Tracen Academy, here it was. Northerly had seen bits and pieces of it on TV, but nothing could prepare him to take in its true grandeur.
It sported a large perimeter wall that helped keep out any unwanted visitors. Behind that was essentially a fortress for Umamusume. Who knew one school could have so many buildings?
All the classrooms were beautiful brick buildings with a blue trim running along the edge of their flat roofs. The main building, whatever it may contain, was three stories tall!
Northerly had never seen such a place, despite the buildings, he could also see wonderfully kept gardens and beyond them, the spectators' stands, which sat next to the academy's many racetracks.
However, it wasn't the time to take in the view, he checked his new phone and found the messaging function.
"Welcome to Tracen Northerly! As a new student, you will be provided a guided tour by one of our more experienced students. Arrive at nine o'clock, and someone will be waiting. Best of luck!" – Director Akikawa"
As Northerly approached the front gate, he found that there was indeed someone waiting for him.
An Umamusume stood outside the front gate dressed in the standard Tracen uniform. It's a simple variation on a Japanese sailor's uniform, featuring white thigh-high socks, short puffy sleeves, and a purple bow at the centre of the chest. It was the same thing Notherly was wearing, minus all the extras.
The Uma herself had a short black pixie cut with sharp, pointed ears atop her head. On her right ear, she wears two diamond and gold earrings and a golden chain with a blue gem at the end hung around its base.
As he approaches, he can feel the anxiety begin to well up inside, but he pushes it back down, worrying isn't going to get him anywhere. So, what if I haven't spoken to anyone except for my parents ever? He thinks to himself.
She immediately perks up, beginning to make grandiose waves to indicate that she has indeed spotted him.
She strikes a pose with an outstretched hand as Northerly gets closer.
"Good morning, Pony-Chan, welcome to Tracen! I am Fuji Kiseki, and I am the one assigned as your humble tour guide here at the Academy!"
Northerly is taken aback, but does his best not to show it, instead focusing on a formal greeting.
"Good morning, I'm Northerly, and a tour would be wonderful." His speech is rigid and formal, but it gets the point across.
She winks.
"I'm sure you will find all sorts at our campus. We are the best in Japan after all!" She then spins on her heels and begins through the front gate. Something about the way she moves is mesmerising, despite how strange she may be.
Kiseki moves down the smooth path towards the massive central building, occasionally stopping to mention interesting parts of the school
They pause next to a statue of three Umamusume that make up part of a fancy stone fountain. It's water crystal clear, allowing Northerly to see coins shining on the bottom.
"The three goddesses, said to bring good fortune, strength, and discipline to all Umamusume." Her hands move between the statues, gesturing to each one as she lists their blessings. It felt like watching a performer rather than a racer.
They continued forward to the main building. Windows from floor to ceiling made up the bulk of the main first floor, allowing natural light to flow in. Many students were sitting around the place chatting and having fun. As they entered, many waved and greeted Kiseki. Quite a few students were seemingly interested in Northerly as well. However, he did his best to pay them no mind.
They made their way up the stairs to the classrooms where Northerly would be studying. Kiseki seemed to notice his bewilderment as he investigated the classrooms.
"Different from the classrooms back home Pony-chan?" Despite her expressiveness, she seemed genuine.
Northerly took some time before he answered. He had always wondered what a classroom really looked like. It was nice, lots of windows and desks. It felt simple and comforting, despite its daunting nature.
"I never went to school, I studied at home." Such a simple statement seemed to cause such concern from Kiseki.
"Don't worry too much, I'll always be here to help if you need it." Her performative demeanour dropped for just a moment to ensure Northerly could truly believe her words. What a kind thing to say to someone she had just met. It brought him more comfort than he'd care to admit. He replied with a simple thank you as they continued their tour.
With some small talk along the way, Kiseki led him to the library. A rather small area in comparison to the building it is housed in. The shelves covered every available space within its walls, all filled with books of varying subjects. It had several large wooden desks and some smaller reading nooks, all organised to make studying as simple as possible.
After that came the cafeteria. It was like something out of an old American teen movie, a wide-open space with many varieties of tables, perfect for eating and hanging out. A buffet of every food Northerly could ever ask for sat free of charge right in front of him. He didn't mind that most of it was food he didn't recognise; it all smelled so very good.
As they moved, more students were casting curious glances at Northerly again. He hoped an abrupt question wasn't rude, but it had struck him as odd that he received so much attention from passing students if there were others to look at as well. He turned to Keseki for answers.
"Why am I the only one on this tour?"
