered to the ruthless strain she had forced upon it,
no longer able to endure her constant bursts.
There, she tumbled several times before finally coming to a stop... Right beside the trackside fence.
And remained unmoving for a while.
From the opposite side of the track, Yuiji's eyes instantly widened in horror.
"K-King!"
Without hesitation, he sprinted forward and vaulted over the fence.
"King! Are you alright?!" he shouted from afar.
But before he could reach her, someone else got there first.
"Oooooi... You okay, King?"
It was Seiun Sky, crouching beside her as she gently poked King's cheek.
"King Halo? Can you hear me?"
"Do you need to go to the infirmary?"
For a few moments, King remained motionless.
Then, she finally stirred.
"S-Stop..."
"Stop poking me...!"
Planting both hands against the turf, she tried to push herself up.
Her arms trembled violently as she forced herself higher.
And higher—
Only for all the strength in her body to abandon her.
*Thud*
She crumpled back onto the grass.
"Argh...!" she winced.
But she didn't stop there.
Again and again, she tried to force herself back to her feet.
Yet no matter how hard she tried... Her body simply refused to obey.
Each attempt only sent her collapsing back onto the grass.
Until—
A sharp sting shot through her knee.
King instantly looked down.
The skin had been scraped raw from the fall, and a thin trickle of blood stained the turf beneath her.
She instinctively clutched at her injured knee, gritting her teeth against the pain.
Meanwhile, Seiun Sky could only sigh, shaking her head.
"See? I told you not to go through with this race."
"It could've ended a whole lot worse if you hadn't been so lucky—"
"I..."
"I'm fine," King cut in.
There, she stubbornly tried to push herself up once more.
Seiun Sky sighed again, this time more heavily.
"Come on, King. Stop saying you're fine."
"You're clearly not. Especially not like this."
"I don't know what's been eating away at you lately."
"Or why you haven't been running like yourself."
"But one thing's obvious."
"You're nowhere near being in the right state of mind."
"But... I—"
King tried to protest, but Seiun Sky simply shook her head.
"Just stop fighting it and call it a day already, King."
"You can't keep pushing yourself in this condition."
Without waiting for another objection, Sei slipped one of King's arms over her shoulder and carefully helped her to her feet.
"Come, let's get you to safety."
King winced the moment her weight settled onto her legs.
"Ouch...!"
A sharp pain shot through her scraped knee.
She instinctively flinched, but Sei held her steady.
"Easy."
After giving King a moment to regain her balance, the two slowly made their way off the track.
Step by careful step.
They slowly made their way off the track.
Ahead of them, Yuiji continued sprinting in their direction.
"King!" he hollered.
As he drew closer, Sei tilted her head toward him before subtly gesturing with her eyes.
Signaling him to get some bandages, Yuiji immediately understood.
He remembered packing a small first-aid kit in his duffel bag for emergencies, and he should be able to find it there.
Giving a quick nod, he spun around and dashed back the way he had come without wasting another second.
Meanwhile...
Sei continued supporting King's weight as the two slowly crossed the remaining stretch of the track, making their way back toward the starting line.
As they walked...
King lowered her gaze.
Her eyes drifted to her scraped knees once again.
And with it...
Another memory quietly resurfaced.
...
...
...
It happened during one of their usual training sessions.
Only this time... King wasn't the one running.
Instead, she sat quietly on a nearby bench.
A fresh scrape marked her knee while a pair of gentle hands reached toward it, carefully pressing a bandage over the wound.
As the adhesive touched her skin—
"Ouch..." King flinched.
"D-Did that hurt?" Asaji asked with concern.
"It's okay, Asaji." King smiled while waving her hand slightly.
"It's only a little scrape. I'll be back to my best in no time!"
"And..."
Turning to her, King smiled a little brighter.
"...Thank you, Asaji."
"You've always been such a great help."
Asaji chuckled and scratched her cheek.
"Oh, it's nothing! I'm always happy to help!"
Then her smile softened.
"Besides... I'm the reason you fell."
She lowered her head.
"If I weren't so clumsy... you wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place."
King immediately shook her head.
"What are you talking about?"
"Accidents happen."
"There are countless things we can't predict."
"You shouldn't blame yourself over something like this."
Asaji still looked unconvinced.
"Maybe..."
"But I was still part of the reason."
She looked back up, determination returning to her face.
"So I promise I'll be more careful next time!"
