"Well, there ya' go." Musaka said, leaning back into his chair as Oguri's victory over the [Osaka Hai] was played on the television.
I nodded, smiling slightly as I saw Oguri raise her fist into the air. "Well, she is Oguri, after all." I said, as if those words alone were enough to explain the seeming ease at which she attained her victory.
And in a way, it was.
Secretariat whistled behind me as she abruptly ruffled my hair.「Honestly, that other gal's not bad.」She said, referring to Belno.「If she didn't hesitate, she could'a taken second place.」She grinned wide.「Even then, she lost only by a Neck. That's some talent she got.」
I hummed. I suppose Secretariat wasn't wrong. Belno unleashed her first Partial Domain way later than I expected. I wasn't sure why, but I suspected it had something to do with how Oguri had separated herself from the pack. Maybe she was debating whether to throw her spear at Oguri or the pack.
That second Partial Domain was a surprise though. I never expected Belno to do that, much less for her newest form to take the shape of an anchor that perfectly dug into Tamamo Cross' Domain.
Though honestly, when I first saw that, I couldn't help but think of a certain chaotic umamusume who also flung anchors willy-nilly.
「But now she's got 5 G1s on 'er belt, don't she?」Secretariat smirked.「Gettin' awfully close to that Emperor's record, ain't she?」
「That's only because Symboli Rudolf retired early.」I shrugged.「Who knows how many more G1s she could've won if she hadn't gotten injured.」I then smiled.「But I know she'll reach it. And who knows? Maybe she'll even surpass that record eventually.」
But of course, if Oguri did manage to beat Rudolf's record of 7 G1 wins in her career, she'd no doubt forever be remembered in history. And considering how things were looking, that future was honestly quite probable.
Musaka scoffed. "Ya' say that as if you ain't getting close yourself." He said before he returned to his newspaper.
I smiled and offered no words in return.
I then chuckled when Oguri suddenly patted her stomach in the midst of her triumphant pose. She was probably quite hungry after such a race, though she still had to do her Winning Live. The live-feed cut away for a few minutes, before it reopened back in the nearby stadium, with Oguri's Winning Live beginning just moments after.
Secretariat's smiled wryly as she saw the whole idol routine being played out.「Still don't get what idols got anythin'ta do with racing.」She admitted.
I could only offer a shrug.「I can't answer that.」I then glanced at Musaka, hoping that maybe the veteran would offer any insights, but the old man only raised his eyebrows before he returned his focus back to today's newspaper. I rolled my eyes at his silence—I knew he wasn't actually retired yet, but he sure acted like he was.
We spent the next few minutes just watching Oguri's Winning Live. I didn't really recognize the song that was playing, but I still somewhat enjoyed it regardless.
Time passed quickly after that. With the [Osaka Hai] over, the obvious next step was preparing for the upcoming [Spring Tenno Sho]. The race itself was still over a month away, but I only had a couple more weeks here in America before I'd be flown back to Japan.
Since that was the case, Secretariat considerably lightened our usual training sessions. Though since this was Secretariat, a 'lighter' training session mainly just meant it lasted an hour or two shorter than normal—each session left me just as rattled as it usually did, and the feeling was made even worse whenever I realized I didn't have Oguri nearby to comfort me.
Still, I at least had my System with me, constantly showing me that this hellish training I was suffering through was actually increasing my Attributes. I couldn't imagine how this would feel for others—they'd probably just think this was straight up torture.
Regardless, my 'vacation' was nearing its end, and there was no one to hear my cries of agony as the days rolled by.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world,
The cafeteria in Tracen Central was eerily quiet despite the dozens of students present, broken only by the occasional clangs whenever a fork would occasionally scrape against the bottom of a plate. No one could say a word, their eyes dazed and their jaws dropped to the floor as they witnessed something legendary.
Naturally, the cause was a certain Oguri Cap, who'd recently returned from her race and immediately bolted for the cafeteria to get some food. And as usual, they were more than happy to provide enough food to try and satiate the monstrous umamusume.
Except this time, even the incredibly resilient cafeteria staff could only sit in defeat as Oguri just kept eating. Their entire storage had been cleaned out by a single ravenous monster, whose appetite now resembled that of an undying black hole.
It was no one's fault. How could the staff had known that Oguri's appetite had only grown larger since returning from America, after having gotten used to the massive feasts that were prepared for her every time she and Star finished their training with Secretariat?
Of course, the silence wasn't just because of the terror and awe Oguri's appetite spurred, but also because there was literally no food left for others to eat. Naturally, some people felt slightly aggrieved by that fact, but considering Oguri's victory over the [Osaka Hai], few were willing to try and ask if they too could get a share.
A shame, really. Oguri would be more than happy to share if they'd just ask.
Still, since they didn't, Oguri focused only on her food, trying her hardest to try and fill the void in her stomach. The empty feeling she felt was a persistent one—she began feeling it when she first arrived back in Japan, but after running in the [Osaka Hai], the feeling had gotten so intense that it was almost painful.
So she did the only thing she knew how; she ate. She ate a lot. Whenever she went out with Belno and Kitahara, they would inevitably end up entering a buffet instead of any ordinary restaurant. There was just nowhere else that could sustainably try and calm her-
"SLoW dOWn." A distorted voice suddenly said, and for a moment, Oguri paused as she looked up.
And there, sitting on the empty chair on the opposite side of the table, was a flickering dark figure, all their features removed aside from the blood red smile that stretched across their lips like a crescent moon. If she looked close enough, the flickering almost made it look as if their whole body was composed from stardust.
She looked down at her spoonful of fried rice, and though she felt reluctant, she forced herself to put it back down. She heard a stifled gasp somewhere from the room, but she didn't turn to see who it was.
The bloody smile stretched further. "GoOD. bE caReFUl."
"I'm still hungry." She whispered, her tail twitching as she forcefully restrained her arm from moving to grab her spoon.
"It wIlL be oVEr soOn." The flickering grew worse, as if the world itself was trying to reject their existence. "ThE guIdINg sTAr aPpROaCHes."
Her thoughts ground to a halt at their words, and her eyes sharpened. "It's today?" She whispered with barely hidden excitement, her tail swaying rapidly at the thought of finally reuniting with Star again after so long.
"tWo mORe weeKs." They clarified.
Two weeks. Two more weeks. The thought of spending another two weeks sent a painful pang through her stomach, but a surge of joy followed not long after.
She could do it. She could wait another two weeks. Just two more weeks, and she would have Star back again. Her bed wouldn't feel so cold again.
She could run with Star again.
Her breathing grew rapid, but she forced herself to be calm. She was still in public, and though no one would really mind, her mother had taught her not to leave her food uneaten, especially after the cafeteria staff had so graciously provided her with so much.
So she took a breath, and grabbed her spoon once more. "Thank you." She said, and then quickly resumed eating, her pace now far faster than before. Plate after plate was being cleaned out in mere seconds, and the awe from the audience she'd gathered began shifting towards excitement as they eagerly saw Oguri devour her meal in record time.
In her haste, she didn't notice the way the phantom's crooked smile seemed almost soft, nor the way they faded away soon after.