The ending of the [Japan Cup] had placed all of Japan in a somber atmosphere. It was an event that shattered what should've been possible, and lit a new light into the world of umamusume. Yet that celebration had been doused, morphing into horror as they watched two of Japan's most promising umamusume fall unconscious onto the track.
And the fear had only grown as days went by without any further news on Oguri Cap and Blossom Star's conditions. Some passionate fans had even gone to Tracen Central themselves to demand some form of news; anything that implied that they were at least fine.
But Director Akikawa was uncompromising. "Oguri Cap and Blossom Star are recovering, but they deserve their rest." Was all she said before she practically barricaded Tracen Central, disallowing any outside personnel from entering the academy grounds. Even the URA weren't given any leeway.
Naturally, the ambiguous explanation left many unsatisfied, but with the director offering no compromise, they could only relent.
The URA was no different, and they continued trying to find out the status of the two. It was partly driven by worry, but Oguri and Star were both incredibly famous, and having them out of the limelight would be an overall negative for both the URA and the Japanese umamusume racing scene as a whole.
But the URA never dared to escalate, and for one simple reason.
Because somehow, somewhen, the Secretariat had arrived in Japan, watched the [Japan Cup], and supported Director Akikawa's stance. The last time a URA official had gone to Tracen Central, he had an unfortunate meeting with the Big Red herself. She didn't say anything to him, but her chilling smile had swiftly driven the man away.
And so the people could only wait, hoping and praying that Oguri and Star were truly well.
…
The first thing she heard when she woke up was that now-familiar incessant electronic beeping.
Belno's eyes slowly opened, and she found herself inside the academy's infirmary. She was sitting by someone's bedside, having fallen asleep on her chair. She winced slightly as she felt the nagging ache in her back, no doubt caused by the awful sleeping position she'd taken.
Her thoughts cleared over the next few seconds, and she finally remembered why she was even here. She quickly turned to the one sleeping on the bed, and her expression fell.
Blossom Star was still asleep, her chest slowly rising and falling with every breath she took through her respirator. She was dressed in a clean hospital gown, with an IV drip connected to her arm. Her face was pale, but it was at least an improvement compared to how she looked right after she was first brought here.
And on the other side of the room was Oguri Cap, who was also asleep. She too had a respirator over her mouth, with three IV drips connected to her arms. Her skin looked far healthier compared to Star's, but it didn't bring her any relief.
She sighed softly as she slouched into her seat, idly glancing at the opened curtain that laid between the two. She barely managed to stare at it for a few seconds before she had to look away.
The thing was, Star had awakened a few days ago. It was a surprise to everyone, considering Star's condition was far worse compared to Oguri's. But whatever relief she'd felt back then was quickly shattered when Star began screaming.
It was-, she didn't want to think about it. The sound Star made was horrifying, and she never thought she'd ever hear Star sound so terrified.
No-, more than terrified, Star had sounded broken. Like she was crying. Like she was grieving.
The sheer whiplash of it all caused one of the nurses to take a step too far back, causing her to trip onto the curtains surrounding Star's bed, pulling it wide open and revealing the unconscious Oguri on the bed just next to Star's.
And somehow, things had gotten worse.
The moment Star saw Oguri sleeping on the bed, she'd lunged out of her bed and came onto Oguri's bedside. She'd shaken Oguri's shoulders, whispering and begging for her to wake up, eyes bloodshot and glassy and raw. A few nurses tried pulling her back, but Star was somehow able to resist them.
It was only when Tazuna came in that the situation calmed down. She was able to wrestle Star away, and once she did, Star finally lost all her energy and fell unconscious.
She hadn't woken up since then.
She took a shaky breath as she clenched her fists. She'd been there to watch the entire thing, and she doubted she'd be able to forget it all. Star had looked completely unlike herself then, and she'd stared at Oguri like she was convinced that Oguri was already dead.
The doctors assured her that this was normal. "It was a panic attack." They'd told her, all clinical and professional. And maybe it was. It probably was.
It didn't make her feel any better.
But, sometimes, she wondered if that was really it. The way Star had held Oguri then, the way she'd called out to her—it sounded way too soft. Shouldn't Star be screaming if she was truly having a panic attack? Shouldn't she have sounded more panicked, instead of sounding…defeated?
It was as if this wasn't the first time she'd-
…No. Enough.
She didn't want to think anymore.
"Belno?"
She paused, slowly releasing her grip on her hair. She looked up, and she saw Kitahara standing at the doorway, his expression sad. "...kitahara-san…?"
He frowned as he entered. "Did you sleep here again?" She looked away, and he sighed as he approached. "How many times have I told you? This isn't good, Belno."
"S-Sorry, I just…" She glanced back at the unconscious Star.
Kitahara's eyes softened. "I know." He gently patted her head. "I know you want to be there when they wake up, but you can't always stay here." He gave a weak smile. "The doctors said they'll be fine, right?"
Belno stayed quiet, and Kitahara's smile eventually faded. He too couldn't help but glance at Star, and he felt his chest tighten. He'd also been there when Star first awoke, and to say he was horrified would be an understatement. Even if Star had woken up that day, she'd practically like a walking corpse with how dull her eyes were.
He grit his teeth as he felt regret brewing in his heart.
If Oguri and Star hadn't run in the [Japan Cup], things wouldn't have turned out like this. And he knew it wasn't his fault; it was Star and Oguri who had wanted to run in the [Japan Cup] after all. But he remembered how Star had also posed the [Arima Kinen] as another choice, and he just-
If he'd just said that the [Arima Kinen] would be better. If he'd just managed to convince the two that their first clash should happen in the Japanese-only race. Perhaps then they wouldn't have faced the all-out pressure of three Domains.
And that was the issue, in the end. He still couldn't really wrap his head around the whole Domain thing, but from what Musaka told him, Oguri and Star had pushed themselves far beyond their limits to make it to the finish line. The Domain might severely drain its user, but it also served as a form of protection against the Domains of others.
Oguri and Star had gone into that clash completely unprotected. And not only that, Oguri and Star had faced it head-on, achieving 1st and 3rd respectively. If anything, the fact that they didn't slow down in the slightest despite not having their own Domains was a testament to their incredible strength.
But at what cost?
He clenched his fist, and he narrowed his eyes in determination. Regardless of what he thought, the past couldn't be changed. All he could do now was to make sure that his trainees were prepared when they encountered a situation just like this one, no matter how improbable it was.
He wouldn't be caught off-guard ever again.
Gently, he placed a hand on Belno's shoulder. "Let's go on a jog together." He told her.
"Eh? Why?"
He smiled slightly. "I think we both need to clear our heads right now." He huffed as he tilted his head towards Star. "And besides, do you think these two would want you to continue staying here? Star would probably dropkick my face if she saw this."
Belno giggled weakly at the image he presented, before she glanced at the unconscious Star. "...I guess she won't." She eventually said, though she made no effort to stand up from her chair.
Kitahara frowned softly, before he sighed. "Sorry 'bout this, Belno." And taking a deep breath, he reached down and lifted Belno from her chair, causing her to yelp as he lifted her into the air. "Enough's enough. It's time to go."
"W-Wait! At least put me down, Kitahara-san…!"
"Nope. Not happening." He then began walking out, still carrying Belno like she was a cat. "No more lazing around for you."
"K-Kitahara-san…!"
The door closed as Kitahara walked out, and Belno's embarrassed cries grew fainter as they walked down the hallway.
The infirmary returned to an eerie silence, punctuated only by the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitors next to Oguri and Star.