[Fanfic] Umamusume: My Number One, Daiwa Scarlet! [Part 15]

Title: Umamusume: My Number One, Daiwa Scarlet!
Genre: Sports, rom-com, slice of life

Previous: Chapter 14

==Chaper 15: Kawakami and Pandora (part 1)==

Friday, 12:00 P.M., Team Emerald's—and Team Icarus's temporary—base camp.

"Team Aster, huh?"

Akagi flipped through the profiles of Team Aster's members.

"Founded seven years ago by Tsubame Aozora-senpai, who was only eighteen back then," he said, reading from the team's file.

"Aozora-senpai is considered a genius among us trainers," Kondo said, leaning against the wall as he combed his pompadour. "I mean, she joined this academy at an incredibly young age. Rumor has it Director Akikawa personally scouted her."

Kondo took out a cigarette and lit it.

"Ever since she built the team, some of the biggest names among the Umamusumes have raced under her guidance. Two of them are still around, acting as a support system for the current generation."

"Mayano Top Gun and Marvelous Sunday, right?" Akagi asked, looking at the page showing the two bubbly-looking Umamusumes. "They no longer race and are in their senior year now, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Just like Daitaku Helios and Mejiro Palmer are still around to support our current generation," Kondo nodded. "However, the current generation of Team Aster is far stronger—even stronger than Mayano and Marvelous's era."

Akagi flipped to the next page, revealing Fusaichi Pandora's profile.

"She... Her only G1 title is—"

Kondo sighed, his expression turning melancholy.

"Yeah. Last year's Queen Elizabeth II Cup—where our Kawakami Princess should have been the victor, but..."

"Kawakami was disqualified," Akagi said sympathetically. "I remember watching that race live on TV. Kawakami crossed the finish line in first place... until the URA decided to demote her to twelfth."

Kondo inhaled from his cigarette and blew out a trail of smoke.

"The URA claimed Kawakami made a move that could endanger the other runners," he said. "And so the victory was awarded to Fusaichi Pandora, who crossed right behind her in second."

"Ever since that day," Kondo continued, "Kawakami could never get over the humiliation of being demoted. Even now, she still refuses to speak to Pandora."

"For real?" Akagi gasped. "But that incident wasn't Pandora's fault. It was just the URA's rules and their decision."

"I know, Noboru," Kondo said, stubbing out his cigarette. "I've told her that, but... she never wants to talk about it."

Akagi flipped to the next page.

"Admire Moon, this year's reigning champion of the Dubai Turf and Takarazuka Kinen," he murmured, reading her file. "She's competing in the Tenno Sho next week, too."

"Dream Journey," Kondo said as Akagi paused on the next page. "Like Pandora, she's considered an underdog in Team Aster. Her most recent G1 victory was the Asahi Hai last year."

"And then there's this rookie from Germany, Eishin Flash, who has yet to make her debut—just like our Curren Chan and Gentildonna," Akagi noted, eyeing the German Umamusume's profile.

As Akagi was about to close the dossier, he noticed a stray sheet tucked between Trainer Tsubame Aozora's profile and Fusaichi Pandora's.

"Huh. I didn't realize there was another page in here."

He carefully pulled the page out.

"Wait..." he muttered, reading the text.

"Hmm? What is it, Akagi?" Kondo asked, leaning over with curiosity. "Find something interesting?"

"This girl..." Akagi raised an eyebrow. "She looks familiar. In fact, she looks just like—"

"Heh. You didn't know?" Kondo chuckled. "Man, you're hopeless. That girl is actually—"

"AKAGI!"

Daiwa Scarlet yelled as she burst into the base camp, her eyes already filled with tears. Close behind her was Vodka, who simply rolled her eyes with her arms crossed.

"She... She..." Scarlet sobbed, pointing an accusing finger at Vodka.

"S-SHE SAID I WAS FAT! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?! THE AUDACITY!" Scarlet whined dramatically, tears glistening in her eyes. She put her hands on her hips as if to prove that she was still in peak physical shape.

"I was just giving you a friendly warning, Scarlet," Vodka sighed.

Akagi leaned forward and carefully inspected Scarlet's waistline and overall figure, causing her face to flush bright red.

"W-Well?" she stammered. "I'm not fat, am I? Please tell me I'm not, Akagi!"

"Scarlet... you did gain a little weight," Akagi said honestly.

Scarlet's jaw dropped.

"WHAT?!" She shrieked. "HOW DARE YOU?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE! YOU'RE MY TRAINER!"

She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him violently.

"H-Hey! Scarlet, stop it!" Akagi gasped, breaking free from her grip. "It's because I'm your trainer that I can tell when your body changes, even a little!"

"NO FAIR!" Scarlet huffed. "I only ate one slice of pizza yesterday!"

