[Fanfic] Umamusume: My Number One, Daiwa Scarlet! [Part 6]

Title: Umamusume: My Number, One Daiwa Scarlet!
Genre: Sports, Slice-of-life, rom-com
Previous: Chapter 5

==Chapter 6: Akagi's Secret==

Time went fast, it had been a month since Akagi Noboru became team Emerald's new trainer. The weekend came, so there wasn't much activity happening at Tracen Academy, save for a few Umamusumes doing extra training for their upcoming races..

In Room 102 of the Ritto Dormitory, Daiwa Scarlet sat alone at her desk, writing in her diary. "Dear diary..." she wrote, "... It has been a month since that man became the new trainer of our Team Emerald. To be honest, I still can't stand how he often acts high and mighty whenever he calls me out for something trivial in each training session or when he gets caught in the middle of something ridiculous.."

"However..." Scarlet continued writting, "...Beneath his annoying, bossy, drill-sargeant personality whenever he is on duty, and his clumsiness whenever he got locked in the closet, I have to admit that the Trainer is actually a capable man. He is really a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will. Just yesterday, I came early to the basecamp for a morning jog when I found him actually asleep at his desk with his laptop still on. To me, that kind of man is so... desirable".

"Oh... Interesting". A whisper came from behind Scarlet, making her yelp. She spun around to find Curren Chan reading what she had written with a teasing grin.

"C-C-Curren, I told you to not to SCARE me like that!" Scarlet hished, face turned as red as a tomato "And DON'T peek in my diary!", she promplty clutched the book on her chests, "And what are you doing here in my room anyway?".

"I want to show you something interesting", she whispered conspiratorially, "And, I believe you'll be interested".

Scarlet blinked and tilted her head, "And what is it? Does this have something to do with-"

"Our trainer", Curren said, cutting her off, "Think, senpai, dDon't you think something has been off with him lately?"

"Huh? Well, I am not sure, why?' Scarlet asked in confusion.

"Think about it, senpai," Curren urged. "Don't you realize the Trainer has been... detached? Like, you know, he's physically there, but his mind is somewhere else."

"Oh, c-come to think of it..." Scarlet said in realization, "He hasn't even yelled at me as much as usual, and I've noticed his focus shifting to his phone like he's waiting for a message or a call.".

"Exaclty!" Curren grinned, "And you know what it usually means whenever a man acts like that?".

"W-what is it?" Scarlet started feeling anxious and curious at the same time, "T-tell me what does it mean?".

Curren leaned onto Scarlet's horse ears, "A secret girlfiend", she whispered.

Scarlet's face turned pale, her eyes widened. An ache suddenly hit her chest. "S-s-secret g-g-girlfiend?" she stammered, starting to sweat profusely, "C-C-Curren, w-w-what are you talking about? D-d-don't be ridiculous, he's not... I mean... It's not like I care, but-"

Curren giggled, amused by Scarlet's reaction. "That's why, senpai, tonight we're going to do a little stakeout"

"Stake out?" Scarlet gasped, "You mean we stalk him?"

"No no no, it's not stalking" Curren claimed, still with that mischievous smile, "Just conducting research. But... Since you said you didn't care, then-"

"I AM IN!" Scarlet exclaimed, jumping up from her chair, "I AM THE CAPTAIN OF THIS TEAM, SO, IT'S NATURAL FOR ME TO LEAD THIS OPERATION!", she said. "I CAN'T SIMPLY LET TRAINER TO DATE.... I MEAN, TO GET DISTRACTED BY SOMETHING IRRELEVANT FOR HIS CAREER!"

"Hahaha, that's the spirits, Senpai" Curren couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, alright, according to my intel, the Trainer will be heading out to Akihabara at 6 this afternoon. So, don't be late, see you at the afternoon!", she said, leaving Scarlet's room.

Left alone in the quiet room, Scarlet for once again lost in thought. "A girlfriend?", she thought to herself, "There is no way a dorky man like him is actually having a girlfriend. I mean, yes, he is cool, handsome, and... Oh my three Goddesses, what am I even thinking right now?" Scarlet shook her head, her face burning "It's not like I care, but... Ah, whatever, I HAVE TO SEE IT MYSELF!".

---

Later that afternoon, the entire roster of team Emerald gathered in their basecamp.

"So, let me get this straight..." Gentildonna said, crossing her arms, staring intensely at Scarlet and Curren Chan, "...You two gathered us here so we can spying on trainer Noboru to see what he is really up to?"

