Once the girls had all returned to their rooms, Kuroha let out a quiet breath, turned, and pushed open the door to his own suite with the big bed.
Only a warm bedside lamp was on, wrapping the room in a calm, cozy glow.
A silver-white roan girl was already waiting there.
"Trainer...…"
Fujimasa March tilted her head, twining a strand of hair around her finger. "Little White" greeted him, too.
Kuroha answered with a smile, amused. They'd been alone together more times than either could count, yet she still got shy every single time.
But… that really was part of her charm.
"Hang on a second—I'm going to shower first."
He grabbed his toiletries from his backpack and stepped into the bathroom.
Just as he was about to slide the glass door shut—
Bang!
A sharp gust sliced past his shoulder!
A figure blinked into the gap almost like teleportation; a slender arm held the door fast.
Silver-white tracer light surged in March's pupils, pale motes orbiting and drifting off her irises.
"I… I want to join you."
Kuroha held her gaze for a beat. Seeing the look that wouldn't accept a no, he sighed—then stepped aside and let her slip in.
—An hour later.
Fresh from the shower, the two of them lay half-reclined on the bed.
The silver-haired girl leaned against Kuroha's shoulder with a satisfied face and cheeks still flushed, like a cat that had been thoroughly spoiled.
Feeling the soft weight on his shoulder, Kuroha teased, "March, you've been getting more and more forward lately."
March shrank a little at that, burying her face deeper, and muttered a tiny protest.
"No I haven't… It's just that Trainer keeps fussing over Ardan and the others more…"
Kuroha was speechless.
That's not how it is at all… He treated everyone the same.
But he didn't poke at March's little jealousy. He just quietly enjoyed the closeness.
After a while, Kuroha broke the silence, voice gentle but firm.
"A few days ago, I told Oguri Cap about your schedule for the second half of the year and asked her to think through her own plans."
March blinked, then lifted her gaze after a short pause, a faintly complicated note beneath her voice.
"Trainer, lately I can kind of feel it… I think I'm getting close to my limit—like Inari."
Kuroha didn't speak.
He knew exactly what "limit" she meant.
It was the end of True Blooming—like Inari One, her physical stats could no longer soar from training the way they had before.
Light from Body and Breath Perception flickered in his eyes, and the system panel rose with it.
[Fujimasa March]
[Track Aptitude: Turf A / Dirt A]
[Distance Aptitude: Short A / Mile S / Medium S / Long B]
[Running Style Aptitude: Front Runner A / Pace Chaser A / Late Surger C / End Closer D]
[Unique Skill: Ode of the Wind Lv5]
[Domain: Silver Radiance]
[Skills: Firm Conditions ◯, Rainy Days ◯, Go with the Flow, Professor of Curvature, Concentration, Wet Conditions ◯, Prudent Positioning] (Umamusume Wiki)
[Speed: 1124 / Stamina: 1103 / Power: 965 / Guts: 1036 / Wit: 1169]
Even by Central's storied history, those numbers were close to the very top.
In the original timeline without Kuroha's interference, March's peak probably hovered just over 700—simply not comparable to now.
But March had always known she wasn't the type to bulldoze Central on raw body talent alone.
All this time, she'd had only one opponent she valued most—Oguri Cap.
That "grey-haired monster" who'd been her rival since her debut battle—someone whose natural gifts ranked among Central's all-time best.
In her classic-year season, Oguri Cap had gone toe-to-toe on pure physique with a host of ancient-horse-year legends, including the "Current Strongest," Tamamo Cross.
Last year, March had only barely edged ahead thanks to exquisite racecraft and that "fighting spirit" edge.
And this year?
Oguri Cap had awakened the power of a Domain, too.
With her own growth plateauing, March knew the "grey monster" wouldn't wait for her.
Her thoughts were spiraling when—
Thunk!
"Eek—!"
The silver-white girl clutched her head and looked at Kuroha with wounded eyes.
Kuroha withdrew his flicking finger with a smile. "March, if you'd met Inari in the Osaka Hai a little while back—would you have won?"
"Of course I would!" she shot back without thinking.
She and Inari One had gone from roommates to teammates, from Ooi to Central, and they knew each other like their own reflections.
Just as Inari believed her strength could crush anything—
March believed she could run to the very edge of the world.
"There you go."
Kuroha ruffled her hair. "Inari is 'the strongest,' right?"
He used the nickname Inari loved to brag about.
The truth was, March had a touch of a third-year slump.
When your numbers rocket up, your confidence is sky-high. But the moment that meteoric climb stops, and you look at a prodigy like Oguri Cap, a little doubt creeps in.
Kuroha understood that feeling.
At the end of the day…
Even Central Tracen Academy's "Emperor," Symboli Rudolf, that seemingly unshakable legend, was still a girl not yet twenty.
March and the others were actually younger still.
So slipping into a mental cul-de-sac like this was perfectly normal.
And it was Kuroha's job to spot it early—and guide it out.
That's what a responsible trainer should do.
"March, there's something you need to understand." His eyes were steady and serious. "Your limit isn't a finish line. It means you've already reached a summit most people never will.
"What you need now isn't to agonize over numbers that won't budge. It's to take what you already have—and tune it to the absolute limit.
"Oguri Cap's talent is monstrous. But races are never decided by a stat sheet alone, right?
"Your race reading, your rhythm control, your track craft… Those are the core of the name 'Fujimasa March.'
"They're things Oguri Cap doesn't have—and a gap she can hardly bridge.
"And even on physique, context matters."
Kuroha's voice softened. "No one is good at everything. Some of your strengths and accomplishments are truly without precedent.
"You're already standing on the summit. She's still climbing.
"Your job is to get used to the view up here—and wait, rested and ready, to meet her challenge."
Kuroha's words flowed like warm, steady spring water, smoothing the little spikes of anxiety in March's chest one by one.
She stared at him, at the certainty and trust in his eyes.
He's right…
Why compare my weaknesses to her strengths?
What I have is already what others can only dream of.
"I believe in you, March," Kuroha said at last. "I believe in your racing, your judgment—and your strength.
"So you should believe in yourself, too."
After a long moment, the haze in March's eyes cleared completely.
"I understand, Trainer!"
Light danced in her gaze. Her voice was soft but resolute.
"This autumn season—I'll beat Oguri!"
For me… and for you.
March knew how much Kuroha had poured into her.
From Kasamatsu to Ooi, and then the march on Central—
She'd always had a clear read on her own talent.
Without Kuroha, she might have scraped by on local circuits her whole life, aged out of her peak, and retired without leaving a mark.
That was why, when her Domain first bloomed, the figure in her heart's lake had been him alone—
For herself, and to earn her Trainer's recognition.
Oguri, for the promise we made back then…
As your rival, I'll defeat you in the autumn races!
Suddenly, the silver-haired girl leaned in, lips claiming his.
Her thin silk nightdress fell in smooth lines, tracing every elegant curve.
"Trainer, didn't you say this vacation was for fun?"
"?"
A question mark popped over Kuroha's head.
"I want to play more!"
"..."
With a stifled, sweet cry drifting through the room, the "Chasing the Light" Tōkō summer trip quietly began.
(End of Chapter)
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