Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Umamusume.

They are girls whose god created only to fulfill one purpose, to run.

Carrying glory with the name comes from another world, where history at times was tragic, yet at other times, magnificent.

These girls inherit those very souls and run, that is their fate, an unchanging destiny written for eternity.

No one can foresee the outcome of their future races, nor where the path of these horse girls will lead. Yet precisely because of that, they will continue to run with the one and only goal in their sight.

The finish line.
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“Hmmm…”

Good morning, everyone. I’m the trainer of a really really really famous racing team at Tracen Academy… or maybe I should say, formerly famous perhaps?

“Catch this, trainer!!”

Ah, would you look at that. If only I had the reflexes to catch the ball which is flying straight at my face. If that was the case then maybe I’d step onto the racetrack myself…it would sure save me a lot of headaches.

“Oh no, the trainer passed out!”

You’re probably wondering what in the world happened for me to end up in this situation.

“Cmon Subaru, you can't die just yet!”

Well, it’s a long, long story… but honestly talking, I don’t feel like telling it.
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“Oozora Subaru… I’ve got the right address, haven’t I?”

It was pouring rain outside, hammering down on the old, rundown apartment. For some reason, a woman Subaru had never seen before was standing at the door, ringing the bell.

“Uh, no, you’ve got the right person. I am Oozora Subaru. But well… Can I help you, miss?”

“Hmph…”

A quiet laugh slipped out from under the raincoat’s hood, startling Subaru into half a step back.

“Do I really still look that young?”

The woman pulled down her hood, revealing a face clearly marked by age.

“Ah, sorry, ma’am!”

“No need to fuss over details like that,” the woman waved her hand, smiling faintly. “...It seems Yahagi wasn’t lying. You really are perfect.”

“Per…perfect? What are you talking about? And why do you know my grandfather's name?”

“Subaru, have you ever dreamed of becoming a trainer?”

Her posture straightened, her tone sharpened, and the apartment light glinted off the trainer’s registration card swaying beneath her transparent raincoat.

“You’re…”

“I believe Yahagi has already mentioned me and my team to you.” With that, the woman pulled the card fully into view. “Trainer of Team Artemis, Maekawa Yoko. I’d prefer saying that I owned your grandfather a lot in the past.”

After that, the woman named Yoko lowered her voice.

“Actually, the reason I came here today is because I have a request for you…”

From her coat pocket, Yoko pulled out a slightly crumpled slip of paper, something that looked like a flyer.

“Oozora Subaru, I want you to lead Team Artemis.”

“…?!”
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“Thinking back… why did I even agree back then?”

Subaru slowly opened her eyes. Above her was the all-too-familiar ceiling… It seemed that she had been carried back to the trainer’s room.

She sat up with a jolt, glanced around for a while, but didn’t see a single soul. It seemed everyone had gone back to the training ground after dropping her off here.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if they ditched practice altogether and went off to hang out somewhere instead…”

Dragging her limp body over to the desk, Subaru pulled a stack of papers out of the drawer. On it were the names and pictures of all current Artemis members, covered in countless scribbles, cross-outs, and messy notes.

“What am I doing here exactly….”

Her gaze shifted to an old newspaper lying on the desk. On the front page was the schedule for upcoming races, with one name shining brightest in bold at the headline:

“Tokino Sora.”

As if remembering something, Subaru spun around in her chair, grabbed the remote from the table, and flicked the TV on.

“Our beloved horse girls have entered the final corner!! The decisive moment is drawing near…! Who will be the one to seize this moment first?!”

The Satsuki Sho, the very first step toward the Triple Crown title, was taking place at Nakayama Racecourse, on turf, with a distance of 2000 meters.

Not a single one of those factors was a weakness for Sora. In fact, no one could even say if that girl had a weakness at all. Dirt tracks, short sprints of just 1200 meters, or grueling 3000+ meter long races, Sora dominated them all with a variety of tactics.

Even the weather posed no obstacle. Snow, storms, crazy hot sun or strong wind…it all didn’t matter. She was practically the perfect horse girl, the kind that every trainer dreamed of having under their care one day.

“Tokino Sora is making her move! Tokino Sora is overtaking every other competitor with overwhelming speed! TOKINO SORA TAKES THE LEAD IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE!!!”

The commentator’s roar mixed with the cheers of the crowd, all of it directed toward one single name, the one figure standing above all.

The sound of pounding hooves thundered across the ground, the rhythm booming like the drums of war. Each time Sora’s stride struck the turf, it was as if a small earthquake rippled outward, the footprints she created deepened like craters left behind for her desperate rivals to chase in vain.

“Tokino Sora is accelerating again! The gap keeps widening! Seven lengths… eight… nine!! This is the stride of a champion!! No one can even touch her shadow now!”

The horse girl ran in time with her steady breaths, as though she hadn’t even begun to exert her full strength. It was simply that she was too far apart from the rest of the world.

She never looked back, never cared how far behind her rivals trailed. All Sora knew at that moment was the feeling of the wind tearing apart before each stride, and the view reserved only for those at the very front.

The world behind her simply faded away. To Sora, everything dissolved into darkness once her feet began to move.

“I win.”

A small breather Sora let out everytime she is close to the end of a race, it's not even like a bold declaration toward any rival, but a quiet vow she always made to herself before the finish line slipped into the world behind her back.

“AND THE WINNER ON THE ROAD TO THIS YEAR’S TRIPLE CROWN IS TOKINO SORA!! HER ABSOLUTE DOMINANCE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF, A MESSAGE TO EVERY OTHER COMPETITOR!!”

The stands erupted all at once. Banners flew high, cheers thundered so loud the very air seemed to bend.

