"Ko-chan, don't forget to submit your Classic registration form."
This line had been repeatedly, almost religiously, reminded to me for the last three days. And the one saying it was the captain of my team, Oguri-san. She was very resolute in her reminders. Well, knowing her own history, I understood her sentiments..
"It has been done, Oguri-san," I answered, giving her a thumbs-up as we stood in line. "I just submitted it this morning."
"Great, then," Oguri-san replied with a thumbs-up of her own, and I could see the tension visibly relax from her shoulders. To make sure your junior didn't experience the same bad luck that you had was a duty for a senior. Furthermore, she was the captain. So her persistent reminders were understandable. Thanks to her struggle, and the subsequent waves of protest after she had missed the Derby, the URA had since relaxed the rules for Classic registration. The usual deadline was still in place, but for those who were late, there was now an option to pay a hefty fine to enter..
I nodded at her as I looked towards the front of the queue. It was almost our turn.
It was lunchtime, and as usual, I had met up with Oguri-san, the usual crew, and the recently returned Belno-san in the cafeteria. After we had secured a large table, we had, in turn, joined the queue to grab our food while the others protected our spot, a small routine we had performed countless times before.
Today, the rotational menu was seafood. I could see glistening lobster tails, perfectly grilled unagi, thick cuts of fatty tuna, and bright red crab legs lined up under the heat lamps. It was a good thing I didn't have any adverse reactions to seafood. For those who did, there were still the usual staples of meat, carrots, and other dishes that could be ordered. Still, the common convention was to enjoy the rotational menu, and I was happy to follow that convention.
Finally, our turn came. As quickly as we ordered, the cafeteria staff scooped food onto our plates with a practiced, beautiful efficiency. As expected of professionals, every staff member still put effort into the plating and presentation, even though there was barely any space left on the plates due to the sheer mountains of food we had ordered.
We walked back to our table with our respective mountains. I felt that lately, the stares from the other students had subsided. They seemed to have already come to regard this as a common, everyday scenery during mealtime. But I predicted that once the new freshmen entered in the spring, the stares would come back from them. I was assuming, of course, from my own behavior back then when I had first seen Oguri-san.
"Ko-chan," Belno-san said as we sat down, "as a girl, I'm really jealous of you. You seem to never get fat, even though you always eat this much. Though, as your assistant trainer, I'm grateful, too, that you're always in such great shape."
She then glanced over at Oguri-san and let out a soft, weary sigh. Oguri-san had finally gotten back to her ideal racing shape, and she was now back to her usual, gargantuan portions. Well, with Belno-san here, I didn't need to worry about Oguri-san, or perhaps even myself in the future getting out of shape. Belno-san was far more meticulous and disciplined about our nutritional intake compared to the Chief. And in the worst-case scenario, her diet plan was proven to be very effective.
"Belno is right," said Tamamo-san, who was sitting beside me, as she poked at my right arm. "Rather than fat, it's her muscle that just keeps growing."
"Though if this keeps growing, I'm afraid I'll be too bulky to even run..," I said grimly, letting her continue to poke me.
"That would be the worst," Oguri-san added in between her munching, but with her eyes scanning me from top to bottom, I felt a little offended.
"Please don't imagine it, Oguri-san," I warned her lightly.
"A child in her growth phase needs to eat a lot, and by eating a lot, you grow a lot," Creek-san said fondly from across the table. "So don't worry, Ko-chan. It's normal. Just eat."
I wondered if her normal was in line with the world's standard.
After the fact that another factor contributing to my usually huge portions was Creek-san. I had once tried to reduce my portion size, after I had realized I was blinded by Oguri-san's standard, but she had persistently, almost relentlessly, urged me to keep increasing it. Her motherly persuasion was difficult to refuse, and I had no choice but to finally yield.
"Yeah, stop eating and we'll die, hahaha!" Inari-san added bluntly as she stood up.
"Let's go," Tamamo-san said so as the others followed suit, heading towards the queue.
As they went to grab their own lunches, I was finally about to start digging into my own meal. But just as my spoon touched the rice, I felt it.
A sudden, revolting feeling, a prickle of instinctual alarm coming from directly behind me. Without thinking, my body reacted. I spun around, my spoon held out in a sharp, intercepting motion.
But thankfully, Oguri-san was faster than me. Her hand shot out and clamped down on my wrist, stopping my spoon inches away from its unintended target. At this scene, I felt incredibly stupid. I regretted my overreaction. I should have never let my focus down.
