July 10th, XXXX
"Whoa! It's so pretty~!" Maruzensky exclaimed as she excitedly moved forward, well… attempted to. She was dressed in a one-piece swimsuit typical of Tracen Academy, with a prominent brace/wrap around her injured ankle. She was currently at the beach, enjoying the start of Summer with her friends from the academy. Her foot still limped a little, the pain gradually lessening as she finished her recovery.
"Oi CB! Watch where you throw that!" A gruff voice complained to Maruzensky's left, getting her attention as she sat back down on a towel. Seated next to her, while grumbling, was Katsuragi Ace. Ace clearly didn't appreciate CB accidentally flinging some sand her way while she built a sand castle… well, a sand fortress is more accurate, with how she had already built a towering over ten-foot-tall castle wall. Maruzensky couldn't help but giggle at the byplay.
"Yeah, some of us are trying to rest here!" Another spoke up from Maruzensky's right, getting her to smile and look at what was becoming one of her closest friends and rivals, Azuma Hunter. Azuma, like Ace and Maruzensky, wore the Tracen Academy one-piece swimsuit and was currently lying on a towel, much like Maruzensky. She brushed her brown and green hair out of her eyes as she spoke, looking annoyed with CB, who kept spraying sand in their direction.
"Sorry! I'm trying my best~," CB commented, also dressed similarly to her friends. She was in her element while making her sand fortress, working on completing the next wall as she did so. She grinned as she finished her extra details on a set of bricks, putting another mark of her name, CB, as she did so.
Maruzensky glanced at her two friends seated with her before looking back towards the water, where a bunch of other Umamusume were playing around. This included the towering Akitsu Teio, who was unwillingly being used as a mount by another much smaller Umamusume. Maruzensky couldn't help but giggle at seeing the serious-looking Uma being utterly helpless at the whims of a much smaller Umamusume. She spoke after a moment of collecting herself. "You two don't have to stay here with me. I'll be okay." She smiled warmly at her two friends, who both looked at her like she was stupid.
"Haa? I'm sitting here cause I want to." Ace grunted while leaning back, her back on the towel as she lay back with closed eyes.
"What she said," Azuma affirmed, sitting up briefly to look Maruzensky in the eyes. "Besides, anyone can see how much you want to be out there, Maru. I'm staying here." Azuma huffed, glancing away with a slight blush from her rival. "So… hrk!" Azuma went to continue before she was grabbed tightly by Maruzensky.
"Aww! Thank you, Azuma!" Maruzensky smiled brightly, her eyes a little red as she hugged her closest friend. Said closest friend began to panic for a pair of reasons. One, Maruzensky was incredibly strong, even for an Uma, leading to Azuma feeling like she was being held down by a hydraulic press. Secondly, she was not a very physically affectionate person; hence, this was way outside of her comfort zone.
"Ack! Air! Please!" Azuma breathed out, glaring murderously at Katsuragi Ace, who cracked an eye open to look at them amusedly. "Help me, damnit!" Thankfully, the goddesses were merciful, as Maruzensky finally noticed what she was doing.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" Maruzensky profusely apologized, though her smile never left her face as she looked warmly at Azuma Hunter. "It just made my heart move hearing you say that, Azuma, thank you." She placed her hands together as she sent her friend a sheepish smile that she waved away.
"Don't worry about it," Azuma grumbled as she looked away from Maruzensky. The girl really did shine too brightly. "I'm not used to hugs like that yet." Maruzensky's mouth opened into an O at that before a gleam appeared in her eyes. She zeroed in on the end word Azuma said there, knowing she could bring her to the dark side. (Because they have cookies, obviously).
Ace could only shake her head at the helpless antics of the two. She opened her eyes once more and gazed upward, falling into thought. She had already hit the halfway point of her debut year, and things were going alright so far. None of the big races or prizes that she had dreamed of when becoming a central region Umamusume. Although she knew that wshe ould have to wait till her Classic Year. Still, the world of racing in Japan was truly vast in her eyes. She had first met CB, the first incredible Umamusume to challenge her world view of being the strongest Umamusume, and someone she has come to see as a worthy rival. However, meeting Maruzensky had changed everything she'd seen thus far.
