Mr. C.B. froze.
After hearing what happened in the hallway from Tokai Teio, she didn't even know why—only that an indescribable tension clenched her chest.
And by the time she came back to herself, she'd already sprinted out of the student council room.
Why was she looking for him?
Where was she supposed to look?
And even if she found him… what would she say?
She didn't know.
All she could feel was the single thought echoing through her mind—
Find him. Don't let him get hurt.
She searched from morning to noon. She barely ate something quick, recovered a little stamina, and then immediately started running again.
In her entire life, Mr. C.B. had never run this hard for someone else.
And then—she found him.
And she saw it.
She knew Oguri Cap. A girl who looked a little blank most of the time—yet undeniably strong.
Oguri Cap still hadn't signed with a trainer either, though for reasons completely different from Mr. C.B.'s.
Oguri Cap had said once: "I'm waiting for someone."
Mr. C.B. had even blessed her: "I hope you meet the person you're waiting for soon."
But she never imagined that the "someone" Oguri Cap meant… was Yuu.
And she never imagined she'd arrive in time to hear Oguri Cap's words just now.
"Ah—ahaha! Sorry to interrupt!" Mr. C.B. scratched her head, snatched up the can of cola that had fallen near her foot, and immediately turned and ran. "I was just passing by—just passing by!"
She ran.
No—she fled.
Ignoring the voice calling after her, she vanished down the training-ground path.
She ignored the shocked looks from classmates along the way, ignored the greetings from her support club.
Mr. C.B. only wanted to run—run until she had nothing left.
She didn't know how long it was before she finally stopped.
Leaning against a wall, she slid down to the ground, then let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh.
She was an Umamusume. If she truly ran until she had no strength left, she would've blasted straight out of campus long ago.
So why had she stopped?
She didn't know. Some stray impulse had simply told her to.
Mr. C.B. looked around—and suddenly went still.
A familiar vending machine.
A familiar bench.
Yesterday, she and Yuu had sat right here, drinking together.
"Ah… honestly, what am I doing…" she murmured with a soft laugh, but the sound carried a thin thread of bitterness.
She didn't have any relationship with Yuu. And yet, the moment she heard he'd almost been hurt, she'd rushed out like an idiot.
And then she'd arrived like an idiot—just in time to see that scene.
Yes. An idiot.
As her ragged breathing gradually calmed and the fatigue washed away, her thoughts started to clear.
If she thought about it rationally… why had she run?
Yuu was a new trainer, but his talent was more than bright enough to be obvious.
Oguri Cap might still be unpolished, but she had the kind of potential that could one day stand among the greats.
If those two became a pair, they'd surely become a combination no less formidable than her "Emperor" friend.
Wasn't she supposed to congratulate them?
Mr. C.B. was an emotional person at her core—otherwise where would her seamless, free-spirited running aesthetic come from?
But she also had enough restraint to suppress those feelings with reason, or she'd be no different from that classmate who was always yelling, "Charge! Charge!"
And yet, just a moment ago—when she'd seen Oguri Cap "confess"—
Mr. C.B.'s reason had vanished completely.
She didn't want to see them standing together.
She didn't want to hear Yuu say the word "yes."
So she ran.
She looked down at her own feet and felt like laughing at herself.
"Maybe those trainers weren't entirely wrong… Maybe I really am suited to being a 'runner' after all."
The words were barely more than a whisper, fragile as thread, dissolving into the cool air.
Tap.
A crisp sound came from the side, and Mr. C.B.'s body jolted.
She'd only heard that sound for the first time yesterday—yet it felt like it had been carved into her brain.
And right now, she didn't want to hear it.
Mr. C.B. pressed her lips together and instinctively hugged her knees, trying to fold herself smaller.
"I don't think an Umamusume's body size is quite small enough to hide behind a vending machine," a young man's voice said beside her, smiling in its tone—teasing, yet strangely calming.
Her nose twitched.
That familiar, sweet scent made her loosen—just a little.
Even now, she still couldn't understand what that familiar smell actually was.
Of course, her tangled thoughts weren't in any condition to analyze anything.
"Why are you here?" she asked, forcing the words out. "Shouldn't you be signing with Oguri Cap?"
The moment it left her mouth, she knew it sounded wrong.
It was a normal question—but somehow, it came out laced with something sour.
"…Congratulations," she added, as if patching it over with a ribbon. "You found a good Umamusume."
"No," Yuu said. "I didn't sign."
Mr. C.B. snapped her head up. He was still smiling, utterly unbothered, leaning against the vending machine as if he'd always been there.
"…Why?"
"She didn't run the qualifiers."
"…"
Trecent Academy held qualifying races multiple times each year. Trainers gathered, learned a racer's suitable distance and style—and then, within a limited window afterward, were allowed to sign a contract.
It was meant to prevent poaching, and to prevent irresponsible contracts made before a racer's aptitude was confirmed.
A simple rule:
Once you run a qualifier, you have one month to sign.
And Oguri Cap's last qualifier had been thirty-two days ago.
So… the window was closed.
Mr. C.B. stared for a beat, then finally understood.
Her body trembled—and she doubled over laughing.
"Hahahaha! What kind of reason is that?!"
Yuu shrugged helplessly. He bought a can of cola for himself. He could tell she wasn't being malicious—she was simply genuinely amused.
Hiss—
Carbonation screamed out of the can as he cracked it open.
Mr. C.B. had laughed enough. She rubbed her stomach, which now ached, and wiped at the corners of her eyes.
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."
"I know," Yuu said, taking a sip.
After laughing, the sour tightness inside Mr. C.B. eased a little.
She watched him drink his cola, unhurried, and suddenly realized her own throat was dry from all that running.
Oh—right. She still had this.
She reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a can of cola. The bottom was slightly dented from the earlier impact.
She'd bought it for Yuu… but since he'd already bought one for himself—
Then she'd just keep this one.
Yuu seemed to hear the tab click into place. He quickly cut in.
"Hey—wait—"
Too late.
Hiss—
This time, instead of a clean burst of gas, there was a wet spray.
Sticky, sweet cola fountained out of the can's mouth and splattered all over Yuu's clothes.
"Ah…"
"…Well," Yuu said, sounding resigned, "now you're going to have to wash two outfits for me."
"…Sorry," Mr. C.B. muttered, face heating as she stared at the mess she'd made.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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