"I got something I want to tell you…" Rush uttered, she was fidgeting restlessly.
But she hesitated...
What if this ruined everything? What if this confession shattered the very bond they'd built—those laughs, that ridiculous dream of URA, the time they spent she hadn't realized she'd grown attached to?
Her gut stirred just thinking about it.
Still… if she didn't say it, she knew it would rot inside her—guilt, doubt, self-contempt.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
"Urara…"
"I've wanted to tell you this for a while, but… I was scared. Scared that if I said it out loud, it would ruin everything between us."
She paused.
"I was afraid you'd look at me differently. That you'd hate me."
She hesitated again.
The truth hurt.
Murashi wasn't entirely wrong.
Rush had never planned to team up with Urara in the first place. Not really. Not when Urara struggled on every track, not when she was literally more of a liability than an asset.
The same went for the rest of her teammates.
If it weren't for her own insecurity—her own need to prove something—she might never have noticed Urara at all.
And that realization hurt more than any insult.
And yet… here she was.
Standing beside someone who trusted her completely.
Someone who believed in her without condition.
Rush clenched her hands,
"…I wasn't honest with you," she continued.
It was probably just for show, Rush told herself before.
None of them should've taken it seriously. None of them ever did.
That excuse had always worked—on people who didn't care, who joined half-heartedly, who treated races like 'just a mundane task'.
It worked perfectly on those who never truly believed—never wanted to race; never wanted to become the star.
And she thought Urara was the same, given her subpar record, yet it was contradictory.
That miscalculation stung.
Rush had always known to blame herself for not being extraordinary. Just an ordinary Umamusume, she would claim, trying to prove her worth by standing next to those she believed she could outrun.
Someone who measured her value by comparison, by margins, by convenience.
Now... she felt sick thinking about it.
I'm awful…I really am…
Before she could spiral any further, a familiar speared through her thoughts.
"Whatever you're thinking right now, it's not true, Rush-chan!"
Rush blinked.
Urara stood in front of her, fists clenched, eyes locked.
"I can't read your mind, and I don't know what you're thinking and why you keep stopping yourself halfway in the sentence," Urara continued. "But Urara believes one thing."
She took a breath, then smiled—not bright and careless this time, but warm.
"Whatever Rush-chan did… even if it hurts at first… Urara believes you had a good reason."
Rush stiffened.
"My mom always told me that everyone has to fend for themselves, like how I should leave Mary alone when we first met," Urara went on earnestly. "Tell me that's how we grow. And it doesn't matter if you're good or bad at the start. As long as you learned from it, change from it!"
"And she also said sometimes the start is more ugly than it later becomes. Muddy and dusty. But that doesn't decide its value thereafter! What matters is the journey later! If you keep polishing it, walking with it, learning from it—"
Her smile brightened.
"Even the ugliest truth can become something beautiful!"
Rush's heart skipped a beat.
"So even if Rush-chan really was what that girl said…" Urara continued gently, "…that doesn't mean you'll be that person! It is because we all make mistakes! And I surely did when I 'accidentally' ate all the carrots in the fridge!"
"That's... not really a good example..." Rush muttered.
Urara then stepped closer.
"That's not the point! Because the Rush-chan I know is considerate, kind, and honest! And someone who promised to run with me even when I wasn't really good on my own! And that is enough for me to know—! For Urara to know that Rush-chan is far from the truth they said!"
After hearing those words, Rush was shocked, speechless.
It was the first time someone had believed in her—believed in her worth.
How can someone like her deserve someone like Urara…? Someone so honest that it hurts, so naive that it felt reliable, so kind that it felt unreal.
And right before Rush could drown in that thought again, Urara added.
"So Rush-chan, stop worrying about it, and let it go! Go, go, GO!"
Then, just before Rush could respond—
"Urara!"
A voice called from across the room.
Urara turned instantly. "Yes?"
"I heard there's a new carrot rice store down the street, and they said it was really the best! So, we wanted you to come with us, given that you know more about carrot rice than any of us! You'd be perfect to judge if it's real!"
Urara's eyes sparkled. "Whoa! Really? Of course! Urara knows carrot rice best! My mom makes the best in the world after all!"
"We should go now—it might close!"
"Okay! Coming!"
Without a delay, Urara bid her farewell with Rush and hurriedly packed her things before joining them at the doorway.
Then, before she went, she paused at the door and turned back one last time.
"Remember, Rush-chan!" she called with a wave. "We're in this together!"
And then she was gone—laughing, pulled away by the crowd, light as ever.
Rush sat frozen. Such a rapid shift in an event completely dumbfounded her.
Only after a long moment, she finally quietly packed her bag, ready to depart on her own.
Suddenly—
"Rushing Sky." A voice came.
Her breath hitched.
Standing behind her was Mary Jane, her posture still as ever and her eyes cold as ever.
"…Mary," Rush said softly, squinting her eyes.