The next day…
Tap Dance City, Agnes Digital, and Air Shakur could all be seen sitting together in class. Shortly after, the door to the classroom opens up as Kurofune arrives at his usual time.
"Yo," Kurofune happily greeted them.
"Somebody's feeling happy," Tap Dance City said. "It's a complete 180 from your reaction two weeks ago."
"He did manage to win his debut race," Agnes Digital chimed. "With a new track record too. I wish I was able to do that when I first debuted."
"You'd just want that because you'd get more attention drawn to you by those precious "Umamusume-chans" that you love so much," Air Shakur scoffed.
"Caught me," Agnes Digital admitted.
"Other intentions aside, running a track record in just your second race is definitely something to be proud about," Tap Dance City commented. "Especially with those two twins purposely trying to get in your way."
"And this isn't the end either," Kurofune confidently declared. "I'm aiming right for the top, so I can't slow down now!"
—Tap! Tap! Tap!
"Settle down!" Their teacher shouted as she arrived in the room. "Class is about to begin."
[Yes, Ma'am!] The four of them said in unison as Kurofune sat down into his seat.
"Alright, before we begin," The teacher turned her attention to Kurofune. "Kurofune."
"Yes, Rika-sensei?" Kurofune asked, surprised to be singled out like this.
"I heard you happened to do quite well in your most recent debut race," Rika commented with a smile. "Congrats, but remember to not let such things go to your head. I'm sure you might've realized this already, but remember that even if you have everything going your way, the result of a race is never predetermined."
"I'll keep it in mind."
"Alright, back on topic now," Rika shifted into her teaching mode. "Today's class we'll go over…"
Class continued without any incident.
<><><><><><><><><><>
—DING! DONG! BING! BONG!
Kurofune and the rest of his classmates say their goodbye to their teacher as they all leave class together. Like usual, they chatted as they made their way down to the cafeteria for lunch.
"Hey, Digi-chan. I heard you'll be participating in the Mile Championships this November," Tap Dance City said.
"That's a G1 Race, right?" Kurofune's ears perked up.
"Mhm," Agnes Digital nodded. "It'll be my second one. I definitely plan on winning this time."
"Are you sure you're fast enough for something like that?" Air Shakur asked. "Last time I checked, you lost to a newbie at the tryouts."
"I'm plenty fast enough," Agnes Digital confidently declared. "I was just messing around during the tryouts."
"It looked like you were sprinting with full effort during the end when Kurofune caught up," Air Shakur commented.
"T-That was because I was just following the pace of the pack for most of the race. If I decided to run completely seriously, it wouldn't have even looked like a contest." Agnes Digital reasoned before pointing at her. "And you shouldn't be talking, you ran even slower than the both of us!"
"...Fair point," Air Shakur admitted.
"Now I'm interested," Kurofune said with intrigue. "If you weren't going all out at the tryouts, just how fast would you be?"
Agnes Digital just smiled, "You'll just have to come watch my race to find out."
"I'll definitely be there," Kurofune nodded.
"Me too," Tap Dance City agreed. "And I'll make sure to bring Shakky with us so all three of us can cheer you on."
"You're calling me that too?!" Air Shakur just stared at Tap Dance City with an exasperated look.
"What's wrong with it? It's cute," Tap Dance City looked confused.
"Does it look like I want to be associated with the word cute?"
"Even if I don't like you much, you're still a precious Umamusume-chan to me." Agnes Digital stated. "You're still cute in my eyes, even if you decide to hide that potential."
"You're the last person I need to hear that from," Air Shakur looked at Agnes Digital with disgust before pointing at Kurofune. "What about him, if you love all Umamusume and think they should be associated with cuteness, why don't you do it to him as well."
"I'm an Umamusuko, I shouldn't even be in this discussion," Kurofune frowned. "Doesn't Digital-san only target the girls with that love."
"Nope, my love extends to all Uma equally, boy or girl!" Agnes Digital declared. "Shakky does make a good point though, I should be giving you a cute nickname as well."
"You should use what you thought of before," Tap Dance City suggested.
"Oh right!" Agnes Digital remembered. "From now on, I'll refer to Kurofune as Kuro-chan."
"..." Kurofune's face turned blue in horror. He proceeds to shoot a glare at Air Shakur who casually waved him off.
"If I have to suffer through this, you'll have to as well," Air Shakur stated.
