"Hey, Oguri."
"Mm?"
I frowned in slight confusion as I glanced around the classroom. "Don't you think something's weird today?" I whispered to her.
She tilted her head. "What is?"
…how do I explain this?
I took another glance around the classroom. It was early morning right now, and so we had to attend our mandatory morning classes. Our classmates were all here, waiting for the homeroom teacher to arrive. Everything seemed normal enough.
That was if you ignored the way nearly everyone immediately looked away when our eyes met, as if my gaze would burn them alive or something. The only difference was Mejiro Ardan, who instead hadn't stopped intently staring at Oguri and I with an expression I didn't quite know how to describe.
Belno was particularly strange, her cheeks going red and stammering whenever Oguri or I turned to her.
What the hell was going on!?
Thankfully, before I could descend any further into confusion, our homeroom teacher arrived, and our morning classes began.
Nothing too interesting happened during class, and thankfully it didn't last too long. After a couple hours, our mandatory morning class was over, and we were free to train for the rest of the day. "Well, I'm heading to Master's dojo now." I said to Oguri and Belno, smiling slightly.
"Nn." Oguri nodded.
"S-S-See you later, S-Star-san!" Belno stammered, her eyes constantly glancing between Oguri and I.
I raised an eyebrow at her continued odd behavior, but I soon shrugged it off. "Alright then. See ya later, Oguri, Belno."
And saying that, I soon left Tracen Central and began heading for Kongo's dojo. His dojo naturally wasn't within Tracen Central, but thankfully it wasn't too far. After a few minutes of walking, I eventually made it there to begin the first half of my training. I quickly changed into my gi, tied my hair into a ponytail, and went into the dojo's main room.
Yaeno Muteki and Kongo Yaegaki were both already inside. Kongo gave me a nod before he returned to the newspaper he was reading. His reaction seemed normal enough, so I took a small relieved breath.
That relief quickly shattered when Muteki nearly tripped when she saw me enter. "S-Star-san?" She asked, as if surprised that I was even here.
…even the usually stoic Muteki looked surprised? Was this world ending tomorrow?
"Yeah?" I asked casually. "What's up?"
Muteki stared at me for a good while, before her expression turned entirely serious. "Star, is it true?" She asked, her eyes shining with cold determination.
I slowly raised an eyebrow. "What is?"
The moment I said that, the pressure Muteki emitted ceased, and Muteki hummed. "Ah, it's nothing, then." She said, as if she'd somehow come to some conclusion. I just stared at her in confusion, but Muteki simply smiled as she shook her head. "It's nothing, Star-san. Let's begin training now."
"...right. Sure." Training sounded good. Watching numbers go up was always fun. Better focus on that than whatever weirdness was happening today.
Unnoticed by me, Yaeno Muteki let loose a sigh of relief. Seeing me so confused meant that rumor was probably untrue. It was nothing more than some background chatter that'd gained a little too much traction.
She didn't quite understand why she felt so relieved, but that wasn't so important.
And so, for the next few hours Muteki and I went through the various katas and exercises Kongo had taught us. The training was intensive and exhausting—far too draining for any normal human to perform, but both us were long used to the strain it placed on us. The most it did now was cause our muscles to burn for a good hour or two after we finished.
That intensity explained why my attributes had risen so incredibly since I first began training here.
[Name: Blossom Star
Speed: 486 (C; Intermediate)
Stamina: 515 (C+; Intermediate)
Power: 460 (C; Intermediate)
Guts: 307 (D; Experienced)
Wits: 351 (D+; Experienced)
Skills: {Competitive Spirit ◎}, {In Body and Mind}, {Front Runner Savvy ◎}, {Leading Charge}
Domain: -
SP: 687]
Honestly, back in the game, this stat-spread was more than enough for an umamusume to win all the three legs of the Triple Crown. It wasn't certain of course—RNG gives just as much as it takes—but the Triple Crown was more than possible.
But this wasn't the game, and sooner or later I'd be facing seniors who were a year or two older than me. And this time there wouldn't be some invisible system that'd level the playing field between us.
It really made me wonder what Oguri's attributes looked like right now, considering she was strong enough to pressure Tamamo Cross even though she was still in her Classic year.
Just as I was pondering about that, my ears flicked as I heard Muteki approaching me. "Star-san." She said, and I turned to see her handing a water bottle to me.
"Hey, thanks." I smiled as I opened the bottle and drank half the bottle empty.
Muteki silently watched as I drank, before she decided to speak. "May I ask something?"
"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Sure! What burning questions do you have for little ol' me?"
"Is it true that Oguri challenged you to race in the [Japan Cup]?"
I blinked, and then paused. Wait, was this what was making everyone weird earlier this morning? "Huh. So that was heard." I whispered, before simply shrugging. I guess I shouldn't be surprised; we did make that little promise in the cafeteria after all. It was only natural we would've been overheard.
"To be more exact, she challenged me to a race, and I offered the [Japan Cup] and [Arima Kinen] as possible options." I clarified, much to Muteki's surprise.
"But those two are…"
"Usually races for seniors." I finished with a smile. "We'll be going up against our seniors who've been in the business longer than we have."
"Yet you are intent on participating." Muteki said, clearly seeing that I had no intention of backing down.
I snapped my fingers, grinning. "Bingo~! We might be up against seniors, but that's no reason to back away so easily." I then chuckled wryly. "Besides, Oguri could probably stand amongst them at this point. She's just that strong."
Muteki chuckled along. "I cannot disagree with that." She said, though I was quite surprised to see that she didn't seem all that down about admitting that. "Her moniker befits her."
"It sure does." I agreed easily. "But yeah, that's pretty much it."
"I see." Muteki looked down for a moment, her fists clenched tight. "...You are much braver than I, Star-san."
Brave, was it?
Ha. Once you've faced death, things stop being so scary.
"Nah, just a bit too stupid." I jokingly said, before my expression turned somewhat serious. "Anyway, don't be too bothered, Muteki." I reached over and patted her head. "Comparison's the devil of happiness. The only thing we need to focus on is to continue bettering ourselves."
"I-I-, yes, y-you're right." Muteki said, her cheeks growing red.
I tilted my head in confusion, and then realized I'd unconsciously patted her head. "Ah, sorry." I laughed in embarrassment. "Sorry about that. A bit of a habit, that one." I quickly said, hoping I hadn't made things awkward.
"It's-, fine." She said, a strangely intense look in her eyes. "There was no harm, Star-san."
"Oh, that's good." I smiled wryly. "Though, I'm just going to apologize now—I'll probably do it by accident sooner or later."
"I do not mind, Star-san."
I gave her a thumbs up. "Thank you~"
I then drank the rest of the bottle empty, missing the satisfied smile Muteki had as she placed a hand on her head.
"Well, I should probably head back now." I said as I took out my jersey from my backpack. "Belno's race is coming up, and she's been asking for my help." I smiled wryly. "Gotta do it now before I start training myself."
Muteki nodded. "I shall see you then, Star-san."
I grinned and flashed her a peace sign as I headed for the dressing room.
.
.
.
Time passed quickly after that, our days spent training and preparing for our next race. My stats continued to rise day by day, all while the due date of my next race, the [Japanese Oaks], slowly and steadily approached.
But there was still time before then, and there was something else that happened just two weeks after my victory at the [Oka Sho].
"It's time for the [Aoba Sho]!"
The [Aoba Sho], a 2400m Medium-length G2 race. Unofficially, many had come to calling it a trial race for the upcoming [Japanese Derby]—a way to see which umamusume held the potential to become a legend.
And it was the first G2 race Belno Light would compete in!