Yet for Sora, all she did was cross the finish line, leaving everyone else behind. That was her duty, her destiny…the path she had chosen to set foot on.

“Tch…”

Watching the image of the undefeated horse girl replay over and over on her old TV, Subaru couldn’t stop the sting of envy. Compared to that brilliance, her own team’s recent race results not only had been poor, but their training sessions were also far from the standard she wished for.

To put it bluntly, ever since she had taken the position of a trainer, nothing good had happened at all.

“Ah, it’s Satsuki Sho, huh. Subaru, you’re still feeling regret for me that day~?”

From behind her, a voice whispered into the ear of the trainer lost in her own thoughts. Subaru instantly turned her head and realized it was Okayu.

“W-What are you doing here! Isn’t it still training time right now!?”

“Eh, do you have to be so uptight? Everyone already went home after you collapsed, you know~”

If what Okayu said was true, then the one who carried her back here could be none other than this horse girl, and perhaps she had even been waiting outside the room since before Subaru woke up.

“I just bought some rice balls, wanna have one~?”

Unexpectedly, and for reasons Subaru couldn’t understand, Okayu pulled a rice ball out of her jacket pocket and handed it to her trainer. Though still flustered, Subaru accepted it and unwrapped it to eat.

“....”

“You know what, Subaru? The truth is… that day, I was really sad.”

It was hard to understand what Okayu meant. The Satsuki Sho had taken place before Subaru ever became a trainer, how was she supposed to know what happened on that day?

“I see.”

Yet there was something in that voice that made her feel a pang of regret, like a fleeting sorrow carried on the wind…a strange, lingering sensation.

This certainly wasn’t the first time Subaru had rewatched the footage of that race, but somehow she had never once considered the fact that Okayu had also been in that very race. Her result hadn’t even been bad, perhaps it was just that Sora remained too large a shadow cast across every track her hooves touched.

“To become a legend, to be remembered by the whole world, a horse girl has to surpass other legends. The Hall of Fame is like a wall that just keeps growing taller without end…”

Subaru turned to look back. She couldn’t explain why, but what she saw at that moment may have forever changed the way she viewed the horse girl standing before her.

“I want to climb that wall, even if it’s just to become just another brick, to make the wall higher so that others can climb over me someday.”

“...”

There was something in Okayu’s eyes that made Subaru shiver, not from excitement, but not from fear either.

She thought… what she had found might just be hope.

“...hahaha.”

But really, could a bottom-ranked team dream of defeating Tokino Sora? Who do she think they were, Twin Turbo and Tokai Teio?

“That’s a strange kind of dream to share, Okayu.”

“I know. That’s why I said it. Feeling any better now, trainer?”

“Yeah…. At least better than getting smacked in the face by a ball.”

Subaru chuckled under her breath, reaching out for the remote to switch off the TV, then sprang up from her creaky swivel chair.

“To topple a legend, you have to become one yourself. So… what do we need to do to make that happen?”

Right as the fiery spark of determination lit up Subaru’s eyes, her soul burning to forge a flawless plan to bring down the undefeated horse girl…

“Mah, I’m feeling lazy today, so let’s do it tomorrow, okay? Bye-bye~”

…Okayu had already slipped out through the trainer’s office door. By the time Subaru gave chase, intending to drag the cat-like horse girl straight to the training ground, the hallway was already empty.

“Damn it…! GET BACK HERE, NEKOMATA OKAYU!!!”
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Leaving behind the cheers of the crowd, the reigning horse girl made her way into the tunnel leading to the locker rooms after the race, preparing for the performance that would follow.

“...AZKi.”

“You won again.”

Waiting there was Sora’s childhood friend, and the trainer of the self-proclaimed team, Sky Chaser, the team behind the strongest horse girl of the present, holding a warm towel in her hands.

“Thanks.”

Contrary to what many fans believed, their relationship was no longer as warm as the smiles they put on before the cameras. Or, to put it more accurately…

…it wasn’t like that anymore.

Sora took the towel and brushed past AZKi as though they were strangers passing each other on the street for the first time, nothing at all like the childhood friends who once swore to reach the pinnacle of Japan together.

“...Sora.”

Her trainer’s voice made the horse girl pause and glance back, but contrary to what she had hoped, AZKi wasn’t even looking at her.

“You… once again went against what I told you before the race…”

Sora stood silent, her lifeless eyes drifting away.

“Why… Sora, answer me. When will this end…!”

The trainer trembled, her hands clenched so tight that the sound was almost audible, her eyes shimmering with tears, it was almost like a desperate plea directed at the horse girl before her.

“Look at me. Pay attention to me. Listen to me. Only then can you be the Tokino Sora that belongs to everyone! I beg you!”

At some point, in Sora’s eyes, the figure of the trainer named AZKi had ceased to exist.

When she looked straight at her childhood friend, what Sora felt was fear.

“AZKi…”

She didn’t want to admit it. But the hunger that drove her to set foot on the track told her the opposite.

‘You don’t need a trainer anymore.’

Even if only for a fleeting instant, from that day forward Sora’s eyes could no longer see AZKi, not since the day the world itself began to fade away behind her back.

“...I’m sorry.”

Turning away, Sora continued walking, leaving her childhood friend standing alone, surrounded only by the fading echoes of cheers seeping in from the track outside.

] To be continued [

Chapter Text

Umamusume.

The seemingly extraordinary beings who brought legends from another world to life, all wrapped up in a cute girl package complete with fluffy ears and a tail.

But at the end of the day, they're just... girls. Normal girls with dreams, aspirations, and a whole lot of drama, just like everyone else.

