Night had fallen.
After the final treatment of the day ended, Kuroha held the clipboard with Super Creek's latest body data in hand and headed back into the lab.
Now all that was left was to finish the last sequence of checks and wait for the results.
At the same time.
Maro hadn't chosen to wait with Fumino and the others in the corridor.
Instead, she just threw on a thin jacket and slowly walked alone toward the outdoor training course by the lake.
The spring night wind was a little chilly.
The full moon hung high, shining especially bright against the deep night sky.
"Boom——"
Super Creek had not vanished.
She just walked, slowly, like a tiny old lady, along the outermost edge of the turf.
She looked at the wide lake that stretched into the darkness, and at the row of trees in the distance whose silhouettes were even brighter than before.
Super Creek flipped through the little feelings in her heart, and that impulse to just walk away from everything rose up again.
These past days, as she felt the strength inside her ebbing away, as that haze about the future grew thicker, all of it seemed, just for a brief moment, to be smoothed flat by the quiet of this night.
After a while, she reached the row of wooden lounge chairs by the lake and slowly sat down.
She leaned back a little, both hands resting on the back of the chair behind her.
The anxious girl tilted her head back. In those clear eyes, the full moon and the distant night sky were reflected as she murmured to herself.
She spoke in a very soft voice.
This was the place Kuroha and Maro had named together, the lakeside where she had once spun so many dreams.
No matter when, no matter where, as long as she could stand here again by the lake, that sense of calm would rise up in her immediately.
"Yo!"
Suddenly, a crisp greeting, carrying a gentle softness, broke that tranquility.
"So the one brooding here really是 you, huh. What, you planning to sneak off before the race even starts?"
Super Creek froze for a moment.
She turned around, a little surprised, and looked behind her.
Bathed in moonlight, a girl in a pink outfit with twin-tails was standing there.
Her shoulders were slightly relaxed, and on that delicately pretty face was a gentle smile.
"Creek."
Super Creek hadn't expected to run into her former trainer here of all places.
"What? Not going to welcome me?"
"...How could I not?" Super Creek forced out a small smile.
"Hmm——"
Hearing that answer, Maro's eyes curved happily. She squinted with satisfaction, then came straight over and sat down beside her.
"Ugh."
A warm lunch box bumped lightly against Super Creek's chest.
"?"
"For you."
Maro lifted the box in one hand and grinned. "These are the steamed buns me and the shop owner are most proud of. They're seriously good."
Super Creek stared blankly at the warm box beside her. Through the paper, a faint rice aroma and sweetness drifted into her nose.
"...Thank you."
She took it carefully. For some reason, her eyes felt a little hot.
"What's the plan now?"
Watching Super Creek take a bite of the bun, Maro swallowed a little herself.
Super Creek paused, carefully chewing the soft, sticky dough, then chuckled quietly. "I want to run."
"I want to run well."
"If you wanna eat, you gotta earn it properly first."
Maro pouted a little with a crooked smile, her tone carrying a sigh.
She stretched her arms too, tilting her head back to look at the sky full of stars, those scattered points of light flickering in the darkness.
"Those days when a girl like you just gets quietly left behind, your strength disappearing bit by bit, and you know perfectly well you might be cut at any time..."
The petite girl frowned.
"That feeling is just way too cruel."
"...Yeah."
Super Creek lowered her lashes. Faint light flickered in those clear eyes.
That powerless feeling was like watching the surface of the water drift farther and farther away in the dark, reaching out no matter how hard you tried and never being able to touch it.
"..."
Seeing that expression on this girl who had always seemed so calm and unshakable, Maro smiled softly and, worried, reached out to ruffle her messy hair.
"Hey, seriously, are you really going to give up?"
She puffed out her cheeks. "I don't accept quitters, you know. Stuff like that should be left to girls like Ardan or March to brood over, not you..."
"Mm? Really?"
Super Creek hastily patted her own cheeks, trying to pull herself together. "Sorry. I made you worry."
"...Alright then!"
As if she'd made up her mind about something, Maro planted her feet, put her hands on her hips, took a deep breath, and shouted at Super Creek:
"Super Creek!"
The girl before her straightened up in surprise. "Eh?"
Maro threw her arms up high, those hands that had once always been so full of energy on the training ground.
"As the trainer who once approved of you, I'm going to show you my respect in the loudest way I can!"
"If that's how you feel, then stop sulking and get back out there! Don't you dare throw away that name you worked so hard to make!"
Her voice boomed through the empty training ground, echoing into the night.
And then...
The only reply was the soft rustling of the wind over the grass.
When her words fell, it was almost like a couple of crows flapped past overhead, going "caw—— caw——" in embarrassment.
The two of them stared at each other for a moment.
A few seconds ticked by.
In the end, it was Maro who couldn't hold it anymore.
She gave a little snort, her face flushing red all the way up, that burst of emotion making her a little dizzy as she shouted:
"Come on, say something! At least give me a reaction! I really do care about you, you know!"
Super Creek stared blankly at Maro's not-at-all-dignified appearance.
"Mm... ahahaha!"
She suddenly burst out laughing, laughing fast and loud. Her bright eyes crinkled, tears sparkling at the corners as she stole a glance at Maro and whispered:
"Sorry, sorry, it's just... you're really cute like this."
"Hey! Don't laugh!"
"...I mean it."
"Ha ha—— right—— right..."
