"Aah, it's over…" Kitahara said, his gaze listless as he laid his head on the table. "My life…is over…"
I snorted as I lounged on the sofa, continuing to read through today's newspaper.
Unsurprisingly, today's newspaper was covering the [Tulip Sho] that'd happened just yesterday, alongside some sensationalized comments regarding our team's massive first splash into the Central scene.
Nothing about it should've caused Kitahara to begin imitating a dead fish this early in the morning. The newspaper practically heaped praises our way, alongside building anticipation in regards to the next races we would take on.
No, it wasn't about that. Rather, it was more tied to something a few reporters had discovered, and a new nickname Team Kitahara gained.
"Team Kitahara intends to take over the world!"
"Kitahara Jo—the rising Demon King?"
My lips twitched again as I saw the new nickname Kitahara had gained, but I did my best to restrain it, if only so that Kitahara wouldn't begin sobbing.
If I had to guess, a few reporters had gone to Kasamatsu after my victory in the Tulip Sho, eager to see if they could dig up anything juicy. It was likely there where one of them discovered our team slogan that'd somewhat become a little meme we Kasamatsu locals liked sharing around.
A few leaps of logic later, and Kitahara Jo, now currently an Apprentice in Tracen Central, was suddenly being labeled as this incredibly daring Demon King with ambitions to take over Central. And since he was a 'Demon King', naturally the three members of Team Kitahara became his 'Generals'.
It was somewhat funny, actually. Oguri had been seen as a Hero in the original manga while Creek took on the position of a Demon. It seemed things had been switched around this time.
Just as I was about to flip onto the next page, the door to our clubroom opened, and in came Musaka Ginjirou, seemingly having only recently woken up. "Morning, girl." He greeted, and then his brows furrowed as he saw Kitahara's state. "The hell happened to this fool?"
"Oh, nothing special." I said, my smile teasing as I gave the newspaper I held a shake. "Seems like the media has some new names for us."
"That so?" Musaka asked, though once he glanced at today's news himself, he couldn't help but break into loud laughter. "Ha! That's y'er fault, you fool! Couldn't keep your mouth shut like always!"
"S-Shut up!" Kitahara finally shouted, face flushed red. "I was just excited, okay!? I didn't expect it to become a slogan or whatever!"
"Eh, but you seemed pretty serious about it, Kitahara~?" I drawled out, a teasing smile on my lips.
"You-, it's-, ugh." Kitahara just sighed in defeat as he collapsed back onto his seat. "Ah, whatever…"
I laughed at his defeated look, and then blinked when the door opened once more. "Oh, Belno, Oguri—you two woke up early today."
Oguri Cap nodded, her hair still ruffled since she just woke up. "I feel good today." Her tail swayed happily as she smiled. "Watching you yesterday makes me want to run."
Beside her, Belno Light brought her hand over her mouth to hide her yawn. "Oguri woke me up." She said as she yawned again. She blinked a few times, and then her eyes shot open when she saw how Kitahara looked. "Uh, why does Kitahara-san look like that?"
I just smirked as I stood up and handed today's newspaper to her. She gave the news a quick read, and her eyes went comically wide when she saw Kitahara's new nickname. "E-Eh!?"
Oguri's ears flicked as she peered over Belno's shoulder in curiosity, and she too soon found out about Kitahara's new nickname. "Demon King…?" She tilted her head for a moment, confused why that nickname would be so weird. Seeing her confusion, I just sighed and gently patted Oguri's head.
"K-Kitahara-san will be fine, right…?" Belno, bless her, seemed worried that this might alienate Kitahara from his peers, especially since he was only an Apprentice.
Musaka scoffed. "It'll be fine. Trainers here ain't that petty. And 'sides, bullyin's the last thing Tracen Central tolerates." He grinned fiercely. "Though I'd like to see one of 'em try. Last I heard, they got quite the scare from the chairman herself."
My ears twitched. "The chairman?" I asked, realizing that I actually still hadn't seen them yet.
Musaka seemed to realize this as well. "Oh, right. You gals came in through Symboli's recommendation. Ain't surprising you skipped an entire step." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Bit surprising, but the one in charge these days is Akikawa Yayoi." He smiled slightly. "She's a young'un who just inherited the position a few years back, but it's hard not to like her passion when ye meet her."
I nodded faintly, my ears flicking as I pondered.
Akikawa Yayoi. So the chairman was indeed her. She looked young at first, but her passion for umamusume was off the charts. In the game, she was the one who started the Twinkle Series, and she was more than willing to work late into the night if it meant to bring joy to the umamusume who wanted nothing more but to race.
