"A new speed record~!" Maruzensky giggled as she leaned into her chair. "Hmm~, the new generation just keeps getting stronger, don't they?"
"...Indeed." Symboli Rudolf eventually said, eyes still transfixed on Oguri Cap.
Maruzensky glanced at her, smiling knowingly. "What's this? Have you become enamored with your junior? Have I finally discovered our president's type~?"
Rudolf scoffed. "Cease your daydreams, Maruzensky."
"Waow, so cold!"
Rufolf huffed, though she supposed Maruzensky's words weren't entirely false. Just like the cheering crowd, she too had been entranced when Oguri Cap began her Great Chase, exploding forward with power that far outclassed her peers.
But that wasn't what shocked her the most.
Instead, it was that feeling of dread that filled the air the moment Oguri began her charge. The pressure that weighed down on the entire racecourse, accompanied by that terrifying surge of strength--
There was only one possibility, as incredible as it seemed.
"The [Domain]..." She whispered in awe. It was a term most umamusume would be unfamiliar with; only the strongest umamusume of a generation would ever come face-to-face with that wall, and even fewer would have the chance to shatter it to glimpse at what lay on the other side.
She herself had experienced it, which was why she was confident Oguri Cap had now come upon that same wall. She'd yet to breach it, but she came close. The fact that Oguri Cap had even encountered that wall in her Classic Year was mind-boggling. This was the first time she'd ever heard of something like this in Japan!
If only she'd begun racing just a few years earlier, then surely they would've had the chance to run together.
How amazing that would've been.
"Mm~, you seem so surprised." Maruzensky commented, smiling slightly as she saw the excitement in her eyes.
Rudolf hummed. "This is an unprecedented achievement. Oguri Cap is truly one of a kind." She glanced at Maruzensky. "Rather, it's rather strange that you're not surprised at all."
"Why would I? It's quite obvious, you know?"
Rudolf frowned slightly. "You knew?"
"No, no~. Of course not!" Maruzensky giggled at Rudolf's accusation, before she turned to look at Oguri down at the track. "I'm saying that it's not surprising that she's finally found it." She smiled fondly. "After all, she's been chasing her back all this time~" Rudolf's frown grew, and Maruzensky just smiled at Rudolf's confusion. "I'm sure you've heard the rumors, haven't you?"
"Rumors?" She whispered, still confused.
And then the realization came. One so obvious it made her feel foolish for taking so long.
There was indeed someone Oguri Cap was chasing. Another umamusume who'd been with her from the very start—one whose brilliance shined upon the racetrack like the burning light of a star.
Blossom Star and Oguri Cap were two sides of the same coin. The Escape Artist and the Chaser. The Star, and the Darkness that wanted to devour its light.
Seeing Rudolf's realization, Maruzensky giggled. "It's so romantic, isn't it?"
…Ah, of course that was what Maruzensky focused on.
"I suppose it is." She eventually said.
It wasn't an incorrect assumption, however. There was something undeniably romantic about it. Two umamusume, hailing from the very same town, tied together by chance or destiny—together aiming to shake the entire world. Their story was a literal fairy tale brought to reality; their bond magical.
And for a moment, she felt a deep regret. Because, once, she had someone just like that. A friend, rival, and everything else. Someone who could run against her all the same, even after Japan crowned her the Emperor.
Perhaps, had she been a little more careful back then, had she not foolishly injured herself, had she been a little braver—been kinder.
Perhaps C.B. would still be here.
Perhaps.
But time waits for no one, and the past could not be changed. Her story with her had long ended.
She could only hope Oguri and Star could avoid that same fate.
"Rudolf?"
"...it's nothing." She eventually said, and ignoring Maruzensky's concerned look, she stood up. "Come. Let us witness her Winning Concert."
Maruzensky pursed her lips in worry as she watched Rudolf walk out of the VVIP room. This was inevitable, so to say. The Japanese Derby never failed to dig up painful memories for Rudolf, and she'd been hoping Oguri Cap's dazzling performance could change that.
Alas, it seemed it failed.
She sighed as she too stood up, giving the track below one last glance as she soon followed Rudolf out.