“Kikuka Sho…?”

In the trainer's room during a break, Subaru sat gloomily, her mood described as if dark clouds were visibly hanging over her head.

“Please consider it.”

On the other side of the desk, a horse girl with unusual lavender-colored hair was bowing, a race entry form sitting in front of Subaru.

“Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what a long shot it is for our team to even get in? Do you understand that in our team's current position, just being able to participate can already be considered a miracle?”

Okayu, with her eyes closed tightly, still held that determination, keeping her head bowed without saying another word.

The trainer gritted her teeth. She couldn't stand to look this little ball of hope, one she’d only just found, in the eye and crush her dreams with a ‘no’, but damn it, she knew this was a terrible idea. She herself just understood the truth that this was too difficult to become a reality.

Having lost to Sora at the Satsuki Sho, and on top of that, losing the last ticket to the Derby with a seventh-place finish at the Aoba Sho, if she had to be honest, Subaru wasn't confident in this possibility at all.

“...seriously.”

“...”

“Did you even talk to the others on the team about this?”

An unexpected question that she hadn't anticipated, seemingly off-topic, caused the horse girl to unconsciously look up and stare at Subaru with relative confusion.

“Like…uh, an explanation, I guess… aaaah.”

The trainer sighed, picked up the short ruler on the desk, and pointed to the board hanging on the wall to their right.

“If you want in on the Kikuka Sho, we have two options. Option A: Place in the top three at either the St. Lite Kinen or the Kobe Shimbun Hai. Option B: Grind out a ton of high-placing finishes in other races to rack up points. ”

Okayu's ears twitched as she listened, completely engrossed. She was starting to grasp the trainer's message.

“Now, if you think you can just waltz in and smoke the competition at the St. Lite Kinen or the Kobe Shimbun Hai, fine. I won't have a single complaint. But if you fail? You’ll be stuck running in more races... a lot more. So many it’ll completely nuke the training and race schedules for the entire team. Not to mention, a packed schedule is just asking for an accident that’ll throw all our hard work right down the drain.”

Artemis wasn't a big team, but for Subaru who had zero formal training for this job, things were quickly spinning out of control.

The St Lite Kinen and the Kobe Shimbun Hai are both races over 2000m long. If she was still determined to participate, this would be one of the longest tracks that Okayu had ever set foot on.

“So, what’s it gonna be? Go big at the St. Lite Kinen or the Kobe Shimbun Hai? Or are you gonna play the 'little cockroach' and try to sneak into the Kikuka Sho through the tiny crack called 'accumulated results'?”

“...”

Faced with the trainer's question, the pressure on Okayu just got heavier. She wanted this race, but if the price of failure meant dragging everyone else down, especially her trainer…

“I want to surpass Tokino Sora... that's how it is.”

The statement was half-mocking, half-sarcastic, but was also a firm shove. Subaru’s tone flipped 180 degrees, even if her eyes still looked like a dried-out fish.

“Look, I don’t really get you horse girls, but isn't the finish line the only thing you're supposed to care about?”

As if feeling the authority of the trainer's position for the first time, the aura radiating from Subaru gradually overwhelmed the timidness of the horse girl in front of her.

“What’s holding you back, Nekomata Okayu?”

To an outsider, it would have looked like she was the one doing the bullying but in reality she is just someone who was forced into a world she knew nothing about in the first place and now has to be the one to make choices? That’s just funny.

“I... I want to run...”

“Mumbling like that. Speak up, will you? Where’s all that 'topple the legends' energy you had the other day?”

“I WANT TO RUN!!”

“Hmph. That’s more like it. You actually sound like the team’s ace now.”

Although it was still a crazy long shot, Subaru trusted her intuition. She had gone through too many abysses just to find an anchor to the light, she wouldn't let this chance slip away easily, not this time.

She wanted to help Okayu make this dream come true.

Subaru wasn't stupid. She knew she couldn't just magically train a legendary horse girl overnight. But there was just something about Nekomata Okayu that made her think she could pull it off.

“That said,” she muttered, “all we can do now is just to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

As she spoke, the trainer glanced at the half-read newspaper on the desk.

On the front page, an unfamiliar name was printed boldly, very ostentatiously, a name that one glance confirmed did not belong to this land of Japan.

[Super rookie IRyS of Team God’s Order has confirmed her next target is the Kikuka Sho]

“It's time for practice.”
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The thunderous sound of footsteps, like crashing waves, echoed across the academy's racetrack as the evening sky faded to orange, signaling another day’s end.

“That’s good, we should stop for now.”

This was the training area previously assigned to Team Artemis. It was relatively old now, but the track's condition was surprisingly well-maintained, so there was no problem running on it.

If anything, the track quality here was perhaps even better than on the actual racetracks.

“The result… what’s the result…”

“One minute, forty.”

An impressive number. Even someone with as little experience with racing as Subaru could easily recognize that.

It's just…

“Another lap…!”

With the goal of defeating Tokino Sora, just 'impressive' was definitely, absolutely not enough.

“W-wait-”

The trainer instinctively tried to stop the horse girl, but before the words could even leave her mouth, Okayu’s shadow had vanished into the distance, far beyond where her voice could reach.

“Good grief…”

Just as Okayu took off, her running partner, Korone, was finally wobbling across the finish line. She looked like a light breeze could knock her flat on the ground instantly.

“...”

Subaru didn't show any surprise or disappointment. Honestly, it was on the contrary, she was just glad two people showed up to practice today. Besides, this was their seventh lap in a row; it was no wonder a short-distance runner like Korone was out of breath.

“Go rest now, Korone.”

