"Kousei—"
The TV crackled with a raspy voice. Inside the abandoned school building, Rice Shower was curled up in a corner, staring motionlessly at the screen.
Her eyes held both joy and sorrow. Rice Shower wasn't naturally a pessimistic person, but the Kikuka Sho incident had forced her to become this way. She had truly felt it—the sensation of having her heart torn away in an instant.
Kousei is so strong... I wish I could be like her, she thought. Without warning, her eyes reddened. She buried her head in her arms, and in the quiet space, only the sound of soft sobs could be heard.
"Huh? Rice!"
Click!
The door swung open abruptly. Rice Shower snapped her head up. Standing in the doorway were none other than Urara and Twin Turbo.
"It really is Rice! Yay!" Urara beamed as she rushed to Rice Shower's side, extending a hand. "What are you doing? Come on, get up!"
Rice Shower stared at them, blurting out, "What are you two doing here?"
Twin Turbo puffed out her chest. "Turbo and Urara are here for a Haunted House Exploration!"
"Haunted House Exploration?"
"Yeah! Didn't you know, Little Rice? The rumor's spread all over Tracen! They say you can hear crying from the abandoned school building in the middle of the night. It must be haunted!"
Crying... Rice Shower had a pretty good idea what that was about.
"It's... it's all Rice Shower's fault! Even now, I'm still causing trouble for everyone..." Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
"I know! Rice must be scared of ghosts, right?" Urara clapped her hands and decisively linked arms with Rice Shower. "Don't worry! You won't be scared with me here!"
"Alright! Everyone hide behind Turbo! We'll charge out together! Turbo Engine, full throttle!" Twin Turbo roared, flailing her arms wildly as she dashed out.
"Hahaha! Turbo, slow down!" Despite her words, Urara looked thrilled, following closely behind Turbo.
Rice Shower was dragged along with them. After a chaotic scramble, Twin Turbo collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
"So, how was that, Little Rice?" Even exhausted, Twin Turbo couldn't resist seeking praise from Rice Shower.
"Ah, um..." Rice Shower replied timidly, thinking to herself, Is Turbo okay?
Urara burst into laughter, showing no signs of fatigue. "That was so much fun! Haunted House Exploration is the best!"
Urara seemed to have had a blast, while the exhausted Twin Turbo could only manage a weak thumbs-up. Suddenly, Urara's stomach rumbled. She patted it and grinned at the others. "I'm hungry~"
Seeing this, Rice Shower quickly dashed back inside and returned with a backpack.
"If you don't mind, please have some of these," she said, pulling out yakisoba bread from the bag.
"Whoa! It's the super hard-to-get yakisoba bread! Rice, you're amazing!"
"N-No, it's nothing!" Rice Shower stammered, looking flustered.
"Turbo wants some too!"
"There's plenty more. Please, help yourselves if you'd like."
Rice Shower opened her backpack, revealing it was stuffed full of bread.
"Amazing! Why do you have so much?" Twin Turbo asked, puzzled.
"Because I have a really big appetite, so I bought a little too much," Rice Shower explained, embarrassed.
The three of them sat on the ground and began eating the bread. Rice Shower cautiously stole glances at the others, but Urara and Twin Turbo seemed completely oblivious, engrossed in enjoying their meal.
"Um... Turbo, is your injury okay?" Rice Shower asked tentatively.
"Huh? It's fine! Just a nosebleed," Twin Turbo replied, sounding much more at ease than Rice Shower. "But it's a real shame. Turbo was this close to finishing the 2400-meter race."
As she spoke, Twin Turbo sprang to her feet.
"Turbo's already back in training! Trainer said it won't be long before I can return to the racetrack, and this time, I'm definitely going to beat Tokai Teio!"
"Turbo, you're amazing!"
"Right? Hehe~"
Unlike the cheerful pair, Rice Shower looked deeply troubled.
"But... even if you race again, you might not win. You could get hurt again. What if... what if you're not so lucky this time?"
Rice Shower's attitude was unusually pessimistic. If Kousei were here, she would hardly recognize this girl as the Rice Shower she first met.
The once-vibrant flower in her memory now hung its head, refusing to face the sun.
"Urara, have you ever thought about giving up?" Twin Turbo didn't answer Rice Shower's question directly, instead turning to Urara.
"Never!" Urara spread her arms wide, her smile growing even brighter. "Even though I never win, Urara loves running more than anything!"