…
"Yaa~, you guys really are…" I said, smiling helplessly as I gently laid a blanket across Kitahara, who was sleeping on the floor. Honestly, the whole place looked nothing like the usually tidy room Musaka had worked hard to maintain, and I was certain the old man was going to explode like a volcano once he found out what his nephew did to the place.
Then again, maybe he'd be a little lenient this time.
Here's the thing; after we narrowly escaped using Kitahara's nondescript van, we arrived back to Tracen Central Academy to have a celebration of our own. Normally we'd be out in an Izakaya or something, but since we were now quite famous, it was better to just have our own celebration.
That little caveat didn't dampen our excitement though. After all, Oguri had just won the [Japanese Derby], finally accomplishing a childhood dream Kitahara had stubbornly held onto!
We bought a huge pile of food, a couple cans of Kitahara's favorite beer, and the party soon got started.
And it was great! I had a pretty good time, and everyone else did too.
Unfortunately, Kitahara began getting tipsy. He'd drank eight or so cans of beer by the time night fell, and he was quite drunk by then. It didn't take long before he collapsed onto the floor like a wet blanket, softly snoring away while Belno and Oguri continued eating up the rest of the food we bought.
But since Kitahara wasn't there to supervise us, Belno got a little too curious for her own good and decided to try a can of beer herself.
Which was where we found out that Belno was horrendous at keeping her alcohol, and she quickly became drunk after drinking just a single can. It took her just another can to eventually knock her out, causing her to drop onto the carpet.
Once all the food was finally finished—mostly eaten by Oguri—only she and I were awake in the clubroom. Musaka was still outside, likely having his own little celebration with some friends.
I sighed as I sat back on the couch. Oguri was sitting to my left, licking her lips after devouring the last remaining bucket of fried chicken. Her expression remained as dull as always, as if winning the [Japanese Derby] was no big achievement.
And maybe, for Oguri, it really wasn't. She ran in the derby because it was Kitahara's dream, and now that it was over, whatever tension she had was gone.
Oguri blinked as she eventually noticed me staring. "Star?"
I smiled slightly. "So, how was it? Did you have fun?"
Oguri tilted her head slightly before she nodded. "It was fun." She smiled as she clenched her fists. "Dicta and Yaeno were pretty fast. I had to run faster to catch up."
I hummed. "That's true. Those two have really leveled up since you last ran together."
They sure did! Even I was quite surprised when I saw their performance. Sure, Oguri had set the new record for fastest speed in the [Japanese Derby], but those two weren't slow either. By the time they entered the final straight, all three of them were over 8 lengths ahead of the other racers. The fact that Oguri had only blown past them by the 100m mark showed how much they'd grown.
And though I couldn't be too sure, it wouldn't surprise me if this eventually led to Dicta and Muteki awakening their own Unique Skills ahead of time.
"But it's not enough."
I glanced at her. Her expression remained dull, but there was something tense about it. Almost as if she was in pain. "That so?" I gently reached over and patted her head. "And what do you want, Oguri?"
She looked down for a moment. "I…" She whispered, before she turned to me, her confusion evaporating. "I want you."
I blinked for a moment, taken aback by her words. And then I realized what exactly she meant, and my heartbeat slowed. "Careful with your words there." I chided, though I then smiled. "But I get what you mean. You just can't wait for us to race together, huh?"
She nodded.
"How greedy~" I teased, but I then turned to her, my eyes staring right into hers. "But you're not alone." I grinned. "I can't wait to race against you as well."
Really, the more I watched Oguri race, the more this desire within me grew. Her speed was captivating to watch, and even that darkness that swirled around her was beautiful, similar to the radiance of a starry sky.
I wanted to run with her. In whatever track, under whatever weather—as long as it was with her.
I was an umamusume, after all.
"So let's keep running, Oguri. And eventually we'll find the chance to run together." I winked at her. "I promised, didn't I?"
Oguri smiled. "Nn."
So, with our promise reaffirmed, we spent the rest of the night in our clubroom. Neither of us really felt like returning to our dorms, especially since we'd likely attract too much attention.
Inevitably, Oguri soon began feeling sleepy. And before I could move her, her head dropped onto my shoulder as she snored away.
I stared at her in disbelief for a moment, before I simply sighed and relaxed into the couch, carefully moving Oguri's head onto my lap to ensure she was comfortable.
And soon enough, tired by the party and my stomach full, I eventually fell asleep as well.