Bang—! Bang—!
Fireworks exploded over the training grounds, signaling the official start of the Inter-Academy League.
This league was mainly composed of five Tracen Academy branches, including the Central Tracen, with over thirty students participating in the competitions.
Though called a league, it was essentially a large-scale event hosted by Central Tracen.
The venue was inside the academy grounds—not outdoors, nor was it a racetrack.
The main goal of this league was to give a platform to students from local branches, and to dirt-track Uma Musume who didn't get much attention, letting them step into the spotlight and grow their fame.
Of course, this might affect the Central students a bit, but for an Uma Musume, it's strength that crowns you king. Background and status don't matter.
If they have the will to win and put in the effort for it, then they deserve respect.
For these reasons, the league was organized as a major Tracen Academy event.
As the school gates swung fully open, a flood of spectators poured into the academy, including fans from local racetracks who'd traveled far to support their favorite Uma Musume.
The students who'd set up stalls early in the plaza in front of the building naturally seized the opportunity, calling out to potential customers.
"Ah, youth~"
A girl with a [League] armband on her shoulder and a leaf-shaped hair clip sighed with feeling. Green Grass stood still for a moment, watching the enthusiastic students.
As a senior, she had volunteered to help Manhattan Cafe share some of the workload by maintaining order around the academy.
Originally, she had planned to patrol with Manhattan Cafe and explore the stalls together. After all, there was a long warm-up period before the official matches started—a perfect chance for the two of them to check out all the interesting booths.
Unfortunately, just as Green Grass finished adjusting her armband, Manhattan Cafe was called away by the trainers, asked to assign a pre-race warm-up area for the competitors.
It was good that Manhattan Cafe was being trusted with such an important task. Symboli Rudolf really was looking out for her juniors. Green Grass had even heard that Rudolf publicly invited Manhattan Cafe to join the student council—a pretty big deal.
But.
But still…
Green Grass clenched her fist.
'So now Manhattan Cafe is getting all this attention, but what about me? Where does that leave me!'
'If Manhattan Cafe joins the student council, doesn't that mean she'll have hardly any free time? How often will I even get to see her?!'
And Rudolf had informed her that, due to Central personnel involvement, aside from essential matters, student council members weren't allowed to come and go freely for now.
This rule outright crushed any thought Green Grass had of popping into the student council to chat with Manhattan Cafe.
'All I wanted was to fulfill my duty as a senior and properly enjoy this kind of relationship you can only have during your school days… Did I end up ruining it with my own hands?'
Green Grass was suddenly filled with melancholy.
'My dear junior, though we're separated by realms, I wait eagerly for you every day…'
As Green Grass began to spiral into wild thoughts—
Click—
A crisp camera shutter sound came from beside her.
Turning towards the sound, Green Grass saw Maruzensky taking photos.
"Heeyo, Grass-y~"
She greeted her with a beaming smile.
"Maruzensky…"
Green Grass narrowed her eyes.
A subtle, tense atmosphere instantly sparked between the two.
After the [Tenno Sho] race, Tosho Boy and the others had sought out Maruzensky once. It wasn't really to console her—for veterans accustomed to racing, defeat was nothing new. What mattered was whether they could learn from the loss and use it to go further.
And Maruzensky was the type to internalize that mindset; she didn't need comforting.
The reason Tosho Boy and the others visited was to ask her one thing.
"What was it like, racing against her?"
That 'her'—the black Uma Musume who'd stunned a crowd of 170,000 spectators.
Her sharp running style and terrifying explosive power overturned everything they thought they knew about racing.
Maruzensky had been caught off guard—closed in on, pressed tightly, unable to break free. She endured immense pressure, only to be pierced by an invisible blade, her focus shattered, causing her to lose speed.
Losing wasn't unjust; her opponent was a powerhouse combining both skill and strategy.
Tosho Boy and the others had watched the whole race from start to finish, but they clearly felt it wasn't enough. Still relentlessly pursuing the essence of competition, they wanted to hear the perspective of Maruzensky, who'd actually been in the race.
After briefly describing the entire process—from the opponent's disappearance to her reappearance—Tosho Boy clenched her fist, a look of eager excitement on her face.
"Too bad we never encountered someone like that in our races."
"No use dwelling on the past," Ten Point shook her head. "But it really is a shame."
Charging headfirst into challenges was just the nature of their generation of Uma Musume.
They rarely came across such a formidable rival.
After getting the answers they wanted, the group said their goodbyes to Maruzensky. Just before leaving the room, Green Grass, who had been mostly silent the whole time, was stopped by Maruzensky.
Pulling her aside, Maruzensky leaned in and whispered:
"At that moment, I actually thought I was racing against you, Green Grass."
"…What do you mean?"
"That girl felt exactly the same as you, Green Grass."
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked at Maruzensky, who wore a subtle smile.
"Next time, you won't find it so easy to beat me."
After delivering a line that sounded like a declaration of war, Maruzensky winked at her. Not giving Green Grass a chance to retort, she waved goodbye.
Since that day, the relationship between Maruzensky and Green Grass had shifted.
They were still friends, but a spark of rivalry always crackled in the air between them. It made Ten Point and Tosho Boy wonder if the two had some kind of falling out.
That wasn't really the case. Maruzensky just wanted payback for that heart-stabbing remark.
She wasn't one to accept defeat easily.
Back to the present. After taking the photo, Maruzensky handed her phone to Green Grass.
"So? My candid shot isn't bad, right?"
Looking at the photo of herself gazing wistfully at the student stalls, Green Grass silently tapped 'delete.'
"Hey!"
"If you're going to take a picture, at least make it one of me mentoring my junior. This one just looks like I'm worried about whether the students are making any money!"
You did that on purpose!
"Ahaha… I suppose you're right. Want me to take another one?"
"No need." Green Grass shook her head in refusal. She really didn't want a memento of herself standing here all alone during the league festivities—that was just too sad.
After returning the phone, Green Grass accidentally caught a glimpse of the photo album, filled with pictures from all over the academy.
"Are you making a league poster?"
"Nope."
"Picked up photography as a hobby?"
"Well…"
Maruzensky's eyes darted around, as if she'd just thought of something amusing. She said to Green Grass:
"Hey, Grass-y, why don't you give it a try too? Hunting for ghost stories around the academy."
"Hah? What are you talking about?"
"Ghost stories! Haven't you heard? Like a floating hat, or sunglasses, blurry shadowy figures, eerie sounds, a white outfit that flickers in and out of sight, things like that."
"Maruzen, you're not a kid any—"
Wait a second.
Green Grass suddenly realized something.
Photos… blurry figures… someone unseen…
Could Maruzensky be…?
As the thought formed, the other girl smiled and waved her phone.
"Still want me to take your picture?"
"No thanks, you sly old auntie." With a snort, Green Grass pulled out her own phone, quickened her pace, and headed towards a less crowded area, snapping pictures as she went, searching for traces of the past.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.