[A/N: Been busy with personal projects and school projects, I also need to prepare to apply to two universities, so sorry. The schedule will change to Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.]
"Bizen Nishiki is making her way up! Happy Progress is trying to defend her position at the 80m mark! "
"Bizen Nishiki! Happy Progress! Bizen Nishiki!"
"Go Nishiki! Go!" Echo shouted out as she cheered among the roars of cheers toward Nishiki. Gold Way is gripping her knee in silence as she watches. Onward Cameroun, the ever silent one, noticed that Nishiki's is going to collide with the budge in the track.
Suddenly, she stood up with wide eyes, and a dreadful premonition was rising on the back of her spine. Echo was the second to notice something amiss. Everything looked normal. Bizen Nishiki is about to win. And yet her instinct is telling her something is wrong.
"What…"
Symboli Rudolf noticed the direction of Cameroun's gaze and frowned.
As she is about to open her mouth to speak, a black blur goes by her, stunning her for a moment, and she turns her head for a moment before chasing after Echo. Cameroun, Gold Way, the Suzu's sister, and everyone are following Echo in rapid motion without question. Follow first, ask later.
Echo ran down the stairs as if she was gliding, her eyes gone dull for a moment until her limbs felt weightless as she approached the spectator's railing.
"That girl!" Rudolf shouted out in annoyance as she immediately understood what Echo was trying to do, but she mustn't do anything unless she wants a warning from the URA.
Just as Echo arrived at the railing and lifted herself into the sky, the commentator's shocked voice echoes through the racecourse.
"Bizen Nishiki has tripped over! How could this happen!"
The commentator's voice turned everyone's heads, who were following Echo toward the track, where they found Bizen Nishiki rolling away from the trip before slowing down, clutching her leg as she let out a cry.
She was only 3m away from winning, but now everyone is running right past her. Nishiki clenched her teeth and proceeded to continue crawling toward the finish line, no matter if she was currently last. She has to finish this race.
"So what if I injured myself! I am still crossing the finish line!" Nishiki roared as she continued crawling toward the finish line, dragging her shattered leg.
Echo, who had jumped over the railing and onto the grass plane outside the turf racetrack, immediately started ignoring the security as she glided by them. Sprinting.
"W-What's this?! Someone is intruding from the outside! That's Echo Eclipse!"
Ignore the voice, focus on your finish line.
'I know, my finish line is where Nishiki is at.'
Echo soon arrived at Nishiki's side. Bizen Nishiki has passed out from the pain, and yet. Her hand has touched the finish line. No matter what, she's still won the race in Echo Eclipse's heart.
She knelt beside her, before gently flipping over Nishiki so she was facing up. She noticed her left leg had fractured, and she could see bones protruding outward in her skin. It makes her nauseated looking at it, but she does her best not to shake Nishiki's legs as she lifts her into her arms.
All of this happened in the span of 10 seconds. She gently glided back to the staff's tunnel, where the doctors had finally left the staff's tunnel.
By that point, Echo Eclipse has already reached them and before they just entered the track. She was still moving really fast for normal humans, yet Bizen Nishiki remains unperturbed as if Echo's arms acted as a stabilisation for every movement she made.
"Doctors, here. Her leg is hurt, be gentle…"
Echo said with a soft, worried tone. She had finally snapped out of her racing mode as her eyes started becoming misty.
Despite the doctor's inherent confusion about why Echo Eclipse is even on the track, they immediately put her onto the stretcher and went to the hospital. Echo stood there in the grass field before glancing toward the podium.
Even if a racer gets injured, the race must continue. Even if they aren't present, the winning racer still gets a trophy.
Her eyes started tearing up as she let her head sink to the ground. This is just one of the possible outcomes for Uma Musume.
Those who run may eventually collapse.
Her throat started clogging up as tears fell from her cheeks. She didn't know when Symboli Rudolf and her friends had arrived and taken her away from the racecourse.
Will she be unable to run with Bizen Nishiki's again? She doesn't want that; she wants to continue running with her, with her friends. It's… it's…
Lonely.
'Will all the racers she ever ran with fade away? Will nobody remember the efforts they put into it so they can run? Anyone… please answer me… Goddesses, please…' She thought to herself as she closed her eyes, leaning against the van she didn't remember entering.
…
But nobody responded.
'Will Rudolf experience the same thing? Will everyone I know disappear on the track? Will they all get injured? Will they retire prematurely?' Her thoughts started spiralling as a whimper escaped her clogged voice, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
'Please, just… one word, anything. Respond to me… Goddesses…'
…
But nobody still responded.
…
'Please answer me… Will Bizen Nishiki be able to run on the track again? Please… Will she be able to show the same smile as she runs? Will she be able to help others regarding racing? Please… Please…'
…
'Please…'
…
But nobody responded.
'...'
…
She remained silent; she knew the possibility of getting injured during racing, and she knew that often, a racer's injury can lead them into early retirement. Away from their dreams, their hard work turned into nought.
But seeing it happen to your very close friend is a different feeling.
It felt like an arrow was shot through her neck as she started sobbing, and she wiped her tears that were coming out nonstop.
Because most of all, she knows that this very same possibility is applicable to her.
Racing and running are two sides of the same coin, but they aren't the same.
In the midst of all of this, Echo Eclipse felt a warm touch coiling around her wrist. She opens her crying eyes to look and discovers that it was Symboli Rudolf's own tail coiling around her wrist.
'It's warm…' She chuckles with a hoarse voice before lifting her head. Kazuo is driving like always, and her friends look worried for her. They had never seen Echo cry when she stubbed her own toe, when she accidentally walked into a pillar, or accidentally had her tail stuck in an elevator door.
She was a resilient girl, but that was only when she, only she, was in pain. When her friend is in pain, it's the opposite.
"Hehe… I'm fine," She smiled weakly, but her weak smile still had the same cheerful, aloof essence that Echo always has.
Gold Way said first, "You know that she isn't going to die, right?"
"I know, but her life on the track may end… And I was sad because of that."
Onward Cameroun spoke, "She is the hardest working person I know; she will persevere."
Symboli Rudolf didn't say anything; she just continued sitting beside Echo Eclipse in silence.
"Girls, we're at the hospital now," Kazuo shouted out, interrupting the atmosphere with his voice as he parked the van and opened the door. The first to run out into the hospital was not Echo Eclipse.
But Gold Way.