There was also the whole thing about Yayoi potentially being an umamusume as well, but unlike Tazuna, this wasn't as explicit since we never see her physically run. Though considering she didn't seem to age much it was entirely possible that she was indeed the elusive Northern Taste.
"Maybe we'll meet her someday." I commented.
Musaka shrugged. "Maybe. Who knows what the future'll bring."
Having found today's newspaper as boring as any other, Oguri quickly lost interest and turned towards me. "Star, let's race!" Her eyes shined brightly, her tail swaying. "I wanna run with you!"
I sighed. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I can't do that." I smiled apologetically. "Still need a good day of rest before I can begin training again. It's what we agreed on, right?"
"Ah." Oguri's ears drooped as she realized this, and a cloud of sadness hung over her. "So I can't run with you…"
I sighed as I patted her. "It's just for today, y'know? I'll be back in tip-top shape by tomorrow."
It didn't satisfy Oguri completely, but she gave me a small nod. "I'll wait then."
I nodded back, and then gave Kitahara a piercing stare. "Oi, how long are you going to play dead, Kitahara? Isn't your class starting in, like, a few minutes?"
The news immediately snapped him out of his thoughts, and his eyes widened in panic as his eyes snapped to the clock. "Oh, crap." Realizing that I was right, he screamed loudly as he quickly collected all of his belongings and quickly ran out the room. "See you later, Roppei-san!"
"It's Musaka, you fool!" Musaka shouted back, but sighed when Kitahara returned no reply. "That idiot."
Belno giggled. "Well, that's just how Kitahara-san is."
Musaka scoffed. "Ain't a good thing, girl." He then glanced at the clock, humming softly. "There's still an hour before your classes." He gave Oguri and Belno a look. "You two up for some morning runs?"
Hearing the offer, Oguri quickly brightened. "Of course!"
Belno nodded as well. "I'm up for it too!"
Musaka nodded back, before he glanced at me. "As for you-"
I waved my hand. "Yeah, yeah. I got it, don't worry." With a carefree smile, I walked back and laid down on the couch. "I'll make sure to rest for today."
With all that said, the Oguri and Belno bid me farewell as they followed Musaka out. And soon enough, the clubroom fell silent. I laid on the couch for a good few minutes without doing anything, waiting to see if I'd eventually fall asleep. Unfortunately it was still early morning, and it didn't seem like I was going to fall asleep any time soon.
So, since I had time to spare,
[Name: Blossom Star
Track Affinity: [Dirt: A] | [Turf: B]
Running Affinity: [End: G] | [Late: G] | [Pace: C] | [Front: A]
Distance Affinity: [Sprint: G] | [Mile: C] | [Medium: B] | [Long: A]
Speed: 456 (C; Intermediate)
Stamina: 487 (C; Intermediate)
Power: 418 (C; Intermediate)
Guts: 279 (E+; Beginner)
Wits: 322 (D; Experienced)
Skills: {Competitive Spirit ◎}, {Homestretch Haste}, {Front Runner Savvy ◎}
Domain: -
SP: 794]
I hummed as I looked over my attributes. Kongo's guidance was really showing its worth, and my Power had shot up at an incredible pace. My affinities weren't all that impressive by comparison, but that was something I was still actively working on.
Overall, had this been in-game, these stats would've probably been enough to take on the Classic races and win. Yet, despite that, I was still unable to confidently win against Oguri, and she still won most of the time whenever we raced together.
It really put into perspective how incredibly powerful Oguri Cap was. It was as if the dormant power of Native Dancer's bloodline had manifested only in her and never again.
…That wasn't important.
I had something else to consider.
{Leading Charge}
Slightly increase acceleration on a straight in the last spurt when in the lead (Front Runner)
Cost: 144 SP (20% discount)
Maruzensky had given me a few tips when it came to my running here and there. It didn't seem all that special at first, but much to my surprise, I later found out that her advice actually registered as a discount to a Skill in the SP Shop. Not only that, but it was Skill that didn't exist in the base game.
From what I could tell, it seemed to be the Frontrunner version of {Straightaway Spurt}—a Skill normally reserved for End Closers.
I didn't purchase it before, but after my win at the Tulip Sho, I now had enough SP to confidently purchase this Skill without disrupting the safety net I had for a few other Skills.
And I would've bought it and tested it out, but,
…Well, I had some mandatory rest I had to do.
In the end, I could only click my tongue as I dismissed my System. I'd probably purchase the Skill tomorrow and then give it a try. Maybe I'll even surprise Oguri a little with it!
Smiling at the thought, I gently closed my eyes in hopes that I'd eventually fall asleep.
…
That didn't happen sadly, and I could only groan as I soon had to get up and leave for class.