The sky had lightened by the time they arrived. Dawn crept across the horizon, painting everything in shades of gold and pink.
At sunrise, Hayato brought her to a country road. Endless fields stretched in every direction, wildflowers scattered along the roadside catching the early light. A gentle breeze carried the scent of grass and earth.
Hayato didn't even know exactly where they were. He'd just followed his instincts, leading Silence Suzuka somewhere the scenery would resonate with her.
The moment she saw it, Silence Suzuka's eyes lit up. That sparkle didn't fade, growing brighter as she took it all in.
She wasn't originally a city horse girl. She'd only recently transferred to Tracen from somewhere quieter. This reminded her of home, the memories washing over her.
The grass on the prairie grew this tall, too...
"Alright, this is the place. Start running from here." Hayato gestured down the road ahead. "Run as fast as you can. Don't hold back. Run freely and fully enjoy the scenery here."
"Yes." Excitement threaded through Silence Suzuka's voice as she took off, her hooves finding purchase on the dirt road.
She took in everything along the way. The colors shifted as the sun rose higher, the way light caught on dewdrops, the endless expanse opening before her. Laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep in her chest, pure and unrestrained.
"So happy."
"Mine, mine, all mine. All of this is mine..."
Scenery that belongs only to me.
Just as joy filled every corner of her run, a voice called from behind.
"If you don't hurry, I'll take the lead!" Hayato's footsteps echoed on the road as he started running too.
His speed wasn't bad. The real question was how long he could maintain it.
"No." Something fierce sparked in Silence Suzuka's chest, her ears snapping forward with determination. "I'll never give this scenery from the lead to anyone."
"The view from the lead is mine!"
The world shifted. She entered the Silent Zone, and her legs moved faster without conscious thought, each stride lengthening.
Colored light rose from her entire body, shimmering and dancing in the sunrise.
She passed Hayato in a blur. Then power surged through her legs, a sensation she'd never felt before, and her speed jumped dramatically. The gap widened. Widened more.
Like she'd suddenly learned to fly.
Certain conditions have been achieved.
Silence Suzuka skill awakening successful—
The View from the Lead Is Mine! (Unique/Gold Border Lv.1)
Increase velocity by drawing on all remaining strength when in the lead by a fair margin in the second half of the race.
Seeing the skill successfully activate, Hayato stopped running. Hayato doubled over, gasping for air, but satisfaction curved his lips.
His efforts weren't in vain.
"Speed... increased?" Silence Suzuka noticed the change immediately, feeling it in every fiber of her being. Her current pace was faster than anything she'd managed before, the wind roaring past her ears. "If I have this kind of speed, maybe I really can do it."
She didn't stop. The sunrise beckoned ahead, brilliant and endless, and she kept sprinting toward its light.
"H-Hey you can stop now..."
Hayato tried calling her back, his voice hoarse, but Silence Suzuka had already run too far to hear. Her form had shrunk to a distant speck on the horizon.
He couldn't chase her anyway. His legs were done, trembling from the effort.
Over ten minutes later, Silence Suzuka finally ran back.
After Hayato got up from the ground, brushing dirt off his pants, he said, "Good thing you're back. I thought you'd gotten lost." He gestured toward the path they'd come from. "Stop running now, it's time to head back. I just recruited a horse girl yesterday and need to hurry back to give her some guidance."
Having spent the entire night with a beautiful woman, his mood was pretty good. The exhaustion didn't even bother him.
Hayato looked at Silence Suzuka again, meeting her eyes. "I can teach you the front-runner technique, especially the great escape running-style. Don't worry, I said I'd teach you, so I'll definitely teach you."
"Um, that..." Silence Suzuka started stammering, her fingers twisting together nervously.
She took a breath. "Trainer, I'm not good at communicating with people. Could you help me talk to my trainer and have her allow me to use the front-runner style?"
Her ears folded back slightly. She was afraid Hayato would refuse.
Because only Hayato understood this running style. If she tried explaining it to her own trainer herself, the words would probably come out all wrong, and she'd just get scolded. Again.
"No problem, leave it to me." Hayato's tone held confidence he wasn't entirely sure he felt.
But after going back to Tracen Academy. The negotiation with Tojo Hana had crashed and burned.
Just happened a few minutes ago, but Hayato's chest still felt tight from it. The second he'd suggested her training methods weren't right for Silence Suzuka, they'd blown up at each other. Their voices got so loud that the other trainers probably heard everything through the walls. Hell nah, they were probably gossiping about it right now.
Hayato knew this could happen, but damn, he didn't expect her to be that impossible to talk to. Every single point he made? Rejected flat-out. Didn't even get a chance to finish his sentences.
Then again, what did Hayato expect? Some rookie trainer telling a first-rate trainer she's doing it wrong? Who'd buy that? He sounded insane even to himself.
"Um... Trainer, if it won't work, maybe we should just... forget it?"
Suzuka's voice came out so small he almost didn't hear it. She wasn't looking at him, her ears drooping slightly.
"Forget it?" Hayato turned to face her, and something in his chest twisted. "How can we just forget it, Suzuka? Don't worry about this. I'll figure something out. I'll talk to her again if I have to."
He couldn't just walk away from her. Not when he knew what was coming.
Suzuka was the regret that haunted countless trainers. Hayato knew what would happen if things kept going like this.
No one would ever forget that Teno Sho Autumn...