A moment later...
The two were now found seated on a nearby bench as the evening breeze gently swept across the training grounds, and distant footsteps remained echoed from the track.
Meanwhile, Urara was busy doing something far more important.
Drinking.
Or rather...
She was demolishing the bottle of water Ishida had given her.
*Gulp*
*Gulp*
*Gulp*
It was as though she had wandered through the Sahara Desert for three days without water.
And only after draining nearly the entire bottle did she finally pull it away.
"Ahhh!" She sighed in relief.
"It was really refreshing!"
"Thanks, Teach!" She beamed.
Meanwhile, Ishida simply sighed, asking.
"What are you doing by pushing yourself that hard?"
"You know, repeatedly forcing yourself beyond your limits can seriously damage your legs."
"But if I don't, I can't catch up to everyone!" Urara replied.
She then clenched both her fists.
"That's why I have to work harder!"
"So I can run alongside everyone else and won't be left behind!"
At that, Ishida slightly nodded.
"I-I see..."
"But be careful, Urara."
He glanced toward the track.
"Injuring yourself during training has ended many racing careers before they even truly began."
"And I've seen many Umamusume suffer the same fate without any recovery."
"You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"Whoa!"
Urara's ears instantly perked up.
"I got it, Teach!"
"Then I'll just have to push myself moderately hard!"
"That's..."
Ishida paused.
"Still not exactly the lesson I was trying to teach."
"Hehehe!" And Urara simply chuckled.
Then, the two fell silent as Urara quietly resumed her humming to herself.
Swinging her legs back and forth from the bench.
Completely carefree.
While beside her, Ishida simply watched the training grounds.
And listened to the distant sounds of runners continuing their practice beneath the fading evening sky.
Until—
"Say, Urara..."
Ishida finally broke the silence.
"Hm?" Urara hummed, still swinging her legs.
"If you don't mind me asking..."
"What exactly made you decide to pursue a racing career?"
Urara blinked.
"A racing career?"
"Yeah."
Ishida leaned back slightly.
"I mean, there are probably plenty of other paths you could've chosen."
"Yet you decided to become a racer."
"Why?"
He paused before correcting.
"I get that running is in an Umamusume's nature."
"But what made you want to chase it?"
"What was it that pushed you toward that dream?"
"Even if it means you might not be as dominant as—"
Before he could finish—
"Well! I like running!"
Urara answered immediately, grinning.
"It makes me feel excited every time I run!"
"Besides, I have promises I need to fulfill!"
"Promises?"
"Yep!"
"The ones I made back home!"
"With everyone else believing in me!"
She clenched both fists again.
"That's why I need to train harder!"
"So I can fulfill them before it's too late!"
At that, Ishida fell silent.
And he simply looked at her.
At the girl who continued swinging her legs without a care in the world.
Smiling as though the entire world was something to be enjoyed.
Then, only after a moment, he spoke again.
"No, Urara."
"Hm?" and Urara turned, caught slightly off guard.
"I mean you."
"What do you mean, Teach?" Urara asked, completely confused.
Ishida then looked ahead and back toward the track, quietly asking.
"Deep down..."
"There must be a real reason that you run..."
"The real reason?"
"Yes, the flame that pushed you."
He paused.
"What is it?"
"What is the thing you're truly chasing?"
For the first time since the conversation began, Urara didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she softly repeated the words, "My... flame?"
As though she had never really thought about them before.
And for once—
Her humming stopped.
Suddenly, memories flashed through Urara's mind.
One after another.
The countless days she spent running through the streets of Kouchi.
The joy she always felt whenever the wind brushed past her face.
The smile that naturally appeared whenever her feet started moving.
Then came the people she met.
Mary.
The promises they shared.
The training sessions with Rush.
Her losses, her struggles to keep up.
The times she fell behind.
The times she was left in the dust.
Yet somehow—
She always found herself running again.
Again.
And again.
But what was driving her?
Why did she still do it?
Why was she still running?
Deep down...
Why?
What was it...?
What was that flame...?
...
...
...
At that...
Another memory surfaced.
A much older memory, from when Urara was much smaller.
In a familiar place—one she hadn't realized she'd missed after only a week away.
Sitting cross-legged in front of a television.
Watching a race broadcast, her eyes sparkling as the Umamusume sprinted across the screen.
"Whoa!" she yelled.
"They-They're so cool!"
Young Urara leaned closer, unable to look away.
Completely captivated.
"I-I wish I could be like them!" her younger self said, pointing excitedly at the screen.
"I wish I could..."
"...I could..." Her eyes widened.
"...I could be like them and one day..."
"...have a win of my own!"
And suddenly—
As quickly as it came, her memory faded, returning to the present.
And so were the sounds of the training grounds.
With that, slowly, her smile softened.
"I..."
"I guess I want to win."
The words left her mouth firmly.
"Even if it's hard."
"Even if it feels impossible."
She clenched her hands together.
"But one day..."
A smile slowly returned to her face.
