Back at the track, the last rays of sunlight slowly dipped beneath the horizon.
And still lingering by the sideline, Yuiji and King stood facing one another.
King kept her head lowered, still hesitating.
Until—
"So... King?" Yuiji repeated. "What is it that you wished to tell me?"
Only then did King finally raise her head, giving it a small shake.
"It's okay, Trainer. It's..."
"Nothing important."
Yuiji blinked.
He stared at her hesitant expression for a moment, clearly unconvinced.
But eventually, he simply smiled.
"Okay..."
He turned and slung his duffel bag over his shoulder.
Just before leaving, he glanced back at her.
"But..."
"If you ever change your mind and want to tell me about it..."
"I'm all ears."
"And I'll do my best to help you."
He smiled faintly.
"After all... you were the one who gave me a chance to become a trainer."
"Without you, who knows where I'd be now?"
"So..."
"It's the least I can do if you ever need my help."
King looked at him, a small smile appearing on her face as well.
"O-Okay."
She paused, lowering her gaze again.
"And... thank you, Trainer."
"But really... it's nothing important."
"I'll make sure to come to you whenever I need assistance with something I know you can help me with."
She then gave him a polite bow.
"Farewell, Trainer."
"Good night."
At that, Yuiji smiled softly and waved.
"You too, King."
"And be careful, you two."
"Don't stay out too late."
"You still have a curfew to follow."
"And I don't want to be responsible for either of you being late again."
King immediately straightened, her posture becoming proud.
"Don't worry, Trainer."
"As a first-rated Umamusume, I would never fail in my obligations as a respectable student of this institution."
Yuiji chuckled.
"Then I'll take your word for it."
With that, he turned and began walking away, waving over his shoulder.
"Bye, King!"
"See you tomorrow!"
King was just about to quietly wave back when—
"Bye-bye, Mr. King's Trainer!"
King jolted and turned around.
Urara had finally managed to get back onto her feet and was now waving energetically at Yuiji beside her.
Yuiji looked back one last time, a faint smile on his face.
"Bye-bye to you too, Urara."
Only then did he continue walking, his figure gradually disappearing into the distance.
As silence settled over the track, King slowly turned toward Urara.
"Took you long enough to get up."
"You know we need to get back—"
Before she could finish, Urara suddenly snapped her attention toward the horizon.
"Whoa...!" She gasped.
"The sun's already going down!"
"We'd better hurry!"
"We don't want Fuji-chan scolding us again!"
King slumped in defeat. Somehow, Urara had managed to make it sound like this was her fault.
She muttered under her breath, staring at the energetic girl in disbelief.
"This girl..."
And with that...
Their training session had finally come to an end.
As the duo began making their way off the track once and for all...
...
...
...
Some time later...
The two girls had safely returned to their dorm.
Both were now dressed in their pajamas, the fluorescent light humming softly overhead. Outside, crickets chirped beneath the darkness of the night.
Inside, King sat at her desk, carefully reviewing her homework.
At the same time, across the room, Urara was sprawled across her bed, holding her favorite manga and humming happily as she read.
Eventually, King sighed and called out.
"Urara."
"Hm?" Urara stirred slightly.
"Are you ever going to study?"
She then glanced over her shoulder.
"Given your current academic performance..."
"It's very unlikely you'll last long at Tracen if you keep this up."
"Hmm..." Urara pondered.
"But studying makes my head hurt."
"And I hate that feeling."
"So..."
"I really don't want to..."
King rolled her eyes as she muttered in disbelief.
"What a ridiculous excuse..."
She then turned back toward Urara and continued more firmly.
"But studying is important!"
"It helps develop your mind!"
"That sharpness matters on the track, too!"
"You need to keep your thoughts clear so you can react properly, maintain your pace, and make better decisions during a race!"
"It's part of what helps us race efficiently."
"You don't want your mind becoming dull when you race, do you?"
"Hmm..." Urara stirred again, and this time she rubbed her chin while continuing to stare at her manga.
"But..."
"We don't have to answer quizzes while we're racing."
She tilted her head.
"So why does it matter?"
King stared at her for a moment.
Then sighed in absolute defeat.