Maruzensky's dominance so far, a perfect 8-0, was nothing she had personally seen in racing. Not only was she undefeated, but she won each race in dominating fashion, with multiple lengths between her and her opponents. Ace wouldn't lie; she definitely idolized Maruzensky a fair bit. She was a front-runner, just like Ace, and her dominance is something that Ace would like to emulate. Still, she would admit reluctantly, she was far behind Maruzensky currently. But she wouldn't let things stay that way.
A glance over showed Maruzensky still being an utter goofball with Azuma. She'd surpass Maruzensky, just like she would CB. That is something Ace promised to herself. And she keeps her promises.
"Neh, Ace!" A cheerful voice interrupted her, causing her eyes to crack open once more. Those eyes abruptly widened in horror as CB was standing above her with a massive bucket of sand in hand. Her eyes took it all in during that short instant; her mind could only ask the question. "Where the hell did CB get a massive garbage can for that much sand from?" After her mind processed that, Ace attempted to speak while standing up.
"CB, wha–" Were the only words she could get off before CB dumped that mountain load of sand on top of Ace. Luckily for Maruzensky, Azuma had noticed CB wandering up after completing her latest wall of the castle with that massive amount of sand, and moved her immediately. "Blahfhfdjhgdjhg," Ace attempted to get a word in to stop her psychopathic rival, but instead she ate a mouthful of sand that she couldn't immediately spit out. You know, due to being buried in what felt like a dumpster's worth of sand.
A silence fell over the group for a moment as there was a mound of sand where Ace used to be. The rest of the group began to look worriedly as Ace did not emerge after a full minute. CB, in particular, looked panicked, thinking her rival had suffocated and that she had accidentally killed her. That panic lasted for a moment before she felt a pair of hands grab onto her feet through the sand. "Eh?" CB looked down in disbelief before she was yanked downwards immediately until only her head remained.
"Haaa!" A huffed exclamation rang out as Ace popped out of the sand, several feet from where she had been buried, right next to CB. "Heads up, huh, CB?" She grinned as CB groaned from the pun. Maruzensky giggled watching the amusing byplay, while Azuma did her best to hide that she also laughed at the pun. [Can confirm, Ace is a partner in crime for Rudolf's puns.]
Maruzensky could only look on fondly at her friends as they insisted on doing everything around her, making her feel included. She looked down and patted her cast wistfully. She was truly lucky to have such caring friends. Now, if only her injury would heal, everything would be perfect. She couldn't wait to run again.
Same Day, at URA Headquarters
"So far, we've received accepted invitations from New Zealand, Ireland, France, and Great Britain. No replies have come from the USA yet." Executive Director Ueki read from his tablet in front of him as he spoke, glancing at the rest of the new URA board with a smile. The rest of the board had officially been filled out by last month, shortly after the Tokyo Yushun. Vice-Chairman Reiko did her work well and hand-picked the newest members of the board. Their current objective was discussing admissions to the Japan Cup, taking place around four months from now.
"They'll probably take their time. That's good enough for now." Riku commented from his spot at the head of the table, the rest of the room giving nods of acknowledgement to his statement. The US was typically busy with the sheer amount of Grade 1 stakes that they held in their country, more than 3x the amount Japan typically ran. Besides, this was the first round of checking on their invitations for the Japan Cup; already, everyone but the USA had accepted, so they weren't worried. Riku tapped something on his end before gesturing to Reiko to continue.
Reiko smiled lightly before tapping something on her end as she pointed to the big screen in the room. "As you all know, viewership has risen by 60% so far across the Classic circuit of the Twinkle Series, and that numbers seem to be steadily increasing." Reiko stood before walking towards the screen and gesturing with a hand. "People are highly anticipating Maruzensky's final Classic race, the Kikuka Sho, as well as a possible matchup in the Japan Cup or Arima Kinen. Fan polls have been going crazy with speculations on who will be Umamusume of the Year as well." Reiko began listing off other metrics as the group listened on.
This was their 2nd meeting in just this week, with more on the horizon as the year ramped up. Riku listened attentively while taking a swig from his flask containing his caffeine-infused water. (It's basically Gsupps). The dark circles around his eyes were prominent as they continued, Riku himself dealing with large amounts of stress and work from the ramping URA season, and his own family problems. Reiko seemed to notice his fatigue as she finished before making a decision.
