The ocean's waves gently crashed onto the shores, glimmering beneath the light of the summer sun. The waters carried with them particulates of sand and gravel, with strips of kelp intermingling between them. The air smelled both salty from the salinity and earthy from the forested mountain not too far away.
I was just a few meters away from the waters, relaxing on a lounge chair beneath the shade of a propped beach umbrella. A small plastic desk was to my left, with today's newspaper neatly folded on it.
And to my right was Oguri Cap, sitting awkwardly on her own lounge chair, her eyes staring into the distance with worry.
"Is this…fine?" She asked.
"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow. "What is?"
Oguri pointed to the distance.
Specifically towards where Kitahara and Belno were, and the large group of umamusume surrounding them. Kitahara looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack as he tried to calm the excited group of young umamusume/ Meanwhile, Belno had donned her 'Tactician' persona to shut herself out from the world, not knowing that her seeming indifference only made the umamusume admire her even more.
I rolled my eyes as I saw the commotion over there. "Nah, they'll be fine~" I smirked. "It's good to see that Belno has so many fans now. And besides," my expression became somewhat serious. "Better have her start learning now. It'll be even worse when we come back to Central."
I had no doubts about that. Just like Oguri and I did, her fame would draw both attention and envy. She would definitely find herself called out by everyone else, asking for either advice or a chance to race together.
And I worried a little. Belno wasn't as thick-skinned as Oguri was, nor did she have the experience I'd built up from my previous life. Umamusume might be incredibly kind, but we were mortals still—she would soon face the darkness that came with rising fame and status.
…Well, I was being hyperbolic, of course. If any one of us heard that someone was trying to harass Belno, we'd come down on them with a rain of unrelenting fire. Kitahara himself would probably call on the director herself if it came down to it, though Musaka would probably stop the overprotective man from doing that.
"Ooh." Oguri hummed, clearly not understanding what I was saying.
I just smiled as I patted her head.
A couple days had gone by since Belno's victory at the [Japanese Dirt Derby]. Japan once more shook with excitement at Belno's incredible display, but thankfully we were so far removed from Central that nothing really changed for us. Sure, a few of the locals recognized Belno here and there, but overall our summer camp resumed as normal.
Also, I had to say—flying on an airplane was not a pleasant experience. Having more sensitive hearing was great for racing, but it was hell when it came to flying high in the air. The 'popping' feeling in my ears I'd get as a human was multiplied tenfold, and I had to actively wear an earmuff throughout the entire flight to stop myself from going insane.
I could've avoided all that if I just fell asleep, but I couldn't. Not even Kitahara's melatonin could help me like it did with Oguri and Belno, leaving me as the only one to suffer through the entire flight.
I seriously commend umamusume like Mr. C.B. and Sirius Symboli who could travel the world fairly often. I don't think I could ever do something remotely similar.
I hummed. "By the way, it's been a while since we raced on dirt." I said, idly watching the rolling waves.
Oguri blinked, and then nodded. "Nn. We've just been doing turf."
"Can't be helped." I said with a small shrug. "Most of URA's more prestigious races are all on turf."
There were just too few graded dirt races at the moment. We were still too far behind schedule, and it'd take a while before races like the [JBC Classic] would officially be put into place for umamusume who ran better on dirt. It was one of the reasons why there was such a divide between the local scene and the races in Central.
Really, it was lucky that Oguri, Belno, and I were competent on both turf and dirt. Things would've been a lot more different had that not been the case.
"If you want to run on dirt, it's better to go outside of Japan."
Oguri blinked. "Outside of Japan?" She whispered in surprise, as if the thought that there was more of the world outside of Japan shocked her.
I smiled slightly at her reaction. "Yeah. As an example, most of America's races are on dirt, with their own Triple Crown all being dirt races." My smile then grew somewhat complex. "It's why no umamusume in Japan has ever tried racing in America; the field is just too different."
And I wasn't just talking about the tracks itself. The culture in America was different. The races there were rougher, the umamusume more battle-hardened. Unlike the strict rules of the URA, the races in America were far more lax in comparison, allowing the races to turn into a makeshift battlefield at times.
"Then, where do they go?" Oguri then asked.
I hummed. "Anywhere that has turf races. Hong Kong, China, Europe—and a lot more I won't bother to mention." I smiled. "The most famous destination is France's [Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe]." I winced at my horrid pronunciation, but I continued on. "It's practically the URA's dream to win it at least once."
"Ooh." Oguri tilted her head. "That's cool."
I shook my head. As expected, Oguri didn't show much interest in the topic. She likely thought that what she was experiencing in Japan was enough—that there were still legends to be conquered.
I smiled mysteriously. I wondered how that would change after the [Japan Cup].
Anyway,
"I really should go help now." I said as I glanced at Kitahara and Belno in the distance. Much of the humor I felt at watching them struggle had faded away now, and it was time for me to come in and extract them from the admiring crowd. "I'll go and help them out. How about you?"
Oguri hummed, before she nodded. "I'll go too."
I smiled, and together we began making our way to the two lost souls. A few of the umamusume in the crowd noticed us approaching, and soon the attention was split between all four of us. Kitahara subtly sighed in relief as the pressure weakened, and some life returned to Belno's eyes as she saw us approach.
I placed a playful smile on my lips as I raised my hands. "Now, now~" I winked at the crowd of umamusume. "I know Belno's looking really handsome these days, but she still needs to rest." Belno flushed at my comment, but with everyone's attention on me, hardly anyone noticed.
Thankfully, my words finally broke through their excitement, and they realized they hadn't been the most polite. Immediately the umamusume began apologizing to Belno, ashamed that they went on to bother Belno despite her still needing to rest after her recent victory.
Belno quickly waved their apologies away. "It's fine!" She said, her usual cheery attitude finally returning. "I like helping everyone! It's just-, um, things got a little too hectic."
"She's right." Kitahara added with a smile, having recovered from his own panic. "If you want to ask for help, don't be shy. But we're all still a little tired from flying back here."
I subtly flashed him a thumbs up before I turned back to the crowd. "Anyway, I'll be taking these two away for the time being." I took Kitahara and Belno's hands began dragging them away. "See you all soon!"
And so, with the crowd of umamusume waving us farewell, we quickly left the scene.