"Ho-yō Bo—zz…y is coming! Again on the inside… Monte Prince!
And zzza—! From the very inside comes Amber Shadai! Amber Shadai is making a zzz— final sprint…!
Amber Shadai! From the outside—charging in is Ope—zzza! The Derby—zza— winner, Opec!
Mon—te Prince is coming too! Ho-yō Boy is holding on! Zzza—
But the winner is Amber Shadai! Amber Shadai takes the victory!
Wrapped in amber, the passion… the feelings that had been hidden—here at this zzza— Nakayama, he has clearly pulled ahead of last year's champion Ho-yō Boy, Amber Sha—zza…. This is his first G1 victory! Second place, narrowly missing consecutive wins, is Ho-yō Boy, and third goes to Monte Prince..."
The race commentary, mixed with constant static, poured out of the cheap radio I'd left switched on, reaching my ears as I lay idly beneath the cold winter sky.
The biting December wind—despite the fact that some time had passed since I finished training—roughly yet gently brushed over my still-heated body, stealing away the excess warmth.
Today was the grand finale of the racing year, the dream Grand Prix that everyone longed to run in: the Arima Kinen.
At Tracen Academy, now in winter break, there were girls who had returned home, girls who stayed behind to keep training, and girls who were racing in various winter events. But no matter which option they chose, I was sure that almost everyone was watching the Arima Kinen today.
Some would be there in person to cheer, others glued to their TVs, and maybe—like me—some listening on the radio because their hands were tied.
(Well, in my case, it was just background music while training.)
Thinking that to myself, I switched off the radio as the static worsened and slowly pushed myself upright.
Since it was winter break, my friends from the same year—Ryan, Air Groove, Suzuka, Flash—had all gone back to their hometowns, and none of them were left at Tracen Academy. My roommate, President Rudolf-senpai, had invited me—just like during summer break—to visit her family home, but I politely declined. I wanted her to spend the New Year relaxing with her family.
She even gave me an oddly intense and completely off-target push, insisting that at least Sirius wouldn't be visiting except for New Year's greetings this time—but really, Rudolf-senpai, it's not like Sirius and I are on bad terms. I just want everyone to spend the holidays peacefully with their families...
Besides, I'm going home for the New Year too, so it wouldn't work anyway. When I added that, Rudolf-senpai muttered a lonely-sounding "...I see," and I felt just a tiny bit guilty—though that's a secret.
Anyway, back to the main topic.
So, ever since winter break started, I'd been completely alone—no acquaintances around me, not just in the dorms, but in the entire academy. Even today, I thought about watching the Arima Kinen in the cafeteria, but...
There's no TV in my room, and the cafeteria—the only place with one—was packed with horse girls crowding around the screen. With no familiar faces there, walking in alone and standing awkwardly by myself would've been mentally uncomfortable.
So, giving up, I slipped out of Tracen Academy. With nothing better to do, I figured I'd train a bit, ran over to a nearby riverside, and listened to the Arima Kinen on the radio during my break—that's how things ended up.
"So then... what should I do now?"
Looking up at the clear, transparent sky, I muttered absentmindedly.
I'd rushed out of the academy without any plan at all, so I hadn't thought about what kind of training I'd do here. I had my usual training gear and post-workout care supplies with me, but... for some reason, I just couldn't find the motivation.
As I sat on the riverbank embankment, worrying about what to do next—knowing that half-hearted training would be pointless—I must've looked pretty silly from the outside. But since all my mental bandwidth was focused on deciding what to do next, I didn't notice. Honestly, I can be pretty dense.
"...Cold!"
The wind wasn't especially strong, but as my heated body cooled, the discomfort of my sweat-damp jersey and the biting cold hit me at the same time. Without thinking, I blurted it out and tossed aside my looping thoughts.
"Ugh... can't be helped... I'll skip training today and go there, I guess."
Going back to the academy—probably still buzzing with Arima Kinen hype—felt like a hassle, and training without focus risked pointless injuries anyway.
Muttering that, I slowly hauled myself to my feet.
I picked up the bag of training gear I hadn't even used, brushed dirt and leaves off my jersey with my free hand, and started walking toward my destination. Crunching over dead grass, climbing the embankment, then strolling along the riverside asphalt path, occasionally kicking pebbles as I went. No rush at all—honestly, I even considered humming a tune.
I'll take it easy. It's not far anyway.
⏱
"Hey, isn't that Nei-chan? What brings you here today? Chicken's cheap if you're buying meat!"
"Oh dear, don't shout like that! You'll scare Nei-chan."
I'd only just arrived when someone suddenly shouted at me, making me jump and stiffen my shoulders.
Turning toward the voices, I saw an elderly butcher wearing a clean outfit and a well-worn apron, smiling broadly, with his wife beside him.
"Ah—sorry, sir. I'm going back home tomorrow, so I just came to say hi. I'm not buying anything today."
"Well, well! Just seeing you is enough to make all of us in the shopping street happy!"
Scratching my cheek apologetically, I replied, and the old man burst into hearty laughter. Both his wife and I ended up smiling wryly.
