"Ah well—those kinds of things happened, and it ended up being quite a troublesome summer vacation."
"…CB from our side is a problem child, but you're no less of a problem child yourself."
"That's a rather unfair accusation, Mr. Kuronuma. I was the one who got dragged into everything."
"In the end, you're the one who willingly entered the race, weren't you?"
"…I really can't deny that part."
A few days ago, the long summer break finally came to an end, and now it was early September, when lingering summer heat still remained. Watching the somewhat early arrival of a sudden evening shower that was typical for summer through the window of the academy's smoking area, I chatted idly with Trainer Kuronuma—who was smoking beside me—using what happened during my summer vacation as conversation fodder.
Amid the mechanical whirring noise of an old fan mixed with a slightly broken motor sound, I had just finished recounting everything that happened at the Symboli household. Thanks to a certain someone—Mr. Okino—Trainer Kuronuma, who was also supposed to quit smoking, had lost his chance to do so as well, and together we exhaled thin trails of smoke while waiting for the rain to stop, enjoying a rare peaceful moment.
"…Still, the rain's not stopping."
"…No, it doesn't seem like it will stop."
Gazing at the raindrops falling from a sky covered by thick, heavy clouds, Trainer Kuronuma and I sighed quietly.
Ideally, around this time we would be inside his trainer's office, and I would be receiving instruction from him. However, both of us happened to forget our umbrellas today of all days, so we had no choice but to stay here and take shelter while smoking.
"By the way, how far has Minamisaka taught you so far?"
"Umm… Recently, mostly just things involving common illnesses and symptoms."
"So you still haven't learned anything about more serious cases then."
"That's right."
Trainer Kuronuma scraped out what was left of his cigarette into the metal ash bucket, while I did the same to my aroma cigar, and we both let out small sighs. Staring again at the rain—which was neither light drizzle nor heavy downpour—we shared a sense of mild satisfaction from finishing a smoke, mixed with the vague craving for another. The thought of what to do next drifted in my mind.
"Oh? Mister Trainer and Nature—what are you doing here?"
That voice came not long after we had finished smoking. Outside the opened window—kept open for ventilation since rain wouldn't reach inside—a girl in uniform holding a black umbrella was looking at us with a puzzled expression.
With long black-brown hair down to her waist, a small white silk hat worn near her right ear, and an air that resembled carefree freedom—she was none other than Trainer Kuronuma's charge, the future Triple Crown horse: Mr. CB.
"Wasn't your training session with Nature supposed to happen in the trainer's room right about now?"
"As you can see, we're taking shelter from the rain, CB… Still though—"
"Yes indeed, Mr. Kuronuma… Never thought…"
"We never expected that CB would actually be using an umbrella…"
"Hey! Is it that strange to see me holding an umbrella on a rainy day!?"
"Well… um…"
"Think about your usual behavior…"
"Hmmm… I'm just being normal though?"
"…Right."
"…Right."
Trainer Kuronuma and I sighed at the exact same timing.
See, CB—or rather, that's what she asked me to call her the first time we met through Trainer Kuronuma—her personality was, even pre-debut, almost exactly the same as the app version of Mr. CB: free-spirited, unpredictable. On rainy days she would happily walk around without an umbrella, and I often saw Emperor Senior and Katsuragi Ace—her classmate—getting dragged into her antics.
So seeing that very same CB today holding even a foldable umbrella was honestly shocking. It couldn't be helped that both Trainer Kuronuma and I were surprised.
"Oh, Ace forced this umbrella onto me. Honestly, I was planning to go out with no umbrella today too, but—well, listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella while walking is surprisingly pleasant."
Laughing, CB said something typically CB-like, completely unaware of our inner thoughts.
Even though Uma Musume have higher body temperature than normal humans, soaking yourself in rain still leads to catching a cold—or as one would call it in their case, "kanbō." Almost everyone who knows her—including myself and Trainer Kuronuma—worries about it, and her lack of restraint is a shared headache.
"But anyway—what are you and Mister Trainer doing here?"
"We're just sheltering from the rain. Both Trainer Kuronuma and I just so happened to forget our umbrellas today."
"I see. Quite rare for Nature, who is always so reliable."
"Well, sometimes these things happen."
"Hmmm… I guess that's true?"
"Yes. That's how it is."
While exchanging lines like that, CB and I laughed a little. Despite her whimsical nature, CB could easily brighten a mood like this, and because she was actually a good-natured person, she ended up naturally being very popular within the academy.
"Well then, I'll lend you this umbrella. I actually want to walk in the rain anyway."
See? This is exactly the kind of person Mr. CB is.
"No, I'd feel bad taking it. Besides, this umbrella is something Katsuragi Ace lent you, isn't it?"
"It's fine, it's fine. You're going back to the trainer's room anyway, right? Just leave it there. I'll collect it tomorrow."
Even when I tried to decline, CB insisted it was fine and closed the foldable umbrella. Then she casually reached in through the window and pushed it into my hands. The cold wetness soaking into my hand from the water droplets felt unpleasant, but before I could say anything, CB waved lightly and said, "Well then, see you tomorrow," walking away into the rain without waiting for our reply—looking genuinely delighted.
Left behind: Trainer Kuronuma and I silently watching her go, and the tiny puddle formed by the droplets dripping from the umbrella I held.
"…Should we head back to the trainer's office now?"
"Yes. No point wasting time. …I'll need to thank CB properly next time."
Although neither of us had sat down, mentally it felt like we were forcing ourselves to stand back up. I stepped outside and carefully opened the umbrella we were loaned.
My wet hand held the rounded handle, and I raised it slightly higher so Trainer Kuronuma could stand under it as well. After all, he was a head taller than I was.
"Give me that."
Suddenly, Trainer Kuronuma took the umbrella from my hands rather forcefully.
"You'll get wet."
"It's fine… You'll get a small taste of how your own partner feels."
Without another word he shifted the umbrella toward me, exposing himself to the rain instead. Because of that, his hoodie was quickly getting drenched around the shoulders.
This wasn't something often shown in the anime, but seeing Trainer Kuronuma do this casually reminded me again that despite his intimidating appearance, he was the type of trainer who always puts his Uma Musume first.
"Thank you very much… Once we get inside, I'll make some warm tea."
"If possible, make coffee."
"All I have is instant coffee."
"That's more than enough for me."
With two sets of footsteps splashing through puddles, and raindrops pattering lightly against the opened umbrella, Trainer Kuronuma and I walked just a bit quicker toward our destination.
At times like these, there's no point feeling overly apologetic. It would just make things unnecessarily awkward. So instead, I properly expressed my gratitude.
Well then—coffee is still something I'm not very good at preparing, but once we reach the room, I'll make some warm coffee for him.
Honestly, Mr. Okino was more of a coffee drinker than a tea drinker too, so maybe I should practice making coffee more often.
Thinking that, and letting a small laugh escape, I walked alongside Trainer Kuronuma toward his office.