Naturally, once we revealed ourselves, it wouldn't be long before the news would pick up on it. Once they did, they would descend into Kasamatsu like carrions looking for food. None of us were willing to subject our hometown to such scrutiny, so once we've gone to Kasamatsu Tracen, we all agreed that we'd leave the next day.
After our visit to Kasamatsu Tracen ended, we all went our separate ways for a little bit. I went with Oguri to eat some lunch together, while everyone else went elsewhere to seemingly finish whatever else they needed to do before we'd leave Kasamatsu.
Then when it was late afternoon, something strange occurred.
Belno, Kitahara, my parents, even White Narubi—they all simultaneously mentioned that they would all be busy. When I called Belno, she said she was busy helping her parents with something, though she sounded quite panicked as she spoke. It was almost as if she was trying to hide something.
Regardless, they all seemed to have disappeared to who knows where, and not even their neighbors knew where they'd gone.
Coincidentally, the only one who wasn't busy was Oguri Cap.
Hmm. Judging by the fact that I suddenly had the urge to dropkick my dad in the face, this was probably his doing.
"Star?"
I shook my head. "It's nothing." I said, smiling slightly. "Did you say something?"
She nodded slightly. "Look." She whispered, tugging at my sleeve as she pointed forward.
I looked at where she was pointing, and found a certain slope by the riverside. It didn't look all that unique at first, but after a moment, I realized just what this area was.
"...huh." I said, smiling wryly. "It hasn't changed at all."
This was the exact spot where Oguri and I first met, and the spot where we'd often meet up throughout that first month of our friendship. I could still remember sitting on that grassy slope, clutching my diary as I wrote whatever it was I was thinking, desperate to force my own thoughts out of my head.
Before I could think further, Oguri dragged me over to that familiar spot. She plopped herself right down, and her eyes sparkled as she kept tugging on my sleeve. I only chuckled as I sat down as well.
"You know, it's kinda crazy to realize that it's only been a year and a half." I said as I gazed at the gently flowing river. "Feels like we've been racing for forever."
"Nn." She nodded slightly. "I want to run more. Run forever." She smiled at me. "Run with you."
"And we will." I said, gently taking her hand into mine. "We'll run as much as we want. When Japan is no longer enough, we'll go overseas and race even more. Race against more umamusume who're far stronger." My smile deepened. "And when even the world itself isn't enough, I'm sure a miracle will keep us going."
"Miracle…" Oguri looked down for a moment, before she shook her head. "I don't need a miracle."
"I already have you."
I chuckled, my cheeks a little warm. "Is that so? Well, you're my miracle too." I smiled. "Meeting you here; it, uh-" I felt myself choking a little bit from the embarrassment, but I forced the words out. "You saved me, back then."
She tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean?"
My smile became a little sad. Just like the time I spoke with my mother, there was much I couldn't quite say; things too fantastical even for this world. My previous life, the circumstances that led to my reincarnation, the fact that I learnt about this world through a mobile game and a manga—they were all things I'd probably keep to myself for quite a while longer.
But Oguri at least deserved an explanation.
"Before you asked me to run with you, I was fine with just inheriting my parents' izakaya." I said. Oguri nodded, clearly remembering that afternoon when she'd first proposed the idea.
"I lied." I smiled emptily. "I doubt I would've lived long enough to do that."
"...Star?"
I gently shook my head. "Things are different now. I have a dream I want to chase, a goal I want to strive for." I smiled fondly. "But you changed that! You gave me a reason to-, wah!?"
Suddenly, Oguri tackled me, causing us to tumble down the slope. By the time we stopped rolling, Oguri was on top of me, her eyes wild and shaking as she stared into my eyes. "Don't." She whispered, pressing her face into my neck. "Please. Don't leave me. Run with me forever."
"Oguri-"
"I'll be with you. Always. Always." She whispered, her breaths panicked. "I won't leave you. I'll make you happy."
"Oguri-!"
"A-And I'll-, I won't-!" She rasped, desperation clinging onto her chest. "I'll be good. So, so good. So please don't leave me-"
Before she could finish, I gently placed my hands on her cheeks and forced her to look at me. I faced her tearful eyes with a smile, and gently, I wiped away her building tears. "Oguri, I'm fine now." I whispered soothingly. "I'm happy. Meeting you, being with you, running with you—it makes me so happy that it almost feels unreal."
"R-Really?"
"Mhm." Once her tears were wiped away, I gently pulled her close. Close enough until our foreheads touched. "Oguri Cap, I promise to run with you, no matter what. From Spring to Winter, from one year to the next—I'll continue running with you until these legs of mine can no longer stand."
She breathed shakily. "M-Mm. I'll run with you, Star. I'll run with you again and again. I'll follow you no matter where you go." She shut her eyes. "I'll be with you always."
I gently nodded. I enjoyed this moment of closeness, adorned by the warmth of the summer sun and serenaded by the trickle of the flowing river. Oguri's reaction had been rather intense, but I was glad I'd gotten my point through. And more than anything, my chest felt much lighter now after sharing my heart with her.
…
"We should stand now." I said, but when I tried, Oguri's hands latched onto my arms and forced me down. I stared at her in confusion, but her eyes refused to meet mine, and her head remained firmly pressed onto my nape. "Oguri…?"
"Don't wanna move." She whined softly. "Stay here."
My mouth opened slightly, before I sighed as I fell back down. "Fine, fine~" I said as I gently patted her head. "We can have a little afternoon nap here." I winked. "Just don't be embarrassed if someone sees us, okay?"
She shook her head. "I don't care."
I smiled wryly. Right, this was Oguri I was talking to her. She was hardly embarrassed by anything.
So, with no other choice, I let myself relax. And seeing that, Oguri relaxed as well, eventually letting curl into me as she kept her hold on me. The feeling was quite pleasant, and combined with the sounds of the flowing river, I began to feel myself dozing off.
Before long, my eyes closed as I fell asleep, and Oguri joined me soon after.
.
.
.
As she slept, Oguri fell into a dream. A dream where her life had gone differently. Where Team Kitahara had never formed. Where her journey to Central had been a much more lonely one. Where Kitahara had bowed to Symboli Rudolf's demands and remained behind while she went on to race in Central.
A life where she never met Blossom Star.
…
Never in her life had she felt such disgust.