Five days passed.
Fifteen days remained until the Satsuki Sho.
Time always slips through your fingers; before you realize it, the greatest scene of your life arrives. Rain drips steadily outside the window, washing away the mundane days, and bit by bit, the stage meant solely for you is being assembled.
...
Garden Gale glanced at the time with sleepy eyes.
She moved to get out of bed for training, catching a glimpse of the clock on the phone she'd tossed aside without even turning off the screen: three in the morning. It was genuinely the dead of night.
If any other Umamusume saw this hour—and saw Garden Gale preparing to train—they'd sigh and wonder if this girl was some kind of relentless training maniac.
This extreme discipline hadn't been just one night's whim, but a consistent habit sustained over months. For Garden Gale, who intended to make a run for the championship, early-morning training had become second nature. Her heart was set on that crown again—much like the most electrifying fighter in the octagon, whose greatest thrill was the pursuit of that yet-unclaimed golden belt.
...
Ten minutes later, Garden Gale arrived at the training grounds.
This time was different. She wasn't alone; beneath the dim glow of the streetlamp stood a delinquent-looking girl fiddling with her phone, her expression deep in thought.
Air Shakur?
Garden Gale hesitated briefly.
It was obvious Air Shakur had come specifically to find her; otherwise, why would she be here at this ungodly hour? As far as Garden knew, Air Shakur wasn't the type to indulge in midnight training sessions. Suppressing her nervousness, she decided to approach directly instead of avoiding the issue.
"Yo~ Long time no see," Air Shakur greeted casually, waving with a lazy smile as Garden Gale approached.
"Good evening," Garden Gale replied politely.
At this point, talking to people wasn't as hard as it used to be. Normal interactions wouldn't trigger her anxiety so easily now—but social terrorists like T.M. Opera O still terrified her on a primal level.
Garden Gale quickly followed up, "Did something happen?"
Air Shakur clicked her tongue irritably, shrugging helplessly. "Blame my annoying-as-hell trainer."
She just swore, didn't she?
She totally did! Is Air Shakur really some kind of gangster girl?!
Garden Gale involuntarily pictured Air Shakur lighting up a cigarette, dressed sharply in a gleaming black suit—classic yakuza style.
"…" Garden Gale opened her mouth slightly but couldn't form words. Her expression alone clearly conveyed the question—What about your trainer?
Air Shakur caught on instantly, sighing, "She insists on dragging you into Team LOCK. She's been pestering me nonstop to ask you about it, even though I've told her repeatedly it's pointless. It's crystal clear through data analysis that you'd never team up with a trainer—simulate it a thousand times, the result's always the same."
"Yeah…" Garden Gale nodded emphatically, signaling her agreement with body language. "Because... teaming up with others makes me uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable."
"I know," Air Shakur smiled understandingly. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be out here at 3 AM training alone, enjoying the solitude."
Her smile turned playful. "But guess why I'm still here—wasting time and having this meaningless conversation with you."
Garden Gale shook her head rapidly. "No idea."
She looked just like Bocchi shaking her head furiously in that reaction meme.
"Because," Air Shakur raised a finger, her grin turning mischievous, "I just remembered something. Totally forgot about it until now—I forgot to ask when exactly you secretly learned my running style."
"—Even my acceleration trick. You managed to mimic that too?"
!?!!
Garden Gale stiffened instantly.
Oh no!
She'd completely forgotten about this! Beneath all the calm waters, was there actually a raging current of impending doom? Her mind immediately raced to find an excuse—any excuse—to escape Air Shakur's inevitable pursuit.
"Relax," Air Shakur laughed gently, reaching out to tap Garden lightly on the forehead. "Look how tense you got."
Of course I'm tense!
Garden Gale pouted silently, annoyed—but the sudden casual touch from Air Shakur sent goosebumps prickling across her skin, and a weird tingling numbness shot straight into her brain. Was her reaction exaggerated? Definitely not. For a socially anxious girl who avoided human contact, this was exactly what happened every time.
"Hm?" Air Shakur tilted her head, sensing something odd. She stared closely at the now-silent Garden Gale, scratching her own head in mild confusion. After a moment, she relaxed her posture and changed the topic entirely. "Still, your ability really is incredible. Since that day, I tried simulating your mimicry method through data analysis, but I couldn't even complete one full run like you did."
"However..."
"Through my simulations, I've pinpointed your current weakness."
"It's extremely serious, too. A huge flaw."
Weakness?
Garden Gale looked up blankly.
Exactly.
All the previous small talk was just a prelude for this. Air Shakur, ever the data lover, had realized the issue and decided to directly help her. Maybe it was a way of fulfilling her own unattainable dream. Seeing this particular Umamusume achieve what she never could—claiming the Classic Triple Crown—might actually be rewarding.
...
Indeed—at this point, the narrative was genuinely thrilling: identifying Garden Gale's weakness and finding a way to overcome it might be the decisive factor in clinching the Satsuki Sho title, further deepening her friendship with Air Shakur. However, imagine if Tokai Teio, after taking Garden Gale's online advice, happened to pick this exact night to visit the training grounds to finally clear up her questions about Garden's running style… only to witness this intimate interaction between Air Shakur and Garden Gale.
What would she do then?
This wasn't some hypothetical scenario.
It was reality—plain and simple.
Because right now, Tokai Teio stood quietly at the entrance to the training grounds, stunned, staring blankly at the scene before her. Under the gentle glow of the streetlamp, Air Shakur was playfully tapping Garden Gale's forehead, both smiling warmly at each other, their closeness unmistakable. And there she stood, alone in the shadows, awkward and uncertain.
…Her mouth opened slightly.
But no words emerged.
She just silently wondered:
Are they always this close when they're here at night?
That single thought echoed painfully in Tokai Teio's mind.
---
T/N: AH FUCK AHHHHHH FUCK
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