"Because you, Pony-chan, are the only new student in our racing program this year." Her answer was both confident and absurd. How could he be the only one?
As they walked, Keseki would go on to explain that Tracen accepts students to study before they begin trying out for the race program. So even though there are new additions to the racing program this year, Northerly is the only 'new' student.
By the time Keseki was done explaining, they had made it to the academy's dance studio. Kiseki opened the large wooden doors smoothly, revealing a single Uma inside. She was practising in front of a tripod holding a circular light and a phone, all while laughing and talking to it.
The mirrors along the walls alerted the unknown Uma to their presence. She swiftly turned on her heels to greet them.
She had very fair skin and short white hair styled in such a way that it framed her face. She wore black ear covers on both her ears, which were integrated into her headband, and a simple red bow at the base of her left ear. Her tail looked impossibly soft, along with her hair. Northerly wondered if she was a model?
She stops halfway to them and dramatically places one finger to her cheek.
"Fuji-senpai, you brought a new student! Wouldn't it be cute do a trio dance?" She spins towards the phone.
"Wouldn't that be cute?" She laughs and twirls back to them once more.
Northerly panicked a little bit and raised his hands in defence, "I don't know how to dance, it would not be cute at all." Northerly did his best to wave her off.
"We can't dance right now Curren. Pony-Chan is on a tour, it's her first day, remember?"
Curren stepped back to the centre of the dance studio and opened her arms towards Northerly
"In that case," she winks, "I'm Cute Curren-Chan! Make sure to follow me on Umastagram and remember just how cute I am!" With that proclamation, she turns back to her phone and begins speaking to it again.
With Curren-Chan successfully tuned down, they closed the door to the dance studio and began towards their next location.
As they walked Northerly wondered about Curren. Why was she talking to her phone like that? Do phones do more than call and message? What is Umastagram? So many questions with likely no solid answer coming from Cute Curren-Chan.
Kiseki led Northerly outside to a wonderful open garden. The grass was perfectly maintained, cut short, making the garden beds really stand out. On one side, there were several flower gardens with flowers of every describable colour and shape. They looked to be in such wonderful condition he could swear they were glowing.
On the other side were rows of garden beds dug directly into the ground, all of which had handcrafted signs indicating they were growing carrots. Beyond that, an open park area with trees for shade and spaces for sitting and hanging out.
In this park space, a lone Uma is sitting in the shade of a tree, reading a book.
Northerly wanders further towards the Uma but gets swept up by the pretty flowers and kneels down to have a look. He looked at a large yellow flower in full bloom. Northerly reached out to touch it, and Kiseki leaned over to meet him.
"You be careful with those flowers now Pony-chan, Air Grove is not someone you want to run into if you damage her flowers." She sounded like she spoke from experience. Even though this Air Grove was someone Northerly hadn't met yet, the flowers suddenly seemed much nicer from a few steps away. Then a gentle voice began from behind them.
"Don't frighten the new girl, Fuji-san, she's come a long way to be here you know."
The Uma under the tree had closed her book to greet them. She had chestnut coloured hair that was long enough to reach her tail. It had one white spot in it, just above her forehead. She wore a small gold shield attached to a red and blue striped ribbon tied to the base of her right ear.
She stood gracefully and moved towards the pair of them, taking a small bow when she reached them.
"Good morning, my name is Grass Wonder, and you are Northerly? I had heard about you a short while ago. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Northerly performed a rather awkward bow in return. "Nice to meet you too."
"It's been a long time since I met another international student. I'm always here if you need someone easier to speak to. It can be hard when everyone acts and speaks differently than you're used to."
She spoke perfect English with an American accent, even though her Japanese was flawless. Northerly didn't realise how much speaking and understanding Japanese had taken a toll on him in such a short time. He was glad to know there was someone who could prove to be a little brain break, away from the hardships of being a foreigner.
"It's much more difficult than I thought it would be." His response to Grass Wonder was similarly delivered in English.
Despite Kiseki not seeming to understand, she looked pleased with this short exchange. Maybe she brought him here on purpose?
The three of them spent a few more moments discussing the academy's garden before they bid Grass farewell and headed towards the training facilities. Kiseki insisted this would be the best part of the tour.
There was a paved path leading from the garden to the spectators' stands. It acted like a bridge to a new world, bringing Northerly closer to the place he had always dreamed of. Some of Japan's best racecourses were mere steps away as they climbed the stairs to enter the stands.
Reaching the main seating area, Northerly could barely believe his eyes.
