"{Railgun}, huh?" Dicta Striker grinned as she lobbed the newspaper into the air. "Now that's what I'm fucking talking about!"
"Language." Mejiro Ardan said by instinct, still mostly focused on cutting out another apple slice. And once she had another dozen slices prepared in the small bowl on her lap, she brought one up to Dicta's mouth. "Also, here you go."
Dicta scowled as she saw Ardan waving the slice around like she was some toddler, but she swallowed her words and obediently bit down.
Ardan smiled as she moved to grab another slice, though she then noticed the newspaper that now laid strewn across the infirmary's floor. She huffed softly as she grabbed the newspaper, carefully folding it back up before she placed it on the small desk just next to the hospital bed Dicta was currently resting in.
Her smile softened as she caught a glance of the picture printed across the first page of the newspaper; a snapped image of Dicta standing before the audience, her toothy grin mired clear for all to see.
It had been a full day since the [Sapporo Kinen]. Dicta Striker had come out as the victor, claiming the gold medal and setting a new record for the G2 race. Ardan herself had taken 3rd, losing to Inari One by a Head during that final 50 metres of the race.
She found no discontent with the results. It was indeed a shame that she had failed to take home the silver, but it was understandable. Inari One's strength could not be dismissed, and her willpower was immense. The fact that her Domain had recovered so quickly even after Dicta had sliced through it showed just how far ahead this rookie was compared to her peers.
Dicta clicked her tongue as she ran a hand through her hair, scowling as she glanced out the window. "Aah, why do I have to be confined here like a damn animal? I wanna run, damn it!" She whined.
Ardan hummed as she offered her another apple slice. "Your trainer is simply being cautious." She smiled dryly. "We do not want another 'incident', do we?"
"...Don't gotta remind me twice." Dicta eventually said, her expression dark.
She gently shook her head.
That last 50 meters had been shocking in more ways than one. Not only had Dicta awakened her Domain in a spectacular fashion, but the acceleration she then showed proved to be the fastest acceleration ever recorded. In a way, her new epiphet as the {Railgun} was truly fitting.
But once the excitement had faded, they all finally noticed the way Dicta's nosebleed had yet to cease, even as they were walking to the backstage. They'd managed to stop it momentarily for the Winning Concert, but the nosebleed resumed right after. Understandably, Dicta was immediately brought into the nearest hospital to see if this might be a prelude to something worse.
Thankfully, that was not the case. Similar to Belno's condition after last year's [Tokyo Daishoten], Dicta had ruptured a fragile blood vessel deep in her nose due to the stress of awakening her Domain.
It was a fairly benign condition, but the doctors still recommended at least a week of rest.
Whcih was why Dicta was currently trapped here in the Mejiro's personal infirmary. And she did mean 'trapped'. She had one of her guards constantly stationed outside the infirmary, just in case Dicta ever decided to stage an escape. All done with her trainer's full approval, of course.
Ardan doubted such a thing would ever happen, but she could never be too careful.
They fell into a tranquil silence for some time, broken only by the occasional crunch whenever Dicta bit down on an apple slice she offered. The room remained cool, protected from the heat of the midsummer sun.
Then, Dicta suddenly asked, "Have you thought about goin' abroad?"
Ardan blinked. "I-, no. I have not." She tilted her head slightly. "Why do you ask?"
"Nah, just thinkin'." Dicta paused for a moment, before she leaned back into her pillow. "It's just-, kinda crazy to think that Team Kitahara will be leaving in just a few months, y'know?" She sighed. "Feels like they've been here forever, and now they're about to go away."
"Ah." Ardan nodded faintly, pursing her lips slightly.
Star had shared her plan back during the after-party they held after the [Takarazuka Kinen], and to say she was quite shocked to hear so. She'd heard rumors that Star had some connections in America—that was easily inferred after Team Kitahara left for America during the Spring months—but to learn that Secretariat had chosen Star as her successor, and that Team Kitahara would be running in America for at least a year?
Though perhaps it wasn't so surprising. Team Kitahara had grown so far ahead of everyone else that the obvious next frontier became the overseas. Shameful as it might be, but Japanese umamusume had always been notably weaker compared to the rest of the world, and it was only due to the appearance of the Generation of Miracles that such a gap had begun shrinking.
"Do you wish to head overseas?" Ardan then asked.
Dicta shrugged. "Don't know. Haven't thought about it." She frowned. "It's just-, even after I got my Domain, I don't know how long I have left." She raised a hand to the air. "And honestly? There ain't much left for us to do here, is there? Might as well try goin' out to see what else the world has to offer."
Ardan nodded slowly. She could symphatize. An umamusume's career was a finite thing, and though she didn't think that there was little Japan had left to offer, she did see the appeal of going overseas.
Of course, many had purged their desire after seeing what happened to Sirius Symboli. She now served as a cautionary tale—showing just how vast the difference was between Japan and the rest of the world.
But that was the thing. It was simply a cautionary tale—a showing of what might happen if one ventured overseas unprepared.
After all, Blossom Star had shown that even Japanese umamusume could achieve victory in a foreign G1 race.
"I suppose if I must choose the next venture…" Ardan paused for a moment, before she smiled. "Perhaps China?"
Dicta blinked. "Why?"
"I am unsure." She admitted, smiling shyly. "The culture has always looked interesting to me, I suppose."
"China, huh?" Dicta hummed. "Sounds interesting."
Ardan stared at her friend for a moment, before her lips parted. "In the event that I do travel beyond our homeland," She smiled. "Are you willing to join me?"
A familiar grin grew across Dicta's lips. One she had grown fond of over the two years they had spent together.
"Of course." She said. There wasn't an ounce of hesitation in her cadance. "Someone's gotta make sure the Mejiro's lil' flower doesn't get mugged when she goes overseas, right?"
Ardan giggled. "My bodyguard will protect me from such threats."
"Right~"
…
She could not say what this song thrumming in her chest truly was.
Eros, Philia, Storge—she knew not if there was a word that could fully describe what she felt whenever she stood together with her. This foul-mouthed canine, her presence loud and blinding; she should have been someone she could not stand. And for the first few months of their meeting, such was her feelings.
But now, after everything that had happened, she could not fathom a world where they had never met. Such a world would surely be a far more dreary place, and it was not one she dared to visit even in a dream.
"Yo, Ardan."
"What is it?"
Dicta smiled, her gaze soft. "Let's keep runnin', yeah?" She held out a fist towards her. "Got no clue how long we got left, but let's keep righting." She grinned. "Can't let ourselves fall behind, after all!"
Ardan smiled. "Of course."
Gently, she bumped Dicta's fist with her own.