A few days later, the students who'd gone to the summer camp finally returned to Tracen Central. Most of them were quite dour—after all, they'd spent two months out by the beachside, so going back to Tracen Central did feel a little bit like a downgrade.
But a piece of news quickly resparked their spirits.
Team Kitahara had a new member! Or, to be exact, was temporarily harboring the trainee of another trainer. But most didn't care much about the semantics. Whatever the case, Team Kitahara finally had a new member.
Of course, it was Fujimasa March, who was introduced to our class just days after her arrival in Central. Not as many people knew who she was, but for those who'd followed Team Kitahara's journey from the start, they'd be quite familiar with her. The only one to ever defeat Oguri Cap in a race, and was seen as the strongest Kasamatsu had after our team left for Central.
Many were eager to befriend her, and just as many were eager to test their mettle against her, to see if they could glimpse at some fragment of our team's strength, even if only the smallest bit.
That wasn't something we wanted. March was part of our team now, and a new member at that. She wasn't some chew toy they could play with!
At least, that was what we first thought. But March's naturally cold disposition warded off many who had less-than-noble intentions, while those that still approached were those that genuinely wanted to know her.
All in all, March adapted to Central surprisingly quickly. Once she saw how advanced our facilities were compared to the ones back in Kasamatsu, she threw herself right into the gauntlet with little hesitation.
That aside, time passed rather quickly after that.
There wasn't much happening around this time, really. There was still three months before Oguri's [Kikuka Sho] and my [Queen Elizabeth II Cup], and at least a month and a half until Belno's [Sankei Sho All Comers]. We had a lot of time to spend, and not much to spend it on.
Still, we didn't let ourselves become complacent. We were athletes, after all. We trained in some capacity every day, and whenever things got a little too boring, we'd spice it up with a test race or by going out to watch a race that was happening close by.
Basically, everything had returned to how things were before the summer camp, just a lot more lax now that we had the time to rest.
…
Well, there was something new added to my routine.
"How is it?"
I smacked my lips a few times to better let the taste on my tongue hang. "Mm~, it's a little salty in my opinion." I said as I took another spoonful of curry. "Pretty good though! Reminds me of that curry chain we went to during summer camp." I then paused. "Wait, did you base this on that?"
Oguri nodded, happy that I'd noticed. "Remembered the taste. Got help from the lunch lady as well."
I whistled. "You remember that? It's been a month." I sighed. "If only your memory's just as good when it comes to other things." I whispered.
Her ears flicked. "Did you say something?"
I shrugged. "Nothing, nothing."
After I shared some of my most hidden thoughts with Oguri, we'd grown even closer than before. Too close, some would argue. There was hardly a moment when Oguri and I weren't together. The only time we really separated was when we went to sleep in our own rooms, and even that wasn't always the case at times.
Some might not notice, but I could easily see that she was worried. The words I'd spoken to her by that riverside had been rather radical, after all. Oguri had probably never known what 'death' even was, much less the fact that I'd contemplated that some time in the past.
Which was why she began sharing her food with me whenever she noticed I wasn't eating. I'd mentioned multiple times that my appetite just wasn't that big, but Oguri was adamant that I eat. And since I didn't really want to see her sad, all I could do was indulge her.
Somehow, that desire to feed me eventually turned into cooking food for me, which had turned into a new hobby for the race-loving Beast.
Though her cooking was solely reserved for me. Whenever she wanted to eat, she still relied on the cafeteria's battle-hardened efficiency to satiate her immense hunger. But whenever we had the time and had already trained, we often spent our time in the cafeteria, with me as Oguri's taste-tester.
"How about this?" Oguri said as she handed me a plate of freshly-cooked croquettes.
I grabbed one of them and took a bite. I blinked when I tasted the tiny flakes of cooked shrimp inside, but overall, the taste was quite pleasant. "This one's good too." I smiled as I took another bite. "The shrimp surprised me a little, but it added more depth to it. Easy nine out'ta ten."
Oguri puffed up with pride at my compliment, while the few chefs who'd stayed to help teach Oguri began clapping. The main chef—a confident middle-aged woman—grinned wide as she gave Oguri a powerful slap on the back. "Pretty damn good cooking for a first-timer. You'd make a good chef if you're bored!"
Oguri's ears flapped happily. "Nn. Thank you!"
I smiled fondly. I hadn't been sure what to feel when Oguri first began worrying about me. After all, just like most people, I quite enjoyed some level of privacy. But if it led to Oguri learning to be more than just the Grey Monster, then being constantly watched over was a small price to pay.
"Looks like the Beast's getting into her new hobby, huh?" One of the older chefs who'd stayed with us said as she walked up to me. She smirked as she watched as Oguri began asking for tips from the other chefs. "Reminds me of my baby boy. Pestered me like a bug until I'd let him into the kitchen." She chuckled. "Good times, that was."
I grinned. "Sounds like a riot."
"Ha! He sure is." Her smirk softened. "He's older now. Has a wife and two kids. But I still see that little boy in 'em from time to time."
"But how about you?"
I blinked, surprised at the sudden shift in tone. "Me?"
The elderly chef glanced at me. "I'm not blind, Blossom Star." Her expression became a little more severe. "What are your hobbies?"
…
My hands clenched slightly. "Does training count?" I asked with a shrug, trying my best to remain casual.
She sighed. "This is why I worry about you girls, sometimes." She looked me straight in the eyes. "You're an umamusume, but your life doesn't just revolve around running."
I pursed my lips, though I didn't disagree. The truth was, I didn't have a hobby. I spent my time either studying or training or helping someone else. And if I didn't have anything else to do, I'd either wander aimlessly around Tracen Central or just sleep the rest of the day away.
It wasn't an issue born from me being an umamusume, per se. It was just an issue because I'm me.
That wasn't to say I hadn't tried. I sure have. I'd tried playing music, dancing, I'd gone hiking a few times, tried a few sports here and then, even tried selling takoyaki like a certain gray-haired umamusume—none of them stuck. I'd feel some joy at first, but the enjoyment would quickly turn dull.
The more I tried and failed, the more I sympathized with Gold Ship's chaotic bursts of need when it came to finding interesting things.
I smiled. "You don't need to worry about me, ma'am." I said. "I'm still looking for what to do once I've retired." I winked. "Can't just become a bum after my racing days are over, right?"
Well, that, and who's to say I couldn't race again even after my first jaunt as a racer was over?
The Dream Series still awaited me, after all.
The chef raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of retiring already?"
I shrugged. "Hard not to when my life revolves around it." I smiled softly. "Besides, nothing lasts forever. Having a time-limit's what makes things fun, right?"
"Ha! Spoken like a true old-timer." She shook her head with a rueful smile. "No wonder that Ginjirou liked talking with you so much."
I blinked. "Wait, you know Musaka-san?"
The chef rolled her eyes. "That man knows everyone here."
"...Huh."
I guess I shouldn't be surprised? Musaka was a veteran on the field, after all. He'd been a trainer for decades at this point, and even though he'd spent some time away from Japan, he never stopped being a trainer.
Still,
Musaka got that game, huh.
.
.
.
AN: Only one chapter today. I've been a little busy these past few days.