"LET'S DO THIIISS!!" Inari One grinned wide as she shouted at the top of her lungs. And though the snowfall had only gotten heavier over the past few days, they proved barely a hurdle to the foxlike umamusume. The moment any snow met her skin, they seemed to immediately melt, causing water to soak through her sportswear instead. "I AIN'T LOSIN' TO NO'ONE, GOT IT!?"
Yusuhara Tarou sighed heavily as he held his hands over his ears. "Yes, yes." He nursed his forehead, trying to stamp out the headache he was feeling. "But we must get going, Inari. We don't have much time left." He paused for a moment, glancing around at the snow that fell around them. "And I don't think anyone can hear your words with all the snow around us."
"Eh!? Doesn't tha' mean that ah' shouted f'r nothin'!?" Inari One looked quite aggrieved at the rather obvious hole in her plans to apparently declare her intent to win the [Arima Kinen] to the entirety of Tracen Central. "Ergh, ya' should'a told me, Boy."
He sighed once more. "You did not listen."'
She clicked her tongue. "Should'a told me louder."
"I tried." He wanted to say, but he knew that she wouldn't listen.
Still, he didn't blame her. He understood that her nerves were at their highest, and this was her method of calming herself down. And as embarrassing as it was to be out here in the snow like a loon, he didn't mind. If it helped her focus during what was to come, then he would stand out here in the snow for as long as he needed.
He smiled. "Very well."
She blinked. "Huh?"
He walked up to her, and taking the deepest breath he could, he placed his hand on her shoulder and shouted to the winds. "INARI ONE IS MY TRAINEE, AND SHE IS THE STRONGEST!" He grinned. "WITNESS US, JAPAN! HER LEGENDS HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN!"
Inari's eyes sparkled in awe, before she grinned and joined in. "YEAH!! YA' HEAR THA'!?" She punched her fist into the air, and a blast of warm air shot towards the sky, causing droplets of water to rain down on them both. "I'M GONNA' WIN!!"
Alas, no one would be close enough to hear them, but even knowing that, neither of them minded.
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Dicta Striker smiled wryly as she slotted her new reinforced boots over her feet. "Still feels fuckin' weird." She whispered, giving the metal-reinforced boots a few taps with her knuckle. The whole thing rang with each tap, though the woven cotton and leather on the inside ensured that her leg would be comfortable even while she ran.
"Language." Mejiro Ardan said, smiling slightly as she smoothed the creases on her dress. "And a little discomfort is a worthy price to pay to ensure your safety, isn't it?"
"I mean, I don't disagree." She said, sighing softly as she placed her legs down from the bench. "Doesn't make it any less weird."
Well, in the end, she was just complaining. It just felt strange that she wasn't wearing the running shoes she always used whenever she raced. Felt like she was abandoning a part of herself when she placed the thing back onto the shoe shelf.
But it was better this way. The reinforced boots—inspired by the ones Oguri wore—were there for a reason.
After the [Japan Cup], the world's become a whole lot of weird. Aside from the fact that Domains became visible to pretty much everyone, her {Railgun}'s been acting weird.
It wasn't detrimental by any means—if anything, her Domain felt stronger. The Personal Best time that'd stood for the past few months was suddenly shattered without her even realizing it. The same could be said for her {Yellow Bullets}, though their improvement paled when compared to her Domain's.
But that improvement came at a cost;
Since all Domains were now capable of affecting the real world, her {Railgun} now fired with so much strength that it practically demolished any shoes she tried running in. The first time she'd tried using her Domain, she kicked back with so much strength that she punctured right through her running shoes, before proceeding to gouge a hole behind her that was a few inches deep.
To say she was glad that she was using a spare from the Mejiros at that time would be an understatement, but that moment showed that she'd need new shoes to better accommodate her.
It did feel a little unfair though. After all,
"Why's it only me though?" She sighed, particularly annoyed. "I mean, it ain't like Inari's burning her shoes every time she runs, and Creek's shoes aren't getting wrecked every time she turns off gravity or whatever."
"Perhaps the Goddesses were subtly implying that you change shoes." Ardan said, looking away to hide her small grin.
Her eyes twitched. "Fuck off."
Ardan giggled. "Language."
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"Merry Christmas, Trainer-san~"
Nase Fumino smiled. "Merry Christmas, Creek." She said, though she then blinked in confusion. "But didn't we already celebrate a few days ago?"
Creek giggled. "Well, no one ever said we can't celebrate again, right?"
Fumino hummed as she nodded. "Of course." She said, fully believing her words. After all, she truly had never heard that a Christmas couldn't be celebrated twice. If Creek said so, then it was likely true. "So, what do you want to do today?"