“But trainer, Okayu is still-”

“Go to rest, I won't repeat this again.”

As if used to Subaru’s expressions, the girl knew immediately that when her trainer used that tone, she’d be physically carried to the lounge if she dared to argue. Korone’s ears drooped, like a sad puppy who’d just lost its favorite toy.

“Catch, senpai!”

From behind, a tall figure with long silver hair appeared from nowhere, carrying a whole cooler full of cold water. She spoke up as she was tossing one to Korone.

“Botan, you're late.”

“Ehh~ Trainer is being strict again, ehehe.”

Despite the scolding, the umamusume named Botan didn't look bothered at all. She just calmly set the cooler down, shrugged off her thick fur coat, and started stretching, getting ready to practice.

“Hmm~”

Spotting Okayu in the distance, Botan didn't hesitate, stepping right onto the track without asking for permission. She took a deep breath and…

“I'm off!!”

A perfect start, fully deserving of the reputation as the one with the strongest escape-style running of the new generation.

Botan launched, leaving nothing but a huge cloud of smoke, on a turf track, which just proved how terrifying her start was.

Subaru mused that if this were a real race, the other competitors would probably see Botan at the finish line before they even got out of the smoke she left behind.

“Allow me to join you for a bit.”

In just a flash, with her insane speed, Botan caught up to her senior, Okayu, even though the other girl had a one-third lap head start.

“...!”

Surprised by the unannounced participation of her junior, Okayu was quickly left behind.

“Excuse me for going ahead~”

This certainly wasn't the first time someone had 'intruded' onto Okayu's running path, stuff like this happened pretty much all the time during Team Artemis practice sessions.

The horse girl didn't complain. She didn't even overthink it. She just immediately adapted to her junior’s running style.

The horse girl just silently mumbled as she run, Mio would usually stay alongside her, Fubuki would dash up unexpectedly from behind in the final leg, Korone would try to block her from the front, Ayame would stick close behind, waiting for an opportunity…

“Botan never looks behind her back…”

Like lyrics she had memorized, it could be said that Okayu had, for some time now, grasped her teammates' running styles better than they did themselves. And the fact that she had a counter for every single one of them was just a given.

That "ace" title for Team Artemis wasn't just for show.

“...!”

In the blink of an eye, Okayu’s stride changed dramatically. She switched from short, high-frequency steps to an all-out burst right as she came off the final corner. It wasn't long before she caught up with Botan, before the other girl even knew what was happening.

“On your left.”

Hugging the inner rail on the turn, Okayu accelerated, blasting past her arrogant junior. She easily used her remaining stamina to finish the race, giving Botan zero chance to overtake her.

Sure, it was only an 1800m turf track, which wasn't a stayer like Botan’s specialty, but still, being able to single-handedly block Botan for half the race? That was something only Okayu could do.

“1:35:09. Let's call it a day for real this time.”

Subaru stood at the finish line, tossing them each a cold water bottle and a towel, already scribbling down the day's results.

“Since this was just a one-on-one race, I'll let it slide, but that acceleration just now was too early, Okayu. If this were in a real track with more opponents, this result would definitely be hard to achieve, not to mention, it’s just too dangerous.”

Hearing those reprimands, the umamusume could only shrug, laugh sheepishly, and apologize to the trainer, as this result was clearly because she just wanted to show off a little to the junior who just joined the team, not because she was taking this run seriously and all.

“The St.lite Kinen is in less than a week. Starting tomorrow, we will be focusing on stamina training. For now, y'all can go and rest.”

Subaru grabbed the last bottle of water from the ice bucket and turned away. She opened her phone only to see a notification from UmaLine, which was a picture sent by Fubuki.

“Fish, ehehe.”

Below it, a short, curt message. You could see another fishing rod in the background. Welp, no need to guess where Mio was today. She’d clearly been dragged off by Fubuki.

“I wonder how much longer I can keep this trainer seat...”
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“Tokino Sora is in the lead!! She continues to show her absolute strength even in non-G1 races!! Will we witness a miracle today? Can anyone stop Tokino Sora's advance towards this summer's championship cup?!!”

The Sapporo Kinen. The only G2 race in the break before the last leg for the Triple Crown in the Classic series, the Kikuka Sho, began.

The reason AZKi allowed Sora to participate in this race was because it was only 2000 meters with sixteen gates, and on turf, so even if that umamusume girl disobeyed her and went all out, the chance of encountering problems on the track was relatively low.

“On turf, as long as her technique and balance are good, even her usual reckless running style will be fine…”

From the stands, the trainer bit her lip, her fingers trembling over a data sheet summarizing all of Sora’s health check-ups since the strt of the year. Below it awere dozens of different research papers on every topic imaginable, from how turf and dirt affect an umamusume's legs differently to balancing meal nutrition based on training intensity…

All of that just so the world could have the 'perfect' umamusume like Sora to spread her wings on the racetrack as she is now.

“The umamusume are entering the final leg!! Tokino Sora still holds the lead with an overwhelming gap! She doesn't want to give her opponents even a single chance to think about victory!!!”

Despite the surrounding crowd cheering, the roars seemingly wanting to suppress all the trainer's troubled thoughts, plastering a giant 'This is fine, her victor is the only thing that matters.' over all the worries about Sora's condition, those fingers just couldn't stop trembling.

AZKi always prepared for everything, but recently she had to do something she had never even thought she would have to do, she had to add a 'When Sora ignores my words' section to the plans for all upcoming races.

“...”

It was an ultimatum, a cry for help sent to herself…by herself, all because some part of AZKi still didn't want to accept the reality that Sora had changed.

“Finish!!”