"I apologise! I didn't mean to!" I bowed profusely to the person who was now staring blankly at the tip of my spoon.
It was King Halo, her familiar crimson eyes wide with surprise. Others around our table had also turned their attention to our little commotion.
"That's quite a unique way to greet this King," she said, letting out a long-suffering sigh as she gently pushed the spoon away from her face. "Are you so desperate to defeat me that you've resorted to physical harm?"
"I apologies, King," I said, my voice desperate. "It's my fault. I've never even thought of something so low like that, trust me. It's just... you'd better not creep up on me from behind." I gave her the warning directly.
I understood that I had just slightly revealed my problematic quirk to her, but it was better than the alternative of her getting hurt in the future.
"What? Hmm?" she mused, her expression turning analytical. "Very well. Just be careful and don't hurt anyone, okay? Also, Oguri Cap-san, thank you for saving me." King gave a small, respectful bow.
"Umm, umm, um, um," Oguri-san replied with a mouth full of food, giving a thumbs-up as she finally released my hand.
"Anyway, Oguri Cap-san, can I borrow her for this lunch period?" King added, pointing her finger at me. Borrow me? I wasn't an object to be borrowed.
"Umm? Umm... umm, umm," After a few more chews, Oguri-san finally swallowed and opened her mouth. "Fine. Take her."
She just gave me away.
"Thank you," King said. She then turned to me, her voice authoritative. "Take your food and let's go."
"What? I don't even have a say in this?" I retorted.
"Come on," King said, shrugging off my protest. "The others are already waiting."
"Who are these 'others'?" I asked. If I was being invited to her usual circle of friends, it would be too awkward for me. There was that saying, after all: 'a friend of your friend is not necessarily your friend, too.'
"Seiun-san, Spe-san, El-san, and Grass-san," she replied easily.
Oh. If it was them, then I guessed it should be fine. I had already accepted Sei-san and Spe-san's invitation for lunch before. To refuse them now would be inappropriate.
Furthermore, I was curious about El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder. This would be our first time to really converse.
"I see. Then, please lead the way," I said, picking up my plates. I turned back to Oguri-san. "Then, Oguri-san. I'll go first."
"Un, um, um, um," she replied with a mouthful and a nod.
I smirked at her and began to walk side by side with King towards a table in the opposite corner of the cafeteria. As we approached our destination, I saw the four girls King had mentioned, and two vacant seats waiting for us. But with our arrival, the murmurs and stares from our surroundings intensified.
"All of the 'Golden Generation' at one table? What is happening?"
"So bright! But I can't take my eyes off them."
"A conference over lunch?"
"Are they going to formally declare war on each other before the Classics even start?"
"Too bad Tsurumaru-chan hasn't come back yet..."
"Yaaa, it seems we're making quite a commotion," Sei-san smiled wryly as we arrived. "Anyway, welcome, welcome. Let's finally have lunch together."
"Yeah! Finally, we can have lunch together!" Spe-san nodded enthusiastically, her eyes immediately drawn to my plates.
She then looked up at me, a clear look of approval on her face. In exchange, I glanced at her own plate, which was similarly mountainous, and then nodded back at her with a newfound respect. With that single, silent exchange, a deep understanding was forged between us.
"Fufu, please take your seats, King-san, Copenhagen-san," Grass Wonder said gracefully, her voice as serene as her expression.
"¡Maravilloso! Spe-chan has finally met one of her own kind!" El Condor Pasa exclaimed in English, only to be quickly put down by a subtle but firm gesture from Grass Wonder at her side.
At their dynamic, I could only smile wryly. I quickly sat down in one of the vacant seats and set down my plates.
"Gratitude for the invitation," I thanked them politely.
"You can take it easy here," King said flatly as she took her own seat, a plate of seafood already waiting for her. "They're all good girls."
"Again, there's nothing wrong with being polite," I sighed at her interjection.
"Sure," King shrugged, dismissing my excuse. She then turned her attention to Grass Wonder. "Anyway, congratulations, Grass-san, for winning the Best Junior Umamusume award. This King truly thinks you deserve it."
"She is right," I added with a nod. "You totally deserve it, Grass Wonder-san. Congratulations."
"Thank you so much," Grass Wonder smiled, though I could see a profound sadness hiding behind it. "To be chosen among strong contenders like you all... I really am proud. Though," she added, her voice dropping, "I do wonder if it was really worth this injury."
