Winters come and go... her time in pre-school has nearly ended...
Urara had finally reached her final year in pre-school, and nothing major had happened besides eating crayons that nearly sent her pre-school teacher into a panic attack.
In the last year of pre-school, on one fortunate evening, Urara was walking home with her classmates, as usual, a practice devised by her teacher to ensure their safety.
Their path took them past the open field—the same field Urara had long avoided. At first, she stiffened, instinctively keeping as far away as possible, trying to evade it.
Then, something caught her eye.
Beneath the golden field, one indulged in the setting sun, and a silhouette glided across the field. A girl—no... an Umamusume—was running.
Her breath was shallow yet driven.
Her posture was upright, her eyes locked forward with focus.
Each stride was smooth and sharp, as though she had trained for days upon days.
Then, Urara peeked out from behind her timid stance.
The golden light blinded her before her eyes settled on that girl, glistening as the light reflected off the girl's running figure.
Her speed, her display.
To Urara, it was… exciting!
She lunged at the fence post that surrounded the field.
"Whoa~! She's fast!" said, amused.
Her classmates slowed for a moment, pausing to glance at the runner before quickly growing bored and moving on.
But unlike them, Urara remained still. She was captivated by the sensation—the girl's elegance, her form near perfect despite her young age and the absence of a coach.
Like she was literally watching the race live.
Just as her attention dived deeper... Suddenly-
"Urara, we're going! Are you coming?" one of her classmates called out, already a few steps ahead of her.
Urara turned to them; her excitement was palpable!
"It's okay! I'm going to stay!" Urara shouted back.
"Then be careful, okay? We don't want to get in trouble because of you, ya! See ya!" they yelled back as they hurried away down the road.
"You guys, too! See you guys tomorrow!" Urara responded, waving, before returning immediately to the field.
Then, minutes slipped by. Laps turned into more laps. Urara was still awed at her performance.
Finally, the girl slowed at her self-marked lapping count. She bent down, taking her water bottle and sipping deeply. But as she raised her head, her eyes caught sight of someone at the edge of the field.
It was Urara, gawking in awe, her little tail wagging uncontrollably.
The girl was startled, glaring back at Urara. "Who are you, and what're you looking at?!"
Urara, without hesitation, walked through the fence into the field—completely forgetting her fear of the place.
"I'm Haru Urara!" she yelped excitedly. "I'm from around here!"
"Oh… I see," the girl muttered before turning away, lifting her bottle again for a drink.
"What about you?" Urara asked gleefully. "What's your name?"
The girl finished her sip, then turned to Urara with cold, deliberate eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Yes, I would like to know!" Urara responded, her bright smile undimmed, not realizing the sharky reply.
"Tch…" the girl clicked her tongue, disgusted, before returning to her jog, marching away without another glance.
"Please wait!" Urara called out as she dashed after her.
And without knowing, without realizing, Haru Urara was running. She was running across the wide open field—as if the fear that had haunted her all these years had vanished.
Only until halfway through the chase, it struck her.
She realized she was running in the field. The open field. And nothing was holding her back.
Her eyes lit up, her vigor surged, her heart pounded. It was thrilling, exciting, and liberating!
She did it—she finally did it! She was running free once again!
The world swirled before her eyes, wind cracked against her ears. It was truly… exhilarating!
Her lungs screamed for help, her legs began to falter. It was truly… painful?
With a loud thud followed by a yelp, she collapsed to the ground, sprawling clumsily. This time, it wasn't because of a snake—it was her lack of stamina, her energy completely spent.
The girl, still jogging at a steady pace, sharply turned her head at the sound. There was Urara, lying flat like a lizard.
It shocked the girl greatly, hollering, "Are you okay?!"
Despite only jogging lightly, the girl realized Urara had already pushed herself to her limit just trying to keep up.
With a sigh, she jogged back and stood over her, who lifted her head to meet hers.
"Mary. Mary Jane, that's my name. Are you happy?"
With that, she turned away, rolling her eyes, resuming her training. "Now, go home. Before you get yourself hurt again."
Urara came crawling upward and sat on the ground. As Urara beamed and replied, waving her hands, "Thank you! Mary John! It was nice to meet you!"
The girl instantly snapped her head around, pausing her steps. "Mary… JANE! Not John. Geez…" She shook her head and continued running.
Urara stayed a while longer, resting on the grass as she caught her breath and watched her run for a few more minutes.
She then picked herself up, bid her farewell, "Bye! Mary-chan! See you again sometimes!" before bouncing her way home, humming her favorite song.
Meanwhile, Mary merely shook her head, disregarded, focusing on her training rather than that pink critter.