[POV: Argentine]
—
The rustling wind swept through my hair as I ran.
With the dark shadow clinging to my feet, I cut through the sea of green rice fields stretching along both sides of the road. The asphalt beneath my steps still looked damp—the rain had fallen last night.
Now the morning sky was bright and clear. Only a few white clouds drifted lazily above. Sunlight poured down over my body, warm and calming.
It had been three days since that race.
Right now, we were in the middle of a one-week break after Series-2.
Trainer had actually told us to use the long holiday to rest. But a simple morning jog shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I never felt at ease if I spent even a single day without running.
It had already become part of my morning routine.
Lately, I had been thinking a lot about that defeat.
My thoughts wandered everywhere—especially whenever I remembered Gavi crying in my arms. She must have been truly disappointed.
And I had failed to defeat Caraxes as well.
Salva had returned to Payakumbuh.
Gavi went back to Pacitan.
The same with Milord. Since returning from the race, I hadn't seen her again. I heard she had gone somewhere to calm herself.
Now, the only member of Emerald Team left here was me.
I kept running for quite a while, until the endless rice fields along the road slowly gave way to rows of buildings. People and vehicles began to appear.
I slowed my pace once I reached the sidewalk.
Not long after, the large signboard of a convenience store came into view.
There was still a little time before heading back, so I decided to stop inside and buy a few drinks and snacks.
But when I came out, I noticed someone familiar sitting at the outdoor bench.
I walked over.
"Sunny-senpai?"
She turned and immediately stood up.
"Ah, Argentine-chan!"
"What are you doing here, Senpai?"
"Um... just taking a short break after jogging. You too?"
"Ya. I just finished jogging as well. I was about to head back."
"Oh… then let's walk back together. I was planning to go back after this anyway."
"Ah, alright."
And so... we walked together.
For the first time on my way home today, I wasn't alone. Our destination was the same—Tracen Dormitory.
As usual, Senpai was smiling.
But this time, something about her smile felt different.
The race the other day had left behind many things that were hard to explain. Even we ourselves didn't know how to process it yet.
Especially after seeing an opponent who felt so… unbeatable.
"By the way, Argentine-chan," Senpai said suddenly. "Why didn't you go back to Pacitan?"
"Eh?"
"Didn't the whole King Halim family go home? Including Gavi-chan."
I fell silent for a moment before answering.
"I'll go back if Father tells me to."
"Eh?"
Now it was Senpai's turn to fall quiet.
"Gavi is still recovering, so she needs treatment. That's why she was told to return."
"And you?" Senpai glanced at me. "Why didn't you go with her? You don't have to wait for Abah Halim to order you, right? The other family members didn't."
"…That's true."
I paused.
"But…"
"…?"
Honestly, I didn't know how to explain it myself. My heart still hadn't decided what choice I wanted to make.
That was why I ended up turning the question back to her.
"What about you, Senpai? Why didn't you go home?"
"Hm?"
"Why did you choose to stay here?"
Senpai chuckled softly.
"Because my hometown is far away. North Sulawesi."
"…I see."
"And besides," she continued casually, "my family is here too. Even if they're unbelievably troublesome."
Her smile this time felt warm. Her eyes carried a sincerity that was hard to describe.
Seeing that, someone suddenly came to mind.
"Oh right… how is Milord? Is she okay?"
"Hm? Her leg is fine now." Senpai scratched her cheek. "But… well, you know. She's still sulking in my room."
"Eh? She's staying in your room?"
"Yeah. Salva went back home, so she's alone. Rather than having no one around, I told her she could stay in my room for a while. Besides, I don't have a roommate right now anyway."
"Oh… I see," I murmured.
Senpai glanced down at my leg.
"After that race… your leg is still alright?"
"Ah, a little. It hurt at first, but it got better the next day. Jogging is still fine."
Senpai looked at my leg again and muttered quietly,
"I didn't expect your leg to hold up after such a brutal track."
"…Yeah."
"…What's wrong, Argentine-chan? You've been spacing out this whole time."
"Ah, nothing. I was just remembering yesterday's race."
I looked straight ahead.
"I never expected Caraxes to be that strong. I thought I had analyzed everything perfectly. But somehow, she was always one step ahead of us."