There were tracks ranging from, 3000-meters all the way to 1200-meter sprints, arranged inside one another like a nesting doll. There was also a dirt and incline section, allowing for variety in a training regime.
"Our tracks are the same size as Tokyo's racecourse, you know," Kiseki spoke proudly of the excellence of Tracen's racecourse.
"The racecourse is like a stage for all Umamusume to show their true selves to the world. We train to bring joy to those who care to watch us follow our dreams and run with all our might. Would you like to give that stage a try Pony-Chan?"
Northerly could barely contain his excitement, his first time running on a real track. He swiftly agreed, and they made their way down to the outside track, 3000 meters.
Up close, it seemed massive; however, Northerly used to run for the better part of a day, so one lap couldn't hurt.
He stepped onto the turf, which was much firmer than the dirt at home. He gave it a couple of light stomps, only managing to put some small divots in it. Kiseki stood eagerly behind the side railing, waiting for her so-called show to begin.
Northerly planted his back heel and, with one swift motion, powered into a run. He felt the wind rush over him, picking up his tail and hair like a cape behind him.
His pace wasn't anything special, he was just feeling out the turf after all. As he came to the first corner, he took the inside most line. He ran his hand over the inside rail. For once, something he ran past wasn't angry or rusty.
Having barely even warmed up, he slowed his pace as he made it back to Kiseki, where another Uma had joined her to spectate.
This Uma had lavender coloured hair that reached her upper back her tail was the same colour. The tips of her pointed ears were brown, and a simple teal bow was tied to the base of her right ear.
She stood with an air of elegant confidence as Kiseki introduced her.
"This is Mejiro McQueen. Her family is well known here in Japan. Remember to keep an eye on her Pony-Chan. It will be a sight to behold when she debuts this year!"
McQueen places her hand lightly over her mouth as she giggles at Kiseki's introduction.
Northerly could recall seeing countless press interviews of the members of the Mejiro family on TV, however, these were old interviews. Northerly was shocked that a name could sound so exciting yet intimidating.
"Kiseki-San flatters me. My goal is merely to live up to the Mejiro name. I'm sure you also have a goal, too, yes?"
McQueen seemed to hold herself to her name. Whatever that entailed was lost to Notherly at this moment, but he found it admirable. However, his own goals were not exactly concrete at this moment. He was impressed that he had made it this far.
"I want to win as many races as possible." That was probably the best way Northerly could think to put his actual goal into simple words. But it was enough for McQueen.
"A wonderful goal indeed, I look forward to seeing you on the track one day."
With that, she took a small bow and walked back to the main building, leaving Northerly with Kiseki to continue his tour.
They ventured to a large side building. According to Kiseki's very informative monologue, this one housed a gym and pool.
They climbed some outside stairs to the second floor, and Kiseki dramatically swung open the door.
Grey floormats made of a soft rubbery material greeted Northerly as he stepped into this auditorium-sized gym. Weights of varying shapes and sizes reflected off the mirror walls. Machines Northerly could scarcely understand, took up a large area in the centre of the gym. There was a smaller corner outfitted with all forms of equipment one may need to train.
What could these machines possibly do? What lovely was the air-conditioning. His thoughts were riddled with excitable questions and observations as he continued to gaze upon this extravagant gym.
"The gym is an excellent place to train your weaknesses in a controlled environment. However, if you really want to see a show in the gym, look no further than Mejiro Ryan!"
Kiseki points to Mejiro Ryan as she lifts some very large weights.
She has short brown hair with uneven bangs and a white tuft that stands out in the centre. Her right ear has two piercings and a bracelet-like, gold and jade accessory around its base.
She looked as though she had been here a while as she paused, using a towel to wipe the sweat off her face and a separate towel for her tail. Northerly wondered if he should bother her to say hello. Kiseki seemed to have his answer.
"She won't be very talkative at the moment Pony-Chan, but I'm sure you'll run into her if you decide to venture here often." Her tone suggested that they should leave Ryan to her devices.
Northerly was happy to oblige as Kiseki led him down an inside staircase to the pool.
A teal sheen covered the large space as the lights reflected off this monster of a multi-lane swimming pool. It had diving boards of various heights and was probably heated, judging by the steam flowing up from the water.
Northerly hadn't been too shocked by anything he had seen today, but this, this was something else. There had been very few times he had ever seen clear water, and never inside, this was a far cry from the creeks and occasional flood from back home.
"Our state of the art pool with any and every piece of equipment you could possibly need!" Kiseki proudly announced this, clearly basking in the dramatic echo of her voice for just a moment.