"Plus French fries and a full, massive bowl of chocolate-chip ice cream right afterward," Vodka added with a knowing grin.

"SHUT UP, VODKA!" Scarlet barked.

Akagi sighed, "Scarlet, starting right now, you're going on a strict diet," he ordered. "I'm personally banning all sweets and junk food for a month—at least until the Queen Elizabeth II Cup is over."

Scarlet gasped, clutching her cheeks in utter horror.

"A MONTH?! WITHOUT ICE CREAM OR CHOCOLATE?! THAT'S TYRANNY!" Scarlet shrieked.

"Scarlet." Akagi's tone shifted, dropping into an authoritative command that made Scarlet—and even Vodka and Kondo—shiver.

"O-O-Okay," Scarlet huffed, crossing her arms and pouting deeply. "If you say so..."

****

The library at Tracen Academy was bustling with Umamusumes. Some were studying diligently, while others were merely pretending to study.

Behind the counter, Zeno Rob Roy watched the scene with a smile.

"Ah, it's so exciting to see the library so lively at this hour," Rob Roy said. "Though... I know some of them are only here to slack off and skip class."

Her eyes drifted toward Daitaku Helios and Mejiro Palmer, who were both sleeping soundly and snoring.

"Excuse me, Rob Roy-san." A voice called out to her. "I'd like to borrow these books."

Rob Roy turned toward the voice and saw Fusaichi Pandora. "Ah, Pandora-san," she said with a serene smile. "Of course. May I see your card?"

Pandora took out her library card and handed it to her. Rob Roy wrote down the information and stamped it.

"Here you go, Pandora-san."

"Thank you."

"By the way, I heard you've been doing some extra training lately."

"Yes," Pandora nodded. "I want my condition to be at its best for the next Queen Elizabeth II Cup."

She paused for a moment.

"I want to win again... by my own strength this time."

"Such dedication, Pandora-san," Rob Roy said with admiration. "Do your best. I'm rooting for you!"

Pandora smiled. "Thank you, Rob Roy-san."She bowed her head before leaving the library.

Pandora walked through the corridor, her arms full of books At the midpoint of the hallway, she accidentally bumped into someone, and both of them fell to the ground.

"G-Guh! I'm sorry!" Pandora said as she stumbled backward. "I didn't mean to—"Pandora stopped mid-sentence.

Her eyes widened. The person she had bumped into was none other than Kawakami Princess. "K-Kawakami-san," she stammered.

She quickly got back on her feet and offered Kawakami a hand. "I-I apologize. I didn't mean to—"

Kawakami stared at Pandora's outstretched hand. Then she looked at Pandora. Then back at her hand.

"No need," she said coldly. She didn't even swat Pandora's hand away. Instead, she stood up by herself and brushed the dust from her uniform.

Without saying another word, she walked away without even looking back at Pandora.

"W-Wait, Kawakami-san!" Pandora desperately tried to call after her. She wanted to talk. She wanted to clear everything up between them.

Kawakami stopped abruptly and turned her head slightly.

"What do you want?" she asked coldly. "I'm busy. I don't have time to talk right now."

Pandora clutched a hand to her chest. "Kawakami-san, I—"

"I don't have time for this." Kawakami turned away and continued walking.

Pandora remained frozen in place. Her heart ached. She was painfully aware that Kawakami still resented her.

"Kawakami-san..." she murmured. Her eyes began to tear up, but she quickly wiped them away and took a deep breath.

****

Unbeknownst to both Kawakami Princess and Fusaichi Pandora, Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka had been watching from outside the window.

They couldn't hear the conversation, but they could see the tension between the two.

"That was... cold," Scarlet murmured.

Vodka said nothing. Her arms remained crossed as her eyes followed Kawakami, who had entered the restroom.

Without warning, Vodka turned and walked toward it. "Hey, Vodka, where are you—" Scarlet hurried after her.

The two entered the restroom and found Kawakami standing in front of the mirror. Kawakami turned toward them. "Vodka? Scarlet-san?" she murmured.

Vodka approached her. "What was that, Kawakami?" she asked, locking eyes with her.

"What was what?" Kawakami asked, genuinely confused.

"We saw everything." Vodka crossed her arms. "Is it really that hard for you to move on from what happened last year?"

Kawakami looked at Vodka. She knew exactly what Vodka was referring to: the previous Queen Elizabeth II Cup, the very race where Kawakami had been demoted and the victory awarded to Pandora.

"You wouldn't understand, Vodka," Kawakami said bitterly. "You don't know what it feels like to have your victory snatched away from you like that."

"And you still blame Pandora for that?" Vodka's tone sharpened. Scarlet felt a growing sense of unease.

