"Can we watch the Uma Musume races?"
"We're in class."
"But today is his debut as a trainer."
The teacher stopped and silently looked at the student who had spoken.
"Alice."
She murmured the student's name, then simply tossed her the TV remote and leaned back in her chair.
"Thanks for reminding me…"
The teacher sighed, but the student was no longer paying attention to her, already searching for the debut race at Kasamatsu.
Although it was difficult, they knew who might be televising it.
"I still wonder how bored he must have been to finally agree to do something for them."
A black-haired boy said while lazily stretching in his seat. The rest of his classmates also settled in, waiting to watch this Uma Musume race.
"Well, he was silent for two months before getting bored. That's an achievement in itself."
An orange-haired girl sitting near him said calmly as she finished drawing what appeared to be an imposing-looking throne.
"Though without him here, it's starting to get monotonous for everyone."
The girl murmured while looking at the faces of her other classmates present.
They had all been involved in that incident in which he was involved.
But in the end, that was more of a dangerous adventure, and at least they were still alive.
"I found it!"
Alice announced excitedly, and the orange-haired girl watched her, recalling in her mind the relationship between Alice and their absent classmate.
"A total tsundere."
"I heard someone slandering me."
Alice turned around while crossing her arms.
"It was Ai."
A black-haired boy lazily pointed at the orange-haired girl, who nodded in confirmation.
"Could you sit down? The race is about to start."
Their teacher interrupted, and Alice huffed as she returned to her seat.
"Welcome to our live broadcast from Kasamatsu."
A female voice was heard as one of the race commentators.
"Today, on my debut as a commentator, I'll be narrating the debut race of many dream-chasing Uma Musume at Kasamatsu."
"At least she wasn't so narcissistic this time."
The teacher murmured while playing with her hair, bored.
"The two favorite Uma Musume today are number one, Fujimasa March, star of the Trancen Academy in Kasamatsu, part of Team Stella led by rookie trainer Kiyoshi Ishikawa."
"Kiyoshi? Couldn't he think of a better name?"
Alice crossed her arms and asked with a grimace.
Several of her classmates agreed with her, as there were many names he could have used.
"Well, it's very complicated for him to think of names."
Ai defended Kiyoshi without much effort; anyway, he wouldn't mind a comment about his lack of creativity.
"And with number five, Oguri Cap, a girl unnoticed by many but with enormous potential. Although the anime might not mention her team's name, she is part of Jo Kitahara's team."
"Shall we bet?"
"That's unfair."
"Last time I lost five gold coins; I still need to recover."
"I have a date with my girlfriend today."
"My parents took away my allowance."
More excuses began to be heard in the classroom, all to avoid starting a bet with that boy, who only sighed in disappointment.
"How you've stopped being those children who dared to bet with me. How you've grown."
The boy wiped away fake tears, and his classmates could feel nothing but a bit of annoyance at his words.
"All the runners are ready."
"Take your seats and shut up if you want to watch this."
Their teacher ordered, and everyone obeyed without protest.
Among all those present, whether in rank, age, or influence, they were far inferior to their blue-haired teacher, who appeared to be their own age.
"And the race begins with Fujimasa March taking the lead!"
—————
"Oguri Cap had a bad start and is now in last place."
"Hmm?"
Kenji raised an eyebrow while watching the Uma Musume in last place.
"She started very focused. Why did she have a bad start?"
"Ask her."
Kiyoshi said dryly, and Kenji rolled his eyes.
"But that's not a concern. We both know the only real competition is between the two of them."
Kiyoshi said quietly, and Kenji nodded.
But if Oguri Cap managed to win, she wouldn't just prove her dominance.
There was also the possibility that March would have a negative reaction to the defeat.
"Oguri Cap begins to catch up to the group after her poor start."
Just as both black-haired boys had predicted, the Uma Musume began to catch up to the rest of the competition.
"Number one, Fujimasa March, is in the lead."
The named runner remained in the lead, maintaining a small distance from her follower.
"In second place, number three, South Heroine; in third place is number eight, Sekai Toha."
'My only goal.'
Her steady pace still made a difference; she could notice it by glancing at her closest pursuers.
'We're on the third curve... and I still can't find her.'
March turned her gaze forward again; she still had enough energy to maintain her lead and accelerate.
'The best moment...'
She remembered her trainer's words, and her gaze became even more focused.
"We're about to reach the fourth curve, and the leader is Fujimasa March!"
