"Ah, Silence, you're finally back!"
The celebration had ended, and the girl returned to her dorm room.
Belno Light, who had been organizing the next day's training schedule, immediately greeted her.
"Good evening, Belno-senpai."
"Ehehe~ Good evening."
The girl noticed that every time the word 'senpai' was uttered, Belno Light's ears would wiggle back and forth, an unmistakably happy expression spreading across her face.
It seemed she really loved being called that.
"By the way, Silence. I heard Narita Brian has been discharged from the hospital, is it true?"
"Yes, she's already back in her room resting."
"It's actually true! That's great…"
Belno Light patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
"Senpai was worried about her?"
The two of you don't really interact, do you?
"Worried… I suppose you could say that. It's not just me, everyone's been concerned," Belno Light explained.
These past few days, Trainer Musaka Ginjirou had been sitting in front of Narita Brian's race footage for hours on end, completely motionless. Even Oguri Cap had been the same.
They seemed utterly engrossed in the race replay, losing track of time.
Especially Oguri Cap.
After watching the footage, she seemed preoccupied, a bit dazed no matter what she did.
Though she's usually like that.
But now, that feeling was even stronger!
Belno Light swiveled her chair around.
"I went to see that race too," she said.
Moreover, she was supposed to follow Trainer Musaka Ginjirou's instructions and record the race data.
But who would have thought that by the time the race ended, she hadn't written down a single word.
What a failure…
Belno Light gave a wry smile.
"It wasn't senpai's fault," the girl shook her head.
"Actually, I was the same. I was so stunned by her running form, I completely forgot about everything else besides the race."
"Really! See… When you witness something like that, how could you possibly have the mental space to think about anything else? So Silence felt the same way I did!"
Different from an ordinary front-runner's dash, Narita Brian had run with her own unique flair.
Everyone saw in her that wild, unrestrained brilliance.
A form that could almost be called 'ultimate.'
Unfortunately, after finishing the race, Narita Brian didn't even have the strength to stand and was sent straight to the hospital.
Clearly, the cost of revealing that form was something an Uma Musume could hardly bear.
Even Narita Brian ended up hospitalized; if it were one of us ordinary Musume, we'd probably drop dead on the spot.
She really didn't want Oguri to end up like that.
"The Fifth Triple Crown Uma Musume in history… What an enviable title."
But that wasn't what concerned Belno Light the most…
What she really wanted to talk about was that person.
"That ghost! Everyone's talking about it now, the ghost that ran even faster than Narita Brian!"
Belno Light's tone grew excited.
"Something like that shouldn't exist! Whether in movies or videos, they definitely use all sorts of special effects. Apart from those unverified rumors that have been circulating forever, people know nothing about such beings!"
And now, one had actually appeared before their eyes.
"Is something like that even scientific? Or rather, was she even running? Could she have been floating in the sky? That would explain her incomprehensible speed."
"I think she probably was running…"
"It certainly looked that way… But for a non-scientific being, doing non-scientific things is possible, right? Like messing with human brains, or attaching to a human body, bringing misfortune."
"Mess with brains… probably can't do that. And possession… probably not possible either…"
After all, she couldn't even touch anyone.
As for misfortune, a certain feng shui master did say it exists.
"Senpai is concerned about it?"
"…Mmm, rather than concerned, it's more like I'm a bit scared." Her hand unconsciously clutched her skirt.
"Actually, I'm pretty scared of supernatural things like ghosts. I got scared a long time ago and still have psychological scars, even though it was just a case of mistaken identity."
Belno Light's ears drooped.
Earlier, when she was alone in the dorm room, she felt uneasy.
It felt like 'it' could crawl out of any dark corner at any moment and take her away.
"Sorry, you're seeing my pathetic side…"
"Not at all."
The girl shook her head.
"I'm just a bit surprised. Belno-senpai, do you really believe it's a ghost?"
Could it be that someone deliberately created an illusion to deceive the audience?
"I've heard theories like that, but they don't seem convincing," she replied.
"To pull off something like that in front of people, aside from holograms, I can't think of anything else. But those can be caught on camera and are easy to spot as fake."
"So senpai thinks it's a real ghost, right?"
"Mmm… pretty much, that's the feeling."
"Scared it might appear in front of you?"
"Well, I'm just not good with that sort of thing."
She laughed. "I have to admit, her running form was incredibly beautiful. But the moment I think about what she might be, I get goosebumps."
