The greengrocer greeted her with a grin. Urara nodded, but her eyes were drawn to the crates of vegetables he was setting out. He mentioned he was about to start the afternoon rush, calling out to customers. Intrigued, Urara asked if she could help.
At first, he hesitated, but no one could say no to Urara's smile for long. She had a charm that simply wore people down.
She started calling out to people, and she was so happy to see them stop and listen that she completely lost track of time. One hour became two. Most of the vegetables were sold, but Urara was still out there, giving it her all.
Then, she heard a very familiar set of footsteps. Her face lit up.
"Oh! Trainer! What's up? Are you here to go shopping?"
"Urara, you... I... sigh..."
Her Trainer was there. For a second, he looked fierce, but within moments, his face softened and he let out a huge breath. Urara tilted her head. Why was he here?
"...Urara, do you have any idea what time it is?"
"...Huh? Wa-wah?! I'm late for training!"
She realized then what she'd done. She'd missed the start of practice, and her Trainer had come looking for her because he was worried.
"Uuu... I'm sorry, Trainer."
She felt terrible. She knew she'd done something bad, and she expected him to scream at her. She'd never seen him truly angry, and the thought scared her.
"Next time, at least call me... I was worried sick."
But he didn't scream. He was upset, she could tell, but he swallowed it. Instead, he smiled—a smile that said he was just glad she was safe. He knelt down and rubbed her head the way he always did. Urara felt even more guilty, but at the same time, she felt a strange warmth in her chest.
He let her show him around the district, and then he made her a giant carrot hamburg steak.
It wasn't professional-grade cooking, but to Urara, it was the most delicious thing she'd ever eaten. It felt full of something special.
Full and happy, she headed back to the dorms, where she ran into Fuji Kiseki at the entrance.
Fuji was the head of the Ritto Dorm. To Urara, she was the "coolest" girl in school—like a prince from a storybook. She was tall, charismatic, and had a smile that made other girls swoon.
Fuji looked surprised to see her, then gave her a "dashing" grin.
"Ah, welcome back, Little Pony."
"I'm back, Housemaster! But I'm not a pony, I'm Haru Urara!"
Urara puffed out her cheeks. She didn't get a single letter of my name right, she thought. Does she think I'm someone else?
"A girl as cute as you deserves a cute nickname... hm."
Fuji looked at Urara—at her overalls and the bag full of carrots. She looked like she was in a fantastic mood. But Fuji knew the girl had skipped practice; the Trainer had called the dorm in a panic earlier that afternoon. As the dorm leader, Fuji felt she should offer a bit of guidance.
"Little Pony, your innocence is your charm, but you really shouldn't worry your Trainer so much."
"Worry? My trainer was worried?"
"He certainly was. Around 3:30, he called the dorm. He sounded breathless, asking if you were in your room. He was terrified something had happened to you."
A Trainer is responsible for their athlete. If she'd been in an accident, it would be on his head. But more than that, she was his only student. If she were "broken," everything he had worked for would vanish.
"Was he angry with you?"
"Yeah... he scolded me."
Urara told Fuji everything. How she'd forgotten the time. How he'd come to find her. What they'd said. How good the hamburg steak was. And how the peppers weren't even that bitter.
Fuji listened with a serious face, but by the end, she was chuckling.
"Haha... no, Little Pony. That wasn't 'getting angry.' That was 'scolding' her."
"...Is there a difference?"
"In my opinion, yes. You get angry for yourself, but you scold someone for their sake. Your Trainer scolded you because he cares about you."
Fuji realized the Trainer's priority had been Urara's safety above all else. It sounds like a basic thing, but not every Trainer is capable of that level of genuine care.
"Getting angry is easy. Scolding is hard. You have to really think about the other person to do it right."
"...So, he did that because he was thinking about me?"
"I'm sure of it."
"I see..."
Urara crossed her arms and thought hard.
She'd said sorry, and he'd forgiven her. He'd even cancelled practice and made her dinner. It made her happy—not because she'd gotten out of work, but because she felt treasured.
She poked her own temple and looked up at Fuji. "Is there something I can do for my Trainer?"
"Oh, it's simple, Little Pony. If you just give it your all and stay true to yourself, he'll be happy."
Fuji's smile this time wasn't the "cool" one that made fans scream. It was a gentle, kind smile.
If I give it my all, he'll be happy?
To anyone else, Urara was already giving it her all. She was always upbeat and worked hard. But Urara decided she could do even better. If it would make her Trainer smile like that, she would do anything.
"Okay! Then starting tomorrow, I'm gonna work super hard!"
Fuji decided her job was done. "By the way, Little Pony, would you like to join me for tea? I have some excellent leaves and some delicious cookies."
"Mmm... no thanks! My Trainer's hamburg was huge, and I'm stuffed!"
"Oh my. Rejected already? My heart is broken." Fuji gave her a theatrical wink.
The next morning, Urara charged at her Trainer with everything she had.
"Trainer! I'm gonna give it my all! Just you watch!"
She really meant it.
She worked harder than ever. She was amazed by her own body as it grew stronger, and every day was a new adventure. And then, finally, it was time for her Make Debut.
A 1300-meter sprint on the dirt. The Trainer had decided this was her best shot. Urara had been vibrating with excitement since she woke up. But her Trainer had been serious, warning her about the "kickback." He told her to watch out for the sand from the girls in front.
She was a Betweener. She was supposed to hold her position and then strike. She'd practiced it, but the reality of the track was different.
In the end, she finished 9th out of 9.
Everything had been going perfectly. She was right where she needed to be. She was about to take the lead—she was so close—and then the sand hit her.
It hurt. She couldn't see. But she didn't stop. She focused on her feet, making sure she didn't trip, and kept running as hard as she could.
From the first straight to the final wire, running alongside the other girls had been the greatest thrill of her life. It was better than she'd ever imagined. She never wanted it to end.
Even after finishing last, she saw the people from the shopping district and the fans in the stands. She waved at them with a huge smile. Seeing them wave back made her feel warm all the way to her toes.
...Wait, why is Trainer looking at the sky?
She spotted him, but he wasn't looking at her. He was staring upward.
Right before the accident, she had heard his voice. In that moment, she had seen herself winning. Her legs had felt heavy, but his shout had given her a burst of power she didn't know she had.
Seeing him not look at her... it made her a little bit sad.
"Phew... Alright! Urara! Starting tomorrow, we're going to train even harder so we can win the next one!"
When he yelled that, Urara's sadness vanished. He was fired up again!
"Yeah! Alright! I'm gonna do my best!"
She was going to work even harder now. Because if she did, she could have another race just as fun and exciting as today.
I'm gonna do it! she thought. And she meant every word.