「And that's it, folks! Pine Tree Lane crosses the finish line first!」
「She takes the win in the [Santa Monica Stakes] for the second time in a row!」
The crowd went wild. Tens of thousands of people began screaming and cheering, with some umamusume even going as far as hopping over the fence and crowding around the winner. They picked her up and threw her into the air to celebrate her achievement of winning the race again this year.
It was definitely a little excessive in his opinion, but Pine Tree Lane herself didn't seem all that bothered by their excitement.
And besides, this ain't Japan.
"So fast…!" Belno whispered in awe, eyes wide as she stared at the now-lit scoreboard. It showed Pine Tree Lane as the winner, having run across 1400 meters in a time that completely blew Japan's Sprint records out of the water. And Pine Tree Lane didn't even set a record this time!
Kitahara let loose the breath he'd been holding, grinning warily as he pulled his cap down. "As expected, these American umamusume really are scary, huh?" He then turned to Oguri and grinned. "What do you think, Oguri?"
Oguri nodded simply. "Strong." She said, her eyes burning fiercely. "Really strong."
"I mean, it isn't a surprise, is it?" Star said, smiling awkwardly as she did her best not to get herself squished by the excited crowd around her. "The umamusume here are just built different. They're bigger, tougher." She shrugged. "Ain't surprising that they're able to run faster than most Japanese umamusume."
"But will you lose?" Kitahara asked, grinning slightly as he egged her on.
Star just grinned back. "Well~"
Meanwhile, Musaka Ginjirou remained silent as he watched them talk, his gaze hidden beneath his sunglasses.
It was during moments like this that truly cemented the fact that he didn't really belong to this team. Not to say that they excluded him in any way, nor did he care if that really was the case—but there was an undeniable gap that kept him from truly being a part of the story they were writing.
They were too young, too spry, and they could still gaze upon the world and respond with hope. They walked forward with a bravery he'd long lost.
The thing is; he'd been somewhat afraid of their reactions when he brought them to their first American race. He knew first hand just how much stronger American umamusume were in general, and though they were some of the best Japan had to offer, he still feared.
But his fears were unfounded. Belno saw their strength and immediately began theorizing why such a gap existed, and how she would go in bridging it. Oguri's enthusiasm had burnt anew, and she immediately declared that she would also join Star when she continued her career in America. And Star had gazed upon the race with a small smile, having already known of their strength.
…No, it wasn't just that they were too young.
He was old.
He'd seen too much. Been in this field for far too long. He wasn't the man he once was. He could no longer make those bold promises his foolish nephew liked making here and then. He'd come back when he heard Kitahara had formed a team, but this return had never been permanent. His time was already up.
He held back a sigh.
…
Some time later, they walked away from the makeshift concert hall set up near where the [Santa Monica Stakes] had been held.
"I still can't get used to it." Kitahara eventually said, smiling wryly.
Star shrugged. "I mean, having an idol dance's kinda something only Japan does." She said as she idly spun her finger. "Honestly, letting the Winning Concert be an actual concert sounds pretty cool." She smirked. "I can finally show off my guitar skills."
Belno blinked. "Eh? You can play the guitar, Star-san?"
Star hummed. "I know a little." She said. "I practiced a bunch when I was younger. Haven't touched one in a while, but I can still play a tune if I put my mind to it."
"I can play the drums." Oguri immediately offered.
Star raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how to play the drums?"
"...isn't it just hitting things?"
Star smiled wryly. "Some people will get really angry if they hear that."
Musaka walked behind them, having yet to say a word. Instead, his eyes would occasionally glance at Star and Oguri's legs, and the distinct lack of bandages or crutches that he'd begun associating with them after the [Japan Cup].
Things were changing too quickly. Those two really were abnormal in every sense of the word.
Oguri's injuries had fully healed a few weeks after they arrived in America, and she'd stunned him when the doctors noted that her muscles barely atrophied despite the lack of exercise she did during her recovery.
But if Oguri's condition was miraculous, then Star was an outright abnormality. Overall, it took only two months for Star to recover from her career-ending injury. And not only was her recovery several times faster than what they had initially expected, her body was somehow in an even better condition compared to before the [Japan Cup].
Yet, despite the doctors' initial surprise, there was hardly any fanfare that followed. Star's miraculous self-healing had sent waves across the Japanese health industry, but it barely caused a ripple here in America.
It had stumped him at first, but he was soon told the reason why. This was not the first time something like this had occurred. Hell, it wasn't even the second time it'd been recorded. As it turned out, America boasted two umamusume who held a constitution to Star's miraculous physiology.
Those two umamusume just happened to be Secretariat and Man O' War of all umamusume.
He nearly had a heart attack when he first heard that, and even now, he couldn't help but glare at his nephew's back whenever he thought of it.
Forget being a saint—that damned Kitahara must've been a god of some kind to have this incredible luck. The boy had been doing jack all, and then out of nowhere, three legendary umamusume was dropped onto his lap like a bunch of cats.
…But maybe this was fate.
He had to admit it; Kitahara was born to lead this team. Had Musaka been the one truly in charge of Team Kitahara, the team probably wouldn't have lasted this long. Those three were so completely unlike normal umamusume that his experience was basically useless, and he'd probably die early from a heart attack from all the crazy things they got up to.
His nephew was brash and inexperienced, but that was what Team Kitahara needed. There was nothing else he could do to deny that.
…and since that was the case, maybe--
"Oi, you still there, Roppei-san?" He then heard Kitahara ask, his voice carrying that annoyingly smug undertone.
"Tch, I hear you loud 'n clear, you numbskull." He said, before he glared. "And it's Musaka, you fool!"
Kitahara grinned. "Good to see you're still alive." He then waved his arm. "Come on, old man. The bus' almost here!"
Musaka clicked his tongue. "Yeah, yeah. I'm comin'."
.
.
.
AN: This is the last of the Side Stories for now. We'll be heading straight into the second arc.