Of course, things were far from over. The [Kikuka Sho] may have ended with Oguri's victory, but the [Queen Elizabeth II Cup] was still waiting. And after that was the [Japan Cup]. There was no time to rest.
It was night now. I was out in one of the racetracks in Tracen Central, alone for the first time in a while. I took a small breath as I finished stretching, glancing at the floating panel only I could see.
[Name: Blossom Star
Track Affinity: [Dirt: A] | [Turf: A]
Running Affinity: [End: G] | [Late: G] | [Pace: C] | [Front: A]
Distance Affinity: [Sprint: G] | [Mile: C] | [Medium: A] | [Long: A]
Speed: 887 (A; Top Class)
Stamina: 969 (A+; Top Class)
Power: 788 (B+; Veteran)
Guts: 622 (B; Veteran)
Wits: 676 (B; Veteran)
Skills: {Unique: Starlit Crown Lv. 2}, {Competitive Spirit ◎}, {In Body and Mind}, {Front Runner Savvy ◎}, {Leading Charge}, {Standard Distance ○}, {Professor of Curvature}, {Playtime's Over!}, {Mold Breaker}, {Prepared to Die}
Domain: -
SP: 233]
I smiled slightly. To say I was satisfied at my Attributes would be an understatement. Having stats like these before my Senior Year was insane, and I had an incredible array of Skills to bolster my speed and acceleration even further.
Naturally, that feeling was tempered by the knowledge that Oguri was faster than I was. And not just Oguri either; Belno, Sakura Chiyono O, Yaeno Muteki—they were all incredibly powerful in their own special ways. It was safe to say that their stats were far higher than the baseline stats in the game.
Whatever the case,
"Don't worry." I called out, seemingly to no one. "I ain't about to train or anything. I'm just taking some time off." I smirked. "Don't feel like sleeping quite yet."
A chuckle sounded behind me, and I turned to see Kitahara walking over. "Don't worry, I know." He grinned as he tipped his cap down. "You're not Oguri, after all."
I huffed. "As if. There can only be one Oguri in this world." I smiled wryly. "I mean, can you imagine having two Oguris in this world?" I shivered playfully. "I shudder to consider what a world like that would look like."
"Probably deep in famine." He easily shot back.
I grinned. "Yeah, sounds 'bout right."
He grinned, before he took a look around the track. Considering it was nearing midnight by this point, it was no surprise that the track was empty. If anything, Kitahara was the strange one—since he usually fell asleep far before midnight.
"Why don't we have a jog together?" I then asked.
Kitahara raised an eyebrow. "Oi, you're not going to 'space out', are you?"
My cheeks warmed slightly, and I scoffed. "I won't, I won't." I sighed harshly. "Come on, it's not that bad."
He nodded sagely. "Mhm, of course." He then smiled. "But, yeah, sure. It's been a while since I've jogged."
"Oh? Is age starting to catch up to you, old man?"
Kitahara rolled his eyes. "As if." And as if to disprove my words, he rolled up his sleeves and curled his biceps. "Becoming a Central Trainer isn't easy, you know? Gotta train to keep up with our trainees, after all!"
And to be fair, he wasn't wrong. I could see that he'd bulked up substantially since we first met. He was no longer a stickly figure that could be snapped in half by Oguri's half. Instead, he could maybe survive a few seconds of being hugged by the Beast before his spine finally gave out. A true improvement!
"Wow, impressive~"
He sighed. "At least sound a little sincere."
I raised my hands. "I am, I am~" I smirked. "Alright, enough waiting around. Let's go on our jog, yeah?"
Kitahara chuckled as he nodded, and soon we were off.
As promised, we kept our pace to a leisurely jog, which honestly felt rather strange. Normally I'd be running down these tracks at maximum speed, bursting forward with enough power to tear the turf beneath my shoes.
Now that I was much slower, I began noticing little details I'd completely missed during my training. Like how I could see little patches of turf that were a little sunken; a mark undoubtedly left by another umamusume. Or how the railing that lined the inner corner of the track was dented in a few places, probably because someone got a little excited and kicked it or something.
For a moment, my thoughts drifted. Just how many things have I already missed in this blazing pace I'd set for myself? Sure, this high-octane life was not one I'd trade away, but I couldn't help but wonder what I'd traded away for it.
…well, I guess it didn't matter anymore.
"You know, it's kinda crazy to think about it." I said.
"What is?" Kitahara asked.
I chuckled. "I set my sights on the Triple Tiara because of that recording you showed me." I smiled fondly, remembering those early days, when I felt lost and knew little of what I wanted to do. "I mean, it's funny when I think about it. All the things we've done might not have happened if you didn't drag me to watch that recording back then."
Kitahata blinked, and then smiled. "Oh, yeah. I remember that." He smirked. "Yaa~, you were so young back then."
I laughed along. "I sure was." My eyes softened as I gazed at the stars above. "If the me from the past saw how I am now, she'd probably cringe and keel over."
"It probably won't be that dramatic." Kitahara said, before he became somewhat serious. "And after that?"
I raised an eyebrow at him. "You already know, don't you? Musaka-san's probably blabbed about it here and there."
He rolled his eyes. "That he did." He frowned slightly. "But are you sure?" He clenched his fists. "I probably won't have my license by the time you go overseas, which would mean…"
He didn't need to finish his words. We both knew what would happen in that scenario.
"Yeah." I said, not disagreeing. "But it's not like our bond will just disappear overnight, right?" I smiled softly. "Team Kitahara might dissolve in the future. But the things we've gone through, the memories we've shared—they will remain with us for a lifetime." I chuckled. "And who knows? Maybe I'll become homesick and return to Japan eventually."
I shrugged. "Of course, that won't happen anytime soon." I gave him a roguish grin. "I mean, come on, I haven't even run in most of the races URA has. Can't leave with unfinished business, right?"
Kitahara smiled. "Yeah, of course."
After that, we just talked about things both serious and mundane, all while we continued to jog around the track. At times we laughed, and at other times our conversation would be a little more heartfelt. Neither of us felt any need to hide our thoughts—we've been together for over a year by this point, we knew each other like the back of our hands.
And it was nice. Having people I could talk with, people I could share my thoughts with and not get myself laughed at—it was comforting. Familiar.
It brought me back to older days. Simpler days. Before I reincarnated into a mystical world of anthropomorphized horse girls. Before I grew up and learnt what it meant to be an adult. A time when I could enjoy summer with my best friend and only have my homework as my looming threat.
Back to when ████ and I thought the world was ours.
...
…huh? Who was I…?
"Star?" I blinked, and found that Kitahara was a few steps ahead of me. His brows were furrowed with worry. "You stopped so suddenly. Are you okay?"
My lips parted for a moment. My throat felt strangely dry. "...yeah." I eventually said, my heart hammering against my chest for a reason I couldn't discern. "I'm…fine."
And before I could worry any longer, the strange feeling faded, and with it, whatever worry I'd felt. In fact, just seconds later, I almost felt silly for stopping so suddenly.
So I quickly grinned. "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't know what came over me." I quickly began jogging again. "Come on, let's keep going."
Seeing that I was fine, Kitahara grinned back as he followed along.
.
.
.
[The Hero's Soul resonates!]
[The towering [Limit] trembles!]