Central Tracen Academy's affiliated hospital—
Established directly under the Central URA Association, it is a medical center dedicated to treating and rehabilitating Uma Musume injured during training or racing.
At this moment—
Inside one of its wards, two Uma Musume lay in bed, both wearing expressions of frustration.
Beside them, a cherry-haired girl sat peeling apples.
The three were none other than Mejiro Ardan, Dido Shooter, and Sakura Chiyono O, now ten days into their stay at the hospital after the Japan Derby.
Sakura Chiyono O carefully stripped the skin from an apple, then looked up at her two bedridden friends.
Mejiro Ardan lay on her side, her long, glassy-blue hair spilling across the pillow, eyes distant as they gazed out the window.
Dido Shooter, irritated, shifted her position, her left leg in a cast as she grumbled, "Damn this injury!" (TL: I still can't find if the name is correct or not T.T)
Since the Derby ended, their trainers had noticed something off in their gait.
A quick hospital check led to a doctor's order—mandatory observation and no walking until further notice.
"Ardan, Dido, want some fruit?"
Chiyono O waved the apple in front of Ardan's face.
The Mejiro girl turned, taking it with a faintly strained smile.
"I really envy you, Chiyono O—you're still so full of energy."
She actually felt a bit helpless.
Chiyono O had unleashed such incredible acceleration on the final straight… and walked away fine.
She, on the other hand, was told she had severe muscle fiber wear in her ankle.
Without a few months' rest, it could turn into tendonitis.
Chiyono O didn't know what to say, but seeing her friend's downcast expression made her feel a bit low too.
"I just got a little lucky, that's all."
"…Dido, you have some too?"
She held another slice out to Dido Shooter, who was staring at the ceiling with an annoyed look.
"…Thanks."
The yellow-hooded racer sighed, glanced at the apple, then took it and muttered thanks before biting in.
"The doctor said you just need to rest for a while—you'll be fine soon," Chiyono O encouraged.
"Hmph, of course," Dido Shooter snorted. "A mere leg injury? I'll be back in no time!"
"…The Kikuka Sho is out of the question, though," Ardan murmured between small bites. "That's a shame."
"Speaking of which, summer training camp is coming up… and here we are—" Dido wiggled her casted left leg—
"Not going anywhere. Muteki and the others will be at the beach, and we'll be stuck in Tokyo like a couple of cripples."
Ardan chuckled softly and offered, "Then once we're discharged, how about we form our own little travel group? My family has a private island—it's perfect for both leisure and recovery."
Her smile was poised as she raised one finger.
Chiyono O and Dido Shooter exchanged looks—both immediately picturing Ardan walking gracefully over a carpet of rose petals, flanked by two lines of black-suited bodyguards and elegant maids, all chanting in unison: "Welcome home, Ojou-sama!"
Dido Shooter burst out laughing, breaking the silence.
"Ardan, that's way too flashy! You even have a private island?!" She waved her casted leg in mock exaggeration, grinning wide.
Ardan touched her lips and laughed lightly. "It's just sitting there unused. If you'd like, I could arrange it right away."
Silent flex—most lethal kind.
Chiyono O and Dido could only stare, speechless.
Then Chiyono O, glancing at their cast-bound legs, suddenly remembered something and smacked her forehead.
"Oh right—our trainer can treat leg injuries!"
The two on the beds froze.
"…Who can treat leg injuries? Your trainer?"
Dido tried to picture Chiyono O's trainer—her mind conjuring the image of an unmarried, near-forty, strict and old-fashioned woman.
Chiyono O quickly waved her hands, realizing they'd misunderstood.
"No, no—not my trainer. A trainer at Oi Tracen Academy. Kuroha—that's it, Kuroha-sensei!"
"When I hurt my leg after the Satsuki Sho, Maruzen-senpai sent me to him. In just half a month, I was completely healed!"
"Kuroha…?" Dido's face stayed blank, but Ardan blinked.
She remembered now—recently, she'd run into her little sister Mejiro McQueen in the cafeteria, caught her sneaking sweets, and teased her a bit.
She'd asked who her trainer was—McQueen had said the name: Kuroha.
"…McQueen's trainer?" Ardan tilted her head slightly.
"Half a month?" Dido gave Chiyono O a skeptical look.
"The Satsuki Sho ended and you took half a month off… but we still saw each other plenty. Your leg didn't seem bad at all."
Chiyono O thought for a moment, then explained, "Sensei said I'd overdone my True Blooming during the Satsuki Sho. My body couldn't handle the sudden jump in power."
"…Then… I don't really understand the details," she admitted sheepishly after fumbling for words.
"But my leg really didn't feel right. Sensei and Maruzen-senpai both said that if I'd raced in that condition for the Derby, I might've fractured something!"
"After half a month of treatment, though, my leg was completely fine—and I was allowed to run the Derby."
Dido and Ardan looked at each other, silent—but inwardly, they believed her.
They'd both seen that final stretch—Chiyono O's double burst of acceleration.
Ardan's own ankle muscles had been so damaged from keeping pace that she'd nearly developed inflammation.
And yet the one who'd pushed harder, Chiyono O, had walked into the hospital with nothing more than "a bit of fatigue—just rest and drink hot water," according to the doctor.
It made no sense.
"But… he's a trainer. Does he even have the time to help us recover?" Dido raised the key point, lying back again.
"…That's true," Chiyono O said belatedly.
The two bedridden racers shared a silent, exasperated thought—
Chiyono O, you're already calling him 'Sensei' without the name? Your own official trainer would cry if they heard that.
"McQueen's trainer, huh…" Ardan's expression shifted to decision.
"When McQueen comes by later… I'm going to make her tell me everything."
(End of Chapter)
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