A violent sound rang through the dojo once again.
Shirayuki's body flew into the air, then landed steadily back on the floor. This time, Yaeno Muteki did not attack her again like before. Instead, she stood in place and placed one fist into her palm.
"I have nothing left to teach you."
If it was for the sake of racing, what Shirayuki had learned was already enough. Anything further would be unrelated to races, such as joint locks and other techniques. Those were dojo lessons, not racing lessons.
Hearing Yaeno Muteki's words, Shirayuki also bowed to her.
With the end of the month approaching, she could finally evade all of Yaeno Muteki's techniques. Her body also felt completely different from before. Her muscles were clear and distinct, and her movements had become one unified whole.
"Yaeno-senpai, thank you for taking care of me during this time."
"When are you planning to leave?"
"Tomorrow."
"I see… What a brief meeting this was."
Yaeno Muteki smiled.
During the time Shirayuki had been here, she had recovered the feeling she once had when she first encountered martial arts. It fascinated her deeply. Perhaps in the future, she would never again find an opponent like Shirayuki, someone patient enough to train with her like this.
Walking to Shirayuki's side, Yaeno Muteki hugged her tightly.
"Do your best in the race."
"Mm."
That night, Shirayuki thanked the black figure.
The other party said nothing. She only disappeared silently into the night. Even after all this time, Shirayuki still could not figure out her personality. She seemed neither happy nor sad, and she was utterly indifferent to everything except running.
The next day, when Shirayuki took off that heavy protective gear, she slowly walked outside.
In that instant, she felt as though she had been reborn.
She could no longer feel the weight of her own body.
It was as if she had become one with the air.
Completely clear and transparent.
Everyone looked at Shirayuki with their mouths slightly open.
At that moment, Shirayuki had gained an indescribable sense of liveliness. Her appearance had clearly not changed at all, and yet everyone felt that she was completely different from the person who had first arrived here.
"I saw you going into the dojo every day and wondered what was going on. Don't tell me you were forging your body in there?"
Gold Ship patted Shirayuki's shoulder. Very quickly, she noticed something was off.
Shirayuki's arm was so soft it felt as though her fingers might sink into it.
Not only was it soft, it had a strong elasticity too!
Fujiwara Chiya carried the protective gear onto the vehicle. Yaeno Muteki had said those items would be a gift for Shirayuki. Along with them was a ticket to visit the dojo at Yaeno Muteki's family home. From the way she said it, she probably wanted Shirayuki to go there someday.
Fujiwara Chiya placed that ticket into his pocket.
When he had time in the future, he would definitely pay them a proper visit.
After saying farewell to the attendants who had taken care of them, the group boarded the vehicle for the return trip. A few hours later, the familiar gate appeared before Fujiwara Chiya's eyes.
Gold Ship let out a cheer. Before the vehicle had even fully stopped, she rushed out in a frenzy.
Fujiwara Chiya packed up the luggage and stepped down.
After nearly a month away, they had finally returned to Tracen Academy.
Unlike the summer training camp, he had experienced far too much this month. It felt as though each day had lasted a year. Shihandai's strictness toward him had already become almost the same as Yaeno Muteki's. In the end, Fujiwara Chiya had barely managed to remain unmoved while Shirayuki was being beaten.
Tazuna stood at the gate, welcoming them with a smile.
"Welcome home," she said.
"Mm. I'm back."
Tracen really was better.
A quiet, secluded place like that was fine to visit once in a while.
Tazuna turned to look at Shirayuki beside him, and surprise appeared on her face.
"It seems the two of you had an excellent month of special training."
"It was thanks to the meal plan you gave us. Her nutrition managed to keep up. Otherwise, she'd probably be completely exhausted by now."
"That's good."
Tazuna's eyes landed on the package behind Fujiwara Chiya.
"Are those things you brought back from the training ground?"
"These are… just some little things I bought."
Fujiwara Chiya laughed vaguely. He did not want Tazuna to see the merchandise he had bought. A trainer collecting these things like a fan felt rather embarrassing.
Fortunately, Tazuna did not ask further. She only reminded him to rest early.
After returning to Tracen, Fujiwara Chiya went to the Director's office. Aside from Akikawa Yayoi, there was one other person inside.
It was the yellow backpacker, Satake Mei.
She was also the person in charge of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe project.
Seeing Fujiwara Chiya, she greeted him warmly.
"Yo, Trainer Chiya. I heard you went off for special training."
She casually raised her arm and placed it around Fujiwara Chiya's neck, though because she was rather short, she had to stand on tiptoe.
"I trained for a month. Did you come here because of the Arc, Mei? Has the project changed?"
"Nope. I mainly came to check on the training condition of all you participants. Then I heard from Yayoi that you had gone for special training."
She said, "How does it feel, Chiya? Can you win the next race?"
"I can't guarantee whether we'll win or not. But…"
Fujiwara Chiya placed a hand over his chest.
In his mind, he recalled the words those once-mighty uma musume had left for their juniors.
"I think I'll probably enjoy that race very much."
"Why are you saying something like an uma musume would? Don't tell me you trained together with them too!"
Satake Mei laughed loudly.
"But hearing you say that puts me at ease. Looks like you didn't slack off during training. I'll look forward to your race."
After saying that, Satake Mei said goodbye and left the room.
Fujiwara Chiya reported to Akikawa Yayoi about what had happened at the dojo training ground. Akikawa nodded, raised her fan, and declared in a firm voice,
"Expectation! I look forward to seeing you and Shirayuki on the racetrack! Show us the results of your training, Chiya!"
"Yes!"
…
The Oka Sho.
The first battle of the Triple Tiara.
A once-in-a-lifetime race for an uma musume.
On the large screens in the city streets, a special feature for the Oka Sho was playing. Information about Snow Dancer, Mejiro Dober, Seeking the Pearl, Kyoei March, and the other uma musume scrolled across the screen.
After introducing the identities of several runners, the host's powerful, stirring voice came through.
"Just who will wear the crown of the Sakura Queen? Everyone, please keep your eyes on this race!"
The course was sixteen hundred meters, the same as the Tulip Sho.
Passersby stood before the screen, discussing the race. Naturally, the one receiving the most attention was Seeking the Pearl, who had recently achieved an impressive GⅠ victory. Next came Mejiro Dober, who had shown astonishing strength in the Tulip Sho. After them were Snow Dancer and Kyoei March.
The race had become a battle among four leading contenders.
Of course, there were also people hoping for a dark horse to charge out during the race and set the entire venue ablaze.
Standing before the plaza, Shirayuki looked at the giant screen displaying her photo.
It was as if the whole world was discussing them.
As an uma musume, one had to charge forward without hesitation.
And now, upon this stage in Hanshin where cherry blossoms danced through the air, it was finally her turn to step forward.