In the end, the [Japan Cup Ballroom Party] lasted long into the night, nearly a couple hours after what was intended. It couldn't be helped—there were just too many people, and considering nearly every participant of the [Japan Cup] was present, it was natural that they came bearing dozens of questions each.
Inconvenient, but not ultimately terrible. It wasn't like I was in a time crunch or anything. And besides, I got to meet back up with Sunday Silence and introduce her to Oguri, so that was a plus.
But once the party was over, it was time for me to start preparing for war.
"Overall, you are exceedingly healthy, Blossom-san." My dedicated doctor told me, and I hummed as I read over the report he'd handed me. The report was an extensive description of my health; from the overall condition of my body, to the concentration of various nutrients, and even a list detailing certain peculiarities the doctor had detected when he analyzed all the data he'd received from my multiple hospital visits.
I nodded as I placed the report back onto the desk. "That's good. Would be a shame if something appears just before the [Japan Cup]."
"A blessing indeed." He sighed softly. "I still can't believe that a physique such as yours can exist, and it's even more unbelievable to know that another shares this same trait."
I smiled wryly. Yeah, that wasn't an unexpected reaction. After all, my body was a literal anomaly amongst every umamusume except Secretariat. Unnatural durability, a recovery speed that bordered on supernatural, and an impossible step-like growth—all courtesy of the Umamusume Hero System.
But if there was one downside to all this, it was the fact that my overall growth was incredibly slow. Like, so slow that it bordered on glacial. I mean, the fact that my body wasn't even done going through the period of True Blooming was enough to show that.
And that was indeed the case. Kitahara and I first thought that maybe I'd undergone True Blooming early just like Oguri did, but after people started noticing the white tips on my hair, it dawned on us that the opposite was actually true.
I wasn't done growing. Not by a long shot. The only reason my growth seemed to have 'stopped' was likely because I'd hit my current Limits.
"And my legs?" I asked.
The doctor nodded as he pulled out a small stack of X-Ray scans. Each of them was a snap of my legs, taken monthly throughout this year. "Exceptional." He pointed to the front of my foot. "Your cuneiforms and metatarsal bones are thicker than normal, but are normal when compared to the scans provided by Secretariat-san."
I hummed. I paused for a moment, before I continued. "And my hormone levels?"
At that, the doctor's expression became a little complicated. "It is…within our expectations, but the results are still worrying." He brought out another report, and this one had all sorts of sentences written in bold red. "High levels of cortisol, and low levels of serotonin, dopamine, and estrogen."
I nodded as I skimmed through the report. The report's conclusion was clear; by all rights, I should not be racing. My hormone balance was completely out of whack, and that increased level of stress could lead to further conditions. The only reason I was allowed on the track was partly because it'd been discovered late into my career, and also because I was taking daily supplements to help even out the imbalance.
It wasn't anything surprising. Such were the debilitating conditions one with clinical depression must live with.
But things were getting better, and mostly because I no longer 'felt' alone.
Horses, and by proxy Umamusume, were social creatures. We thrived on being in a pack, and I'd kept myself locked up for most of my teenage life. It was only because Oguri decided to one day jog on a different route that this all changed.
I wasn't entirely sure if this fact was a thing in the original media, but I wouldn't be if it was. CyGames was notoriously good at adopting traits from the real horses into their umamusume counterpart, after all.
Though it made me wonder what Special Week was like in this universe.
"So nothing new." I eventually concluded, placing the report back down. "Well that's good. I'm guessing the only thing I need to do is to keep eating my daily supplements?"
"And adequate rest." The doctor added, calmly fixing his glasses back into place. "In a week, you will undergo an extremely stressful event, and you will do so after five months of relative inactivity." He narrowed his eyes as he turned to me. "Maintain your daily light exercises, but no more than that. Understood?"
I smiled. "I'll do my best."
And I really would. Because the Three Goddesses had plainly told me that they wouldn't be there to protect everyone this time around. What happened last year couldn't be repeated; if I injured myself to that extent, I could say goodbye to my plans of racing in America next year.
"Well, if that's everything," I made a small bow as I stood up. "Thank you for your time, Doctor." I picked up the plastic bag I'd placed on the empty chair to my left. "I'll make another visit if I notice anything."
He hummed. "And I pray that you do not."
I flashed him a thumbs up, and soon I was out of the room. I was met with the faint smell of antiseptics, and I narrowed my eyes slightly as I readjusted to the glaring white lights that lined the hallway I'd entered.
The white-tiled floors, the white walls, the white fluorescent lights; it was the stereotypical hospital aesthetic I was too familiar with.
I took a small breath as I turned my focus to the metal bench just left from the door I came out of, and my lips curled into a smile as I saw Oguri Cap sitting there, seemingly lost in thought. I walked over to her, and leaning down, I blew a small breath into her ear.
And as I expected, Oguri's eyes went wide as she shivered, and I grinned as I saw the light return to her eyes. "Got bored?"
Oguri smiled. "You're done?"
I nodded. "Pretty much." I raised the plastic bag I held and shook it. "Got all my medicine for the next month. We can go home now."
She nodded, and her ears flicked as she stood up and grabbed my hand. "Let's go."
I smiled softly as I let myself be pulled along. Oguri's grip on me was gentle, but I could tell that she was walking faster than normal. It was clear that Oguri wanted to leave the hospital as quickly as she could, and though I didn't understand why she hated hospitals so much, I never asked.
Soon enough, we made it out the front door, and I took a deep breath as we stepped outside. It was late at night by this point, and the moon hung high in the sky, unobstructed by any clouds. Moonlight draped onto the neon jungle that was Central Tokyo, and for a moment, I found myself transfixed by the celestial satellite.
I wasn't really sure what it was. Maybe it was all the time I'd spent in party and the hospital, maybe it was just me being tired—whatever it was, the moon's glow seemed almost hypnotic at that moment.
"Star."
I blinked, and then blinked again when I realized that we were no longer standing in front of the hospital, but were instead sitting on a bench at the park just a few minutes away from Tracen Central Academy. Oguri looked a little out of breath, but that was likely because we'd walked all the way here.
"You're back." She said, completely unsurprised.
I smiled wryly. Did I really zone out for that long? "Sorry." I said, gently intertwining my fingers with hers. "I guess I'm a little more tired than I thought."
"Nn." She inched closer to me, close enough that our shoulders touched. "Let's stay here." She said.
I nodded. "Sure." I smiled softly as I gazed at the moon. "The moon sure is beautiful tonight, huh?"
Oguri hummed. "It is."
We both remained there for who knows how long, content with just being together.
…
7 Days before the [Japan Cup].