Chapter Text
Norn Ace first felt this when she witnessed the Gray Monster's first winning concert.
Her heart leaped, her nose tingled, and her face grew a couple degrees warmer. If she had been told a few months earlier that her body would react this way to seeing a gray-haired Uma perform a traditional dance instead of an idol routine, she would have laughed in their faces and told them to check their head.
The mere thought of the same Uma who had torn the last few races to pieces, leaving other runners in the dust — the same Uma whose aura alone made her legs buckle and her breath catch in her throat — the Uma with a perfectly shaped body and running style — was completely unable to dance — made her burst into laughter. And this was just one of many other inconsistencies between her personality during and outside of racing.
At first, this fact drove Norn crazy. Just how could such a clueless person simultaneously harbor extraordinary talent (which Norn had denied previously) with impenetrable stupidity and narrow-mindedness!? And yet... now, looking at her, so awkward, on stage... Norn couldn't help but feel a strange sensation welling up in her chest.
She decides to offer her help on a whim. If she's no match for her on the turf, at least she can still show off her skills in the dance hall.
Oguri immediately accepts free dance lessons from Norn's parents' studio, which makes the latter's heart jump and do a split and her head turn beet red. The red-haired Uma doesn't bother her head with how and why she suddenly changed her mind about her "sworn enemy", instead spending nights watching videos and coming up with a perfect routine for a winner worthy of the Center.
The first couple of rehearsals go... not as well as expected. Oguri knows absolutely nothing about basic stances, can't feel a rhythm faster than 1/4, and grumbles with her stomach after every slightly learned movement. She's for sure extremely flexible and resilient, but a dance isn't a race, and a beautifully choreographed movement requires more than just knowledge of running styles and running shoes.
Rudy and Mini come along with Oguri to the first couple of classes to crack their typical jokes, which also distracts the gray-haired Uma a little, but after a while (perhaps noticing and understanding the hints) they stop coming, and Norn is finally left alone with Oguri. They memorize the dance rehearsal after rehearsal, with Norn lingering for a few seconds on Oguri's arms, shoulders and back from time to time, guiding her into this or that position. She simply can't help herself. She can't resist perfection.
And one day... the string breaks.
They stay late — it's one of their penultimate rehearsals. It's long since dark outside, and only two white lamps remain illuminating the hall above their heads. The windows are wide open, but Oguri still drips with sweat as she spins around once again — this time without Norn's prompting from the side. Norn leans against a full-length mirror next to the record player and watches intently how Oguri's thin shirt clings to her muscular torso— er, rather, how correctly she executes the movements. At one point she notices the gray-haired Uma rushing and not fully extending her arms, which breaks the perspective of the dance and creates an awkward impression. And her dance must be perfect. Otherwise, why is Norn even here?
She stops the music and draws the attention of breathless Oguri to herself. Norn moves closer, standing face to face, almost touching. Oguri had tied her hair in a ponytail, revealing bare, glistening neck, though a few hairs still escape and fall onto her face and back. Norn takes Oguri's arms and pulls them up, straightening them, pointing out exactly where she made a mistake. This movement allows her to lean even closer to Oguri's face, feeling her heavy breath on her cheek. While Oguri looks up, trying to memorize the position of her hands, Norn stares at her — and, most likely due to the late evening, or the intimate setting, or the strange, undefined feelings tormenting Norn — she only needs to close her eyes and move her head a few millimeters to suddenly touch lips.
It takes Norn a few seconds to realize what she's done. Oguri's lips are hot and pressed into a thin line; she smells of sweat and seems to forget how to breathe, as if she's been turned into a marble statue. Norn cracks one eye open to comprehend the magnitude of her mistake and meets Oguri's wide-open gaze.
Norn immediately jerks away from the face in front of her, as if she's been doused with a bucket of ice water. Oguri, slightly flushed (unclear whether from the light kiss or the long rehearsal), opens her mouth in confusion, but no sound comes out. The red-haired Uma presses her ears back.
"I... It's... an accident... I didn't— I'm sorry!" Norn chokes on her words and rushes out of the studio into the night air, not bothering to close the door behind. Oguri finally moves and tries to say something back, but Norn can't hear a thing, as if her ears were tightly stuffed with cotton. How reckless, how stupid..! What was she thinking? Of course, she's no match for Oguri. Moreover, Norn had just recently almost tried to kill them both in a race, and now she suddenly changes her mind 180 degrees — and wants to confuse Oguri as well. Anyone would disagree with such mindless thinking.
It's simple logic. Hoping for something like that is pointless. But Norn's eyes still fill with treacherous tears. If Oguri tells Belno about this nonsense, Belno will spread the gossip throughout the Kasamatsu, and Norn will remain a laughingstock for the rest of her life.
Norn barely gets out of bed the next day, but she does anyway — if she misses a day, the students will definitely suspect something is wrong. She braces herself for the worst, expecting Rudy and Mini to ridicule her right from the start, but... nothing of the sort happens. Classes go on as usual, as if Norn's world hadn't been turned upside down.
She meets Oguri in the cafeteria (where she expected to see her), and when the latter spots the red-haired Uma, her grip on the chopsticks losens up and she takes on a strange expression. Is it dejected? Remorseful? Downcast? Norn tries to ignore it and distract herself, but Oguri gets up from the table and heads straight towards her. Norn's first instinct is to run, but the Gray Monster is faster and closes the distance in seconds, so she has to speak.
