While on the track...
As Lidden pushed through another lap, her legs were trembling with the last ounce of her strength.
Then, she did it; she passed the finish line.
"I… did it…" she muttered—
—and then she collapsed...
"Bleh…"
Her face planted straight onto the track.
"Lin-chan!" Urara yelped, jumping off the bench and rushing toward her.
***
***
***
A moment later…
Lidden was seated beside Urara, clutching a bottle of water between both hands, head lowered.
"Thank you… Urara-cha…" she murmured weakly.
Urara puffed her chest proudly and patted her own chest.
"No biggie! Urara is always there for the rescue anyway!" she declared.
"Besides, Lin-chan tried really hard, didn't she? She totally deserves praise from the great Urara!"
"Oh…!" Lidden flinched at the sudden praise. She lifted her head in surprise, then lowered it shyly, nodding. "Th-thank you…"
"Urara doesn't know why Lin-chan is trying so hard," Urara continued confidently, "but I bet it's so she can match the greatness of the awesome Urara!"
Lidden then let out a small chuckle, "I bet I did..."
Then, a few more minutes of resting later...
Lidden stood up from the bench, patting her shorts.
"Well… if I want to continue being as good as Urara, I must try harder now, don't I!" Lidden teased, "I must go for another round now!"
"W-wait!" Urara fumbled after her. "But Lin-chan has been running for ages! Shouldn't you rest!"
Lidden turned back with a faint smile, giving a small shake of her head.
"Sorry, I can't, Urara. Not when I want to win the upcoming race. It is once every year!"
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"Shouldn't you be joining me too? Given that we're candidates for the race. I think it'd be fun… running with someone. And... I never really had the chance."
Urara froze for a split second—
Then beamed.
"And I thought you'd never ask!"
Urara immediately jumped up from the bench, posing confidently at the spot like a superhero.
"Then come on, Urara!" Lidden laughed as she grabbed Urara's wrist and pulled her toward the track. As the two lined up side by side once more by the starting line.
Since it was a public track, students were training in the background, each preparing themselves for the upcoming race.
Then, Urara turned toward Lidden,
"By the way… what did Lin-chan mean when she said she never had a chance to run with someone?"
Upon hearing that, Lidden tensed.
"I…" she muttered, her mood dimming.
But just as quickly as her mood went down, she shook her head hard, revivifying herself.
"No! It's just that crappy person never ran with me," she added, "She said she preferred staying on the sideline and supporting me instead!"
Her fists tightened.
"And now I know why…"
"Oh… really?" Urara tilted her head. "Then I think Young did a pretty good job! After all, you did really well in the relay race!"
"Wh… what?" Lidden turned, startled.
"From what I saw, she was a good support! You ran your part super well—better than mine!" Urara declared proudly.
"So?" Lidden scoffed. "Even if she gave me advice, helped me train, that doesn't excuse her from using me for her own good."
Urara blinked. "What do you mean…?"
"Haven't you heard?" Lidden's tone hardened. "She said I was just an instrument. A subject for her stupid experiment. That if it weren't for my gullibility, she wouldn't have even looked at me."
"She said our relationship was nothing more than a theory test. Nothing beyond that," she continued, jaw clenching.
She then looked at Urara directly.
"How does that sound to you?"
Urara blinked.
"I don't think she said that."
Lidden turned sharply. "What do you mean…? Urara-chan, don't tell me you're with her!"
Urara quickly shook her head. "No, Lin-chan! I just don't think she meant it. Urara believes she wasn't in her right mind that day! Young-chan is Lin-chan's friend, and friends don't hurt each other without a reason!"
Lidden's face tautened.
"I'm sorry, Urara… But whether she meant it or not, she hurt me. That's the truth." Her voice trembled slightly. "And for that… I don't want to spend any more time with her. Not even a million years."
"But Lin-chan, you have to forgive her! She's your friend!" Urara insisted.
Upon hearing that, Lidden fidgeted in place, shoulders shaking, completely conflicted.
Then she burst out, her voice breaking, "Please, Urara-chan! Can we stop talking about her for now? All I want is to train NOW!"
Urara startled and went quiet, shocked by her outburst.
Meanwhile, Lidden lowered her head, her voice lowering,
"Please… leave her out of this. I don't want my mind clouded by her again. Not now. Not ever…"
Urara, too, slowly lowered her own head.
Her bright expression also dimmed.
Then, Lidden decided to change the topic and quickly took her stance at the starting line again.
"Come on, Urara… please," she added. "Let's just train together. And forget about her for now."
With that, Urara nodded and gently closed the distance.
Just then—
A drop of water landed between them.
Then another.
And another.
Within moments, rain began pouring down, soaking the track in seconds.
Students who had been training nearby panicked, yelped, and scattered, running for shelter.
