Chapter Text
The familiar dull ache in her leg returned alongside a colder wind billowing in through the windows. It was going to rain today. Cafe staggered to her feet, wobbling and unstable, then dragged herself to the open window. She peered down at the courtyard.
The grass was erratically waving back and forth, cast a solemn shade by the accumulation of clouds overhead. Weary trees looming over benches typically occupied by vibrant Umamusume were creaking and wailing in the wind. This bad weather so early in the morning mirrored Cafe’s attitude perfectly. Her entire month was ruined. With a slam, she closed the windows.
In her mindless pursuit of catching up to her friend, Cafe injured herself. Despite promising her trainer that she would turn in for the night, she found herself back at the track once more, running like the wind. The lurking entities and spirits beckoned her onward, even if she knew in her heart it was a bad idea to keep going. With the added stress of an upcoming race, the pressure was on her to improve.
Her friend was a bit sluggish that night. She kept glancing over her shoulder, face just barely out of sight from Cafe. Her pace was uneven and clearly far from her limit. She should’ve known then that misfortune was upon her. On one of the straights, her friend slid to a stop completely. However, in her exhaustion, she kept running, and–
Her trainer and Tachyon had both scolded her. Telling her that her behavior was reckless and that there was no point in trying so hard if she was gonna drop out anyway. She hadn’t intended to get hurt. It was just how it all played out. Nevertheless, it happened, and today marks the start of her month-long rest from racing. Her legs already twitch and ache to run again, but she stubbornly refuses to move much at all.
At least with the arrival of the rain, most other Umamusume will be inside too. She’s found that when she isn’t the only one avoiding the outside, she feels less isolated. The dark shadows of Tachyon’s lab hardly provide any comforts anyway. The chill in the air is a tolerable reprieve from the summer’s sweltering heat.
The thing that truly excited her, though, was what she’d had prepared for today. Word travelled quickly in their peculiar social circle, and word of Cafe’s interest in Oguri was all the rage recently. Nothing she said could dispel the constant buzz surrounding her, or the knowing glances from Pocket from across the cafeteria in the morning.
She’d been browsing Oguri’s old races, finding all the recordings available online. The two Umamusume trained together on rare occasions, but even then there was little room to get to know each other. Cafe moved to call her on the phone, but backed out at the last second. Oguri hadn’t contacted either, so maybe she didn’t mean it like that. She must not love her like that.
The particular race that caught her eye; the Autumn Tenno Sho. She’d rewatched this one far more than any of the others. Tamamo, who she'd learned through surface-level snooping was Oguri’s roommate at Tracen, took first in that race. On the last hill, that grueling incline, she maintained her lead and crossed the finish line like lightning. It put her in a bad mood each time, but she couldn’t stop watching it. She didn’t understand why.
Maybe the struggle of endlessly pursuing the girl in front of you, never catching up, hit far too close to home for her. The desperation she felt radiating off of Oguri, even from just a recording, resonated deep in her soul. She glanced down at her injured leg and huffed. Well, now was just about as good a time as any to start watching. She’d cuddle up in Tachyon’s chair (she received pity permission last night) with a blanket and a hot cup of Arabica coffee, and lose herself in the film.
Oguri’s presence was just so captivating. She replayed the part, towards the beginning, in which she strutted out before the crowd with her race silks on. It’s commonly said that you can’t improve perfection, but Cafe had to disagree. Oguri, with her serene blue eyes and angelic light hair, was the acme of Umamusume beauty, whether it be in her Tracen uniform or a tracksuit. However, in that sailor uniform, the star across the front caught the light like a beacon that called to her personally.
There was no scarcity of clips of any of Oguri’s races. Very early in her career, she amassed a large sum of fans. Cafe leaned forward in her seat, gripping the armrests with an intensity not unlike herself in a race. Then, Oguri locked eyes with the camera, and put on a light smile before turning to walk back down the line. Her heart pounded frantically in her chest and she slumped backwards against the chair. Such a simple action, and yet…
Cafe drowned her overwhelming feelings with a long sip of her coffee. Between the thunderstorm outside, the beating of her heart, and the noise from the video, the typical paranormal sounds of her mind were dissipated. With Oguri, she could ignore whatever was wrong with her and focus on what was great about her. She didn’t have to think about her weak nails, her incapable lungs, or her frail body. She could entirely devote herself to somebody else.
A loud crack deafened Cafe, and she raised her eyes from the floor only to see that the Wi-Fi in Tracen must’ve gone out. Curse the Director – multiple Umamusume had complained that it was patchy already, but she ignored the complaints. Now it was completely out and her Oguri video stopped loading. Being alone with her thoughts wasn’t exactly something she cared for. A familiar, cool presence settled onto her shoulders.
“Why don’t we go for a walk, Cafe?”
“No… I can’t. My leg hurts too bad, and I don’t want to risk hurting the other one too…” She pushed her coffee away from herself, sulking.
“We could visit Oguri. She’ll be inside, too.” Her friend took a few light steps to the door, tapping her heels impatiently. “Don’t you want to catch up to me?”
Cafe rose immediately, trying to still her trembling foot. “...You’re right. To catch you, I should… we should see Oguri. Let’s go, then.” Her friend hummed, then disappeared into the door. Leaning on the various objects cluttering Tachyon’s lab, she limped to the door and stepped out. She didn’t need to be so cautious about her injury, but she couldn’t help but worry.
Her friend was already down the hall, long hair floating through the air as she turned the corner. The sight, one Cafe was more than acquainted with, ignited a fire in her soul. She needed to catch up. She needed to see Oguri.
