On the eve of the Oka Sho, everything changed.
Heavy rain fell from the sky in sheets. The sound of raindrops beating against the streets filled the air with a steady rhythm, washing all of Tokyo in grey.
"It's raining." Silence Suzuka reached her hand out toward the window, trying to catch raindrops on her palm. The scenery outside wasn't beautiful at all today.
They needed to depart early for the venue to give her time to adjust her condition properly, but this heavy downpour would definitely affect her mood, wouldn't it?
Hayato found himself considering whether they should wait for the rain to let up before heading out.
Silence Suzuka had planned to depart together with Air Groove and had been waiting patiently in the trainer's office for quite a while now.
At noon, Symboli Rudolf arrived bearing bad news. "Air Groove has developed a fever. She asked me to notify you that you should depart without her."
"Senpai has a fever?" Worry immediately flickered in Silence Suzuka's eyes.
"This..." Rudolf hesitated, clearly wanting to say she was planning to have Air Groove withdraw from the race entirely. Even if she recovered before race day, participating in that weakened state would be pushing things too far.
Hayato immediately took Silence Suzuka to the infirmary.
Even as physically strong as Uma Musume was, they still got sick from time to time, it wasn't particularly rare. They'd occasionally fall ill, and afterward they'd be weak and powerless until recovery.
Tojo Hana was already there when they arrived. Silence Suzuka went into the room to speak with Air Groove privately, while Hayato remained outside to chat with Tojo Hana.
Inside that room, Air Groove lay in bed with her face flushed a deep red from fever. The moment she spotted Silence Suzuka entering, though, she managed a genuinely happy smile. "Suzuka, why did you come all this way?"
"Senpai..."
Getting sick right before a major race was too cruel for any uma musume to endure.
"It's fine, don't worry about me. This is just a minor illness. It'll heal up quickly enough." Air Groove tried her best to sound reassuring.
"But senpai's race..."
"Yes, there's still the race to think about." Air Groove desperately tried to push past the disappointment, though her voice came out noticeably weaker. "Looks like our showdown will have to be delayed to another time. Can you run this race in my place? Together with my portion too."
She placed her hand gently on top of Suzuka's, as if trying to pass something vital through that simple touch alone.
The way she said it carried such sentiment that it was impossible not to feel the weight of regret settling in the room.
Air Groove wouldn't be able to participate in the Oka Sho after all.
Silence Suzuka nodded solemnly, something serious settling into her expression. She had to accept this responsibility.
Outside in the hallway, the rain continued pouring down without any sign of stopping.
"Air Groove's illness shouldn't be serious enough to require canceling her participation in Oka-Sho, should it?" Hayato had already overheard Air Groove's decision to withdraw from just outside the door.
"That's technically true, but I'm still going to cancel her entry." Tojo Hana's response was immediate and firm. "I won't trade her safety and well-being for an unworthy victory." She glanced sideways at Hayato, her gaze sharp. "If it were your uma musume lying in that bedsick, what would you do?"
Hayato's head lowered, silence being his only honest answer for several long moments. There was no refuting those words. She was completely right, and he knew it. If it were Silence Suzuka who'd fallen sick, he also wouldn't agree to let her compete in that condition.
He'd only suggested otherwise because he wasn't Air Groove's trainer right now. It really was a terrible shame that Air Groove couldn't participate in this Oka Sho.
"Are you feeling happy about this outcome?" Tojo Hana's voice carried what sounded like sarcasm. "Without Air Groove in the race, Suzuka should be able to completely dominate the field now, right?"
"Not at all," Hayato answered openly and honestly, meeting her eyes directly. "Even if Air Groove had competed at full strength, it wouldn't have mattered. Suzuka could still dominate her completely. It's just a shame that this situation only gives Suzuka an incomplete victory. How could I possibly be happy about that?"
"Heh! Big words from you." Tojo Hana let out a short laugh through her nose. "It doesn't matter. There are still plenty of races ahead of us. We can still meet on the track eventually."
Hayato's statement about the incomplete victory didn't seem to anger her at all. Treating Air Groove as the greatest opponent in the field was actually a form of respect, and she recognized that.
"Even when they do meet again, Suzuka won't lose to her. She'll only continue getting stronger and stronger from here."
The declaration hung in the air between them, absolute and unwavering despite the sound of rain still falling outside.
"Don't speak like that. Nothing is ever absolute." As Tojo Hana said this, her gaze shifted briefly toward Symboli Rudolf.
Nothing is ever absolute, except for Rudolf. Only the Emperor was absolute.
That phrase belonged solely to Symboli Rudolf. In other words, when it came to The Emperor, ability itself was absolute.
Did Silence Suzuka possess that same level of ability that The Emperor had demonstrated?
It was a difficult standard to reach. Hayato's mind turned the question over, considering it seriously.
Silence Suzuka's next race would be the 2400-meter Yushun Himba. The Empress Air Groove's peak distance, but also the distance Suzuka was least adapted to running.
The outcome was genuinely hard to predict with certainty.
Hayato knew his earlier words had been somewhat boastful, but didn't any trainer believe their own uma musume could win? That was just how it worked.
Be modest and politely ask the opponent to go easy? He might as well talk tough instead.
"I believe in Suzuka. She won't lose." The words came out firm and clear. "She's an other-dimensional escape runner, a witness of the new era, the originator of great escape front-running tactics, and this year's biggest favorite for the Triple Tiara."
"Oh, quite confident, aren't you?" Tojo Hana took a measured breath before continuing. "Air Groove's talent is far more than just what you've seen so far. If you think Suzuka can win easily against her, that would be a massive mistake on your part. When it comes to the most powerful Triple Tiara contender, it's Air Groove."
Tojo Hana refuted Hayato's declaration defiantly, her own conviction just as strong. She also believed her Uma Musume could claim victory.
Even trainers of ordinary Uma Musume, when encountering rival trainers, would say exactly this kind of thing. It was the nature of the relationship.
After the two rival trainers finished their victory declarations, something shifted. They shared a knowing smile, understanding passing between them despite the competitive words.
Rivals, yes. But those who understood each other.
"Then let's meet again at the Yushun Himba!" Leaving those words hanging in the air, Hayato smiled as he opened an umbrella against the falling rain and departed with Silence Suzuka.