After only a few days in elementary school, Urara shone with brightness.
She was cheerful, talkative, and quick to make friends.
Adults adored her lighthearted energy, and those who shared her age adored her carefree and over-the-top energy.
But despite her sparkling personality, her grades told another story. Urara was never a good student—she barely scraped by in exams, and sometimes outright failed them.
The worst part? She was genuinely happy about it...
Once, when the teacher asked her about her poor marks, Urara beamed with pride and said, "Whoa~! Urara did it! She did better than last time! Please praise me!"
Her sparkling eyes and wagging tail only brought her teacher a pounding headache.
Her athleticism wasn't much better. During PE, Urara struggled to keep up. She fell behind by wide margins, her legs burning, lungs screaming.
More often than not, she would collapse halfway through. Yet, unlike others who might give up, Urara never stopped. After a quick rest, she would spring back up and finish the course, step by step, refusing to end the day without completing it.
Meanwhile—
Mary Jane, on the other hand, was always at the top. She was praised, admired, surrounded by classmates who looked at her like she was a prodigy, a god sent. As if she were prey they couldn't tear their eyes from.
But Mary's gaze often drifted toward Urara. Not because of her strength and speed, but because of her cheer.
Unlike everyone, Urara laughed through her shortcomings, even when others teased her. She could brush off mockery with a grin, laughing alongside her peers as though she were in on the joke (Mostly she just didn't know she was being mocked).
And that carefree spirit, that "stupid" grin of Urara, infuriated Mary Jane, crushing her heart like paper crumpled without a thought....
Or perhaps, perhaps, deep down...
It made her envious...?
Because Mary Jane was no prodigy... She was no shining star... She was no chosen one... She was just... just... a normal girl... a normal Umamusume.
Her speed, stamina, posture—none of it came naturally. All of it was carved into her through sweat, blood, and sacrifice.
When she was young, her father was a professional trainer, once tied to Tracen Academy. Yet every Umamusume he coached either gave up or failed.
Then... Broken by his own disappointments, he blamed the system, claiming Umamusume specialized too late.
And so, he turned his sights onto his daughter, maybe through her, she would prove him right.
From the day afterward, at a young age, Mary Jane's childhood was stolen. While others played, she was forced to study anatomy, learn posture drills, dissect techniques, and memorize strategy.
Her toys were notebooks; her playground, the track.
Whenever she resisted, she was punished. Whenever she ran away, she would be locked in her room for days, starving until she relented.
Other times, beaten with a belt until tears ran dry.
Piece by piece, Mary Jane hardened. The warmth of childhood was stripped away, leaving only obedience and perfection.
She became cold, determined, singular in her goal. To win. To become the "perfect" Umamusume. Nothing else. No joy, no life, no hobby—only victory.
And so the reason Mary Jane despised Urara was simple: her smile. That "obnoxious" smile, always so bright, so blinding, infuriated her.
It reminded her of everything she herself could not have—of why she had to be perfect, why she had to win, why she had to train, why she had to carry the burden of being "the one," why she had to be "perfect!"
Why... why.... just "Why?!"
...
...
...
And yet... No matter how much she told herself she hated it, she couldn't bring herself to truly despise Urara.
Not when that innocent soul was so completely oblivious to the world outside.
Not when Urara knew nothing of the suffocating weight of being forced to be perfect by any means necessary.
Not when she had to be the one to take her role.
Not when she... when she—
Then, every time just as quickly as it came, it had gone; the tension died down quietly. She would look at that grin one last time as she moved on.
Enforcing the reason why she despised the thought of just having Urara close to her.
It made her feel vulnerable? It made her feel imperfect?
But she paid no heed to that... until one particular day.
The day the school's Elementary Umamusume Race was announced. The event where the Umamusume elementary schoolers could join, either by nomination or through registration.
Mary Jane's nomination was inevitable. She was top in grades, flawless in athletics, a shining star that adults pointed to with pride. A "prodigy" in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Urara—despite her poor grades, her clumsy steps, her weak stamina—marched right up to the registration stand with her usual grin. Not because she dreamed of winning, but because she loved the idea of racing.
For her, running was her hobby.
On the day the registration began, Urara made her way toward the registration booth without a thought in her head. Thinking she was registering because it was going to be fun.
Meanwhile, Mary Jane, while surrounded by adults, coincidentally stationed not far from the booth, spotted her through the gaps, seeing her tail wagging as she registered her name.
Such lighthearted action shouldn't have distressed anybody. Yet, with that sight, it burned Mary's chest like fire.
She felt mocked?
Deep inside, her mind screamed: Urara?What is she doing? Why would someone like her join?! Is she mocking me?! Haru Urara, are you trying to say that I… I'm not perfect enough, not good enough?! That you can make yourself equal to me?! Answer me! You! YOU!
Before it drifted beyond, before her rage could be noticed. Her reason resurfaced. Realizing her breath was somehow ragging?
Hurried, she took a deep breath, composed herself, recalling her father's lessons, and smoothing her expression to calm.
The hatred flared—only to be buried again; it came as quickly as it went.
After her composure was regained, she turned back toward the adults in discussion, ignoring Urara outwardly. But deep down, the sting stayed.
...
...
...
As the evening came, Mary Jane trained relentlessly under the watch of a newly assigned personal coach, her form sharper with each lap. Aiming to become "perfect!"
Then, after a few hours, her training eventually came to an end.
The night sky stretched overhead. She finally finished her training module and departed the school grounds.
But then... From the shadows, a sudden pink figure leaped out. "Mary-chan!" it yelped.
Startled, Mary instinctively threw the figure over her shoulder to the ground, retreating several steps thereafter as though fending off a kidnapper.
Then she saw. It was actually not a kidnapper but rather... Urara.
Upon realizing, panic spread in her chest. She reached out as she opened her mouth to apologize.
"I'm so—"
But, she stopped.
She bit the words back right before she could, forcing composure.
"Why are you here?" she demanded coldly.
Urara only grinned sheepishly, scratching her head. "Well… I kinda overpushed myself during PE and fainted…"
"Wait... Don't tell me you woke up only now?" Mary was in disbelief.
"Eh… not really. I actually woke up in the afternoon, but then I realized it was history class… so I went back to sleep afterward. And only to wake up now... hehehe..."
"…So just lazy then. Expected," Mary muttered, turning away to leave.
But before she could take more than a few steps, Urara rose from her feet and declared: "By the way, Mary-chan! I just signed up for the race!"
Mary's feet froze.
Her face darkened.
Meanwhile, Urara was clueless. She continued cheerfully,
"Isn't it great?"
Then, those lighthearted remarks were somehow twisted by Mary's mind.
*I'm just as good as you!*
"We get to run together!"
*I'm going to prove that you're just the same as me!*
"It's going to be so much fun!"
*I can't wait to show you that all your practices are nothing but fraud!*
"I can't wait to run with Mary-chan!"
*I'm gonna show that you're not... PERFECT.*
After finishing her words, Urara grinned as usual, completely oblivious to the storm brewing before her.
Then...
Just as Urara thought Mary was going to respond...
Mary spun back, her hand shooting out.
*SMACK*
She slapped right on Urara's left cheek.
Her eyes burned, her voice shaking.
"Why…" she mumbled.
"Why did you join the goddamn RACE?! ARE YOU TRYING TO MOCK ME?! TELL ME, HARU URARA! TELL ME!"