After telling Manhattan Cafe about her evening training plans with Green Grass, the girl hesitated for a long while.
"Green Grass-senpai... must have already figured it out."
Even when calling out 'Manhattan Cafe's' name, what she brought up were matters of the races.
She knew that her 'friend' was the Uma Musume who had stormed onto the track that day.
Yet she chose not to expose her, treating her just as she always had.
Manhattan Cafe couldn't understand why Green Grass-senpai would act this way.
Was it simply because she had called her 'senpai'?
She recalled running into the older girl in the hallway after class, how happily she had greeted her.
Manhattan Cafe had only responded with a slight nod, nothing worth being thanked for.
She didn't get it, she really didn't.
Care and nurturing were rather unfamiliar concepts to Manhattan Cafe. She rarely concerned herself with others, and likewise never expected others to concern themselves with her.
This solitary nature had been with her since birth.
To have it change so abruptly now left her deeply unsettled.
But... experiencing it just this once didn't feel entirely bad.
"Since it's Green Grass-senpai, I suppose it's fine to go see what she wants. Did she say... she has something she wants to teach you?"
"Or perhaps she just wants me to understand the running form she doesn't show during races."
"Do you need it...?"
Manhattan Cafe suddenly asked.
To her, her 'friend's' form was perfect. If she just displayed it openly during a race, there was no way she could lose.
So why hadn't she maintained her previous method, instead choosing that wildly aggressive style?
Manhattan Cafe had asked her several times, but was always met with evasive, mumbled answers.
Even now, she didn't know the reason.
"Go ahead..." After a moment of silence, Manhattan Cafe spoke.
"I believe that one day, you will run again with that perfect form."
When that time came, the figure of her 'friend' would be firmly imprinted in the minds of spectators across the world.
Manhattan Cafe truly believed this.
"Without a doubt."
The girl said.
One day, she would execute that dazzling, utterly natural running style in her complete form.
Without a doubt.
--+--
"The moonlight is lovely tonight."
The quiet training grounds seemed to hold only the two of them: Green Grass, already changed into her training gear, and 'Manhattan Cafe', who had done the same.
The girl's ears twitched slightly as she heard Green Grass say something akin to 'the moon is beautiful'.
"Must be because it's autumn now."
In this kind of slightly crisp weather, the moon always appeared clearer and brighter.
"Is it because of the weather? That's not a bad thought."
Green Grass clasped her hands behind her back.
"But there might be other reasons too."
Other reasons? Could it be pollution control improving air quality?
It was true that people said nights in the countryside were brighter than in the city, but judging by Green Grass's tone, she probably didn't mean something so pragmatic.
"Actually, 'Manhattan Cafe', you're the first person who's been willing to be my kouhai."
"The first?"
"Mhm." Green Grass nodded. "Before, there were other kouhai I trained with, but... probably because I don't really act like a proper senpai, my relationships with them turned out pretty badly. They even went to the trainer to request a change of senior training partners."
Green Grass scratched her head, a wry expression on her face.
"Of course, it might also be that I'm just naturally unlikeable to kouhai. No matter what I do, I don't carry myself like a senpai, I don't look the part..."
She was well aware of her own image; sometimes she was even mistaken for a student from the junior division.
But even so, Green Grass still strove to maintain her role as a senior.
"Why is Green Grass-senpai so fixated on that status?"
Would it really matter if she wasn't a senior?
"I suppose, for you, it might not."
She gazed up at the moon.
"Running form."
Green Grass began.
"Every Uma Musume has her own running form."
Some are wild, some are steady—just like fingerprints, or snowflakes drifting in the sky, their running styles can be very similar, yet each is unique.
"'Manhattan Cafe', you've seen it too. My body... isn't really suited for running..."
Compared to others, Green Grass's physique was indeed much more petite.
In a field where size often equates to power, Green Grass was at a significant disadvantage.
And yet, she still managed to claim victory in the [Kikuka-shō], a race renowned for being won only by the strongest Uma Musume.
"I understand that no matter how much I train, I can't change this innate disadvantage."
Like in her earliest races, Green Grass suffered consecutive losses, utterly lacking the ability to compete with other Uma Musume.
A few simple bumps and collisions were enough to drain her stamina rapidly.
So in the beginning, Green Grass's record was quite dismal, to the point where spectators at the time began to think she just wasn't cut out for racing.
During that period, Green Grass was deeply discouraged.
But she never gave up.
Physical training alone couldn't elevate her, so Green Grass took a different path, focusing intensely on her running technique.
Constantly researching, constantly practicing, day after day, she gradually found a method that suited her.
Concealing her presence, conserving stamina, seizing the opportunity.
She named this running style—'The Assassin'.
From that day on, a Uma Musume known as the 'Green Assassin' appeared on the circuit as a dark horse, defeating the rising 'Pegasus' Tosho Boy and the 'Shooting Star Prince' Ten Point, securing a stunning victory in the [Kikuka-shō].
It was in that moment that Green Grass carved her own name onto what was originally the backdrop of the TT Rivalry, formally establishing it as 'TTG'—the Three Blades of the Track.
One could say that the achievements Green Grass attained today were entirely due to her painstaking research and continuously honed running technique.
She took pride in this.
But—
A sad expression crossed Green Grass's face.
"No kouhai have been willing to learn my methods."
They either found it unnecessary, too troublesome, a waste of time, or they found it intimidating and didn't want to learn it.
Whenever Green Grass tried to pass on the skills she had polished through sheer effort, her kouhai always turned her down.
If this continued, then someday, when she left Tracen Academy, the running style known as 'The Assassin', the experience she had poured her heart and soul into summarizing, would vanish completely.
She had reached heights even her trainer couldn't have imagined, all through her own step-by-step exploration and relentless effort.
"So... if someone could learn my methods, I'd feel that all my efforts were worthwhile."
If she could see someone using the running form she had developed on the track, Green Grass felt it would be like becoming young again, standing once more on that glittering stage.
"'Manhattan Cafe', you're the only one willing to learn from me."
After that match was over, Green Grass was so happy she couldn't sleep the entire night.
Finally, someone was willing to learn from her.
On this vast, boundless racing circuit, Green Grass wanted to leave behind her own spark.
"Tonight, I'll show you everything I've learned, holding nothing back."
If it's you, you'll probably be willing to learn from me, right?
"Of course."
The girl nodded.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.