"You've got a point there!" Twin Turbo laughed, pounding her clenched fist against her chest. "Turbo fought so hard just for the chance to run, so Turbo won't give up. Losing a race is frustrating, and getting hurt is painful, of course.
"But those aren't reasons to stop. Mom and Dad are watching me. I'm going to run my own way and show them how happy I am here at Tracen.
"If the day comes when I have to stop, Turbo hopes it happens on the racetrack."
A ripple stirred in Rice Shower's heart. Could Twin Turbo really beat Tokai Teio? Deep down, everyone knew the answer. Yet, Twin Turbo still chased that goal.
Her objective was as reckless as her running style, but even so, she looked like she was having the time of her life.
"So this is where you were hiding."
The three of them turned their heads to see Kyoei Bowgun slowly approaching.
"It's her..." Rice Shower shrank back, her fear intensifying.
She didn't know why Kyoei Bowgun was here. Whenever she faced her, Rice Shower always felt an inexplicable timidity, perhaps due to the guilt from the Kikuka Sho.
"You haven't changed a bit, still so timid," Kyoei Bowgun said, her expression showing not anger but a hint of pity.
Rice Shower's gaze fell on Kyoei Bowgun's bandaged legs, and her heart ached even more.
"I'm sorry! It's all Rice's fault!" Rice Shower whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
Kyoei Bowgun glanced at Twin Turbo and Urara, signaling for them to leave. Then, she moved closer to Rice Shower and gently wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.
Rice Shower's sobs grew stronger, but Kyoei Bowgun simply continued to wipe her tears until she gradually quieted down.
"Are you ready to listen to me now?"
Rice Shower nodded through her sobs, and Kyoei Bowgun began to speak. "Rice, you're even kinder than I imagined, which is why you're hurting so much. It must be because of what they said, making you think, 'It's all my fault. It's my fault for winning the race.'"
"But, Rice, I'm truly grateful to you."
"What?"
"I'm also grateful to Bourbon. Because you both gave your all to meet my challenge. To have debuted in the same generation as you two... I feel incredibly fortunate."
"But... Kyoei Bowgun and Bourbon can't race anymore. How can you feel fortunate?"
"Why, you ask?" Kyoei Bowgun pretended to think. "Perhaps it's because I'm already satisfied."
"Huh?"
"Actually, before the Kikuka Sho, I had a fight with my Trainer. I stubbornly insisted on running in that race, wanting to defeat Bourbon and prove something to the world. I gambled my entire future career on it, but in the end, I still couldn't beat her. On the final slope, I couldn't see anything—it was like being plunged into darkness.
"But then, in that darkness, I saw a single flower. I saw you, Rice, surging past me to chase after Bourbon. And for some reason... I felt a sense of release."
"Rice, the cruelest part of the Twinkle Series is that there's only one champion. But its most brilliant part is that there isn't just one champion." Kyoei Bowgun smiled brightly. "Thanks to you and Bourbon, I also became one of the protagonists of our generation. Actually..."
Kyoei Bowgun looked a little embarrassed. "After that, my Trainer and I made up. While I was lying in the hospital bed, he cried and apologized to me. After retiring, I plan to study hard and go to college. It seems my Trainer doesn't intend to coach any new Umamusume either, so he's quitting his job as a Trainer."
"Ah... oh." Rice didn't know what to say.
"We're planning to open a sports equipment store together, mainly for Umamusume. After all, my Trainer says he's not good at anything besides Umamusume."
"Congratulations," Rice finally managed after a long pause. "Wait... we?!"
"You're strong, Rice. Stronger than both me and Bourbon. So don't wear that expression anymore. It's too cruel to me and Bourbon, who gave our all and still lost."
Kyoei Bowgun lightly tapped Rice Shower's chest with her fist and said seriously, "Don't look like the world is ending. You still have goals to challenge, right? Your friends are still waiting for you—a certain genius who conquered the Spring Tenno Sho, or perhaps a certain 'villain' who caused a stir around the world.
"Run again, Rice. So what if you're the 'Black Assassin'? As long as you keep running, our generation won't be just a flash in the pan.
"No matter what anyone says, you are my hero, and Bourbon's."
How could there be no regrets? One can only strive to make every choice without shame.
Perhaps you never knew, but as you raced past, someone behind was also chasing after you.