"Oh, Oguri, hi, long time no see! Um, sorry I left so fast yesterday, I should've closed the studio, and I accidentally took the keys with me, and I forgot the record player, I…"
"I'm sorry," Oguri interrupts, "I didn't realize y—"
Norn interrupts back, almost covering Oguri's mouth with her hand: "Yeah, yeah, ha-ha, I get it, no need to repeat yourself! Forget it, okay?"
Oguri lowers her ears and looks at Norn even sadder, as if Norn had rejected her and not the other way around. The gray Uma is at a loss, unsure what to do in such a difficult situation, unable to read the feelings and desires of another, but at the same time unable to find the words to explain her own actions. She exhales through her nose and shakes her head:
"If it's better this way…"
"Yes, much better, I swear! Now let's go eat and talk about something else, okay?"
Later, Rudy and Mini will grill her at length about what happened, but Norn won't flinch and will change the subject every time. In a couple of days, she'll come to her senses and act like her old self again. After all, remaining friends with the Gray Monster is much better than losing her forever.
There's a stray wind blowing between legs at the train station. The air smells of iron and anticipation for the trip. Oguri is traveling light, taking only one half-empty suitcase, while Belno had grabbed bags and a backpack chock-full of books and running theory notebooks. Oguri would have taken even less if Belno hadn't reminded her about such insignificant things as a change of clothes and the Tracen Academy textbooks. If Oguri had her way, she would've filled her suitcase to the brim with takoyaki, but Belno had strictly taken charge of the food for the trip.
Even though they had already said goodbye to their friends from Kasamatsu, there was a crowd still forming on the platform. Particularly devoted fans, close friends and family had come to wish Umas a safe journey and great achievements — some even offered parting gifts. Of course, Norn, Rudy and Mini were standing out from the small crowd, sniffling loudly and conveying their final wishes. Norn managed to soak Oguri's shoulder with tears, while the other two were trying to come up with new strategies for Belno to destroy future opponents.
Fujimasa March stood nearby, yet slightly away, as if unsettled and unsure what she was doing here. What was the point of these tearful goodbyes if they weren't parting forever? But her feet carried her here anyway. To see the Ashen Beast in person for the last time in a long while.
When Norn finally gets distracted from Oguri by the call of her friends to support them in a heated argument, Oguri approaches March with a warm smile. The latter initially looks wary and furtive out of habit, but her gaze softens in an instant.
Oguri became a special person for March. Not just a rival, but an Uma she wants to look up to, to compete with, to defeat personally, one-on-one, more than once or twice. Her personality surprised and intrigued her, and some of her decisions and actions were downright baffling. She wanted, perhaps, to walk the path to the top together, side by side. But fate had other plans.
"I don't know what else to say. It's going to be very boring without you," March says, while the rest of the crowd is out of earshot. Oguri's cheeks take on a pinkish tint, and her tail flaps faster.
"I'll miss you too, March," Oguri admits without any embellishments or innuendos. This trait of hers has always surprised and charmed others at the same time. March's ears reflexively blush in response.
March thought her career was over after losing to the gray-haired Uma just a couple days ago. Thoughts gnawed at her brain like worms in a rotten apple. But it was Oguri who pulled her out of that mindset. It was she who helped March look into the future with head held high and ears perked up again. And now Oguri will become her guiding light. The sun sitting on a snowy mountain peak.
A beep rings through the station, signaling the arrival of the needed train. The entire platform crowd suddenly begins to move, picking up suitcases and helping each other with their belongings. Oguri turns at the sound of the signal, and March's stomach gets gripped by the panicked realization that the Uma beside her is really leaving. And that something needs to be done. Something to explain, something to do. Right now, while she's still here.
Oguri looks into March's eyes again, and there's a distinct hint of bittersweet farewell in them. The wind makes her fluffy ears twitch, and her mouth opens in a "goodbye" as March abruptly tugs Oguri by the forearm and, while everyone else is staring at the train board, blindly kisses her somewhere on the corner of her thin, parted lips. She senses a smell of carrot chips for a moment, but it's gone immediately.
The kiss ends as quickly as it began. Oguri's eyes turn into two big moons, March's face turns into a sweet-ripened tomato, Oguri's eyebrows arch and March understands that this isn't a hint for reciprocity — although she didn't mean to show or prove anything, so there's no point in Oguri looking so sad. Belno is already tugging at Oguri's hand, because their train is pulling into a stop, and March has no choice but to smile and let go of Oguri's sweater. Oguri tries to look at March until the very end, but she has to look away to pass through the automatic doors and the spot where March had just stood is empty when she returns her gaze there through the window.
March exits the station and breathes deeply in the spring air. She looks at the cirrus clouds brushed across the blue sky. She wishes for such good weather at all her races. So that she could clearly see the bright white circle high above. And follow it with ease. From everywhere.
Be the best Uma Musume in Japan, Oguri Cap…
. . .
Sitting on a soft seat in the train car and nervously wagging her tail, Oguri doesn't understand what she should be feeling. She can't figure out what exactly the gesture implies, or whether she should do or say anything in response. It was the second time this had happened to her, and although she was never shy about asking Belno or Kitahara about something she didn't understand, here she subconsciously felt like she should figure it out herself. Act as her instincts dictated. But this time her instincts were painting a blank slate.
Belno gets distracted and notices Oguri's strange stare. She lightly touches her arm and quietly asks if something has happened, but Oguri only shakes her head and turns away to the window, to the rapidly changing houses and natural landscapes.
Perhaps she doesn't need to think about it yet. Perhaps the realization will come to her on its own when the time is right.
...
She's hungry.