After those exchanges...
The rest of the interview shifted.
Symboli Rudolf then, in a softer tone, asked simpler questions.
Such as what Urara saw herself becoming.
What she wanted for her future.
Nothing intense.
Nothing pressing.
And Urara remained the same.
Answering each question with that same unshaken optimism, kicking her legs carelessly while answering...
...
...
...
Half an hour passed.
Then, the interview finally ended.
Urara hopped up from her seat, beaming.
"Thank you!" she chirped, waving enthusiastically as she skipped out of the room.
Skipping into the distant, down into the corridors as she did.
Meanwhile, Rudolf stood by the door, arms crossed.
Watching silently at Urara, fading into the distance.
Only when Urara disappeared from view—
Did she sigh...
Turning back inside with the door shut behind her.
Instantly, she paced back to her desk.
"So… Prez…" Air Groove spoke, glancing over.
Rudolf paused.
"What do you think?" Air Groove added.
Rudolf then smiled faintly.
"She's… brighter than I expected."
"Given her situation, the way she carries herself… It's beyond what I can easily comprehend."
Air Groove exhaled.
"I get what you mean…"
A pause.
"So… are we still considering her? She didn't really answer anything properly. It was all… pretty much nonsense."
"Not really…" Rudolf replied quietly.
Her gaze drifted upward.
Toward the framed motto on the wall.
"Lonely… huh?" she murmured.
Then—
"Tell me, Air Groove," Symboli Rudolf said, glancing back slightly, "what did you think of what she said?"
"That she was being unserious about racing? About everything this academy stands for?"
"No…" Rudolf shook her head faintly, turning her gaze back to the framed motto, "What she said… wasn't entirely wrong."
"…Wait. You're agreeing with her?" Air Groove frowned, clearly surprised.
Rudolf gave a small, thoughtful smile.
"In some aspects… yes."
"There were values in her words that we tend to overlook."
With that, she casually walked back to her desk.
Her hand gently stroked against the desk as she did. The desk that signified her status within these walls.
"It may not seem like it… But this position I hold…" she added slightly.
"…carries more regret than you might imagine."
Air Groove's expression shifted slightly as Rudolf continued...
"I was always walking toward becoming the strongest. Sight far beyond the common victories."
"I longed to be the unequaled, the next Eclipse I would say..."
Her eyes lifted, distant.
"But in doing so…"
"She wasn't wrong about one thing."
Air Groove leaned in slightly.
"That you didn't enjoy it?"
Rudolf shook her head.
"No. I did."
"I treasured every victory."
A brief pause settled.
Then—
"But…"
"In chasing that greatness…"
"I gave up my chance to truly connect with others…"
"I was genuinely… isolated back then," Symboli Rudolf admitted, "While everyone else was building connections, I was building a fortress that kept others at bay."
"With my actions, fears settled on me, and envy clung to my achievements."
"Then… I retired."
"To preserve my glory and status, the officials arranged this seat in my name."
"But it did not diminish even a sliver of the loneliness I carried…"
"In fact, it made me lonelier than ever."
"You see… I had nothing the moment the track was removed from my life."
"The one thing I had devoted myself to for years—gone, permanently, in a single decision."
"I was bitter… crushed. I drowned myself in work, trying to distract myself from it."
"I failed to understand the true reason behind the races I had run…"
"Until…"
"I met Teio," she smiled faintly.
"The moment she enrolled—when she kept trying, over and over, to reach out to me—she showed me something I never thought I needed…"
"…companionship."
"That's why I've been trying to change. Little by little."
"Learning a few jokes here and there."
"And it's worked better than I expected."
She turned to Air Groove, chuckling.
"Speaking of which—! I have one right now. Want to hear it?"
"Please…" Air Groove stiffened instantly."Spare me."
"Alright, alright," Rudolf chuckled.
Then her expression settled.
"My decision still stands, Air Groove."
She looked out the window, toward the grounds below where the Umamusume gathered, talking, leaving together.
"Prez… what about the risk to our reputation?" Air Groove pressed.
"Calm yourself," Rudolf replied calmly, "Do you truly doubt this institution's ability to guide her?"
"Well…" Air Groove hesitated, "It's not doubt… it's uncertainty."
"She's beyond our usual metrics."
