"Huup!" Dicta Striker held her breath as she ran past the finish line, before she immediately slowed down and turned towards the scoreboard. It took a few seconds for the scoreboard to light up, and when it did, a wry smile came onto her face.
"Still not there yet." She whispered, eyes narrowing as she rubbed her chin. Her time had still improved compared to yesterday's, but it was still far below the record she'd been hoping to set. And from the looks of it, she wouldn't be able to meet her expected results by the time the [Japan Cup] rolled around.
She grimaced as she ran a hand through her hair. It was a little disappointing, but she hadn't expected that she'd be able to meet that in the first place. She had only a month after the [Autumn Tenno Sho], and that was far from enough time for her to try and play catch up.
Still, it wasn't too bad. She'd still improved her time, however miniscule it was. And more than that, she'd gotten a better grasp of her own Domain.
And man, what a shitty Use Condition she'd gotten saddled with.
It was simple enough: She had to completely exhaust every trick she had before the Domain became available. Every {Yellow Bullet} she had in reserve had to be shot, and only then would her Domain show itself. An annoying condition, especially since using her accelerating too quickly would cause her pain.
But some'd argue the trade-off was worth it. After all, her {Railgun} had the power to cut through Domains, while bolstering her speed to such an extent that sometimes her own brain struggled to keep up. The only annoying part was that she had to lessen the strength of her own Domain while she curved around a corner—she wasn't aiming to smash into the railing, after all.
"The more restrictive it's conditions, the more powerful it becomes." That was Belno Light's explanation when she first shared her thoughts about Domains. She compared the relative strength of her restrictive Domain to, say, Obey Your Master's. Obey's Domain could be activated at practically any moment, but its relative strength was far lower in comparison.
Super Creek was another good example, actually. Her Domain seemed to only activate during uphills, but that restriction meant its power was concentrated to a razor's edge. It was no wonder that her Domain was able to break through Belno's defensive Domain variant—that alone showed just how strong it–
"You're awake quite early." Dicta heard the voice of a refined lady, and her ears perked up as she turned around to find Mejiro Ramonu walking towards her, still dressed in her night clothes. The umamusume was undeniably beautiful, and the cold aura she carried with her had only amplified her beauty. But the night clothes she wore was rather revealing, and it was just too early in the morning for this.
Dicta quickly turned her eyes away. "Yeah. Didn't feel like sleepin', you know?" She said, trying her best not to let her gaze wander. "Ardan's not awake either, and I didn't wanna wake her up."
Ramonu's lips curved into a smile as she saw the way Dicta looked away, though she made no mention of it. "You're quite dedicated." She nodded with approval. "Good. The [Japan Cup] is no place for the weak." Her smile deepened. "It is a good thing this year has allowed no weaklings to step onto the tracks."
Maybe some people would find Ramonu's words a little rude, but Dicta only grinned. "With Oguri and Star around? Yeah, kicking my legs up ain't an option." She clenched her fists as her grin widened. "Shit's gonna go down in the [Japan Cup]. I know it. I can't miss it just 'cause I fell too far behind, right?"
Ramonu chuckled. "Indeed." Her eyes softened with approval. "What a fine specimen Ardan has brought home."
Dicta grin turned wry. "A specimen…" She repeated, though she found no fault in it. Ramonu's wording could be strange at times, but Dicta knew she meant well.
Well, that aside,
Dicta cleared her throat, still keeping her gaze away from Ramonu. "By the way, thank you for lending me your track for so long." She said, smiling shyly as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I didn't expect to end up bunkin' together with Ardan for so long, but I can't say that it didn't help. I probably wouldn't have been able to train so much if it wasn't for your guys' help."
Ramonu shook her head. "Think nothing of it, Dicta Striker." She smiled. "Rather, it is my honor to be of aid."
Ah, geez. Ramonu really couldn't take a compliment, could she? Then again, Dicta was used to this. For as cold and domineering as Ramonu made herself seem, she wasn't shy with her praises. And maybe it was nepotism or just her appreciating her strength, but Dicta would be lying if she said it didn't feel good to know that a Triple Tiara holder was praising her so wholeheartedly.
"Dicta Striker."
"Hmm? Whats'it, Ramonu-san?"
Ramonu looked down for a moment, seemingly deep in thought, before she turned to look at her. "I've heard that Mejiro Ardan has expressed some desire to head overseas." She said, frowning slightly. "Is this true?"
Dicta blinked, before her expression turned somewhat awkward. "I mean, I guess we did talk a little about that." She scratched her head. "Since Team Kitahara's about to leave for America and stuff, Ardan wondered if maybe we should go overseas as well." She shrugged. "She mentioned wanting to go to China last we spoke."
And of course, she didn't need to specify that she'd be going along as well. She'd already made a promise to her; wherever Ardan went, Dicta would do so as well. She'd stick tight onto that language-correcting idiot, and she'd make sure to pull her out whenever she fell into trouble.
For a moment, a shadow fell over Ramonu's eyes, before she smiled. "I am glad Ardan has found her partner."
Dicta's train of thought halted and promptly derailed out of her ears as a puff of steam. "P-P-Partner!?"
Ramonu tilted her head slightly. "Have you two not made vows to one another?"
"I-I mean–" She promptly shut her mouth. She didn't need to create an even bigger misunderstanding! "Uh, I don't know-, what we are? I mean, we're friends obviously, but it's just I never-, um, I just don't know? Like, I never talked with her and she never mentioned anything and everything's been so busy so I–"
"Dicta Striker, breathe."
Dicta stopped and forced herself to breathe. Her cheeks weren't flushed, but her chest felt a little warm. "Sorry." She said with a small cough. She was simultaneously happy that Ramonu thought she and Ardan were an item, but at the same time, she couldn't deny that she felt a strange uncomfortable itch in her chest whenever she thought about it.
Fuck, what the hell was wrong with her?
"Perhaps a jog is in order?" Ramonu kindly offered.
"Huh-? I mean, uh, yeah." She cleared her throat. "That sounds nice."
"Then please give me a minute." She said. "I will swiftly change into clothes more suited for the track."
Dicta blinked, and then flashed her a thumbs up. Ramonu smiled as she turned away and left. Dicta watched her go, and once she could no longer see Ramonu, she pressed a hand onto her face and sighed as she crouched down.
By the Goddesses, that was embarrassing. She didn't expect Ramonu to go straight for the jugular like that. Then again, maybe she should've expected it; the woman was surprisingly straightforward, so she was the one most likely to outright ask about whatever was going on between her and Ardan.
She took a few moments to just breathe. And once she felt somewhat calmer, she stood back up and slapped her cheeks. This was no time to crumple in on herself! Ramonu had proposed a 'jog', but that was just another way of saying that Ramonu wanted to race her.
And while she was a proud member of the Generation of Miracles, she wasn't conceited enough to think she could match with the Mejiro Ramonu without taking things seriously.
After a while, Ramonu returned, having changed from her night clothes to a comfortable tracksuit. "Let us begin." She said, immediately bending her knees forward as she prepared to lunge.
Dicta's eyes widened, and grinning widely, she quickly turned towards the track and prepared to move.
Then, at the same instance,
Boom!
Clumps of dirt were flung behind them as Dicta and Ramonu ran forward.
…
2 Days before the [Japan Cup].