"Look, I get it. I know what losing feels like. I know what it feels like to think victory is already in your hands, only to have it taken away by your rival on the track." Vodka paused. "And I know how it feels when—"

"IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE!" Kawakami suddenly yelled. Her eyes glistened with tears. "YOU KNEW THAT I CROSSED THE FINISH LINE, VODKA! YOU KNEW I WAS IN FIRST PLACE! I SHOULD HAVE WON!"

Her voice began to tremble. "But then... I... I..." She choked back a sob. "I got disqualified because they decided my run endangered the other runners." Kawakami dropped to her knees and began sobbing. "You... sob... you don't know how that feels..."

Scarlet looked at Vodka, then back at Kawakami. She wasn't sure what to do. She knew Kawakami was right—neither she nor Vodka had ever experienced something like this during their careers.

But she also knew that it wasn't Pandora's fault. Scarlet and Vodka understood that it was the rules that had decided the outcome. It was never fair for Pandora to receive such treatment from Kawakami.

"Kawakami..." Vodka leaned down and placed a hand on Kawakami's shoulder. "It wasn't like—"

"SHUT UP!" Kawakami yelled, swatting Vodka's hand away. "YOU WILL NEVER... EVER UNDERSTAND!" She abruptly ran toward the exit. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"KAWAKAMI!" Vodka shouted, trying to stop her. But Kawakami had already disappeared through the doorway. Scarlet didn't say anything. She looked at Vodka, then toward the direction Kawakami had gone.

"Vodka-san, Scarlet-san."

A soft voice suddenly called out to them from inside the restroom. Scarlet and Vodka turned their heads. Someone stepped out from one of the stalls. It was Mejiro McQueen. The retired legend of the prestigious Mejiro family looked at the two of them with a sympathetic expression.

"McQueen-senpai," Scarlet murmured looking at the senior Umamusume stood before them.

****

Team Aster's base camp.

Tsubame Aozora sat on her desk, smoking her Vape while checking on the previous training log. On the sofa next to her, Eishin Flash sipped her tea gracefully. Her eyes then fixed to the trainer.

"Trainer Aozora," Flash said, "Isn't smoking forbidden in our base camp?"

"I am not smoking, I am vaping," Tsubame answered while her eyes still fixed to her laptop while simultaneously inhale her vape.

"What is the different?" Flash tilted her head in confusion.

Tsubame's mout opened about to explain, but she stopped abruptly, tapping her own chin with her finger, "That's... actually a good question."

"TRAINER, TRAINER! Mayano Top Gun bounced energetically, "CAN MAYA TRY IT!?" she said pointing at Tsubame's vape.

"No, Maya," Tsubame said, "It's for adult."

"BUT MAYA IS AN ADULT!" Mayano pouted, crossin her arms. "TRAINER IS NO FUN!"

Tsubame sighed rubbing her temple, "Flash, would you like to bring Maya somewhere like, I don't know, walk or buy Ice Cream."

Eishin Flash then stood up, "Understood, trainer" she said bowing her head before took Mayano's hand, "Come on, Mayano-senpai, let's buy Ice Cream."

"Ice Cream? YAY!" Mayano squealed happily, "LET'S BUY FOR MARVIE AS WELL!" she exclaimed while pulling Eishin Flash out of the base camp, passing Admire Moon and Dream Journey who just arrived.

"Oh, welcome back, Moon, Dorejo" Tsubame greeted them, "Done with your extra training?"

"Yes," Admire Moon said, "Thanks for letting us doing some extra session, Trainer."

"I think I need a shower," Dream Journey claimed, already took a towel from her locker, "Moon, mind if I borrow your shampoo? mine is already out."

"Sure," Moon said, giving Dorejo her shampoo.

"Thanks," Dorejo said while entering the shower room.

"By the way, Moon..." Tsubame said, "Have you heard from her?"

Admire Moon blinked, "Her?" she asked, "Oh you mean... HER?"

Tsubame nodded, "Well, who else?" she said, "She hasn't return from her special training I asked and hasn't even make a call... and the Autumn Tenno Sho is approaching!"

"Well, knowing her, I wouldn't be surprised if she got into trouble." Moon pinched her bridge of her nose.

Tsubame sighed, "Let's hope she won't be—"

"I am back," Fusaichi Pandora arrived, cutting of Tsubame's sentence. "Sorry I am late, Trainer Aozora."

Tsubame looked at Pandora, her expression shifted into worry, especially noticing Pandora's puffy eyes. "Pandora, what's wrong?" she asked, "were you crying?"

"A-ah, n-no, I was... well... I got dust on my eyes," Pandora said, smiling, "Nothing to worry about."

Tsubame remained silent for a moment. She knew when one of her trainees was lying, but she decided not to press the matter. "Very well. Take a seat. Let's discuss your next training menu."

[To Be Continued]
Next Chapter: TBA