At the dawn of a new day, Team Kitahara boarded the shinkansen back towards Tokyo. They'd gone early in the morning—before the sun had even risen from the horizon. The train station was desolate when they arrived, and that was as planned.
With their recent appearance in Kasamatsu Tracen, it was inevitable that one of the eager umamusume would share their appearance with another. It'd be slow at first, but nobody doubted that such news would eventually trickle up to the news, and if they still remained in Kasamatsu when that happened, it'd be chaos all around.
So they left early.
But this time, their team had a new member.
Fujimasa March shifted awkwardly in her seat as the shinkansen sped forward. This was the first time she'd ridden the shinkansen, and also the first time she'd be heading so far away from Kasamatsu.
Belno Light, who sat next to her, smiled comfortingly. "You'll get used to it."
"I…know that." She eventually said, though her flattened ears and clenched fists betrayed her true thoughts.
"Well, do you have anything you want to do?" She then asked, smiling curiously. "Any places you want to visit?"
March hummed. "I'm not sure. It isn't as if I'd had much time to look."
Belno giggled shyly. "W-Well, the whole thing was a surprise to me too!" She cast a weak glare at Kitahara Jo, who was sleeping on the seat just in front of her. "Kitahara didn't tell me anything!"
"Cause he knew you'd spill the beans, girl." Musaka commented, also seated in front of her. "You'll be bouncin' off the walls if you knew."
Belno pouted. "I-I wouldn't have been that bad…"
"Sure, girl."
March smiled. In truth, she'd been quite terrified of Musaka Ginjirou when she first saw him. The man exuded a pressure she'd never felt from a human before, as if could dissect her strengths and weaknesses in just a few glances. Or maybe she could—she didn't actually know too much about the man.
…on the other hand,
She subtly glanced at the seats on the other side of the shinkansen cabin they were in. Both Blossom Star and Oguri Cap were there, having fallen asleep minutes after the shinkansen began moving. Oguri was laying her head on Star's shoulder, while Star had subtly leaned towards Oguri. The two were practically cuddling as they slept.
Belno caught where she was looking and grinned slightly. "They do this pretty often."
March gulped, her cheeks reddening. "They…do?" Well, she certainly hadn't been expecting that. She knew that Star and Oguri had been friends even before they entered Kasamatsu Tracen, but she didn't know their relationship had progressed to this extent. "So are they…together, together?"
At that, Belno's expression became a little complicated. "...I don't know."
March blinked. "You don't?"
Belno pursed her lips. She…wasn't sure if she could explain it fully. And even if she did, she wasn't sure she wanted to.
Yesterday, when Star's parents had called them together to let Oguri and Star have some alone time, Star's mother had called her over and explained something to her.
It wasn't clear whether Oguri and Star were now a pair, or whether they even understood what that meant. Whatever the case however, Oguri was someone Star needed. An anchor that'd kept her grounded—that had saved her. Pulled her out of her depression in a way her parents couldn't.
Once she heard that, she couldn't help but think. All those times Star seemed to sleep despite saying she wasn't tired, the way her expression would go blank until Oguri finally snapped her out, how she only really smiled in public when she noticed people were watching--
Admittedly, she wasn't as familiar with this whole thing, but she knew enough.
And it made her angry. Angry that she hadn't noticed it all. That she dared to think that it was just how Star had been, and how she'd changed once she moved to Central.
"Belno?"
She forced a smile as she shook her head. "It's nothing." She took a small breath. "But, yeah. We don't really know, and they've never really spoken about it." She hummed. "Maybe they're just private about it?"
"Is that so?" March glanced at the two again. She did notice how they seemed rather close last night, when they were gathered at Star's izakaya. Oguri had constantly hovered around Star, and Star was more than happy to be around Oguri—even going so far as to feed her when she noticed Oguri hadn't eaten for too long.
She blushed again. To be so open about it; maybe this was the ability of those who thrived in Central?
She shook those thoughts. "S-So, how will this go?"
Belno blinked, and then she realized what March was talking about. "Oh! Well, first off, we'll need to introduce you to the director. She'll be the one who decides if you're fit for Central. If she does, then she'll send an application to the URA."
"She will." Musaka said confidently. "The lass likes having new blood in that academy of hers. Besides, you have our team's approval—should make the whole schtick a lot simpler."
"...right." She frowned slightly. "Is there anything I should know? Etiquettes I must follow?"
"Not…really?" Belno frowned slightly as she scratched her cheek. "Everyone's quite welcoming-, well, most are." She smiled wryly. "There will be those who are skeptical, but as long as you can show them your ability, you should be fine."
March nodded. She'd already expected that. From what she'd heard, those who could enroll in Tracen Central Academy were either those the URA believed had the potential, or umamusume that came from a distinguished line. It was a boiling pot for the best of the best, and even with Team Kitahara backing her, she'd need to show that she could compete along with them.
Musaka grumbled. "Alright, you two better get some sleep like this fool over here." He said. "It's still too early. Better take this time to get some shut eye."
Belno nodded. "Musaka-san's right." She smiled slightly. "We won't have the chance to rest once we've arrived."
March nodded as well. And after taking one last glance at the sleeping Oguri and Star, she herself closed her eyes as she tried her best to sleep. It wasn't easy—the discomfort she felt from riding the shinkansen kept waking her, but she eventually managed to fall asleep.
And when she next woke up, it was to find that the shinkansen had nearly stopped, and that the scenery outside no longer showed the hills and plains of Kasamatsu.
Her drowsiness was quickly broken when she saw the towering buildings that rose far above most of the concrete buildings. "This is…" She whispered, practically pressing her face into the small window to get as best of a view as she could.
That was until she heard a giggle, and she looked back to find that everyone had already stood up with their baggage. Belno was giggling, while Star was smirking. "You know we'll have a better view once we're out, right?" Star added, causing March's cheeks to flush red.
"I-I know!" She said, quickly standing up and grabbing the duffle bag she'd packed with all her essentials. "Let's go!"
And once they were outside, March was struck silent with awe. Even the train station she'd stepped into was far more advanced compared to the dilapidated stations back home. There were a few people walking around, and the way they were dressed was completely foreign to her.
She knew she looked like a complete country bumpkin, but she didn't care. The difference was just too vast for her not to react.
"Dazzling isn't it?" Kitahara grinned. "We all pretty much reacted the same way when we first came here!"
"Except this girl over 'ere." Musaka commented as he pointed his thumb at Star. She smiled as she gave a small wave. "Had to drag y'all to Tracen Central by the necks."
Kitahara's eyes twitched. "Hey, we weren't that bad!"
"You were."
Kitahara was more than ready to retort back, but Star quickly stepped in between the two. "Alright, alright. No fighting~" She smiled leisurely. "Let's just head for Tracen Central, yeah? Let's not make the director wait."
Kitahara sighed. "Right. Of course." He fixed his cap as he smiled at March. "Let's go, March." He grinned. "You'll be even more blown away when you see it!"
March smiled. "I know."
She couldn't wait.