"I see…"
Senpai let out a quiet sigh.
"I feel the same way. That girl has always been clever since she was little. She's always careful and calculating in everything she does."
She gave a faint smile.
"I never imagined it. The little girl who used to be so obedient… has now turned into an unstoppable monster in your generation."
I fell silent hearing those words. My eyes drifted toward the shadow stretching before me.
That shadow reminded me of the dark silhouette Caraxes showed when she stood before me that day.
I could truly feel the aura emanating from her.
There was something about it that stirred fear in me… and somehow, it also felt incredibly lonely.
What was that girl really feeling?
Did she truly hate Senpai that much?
Or…
"Senpai."
"Hm?"
"…Do you… hate Caraxes?"
"…."
The only answer I received was silence.
I couldn't even hear Senpai's footsteps anymore.
When I turned around, I realized she had stopped walking.
Her expression was blank. The smile that had been on her face earlier had disappeared.
Her eyes were looking at me—but it felt as if they were seeing something far away.
Her lips pressed together before finally moving slowly.
"I don't hate my younger sisters. Not even a little."
Her voice was gentle… and it touched my heart.
"In fact… I hate myself for failing to protect them."
One of her arms held the other as her gaze fell to the shadow at her feet.
The atmosphere around her felt heavy with sorrow.
"I think… it's not just Caraxes." She drew a slow breath. "The younger girls I left behind might hate me too. The decision I made was meant to protect them… but it doesn't change the reality."
Sunny-senpai lowered her head. Her voice trembled slightly.
"I'm still the one who abandoned them. That's why… there isn't much I can do."
All I could do was watch her in silence.
"The only thing I can do now is support the family I still have," she continued quietly. "I don't want the only thing left to me to disappear as well."
"But… hasn't she always stayed by your side?"
"...Ya."
This time her smile returned—faint, but sincere.
"Even after I told her everything, she still chose to stay with me. She's always been there for me."
Her gaze drifted toward the horizon.
"When there's something I can't do… she always finds another way," she continued.
"…Ya. That's true," I said softly.
I remembered how she had given us advice before the race.
"…Senpai."
"Hm?"
"May I ask you something?"
"Of course."
I weighed my feelings for a moment before speaking.
"Senpai… do you think it's wrong if someone doesn't have ambition?"
"…Why would you ask that?"
I turned my face away for a moment. For some reason, I didn't feel comfortable looking at her right now.
Even so, I answered.
"Someone once told me… that I don't have any ambition."
Senpai fell silent.
Meanwhile, I waited for her answer with unease. I didn't even dare look at her.
Until finally, she began to speak.
"So then… what is it that Argentine-chan truly wants?"
That question left me speechless.
I tried to answer, but my mind felt strangely empty. As if all this time I had been running forward without ever truly looking at where I wanted to go.
I lowered my gaze.
"To be honest… I've never really thought that far," I said quietly. "All this time, I've just been trying to live my life for other people. I don't want to disappoint them."
"... I see."
Senpai looked at me calmly.
"So you're trying to meet other people's expectations. Well… there's nothing wrong with that."
She paused for a moment.
"But… how long?"
"Huh?" I raised my face.
"How long are you going to keep trying to meet those expectations?"
I flinched slightly. "O-Of course… until I succeed."
The answer slipped out of my mouth so quickly that even I wasn't sure about the conviction in my own voice.
Senpai smiled faintly.
"No wonder Mi-chan said you don't have any ambition."
"Eh? W-Wait! Did I say earlier that it was Milord?!"
But before I could protest any further, Senpai continued speaking.
"Let me ask you something." Her gaze grew a little more serious. "Imagine that you keep fulfilling everyone's expectations. You're always reliable. Everyone is proud of you. And you're happy because of it."
She paused.
"But one day… something unexpected happens."
A gentle breeze passed through the air around us.
"You can no longer meet their expectations."
Senpai's gaze pierced straight into my eyes.
"So then… what can you do… Argentine-chan?"
"…About that… I…"
My words stopped. I couldn't answer.
The question felt like something that stabbed directly into my chest—a blind spot I had never even realized existed.
Senpai spoke again.
"Argentine-chan." Her voice was soft, yet heavy. "If you live only for that… sooner or later you'll break."