'Kill me now.' Kurofune covered his face as he pleaded in his mind.
"Hey, isn't that the Umamusuko?"
"Yeah, it is. Did you hear about his most recent race?"
"I watched it live. I didn't really have much faith after that first race of his, but I was pleasantly surprised. He even managed to break a track record."
"Those rumors were real?"
Unfocusing himself from the conversation with his friends caused Kurofune to realize that people were talking about him as he passed by. Though what really surprised him was that they were actually positive conversations about him.
"Do you think he might have a chance to win a GII race?"
"Doubt it. It's never been done before. He'll probably just end up fizzling out soon enough."
Well…some were at least.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Lunchtime had ended, with the group parting ways to go do their own things. Kurofune decided to make his way straight to the Team Spica base. As he goes to open the door, he braces himself.
—Creak!
Just as he expected, Gold Ship was waiting right behind the door, lunging at him with a dropkick. To avoid this extremely dangerous assault…
…he simple stepped to the side.
—THUD!
Gold Ship just falls to the ground, completely missing her target.
"Nice try," Kurofune looked at her unamused.
Inside, Kurofune noticed that the rest of Team Spica was already there. Special Week and Teio sat near each other, happily eating a plate of carrots. Scarlett and Vodka also sat near each other, however instead of being peaceful with each other for once, the two of them were pulling at each other's cheeks for some odd reason.
At the center of the room where the whiteboard is, Okino could be seen drawing something on said board. Once he heard a loud thud coming from the entrance, Okino stopped what he was doing and turned to the source, noticing Kurofune. Kurofune held Gold Ship by the back of her collar, dragging her into the room with him.
"You're finally here," Okino smiled. "Good, we can start now. Take a seat."
Kurofune let go of Gold Ship as we went to sit down in the seat to the right of Scarlett. Gold Ship reluctantly stands up and takes a seat to the right of him, a sour expression present on her face from her first failed dropkicking attempt.
"First, congratulations on your win this Saturday, Kurofune," Okino praised him. "You've managed to take the first steps towards achieving your dream."
"It was definitely thanks to your training," Kurofune replied. "I doubt I would've managed to even get close to winning this time without it."
"Don't humble yourself too much now," Okino smiled. "I may have helped guide you, but at the end of the day, it was you who managed to put that training to good use."
"Got it," Kurofune nodded.
"Now, onto the main topic," Okino decided to slightly redirect the conversation. "Have you decided on what you want to do next, Kurofune?"
"No, not really," Kurofune shook his head.
"I have a suggestion that I'd like you to consider then. Why don't you participate in this year's Hopeful Stakes?" Okino suggested.
(A/N: During the time that Kurofune ran, the same race would actually be a G3 race called the Radio Tampa Hai Sansai Stakes, but I changed it like they did for the movie, Uma Musume: The Beginning of a New Era. You can also consider this slight foreshadowing for what happens in the future.)
This suggestion shocked everyone in the room.
"Isn't that a G1 race?" Special Week asked.
"Yeah, it is," Teio nodded.
"Aren't you going too fast? He had just won his debut race like two days ago," Vodka pointed out.
"Yeah, isn't it too soon for him to be running in G1 of all places?" Scarlett asked.
"I agree, it would normally be way too soon," Okino admitted. "But, Kurofune's dream is to win a G1 race. What better way is there to get him closer to that goal than to have him experience a G1 race for himself?"
"I'm down for it," Kurofune replied. "Sounds like fun."
"You're crazy," Scarlett commented with an exasperated expression.
"It's not like the race will happen tomorrow," Kurofune stated casually. "It's pretty much the last race of the year. I got two months to prepare for it."
"That right," Okino seconded the claim. "However, currently we'll have to worry about getting you qualified for the event."
Okino began writing on the whiteboard beside him. He wrote the words ERICA SHO in all caps before drawing a circle around it.
"In Kurofune's case, for him to be qualified to participate, he'll need to win this upcoming Erica Sho," Okino explained. "It'll take place at the start of December, so you'll have an entire month to prepare this time."
Kurofune enthusiastically shot up from his seat.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's get started on training already!"
"I like that idea!" Teio shot up from her seat as well.
Okino just smiled at their enthusiasm.
'He's got the drive, passion, and talent to push him forward. I knew he had great potential, but this is even more than what I asked for.'
If the Umamusuko kept going at this rate, that dream of his might come much sooner than any of them would think.