"EXACTLY!" Scarlet said. "I-it's not like I care, but what if this distracts him from his responsibilities? I-I mean, he's supposed to be a man of focus, commitment, and...."

"Scarlet-san," Aston Machan tilted her head, "Scarlet-san just wants to see if Trainer Noboru is actually seeing a woman, doesn't she?"

"W-WHA.. O-O-OF COURSE NOT!" Scarlet shrieked, defending herself while her face turned tomato-red once more. "I JUST DON'T WANT HIM TO NEGLECT HIS RESPONSIBILITY AS OUR TRAINER, THAT'S ALL!"

Gentildonna sighed and rubbed her temples. "Fine... And as for your intel...." Her eyes shifted to a silver-haired Umamusume sitting on the sofa eating their potato chips. "I should have known it was you, Gold Ship," she said, her eyes narrowing.

"HAHAHA, GUILTY AS CHARGE!" Gold Ship laughed a boisterous laugh, "And you girls should thank me that I gave you information for free!".

Scarlet sighed. "Okay, Gold Ship, tell us what you know," she said, pulling up a chair across from the chaotic Umamusume.

Gold Ship grinned, munching a crisp. "Alright, alright, here's what I know. Trainer Noboru is going to a store in Akihabara to receive a package,--a very, very big, special package. It could be a present, but who knows? From what I know, he's been waiting for it for days." She continued talking while handing Scarlet an unfamiliar device.

"Umm, what is this?" Scarlet raised her left eyebrow with genuine confusion, inspecting the device.

"It's a tracking device," Gold Ship grinned. "To save you the trouble of finding him among millions of people in Akihabara."

"A WHAT?" Scarlet gasped. "G-Gold Ship, when did you... Ugh, never mind!" She stood up and turned to Team Emerald. "Alright, Team Emerald, our mission is clear! We're heading to Akihabara to see what the Trainer is actually doing!" she declared with determination. "NOW MOVE!"

----

Akihabara, a city located in the center of Tokyo. For years, this city is known as some sort of heaven for Otaku. On Saturday night, the streets were more crowded than usual. Among the millions of people roaming around, four Umamusumes marched through the streets looking for a certain auburn-haired man.

"KON-CURREEEEEEEEN!!", Curren Chan's cheerful voice boomed as she started live streaming. "Hey guys! Now Curren and Team Emerald are in the middle of an important mission in Akihabara!", she winked at the camera with a bright smile. "Tonight, we're going to uncover what kind of secret our trainer has been hiding from us these past couple of days. So stay tuned, everyone!!".

"He should be close" Scarlet said, her eyes glued on the tracker Gold Ship had given her. "Oh, wait, he is just 300 meters ahead, now MOVE!"

Scarlet, Curren, Gentildonna, and Machan marched to the direction where Akagi supposed to be. "H-halt" she said as she saw Akagi walked on the other side of the street. True to Gold Ship's word, he was carrying a massive, rectangular cardboard box wrapped in thick brown packing paper. He was holding it with both arms, cradling it against his chest with more delicate, desperate care than a mother holding a newborn child.

"L-Look at the size of that thing!" Scarlet gasped, "A box that size... I-i-i-it can only mean one thing! I-i-i-it's a giant, c-c-custom-made bouquet of imported roses! O-o-or a designer winter coat! Or... or a customized wedding dress! H-h-he's g-g-going to propose to someone tonight!", she stammered and started to overthinking.

Curren, Gentildonna, and Machan tried to calm her down. "Senpai, relax," Curren soothed, rubbing Scarlet's back. "We don't know what's inside the box yet, okay?"

"No..." Scarlet said, suddenly stood up. "I HAVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH! TEAM EMERALD, LET'S FOLLOW HIM EVEN FURTHER!", she declared with detemination in her eyes.

The group trailed Akagi for several blocks until they saw him stop. A woman--tall, blonde, mature, and gorgeous with an hourglass figure--approached and began talking to him. Scarlet's eyes widened in pure shock; her heart shattered into a million pieces as she started hyperventilating.

"N-n-no... No way", Scarlet stammered, dropping to her knees "T-t-t-this can not be real! How could he... How!?" She clutched her chest in pain. "W-who is that woman? It... It's not like I care, b-but..."

"Scarlet-san, take a deep breathe" Machan soothed, rubbing her back.

