On the other side of where Echo Eclipse, Kazuo Fujisawa, and Suzu Parade sat. There was Bizen Nishiki.
"-dolf has proven herself that she can run long-distance races! Will she continue being unstoppable? Will this be the birth of the future triple crown champion?" She can hear the clearness of the Commentator's voice; she can hear the countless cheers for Symboli Rudolf, the future Triple Crown winner.
Damnit, I should've been done there. I should've been racing against her; I am her rival. Her rival!
Nishiki clenched her fist on her knees as she watched the whole race without blinking, her anger growing inside of her. She isn't angry at Symboli Rudolf or the fact that she chose to give up trying to beat her. No! No!
She is angry at herself, she is angry that she wasn't born to run a long-distance race, she is angry that she would simply be known as Symboli Rudolf's rival, and not just as she is.
"Damnit, I want to beat you, I want to stand beside you, I want to win against you." She started gritting in anger at herself for being born wrong. She was known as the generation best, winning all OP and G3 races before she raced against Symboli Rudolf.
"How could I be the generation best? damn it." She stood up and walked up the spectator seats toward the exit, not looking back.
"Why was I born not to run long-distance races… Why was I born to run only short-distance races?"
At the top of the stadium spectator seats, she stopped moving, looked back at Symboli Rudolfm, then her friends. Onward Cameroun, Suzu Mach, Gold Way.
"Lucky… You guys can run long-distance races, unlike me."
She took a deep breath before exiting. She's going to use the growing anger to train further. If she isn't destined to race and win against Symboli Rudolf, then she will walk the other path. She will be known not as Symboli Rudolf's rival by the audience, but as Bizen Nishiki.
"The Swan Stakes will be my stepping stone; I will win in every short-distance race there is. Watch me, Symboli Rudolf. Watch me as I step out of your shadow." She stared ahead with each step, and the growing anger at herself was slowly warping into determination.
She doesn't care how long it would take her until she escapes Symboli Rudolf's shadow; she wants to carve her name in the hall of fame for Uma Musume, along with Symboli Rudolf and Echo Eclipse. It was already guaranteed that Echo Eclipse would make it there and become a legendary runner.
"9 more days until my race, I'll focus on my burst of speed during that time." The moment she stepped outside the stadium, she noticed a familiar face. It was her trainer for the team she is in.
"Trainer-san?" She said, surprised, that usually her trainer would be training and teaching the other runners in the team, but she is here waiting for her.
"Hm, I like that look in your eyes, Nishiki." She grinned before tilting her head toward her personal car.
"Let's go back to Tracen."
"Ah- okay…" Nishiki nodded instinctively before following her trainer. Only after she sat in her passenger seat did she ask her a question.
"Um… Trainer-san, why are you here?"
"Why shouldn't I be here?"
"But the others-"
"They were worried about you."
"Wha…"
"Why wouldn't they? You suddenly said that you want to drop out of the St. Lite Kinen, and all races that are against Symboli Rudolf. You? The hard-working, stubborn, and extroverted girl? Changing your mind that easily, of course, they would be worried."
"..."
"Fuuh, I came because I was worried that you would drive yourself to death, but I'm glad that the look in your eyes hasn't changed one bit."
Bizen Nishiki stared at her trainer with saucer eyes before she started smiling and giggling.
"Overprotective much?"
"Yeah, I don't want to see the girl I've been training to drive herself to self-destruction. I saw it before, and I regretted not stopping that girl." The woman let out a regretful and sorrowful sigh while driving the car around the corner and toward the designated car park at Central Tracen Academy.
"I won't do that."
"I know."
"I promise I'll take a break during my training."
"I know."
"So… Don't be sad, trainer-san."
"Just keep running, Nishiki. But for today, you're taking a break."
"Wha-"
"You've been training almost to your limit, stopping before each time ever since the time you chose to run in the Swan Stakes and not in St. Lite Kinen."
"... I'm sorry…"
"Don't worry, just use your break to relax your body. I have also taken the liberty to get you permission to stay the night outside of your dorm, so take this chance to see your parents again."
"Mh…" Nishiki nodded with a slight, happy smile. As if a burden she didn't know was lifted from her body, she isn't alone. Leaning back into her seat as she watches the moving scenery outside the window.
"I'll make you proud, trainer-san."
"You already made me proud."
"... hehe."
…
..
.
Knock Knock.
Bizen Nishiki nervously rubbed her arms as she waited for the door to open. She heard footsteps approaching, and her ears twitched. She hasn't seen her parents once ever since she enrolled at Central Tracen Academy, even during summer, because she was focused only on training to beat Symboli Rudolf.
Click- Clack.
The door started being unlocked and opened, and she could see her mothers standing behind the door, Dandy Lute, and Bizen Ruby. Dandy Lute was an Uma Musume, just like Bizen Nishiki; she used to be a professional runner but retired after winning 3 races out of 13 races she ran in.
Bizen Ruby, a human woman who grew up along Dandy Lute as a child, eventually fell in love with each other.
(A/N: I wanted to make it a husband/wife relationship, but Dandy Lute was a stallion in real life. So she settled for a woman because she likes females more, so yuri wins since she found Ruby adorable and supportive, preferring her over males.
This isn't the case for all Stallions in Uma Musume; most of them married a guy. It's just that… Dandy Lute likes and appreciates females more than males, even in Real Life, if I remember correctly from my research.
And how they manage to give birth to Bizen Nishiki? Don't ask me, none of them is futanari. I think the goddesses have a play in it, making Dandy Lute temporarily a futanari during one of the nights together.)
"Who is it-" "Nishiki?" Her mother said in shock, before happily pushing the door wide open and hugging her daughter.
"I-I'm home, mom… Mother…" She hugged back her human mother; she has different names for her parents. Mom for Ruby, and Mother for Dandy Lute. Dandy Lute stared with a stern, cold expression before nodding and hugging both of them. Despite having an unapproachable expression, she is very affectionate through touch.
"Come in, I just finished cooking dinner!" Ruby said with an excited expression, it had been a long time since her child had dined with them both. So she dragged Bizen Nishiki into the house, Dandy Lute closed the door behind them, with her tail swaying contentedly before following them.
"Are you feeling okay? Did you make friends? Of course you did, what am I talking about! Is school hard? Are you having fun?" Her mom rattled off a bunch of questions toward her daughter, wanting to know what Nishiki had been through. Dandy Lute doesn't say anything, but serves a large portion of the dinner to Nishiki. She knows that training as a professional runner is hard, even when her daughter has been trying to win against the Symboli Rudolf.
Bizen Nishiki happily answered all the questions while eating together. It had truly been a long time since they had been together. That night, a happy atmosphere could be felt in the house.
"Mom, mother. How has your work been?" Her mothers both had worked at the URA for the past 10 years, so they are usually busy and never at home during the day, but they made sure that they have the time to return home for dinner, to spend time together as a family, even if it meant working extra hours the next day.
"Same as always, they are looking too closely at both of your frien…"
"So all races that…"
"Ho…"
…
..
.