I saw her gaze drift down to her right leg, which was still wrapped in bandages under the table.
For an Umamusume, an injury was the last thing you wanted and the first thing you had to avoid. Though with the advancement of medical technology, most injuries could be treated in the best way possible and reducing the chance of permanent damage, the time that should have been spent on improvement, on training, on races... was instead lost to recovery. Furthermore, even after your body had fully healed, your muscles might have experienced atrophy from the long period of immobility. The time it took to get back to peak performance was often even longer than the recovery period itself, even with therapy.
Though again, every Umamusume was unique, and every injury was incomparable to another.
Some could bounce back, even after a series of injuries, like Tokai Teio. Others could even recover from what were thought to be fatal injuries, like Oguri-san, who had recovered from a case of ligamentitis that was once believed to be a death sentence for an Umamusume's career. So, I hoped that Grass Wonder could recover quickly and come back to the track as soon as possible, both for reasons of sympathy and for reasons of rivalry.
"Even I'll get shy if you stare at me like that, Copenhagen-san," Grass Wonder smiled sweetly, her resolute eyes clearly showing that she held the same desire as me. We both wanted to race against each other.
"Ah, I apologies," I said, snapping out of my thoughts. "I just really hope you'll return to the track as soon as possible, Grass Wonder-san. I'm looking forward to facing you there."
"It's fine, fufu," Grass Wonder smiled serenely. "The same is true for me, Copenhagen-san. Let's do our best when that opportunity finally comes."
"Nyahaha, it seems the two monsters are already at it," Seiun Sky reminded us, her tone light and teasing. "Today is just for lunch, you know? Relax~"
"Don't worry, Sei-chan," Grass Wonder said. "I'm just happy to know that Copenhagen-san is as eager as I am."
"The 'Little Monster' and the 'Chestnut Monster,' huh?" El Condor Pasa suddenly interjected again in English with a curious look on her face. Then continued in her Japanese. "But isn't Copenhagen a chestnut, too? Though she's a bit darker-des."
Well, she's an American alright. Her frankness and curiousity were admirable. Though even after a year in Japan, she's still mostly talking in English. Her Japanese was adequate, though very accented. Unlike Grass Wonder-san whose Japanese was impressive. She already reached native speaker level in a year living here.
"El-chan is right!" Special Week pointed out, a thoughtful look on her face. "And Ko-chan isn't 'little' at all! She's taller than us! Well, except for El-chan."
"She got that nickname after her debut win," King explained, her tone almost like a lecturer's. "And back then, she was smaller than she is now. If I recall correctly, she would have been just a bit shorter than Grass-san at that time."
"The media was also using the fact that she's Oguri Cap's junior as a narrative, or so I heard," Seiun Sky added, a lazy smile on her face.
"Affirmative," I said. "Both of those should be correct? I'm not sure how the media thinks, but my own assumptions are similar."
"Then, aren't you growing too fast-des!?" El Condor Pasa exclaimed.
"She is," King confirmed. "You wouldn't believe how small and lean she was on her first day in our class."
"Alright, King. Shut it," I sighed. "You know too much."
"How small was she, King-chan?" Special Week pressed on, her curiosity piqued.
"Just a tad bit taller than Urara-san, but much leaner," King answered, a triumphant smirk on her face.
"¿Qué? But—" El Condor Pasa's words were cut short.
"Spe-san's team won three categories in the awards, right? Isn't that impressive?" I hijacked the conversation, desperate to steer the topic away. I knew my growth had been a bit too fast, but it was rather embarrassing to have it as the main topic of conversation. It was like how you felt embarrassed when someone saw your old album photos, or something like that. And King... she really didn't need to explain it all a bit too clearly.
"What a flimsy way to change the topic," King sneered, followed by the giggles of the others. "You should learn to do it more smoothly."
"Sure, Ko-chan. Let's talk about that," Seiun Sky smirked, playing along. "Spe-chan, how does it feel to be training under the Best Trainer of the Year, and alongside the Best Classic Umamusume and the Umamusume of the Year?"
"Well... my trainer, huh?" Special Week's smile turned a little wry. "He is... unique, in his own way. To be honest, I also don't really know how to explain his methods, but one thing is for sure. I and everyone else at Sirius really trust him."
Trust. I thought.
To gain that, he must have done everything for each and every one of his trainees, catering to their specific and unique needs, wants, characters, and goals. Well, the Chief had done the same for me, of course. But Trainer Sirius had done this for all six of his trainees, and the results his trainees had achieved were incredibly impressive. Still, I believed the Chief could do the same.
