After finishing her day's training, Kousei returned to her dorm to find Just a Way lounging comfortably in a rocking chair, surrounded by a scattered assortment of snacks.
"Kousei, back from training?" Just a Way asked without looking up, completely engrossed in her manga.
You've really fallen, Way, Kousei thought to herself.
She decided to take a shower first. When she emerged from the bathroom, Just a Way was still reading.
"Way, you're still reading manga? Why don't you take a break?"
"Ehh? But it's so good!"
"Really? What are you reading?"
"Come here!"
Just a Way beckoned Kousei to sit down and shared her manga with her.
"Cinderella Gray?"
"Yeah, it's Oguri Cap-Senpai's story. She's so popular—all sorts of merchandise. Truly a national idol."
Kousei flipped through a few chapters. The story began at Kasamatsu and ended at Nakayama—the prologue to the Gray-Haired Monster's legend, the origin of it all.
Back when Kousei was at Central, her duels with McQueen were known as the Gray-Haired Duels. After McQueen's consecutive victories in the Tenno Sho (Spring), McQueen earned titles like "Successor to the Gray-Haired Monster" and "Creator of the Third Chapter."
"Let me borrow these," Kousei declared, sweeping up the entire stack of manga without waiting for a reply.
"Eh?!" Just a Way instinctively reached out, then awkwardly retracted her hand. "But... Way hasn't finished them yet."
Kousei spent the entire day engrossed in the manga. Bored out of her mind, Just a Way could only munch on dried carrots to pass the time. As evening fell, Kousei finally set the books down, lost in thought.
"What is a Domain?"
Through the manga, Kousei had traced the trajectory of Oguri Cap's life and witnessed the stars who shone alongside her.
From mere pages of paper, these runners who transcended their era leaped to life. No matter how times changed, their names were already etched into history.
"I want to... too."
Kousei closed the book, her gaze distant.
"Reading manga? That's rare," Reiko's voice came from behind her.
"Reiko, welcome back. Where have you been? I couldn't find you at the training track."
Reiko looked utterly exhausted as she collapsed onto the couch. "I scouted the Eastern Lands Racetrack. Just as I suspected, the turf there is exceptionally soft. It has four tight turns and numerous slopes. Immediately after the final turn, there's an uphill stretch followed by the final straight."
"Quite compact, then," Kousei observed.
Having noticed the softness of the turf during training, Kousei had already suspected that the Eastern Lands Racetrack would demand exceptional endurance.
"What's the total distance?"
"2500 meters."
The distance was still within Kousei's manageable range. The main challenges would likely stem from the soft turf and the steep slopes.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll increase the intensity of our hill training."
"Have you thoroughly studied Mr. Toyama's notes yet?"
"I've grasped some key concepts. But the training is brutal. Don't you dare back down now."
"Me? You know I never back down. Bring it on. Expose and exploit my weaknesses, turning every experience into fuel. Push my legs to their limit so I can run the victory I crave."
"True enough."
Later that night, as Kousei prepared for bed, Just a Way wandered in, clutching her plushie and sobbing quietly.
"Kousei, can I sleep with you?"
Kousei froze. "Huh?"
"I just finished a horror manga, and it was so scary!" Just a Way wailed.
"Then why did you read it...?"
"But! I really wanted to know how it ended!"
Earlier that afternoon, Kousei had snatched Just a Way's manga, forcing her to find something else to read. She had unfortunately picked a horror manga—a genre she loved to read despite being a total coward.
"Kousei!"
Realizing she was partly responsible—if she hadn't taken Cinderella Gray, Just a Way wouldn't have read something else—Kousei felt she owed her some compensation.
"Get in," she said, shifting over and lifting a corner of the blanket.
"Hehe~" Just a Way didn't hesitate, scrambling onto the bed.
"It's so cramped."
With two fully grown people—Just a Way and Kousei—plus Kousei's extra-large Teio and McQueen plushies and Just a Way's extra-large Kousei plushie, even the biggest bed couldn't handle the crowd.
"Hehe~"
Just a Way snuggled close, and Kousei couldn't tell if she was genuinely scared or just pretending.
"Good night."
"Good night~"
Kousei's sleep schedule was usually very regular, since she had to wake up early for morning training. But tonight, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
"Something on your mind?" Just a Way asked.
Kousei did have something weighing on her, but she didn't know how to bring it up. Besides, she wasn't the type to confide in others.
"Is it because you read Oguri Cap-Senpai's story?"
Just a Way always seemed to know. She pinpointed the exact issue as if she'd known all along.
"It's normal, though. Oguri Cap-Senpai is special. There'll never be anyone like her again."
Just a Way fell silent in the darkness, and as drowsiness finally overtook Kousei, she drifted off to sleep.
-
The next day.
Kousei trained as usual. The training track was also occupied by Umamusume from other regions.
"Hasn't she run the slope five times already? Is her body made of iron?"
"With that appearance... could she be the one from the NAU rumors?"
At some point, Kousei had started attracting more attention. It bothered her; being stared at during training felt strange.
"Accepting the gazes of others is one of the requirements for becoming a star athlete."
Kousei recalled Reiko's words about the qualities of a star athlete and tried her best to ignore the stares.
"Jade isn't here."
Lately, although Jade often came to see Kousei, it was never for training. Instead, she would take Kousei out to have fun. Kousei rarely saw Jade on the training track, and even when she did show up, her workouts were barely enough to maintain her current fitness.
Speak of the devil, and she shall appear.
Even though it was nearly noon, Jade sauntered onto the training track, yawning as if she'd just woken up.
As the representative Umamusume of the Eastern Lands, Jade was an enigma. She seemed completely indifferent to training.
"Guess I'll just run a couple of laps and call it a day," Jade said, stretching lazily, looking utterly unmotivated.
"Is that the Umamusume from the Eastern Lands? She looks like a middle schooler."
The other Umamusume seemed unfamiliar with Jade. For the record, Kousei would be entering the High School Division next year.
"She doesn't look like a racer at all. More like a pampered young lady," someone sneered, observing Jade's lackadaisical attitude.
"Exactly. She doesn't even train seriously. The young lady probably just wants to play around. What a waste. If only I had access to such great training facilities..."
The other Umamusume didn't seem to take Jade seriously, dismissing her as nothing more than a pretty face.
"I heard the Eastern Lands don't have any Umamusume. The Young Lady is the only one. They probably had no choice but to let her compete, right?"
"The Young Lady doesn't seem very enthusiastic either. Maybe that's really the case."
"My Trainer told me the Young Lady's record is nine wins in nine races."
"That's true, but who knows how she achieved it?"
"You mean..."
"Shh! That's enough. Don't let anyone overhear."
The two Umamusume thought they were being discreet, but they didn't know Kousei's hearing was exceptionally sharp. Even from this distance, she could hear their conversation clearly.
Kousei remained silent, her gaze fixed on the languid Jade, a hint of inquiry in her eyes.