It was an always a long road to the directors office, even when she was still active as a racer it felt like it took a long time to get there, even more so now, and so, just as she did back then to distract herself and remove some boredom she talked with her trainer.
"So, trainer, what are you going to tell her?"
"What am I going to tell her?" He paused for a moment, stopped in his tracks and put a hand to his chin, "I haven't thought about it, not really at least."
"Really?"
"Yes really, why?"
"Oh it's nothing I just remember you making plenty of plans and contingency and the like for many situations in the past."
"It's just that, Stego, the past," he went to continue before he had to stop a coughing fit, "It seems like my sickness has gotten worse..."
The two stopped talking for a bit and kept walking, neither talking nor interacting with each other, merely enjoying one another's presence.
"Say, trainer who's going to be Hope's trainer?"
He looked at her and gave a smirk, "Me."
He said almost matter of factly.
She looked at him and gave him an odd look.
"Aren't you sick?"
He flinched.
"Isn't the entire reason we're here because you needed to be stationed at a doctor?"
He flinched again.
"Unless of course… you lied about everything?"
"I didn't lie!"
"Then how are you going to be her trainer?"
"I'll give her a schedule."
"What if she can't pace herself?"
"Well then—!"
"What if she want's to train more?
"…"
"What happens if she want's to slack off?"
"…I see your point…"
"Happy to hear that," she paused for a moment, "So… what's your solution?"
"I… I don't know, I could ask Ikezoe, but he must have his hands full with training Orfevre, dealing with Dorija and well being a father."
"Yeah, he must have his hands full with them all."
"I mean, I do have to pay him a visit after this anyway, I could ask him…"
"Do you really want to ask him? From what I remember Goldship is in his team."
"What do you mean? Has Goldship changed much after I last saw her?"
"A lot."
"I'm sure she can't be that bad now. From what I remember she used to be pretty docile."
"Huh, you wish," She huffed under her breath.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing~ Nothing~"
After not much longer they finally managed to reach the directors office.
…
She was fighting with all her might not to blush at what she was doing.
Every breath she took reminded her of the smell of her beloved.
Her hand on her chin reminding her of the suppleness and softness of the skin of the one who had long since stolen her heart.
Every look she took showed her what she had missed for so so long, of what she had to abandon every time she returned home from the lodging of her uncle.
She looked upon the soft red of the cheeks of her cheeks which only the splendour of the freshest of strawberries could ever match.
Oh! How she longed to see her again!
Oh! How she wished to hold her again!
Oh! How she yearned for her touch!
"Why are you so quiet? Oh beauty who graces mine eyes. Do not tell me you are stunned by my beauty?"
"… do I know you? You," she paused for a moment looking away from her smiling face and looking to the side with a blush that made her heart race just looking at it, "I feel like I've met you before…"
She wanted to tell her the truth, tell her that they have met before that she was that girl that she had met in the woods near her home, that they had made a promise all that time ago in that meeting that was preordained by fate itself!
"No," but… wouldn't it so much more romantic if their new relationship started anew? "But for you for you to believe that you have met me before, then truly it must be fate," she moved a bit closer her other hand going to hold her hip as she tilted her down. "After all… wouldn't that make me the woman of your dreams?"
She looked at her beloved with a smile only to see her stuttering, how cute.
Ah! Wouldn't now be the opportune to steal a kiss?
She slowly leaned her head down looking at the smooth and luscious almost pink lips of her bel—
A clearing of a throat followed by a "calm" voice stopped her in her tracks, "Orfevre, may I please ask why you deemed that you could attempt to seduce a fellow student?"
Tazuna said calmly, almost too calmly.
The smile that was on her face was… was happy.
She backed away slowly, carefully measuring every single one of her steps.
"Well? I'm waiting?"
"I um… I ah," she didn't know what to say, the mere presence of this green hated devil terrified her, it scared her.
And so she did the only thing she could think to do.
She bowed at a perfect 90 degree angle and apologized before running away.
Not noticing that Hope for Tomorrow had raised her hand almost as if to tell her something.
…
She slowly let her hand fall back down, the words she wanted to say doomed never to be uttered.
Tazuna cleared her throat once more and spoke, "Well now that miss Orfevre has left, would you kindly step onto the track please, I still have to test you."
"A-Ah yes of course!"
And so she hurriedly made her way to the track.
…
Their discussion with the director was going well they had exchanged pleasantries as they had so many times before.
As it stood they had finally reached the matter of Hope for Tomorrow and if he was going to be her trainer.
"Question! Will you be her trainer!"
"No, I'd love to but sadly my sickness has progressed greatly, as it stands by the end of the day I have to go to the hospital and check myself in. Honestly it's a miracle I've managed to live normally for so long."
"I see," she flashed her fan which had the words remark written on it, "Are you confident enough in her abilities to get a trainer's recognition."
"More than enough, and even then Okino owes me a favour. But… if I'm being honest, I think her innate talent more than matches that of even Orfevre."
…
She breathed in and out, she calmed her body, she calmed her mind, ignoring the flashes that have haunted her since that day.
She became one with the world, all that existed in her minds eye was her and the track.
She was told by Miss Tazuna that she was going to be running a 1600 meter track and she'd start recording her time immediately after her start.
She inhaled slowly, she started to tense her muscles.
Right foot forward, left foot back.
She could feel her calves tightening, strengthening themselves for the sprint she would enter.
She slowly started to exhale and right when she reached the halfway point, she exploded outwards in a mad dash.
She could feel the wind whip at her face as she accelerated.
She could feel the wind break at her form trying to slow her down, she ignored it and accelerated.
As she entered the first bend she curved her body to the inside and maintained her momentum.
She was only supposed to run a two turn track both separated by a straight, which meant that she should be about a quarter of the way through.
She felt like she was on top of the world as she entered the straight, her breaths were even and controlled, her energy felt almost untouched and so she accelerated.
She went even faster because she knew she could go faster.
And even faster than before she had already reached the second turn.
This time she had to slow down, because she was going a bit too fast.
She wanted to laugh.
That was when she realized something.
It was fun.
Running was fun.
She loved the feeling of the wind in her hair, of the freedom of the track.
Yes.
This was it.
This was the utopia she year—
House.
Running.
Fire.
Burn.
She slowed.
She could smell that ash that didn't exist.
She could feel that phantom pain on her hands.
Alas before she even realized it she had reached the end of the track.
She looked down at the ground head empty still smelling that ash, still feeling that phantom pain, that wouldn't go away.
That was when she heard it, a voice, one filled with so much joy, so much happiness that she couldn't help but smile.
"Wow! You're so fast! What's your name? Can we be friends!" The girl had pink hair cherry blossom eyes and a smile so pure that it felt like her worries were melting away just by looking at it.
"Oh! I forgot you're supposed to give your name before you ask for others! King always says that I have to. My name is Haru Urara! What's yours?"
A soft smile found its way onto her face as she looked at Haru, "My name is Hope for Tomorrow Urara, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you Hope for Tomorrow! Do you want to be Urara's friend?"
"I'd love to."
…
She looked at the recorded time in pure unadulterated shock.
"H-how is this even possible a 1 minute 34 seconds that's… that's unreal…"
———-
Author's note
If you don't know the average time for a horse to run a mile is between 1 minute and 35 seconds and 1minute and 40 seconds truly elite racers, such as secretariat, can do it in 1:33 seconds, the world record is a 1 minute and 32 seconds.
I originally wanted to make Hope resistant to Orfevre advances, like get her angry at her and eventually build up to a cheval grand I hate you moment.
If you know, you know.
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, sorry for its late release.
GreekAntrielos signing off.