King Halo fled. Because she still had her pride, and a lot of it. If she didn't want Kitano Ryuichi and the others to see her dazed state, her heart pounding wildly, then running away was, by comparison, a less embarrassing course of action.
She ran all the way back to the dorm building, ignoring several Uma Musume who tried to call out to her. All she wanted right now was to get to an enclosed space quickly, before her face, which was already red enough to bleed, got any redder.
If she were to test her time right now, she would find that she had run the distance from the cafeteria to her dorm with a level of stamina she never had in a race. Whether it was because her potential had been unlocked by extreme embarrassment, or because she really had a talent for long distances, she ran back to her dorm at a speed she normally wouldn't even dare to imagine.
Bang! With a loud slam of the dorm door, she didn't even take off her shoes before diving into her bed, covering herself completely, leaving only a cheerfully wagging tail outside.
"Mmph—Mmmmmmmph!!"
"That, that third-rate jerk! What big talk! With words like that, wouldn't a first-class me have to participate in this selection race? Otherwise, I'd be at a disadvantage, wouldn't I?!"
"Just a third-rate—just a third-rate! Damn it!!"
Huddled under the covers, even when speaking alone, her deep-seated tsundere nature prevented her from saying what she truly felt. The real reason her face was beet red, the reason she was so embarrassed, had nothing to do with that.
She had probably forgotten that she was the one who had started this whole selection race, the one who had issued the challenge. There was no way she couldn't participate.
And from the very beginning, she had no intention of losing this race. As the one who issued the challenge, if she couldn't achieve victory, it would damage her first-class reputation. But she had no intention of joining his team after winning, of becoming his first assigned Uma Musume.
Achieving victory was to prove a point, and refusing was to maintain her first-class image—she had thought all night to come up with such a good idea. She had been so pleased with herself for coming up with such a first-class plan that she almost couldn't sleep.
But now, she felt her objective had subtly changed... After hearing his words, even she had to admit that his breadth of mind and resolve were "worthy of being first-class."
"B-but that's not enough... To become my trainer, you have to be first-class in every aspect!"
"I won't choose that guy as my trainer so easily. Not that easily..."
She muttered to herself in her bed, but as she spoke, her voice grew weaker, as if she lacked confidence. And in a place she couldn't see, her tail, as if out of her control, wagged cheerfully like a puppy's, looking very happy.
But... what's going on? Why... when I, who am first-class in everything from bloodline to ability, heard that person praise the "mediocre" so much... did I feel a sense of emotion and pride rising from the bottom of my heart...
Why was I so happy about that? I'm not a member of the "mediocre" team...
"King Halo! With an extremely powerful late-stage spurt! She has won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen! Claiming her first GI of her career!"
"A truly hard-won victory. The last member of the Golden Generation has finally won her first GI. The wait has been too, too long."
"Oh, and it seems King Halo has a reaction! We can see it! She is waving towards her trainer! She seems very happy."
"—Ha."
However, with a sudden daze, she snapped back to reality. She popped her head out from the stuffy bed, drenched in sweat. She had almost suffocated from the heat. And at that moment, a hallucination seemed to appear before her eyes...
"A hallucination?" She clutched her forehead, panting. She felt that it didn't seem like a hallucination. Otherwise, why would it feel so clear?
But she had never participated in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. Why would such a scene suddenly appear? And the "her" in that scene... had just won her first GI?
"I must be overthinking it," she thought. But for some reason, the figure of the "trainer" who appeared in her hallucination made her feel curious, and also seemed somewhat familiar...
Before she could think about it, a noise from the dorm door drew her attention. Soon, a petite Uma Musume with pink hair and pupils that reflected pink cherry blossoms entered the room, full of energy.
"King-san! Urara has some really good news! Do you want to hear it?"
"Urara-san..." Seeing her roommate, even someone as proud as her couldn't help but be infected by the girl's goodness. A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"What news? I hope it's not class gossip. I've heard enough of that."
Haru Urara, a Uma Musume recognized by the entire academy as very pure and good, with a face and innocent personality that made it impossible for anyone to want to hurt her. At the same time, she was also the "undefeated legend" of Tracen—in the literal sense. Her skill level made it almost impossible for her to win against any other Uma Musume.
But even so, she always maintained a seemingly endless enthusiasm, always running hard. This personality had infected many at Tracen, so she was always well-cared for—except during races.
Even the self-proclaimed first-class King Halo couldn't feel any hostility towards a "hack" like her. Looking at her constant smile, King Halo's mood improved considerably.
Urara-san's never-give-up attitude... is a bit like that third-rate guy—wait, why am I suddenly thinking of him again?
"It's not that! It's news about the race!" Urara clearly didn't notice the subtle change in her expression and said with a joyful face:
"Do you know, King-san? The academy is holding a selection race for a new trainer! Lots of people have joined!"
"You silly girl, that's yesterday's news. Your reaction is too slow, isn't it?" King Halo chuckled. She thought it was some new information. Urara probably didn't even know that this whole thing started because of her, right?
"Eh? It's already yesterday's news?" Urara was surprised, but her smile didn't fade.
"But there's more! I heard that trainer just rejected Tokai Teio-san's invitation, saying he wants everyone to compete fairly!"
"And a classmate even recorded a video and posted it on the forum. Did you know, King-san?"
"...I knew about that too. Honestly, those gossip-mongers," she said after a moment of silence. Although she knew this would become a hot topic on the forums, she didn't expect it to spread so fast.
Hmph, that guy must be very proud of himself now. He's now the savior of all the second-rate Uma Musume at Tracen. There are probably girls begging him to be their trainer now, right?
But she wasn't one of them. She would win on her own. Otherwise, what kind of victory would that be?
"Everyone's been talking about it. That Trainer Kitano, everyone says he's a super nice person."
Urara said with a look of longing, which made King Halo feel a bit strange. The next moment, Urara said with an innocent face:
"Urara has decided! Urara is going to participate in the selection race too! That way, if I win, I can become his assigned Uma Musume!"
"Absolutely not!"
The moment she said it, King Halo almost reflexively jumped up from the bed and shouted. Her shout startled Urara. Looking at the stunned girl, she quickly said:
"Um, for you, Urara-san... I think it's better to reconsider. I've interacted with that guy. He's not that outstanding. If you choose a trainer who isn't first-class, wouldn't that bring shame to a first-class me?"
"Trust me, Urara. Let a first-class me go to his team and scout him out for a while. When a first-class me thinks he's really suitable, then I'll definitely introduce you to join."
"Okay! Urara understands!" As expected of a pure-hearted existence, Urara immediately believed the big lie she had painted, and said with a beaming smile:
"King-san is such a good person!"
"Ahaha... y-yeah..."
King Halo gave a forced laugh. Little did she know, when she heard Urara say she wanted to join his team, she almost had a heart attack.
Absolutely, I cannot let that guy get close to Urara-san... King Halo thought.
These two are too similar. If Urara joins, she will definitely become hopelessly attached to that bad guy!
He won't lay a single hair on Urara-san's head, unless he gets through me first!
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My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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