"I hope one day, I as Urara..."
"...will win a race. And have a victory of my own!" she declared.
"After all..."
"I've raced so many times."
"I've watched so many people win."
Her gaze drifted toward the horizon.
And for the first time, Ishida could hear the longing hidden beneath her usual cheerful voice.
"I hope..."
"I hope I can experience it too."
"The feeling of crossing the finish line first."
"The feeling of winning."
She smiled, aiming for a dream that was so simple.
So ordinary...
Yet somehow—
To her... It meant everything.
Maybe... even more than everything?
At that, Ishida softly smiled.
"I... I see..."
Then he quietly added,
"What if you can't?"
"What if you never win?"
"What if, no matter how hard you try, you never reach that finish line first?"
"Will you still continue?"
"Will you keep..."
"...running?"
"Of course!"
And Urara answered immediately again.
"After all, I don't just want to win!"
Ishida blinked, turning back to Urara.
"You don't?"
Urara shook her head.
"I want to fulfill my promises!"
"I want people to smile because of me!"
"I want to make everyone happy because of me!"
She pointed proudly at herself.
"Just like I did for everyone back home!"
"For Mom and Dad!"
"For Mary-chan!"
"For Rush-chan!"
"And everyone else too!"
Her eyes sparkled.
"Hopefully, I can reach even more people!"
"Even further than before!"
Then she suddenly turned toward him.
Grinning brightly.
"And one day!"
"I hope I can make teach smile too!"
"Like how I did to everyone back home!"
At that, Ishida froze slightly, muttering.
"U-Urara..."
For a brief moment, he simply stared at her.
Then, slowly, he smiled.
"Well..."
He looked away slightly.
"I'll hold you to that promise then."
"Sure!"
Urara grinned.
Then, Ishida turned back toward Urara.
"By the way..."
"Hm?"
"Why Tracen of all places?"
Urara tilted her head.
"What do teach mean?"
"You could've chosen another institution."
"One that might've been more suitable for you."
"One that better matched your abilities and circumstances."
"I don't know."
Urara just shrugged casually.
"I just liked how it sounded!"
Ishida blinked.
"That's it?"
"Yep!"
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Besides, Young-chan recommended it!"
"Young-chan...?" Ishida frowned in confusion.
Urara immediately nodded.
"Yeah!"
"She was my friend back home!"
A nostalgic smile crossed her face.
"I already miss her and Lin-chan."
"They were like two peas..."
Suddenly, she stopped.
Her brows furrowed.
Her finger pressed against her chin.
"Hmm..."
For several seconds, she sat there pondering with utmost seriousness.
Until—
"In a boat!"
She declared triumphantly.
"I think the phrase is 'two peas in a pod.'" Ishida sighed.
"Oh!"
Urara's eyes widened.
"That's right!"
She slapped her fist into her palm.
"Two peas in a pod!"
Meanwhile, Ishida simply shook his head.
Then, he added quietly, "Well..." rubbing the back of his head.
"I can say that your reason for choosing Tracen is..."
He paused, thinking of the right words.
Before settling with, "...interesting?"
Then suddenly—
"WOOOOOW!"
Urara shot up from the bench.
Her fist punched into the air triumphantly.
The sudden outburst nearly sent Ishida out of his seat.
"W-What?!"
He jolted.
"What's wrong?!"
"After talking with teach!"
"I feel pumped!"
She then pointed at him dramatically.
"Thank you, teach!"
"Thank you for talking with me!"
Then she clenched both fists.
"I'm going back to training now!"
"And run even more!"
Before Ishida could respond—
Urara was already backing away.
"Bye-bye, Teach!"
"See you again soon!"
She waved enthusiastically.
Then turned around and dashed back toward the field.
Toward the track.
Toward the training she had interrupted after collapsing.
Meanwhile, Ishida remained seated on the bench, still shellshocked.
Watching her disappear into the crowd of runners.
Eventually, he sighed.
A small smile formed on his face.
"So..."
"So that's who she really is."
For a moment, he simply sat there.
Watching her go.
Then his smile faded slightly.
"Too bad..."
He added as he rose from his seat.
"She doesn't fit into Tracen."
"No matter how hard she works."
He paused.
"And yet..."
"I can see why Rudolf wants her to stay."
"But..."
"Even if Rudolf did... or I did..."
"The truth is..."
"She couldn't..."
"Especially with all those impossible odds stacked against her..."
"So... I'm sorry, Urara."
"But still... I hope I can help you in other ways."
"If fate allows it, Urara..."
With that, he turned to leave.
But halfway through his stride, before he had completely left the training grounds, he glanced back one final time.
And there she was.
Down on the track.
Urara.
Cheerfully waving at him, a bright smile plastered across her face.
Instinctively, Ishida raised a hand and waved back.
Only then did he turn away.
And as he walked from the training grounds, a final thought crossed his mind.
"But one thing I can say for certain... Urara is no black sheep."
"She's just..."
"...lucky."