"Pant! Pant! Pant!! Glug!! Glug!! Aaaah!!!"
Under the summer sun, a gyaru from a renowned family gulps down her sports drink while she is taking a break during her training. Her easygoing demeanor and casual way of talking make it easy for people to forget that she comes from the Mejiro Family.
"Haaaa…"
"Damn… I'm so jealous of Team Minaz."
"Yeah!! They got trained by such amazing veterans!!"
"The Student Council trio and The Enchanting Beauty, Mejiro Ramonu."
"And not only that, Orfevre, Gentildonna, and Sirius Symboli are also training them."
"I really regret rejecting Trainer Igo Heita's invitation. Should've known to trust my instinct."
"Two Mejiros in one team, it's like a dream team."
"..."
Whilst the gyaru was minding her own business, she overheard a couple of umamusumes gossiping as they watched Team Minaz. It's like they said, Team Minaz is currently being trained by what most would consider an extreme privilege. The Trio Student Council is filled with monsters who dominate their eras, so one could imagine just how much experience and knowledge they can impart as teachers. That alone would make the saintest of umamusume green with envy, and added to that, the rest of the monsters that are teaching Team Minaz.
Best to say, Team Minaz has become quite the sight for many–a sight to be envious of.
"I guess this means that McQueen's path to be the next Triple Crown has been set."
"The Mejiro Family now will have a Triple Tiara and a Triple Crown winner. Goddesses damn!! That means they will be one step above the Symboli Family!!"
They are really amazing, huh… We come from the same family, but I'm nothing compared to them.
The gyaru walks away from the site, dejected, to find a place where she can be alone. As the gyaru keeps on walking absentmindedly, her legs begin to pick up speed, and she eventually breaks out into a full-on run. The gyaru runs and runs as the pain in her chest squeezes her fragile heart, trying her best to quench the never-ending pain of never being good enough.
XxX-XxX
"Pant… Pant… Pant…"
The sound of the waves crashing against the beach echoes through the silent night sky. One would find it hard not to notice how empty the beach is, unless you have something heavy on your mind, like thinking that you should never have been born to begin with.
"Pant… Pant… Pant… It's night…"
The gyaru finally snaps back into reality once she runs out of fuel. Her entire body is covered in sweat and sand, her training shoes are tattered, and her hair messily falls all around her head.
The gyaru tiredly walked toward the inn. On most days, she would have a chat with her friends, but she is now walking alone. Entering the inn, the first thing she does is to search for a vending machine where she can find a nice cold drink. Even though umamusumes tend to have more stamina than adult humans, they're still capable of running out of steam after running for a few hours nonstop.
*Click* *Whiiiirllll* *Thunk*
*Ahhh… Gulp!! Gulp!! Gulp!! Gulp!! Aaahhhh~~~"
"What? Why is there no good coffee option here?!"
"Hm?!"
The disgraced Mejiro Family member couldn't believe her ears. She questions her own sanity. Why is she hearing team Minaz's trainer here, in the trainees' inns? She threw it up to her tired state.
"Hey, Mejiro Palmer. Which one do you think is a good option?"
"...you're not real."
"The fuck you mean by that?!?!"
The young man was just casually asking a normal question. He wasn't expecting to be told that he wasn't real. He wishes he weren't real.
"I was just asking your opinion on which coffee I should buy. You don't need to attack my whole existence, Mejiro Palmer."
"..."
*Pinch*
"...You are… real."
"How high are you? Is this Helios doing? I'll throw that brain-rotted dumbass into the ocean."
"No… I'm not… Why are you here? This is the trainees' inn, no? Did I enter the wrong section? Why did nobody stop me?"
"No, you are in the right section."
"So that means you are the one who is in the wrong section."
"Indeed, and I have a good reason for that."
"And that would be?"
"...because I want to."
"..."
"..."
"I'm starting to understand McQueen's complaints about you."
"What does that supposed to mean?!?!?"
"You should return to the trainers' inns once you're done, trainer Igo Heita."
"Ahh… Mmhh… Of course… By the way, why do you look so dirty? It's as if you had just returned from training."
"Ah… Mmhh…"
"You are, aren't you?"
"Yes…"
"Who is your trainer? I'll talk with them."
"No! No! It's my fault!! I was the one who stupidly decided to run!"
"Why? It's not wise to recklessly train your body, Mejiro Palmer. Resting is also a part of training. You won't get any faster if you destroy your body."
"...You're right… I won't… I will never…"
Ah fuck… I just stepped on a landmine, didn't I? Sigh… I should really learn to mind my fucking own business.
The young man's perceptiveness seems to be active only when it's already too late for him to walk away. If he were more aware, he would know the orange flags on Mejiro Palmer. Mejiro Palmer isn't as cheerful as Daitaku Helios, but even she isn't as much of a downer as she is now.
"Hey Trainer Igo Heita, have you ever regretted being born?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Ah! Sorry!! That's a weird question to ask–"
*Click* *Whiiiirllll* *Thunk*
"You are at that age, after all, where that kind of question will pop up."
"Huh?"
"Since you haven't taken a bath yet. Mind joining me on a little night walk along the beach?"