It's hard to find it, Silence Suzuka's sad expression in the last run. Pict on the other side (https://www.p atreon.com/cw/OuchMyHand)
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That autumn...
Tenno Sho (Autumn). 2000 meters. The track stretches out under a perfect autumn sky.
Silence Suzuka running at the front like she owned the entire world. Not just run, butdominating the race itself. Leaving every famous horse girl, their desperate attempts to catch up looked almost pitiful in comparison. Over twenty lengths ahead. An impossible lead that kept growing with every stride.
One thousand meters in 57.4 seconds.
A pace that defied logic. That broke every rule. That made veteran commentators stumble over their words trying to describe what they were seeing.
The crowd is roaring her name. The stands are shaking with their excitement. Everyone was on their feet, caught up in witnessing something legendary unfold right before their eyes.
Silence Suzuka, running the race of her life. Running exactly the way she was meant to run.
Free. Untouchable. Perfect.
And then....
In a single heartbeat, everything shattered.
Her leg gave out. Just like that. No warning. No gradual slowdown.
One moment, she was flying on the white cloud. Next, she was falling to abyss.
Silence Suzuka stumbled, her body crumpling as she tried desperately to stay upright, to keep running, but her leg couldn't hold her anymore.
The roar of the crowd died instantly, replaced by a silence so complete, so awful, it felt like the entire world had stopped breathing.
Suzuka collapsed onto the track, and the sound that came from her...
A cry so full of pain, anguish, and the crushing weight of a dream dying in real-time, that everyone who heard it felt it in every fan's mind. Medical staff rushed onto the track. Trainers shouted. But that sound, that broken sound, kept echoing.
Some people said they'd never forget that cry. That haunted them for years after.
The image seared itself into Hayato's mind as it had already happened. Like he'd been standing there in the stands, watching helplessly. Like he'd been the one who failed her, who let her run herself to destruction.
He couldn't let that happen. Not again. Not to his Suzuka.
"Hayato..."
Silence Suzuka small hand grabbed the corner of his jacket. The grip was shaky, desperate in a way that made his heart clench.
She was scared. Scared he'd just leave. Scared he'd give up on her like everyone else eventually did.
That snapped Hayato back to reality. Hayato blinked hard and looked down at Suzuka's worried face, those big eyes searching his for reassurance she probably didn't expect to find.
Something hardened in his chest. A decision clicks into place.
"Suzuka, we're done wasting time with her." His voice came out firm, more certain than he felt. "Let's break the contract. No, terminate it. I don't care how much the fee is, I'll pay it. You're coming with me. Right now."
Hayato didn't wait for her to respond. Couldn't risk her trying to talk him out of it or blame herself. Hayato grabbed her wrist, not hard but firm enough that she'd know he meant it, and started walking.
"We're finding Director Akikawa. I refuse to believe this contract can't be broken."
The thing is, contracts between horse girls and trainers weren't some kind of slave deal. The whole system was actually rigged in favor of the horse girls, if you really looked at it.
Made sense, since horse girls were the ones who set up these contracts in the first place...
80% of the prize money is going to the horse girl? Yeah, that said everything.
Plus, there were clauses about trainers treating horse girls well, not harming them, all that. Just based on that alone, a horse girl could bail whenever she wanted.
Breaking this shouldn't be hard. Hayato wasn't worried about the paperwork. Hayato just needed Suzuka to say yes.
"Wait."
Tojo Hana's voice cut through the room like a knife.
She called them back just as they reached the door. Hayato heard a drawer slide open, metal scraping against metal in the sudden silence.
Tojo Hana pulled out a document, held it up so they could both see it, then slammed it on the desk hard enough to make them both flinch.
"The contract confirmation is here."
Hayato walked back slowly, each step feeling heavier than the last.
Tojo Hana leaned forward, one hand propping up her chin, the other pressing down on the document like she was trapping it. Her eyes locked onto Silence Suzuka with an intensity that could've burned holes through steel.
"I need to confirm one more time, Suzuka. Have you really thought this through?"
Dead silence.
The office suddenly felt way too small. Like the walls were closing in.
"I'm the most outstanding first-rate trainer in all of Tracen Academy." Her voice didn't rise, but somehow it filled the whole room anyway. "The horse girls I train become world-class. Even first-rate horse girl, every single one."
Her gaze flicked to Hayato for just a second, dismissive, almost pitying, then back to Suzuka.
"And him? He's just a rookie who's never even trained a horse girl before."
Suzuka's ears twitched. She was thinking about it, really thinking, and Hayato felt his heart hammering in his chest.
But the thing was... if she could run front-runner style, she didn't really care if Hayato was a rookie or not.
Even if the front-runner style couldn't win races, even if she never stood on a podium again, she didn't want to give it up. That feeling of running free, of the whole track being hers and hers alone, of claiming every inch of scenery as her own...
That was worth more than any title. More than any trophy.
And besides... Hayato actually listened to her. Actually seemed to care what she wanted. That mattered more than experience.
Suzuka took a small breath, gathering her courage. When she spoke, her voice was soft but sincere.
"I'm certain, Tojo-san."
"I'm really grateful for everything you've taught me these past few days. You're an amazing trainer, and I've learned a lot." Her ears drooped slightly, apologetic. "But I think... I think I need to find my own way to run. The way that feels right for me."
She bowed her head gently. "I hope you understand. And... thank you. Truly."
It wasn't that Tojo Hana's methods were wrong. They just weren't hers.
Tojo Hana stared at her for a long moment. Then, without a word, she lifted her hand off the document.
Her expression gave away nothing. Not anger. Not disappointment. Just... nothing at all.
Hayato grabbed the contract confirmation, and suddenly, he could breathe again. The paper felt heavier than it should have, like it was carrying the weight of everything that came next.
This was real now. Suzuka was his horse girl. His responsibility.
Suzuka turned toward the door, but stopped. She bowed, low and respectful, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Goodbye and thank you for everything, Trainer-san."
The door closed behind them.
Bang.
The sound echoed in the hallway, final and absolute, like the end of one chapter and the terrifying start of another.