"She could become a liability. What would people think if she stays the same? If she remains… mediocre?"
Rudolf crossed her arms.
"I understand your concern."
Then she turned slightly, her gaze firm.
"But I'm willing to give her a chance."
"And for that…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"I have an idea…"
With that, the interview day came to an end.
...
...
...
The next day...
Urara found herself on the Shinkansen once again.
Already heading home after those few days in Tokyo.
There, she sat by the window, eyes wide as she watched the world blur past once more.
Like when she was on her journey to Tokyo.
The mountains, oceans, and buildings, all shifting before her eyes in an instant, once more.
And the speed remained almost unreal.
Beside her, her parents sat quietly.
Her father had already drifted off to sleep.
While her mother remained awake, calmly watching over her.
As Urara kept staring outside...
Until eventually, she leaned back into her seat, humming softly, kicking her legs.
Then—
"Mom…" She uttered.
"Is Mary-chan going to be alright…?"
Her mother paused, slightly taken aback.
Then—
She smiled gently.
Her hand was resting on Urara's head, stroking her hair gently as she replied.
"I believe so…"
But Urara's gaze lowered.
"Did I mess it up… Mom?" she asked.
"Where did Mary-chan go…?"
"Did I hurt her…?"
"Why haven't I seen her…?"
And her voice became fainter with each question.
Her mother paused just for a moment.
Then smiled gently.
"Well… you did nothing wrong, Urara," she said softly, "In fact… You did the right thing by stepping in."
"And I'm proud of you for that," she continued.
"As for why you haven't seen her… she's probably busy right now."
"I'm sure she'll come looking for you when she's ready."
Instead of being assured, Urara continued looking down.
"But… didn't you say I shouldn't interfere…?"
"I'm scared I might've done something wrong…"
"That I changed everything between us…"
"Our promises… our friendship…"
Her mother then shook her head.
"Not at all," she corrected softly.
"Honestly… you were right to step in."
"Without you… she might never have found the strength to walk away."
"Without you… she could've kept suffering."
She then continued, stroking gently on Urara's head.
"So be happy, Urara."
"Be happy that you…"
"…saved her."
Upon hearing that response, Urara's ears finally perked as she looked up.
Then nodded firmly.
"Alright! Thanks, Mom!"
Her mother smiled.
"That's my girl…"
With that, Urara calmed down and began to nuzzle closer to her mother.
Then slowly drifted off to sleep.
As the train carried them home, the time passed quietly.
And their journey home was one step closer...
…
…
…
Once again—
Urara opened her eyes and found herself in that same void.
The place where she met Mary's silhouette before.
"Whoa! I got teleported again!" she declared.
Then—
From the shadows, a figure stepped forward.
Standing right in front of her.
"Mary-chan!"
Urara's face lit up instantly.
"I missed you! Where have you been?!"
But, instead of answering...
The figure simply stepped closer.
Out of nowhere, she hugged her.
And Urara froze, bewildered by the figure's action.
"Mary-chan…?" she whispered, her head over her shoulder.
Before she could say anything more...
The figure pulled away as it bowed.
And turned.
Slowly walking off.
"Mary-chan…?" Urara called again, trying to reach out.
But—
The distance grew again.
Further and further.
Reluctantly, Urara ran after her like last time.
"Mary-chan!"
"Where are you going?!" She called.
"What about our promise?!"
But the figure didn't look back; it just kept walking.
Fading into the distance again.
"Mary-chan!" Urara cried again, stretching her hand forward, desperately to reach her again.
But—
She grasped nothing.
Nothing but the empty void in front of her.
Until—
"Mary-chan!!! Come back!" Urara cried, her voice breaking as the figure merged into the darkness again.
"MARY-CHAN!"
Then—
She jolted awake.
"Mary-chan!" she called softly as she woke from her dream.
Her eyes fluttered, vision slowly clearing.
She realized the train had stopped.
It only meant one thing...
They had arrived.
Beside her, her mother gently held her wrist.
"Come on, Urara. We're here."
Still a little dazed, Urara nodded.
Together, they stepped off the Shinkansen alongside other bystanders.
After a moment of stretching and gathering themselves, they walked again, returning to their home.
As they walked—
Urara turned her head one last time, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Mary-chan…" she murmured.
"Where are you…?"
"I… I missed you…"