"Whoa, chat, look at that!" Curren exclaimed to her viewers, panning the camera. "Our trainer really does have a secret girlfriend, and our ace here looks like her world just shattered. Oh, talk about unrequited love gone wrong!" she said, dramatically placing a hand on her forehead.

"Curren, you are not helping" Gentildonna said, "Look, they're moving. Let's follow them and figure out who that woman is... before Scarlet-senpai starts crying and makes a scene out of jealousy."

"I-I-I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Scarlet denied, though the comical tears in her eyes said otherwise. "IT'S ABOUT PROFESSIONALISM! PROFESSIONALISM!"

The group followed Akagi and the woman further down the street. In Scarlet's mind, she was ready to confront them right then and there. The others caught her intentions and reminded her not to do anything rash. "Innocent until proven guilty," Machan reminded her. "We don't even know the exact relationship between them. They're just... walking."

Then, the two stopped in front of a hotel. Curren, Gentildonna, and Machan froze, while Scarlet gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. To her, this looked like an undeniable proof of infidelity.

"THAT'S IT! I'M CONFRONTING THEM RIGHT NOW!" she declared, stomping her feet as she marched toward Akagi and the woman.

"Wait, Scarlet-san, don't!" Machan tried to stop her, but Scarlet was already halfway across the pavement. Gentildonna rubbed her temple while Curren kept livestreamed the spectacle.

"TRAINER!" Scarlet barked, pointing an accusing finger, "How could-"

"Thank you for your help, mister" the woman said, "This is my first time being in Akihabara, and I really have a bad sense of direction.".

"Eh?" Scarlet stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening not from jealousy, but from sheer confusion.

"It's a pleasure to help you, ma'am," Akagi said politely. "Anyway, the cafe is right over there, just a few hundred meters away. Take care."

The woman bowed her head and headed toward the cafe across the street. Akagi turned around, only to found Scarlet and team Emerald were there, standing awkwardly. He blinked. "Oh hi girls, enjoying Saturday night at Akihabara?" he said, smiling, "Yeah, it's so crowded tonight, I noticed that lady looked lost".

"L-l-lost?" Scarlet gasped, "Y-y-you mean you don't even know that woman?".

"Nope" Akagi said, "She was asking me for directions to that cafe. Since we were heading the same way, I decided to escort her... considering it could be dangerous for someone like her to be alone in this crowd".

Scarler's breathe hitched, there was no longer jealousy in her heart. It was replaced by something else... Adoration. "He... He is so genuine..." she thought to herself, hands clutching on her chests, "I thought this kind of gentleman only exist in manga, but...".

SNAP!

"Earth to Scarlet-senpai," Curren snapped her fingers in front of Scarlet's face, pulling her back to reality. "Haha, chat, looks like it was all just a misunderstanding!" she told her livestream viewers. "But now, there's still one more unanswered mystery," she grinned conspiratorially, aiming her camera at the box in Akagi's hands.

Akagi blinked, then looked down at the package. "Oh, this?" he said. "Well, if you want to know, let's head back to the academy first. Then we can do an unboxing in the basecamp."

"Really? Yay! Then let's go! Chat is dying to know what's inside the box!" Curren cheered.

---

Back to team Emerald basecamp. Everyone watched with anticipation. They were dying to know what inside the large box Akagi purchased at Akihabara, especially Scarlet. "I-it's not like I care, but... I want to know what this is" she thought, already drifting into daydreams, "Could this be a present? A wedding dress... for me?"

Akagi started opening the box slowly and carefully, while Curren Chan zoomed her camera in close. Finally, the flaps parted...

"BEHOLD!" Akagi said proudly, "A SUPER-LIMITED EDITION 1/4 SCALE RX-78-2 GUNDAM MODEL! THERE ARE ONLY THREE LEFT ON THE MARKET, AND I SPENT MY ENTIRE SAVINGS JUST TO GET MY HANDS ON THIS BEAUTY!"

Soon enough, Akagi launched into a full presentation about the action figure and Gundam models in general. The four Umamusumes simply blinked in confusion as they discovered a completely new side of their trainer. Curren's live chat exploded, many of her viewers turned out to be collectors themselves, spamming "Based" in the comments while some expressed deep jealousy.

"He is such a dork.." Scarlet thought to heself as she watched Akagi talk animatedly to the camera, "...But, still... he is a cool dork".

[To Be Continued]
Next Part: TBA