Afternoon training time.
Tokyo, Central Tracen Academy.
The Third Public Training Track.
Compared to the main training grounds that were usually packed with noise and people, this place was tucked away, with simpler facilities, so not many came here on most days.
But today, it welcomed a special visitor.
"Hah…"
Silence Suzuka bent over the back of a chair, arms resting on her thighs, clumsily doing warm-up stretches.
From time to time, she lifted her head to glance toward the entrance. In her emerald-green eyes, anticipation and unease tangled together.
"…Will he really come?"
That brief moment in the stands had felt like a dream.
After she went home, she barely slept all night. Her mind was filled with that smiling face, looping over and over until her thoughts turned into a mess.
What if I perform badly?
What if I can't meet his expectations?
What if Onii-chan thinks I don't have talent?
The more the little girl thought, the more panicked she became, her anxious expression twisting into something like a bitter gourd.
Just then—
Tap, tap, tap.
Steady footsteps came from the entrance.
Suzuka snapped her head up.
Under the sunlight, Kuroha, dressed casually, walked straight over the moment he spotted her.
And behind him came three more girls.
At this time of day, they should have been training at their own track.
But when Suzuka hurried over after class to meet Kuroha, she happened to run into them. Bourbon immediately latched on with her usual decisive persistence, and Rice Shower—unable to refuse—ended up following along too.
"Good afternoon, Suzuka."
Kuroha stopped in front of her and spoke gently.
"G-good afternoon! O-Onii— Trainer, and, um… Bourbon-san, Rice-san, and…"
Suzuka hurriedly straightened up, took a sharp breath, and forced out the greeting. Her voice trembled from nerves, and when her eyes landed on Rice, she froze for a moment.
"I… I'm Rice Shower…"
Rice raised her hand halfway in a timid self-introduction.
"Mm. Rice-san."
Kuroha smiled and waved lightly.
"Don't be nervous."
He flipped open the notebook in his hand, his demeanor turning professional and focused.
"Since you came today because you want to train like March, I want to see how you run when you're out in front."
His gaze settled on the little girl's long, slender legs. A thoughtful glint flickered in his eyes, and he pointed toward the track.
"Don't think about speed. Don't think about tactics."
"Run in the way that feels most comfortable to you, the way you like the most. Finish those three laps."
"Go on, Suzuka."
"Yes!!"
Suzuka took a deep breath, turned, and stepped onto the track.
The instant she stood at the starting line and assumed her stance—
the usual quietness fell away, replaced by a single, intense yearning.
A yearning to run.
A yearning to be first.
And at the moment her feet pushed off—
a system notification chimed softly.
[Registered Uma Musume: Silence Suzuka (Temporary)]
[Silence Suzuka]
[Surface Aptitude: Turf A, Dirt G]
[Distance Aptitude: Short D, Mile A, Medium A, Long E]
[Running Style Aptitude: Front Runner A, Pace Chaser C, Late Surger C, End Closer G]
[Unique Skill: None]
[Skills: None]
[Skills: None]
[Skills: None]
[Speed: 44, Stamina: 32, Power: 41, Gut: 43, Wit: 44]
"Plain, no-frills numbers."
Kuroha nodded without holding back.
For a second-year elementary division Uma Musume, these stats were solidly within the normal range.
"Good. Ready—"
Kuroha lifted his hand. On the track, Suzuka dipped slightly lower, her whole body tightening.
"Go!"
His arm cut down.
"Whoosh—!"
No hesitation, no restraint.
That small body shot out like an arrow released from the string.
Her footwork wasn't polished, and it was even a little raw.
But that feeling of breaking free, that posture of throwing every restraint behind her as she surged forward—
made Kuroha and the others fall silent for a moment.
It was the same kind of opening you could see in March's training.
Full power from the first step, as if she meant to crash straight through everything in front of her.
Her form was still a mess.
But for Suzuka's build, being able to run so straightforwardly in the first place was already impressive.
There was no point asking for more.
Beside him, Bourbon watched Suzuka's motion with a slight tilt of her head, as if evaluating a machine.
"She is fast. However, based on her rate of stamina consumption, she will not finish even one lap."
For Bourbon, this kind of running was extremely stamina-intensive. She understood it, but she did not value it.
She could account for every fraction of her stamina, and even on the verge of exhaustion, she could judge exactly how many seconds had passed and how much distance she had covered.
So a breakaway sprint that shattered rhythm was meaningless to her, and she disliked squeezing her body dry like that.
"Correct."
Kuroha glanced at Bourbon and spoke quietly.
"She's not good at distributing stamina, and she doesn't know how to regulate her breathing. She's simply… determined to win from the very front, to throw every opponent behind her."
"But that is her will, her goal, and her dream."
As he spoke, he lightly patted Bourbon's smooth hair and chuckled.
"Bourbon, this is something you'll need to learn too someday. Listen to your own heart, and obtain a fate that belongs to you alone."
While he spoke, Suzuka was already nearing the end of her first lap.
"Amazing…"
Rice, who had been lingering behind them, clutched at her skirt hem, eyes wide with shock.
She didn't understand breakaways, and she didn't understand tactics.
But she could feel it.
That girl still running out there… was dazzling.
And as Rice came back to herself, a strange seed quietly ignited deep inside her.
Finally—
"Hah…"
When Suzuka crossed the finish line, her entire body was nearly drained.
Inertia carried her forward for a few steps, then her knees went weak and she collapsed onto the track.
But in the instant she was about to fall face-first, a pair of warm hands caught her firmly.
"Good job, Suzuka."
Kuroha's voice came from above, carrying both concern and approval.
Suzuka struggled to lift her head. Sweat blurred her vision, but she still saw that smiling face.
"O-Onii-chan… I…"
She wanted to ask, trembling with anxiety.
"Pass."
Kuroha didn't let her get the words out. He gave her the answer she wanted most.
He took out his phone, gently brushed the sweat from her forehead, and spoke softly.
"The road is long, but you've taken the first step."
"And that determination to win from the very front… I received it clearly."
"So—"
He reached out and ruffled her head.
"Silence Suzuka, welcome to Chasing Light."
At those words, Suzuka grabbed Kuroha's sleeve with both hands, as if she were holding onto the entire world.
Watching the little deer who had suddenly become so loud and clingy, Kuroha smiled helplessly.
Then he turned toward Bourbon and Rice and spoke gently.
"Alright, don't just stand there staring."
"From now on, she's your new teammate."
"Go on. Say hello."
Bourbon nodded and stepped forward, still wearing that calm, almost ominously flat expression.
"Welcome aboard, Swift Wind."
"Welcome… I'm Rice."
Rice followed with a small bow, her voice barely above a whisper.
Once greetings were exchanged, Kuroha waved them onward.
"Alright. It's still training time."
"Suzuka, I'll take you to the training grounds. From now on, that's where you'll do your daily training."
"And since I'm free this afternoon, we can also plan your training schedule for the near future."
Hearing that, Suzuka hastily rubbed at the tears in her eyes.
"Mm… yes!"
…
Meanwhile, inside Central Tracen Academy, in Ginjirou's private training office, the atmosphere had turned a little strange.
(End of Chapter)
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