"Why am I even bothering trying...?"
She turned back toward her desk.
"At least she finished her homework."
"That's something."
Once again, the room gradually settled into silence.
Only the turning of pages and the scratching of King's pen filled the dormitory.
Time passed quietly as King worked through her notes while Urara continued reading her manga, occasionally humming to herself.
Neither disturbed the other.
Until...
King slowly raised her head again, her eyes still fixed on her textbook as she spoke.
"Hey, Urara."
"Yes...?"
"Let's say..."
"You were given a chance to enroll in Tracen permanently."
"But..."
"You would have to give up racing."
King finally turned toward her.
"Would you take it?"
"Would you secure your place here..."
"...even if it meant giving up your racing career?"
Silence followed, with Urara's humming continuing for a few more seconds.
Until—
"No."
She answered almost without hesitation before simply returning to her manga.
At that, King's lips simply curled into a faint smile as she turned back toward her desk.
"Figured..."
But before she could fully return her attention to her revision, Urara continued.
"What's the point of staying at Tracen if I can't race?"
"The whole reason I'm here is so I can run!"
"I get to race on the big screen!"
"And I can show Mom, Dad, and everyone back home that I'm trying to become a better version of myself!"
"Even when I lose..."
"I want them to keep seeing me smile, knowing their Urara is doing okay!"
She turned another page as she continued.
"I also promised everyone back home that I'd keep racing."
"That someday, I'd win!"
"But I also want everyone to see that racing doesn't always have to be gloomy and serious."
"You can enjoy it."
"And you can still be happy, even when you lose!"
Urara then smiled brighter.
"Besides... I really love racing!"
"That's why I'm here in the first place!"
"Tracen is the perfect place to experience the real thing!"
"Just like what Young-chan used to tell me!"
"Y-Young-chan...?"
King blinked in confusion.
Meanwhile, Urara continued while sitting up slightly.
"And I can't wait for my first proper race!"
"I hope I get to stay here, though."
"Then I can race with El-chan, Grass-chan, Sei-chan..."
"...and you!"
"But even if I don't..."
"That's okay!"
"As long as I can keep racing, I'll be happy!"
She fidgeted excitedly before suddenly throwing her hands into the air.
"Just thinking about it makes me excited!"
Upon hearing that, King lowered her head slightly.
Only after a moment did she ask another question.
"But what if you do get to race..."
"...only for you to keep losing?"
"Over and over again?"
Urara lowered her hands before brightly declaring,
"Then I'll keep trying!"
"Again and again!"
"I'll keep running forward!"
"Further and further!"
She clenched her fists with determination.
"Besides! I'm not afraid of losing!"
"And I'm not afraid of being behind everyone else!"
"As long as I can race..."
"That alone would be amazing!"
"Even if I have to lose..."
"Getting to run alongside everyone else is enough to keep me going!"
"Then..."
King finally spoke again.
Her fingers slowly tightened around her pen.
"You really don't mind being dismissed?"
"Just as long as you get to run?"
Urara paused.
"Hmm..."
She thought about it for a moment before her smile returned.
"Of course I'd mind!"
"But..."
"If there's really nothing I can do..."
"And they remove me..."
"I'll still remember everyone here!"
"You!"
"El-chan!"
"Grass-chan!"
"Sei-chan!"
"Your Trainer!"
"And even our teacher!"
She then raised a fist as her expression grew determined.
"Then I'll make sure to find my way back someday!"
"After all..."
"King, you're my friend."
"And a friend would never abandon their friend!"
With that, King fell silent.
Her expression remained composed, but her hand told another story.
Her grip on the pen had tightened so much that her knuckles were nearly white.
Because she hated this.
She hated how brightly Urara still smiled despite facing the possibility of being dismissed.
How painful it was to watch someone stand so cheerfully in the face of what could very well be the end of everything they had worked toward.
And worst of all...
King knew that if Urara were dismissed, the chances of her ever returning were almost nonexistent.
Once she was removed from Tracen, there would be no coming back.
And that thought alone...
It was eating away at King from the inside.
And she couldn't hold it in any longer.
She couldn't keep all those feelings bottled up any longer.