The race ended, but the trainer's figure was no longer present in the stands. Perhaps because she knew Sora would win, or perhaps she just didn't want to know…

…that Sora had won…again.

At the same time, on the racetrack, while the other horse girls were responding to the cheers of the audience, of their supporters, the one who had shattered the dreams of fifteen other people, the one who received the most praise and applause, shared no similar emotion.

“...I won.”

Sora mumbled to herself, her hands unconsciously waving back to the people in the distance, but the look in her eyes was the complete opposite.

Like an old habit, she looked to that familiar spot in the stands. The place where that person, someone very close, very dear, who would walk with her no matter the path she chose, always sat and smiled at her after every race.

“...”

It was empty.

Sora closed her eyes. Was she forgetting? Or was she just refusing to know who always sat there?

“I... won... again.”

She didn't understand any of this feeling inside her, but what she knew was that she would keep running, with the hope that if she continued on this path, one day she would remember who that seat belonged to.
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“...Shiori.”

Right after the race, in the tunnel leading to the prep rooms, two people stood face to face, though their moods were a mile apart.

“Nerissa! I've been waiting! Are your legs okay? Are you tired? Want to eat anything? Here's a towel for your sweat, and there's cool water too!”

Shiori, the trainer for Team Advent. A team in pretty much the same boat as Artemis, with all its key members gone, leaving only the new generation to carry the legacy.

“I’m sorry, I came in second again…”

But from another perspective, Advent was also the complete opposite of Artemis: their new generation was full of absolute monsters.

Nerissa Ravencroft, 'The Black Crow', was one of those monsters. She’d had three consecutive wins abroad and two G1 wins at home before Sora finally snapped her streak. It was no surprise she was seen as one of the few torches still burning bright, even in Sora's massive shadow.

“Still worrying about those silly trivial things, my little Nerissa?”

The trainer, facing those words of self-blame, just smiled gently and moved in to hug Nerissa. She stood on her toes, pressing the umamusume's head into her chest, despite the obvious height difference between them.

“Don't worry, I would never abandon you all just because of trivial things like this~”

Shiori whispered into Nerissa's ear while gently stroking the horse girl long dark hair:

“You all are the only ones I care about. Placings are just numbers to me.”

Those words, truly, were undeniably always everything Nerissa needed to keep stepping onto that brutal racetrack. But this time it was different.

“...Shiori…I'm sorry.”

The horse girl’s hands trembled as she gripped her trainer's shoulders. Her mind was a total mess, tangled up in fear and anger. She was trying to hold on and push the small figure away at the same time, even unconsciously used way too much force, making Shiori cry out.

“...that hurts, Rissa.”

Everyone knows horse girls are way stronger than normal humans. It’s common knowledge. But Shiori wasn't worried or scared about it at all, she just gently reminded her.

“Hey now… don't be like that.You know that I’ll always be here for you no matter what, Nerissa.”

Ever since that first loss to Sora, the umamusume known as Team Advent's 'undefeated' star seemed to have fallen into a depression. Not from guilt, but from fear. She was terrified of standing on the same track as her.

Since she was a kid, Nerissa had insane expectations piled on her. She was the daughter of a Triple Crown umamusume and a famous trainer, living in a pressure-cooker environment that no one could ever imagine a person to make it out alive, not to mention a child as she is, but Nerissa did.

She won on the racetracks, just like the media said. 'Genius' was what they called her. But maybe only her family and her trainer knew the truth behind that smile for the cameras.

She was happy. But that happiness only lasted until that fateful race against Tokino Sora.

“I won't lose, Shiori.”

“Mm, I’ll be waiting for good news from you.”

That was also the first time in ten years Nerissa felt that feeling again, the one she thought she had forgotten.

Nerissa couldn't win, even though her legs were screaming.

The image that had haunted her since childhood, the sight of her mother's back, seemed to return when Sora began her overwhelming final spurt. The feeling of helplessness, of being unable to catch the person in front no matter how much strength she exerted, rushed back into Nerissa's mind like a flood, washing away all her will to fight.

That day also marked Nerissa's heaviest loss as she finished near the end. This led to many spectators to think she had suffered some kind of leg injury mid-race, even forcing Shiori to make the tough call and bench her for a while to recover.

A long time had passed since then. Today was her third race back, but it seemed the fear from that day still hadn't completely vanished from her mind.

But that doesn't mean Shiori will just give up and let Nerissa retire from the track. She did not accept that outcome and would never allow it, not as long as she was the one sitting in the trainer's seat.

“Your torch will not go out, Nerissa, not now.”

] To be continued [

Chapter Text

The day had finally arrived. The trial race for a chance to participate in the final leg of the Triple Crown journey: the G2 St. Lite Kinen.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Nakayama Racecourse! It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? We're just minutes away from the race that paves the way to this year’s final crown...!”

Outside the track, ticket holders were already queuing up, the excited chatter of the commentators blasting through the speakers heating up the empty turf until the air itself felt like it was on fire.

“You ready, Okayu?”

In the prep room, Team Artemis's ace was just chilling, sitting down to tighten her laces. It seems she had just finished reinforcing the soles as well.

“You look worried, that face sure doesn't suit you well, Subaru~”

“Oh, so I shouldn't be? Do you even remember how many times you’ve run in 2200 meters races?”

Subaru might be a rookie trainer, but she wasn't dumb enough to skip checking the race history of her own team before she was assigned as their trainer. And looking at the list of tracks the girl in front of her had run before…

“Hmmm~ Fourth time? Maybe fifth? I don’t really remember, ahaha…”

For someone who always tried to hide her true feelings, Okayu was hilariously bad at it.