Creek smiled as she twirled around, letting her bellowing dress flutter as she moved. "Well, I don't think either of us will have the energy to do anything today. After all," Her smile became a little deeper as she narrowed her eyes. "I'll have to go all out today. I can't let everyone else win that easily, right?"
Fumino nodded. "That's right." She clenched her fist, recalling the incredible ending of the [Japan Cup]. "This is our last chance."
"Mhm~, it'll be our present to everyone!" Her smile then softened as she gently took Fumino's hand. "And since that's the case, I have an extra present for you, Fumino-chan."
Fumino tilted her head, and then blinked. "Fumino-cha-?"
Suddenly, a pair of soft lips met hers, and Fumino's eyes went wide. The kiss was short, but Fumino's mind was left utterly in shambles as Creek giggled sheepishly. "I hope you liked it." She whispered, and the subtly shy look Creek had was making Fumino feel lightheaded. "I-It was my first time."
"M-M-Me t-too." Fumino squeaked out, barely able to keep herself standing.
Creek giggled as she hid her lips behind her hands, her ears flapping as her cheeks went bright red. And after their gaze met for another time, she quickly turned to leave the locker room. "I-I'm going to go now, T-Trainer-san~"
A gunshot rang in her mind as she heard Creek's words, and she moved before she could stop herself. "W-W-Wait…!"
"What is it?" Creek asked.
Fumino gulped, unconsciously reaching up to trace her lips. It still felt warm, and a burning need was boiling in her gut. "I-, we-, um," She took a deep breath as she steeled herself. "Can we-, I mean-, I-, c-c-can we k-k-kiss again l-later?"
Creek blushed at her request, and she smiled beautifully. "Of course, Fumino-chan~"
Fumino nodded rapidly, feeling her heart race at the thought. "T-Then-" She took a deep breath and smiled as confidently as she could. "Go, Creek."
Creek's eyes softened. "Mm! I'll be going now!"
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"I truly am sorry, Obey-san." Hayakawa Tazuna said as she bowed, looking truly ashamed. "I was just so busy over the last week that I didn't even aid you in the slightest!"
Obey Your Master smiled faintly. "It's fine, Tazuna-san. Symboli-san and Maruzensky-san were more than happy to be my running partners while you were gone." And there were a few others she hadn't expected to meet as well, but she'd promised that she'd keep quiet about them.
"Is that so?" Tazuna sighed in relief. "That is good. I was afraid you were left completely without help."
Obey hummed.
Tazuna wasn't wrong. She'd been left mostly alone over the past month. It wasn't anyone's fault—Director Akikawa was busy concocting a Turf strong enough to apparently endure the power of the sun, while Tazuna was away from Tracen for a reason she couldn't quite explain.
Thankfully, she wasn't alone. While the Director and Tazuna were busy, it was the Student Council who stepped up to help her. Symboli Rudolf was her most common running partner, though whenever they ran together, they were often joined by another young umamusume called Tokai Teio. No one was sure how exactly she'd ended up in Tracen, but she was pretty cute, so no one minded.
Still, their training would always be derailed whenever Teio was around. So most of her actual training was done together with Maruzensky, who was more than happy to show why she earned the name the Red Beast.
…
It truly was strange.
"Obey-san?" Tazuna frowned softly. "Is something wrong?"
"Hmm?" Obey blinked. "Ah, no. I was merely…reminiscing, that's all."
A part of her still couldn't understand; how was everyone so kind? Blossom Star had torn down the URA for her, the Director had certainly bent a few rules for her, and now legendary umamusume from previous generations had all come together for her.
But that part was small now—no more than a fading whisper in the back of her mind.
Because now she understood,
She was no longer alone.
"I'll be going now, Tazuna-san."
Tazuna smiled. "Are you confident?"
"Confident?" Obey repeated, before she burst out laughing. "Of course not!" She said, unashamed to admit that she knew her odds at winning were practically zero. After all, Blossom Star and Oguri Cap would be participating, and even if they couldn't unleash their Domains, that wouldn't matter much. They'd both defeated her with seeming ease even before their Limits were broken.
Despite that, she would run with all she had, because there was someone else she needed to save.
And it was about damn time that she paid back all the care she'd been given.
"But I'll run anyway." She said, and her eyes were alight with stars as she grinned.「Gotta send 'everyone off with a bang, right?」
Tazuna smiled softly. "Then go."
Obey closed her eyes, and when she next opened them, her eyes blazed like shining nebulae as she walked forward.
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"Ladies and Gentlemen,"
"It is time for the [Arima Kinen]!"