"That was way too close. Shirayuki's record almost got shaved down by a hair."
The day after the race, Special Week and the others crowded around Shirayuki, still buzzing from yesterday's showdown. Spe-chan looked so tense you'd think she had been the one out there fighting for her life.
"But thank goodness. Yuki-chan still won in the end," Grass Wonder said, letting out a long, careful breath.
Yesterday, when she'd seen those two running side by side, her heart had nearly jumped straight out of her chest.
The thought that the first person to defeat Shirayuki in the Twinkle Series might have been Seiun Sky…
Grass Wonder simply couldn't accept that.
The one who broke Shirayuki's record first had to be her.
Right now, Shirayuki had three races and three wins. Two of them were graded races. Among the new students in their year, she was already a standout by any measure. Naturally, everyone had started guessing who would be the first to bring her down.
The obvious candidates were Tokai Teio and Special Week, since both had already raced against her.
But Grass Wonder didn't see it that way.
Teio. Spe-chan. Every last one of them.
She would surpass them all, one by one.
And then, eventually, she would step onto that stage again, face Shirayuki head-on, and become the only rival worthy of standing beside her.
"Has Shirayuki's next race been decided already?" Special Week asked, practically bouncing on her toes.
Shirayuki had just raced yesterday, but Spe-chan already looked like she was ready to charge into the next one. Watching that battle must have lit a fire under her too.
"The Tulip Sho. That should be my next race."
The Keisei Hai had only been for experience and building her fanbase. It had nothing to do with the Triple Tiara route.
That said, Shirayuki had learned plenty from it.
After getting tricked by Seiun Sky once, she would never underestimate an opponent again.
And as for dealing with extreme Front Runners…
Honestly, if she couldn't beat them, maybe she should just join them.
Having to keep one eye on escape artists in every single race was exhausting.
"Looks like that has nothing to do with us…" Mejiro McQueen murmured, pinching her chin.
Of course it didn't.
The Tulip Sho was a trial race for the Oka Sho, so the field would be made up of fillies. Special Week and the others were aiming for the Classic Triple Crown. If they entered a trial race, it would more likely be the Yayoi Sho, which had a similar schedule and level of difficulty.
In other words, before the first Classic race, they basically had no chance of running against Shirayuki.
"What a shame!" Special Week wailed, throwing her arms around Shirayuki.
She looked genuinely devastated.
Beside them, Grass Wonder's eyes darkened for the briefest instant before returning to normal.
A little touching was fine.
Anything more than that was not.
Meanwhile, Shirayuki's thoughts had already drifted toward her next race. Her gaze slid past the group and landed on Seiun Sky, who was sitting behind them.
The girl seemed to have slipped right back into her usual routine, dozing off whenever she found the chance.
What a carefree girl…
No. Wait.
Shirayuki immediately shook her head.
Who knew how many schemes were actually spinning inside that head?
Never let yourself get fooled by the surface-level laziness of a hidden tryhard.
"Congratulations!"
Elsewhere, in Fujiwara Chiya's office, Akikawa Yayoi burst through the door with enough enthusiasm to fill the entire room.
"Director?"
Akikawa Yayoi strode in with dignified flair, her voice ringing with theatrical grandeur.
"Magnificent! You have demonstrated the skill expected of a trainer, guiding your team forward one step at a time. Therefore, I hereby award you the Honorary Trainer Medal! Chiya, accept it at once!"
"T-thank you for your grace, my lord!"
Chiya hurriedly took the medal with both hands.
"And furthermore, Chiya, in order to show the Uma Musume the quiet efforts excellent trainers like you make behind the scenes, I am preparing a special event just for you."
"A trainer event?"
"Indeed."
Snap.
Akikawa Yayoi opened her fan in one smooth motion.
"To be precise, it will be an event for all faculty and staff. I want all of you to experience what it feels like to be an Uma Musume and bask in the crowd's attention!"
Fujiwara Chiya felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Something was coming.
Something very bad.
And sure enough, Akikawa Yayoi continued with a dazzling smile.
"I shall be holding an eighteen-hundred-metre race for the trainers!"
"What!?"
Eighteen hundred metres?
Are you trying to kill me!?
"A mere eighteen hundred metres should be simple for all of you, should it not?"
"No, no, no, Director, please think this through. For humans, eighteen hundred metres is already long. Very, very long. How about we change the event? Maybe basketball instead?"
"Those events will naturally be included as well. However, running must be the main attraction!" Akikawa Yayoi declared, fan held high. "I look forward to seeing you achieve splendid results in the race. I have high expectations for you, Chiya."
With that, Akikawa Yayoi cheerfully fanned herself and swept out of the office.
She left behind a Fujiwara Chiya whose face had gone pale as ash.
Can I take leave on the day of the race?
Why do teachers have to participate in a school sports festival too?
Wait, does that mean Hayakawa Tazuna has to run as well?
His excitement evaporated on the spot.
Fujiwara Chiya looked down at the Honorary Trainer Medal in his hand. After hesitating for a few seconds, he removed his old badge and replaced it with the new one.
The moment it settled against his chest, something changed.
It was subtle, but real.
For the first time, Fujiwara Chiya felt like he had truly shaken off the label of rookie trainer.
Now he could walk into Central Hall with his head held high. Across all of Central, only about a hundred trainers had ever been recorded as owning this medal.
Looks like I'm getting closer and closer to my goal.
"Sorry to interrupt your self-admiration, Trainer Chiya."
A soft, easygoing voice tugged Fujiwara Chiya back to reality.
He looked up sharply and saw Seiun Sky standing by the door, scratching her head with an amused little smile.
"Sky? Why are you here?"
"I came to talk to Trainer about something."
Seiun Sky wandered into the room, then tilted her head as she stared at the medal pinned to Fujiwara Chiya's chest.
"Huh. It doesn't feel that different from the old one. It just has one extra star."
"This is not just one extra star. This is a symbol of status!" Fujiwara Chiya said, tapping the medal with pride. "It proves I'm now one of Tracen's excellent trainers. From now on, I'll get preferential treatment no matter what I do."
He might even be able to get Tracen to reimburse him for training equipment in the future.
"I see. No wonder you looked so happy."
Seiun Sky's eyes curved faintly, her tone carrying just enough teasing to make his ears feel hot.
"In truth, I already knew this day would come. Everything merely happened as expected." Feeling a little awkward under her gaze, Fujiwara Chiya cleared his throat. "So? What are you doing here? Don't tell me you came to sleep."
"That's right. Yesterday was exhausting. My body still hasn't recovered at all, so I wanted to find somewhere comfortable to nap."
As she spoke, Seiun Sky flopped onto the office sofa, slipped off her shoes, and curled up like she owned the place.
"Go sleep in the infirmary. If that doesn't work, go to Kiryuin's office. Why come here?"
Seiun Sky did not move an inch.
Fujiwara Chiya pressed a hand to his forehead.
If someone walked in right now, how was he supposed to explain this?
An Uma Musume casually barging into his office just to sleep was way too indulgent. At this point, the room barely looked like an office anymore.
"Trainer Chiya."
From the sofa, Seiun Sky suddenly spoke, her eyes half-lidded.
"Shirayuki… isn't quite the same as other Uma Musume, is she?"