“The word ‘Anxiety’ is practically written on your forehead in bold font. Don't try to force it.”

Without warning, Subaru tossed a rice ball at the horse girl.

“Your favorite filling, did I get that right?”

Startled, Okayu almost fumbled the catch, but she didn't feel annoyed. Instead, a wave of relief washed over her, pushing back the pre-race jitters.

“We’ve trained hard for today. The goal is just to get to the top three so you can qualify for the Kikuka Sho…”

Subaru turned toward the door, but just as her hand touched the handle, she glanced back.

“...But hey, I’m not saying that you can't take first place either.”

At the same moment, the phone on Okayu's table buzzed like crazy. A notification from UmaLine.

“Good luck.”

It was a message from her sister, who was currently abroad following her trainer to working as an assistant trainer for a newly forming team.

Attached was a picture of a small trophy folded from yellow paper, identical to the ones Okayu used to make for her sister before she went to her race days back in the past.

Her eyes drifted into a distant memory, then reality pulled her back. Okayu glanced down at her legs one last time before standing up.

“...Alright.”

The day had come for Okayu to achieve that person's unreachable dream. She wasn't going to let a little injury stop her from chasing victory.
.
.
.

“Our Umamusume are hitting the turf! The moment you’ve all been waiting for is finally here! In just a few minutes, the owner of the first ticket to this year's Kikuka Sho will be decided!!”

Inside the tunnel, Okayu took slow, steady steps toward the track, radiating all the confidence she could muster. Today’s win had to be hers.

That confidence detaches Okayu's mind from reality. Her solitary footsteps echoed through the hall. She was sure she was the only one walking out from this side, yet for some reason, her gut was screaming that someone was coming up from behind.

“...”

“What’s up? Nervous?”

“...!!”

A second later, someone actually tapped the horse girl on the shoulder, acting all buddy-buddy like an old friend who hasn't seen her in a long time.

“W-who are you…?”

But contrary to the vibe that person was giving, the face Okayu saw when she turned around was, strangely enough, someone she had never met before in her life.

“Hmmm? Mate, you haven't answered my question.”

“...mate?”

Even though Subaru had shown her the roster for today's race, the gap between "famous names you know by face" and "names you couldn't remember even if you tried" was so huge that Okayu just had skimmed the list and promptly tossed it into the mental trash bin.

And the person behind her right now seems to belong to the minority group, the unknowns with no real racing achievements to speak of.

“Ahaha, just kidding. Rindo Chihaya. Pleased to meet ya.”

Yup, never heard of her. Probably didn't even have a trainer or joined a team yet.

But if that was the case, why the tap on her shoulder?

“Uhm… I’m Nekomata Okayu. Nice to meet you too…I guess?”

“Ya, well, you know, ya kinda have that scary ahhh vibe from behind, so I just wanted to check in if you had a problem. I don’t wanna be known for bullying the weak ya see…”

Every gesture, every word, even her facial expression screamed that this girl was not the type to take racing seriously. Yet, something was nagging at Okayu’s brain, something she couldn't quite put into words.

“...tho it doesn't all matter to me, cuz I’m gonna win this race anyway.”

“...!?”

That declaration from the girl who called herself Chihaya may have just untangled the knot in Okayu's head. Now she understood why her legs felt weak after that ‘friendly tap’ thing.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she realized the harsh truth she had been trying to ignore. Her instincts were screaming at her body that the person standing next to her right now…

“Haha, well, bye then. See ya on the track.”

…was a monster.
.
.
.

At the end of the tunnel lay the vibrant racecourse, roaring with the cheers of the audience echoing.

The cold air of the tunnel was a world away from the blinding sun piercing through the canopy of the stands.

“And the moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived! Once again, allow us to welcome you all to Nakayama Racecourse for today’s G2 St. Lite Kinen! Let’s welcome all our Umamusume to the track!”

The announcer's voice boomed from the giant speakers, reaching every corner of the venue, followed by a thunderous response from the crowd.

“The center of attention is emerging! The one who placed third in two consecutive G1 races! The brightest candidate expected to shed the title of 'bronze collector' today, let’s welcome Kazama Iroha!!...”

Living up to the fans' expectations, the number one favourite for today, the girl who was voted to be the most likely to take first place stepped out. The stands practically exploded as her shadow merely separated from the darkness of the tunnel.

“...Ehh, scary~”

Seemingly unimpressed by the grand entrance, the person whose name probably didn't need repeating was hovering next to Okayu, then behind her, then next to her again like a haunting ghost, dropping bored comments like she just wanted to get this race over with as soon as possible to go home.

“Can you give me some air to breathe, Chihaya…”

“Oh, am I bothering you? Sorry~ ahaha. I’m just used to doing this to people.

It wasn't that Okayu cared much about this horse girl… or rather, it felt like she was the one trying to grab Okayu's attention, forcing her to acknowledge her existence.

“Save me… Subaru…” Okayu mumbled to herself while waiting for her turn.

Eventually, all the horse girls had made their way out. Some waved confidently to the crowd, some adjusted their breathing, still unused to the atmosphere, and some looked around as if they were lost. Finally, only Okayu remained in the tunnel alone.

“Alright…”

Artemis's ace stepped out. She unconsciously squinted against the blinding sun. Her senses told her the cheering seemed quieter than the major races she used to watch as a kid, but the pressure was still something she couldn't just ignore.

Unlike that person over there…

“Zzz…”

Rindo Chihaya seemed determined to prove she was nothing like the other horse girls here. She was groggy, practically sleepwalking, displaying a strangely relaxed posture for someone who is standing on a racetrack.