"Close behind is South Heroine, and the rest of the Uma Musume are hot on her heels!"
Fatigue began to show on the faces of the Uma Musume, but two stood out.
"It's a bit boring when you know what's going to happen."
"If you want, I can factory reset you."
Kiyoshi said dryly, and Kenji sighed.
"I knew you could do it."
"I'm joking, though I could do something similar by hitting your head against the concrete."
Kiyoshi frowned, and Kenji let out an incredulous chuckle.
"But... it's time."
Kiyoshi leaned forward, and a smile formed on his face.
"200 meters to go!"
At the same time the announcement was heard over the speakers, March took a firm step on the track and, just as she had been told,
accelerated.
"And Fujimasa March accelerates and begins to increase her lead!"
As the distance between March and the other Uma Musume increased, the distance between March and Oguri Cap only began to shrink.
"What a great surprise! Another pair of swift legs is coming from behind!"
March felt a slight shiver as she continued running.
She couldn't afford to take her eyes off her important goal.
But she could sense it.
'Don't get overconfident.'
Again and again, those words began to resonate in her head, like a hammer striking with increasing force.
"Number five, Oguri Cap, is entering the scene!"
The pressure she had begun to feel only increased.
"Oguri Cap is climbing rapidly!"
Every step on the ground, every second that passed.
She could feel it now.
'It's like that day.'
That moment was engraved in her mind, that day when she saw another version of Kiyoshi.
But... it was far inferior.
Yes, the feeling was similar, but far inferior.
"Oguri Cap is making an epic comeback!"
But...
March felt that if she didn't give it her all now, she would only see that guy's back for the rest of her life.
Her right foot sank into the sandy ground, and with a new burst, March continued her race.
"Oguri Cap continues to advance powerfully, and the leader, Fujimasa, doesn't slow down!"
"Oguri Cap takes second place and is dangerously close to Fujimasa!"
The distance that once existed between them had drastically reduced, and now Oguri Cap was just a short distance behind the leader, who gritted her teeth while maintaining her pace.
'So...'
"100 meters to go!"
"Will Fujimasa March win?! Or will it be Oguri Cap?!"
Oguri Cap closed the distance again, and now she and March were inches apart.
'This is what you were talking about...'
March glanced at her nearby rival.
An emotion welled up inside her as a smile began to form on her face.
'It's amazing.'
March turned her gaze back to her goal.
"But I won't lose in a low-level race!"
She would win; she could win.
Both gray-haired Uma Musume increased their pace simultaneously, their bodies seeming to cut through the air due to their speed as they drew closer and closer to the finish line.
"Hmm."
Though he didn't have the sharpest instincts, the feeling he had right now was similar to those past events.
"This is..."
Kenji glanced at Kiyoshi, who watched the finish with his arms crossed.
"Very unnatural?"
Kiyoshi questioned as both Uma Musume crossed the finish line.
"This is perfectly natural for Uma Musume."
"The finish line light confirms it!"
The sound of her breathing was perfectly audible as she leaned forward slightly, trying to catch her breath.
"First place goes to Fujimasa March, second place Oguri Cap..."
She stopped paying attention to the announcement and focused solely on catching her breath.
"This is the third/second time."
The ears of both Uma Musume twitched simultaneously as they caught that murmur from the other.
The rest of the Uma Musume began to finish their own races, but the two top finishers remained in their places, catching their breath while exchanging discreet glances.
The memory was still fresh in their minds.
'She was there too.'
Although occasionally absent-minded,
Oguri Cap had never forgotten that scene, those figures, and those words all this time.
Today, just before this race ended, she found herself in that place again, but this time she wasn't alone.
"Oguri Cap."
March whispered. She had seen her out of the corner of her eye; they were both running on that strange path illuminated by blue flames, and although they kept running, their positions never moved during the few seconds they were there.
It was as if they were running in place the whole time.
"Oguri, March."
The loud call made both Uma Musume automatically turn toward the direction of the voice.
"Good race."
It was a congratulation accompanied by a smile, but the smile conveyed nothing of what it should.
It was empty.
Though Oguri didn't care much about that and simply puffed her cheeks with slight annoyance while pointing at him.
"Why didn't you tell me this race was for qualifying for the Tokai Derby?"
Kiyoshi was honestly confused.
First... since when did a debut race influence the points for a G1 race?
And second...
"You don't know what the Tokai Derby is, do you?"
Kiyoshi asked, and Oguri seemed even more annoyed.