"It's raining, run!"
Meanwhile, Lidden remained, not moving.
Her eyes stayed locked forward.
However, Urara gasped, "Oh! It's raining!"
Normally, Urara would've laughed and played in the rain without hesitation.
But this time… she didn't, given she knew the big race was coming and playing under rain might get her cold. Forfeiting her chance to race.
Meanwhile, Lidden remained in position, ignoring the water drenching her outfit, ignoring the cold entirely.
Urara realized, knowing that if she kept going like this, she could fall sick.
Urara then quickly approached her and hollered,
"Lin-chan! Let's go inside! My mom says if you get drenched like this, you might catch a cold! And if we get sick, we won't be able to race anymore!"
But Lidden completely disregarded her, and the rain only fell harder; her mind had somehow drifted elsewhere.
Both of them were now completely soaked, and only after a few more minutes did Lidden's head tilt slightly.
"Then… Urara, you should go inside," she said quietly. "I don't want you catching a cold because of me."
"What about Lin—"
"I'm fine, Urara," Lidden interjected. "Just go in before you catch one. I'll be alright."
"But—"
Before Urara could finish, Lidden pushed off the ground and started her lap, rain splashing beneath her feet.
"Lin-chan!" Urara shouted, wanting to chase after her.
As she lifted her foot, about to take off after Lidden.
Then, a hand snatched her wrist and pulled her under the roof immediately.
Urara struggled at first but was dragged safely into the corridor, shielded from the heavy rain.
As soon as they stopped, Urara shook her wrist free and ran back toward the doorway that led outside.
"Lin-chan!" she cupped her hands and yelled into the storm.
Behind her, the one who pulled her approached quietly and handed her a towel.
"Dry yourself," the voice said coldly. "Or you'll catch a cold."
Urara turned, ready to protest—
But froze.
"Mary-chan…?"
It was Mary Jane, standing there calmly, holding out the towel.
"Quick," she said.
Urara's tone changed instantly. Her fists hovered in front of her chest.
"Mary-chan! Please, you must help me convince Lin-chan! She'll get sick!"
"Dry yourself first," Mary replied flatly, extending the towel further. "We'll talk after."
Urara took it.
Instead of using it properly, she began shaking her head wildly, spraying water everywhere—onto the floor, the walls—
—and onto Mary.
Mary groaned. "Urara! Stop! You're soaking me!"
Out of choice, Mary then quickly grabbed the towel back from Urara mid-motion and began drying Urara herself.
"Hold still!" she ordered.
Meanwhile, more students gathered by the doorway.
Their attention quickly landed on Lidden.
An Umamusume, alone, running in the heavy rain.
Whispers began to circulate.
"Look at her… Is she trying to get sick or something?"
"The race is only a few days away. Is running in the rain even smart?"
"Poor thing… She must've slacked off before. Now she's pushing herself because it's close."
The murmurs grew louder.
And Lidden kept running.
As the rain poured harder, more students gathered at the doorway, drawn by the sight of a lone Umamusume running relentlessly on the soaked track.
Even teachers began arriving, pushing through the crowd, preparing to step in and stop Lidden before she collapsed or caught a fever before the upcoming race.
But before any of them could act—
A figure slipped through the crowd.
She stopped beside Urara and whispered urgently,
"Distract the teacher for me… Urara, please. I need to talk to Lidden. Personally."
Urara's eyes widened. It was Young.
"Young-chan…!" she breathed, then nodded vigorously, "Sure!"
"Thank you, Urara!" Just as Young was about to step into the rain—
Mary stopped her.
"I don't know who you are," Mary added, "or what your relationship is with the girl outside. But if she's your friend, you shouldn't let her run alone in the rain—especially with the biggest school race approaching."
Young paused.
Then she turned slowly, her usual smile returning.
"That's exactly why I'm here," she replied, pointing at herself.
"To fix the mistake I made. To rebuild what I broke."
Her eyes honed.
"So please… buy me some time. I need all the time I can get to convince her, to tell the truth..."
Mary then stared at Young, almost ready to refuse.
Before she could—
"You got it, Young-chan!" Urara declared brightly. "Mary-chan and I will distract the teachers! Now go do your thing! Save Lin-chan from getting sick!"
Mary blinked.
Urara had just spoken for her.
For a brief second, Mary considered denying it—
But instead, she gave a small nod.
Young clenched her fists, bowed her head once in gratitude, and without another word, dashed into the heavy rain, chasing after Lidden.
Behind them, another figure pushed through the crowd.
It was Rush.
She stepped beside Urara and requested,
"We should help Young!"
Meanwhile, her appearance immediately excited Urara, "Rush-chan!" she beamed while bouncing.
Then, Urara nodded eagerly and raised her fist into the air, declaring.
"Alright then, let's do it!"