After a huge effort involving many near-falls, Cafe made it towards the main hall. Her tail dragged somberly behind her, reflecting her poor state in its disorder. Her uniform was wrinkled and hadn’t yet been washed. Entirely, she looked a complete mess compared to her usual self. Her friend’s condition, however, was impeccable. She was standing beside another Umamusume, beckoning Cafe over – was that Dantsu? She seemed deep in thought beside the vending machine, ears drooping. Cafe decided it might be nice to speak with her. When she began to walk, her friend dissipated into the air.
Dantsu lit up as she approached. Her peachy-brown tail shot straight up behind her as she opened her arms to bring her into a tight embrace. Cafe opened her mouth to protest, her weight falling awkwardly against her foot, but she spoke before she could.
“Thank the Goddesses you’re here, Cafe! You came at just the right time. Do you think I should get some vegetable juice, or more of a snack drink? Today I was gonna take a small break, but do you think I should– oh, I could also get something for protein, and do a workout in my dorm? I was going to ask some other students, but they all just walked away… so? What do you think? I haven’t been able to see you in a while, Cafe! Did something happen?”
Cafe huffed, unable to prevent the smile on her face. “I just hurt my leg, that’s all… I’m glad you’re happy to see me. I think light exercise might be a good idea for today. You don’t want to get out of routine, do you…?”
“Oh no! I hope you get better, then. And you really do think so? Pocket said the exact opposite and told me to just take the day off, but I agree with you, then! Do you want a drink too? I’d love to have a chat. It’s been way too long…” Before Cafe could think of a way to politely turn her down, Dantsu’s already turned to scan over the drinks in the machine. “Which would you like? Anything goes!”
If she was already in this situation, she might as well take her up on her offer. Even if she wished she could live purely off of coffee for the rest of her life, it’d be in her best interest to drink something else every now and then. “Just some vitamin water sounds good. Thank you for this, Dantsu…”
Her amber eyes shone at the praise, and she eagerly pressed the buttons and handed the drink to Cafe. “Oh, of course! You know you can always ask me for anything, right? I love hanging out with you, even if we don’t do it very often. Say, do you have any plans today? I sure don’t! I mean, unless you do; then I’m booked. But what about you?”
Cafe shrugged. “Well… I can’t do much training, but I was gonna go see if I could find Oguri–”
“Oh, Oguri Cap…” Dantsu exclaimed, lowering her voice to a secretive whisper. “Is what Tachyon and Pocket saying true? You… like her, right?”
Cafe’s ears pinned flat against her head. It was evident in any situation you could see the two in, but she didn’t like it being said out loud. She felt weak, distracted when she considered that she had a crush. The rush of emotions when she saw Oguri’s beauty and small gestures of kindness triumphed over the small humiliations of considering the situation. “...I suppose that’s the word for it.”
Dantsu grabbed Cafe’s shoulder, then spun her around. “Okay, look! Oguri’s right there. Why don’t you just walk up to her?”
Cafe felt her mouth go dry as she caught sight of Oguri walking alongside Belno. The chestnut-haired Umamusume gestured something enthusiastically with her hands that she seemed very intrigued by. They’d both been friendly enough. It shouldn’t be too hard to approach them, right…? Watching from here, they seemed impossibly far away. Dantsu pulled her back to reality with a tug on her sleeve. “C’mon, go, go! You should always just try.”
Right. Her promise with Yukino to make more friends; and she supposed now it would be shameful to not be courageous in front of Dantsu of all people. She swallowed her anxiety and approached the duo with shaking hands. “...Hello, Oguri… Hello, Belno.”
Oguri perked up, her hand moving to rest on Belno’s shoulder. “Oh. It’s Coffee.” She nodded in acknowledgement.
“Actually, it’s… Cafe.”
“Do you need something?” Right, Cafe was stupid. She shouldn’t’ve expected Oguri to want to talk to her, or even remember her name properly. The shame burning hot in her face was enough to make her want to curl up and cry, but she decided to keep a brave face.
“I just wanted to say hi… are you enjoying the rainy day? I am… I love the weather when it's stormy.” She let out an awkward laugh and brushed some of her hair out of her face. “The sound of the rain soothes me. What do you think?”
Oguri shrugged. “I guess I prefer a cloudy day, but rain makes tracks kind of annoying to run on…” Belno eagerly nodded beside her.
“I mean, I like the rain! It’s really cozy, isn’t it? I mean, we were just about to go to the library and study together. I don’t want Oguri flunking any more tests, so…” she trailed off with a hum, turning her gaze to the hall. “We should start going now. It was nice seeing you again, Cafe! You should drop by more often.”
She couldn’t just let this moment pass. Something so crucial, something that could be the difference between getting to know Oguri better and missing out on the chance of her life. That wasn’t something she wanted to miss out on. Steeling herself, she fell in line beside Oguri and Belno. “I’ll come with you, then… I’d like to study as well. Do you have books?”
“Oh, no… we were just gonna use the computers. Really, I think we’ll be fine.”
“The Tracen Wi-Fi’s out right now. Because of the storm.” Check. Belno straightened up, looking completely shocked.
“Really? Oh, that sucks… I guess we will have to use books then, huh?”
“I spend lots of time in the library… I’ll help.” Cafe decided that if she was not insistent, she didn’t want it enough. She’d spent every waking moment of her life since that fateful morning with her mind occupied only by Oguri; she wasn’t about to be deterred by something so simple as a study session. “I’ve memorized most of the books in there.”
“That would be helpful. Come along then, Cafe.” Oguri nodded, her expression serious. She pivoted on her foot and started towards the stairs. Completely pleased with herself, Cafe followed, trying to settle the raging blush on her face. She’d have more opportunities to practice her nonchalance, but for now she’d indulge herself in the giddy feelings of a first-time love.
“Hey, Cafe! Your, uh… Your vitamin water! You forgot it! Wait, come back here!”