“The Umamusme have begun entering the starting gates!”

From a distance, Okayu could see her stretching with a long yawn as the track staff led her into the gate, acting like this was nothing more than another stroll in the park.

Genius or madman? Perhaps only when the race started would anyone know for sure.

“...”

Okayu took one last deep breath. She glanced up at the stands where Subaru and the rest of Artemis were watching her. Okayu simply smiled at them then stepped into her gate.

She didn't want to disappoint anyone. She didn't want to lose. And today, she definitely won't.

“All set!”

The starter's signal cut through the noise of the crowd. Now, in the minds of every horse girl in the gates, there was only one sound they were waiting for.

“Ready…. GO!”

The sound of steel slamming as the gates opened simultaneously triggered every horse girl on the field and every spectator in the stands. The sound of horseshoes crushing the turf just can’t be beat as the perfect sign of a race's opening.

From Okayu's perspective, despite starting in the outermost gate, number fourteen to be exact, she executed a perfect start. She felt every footstep around her. No jostling, no collisions. She dodged everything perfectly to secure a position that allowed her to blend into the pack with no problem.

“A wonderful start from our horse girls! Almost all have secured favorable positions! The favorite, Iroha, is currently… W-WAIT, WAIT A MINUTE!”

Just as the commentator was tracking the position of the umamusume in the racetrack, something unresolved at the starting gates caught everyone's attention.

“G-Gate number seven! Rindo Chihaya seems to have forgotten she’s in a race and completely missed the start! She’s only now moving out of the gate and is dead last!”

The shift in the commentator's tone grabbed the attention not just of the stands, but of the other horse girls who were already a fair distance away. It seemed everyone was secretly smug about a lucky break, minus one rival to race against, a fool who was eliminated by her own stupidity.

Everyone thought like that, everyone except for Okayu, who felt a sudden wave of unease.

She shot a quick glance back. Just as the commentator said, Chihaya was so far back Okayu had to squint just to see her silhouette. For a split second, she felt just like others, a sudden relieved feeling that she didn't have to face that weirdo.

“Good. Now I just need to stick to the plan I discussed with Trainer…”

‘Track and follow the favourite Uma of the race, in this case Iroha, move along and do exactly what she does for the rest of the race, if she makes a move then I will also follow that no exception…’

But just as everyone was bringing their mind back to focusing on the race. Before Okayu's thought could even fully form, a chill, exactly like the one in the tunnel, shot down her spine.

“....?!”

Not from the front. Not from the back.

But right next to her shoulder.

“I’m heading out first~”

A black blur shot past, leaving only the faint afterimage of a thrilled smirk.

The sound of the wind being torn apart as that black shadow blasted past Okayu, even though she was on the far outside of the pack, startled her so badly she almost lost her balance. She couldn't believe her eyes or ears anymore.

Everything that just happened in that split second… nobody could explain it with logic.

“Rindo Chihaya… R-RINDO CHIHAYA! WHAT IS THAT!! WHAT IS SHE DOING!! WHAT THE HELL IS RINDO CHIHAYA THINKING!!”

Anyone with a 'normal' brain would think that you should save your energy for the final stretch. This wasn't a sprint to see who was fastest off the line. It was 2200m, not 1200m, a simple, easy to understand concept, yet, the horse girl who had just botched her start was having the exact opposite thought.

“Unbelievable!! Rindo Chihaya is flying! She is overtaking from the outside with incredible speed!! No one can stop her!!! Can someone tell me again that this horse girl just had a late start seconds ago?!?!”

The black shadow named Rindo Chihaya tore through the pack's formation with her gallop. She was running the first thousand meters of a middle-distance race like it was the final hundred meters of a sprint race.

In the blink of an eye, she had touched the front of the pack.

“...Cuz I’m gonna win anyway.”

Chihaya's words from the tunnel echoed in Okayu's ears again, like a predator whispering to its prey.

Genius or madman?

It just simply not a question anymore at this point.

] To be continued [

Chapter Text

What defines a perfect Umamusume?

Is it raw talent or an insatiable hunger for victory? Is it a competitive spirit or the sheer grit of training? Is it all of the above, or simply the primal desire to set foot on the turf?

“Rindo Chihaya! It’s Rindo Chihaya!! She’s blown past the lead pack to seize the front in the blink of an eye! Despite that abysmal start from the gates, can she actually hold this position?!”

At that moment, Okayu had no idea of the true caliber of the monster playing the fool at the front of the pack. But she is not alone in this race, all the other racers were just as clueless as she is, until today, the name "Rindo Chihaya" meant absolutely nothing to anyone.

As Chihaya overtook the leading girl, the pack hit Nakayama’s second uphill. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Chihaya showed zero signs of slowing down.

To any cold-headed observer, that decision was a pure self-destruct move. Whether she ran first or last shouldn't have mattered, that disastrous start should have disqualified her as a contender from the very beginning, that was what almost everyone agreed on, except for one single person.

“Kazama...! Kazama Iroha is accelerating!! We haven't even cleared the first thousand meters and she has already started pursuing the leading girl!!! Is she throwing all our common knowledge out the window?!”

The favorite for today’s podium, the North Star of the pack, had moved. As if a single twitch from her was enough to send a shockwave through the rest of the field, everyone was shocked.

The thousand-meter marker appeared and vanished into the night behind their heels. Rindo Chihaya continued to widen the gap as if she had forgotten how to feel fatigue.