Yes—this was my destination: the shopping street near Tracen Academy. The one people would recognize as the place from the app story event where you win hot spring tickets.
Though, I found this place completely by accident.
It must've been before I met Ryan—maybe just before the rainy season. I wasn't looking for it; I just stumbled upon it during a training break. While thinking about what training to do next, what would be most efficient, I suddenly felt a nostalgic atmosphere—something like my hometown shopping street—and wandered in.
It's located away from the station, along a side road, so most modern Tracen Academy horse girls stick to the shopping mall near the station and rarely come here. When I showed up, the butcher near the entrance had called out to me loudly, just like now.
"Hey Nei-chan! Perfect timing—just fried some croquettes! You were training, right? Here, eat one while it's hot!"
"W–wait!? I didn't bring my wallet!"
"Don't worry about it! Here!"
"Hot!? That's way too hot! You literally just fried this!"
Laughing, he lightly tossed the croquette at me. I caught it without thinking—but just as he said, it was freshly fried, golden brown, and so hot that it didn't warm my chilled hands at all.
In fact, it was so hot I almost burned myself, and I had no choice but to juggle it between my hands.
"Hahaha! Croquettes taste best when they're hot! Right? It's good, isn't it?"
"Ghh... it is good."
"Then what's the problem? Right, Nei-chan!"
"Geez... th–thank you very much."
With a bit of resentment, I took a bite.
Annoyingly enough, once I did, the crispy batter and the fluffy potatoes mixed with beef spread through my mouth, filling me with a warm, comforting happiness with every swallow.
Before I knew it, I was biting into it again. That's how good his croquettes were.
They weren't fancy restaurant croquettes—uneven, chunky, homemade—but that made them the kind you'd want to eat again and again.
Every time I came, the people here would give me food or drinks like this. Even when I tried to pay, they'd say, "Kids shouldn't hold back," and refuse.
That resemblance to my hometown shopping street pulled me back again and again, until I became a familiar face.
"Oh my, Nei-chan, you've got crumbs on your mouth."
"Ugh—hey! I'm a middle schooler! Just tell me and I'll wipe it myself!"
As the woman smiled and wiped my face with a handkerchief, I yelled in embarrassment. I was probably blushing too.
"You're right. That must be embarrassing. Sorry, Nei-chan."
"It's… fine. Thanks, ma'am."
She praised me for saying thank you properly, smiling warmly. It felt nice—but being treated like a child was still embarrassing.
Inside, I'm a grown man, so my feelings were complicated—but not unpleasant.
The memories of Nice Nature's hometown shopping street felt just like this, and before I realized it, I'd grown fond of this place too.
"When you debut, tell us! We'll close up shop and come cheer you on!"
"Debut? That won't be until I'm in high school. That's still a long way off."
"But Tracen has that grade-skipping system, right? I think you could do it!"
"No way, no way, no way! That's impossible for me!"
"Even for you? Guess Tracen really is amazing…"
I denied it so strongly that he sounded impressed.
Grade-skipping is only for girls whose full potential has already bloomed or is blooming at admission, and I hadn't reached that stage yet. Even if I had, there'd be paperwork and exams—only a select few pass. That's for people like Rudolf-senpai or Sirius, not me.
Sure, I beat Sirius once—but that was under special circumstances. I want to beat her properly, in a real race.
"And even if I could skip a grade, I'd probably refuse."
"Oh? You don't want to?"
"Well… since I have time to learn and train properly, I'd rather treasure that than rush my debut."
"..."
"Of course I'll work hard for my debut! But there are things you can only do now. I don't want to look back later and regret not doing them."
Fidgeting with the croquette wrapper, I spoke honestly. That feeling was probably more mine than Nice Nature's.
"Um… why are you both silent? This is kind of embarrassing."
The woman kept smiling, but the man hung his head, shoulders shaking.
Did I say something wrong?
"...Eh…"
"Huh?"
"That's admirable!"
"W–what?"
He suddenly lifted his head and shouted.
"You're admirable, Nei-chan! Thinking that deeply at your age! I was just playing around back then!"
"Our grandson's in high school and only thinks about fun too…"
They chatted fondly as he ruffled my hair.
"Hey! You're messing up my hair!"
"Hahaha! Sorry! Here—have another croquette as an apology!"
I smoothed my hair with one hand and accepted the second croquette with the other.
"Alright! Let's gather everyone and celebrate Nei-chan today!"
"W–wait, what!?"
Before I could stop him, he ran off to call everyone, laughing. Even his wife started closing the shop.
"Hey! I need to be back by curfew!"
All he gave me was a thumbs-up from afar.
(Seriously… it didn't have to be this similar to my hometown.)
In the end, I was completely swept up by everyone and barely made it back to the academy by curfew.
I vented a little to Tempointer-san, who was acting dorm head in Monte Prince's absence, and we laughed together. That part will stay our secret.
But still—
(It really was fun… I should thank them next time.)
Lying in my bed in the room that felt wider without Rudolf-senpai, I thought that quietly.
As a postscript—
When I returned home the next day and mentioned this to my hometown shopping street, the locals started a competing celebration of their own.
...Honestly, I wished they wouldn't.