Fujii Sensuke sighed as he leaned back into his chair, a proud grin stretched across his cheeks as he quickly skimped through the news he'd just finished compiling for today's Main Issue. It'd been somewhat a rush job, and his editor was probably going to scream at him for all the inevitable typos he had, but he was sure they wouldn't mind.
He was already Tokyo News' black sheep for helping out with the URA fiasco—might as well annoy people as much as he could before he was fired.
Not that he'd mind, really. Director Akikawa was more than happy to have him if his contract with Tokyo News was ever axed.
He yawned as he slipped the finished draft into a blinder and handed it off to the subordinate he was temporarily mentoring. "Here. Mind sending it over to the editors?"
She blinked as she looked away from her own work, before she gave him an unimpressed stare. "Can't you go yourself?"
He smiled wryly. "I can't help it, y'know? I haven't eaten lunch, and I can't feel my legs." He sighed as he dramatically slouched back, pressing a hand onto his forehead. "Aiya, I was just so dedicated that I couldn't stop-"
"Fine, fine." She yanked the blinder away from his grasp, and he grinned as she scowled. "Geez, it's your fault for not pacing yourself, senpai."
He shrugged. "Come on, now. Give me some slack." His expression turned serious as he thought back to the race he'd just witnessed. "After seeing something like that, there's no way I can focus on doing anything else."
His kouhai paused as well. "...I guess so." She eventually said.
He huffed.
They'd both been there to witness today's [Spring Tenno Sho]. And of course they were there; this would be Blossom Star's first race in Japan after her injury back in the [Japan Cup], and everyone was eager to see her run across the Japanese Turf once more.
Not only that, but it's always been known that Star's stamina was her strongest edge, and yet she'd never truly been able to make use of it. The longest she'd ever ran was 2400 meters, and most experts agreed that it just wasn't enough. So the [Spring Tenno Sho] would act as a way for everyone to see how Star would perform if she was truly given the space to flourish.
And by the Goddesses did she flourish.
"A lead by 24 lengths." He whispered, thinking back to that awe-inspiring sight. Of the way Star had crossed the finish line alone, with no one following her. This was the first time everyone had seen something so incredible. Something so terrifying. It showed just how much the shorter distances had been hampering her all this time.
"And Super Creek herself was ahead by almost 12 lengths over everyone else." His kouhai finished, her eyes sparkling as she reminisced over the race she'd watched just hours ago.
Right, that also had to be taken into consideration. Super Creek herself was also far ahead compared to the other runners. Had she not been present in the [Spring Tenno Sho], then Blossom Star's lead would've shot up to a staggering 36 lengths.
He smirked. A lead of 36 lengths—it was a result so exaggerated that it almost sounded like a dream.
But he wasn't too surprised. After all, Blossom Star was the umamusume chosen by Secretariat herself. In that regard, Star was only following the legacy left behind by her predecessor.
Though he did feel a little sorry for Super Creek. She was by no means weak—the fact that there were 12 lengths between her and the 3rd place showed that she more than deserved her place amongst the Generation of Miracles. In a race like the [Spring Tenno Sho], he was sure not even Tamamo Cross could match her.
Yet, even she couldn't hold against the White Comet.
Super Creek might possess a strength only seen once in a decade, but Blossom Star was a monster seen only once in a century.
…Well, maybe twice would be the correct answer.
His smirk grew wider. He didn't know what was going on, but he was glad to have been alive in this era. To have been here to witness the start of the Generation of Miracles, and now to stand at the birth of something even greater–
It was an honor a scoundrel like him really didn't deserve.
"Senpai's bein' weird again." His kouhai whispered as she saw his expression, before she shook her head. "Probably thinking something weird again." Was what she concluded before she stood up to leave.
She still needed to bring her senpai's draft to the editors, after all.
And hopefully she wouldn't be the one getting roasted for her senpai's sloppiness this time around.
.
.
.
"Time!" Nase Fumino stopped the stopwatch just as Super Creek ran past the finish line.
Creek took a deep breath as she slowed down, before she quickly turned towards her trainer. "How was it, trainer-san?"
Fumino smiled. "Your condition—it's gotten even better." She chuckled softly as she stowed the stopwatch back into her pockets. "It's almost unreal, especially since the [Spring Tenno Sho] has only just finished."
And that was the truly shocking part. It'd only been a few days since the [Spring Tenno Sho]; by all rights, Creek should still be tired out.
Yet she wasn't. And the reason was fairly simple.
"So, how did it feel?" Fumino eventually asked.
Creek hummed as she held her cheek. "It's strange." She said, frowning slightly as she tried to recall the strange sensations she felt halfway through the lap she'd just ran. "For a moment, I felt…light? I don't quite know how to describe it, but my body just felt so light all of a sudden."
"Almost as if gravity turned off." Fumino whispered, though Creek easily heard it.
"Yes, as if gravity turned off." She agreed, finding it an apt description of that strange sensation she'd felt.
Of course, the thing they were talking about was the Domain. Creek hadn't quite achieved it, but she'd finally encountered her Limits during the [Spring Tenno Sho], and with Belno Light's help, they began their journey of slowly chipping away at the wall to eventually grasp that mystical state, even if only partially.
Creek may have lost the [Spring Tenno Sho]—lost badly, even. A distance of 24 lengths between her and Blossom Star wasn't something that could be ignored, and it showed just how far Star had improved since she was last seen in the [Japan Cup].
Yet winning the race had never been their intention in the first place. The [Spring Tenno Sho] was nothing but a whetstone to try and unleash the potential Fumino believed Creek had, and their gambit had been more than successful.
And now, seeing her trainee stronger than she had ever been, standing at the edge of a world only accessible to legends, Fumino felt an unimaginable amount of pride.
The girl who'd shyly tugged on her sleeve had finally blossomed into a princess.
"Hehe, trainer-san~"
Suddenly, she was torn from her thoughts when she felt something soft press into her arm, and Fumino's cheeks burnt bright red as she stiffly turned towards Creek. "W-W-What is it?" She asked, doing her best to quell the subtle trembling creeping up her spine.
"Hmm~" Creek smiled gently as she pulled Fumino closer, and the trainer could only stiffen up as she felt Creek's heartbeat. "I'm just happy~"
"H-Happy?" She asked, forcing some measure of calmness back into her voice.
"Mhm." Creek's eyes lowered, before her smile deepened. "I'm happy because I have a trainer that trusts me so much." For a moment, a rare vulnerability showed in her expression. "I couldn't have gotten this far without you, trainer-san."
Fumino smiled. "And I wouldn't have been here without you either, Creek."
The two of them remained in that hug for quite some time, the atmosphere between them warm and soft.
…
From a distant bush, Dicta Striker lowered her binoculars as she rubbed her eyes. Sakura Chiyono O fidgeted slightly, worried over Dicta's reaction. "H-How is it, Dicta-san? Is Creek-san okay?"
"She's fine." Dicta said, a wry smile on her lips as she grabbed Chiyono O's shoulder. "Come on. Let's not linger here."
"Eh, why?"
Dicta's lips twitched, but she said nothing else as she pulled Chiyono O away from their hiding spot.