Northerly's stammering response, though very rough, was more than enough for Kiseki to see his excitement.
"Its heated, you know? You can train anytime, sun, rain, or snow! Isn't it wonderful Pony-Chan!"
Northerly wanted so very badly to try the pool. He wished to swim as it was such a rarity back home, but he knew it would be impossible to hide himself in bathers.
"Odd time for a swim, isn't it Fuji!" A loud, playful taunt echoed around the pool.
Northerly turns to see a new Umamusume approaching.
She looks fired up as she walks towards Kiseki in her swimsuit. A sleeveless rashie and some short bathing pants, all in a deep blue with white trim.
She turns to him once she gets close enough to chat. She has very long, blueish-black hair that reaches to the base of her tail. Despite being left loose, it split to form two distinct sections, one on each side of her body. Her tail was shiny and the same colour as her hair. One large bang hung between her eyes, and a red tiger-striped ribbon was affixed to the base of her left ear.
"You must be the new girl. I'm Hishiama, I look forward to racing you one day!" Her friendly challenge was just the kind of thing Northerly was hoping would happen. Racing is a great way to make friends. That's what Northerly had heard on TV.
"Alright, just don't be sad when I win." He returned the challenge with equal friendly vigour.
"I like this one, Fuji, too bad she's with you, I would have loved to have her in Miho," she teased as she turned to Kiseki. Northerly had a feeling they knew each other well.
"Pony-Chan, this is Heishi Amazon, our hot-blooded Miho dorm leader here at Tracen" Kiseki sounded quite proud of her introduction of Hishiama.
"Hot-blooded alright! I'll take anyone on! But not right now, I'm about to start my training, and by the looks of it, you have somewhere to be." She took a small bow before walking over to a whiteboard where she began to write out a training regimen.
Kiseki turned to the doors leading out of the pool.
"That's the end of our tour, Pony-chan. You have until sunset to explore on your own, then come meet me at the entrance gate, and I will take you to the dorms" She gave Northerly simple instructions, led him outside, where she said her goodbyes, and they parted ways.
Northerly was left alone to explore the whole campus. What an exciting afternoon was ahead of him.
Wandering during this chilly afternoon had given him some time to think about how he would keep his true self a secret.
He passed by the cafeteria and found out it was possible to collect food to eat elsewhere, so there would be no worries about having to remove his scarf during the day. It would just become a problem if he couldn't find a secluded spot, but that was unlikely.
He also made note of water refill stations. Although it was cold now, when summer rolls around, he'll be needing lots of water to sustain himself in such heavy layers.
Most problems he had been able to identify were solved with relative ease. He was starting to think it wouldn't be so hard to hide at all.
There was only one problem, he wondered what the other Umas thought about his uniform. It was certainly an attention grabber. No one else wore the full winter uniform as Northerly did.
He had watched many Umas turn to examine him as he wandered. He wasn't too worried yet, he was a new face after all. Regardless, he was determined to find a way to blend in with everyone else, at least until an important race came up.
With his short afternoon exploration complete he decided to move to the front gate a little early.
Since Kiseki hadn't arrived yet, he decided to find out what Umastagram was. Curren seemed to be talking to her 'followers' on her phone, so Northerly thought it was likely on there.
His knowledge of technology was limited; he had only just discovered how to use his phone and didn't really know how it worked fully yet. Nevertheless, he spent a decent amount of time fiddling with it until he discovered how to install and make an Umastagram account.
Unfortunately, he didn't get much further as he was startled by Kiseki calling out to him. he jumped to his feet only to be met with a soft, teasing laughter.
He took a second to smooth out his frizzled tail.
"Are you ready to go to the dorms Pony-Chan?" She asked as he began to stretch her legs a little.
"Are we running there?" He was under the impression that Umas weren't supposed to run in areas where they could run into people.
"I suppose you don't know about Umamusume lanes?" Kiseki stated a question more like a fact, Northerly clearly couldn't hide his confusion.
"Here in Japan, we have side lanes on some roads specifically for Umas. On a normal footpath were not allowed to run very fast, but in the Umamusume lanes, we can run as fast as we like! Isn't it so convenient Pony-Chan?" Kiseki described something like the lane sitting just ahead of them both. It was coloured in green and was clearly separate from the main road.
Before Northerly could respond, she turned to the Uma Lane and bolted.
So did he.
The road was far from the turf and hurt a little with each strike of his heels on asphalt. However, it was not enough to stop him from catching Kiseki.
They overtook a few cars as they ran down the straight to the dorms.