Everyone has things they're good with and things they're not, and that's hard to change just by thinking differently.
Belno Light was like that.
If that being achieved those results through her own running, without a doubt, she was a great Uma Musume.
But if she really was a 'ghost'…
Then no matter how great she was, Belno Light would probably be scared out of her wits.
"I see."
The girl nodded.
Wasn't this the attitude of a portion of the audience towards her?
Just as everyone's tastes differ, expecting everyone to hold the same opinion is fundamentally impossible.
When she appears on the racetrack, controversy will be unavoidable.
Some people will inherently dislike her.
No matter what she does.
As for how much this controversy will affect her…
That remains to be seen.
"I understand what you mean, senpai," the girl said.
"A ghost isn't bound by any rules, it can appear anywhere. If one day, it suddenly appeared right in front of you, senpai definitely wouldn't be able to handle it."
"Mmm…"
That was indeed her concern.
She really didn't want to run into it.
That terrifying sense of pressure, Belno Light still remembered it vividly.
Every time she recalled it, a chill ran through her whole body.
"Don't worry."
The girl walked over to Belno Light and leaned down.
"She won't appear."
"Huh…"
Belno Light blinked.
What did that mean?
"Belno-senpai, as long as I'm here, the ghost won't appear before you."
The girl spoke with utmost seriousness.
Looking into those shimmering golden eyes…
Her heart… felt like something had struck it.
Scalding blood rushed through her veins.
"Th-that, so you mean…"
You'll protect me.
Is that what you mean?
"Belno-senpai doesn't need to worry so much. I've done some research on ghosts. I know where they appear, what they want to do. Don't worry, senpai won't meet her alone. Even if such a time ever comes, I will definitely be by your side."
Her breathing quickened slightly. Belno Light tugged at her collar.
In just a few seconds, a fine layer of sweat had formed on her forehead.
"I-I-is that so! Wh-what a reliable kouhai. N-no one has ever said something like that to me before…"
She stammered in response, her head feeling feverish.
"A-anyway! It's already very late today, I'm going to sleep now."
As she spoke, Belno Light stiffly flopped onto her bed.
Knock knock knock—
Just as Belno Light kicked off her shoes, there was a knock at the door.
"Is Miss Silence, the trainee, here?"
A voice came from outside.
After glancing at Belno Light, who had shrunk under the covers, the girl got up and opened the door.
"Yo, Miss Trainee, still up?"
The corridor light illuminated a lovely face.
It was Fuji Kiseki.
"Not yet," the girl shook her head. "What is it?"
"Last time, I said I'd give you a thank-you gift after the race was over."
As a reward for helping Brian.
"You still remember that? It's fine even if you don't give one. Helping Narita Brian and you was something I should do."
"Miss Trainee always likes to say such incredible things with a straight face. If you keep that up, you'll steal something precious from them, you know."
"What do you mean?"
"How mean. Or are you going to steal my treasure too? Haha, just kidding."
Fuji Kiseki said, "I picked out a lot of things, didn't know what would suit you, so in the end, I chose this."
She pulled out a red gift box.
"I was originally going to give it to you at the celebration party, but… if I took it out in front of Brian, the party probably would have ended on the spot…"
"You actually really brought a gift? Mind if I open it now?"
"Of course, if you like it, that would be even better."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
With that, the girl opened the gift box.
Reflected in the light, the contents emitted a soft golden glow.
It was a hairpin.
Woven from beautiful golden threads.
Every pattern seemed meticulously crafted, forming a hollowed-out star design in the center.
"It's beautiful."
The girl pinned it in her hair.
"How does it look?"
She looked at Fuji Kiseki.
"It matches your eyes perfectly, beautiful lady."
Fuji Kiseki raised her right hand and bowed slightly to the girl.
"I love it."
"That's truly wonderful."
She smiled.
"I've disturbed your rest, Miss Trainee. Well then, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
With that, Fuji Kiseki turned and left.
The girl slowly closed the door.
"That was Fuji Kiseki just now, right."
Belno Light's voice came from under the covers.
"Yes. Sorry, did I wake you, senpai?"
"No, more than that, I'm more concerned about what you two were talking about…"
"About what?"
"The gift and all," she murmured quietly.
"Never mind, I'm going to sleep. Good night, Silence."
Pulling the covers up, Belno Light's voice became inaudible.
Quietly removing the hairpin, the girl sat on her bed.
Managing interpersonal relationships was also part of a trainee's job.
Sigh…
What a hassle.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.