In the end, I stayed at Kentucky Tracen Academy for much longer than I initially planned, and I only left when it'd gotten late enough for the sun to dip into the horizon. I'd stayed for long enough by then, and since visiting hours had already technically ended a few hours before, I soon bid the new trainer–trainee pair as I returned to the limousine.
The driver greeted me politely as I approached, having patiently waited for me for nearly the entire afternoon. And soon enough, I was off, being driven down the roads of Louisville.
I was mostly silent throughout the drive—mostly because I had no one else to talk to. Secretariat was who knows where, Musaka was back in the mansion enjoying his semi-retirement, and I'd rather not disturb the driver.
I was thankful for the quiet, actually. My time in the Tracen had been quite frantic, especially with Sunday Silence constantly wanting to race against me. Once we got the details about her career mostly hashed out, she immediately dragged me to the track to run. And since Wayne was more than happy to see Sunday's enthusiasm, I could only agree as I ran with her for hours on end.
Neither of us were really tired by the end of it. My training with Secretariat had bulked my endurance, and Sunday's vitality was monstrous in its own right.
But constantly being chased was far from a pleasant feeling. It felt like there were needles constantly stabbing into my back, even if Sunday was dozens of lengths behind me. And sure, I wasn't unfamiliar with it—running with Oguri elicited the same sensation—but even Oguri's stamina didn't match up against Sunday's.
That aside, the silence was welcome, this time around. It gave me the chance to rest, and also to ponder.
With my most recent Mission completed, I was somewhat certain that Sunday Silence's 'Fate' had been irreversibly altered by this point. I still wasn't sure what that meant, but considering the state she was in during Cafe's main story in the game, it probably wasn't anything good.
Still, what was the cause of this whole charade anyway? I knew that this world was strangely partial to the history of horse-racing; like how certain injuries were carried over, or how the feats of umamusume mirrored the records of the horses they inherited their names from, or how the world seemed to outright break when an anomaly like Aston Machan appeared.
Yet, despite 'Fate' being such a strong force, just me appearing was more than enough to break it.
But it was weird, wasn't it?
My existence here was already an anomaly, likely one created due to the miracle of the Three Goddesses. But in that case, then why wasn't the world going crazy? Moreover, why would the System ask me to help Sunday Silence despite it going against her supposed 'Fate'?
Unless the 'Fate' of these umamusume wasn't determined by the Three Goddesses?
…
I frowned as I shook my head. There was no point in questioning that; I'd never get an answer anyway.
Casting those thoughts aside, I returned to gazing out the window as the limousine drove down the road. Louisville didn't look all that different to the various cities I've visited through my time here in America, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly disappointed. America as a whole was much more homogenous compared to Japan, with only several places being distinctly different. Not a bad thing on its own, but after seeing the same scenery for months on end, a change would've been-
Suddenly, the limousine jerked to a stop, and I blinked as I peered to the front window. I stared incredulously as I saw that an umamusume had outright jumped to the middle of the street, stopping the limousine with nothing but her hands.
And then I immediately sighed as I saw the familiar grin on the face of the umamusume.
I glanced at the driver's entirely unsurprised expression, and I could only grimace.「Does she do this often?」I asked, glaring slightly as I saw Secretariat wave at me with a big grin.
The driver chuckled.「Oh yes, Lady Blossom.」He said as he unlocked the doors.「Our lives are never dull with Lady Secretariat around.」
「Not impressed, lil' pup?」Secretariat asked as she entered the limousine.
「What is there to be impressed about?」I said back, smiling wryly as I heard the growing commotion outside.「Oh, for the love of the Goddesses. This thing's goin' on the news tomorrow, isn't it?」
「All the better!」
I just sighed.
After a bit, the limousine began moving once more. Secretariat took a small breath as she relaxed into her seat, her grin softening as she closed her eyes. I stared at her for a moment, before I decided to ask,「So, what were you doing anyway?」
「Just met with some old friends, thats'all.」She said. Her answer was strangely evasive considering who she was.
I hummed.「Is that so?」If she wasn't willing to explain, then I wouldn't ask any further.
「Mhm. Been a while since I last saw 'em. Might as well visit while I'm here.」She said, her voice sounding almost somber.「Time really does fly.」She went quiet for a few moments, before her grin returned.「By the way, seems like you've been quite busy!」
I raised an eyebrow at the deflection, before I nodded.「My stay ended far longer than initially planned.」I gave her an unimpressed look.「Thanks to a certain someone, that is.」
「That someone sounds pretty dam' smart.」She said without shame. And her grin only grew when she noticed me rolling my eyes.「But hey! Nice goin' there with how ya' paired that Wayne with a new gal' to train. He needed a new trainee or to get laid, and he definitely ain't gettin' laid anytime soon.」
I blushed slightly at her crass words, before I slowly nodded.「It was mostly luck, really.」I said, remembering that first practice race we did.「Letting Sunday Silence remain with her previous trainer would've just been a waste.」
She nodded.「Absolutely. Don't know the guy myself, but from the way Wayne spoke of 'em, he sounds like quite the bastard.」She said, before she smiled mysteriously.「And whether by luck or'not, you changed her Destiny, so I'd say you did pretty great!」
I hummed.「Yeah. I suppose so-」
Wait, what?
I abruptly turned to her, only now realizing the strange wording she'd used. But Secretariat didn't do much—she kept her eyes closed as she relaxed into her seat, clearly intent on resting during the ride back to their hotel.
I stared at her for quite some time, unsure whether Secretariat's words had been deliberate or not. I mean, her words didn't seem strange at first, but Secretariat was never one to attribute things to something as nebulous as Destiny. And for her to specifically say that I changed Sunday's Destiny-
Eventually, I turned around, staring out the window with a pensive frown.
In truth, it wasn't all that strange. I knew that there were several umamusume with supernatural abilities. Like how Stay Gold was able to partially perceive the fates of my previous world, or how Neo Universe could peer into other worlds, or how Marvelous Sunday could outright alter reality with a single thought. I wouldn't be too surprised if Secretariat was like that as well.
But still-
Agh, whatever. No point in stressing myself over this. It was clear that Secretariat wouldn't be answering my curiosity any time soon, and I was still tired from my time back in Kentucky Tracen Academy.
So, forcibly shoving my curiosity back, I leaned into my chair and closed my eyes.
I fell asleep just minutes later.
.
.
.
Several days later, now back in Secretariat's mansion, Musaka and I were sitting in front of a box television, playing footage from a Japanese news channel. Secretariat was also with us, though she was more interested in devouring the bag of peanuts she recently had her maids acquire.
And naturally, the news we were watching was focused on one particular race.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all back to the Hanshin Racecourse."
"On this very day, we will bear witness to another incredible race!"
Musaka hummed as the announcer's words buzzed through the television's speakers. "Well, here we go."
I glanced at him. "So, who're you betting on?" I asked, smiling slightly.
He scoffed. "Ya' think I'm answerin' that?" He grinned. "All we can do is watch and see who comes out'n top."
I chuckled. "Can't argue with that."
"Another year has passed, and so comes the [Osaka Hai]!"