She couldn't—
Suddenly—
"Oh no!" Urara suddenly gasped.
"This is getting serious!"
The sudden outburst snapped King back to the present while Urara immediately pulled the manga closer to her face and slumped back down onto her bed.
"Sorry, King! I have to keep reading now!"
"We'll talk later!"
With that, she settled herself back beneath the book as though nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, King could only blink at her, completely stumped by the abrupt change of subject.
Then, slowly, the hand gripping her pen also finally relaxed as she let out a soft sigh.
"This girl and her manga..."
She then shook her head slightly before resuming her studies.
And just like that, the moment passed.
The two returned to their own activities, and the room gradually settled into silence once again.
Minutes turned into hours.
Before long, the night had grown much deeper, and the time for them to turn in was fast approaching.
King stretched her arms after finishing another page of her revision.
"That's enough for tonight..."
She then closed her book and turned toward Urara.
"Hey, Urara..."
"It's about time we tuck... in...?"
Her voice trailed off as, in front of her, Urara was already asleep.
She lay sprawled across her bed while the manga had slipped from her hands and fallen directly over her face.
Her body rose and fell gently with each quiet snore underneath it.
King stared at her for a moment in disbelief before shaking her head and rising from her desk.
"This girl..."
With a quiet sigh, King began tidying her desk.
She packed her textbooks, notebooks, and stationery neatly back into her bag before finally turning her attention toward Urara.
She approached the bed and carefully lifted the manga from Urara's sleeping face.
And when she was about to return it to the shelf, her curiosity got the better of her.
King glanced down at the cover and muttered,
"What nonsense is this girl reading all the time...?"
Her eyes narrowed as she read the title.
"Mechanic Uma...?"
Before she knew it, her curiosity had won out as she started to flip through a few pages.
At first, it seemed like an ordinary racing story.
But as King continued reading, she slowly realized there was more to it than she had expected.
The story followed a girl who had suffered a severe injury after a race.
Because of it, she was forbidden from ever racing again.
Her dreams of becoming a racer seemed to be over.
Until a scientist who happened to be her friend created a mechanical leg for her.
With it, she was given another chance to run.
But returning to the track was far from easy.
The mechanical leg was difficult to control.
She stumbled.
She fell.
Again and again.
Before long, people began laughing at her.
Some mocked her clumsy movements.
Others laughed at the strange mechanical limb attached to her body.
Yet...
She never gave up.
Every time she fell, she got back up.
Every time she stumbled, she tried again.
Again and again.
Slowly, her hard work began to pay off.
First came small victories.
Then bigger ones.
She began winning more friendly races, and with each victory, her confidence grew.
And even when setbacks came...
She kept running.
She refused to stop.
Then, one fateful day, the girl found herself standing before what she believed was her limit.
She had pushed herself as far as she could.
And she thought there was nothing left, allowing her to push beyond.
Until—
A man suddenly approached her, and his hand extended toward her.
There, he told her that he wanted to scout her.
And how he could teach her something even her limit failed to realize.
And that...
Was where the story ended.
King slowly closed the manga and muttered.
"Mechanical legs...?"
She scoffed.
"Ridiculous."
She then simply returned it to the shelf before looking back toward Urara.
With a quiet sigh, King picked up the blanket and gently pulled it over her.
"Hopefully..."
"She won't come crawling into my bed again tonight."
With that being settled, King finally returned to her own bed, settling beneath her blanket.
Then, her eyes slowly closed while her thoughts wandered.
To Urara.
To Tracen.
To her future.
And, inevitably...
To the question of how she might somehow help that pink menace.
The story she had just read also lingered in the back of her mind.
Someone who had lost the ability to race...
Someone who had refused to give up...
Someone who had kept running despite everything standing in her way.
King was almost asleep when—
*Boff!*
Something heavy landed directly on top of her as her eyes snapped open.
And she didn't even need to look.
"Again...?!"
Urara was already sprawled directly across her.
There, King stared at the ceiling for a moment.
Then sighed.
"Ugh... Fine."
She closed her eyes again.
By now...
She was already used to it.
And beneath the weight of that sleeping pink menace...
King slowly drifted back to sleep.
Still thinking...
About how she could help her.