Super Creek laughed so hard her shoulders shook, wiping away the little crystal drops at the corners of her eyes. Then she slowly stood up.
Under the white moonlight, her slender bare feet pressed into the ground.
There was no stopwatch ticking, no marks on the turf, only the slow swaying of the shadows around her.
"...Thank you."
After laughing, Super Creek couldn't stop herself from letting out a soft sigh.
"Mm? What?" Maro, who was still fussing with the wrapper of the bun, didn't quite catch it.
Super Creek didn't answer directly.
She just followed the edge of the path and took a few steps toward the lake's brink.
"Thank you."
Her voice was gentle but firm as it floated up into the night sky.
"Thank you, trainer. And thank you, all the friends like you who stayed with me..."
"It's your persistence and help that let me run my heart out on this track."
She lifted her head, looking at the lights around the training ground that seemed to stretch on without end.
"Along the way, not everything has gone the way I wanted. If you ask whether I've never regretted anything, I'd have to put a question mark on that."
"But..."
With every step she took, her stride grew a little easier.
The cold, clear moonlight fell silently onto the fluttering sleeves of the girl's jacket, making her look as if she were wrapped in light, like her whole being had come alive again.
"It's really been wonderful."
She showed an unbelievably brilliant smile.
"Whether it was running with you, Maro, or running with the others... this time of my life..."
"Is definitely going to be the happiest time I'll ever have!"
"..."
Maro stared blankly at that scene.
After a while, she turned her head, patted herself lightly on the forehead, but the corners of her mouth just kept curving up.
"Mm, I really am hopeless at speeches."
"Yeah." Super Creek laughed softly.
"Hey, you're not allowed to agree with that!"
"Fufu, okay."
...
A little while later.
The corridor outside the training room was dead silent.
Fumino was perched on the bench, fingers laced tightly together, both legs shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes were fixed on the heavy door as if she wanted to stare right through it.
Maro, on the other hand, sat stiffly with her eyes closed. Only the occasional twitch of her ears betrayed how restless she really was inside.
"Click."
Just then, the clear sound of the lock turning broke the silence.
The door slowly swung open.
Kuroha stepped out.
"How is she?"
Fumino looked at him, saw the fatigue on his face, and didn't say anything. She just gave a small, relieved smile and moved aside to open up the way behind him.
The next moment.
"Whoosh——!!!"
An invisible surge of force shot out over their heads.
Everyone in the corridor instinctively straightened, lowering the hands they'd unconsciously raised to their chests, eyes widening with a strange excitement.
"Whoa... this is..."
"Tap, tap——"
A steady, rhythmic set of hoofbeats echoed in the quiet night air.
Then, a silhouette striped in gold and green stepped into their line of sight.
With it came the rich scent of sea breeze, and a deep-blue radiance, like crashing waves made solid, swirling around her!
It was the afterglow of the "Silver Whale"!
Even just trickling out in this narrow hallway, it was still overwhelming.
The girl walked out of the shadows with graceful steps and an easy, gentle smile.
But in the depths of those long, glassy eyes, a blinding light burned like the midnight sun.
Super Creek swept her gaze around at everyone, the corners of her lips rising with a quiet, awe-inspiring resolve.
"I'm back."
"..."
Watching Fumino lead Super Creek away, their figures disappearing into the night, the trainers finally let the tension drain from their shoulders.
"Phew——"
Kuroha let out a heavy breath and let himself sink into the soft leather sofa.
Four straight days of extreme mental focus and physical strain had left even someone like him feeling deeply exhausted.
"You've worked hard."
A soft little hum sounded at his side.
Maro, now in a black outfit, leaned down and flopped over his lap like a cat claiming a pillow.
Kuroha reached out and gently ran his fingers through her slightly damp hair, then brushed a light kiss onto her forehead.
"Tap, tap——"
Behind him, another set of light, pleasant footsteps approached.
Reina's small hands, still a little pink from the night air, settled gently on Kuroha's shoulders.
The strength of those hands was just right, each press landing precisely on the tight muscles at the base of his neck and shoulder blades.
Kuroha closed his eyes. A faint, refreshing scent floated around him.
He tilted his head back slightly without looking. He wasn't surprised at all.
He simply let the back of his head rest against the softness behind him and let those hands slowly ease away the fatigue.
After enjoying that quiet for a while, Kuroha spoke with his eyes still closed, a faint smile on his lips.
"You both saw it, right?"
"Mm."
The girl behind him answered softly, her hands never pausing.
"Creek is back at full power."
There was a teasing note in Kuroha's voice, and also a very serious one.
"Right now, her stamina is no less than at her absolute peak. And thanks to these past few days, her will is even scarier than before."
"Facing a monster like that... how does it feel? Any pressure?"
At those words, the fingers kneading his shoulders trembled ever so slightly.
But only for an instant. Then they returned to their original rhythm, becoming even gentler.
After a brief silence.
"Pressure... I suppose I do feel some."
Ardan's voice was very soft, carrying the calm elegance of a well-bred lady.
But the next moment.
She turned her head a little. In those glass-like eyes, the moonlight outside the window was reflected as her smile blossomed, bright and vivid.
"Please watch me, Trainer!"
"This Tenno Sho (Spring)..."
Ardan's tone was firm, each word like a vow:
"For your sake, I will take that crown!"
(End of Chapter)
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