My body stiffened. Reflexively, I stepped back half a step.
"Your legs will no longer be able to run." She stared straight ahead. "Just like mine."
"…!"
My chest tightened even more.
"There's nothing wrong with living for others," she continued softly. "But you have to remember one thing."
Senpai looked at me again.
"Yourself are also part of those 'people' you dedicate your life to."
She smiled gently once more.
"So caring about yourself is just as important."
I couldn't reply. I could only lower my head in silence.
Seeing my reaction, Senpai stepped a little closer.
"For now, you might not have found what your ambition is yet," she said calmly. "Ambition appears when you begin thinking about what you truly want."
She looked at me gently.
"Not for someone else. But for yourself."
The wind blew again, carrying a cool and calming breeze.
"But that doesn't mean you should ignore the people around you," Senpai continued. "If you chase ambition while disregarding everyone else, you can lose your true self as well."
Her eyes were so gentle.
Strangely… I felt like I had seen that gaze somewhere before.
A gaze filled with warmth.
Yet also holding a quiet loneliness.
"That's what happened in my past," she murmured softly. "And I don't want that to happen again."
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"At least… not to the people around me now."
The wind blew more softly.
Our sweat-damp hair swayed gently.
I looked at Senpai. Her smile was sincere.
Yet behind that smile… there was something painfully heavy.
And somehow—an old memory suddenly surfaced in my mind.
—(flashback)—
"Hm? Why is your name 'King Argentine'? Of course it's so that one day you can become a wonderful horse girl!"
That voice…
I…
"Thank goodness, Argentine! Your sister is going to the same school too! Gavi-chan is such a kind girl. I'm sure the two of you will get along!"
I…
"Welcome home, Argentine! How was school today? Hmm? You seem really happy!"
That smile…
I could never forget that smile.
The memory became clearer.
Someone brushed the dust and dirt from my hair, then hugged me and Aurora gently.
Back then, I was still a child. I didn't understand anything.
But now… I'm beginning to realize it.
The person who shed tears before my departure that day…
might have felt the same way Senpai does now.
"Live for your own wishes, Argentine."
That voice was so warm.
"Keep running for the sake of your dreams."
Her hand stroked my head.
"I doesn't want you to regret things… the way I did."
The memory slowly drifted farther away.
But one sentence remained… from when she held me tightly.
"I'm sorry… Argentine…"
—(endflashback)—
"...."
"Argentine-chan?"
Senpai's voice called out to me.
"Argentine-chan?!"
"…!"
"Argentine-chan! Why are you crying?"
"Eh?"
I jolted.
My hand reflexively touched my cheek.
Wet.
Tears were streaming down without me realizing it. My vision blurred, and my eyes felt heavy.
"…Why?" I whispered.
Something felt strange. My chest was so tight.
What is this feeling?
"Senpai… why am I…?"
Why?
Every time I wiped my tears, even more kept flowing.
Why was my breathing becoming uneven?
Why did my chest hurt more the harder I tried to hold everything in?
Why?
Why?!
"Sen—…!"
Before I could call out to her—a hand suddenly pulled me forward.
My body tilted, and in an instant, my face was buried against Senpai's chest.
I froze. The embrace came so suddenly.
Warm.
So warm.
"I'm sorry," she whispered softly above my head. "I might have made you remember your past."
Her hand slowly stroked my hair.
The motion was gentle.
As if she was trying to soothe something I myself didn't understand.
My tears finally broke free.
The ones I had been holding back poured out uncontrollably.
Without realizing it, I clutched her clothes.
The sound of my sobs echoed between the soft gusts of wind.
But Senpai didn't let go.
She kept holding me.
Kept stroking my hair.
Her embrace was warm… and calming.
Slowly.
Little by little.
My crying began to subside.
The tightness in my chest gradually faded.
My breathing, which had been ragged before, slowly returned to normal.
"Don't worry," she whispered gently. "All of that is already in the past."
Her hand continued to stroke my hair patiently.
"You're not alone anymore."
She hugged me a little tighter.
As if making sure I truly heard her words.
"You have us," Senpai said softly. "We'll always be by your side."
The evening wind blew gently again.
And for the first time in a long while… my chest felt a little lighter.
※ ※ ※ (Chapter—12B) ※ ※ ※