"I'll make sure these beautiful legs of yours are always taken care of!"
"Even if we don't end up sharing a dorm at Tracen..."
"I'm sure we'll still spend plenty of time training together."
"So..."
"I've got to be more careful."
There, King grinned before breaking into her signature laugh.
"Oh ho ho ho..."
"Then I shall leave myself in your care, Asaji."
"Do make certain these legs of mine are well looked after whenever our paths cross!"
Asaji beamed.
"Absolutely! I'd love to!"
But right before the two could continue their lighthearted conversation—
Someone called out to them.
"King, your mother is here."
"I contacted her as soon as you were injured."
"She's come to pick you up."
It was her trainer.
Yet instead of lighting up with excitement, King's eyes widened.
"W-What?! There was no need to call my—"
She never finished, and a calm voice instantly intruded.
"How is my daughter doing?"
A voice King could never mistake.
Even spoken gently... It carried an unmistakable authority.
Her mother.
King instinctively straightened her posture despite the sting in her knee.
Beside her, Asaji quickly rose to her feet as well.
Meanwhile, the trainer answered first.
"She's doing fine. It's only a minor scrape."
"She should be able to resume training before long."
"I see..."
King's mother replied, her gaze settling upon her daughter.
A moment later, she stepped forward, coming to a stop before King.
Looking down at her, disappointment flickered across her eyes.
"How careless of you, King," she said at last.
"You should have been more mindful of your own well-being."
"Especially your legs."
"They are the very foundation of your future."
"You wouldn't want your racing career to end before it has even begun..."
"...would you?"
At those responses, King lowered her head.
"I-I'm sorry, Mother..."
"I promise I'll be more careful next time."
"Is that so?" Her mother raised an eyebrow.
"Then I expect this to be the last time such an incident occurs."
"Otherwise..."
She paused for a moment.
"You are still far from ready to compete in the Twinkle Series."
"After all... A runner with broken legs can never reach the finish line."
"And you wouldn't wish for such a fate to befall you... would you?"
Silence settled over them.
Behind King, Asaji watched the exchange with guilt, as she was the one responsible for King's injury.
There, her eyes flickered between King and her mother, uncertain whether she should speak.
But before she could—
King's mother turned away.
"Come, King. We're leaving."
"Your leg should be examined as soon as possible."
"We certainly cannot allow a lingering injury to jeopardize those legs of yours."
King quietly nodded.
"Y-Yes, Mother." And she followed her mother's lead.
But right before they could leave—
"Wait!" Asaji called out.
Both King and her mother stopped at once, though King was the first to turn.
There, she gave Asaji a subtle shake of her head.
A silent plea.
"Don't."
But Asaji ignored it and continued.
"Ma'am..." She respectfully bowed.
"I-I'm sorry, but it was my fault King got hurt."
"So..."
"Please don't scold her over my mistake."
King's mother slowly turned to face her.
Her expression never changed.
Without a word, she cast a glance toward one of the servants.
With a single nod from his mistress, the servant bowed in understanding.
He then stepped toward King.
"Lady King."
With a respectful gesture, he invited her to accompany him.
King's eyes instantly widened.
"Wait! Mother, please!"
She instinctively stepped forward.
"It wasn't Asaji's fault!"
"I promise it was my own mistake!"
Meanwhile, her mother answered without so much as raising her voice.
"Do not concern yourself, King."
"If what she claims is untrue... Then you have nothing to fear."
Only then did she turn her gaze back to her daughter.
"And besides..."
"I am not so unreasonable as to punish an innocent child, would I?"
She then turned to the servant once more.
"Reginald, take King home first."
"I would like a private conversation with Miss Asaji."
"Yes, ma'am."
Reginald bowed once again.
There, King instinctively reached out.
"A-Asaji..."
Every part of her wanted to step in.
To object.
To stand beside her friend.
To tell her mother to stop.
But...
The words never came.
Her body refused to move.
Her voice caught in her throat.
Standing before the woman she admired...
And feared...
So... She could do nothing.
In the end...
King could only allow Reginald to lead her away with a silent plea, "A-Asaji...!"
Step by step.
Farther from Asaji.
Farther from the conversation she so desperately wanted to stop.
Behind her, her mother remained where she stood.
Her calm, unwavering gaze rested solely upon Asaji.
And with every passing step...
The distance between them grew ever wider.