"Isn't it the restaurant where you worked?"
Laughter reached the three of them, and Oguri only felt more embarrassed when Belno laughed while walking toward them.
"The Tokai Derby is a regional G1 race, Oguri-chan."
The Uma Musume said with a small smile while Kiyoshi silently watched the crimson liquid dripping down Oguri's hand.
'Although she's not focused on winning, she instinctively pushes herself.'
Kiyoshi thought calmly while searching his pockets and then handed Oguri a handkerchief, who had already noticed her situation.
"You should be more careful."
Kiyoshi said calmly as he began to wipe Oguri's blood-covered hand with the handkerchief.
All under the silent gaze of March, who simply huffed and turned away.
———-
"It was a very exciting race, and we witnessed the debut of two great Uma Musume who will undoubtedly be frequent participants in our future programming."
The commentator's cheerful voice slowly brought the silent classroom back to life after watching the end of that race.
Interrogative looks were exchanged, as if to confirm their thoughts weren't mistaken.
"Is he getting involved with an Uma Musume?"
The class rebel was the first to ask, and consequently,
the first to be sent flying when a backpack slammed into his face, knocking him down.
"The first one has been sacrificed."
A black-haired girl sighed with slight amusement while looking at the person who had thrown the bag.
"Our Russian classmate Alice got very excited after that race."
"Ishikawa-senpai is always kind to the girls; I'm not surprised he has many admirers at school."
Another boy began to praise the trainer while writing something in his book.
"That's why I've created a ranking of who he should consider dating when he returns to university."
"Hey!"
The black-haired boy who had mocked them earlier stood up and looked at his classmate with annoyance.
"That's my job as his personal bodyguard! How can you take on that role, a mere recruit?!"
"And here we go again with this."
A blonde murmured as all the boys began to argue about their "ranks" and occupations, while the blonde who had been hit by the bag simply joined the argument as if nothing had happened.
"But..."
The blonde turned her attention back to the screen, which still showed images of Kiyoshi attending to Oguri Cap.
"I guess we all felt it..."
She looked at her classmates, who nodded silently.
More than feeling, it was the familiarity they had been exposed to during that incident, and they had gained some experience in it.
"It seems Uma Musume are more than what we initially knew."
Alice said calmly while crossing her arms.
"Alright, three seconds."
Their teacher spoke, and all discussion ceased.
"Three."
The countdown had barely begun, and all the students were already perfectly seated in their places.
"Let's continue with class. Discuss your matters during breaks, and..."
The teacher paused and looked at all her students.
"If you wish, create a security perimeter."
————-
"Hmm, March-senpai didn't disappoint."
Her ears twitched as images of the recent race's finish replayed several times, all starting from that key point where March took a slight lead over Oguri, who was already on her heels.
Her ears twitched again as she raised her hands slightly, closing her eyes to concentrate.
"I understand."
She opened her eyes again, her blue eyes now watching the scene of Kiyoshi attending to Oguri.
A smile began to form on her face as she clasped her hands.
"That's good to know."
"Neo, the food is ready."
Her ears twitched once more as she stood up, the television programming being interrupted as she ran toward the kitchen.
"Coming, Mom!"
Her words filled with happiness as she smiled with genuine joy.
And it was no wonder.
'He knows about me.'
That was something that made her as happy as the day she got this second chance, a new life.
It would be better to say... a third chance.
After all... not many knew what had happened a few months ago.
End of Chapter.
And a new chapter.
Very late, really, but this past week was very heavy for me at work, and I could only write this last Friday.
Anyway, the chapter is short for a very simple reason.
This is the last part that will stay aligned with the Cinderella anime, although there have already been changes. From here on out, I'm leaving a lot of things up to my own writing :v.
This week, while I was at work, spacing out to make time pass faster, an idea came to me. It was very good, but I more or less dismissed it since that would require gathering a lot of information and creating many Uma Musume with personalities that fit my vision of those countries.
Also, while researching about Neo U with my friends, they mentioned to me that she knows the truth about him because they are Uma Musume (I don't know if that's the correct term) and the truth of his world.
So I said, well, since I'm going to include her, I'll add a few more things as well.
Basically, Neo knows Kiyoshi's true identity, the truth about the moon, and even knows more about other matters that will come up throughout the story.
I don't think I have much more to mention, but if you're curious about anything, don't hesitate to ask, and I'll answer as best I can.
With nothing more to say, see you next time!