Kiseki threw her left hand out towards the sidewalk and slowed as she stepped onto it. He did the same.
Despite running here, Northerly could tell that the dorms were still within walking distance of Tracen, which was nice.
"These are our dorms, as you can see, there are two buildings. One is Miho dorm, Hishiama is the one in charge there. But you Pony-chan are in Rito dorm, where I, Fuji Kiseki, am in charge!" She boldly proclaimed her position as Rito dorm leader.
"How does a Rito dorm work?" He asked.
"I'll show you." She led him to the further building. The dorms were made of cream bricks and were three stories tall, with windows and small outcroppings, leaving them looking like small apartments.
The entrance had a little shade cover above it, and double glass doors with large locks on them.
Kiseki handed him two keys.
"Here in the dorms, there is a curfew. You will get in trouble if you miss it. That being said, the doors are always open so long as you have that key." She spoke with confidence, but somehow, Northerly didn't think he would be in that much trouble.
"This other key is for your room. Don't do anything to cause trouble in there because I have a key too. Now, how about I show you around?" She gestured for him to open the
The key slid into the lock and clicked as he turned it. He felt quite nervous, but it was all right after all, he was an Umamusume too. He pushed away his anxiety once more and stepped into the dorms.
Dorms were much less complex than Tracen was. On the first floor, there was a large locker assigned to each Uma in the dorms. Along with a large common area and a small kitchen.
The next two floors were both dorms; they had a public bath as well as single-stall showers. Northerly had heard that they had public baths, as is common in Japan. A wave of relief washed over him, knowing he wouldn't draw suspicion, avoiding it.
Each dorm floor also had a smaller common area with a few tables and TVs on the walls.
Kiseki led him down a small hallway to his room. He noticed that each dorm had two names etched into the door; however, once they got to his room, it displayed only his.
"Lucky you Pony-Chan! The director insisted you have your own room; it's a little abnormal, but I'm sure she has her reasons." She sounded a little suspicious. Northerly hoped no one else shared that suspicion.
He thanked her for the tours and guidance of today before she departed to assist her 'Ponies in need.' Northerly opened his dorm and entered, noticing a few prying eyes as he shut the door behind him.
A small bedroom lay before him, obviously meant for pairs. It had two beds, desks, cupboards and bedside tables. A little TV, much fancier than the one from his home, sat on a table between the two beds. He wasn't sure how it worked quite yet, but he was sure it couldn't be hard to figure out.
A large window sat behind the TV, allowing for a view of the city and Tracen, as Northerly's room was on the third floor.
His belongings had already been delivered, and for the first time today, he could remove his scarf and cumbersome clothes; it felt good to move freely again. He was also happy to be out of a skirt.
Among his bags was a rather large envelope placed deliberately where he would find it. It had his name in gold katakana, and a Tracen seal held it closed. He knew what it might be, but dreaded opening it regardless
His ears fell flat as his anxiety returned, staring at the wax seal. There was no going back now. He was here at Tracen, in the Umamusume dorms; he couldn't escape if he tried.
With bated breath, he broke the seal and began to read the dreaded letter.
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Dear Northerly, welcome to Tracen Academy!
As you may already be aware, I know of your unique condition.
I understand your fear and why you may wish to hide away. Unfortunately, you can not shine if you stay in the shadows.
All the Umamusume at my academy want to chase their dreams in the twinkle series and I have taken it upon myself to be the guiding light that pushes them to shine their brightest!
To shine your brightest, I must inform you of the conditions of your enrollment at Tracen.
These conditions exist because I believe you would do your best with your true self on display.
It is also because you have no race record. You instead met the physical requirements to be considered for the exchange student program.
Which means your place here was partially because of my own interest in you as a unique Umamusume.
I have had a custom-tailored male Tracen uniform in my office for you to collect at any time.
However, you must begin wearing it upon the beginning of your classic year. You have until then to prepare yourself for that.
As a courtesy, I will make you exempt from any swimming events, press interviews and winning concerts until you are ready or your classic year.
This plan, I assure you, will have you shining your brightest even if you can't see it just yet!
Signed: Director Yayoi Akikawa.
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Northerly was already aware of this information, but seeing it in writing made it feel real.
He took the rest of the evening to process this information fully. As he prepared for bed, thoughts rushed through his mind. What was he going to do? How long could he stay hidden? What would people think once they found out?
The most exciting and stressful first day at Tracen was coming to an end. Regardless of his anxiety, Northerly was ready to take on the Twinkle Series, no matter the challenges that he may face along the way!