“Rindo Chihaya still holds the lead as the girls pass the 1,000-meter mark and enter the middle leg. Narrowing the gap in second is today’s top pick, Kazama Iroha, who has engaged her closing tactics far earlier than the rest. Trailing further back in third is…”

The frantic commentary and the roar of the stands echoed through the clear sky, but to Okayu, it was just white noise. Her mind was locked into the heat of the chase.

“Rindo Chihaya... if she doesn’t slow down in the final 400 meters, this might be my last chance...!”

A thousand meters had vanished in a heartbeat. Nakayama’s infamous uphill was now a problem for the final sprint. Now, the only things standing between Okayu and victory were those two leading the pack.

She scanned the field, front and back. Not a single familiar face she knows. No one can stop her if she starts chasing the front pack right now.

“Iroha... I have to stick to Iroha...!”

As if she could see right through the back of the girl ahead, Okayu took a deep breath.

“Now!!”

Utilizing her position on the outside, Okayu shifted gears from conservation to an all-out chase, mirroring Iroha’s desperate pace.

“We have another move from the pack!! From the outside, Number 14 Nekomata Okayu has lost her patience and is forcing a tactical shift! She’s surging past the competition with incredible power!!”

Just like in training, early acceleration was never Okayu’s forte. But once the trigger is pulled, there’s no reset button. She knew that if she didn't move now, she would never catch those two in the final stretch.

Sacrificing her current stamina to secure third place was an extreme gamble. But looking at the board, with no way of knowing how much longer Chihaya could maintain that freakish lead, it was the only logical play left.

“We are halfway through the race. The girls are pushing to defend their positions. Aside from the lead trio, no one else seems ready to empty their tank just yet. Rindo Chihaya remains at the front, with Kazama Iroha trailing by two horse lengths, and Nekomata Okayu holding steady in third...”

The 1,600-meter mark flashed by, disappearing behind the racers just like the first. Despite the markers, nothing mattered more than those final 400 meters.

The crowd roared as positions shifted, only to simmer down as the pace stabilized into a tense equilibrium.

“...This might not end well.”

On the Artemis team bench, Subaru’s face was grim, twisted with the dread of someone watching a train wreck in slow motion.

“What is it, Trainer? Something wrong?”

Catching Subaru’s gaze, Korone looked over with a heartbreakingly innocent tilt of the head. Her lack of racing experience just makes the unfolding disaster invisible to her, though that might just be a good thing.

“Okayu... she won’t be able to hold on to that spot for much longer.”

With two warm meat skewers in her hand and an empty yakisoba box on her lap, Ayame, Artemis’s second ace, spoke with a chilling bluntness that answered in the shoes of their trainer.

Time blurred. The final 400 meters of the Nakayama track has come, the infamous "uphill", loomed in the eyes of the approaching racers.

“Slow down now won’t you... Rindo Chihaya...!”

A silent plea shared by the entire pack. Everyone was waiting for the fool in front to finally run out of gas. But Chihaya just had no intention of following that desperate silent shout.

“...!?”

“Final 400 meters!! The Nakayama uphill rises again to challenge the remaining endurance of our racers! Rindo Chihaya still leads the pack into the climb! Does this girl simply not know where her limit is?!”

Clearing the fourth corner and still having the lungs to climb while leading is not something an "anonymous" racer should be capable of. How the hell had she stayed under the radar this entire time?!

The roar of the crowd peaked as the umamusume hit the final straight, the moment that would validate or destroy the effort of the entire race. But in Okayu head right now there was nothing but the whistling wind.

She was tucked directly behind Iroha, using her as a slipstream to cut the wind resistance and save what little stamina she had left. But even that wasn't enough to conquer this hill.

“Grrruu....”

She spat a low growl through gritted teeth. The debt collector named "The Limit" had come knocking, demanding repayment for the energy she’d borrowed to seize this third place. Her stamina was hitting rock bottom, but her legs refused to quit.

“Just a little... just a little more...!”

Suddenly, Iroha surged, intent on overtaking Chihaya. The gap widened instantly, and Iroha was no longer a shield against the wind. Okayu was left exposed to the brutal reality of the track...
...and the price of a fatal mistake.

“....!”

“Kazama Iroha has started her closing spurt!! She’s slowly cutting off her distance with Rindo Chihaya! One length, half a length... Can she pull ahead now??!!!”

The stands screamed Iroha’s name. Some cheered for Chihaya. But almost no one called for Okayu, even as she teetered on the brink of collapse.

A sharp, searing pain, like fabric tearing, shot from her heel to the top of her skull. It was a death warrant. A "gentle" reminder from the training injury she had well-hidden from her trainer.

The finish line was right there, but her stamina tank was empty. The pain forced a hitch in her stride, she lost her momentum just as the line approached.

“...No... way...”

An unfamiliar face surged past, stealing Okayu’s moment of glory in the very last second. As that blur crossed the line ahead of her, Okayu realized it was too late.

“Goal!!”

The electronic scoreboard flickered to life. Rindo Chihaya in first. Iroha in second by a neck. And in third…

“Number 2. The margin is a nose.”

She didn't make it.

Okayu crossed in fourth, the throne of the also-rans. All because of a single moment of hesitation. The inevitable end of a rushed decision.

“...”

She collapsed the moment she saw the result. She didn't even feel the pain in her leg anymore, the world simply went dark in her eyes.

“And we have our final results! Rindo Chihaya, with a dominant performance despite a late start, has narrowly defeated the favorite, Kazama Iroha...”

Her vision blurred. Okayu’s ears drooped, refusing to let in any more sound. Her legs gave up on supporting her exhausted frame, and she sprawled out onto the turf.

No disappointment. No anger. Okayu didn't even have the energy to look surprised. All that effort, only to add another failure to the name of Team Artemis.

] To be continued [