"We've completed enough of our agenda for the day. Let's meet next week to discuss our plan for the dirt races. Thank you." Reiko smiled as a majority of the board stood and bowed, before quietly leaving the room. Small discussions occurred between the members as they left, including Yasyuki and Akira, who spoke to each other, both glancing at their Chairman in concern before leaving. Riku had raised an eyebrow at Reiko's decision before leaning back into his chair with a groan, covering his eyes with a hand after taking his glasses off.
A small pap sounded out near as Reiko sat in the seat closest to him before leaning over, looking at him sternly. "Chairman Riku." Her voice was chiding as she looked him over. He glanced at her with one eye that he had moved his hand from. Her eyes were soft as she continued. "You are allowed to request time off, you know? You have a lot to deal with right now."
"There's too much to do, Reiko." Riku huffed as he looked at her tiredly. He smiled at his friend and 2nd in command. "Thank you for worrying. I guess I've gotten pretty bad, huh?" He leaned back and stared at the ceiling, his mind filled with too many worrying thoughts.
Reiko stared at him for a bit longer before leaning over and pressing a button on Riku's interface. He didn't see, as he was completely zoned out. A minute of silence late,r between the two was broken by two short knocks on the conference room's door before it opened. Riku glanced blearily towards the doors as he put his glasses on, before widening his eyes at the sight of Hitomi, Buckshot, and Opal. He glanced back at Reiko in confusion, who was looking at him sternly.
"As your Vice-Chairman, Chairman Riku. I'm requesting that you take a brief leave of rest." Her stern words contrasted with the warmth in her eyes as his two bodyguards took positions on either side of him. Riku looked at her incredulously before glancing back at the other women in the room. They all seemed to be in agreement with her. Had he truly gotten so bad lately? He glanced down at his unpowered phone screen, seeing his face doing a good impression of a Tanuki. Huh.
"I… I guess I'll do that. Thank you." Riku stood unsteadily, with a steadying arm placed by each guard on him. Perhaps it was a mistake to work for the past 42 hours straight, who knew? Riku glanced worriedly at Buckshot, seeing the gleam in her eyes. She was probably relishing the chance to carry him around like a sack of potatoes again. He glanced down and saw his legs weren't cooperating properly. He looked to Hitomi and was actually going to request assistance when Opal took matters into her hands this time.
"Wha!" Riku exclaimed, as his far shorter bodyguard easily caught him in a princess carry. The rest of the room looked shocked, except Hitomi, who looked criminally amused. Opal took a glance at everyone else with a raised eyebrow before speaking.
"I'll escort him to the car." Her eyes looked at Buckshot before giving a slightly challenging smile. "Race you there." As soon as the words left her, she took off at blistering speeds, getting a scream of fright from Riku.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Were the only words he could get off from suddenly accelerating to what was just below Opal's peak speed as she ran quickly through the building, people making way as they went. A thunderous bang echoed from behind them as footsteps rapidly approached. Riku's wide eyes took in Buckshot, sprinting just like Earl from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a demonic smile on her face as she raced after them. Opal took one glance behind before letting out an irritated tch.
"Mr. Riku, I'm going to speed up," Opal said softly, getting an incredulous look from the man in her arms. Speed up!? Riku couldn't believe what he was hearing. How did he end up in a comedy sketch like this!? Opal, true to her words, sped up aggressively. She treated the halls of the URA building and the stairs she leapt down like her own personal course. Buckshot followed, far less gracefully but no slower. Riku glanced around with watery eyes from the speed, seeing his employees giving him pitying smiles or encouraging looks. He didn't know how to feel about it.
Mercifully, they arrived at his designated SUV, where Opal delicately placed him in as he gazed around with swirling eyes. Buckshot followed two seconds after, huffing lightly as she glared down at Opal.
"You had a head start!" She childishly pointed at Opal, who only looked at her flatly.
"I was carrying someone. I have a handicap." She leaned back, looking down her nose at the taller Umamusume.
"Since when did we agree on that?!" Buckshot retorted, as the two once again devolved into their bickering. Riku didn't understand how he ended up with Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet from Temu as his bodyguards, but this was his life now. Whatever. He was going to sleep and deal with this later. Problems for future him. This Summer could not go by quicker in his eyes.
CHAPTER END