Hmm... this makes me wonder whether I will be getting a junior this year. I thought.
I nodded at Spe-san's answer, and El Condor Pasa asked further.
"How about the 'Monster from the Shadow'-des?"
The "Monster from the Shadow."
The monster from last year's Classic generation, the generation that had directly preceded mine. A Triple Crown winner who had wrapped up her year with an Arima Kinen win as a cherry on top. Her Classic year was what you would call an outright domination, a level of dominance last seen from Symboli Rudolf. Though she wasn't undefeated, in every race she won, she had utterly smashed the competition. I would have never thought that the quiet, almost aloof, student council member who had escorted me to my dorm on that first evening would turn out to be such a monster on the track.
"Ah... Brian-san is a bit stiff," Spe-san began, trying to find the right words, "but she's very attentive. She often helps me in my training. And though she's sometimes a bit tense... don't worry, she won't hurt anyone... without a reason." That final hesitation didn't convince me at all.
"I see," I said. "And both sisters won awards, right? With Biwa-san winning the Best Senior Umamusume."
"Yeah, they're amazing!" Spe-san agreed, her eyes shining.
"But 'Monster from the Shadow'?" King said, her eyebrows knitting together in distaste. "I don't like that nickname. Not at all. I'm sympathetic with Fuji Kiseki-san and what happened to her, but for Brian-san to be called that, as if she only emerged from the shadow of Fuji-san... it really discredits her own achievements."
I understood what she meant.
In their Junior year, Fuji Kiseki-san had been predicted to dominate and lead her generation after series of undefeated races, while Narita Brian-san, who had been struggling in her early races, hadn't even been on the radar yet. All of that changed when Fuji Kiseki announced her early retirement just a month after winning the Yayoi-sho, due to a career-ending injury. The announcement caused an uproar overnight.
And just when the media and the fans had lost all their expectations for that generation, Narita Brian come to the forefront and scored a historic, dominant Triple Crown victory. That was where her nickname come from: the monster who emerged from the shadow. And many had linked that shadow to Fuji Kiseki, who had then gained her own tragic nickname: the "Phantom Triple Crown."
"King-chan... that's just what the media is like, right?" Grass Wonder sighed, her own expression turning somber. "Though it really is unfortunate that a nickname like that stuck."
Well, Grass Wonder's own injury had also brought up quite a scare back then. With the media fanning the flames and drawing parallels between Fuji Kiseki-san and her, who were both in the team Rigil, I was sure that Grass Wonder and trainer Tojo were having a tough time calming the masses.
"Truly unfortunate," King said, her tone defeated. She then changed the subject. "And what is the latest on Tsurumaru-san's condition?"
"Tsurumaru-chan?" Seiun Sky answered, her face brightening. "She's getting better and better~ She said she'll be back in the spring, maybe around the same time as the new school year."
"I hope it will be sooner," I murmured, staring blankly at my food, "but as long as she comes back healthy, then it's fine." The night runs felt a bit lonely without her, to be honest.
"I see. That's good news," King said.
"Umm, sorry, guys..." Spe-san said, her smile turning a bit wry. "It's almost time to go back to class. Can we start eating now? Hehe."
"¡Ay, caramba! Spe is right-des!" El Condor Pasa exclaimed, her eyes wide.
"Fufu, sure. Let's eat," Grass Wonder said. "Be careful so you don't choke, Spe-chan."
"Can you even finish all of that?" King asked, her doubtful gaze fixed on my plates.
"Too easy," I answered easily. "Let me remind you that I learn from the best."
"Huh? Sure. Let's go with that," King winced at my words.
"Don't worry, Ko-chan! If push comes to shove, Spe-chan here can help, nyahaha," Seiun Sky added with a laugh.
And with that, our short lunch was concluded, beneath the constant stares and whispers of the others around us. Though nothing truly significant had happened, and nothing of great tactical value could be gathered from this simple meal, I guessed I did have one thing confirmed.
I had finally understood that my targets, these "giants" of my generation, were not just some talented freaks or almighty athletes who solely focused on running. Outside of the track, they were still just middle school girls, just like me.
They were... more normal than I had thought.
Though, even beneath that normalcy, I could still feel it. Their spirits. Their determinations. Their unwavering drive to become the best, to win, even in the small battles of their daily lives.
They were normal girls. But they were the Golden Generation, after all.