Tokai Teio, who had been laughing and joking moments before, widened her eyes and let out a shocked cry the instant she heard the doctor's recommendation.
"Ehhh??!!!"
"Please remain calm. Now, please go downstairs to handle the hospitalization procedures."
"Ah, no, I don't want to, I don't want to! I don't want to stay in the hospital!"
Beside her, cold sweat broke out on Ryo Nishizaki's forehead. He asked in disbelief:
"Is... is this for real?"
"It's real. Alright, first, let's give you a painkiller injection."
Taking a syringe from the medical kit and making a quick adjustment, the doctor aimed it toward Teio's exposed knee and pushed the needle in.
"Aaaaaahhh—!"
In the hospital lobby's rest area, the place was now empty, with only Ryo Nishizaki and Tokai Teio waiting there.
"Trainer... I want to participate in the Kikuka Sho..."
"Eh? You want to participate in what...?"
"Recovery takes six months, and I won't be able to make a comeback until next year, right? So what. I'm not going to give up on the Kikuka Sho just because of this!"
A look of firm resolve entered her eyes.
Though Tokai Teio's voice was youthful, she did not back down an inch.
"That's why I absolutely must participate. And I'm going to win—"
Looking into Teio's resolute blue eyes, Ryo Nishizaki couldn't help but be reminded of Divine Starlight, and of Kiryuu Inami back when they played games together.
The current situation of both girls made his heart tighten.
He furrowed his brows, thinking constantly about what he should do.
"Hey, Trainer! Did you hear me? I'm going to participate! I'm going to win!"
As Teio's pleading voice echoed in his ears, Ryo Nishizaki scratched his head in frustration.
"I really can't do anything with you. Let me try to come up with a plan..."
Seeing him agree, Tokai Teio squinted her eyes with a smile and patted his shoulder.
"Then I'll leave it to you! I'll be the first Triple Crown Uma Musume you've trained!"
"Yes, yes, but first, you have to stay in the hospital and be a good girl."
Meanwhile, the outside world was in an absolute uproar.
Many fans displayed expressions of utter disbelief as they watched the central giant screens reporting the news of Tokai Teio's fracture and hospitalization.
"How are you feeling today?"
Inside the dormitory, Kiryuu Inami walked in carrying a bag of sweets and looked at Starlight, who was leaning against the bed.
"I feel great, but..."
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her solemn expression, Kiryuu Inami sat down by the bedside and leaned in to look at Starlight's phone.
"Ah, Teio has a fracture. No way... she ran so well at the Derby, and her performance on the Winning Live stage afterward was so wonderful..."
"That's not even the worst news. Teio just told me she wants to participate in the Kikuka Sho, and that Ryo Nishizaki guy actually agreed to it. Trainer..."
Looking at the expression on her face, Kiryuu Inami knew exactly what the little silver-haired Uma Musume meant.
"Mhm, I understand. I'll go help you try to talk some sense into them."
"Honestly. If you had this kind of mindset back then, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this!"
Kiryuu Inami teased while patting the girl's small head.
"However, I don't think Ryo Nishizaki-senpai would do something that risky. After all, he has the cautionary tale of us two idiots to look at."
"You can call me an idiot, but Trainer, you aren't one. You're very smart~"
...
...
,,,
"...I'm also very conflicted right now, Kiryuu-chan... but we have an agreement. If the doctor rejects her during the check-up one week before the race, Teio has to give up."
"Is that so?"
"Mhm... I don't want to gamble with Teio's safety either. But thank you for coming to warn me. I hope Starlight-chan can get back on her feet soon."
"Yeah, I hope so too."
Outside the Trainer's office, Tokai Teio, who was eavesdropping while leaning on crutches, tightened her grip on them slightly.
"I will definitely recover before the follow-up exam! I definitely will..."
In the afternoon, at the Team Spica clubroom, everyone looked at Tokai Teio— who had already been discharged from the hospital— with looks of surprise.
"You... you just left the hospital like that?"
"Yup!"
"You look pretty good, quite energetic actually."
"Hehe... I'm definitely going to participate in the Kikuka Sho, so don't you worry!"
On the training grounds, over by Team Spica, Tokai Teio sat on a bench to the side.
Her tail flicked back and forth occasionally, and her two horse ears drooped down.
"What's wrong? Not happy?"
A rustling sound followed— the sound of wheelchair wheels rolling over the grass.
Tokai Teio looked to the side to see Starlight slowly maneuvering her wheelchair toward her.
"Senpai~ Um... I'm alright! My Trainer said this is necessary 'image training.' I just have to observe the other Uma Musume running and think about what I should do."
"Hahaha... I see, I see~ That's good. I'll keep you company."
"Okay!"
If Tokai Teio were left here alone, there was no way she would be in a good mood.
After all, while the other Uma Musume were training and sprinting on the turf, she could only sit on the sidelines.
But having someone in the same boat come to accompany her made her feel significantly better.
"Starlight-senpai... do you think... I should participate?"
"You shouldn't."
"Eh!? So decisive? But back then, you..."
"That's why this is just my opinion, not yours. As for whether you should participate, shouldn't you just ask yourself?"
"If everyone had known about my injury back then, I bet all of you would have come to persuade me not to run too, right?"
"Please don't go, okay? I really don't want to have a junior sitting in a wheelchair with me, wandering around together."
Starlight's words were apparently quite funny, as Tokai Teio couldn't help but burst into a giggle.
"Haha... well, there's still time. I believe I can recover, Starlight-senpai."
"...Unfortunately, there isn't much more I can do to help you. If it were still around... maybe it would be possible..."
"What is 'it'?"
"No, nothing. Let's continue with this image training~"
"Mm~"
In the distance at the Team Rigil training area, Symboli Rudolf had just finished her warm-up.
The moment she stood up, she spotted the two injured girls sitting together.
Her expression was complicated, but she ultimately let out a helpless sigh.
"I hope both of them can pull through."
Seemingly unwilling to watch the scene any longer, Symboli Rudolf turned away to resume her training.
When the weekend arrived, early in the morning, a knock sounded at Starlight's door.
Slowly sitting up, she struggled to pull back the covers.
After tidying her hair, she called out toward the door.
"Come in, it's not locked!"
Click.
Mejiro McQueen pushed the door open forcefully.
Looking at Divine Starlight sitting on the edge of the bed, she spoke with a hint of reproach.
"What is the meaning of this! Where is Seiun Sky? Wasn't she supposed to be looking after you!"
"Oh, now, don't be like that. Sky-chan has been preparing for her races lately, I didn't want to bother her~"
Upon hearing this, Mejiro McQueen raised an eyebrow, a trace of a smile appearing in her eyes as she slowly stepped forward.
"Then Starlight-chan belongs to me for the weekend."
Without another word, she began helping her change clothes, then picked her up and headed downstairs.
Sitting on a chair in the lobby, Starlight looked at the equally helpless Tokai Teio beside her and asked in confusion:
"What are we doing? Taking two injured people out..."
"How should I know what McQueen is up to... she woke me up so early in the morning..."
"Ahem. Lt us set off."
"Where are we going?"
"The Mejiro Estate!"