Chapter 15: The Runaway☆Sisters!?

As summer vacation ended and September arrived at Tracen Academy, many classmates who had attended summer training camps had changed so much you could say they'd shed their old skins. Some had frighteningly sharp gazes now, while others had developed terrifying muscle definition.

Thanks to slathering on sunscreen, I hadn't tanned much, but everyone else had developed healthy golden complexions. I heard some girls even had clearly defined swimsuit tan lines after training at the beach.

Few Uma Musume had enjoyed what normal people would call a "relaxing" summer vacation. Everyone had been obsessively honing their skills.

I used to wonder how they could push themselves so hard, but now I completely understand. Each one has powerful reasons and goals driving them. An Uma Musume's abnormal desire to win grows even stronger when fueled by emotion. I'm no exception—both my mind and body have grown far stronger since first enrolling.

My next goal is the 1-Win Class Shigiku Prize on October's third week—a 2000-meter right-turning turf race in Kyoto. Winning that would finally let me challenge open-class or stakes races.

On our day off after the opening ceremony, as I wandered around Tracen Academy, I spotted Mejiro Palmer and Daitaku Helios walking through the courtyard.

"Wait, you actually say 'yass'...?"

The two passed by me chatting amiably. While I couldn't quite follow the conversation of Helios-chan (a hardcore extrovert surprisingly friendly to nerds), Palmer-chan's speech patterns sounded relatively normal.

Though they were playfully bantering like typical youths, both were famous G1-winning Uma Musume. Their uniforms hid steel-like physiques, and their legs were—needless to say—thoroughly trained.

(Guess I'm still no match for G1-level racers... huh?)

Compared to their legs, mine looked like twigs. Watching them leave, I couldn't help but gaze enviously.

That's when I noticed a handkerchief lying on the path they'd taken.

"Huh...?"

A cute floral-patterned handkerchief. Brushing off the dirt, I picked it up and scanned the area for its owner. This must belong to Palmer-chan or Helios-chan, right? I should return it quickly.

But approaching them feels nerve-wracking... They're legendary runaway seniors after all. Though now that I think about it, I'm already on good terms with Maruzensky, so talking to big shots shouldn't faze me anymore.

"U-um, excuse me!"

I jogged after the gal-pal duo. Almost simultaneously, their ears twitched toward me as they turned with puzzled looks. Well, anyone would feel annoyed being stopped by a stranger during friend time. Though their stares felt particularly intense.

"You... dropped this..."

Tearfully focusing on the more approachable Mejiro Palmer, I timidly held out the handkerchief. They exchanged glances before checking their pockets.

"Ah!" Daitaku Helios suddenly exclaimed. Scratching her cheek sheepishly, she stuck out her tongue.

"My bad, that's mine ☆"

"Honestly... Helios, you're so scatterbrained."

"Ahaha! Totally didn't notice!"

As Helios giggled and Palmer sighed fondly, I found myself oddly excluded from their strong chemistry despite being the one who returned the lost item. Feeling awkward, I handed the handkerchief to Helios and quickly stepped back.

"Well then, I'll just—"

I turned to sprint back to the dorms—when suddenly:

"Hold it."

Mejiro Palmer's voice stopped me cold.

"You're... Apollo Rainbow-chan, right?"

"Eh?!"

The unexpected address made me whirl around. How does she know my name? Was I... on her radar? Why? Mejiro Palmer, a champion Uma Musume?

Fear rooted me to the spot as Palmer's mesmerizing droopy eyes locked onto me. She glided closer and suddenly looped an arm around my neck.

"Eep!" escaped my mouth before I could stop it.

Oh crap...! Palmer-chan's stupidly cute and beautiful up close...! And she smells amazing... As expected from the Mejiro family's young mistress!

My body trembled violently. What kind of reward is this—getting touched by a dual-crown runaway champion? Then Palmer-chan whispered something devastating near my ear:

"Let me thank you for the handkerchief, Apollo Rainbow-chan. I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now."

The fact that I didn't faint or convulse on the spot proves my mental fortitude. If anything, I was the one who'd wanted to talk to the runaway senpai! I nodded so fast my neck might snap while staring intently at Palmer's face. Oh no, I'm totally obsessed with Mejiro Palmer-chan.

"Wait what?! Palmer, you know this kid?!"

Watching our interaction, Helios-chan came barreling toward us at terrifying speed, throwing her arms around both me and Palmer-chan. Now sandwiched between two runaway gals, I nearly screamed for real this time. I felt like some hapless guy accidentally caught in a yuri scene. Was this level of happiness even allowed?

"This kid's got insane runaway potential! Helios, if you saw Apollo-chan race, you'd totally become a fan too!"

"No way!? That's hype as hell!"

"Eep...!"

And so, trapped between these two gals, I found myself being whisked away to who-knows-where.

They brought me to "Umabucks Coffee," a trendy spot popular on Umastagram. According to Guriko's intel, simply posting photos of their overpriced coffee drinks counts as extrovert clout-chasing these days.

...So here's the situation.

I'm currently bewildered by the aggressive closeness typical of extroverts. Helios-chan had been squishing my cheeks nonstop as she dragged me to a table inside Umabucks.

Miraculously, they treated me to a cappuccino. Palmer-chan ordered hot chocolate while Helios-chan got a mocha. After arranging the drinks, Palmer-chan snapped a photo with her Umaphone. Helios-chan turned her camera inward to capture all three of us in frame before hitting the shutter.

"Apollo-chan, mind if I post this on Umastagram?"

"O-oh! Sure, go ahead!"

"Can I post too? Your face is in it though."

"No problem! ...Actually, could you send me those photos later?"

"Of course! Let's add each other on the app!"

"I'll add you too~"

"Got it!"

We exchanged Umastagram follows and registered as friends on messaging apps. Shortly after, both Helios-chan and Palmer-chan updated their Umastagram. The photo Palmer posted showed three coffee cups arranged intimately with subtle decorative touches in the corners—even these small editing choices screamed "gal aesthetic." Her caption read: "Hanging at Umabucks with our promising kouhai!" I made a mental note to ask later how she knew about me.

Meanwhile, Daitaku Helios' post featured a photo of the gal duo flashing brilliant smiles—with a visibly stiff Apollo Rainbow wedged awkwardly between them. Her caption simply read "Yass!" in typically masculine(?) fashion.

Like... sure, the editing made it look natural, but my "fish-out-of-water amateur" vibes were painfully obvious.

G1 Uma Musume really are built different—they must have modeling experience and TV appearances under their belts. Their photogenic skills were next-level. Would I need to learn this stuff someday too...?

I technically have an Umastagram account for social purposes, but I've never posted anything. I mean, wouldn't it seem presumptuous before even winning a stakes race...? I don't tweet or share photos at all right now.

Yet within minutes of the gals' posts going live, my Umaphone notifications exploded. Follower count skyrocketing. Like, hello? I haven't even posted anything yet...

...The insane popularity of these gal Uma Musume among young fans is no joke. 500K+ followers isn't just for show.

With trembling hands, I put away my Umaphone and turned to the two runaway stars sitting across from me.

"...So, Palmer-senpai. How did you know about me? I'm just some rookie who debuted in junior-level races—haven't even brushed against a stakes race yet."

Mejiro Palmer maintained her gentle smile. After sipping her hot chocolate with refined elegance, she adopted a thoughtful expression.

"...That former assistant trainer of McQueen's—Momozawa Trainer, was it?"

"What about Tomio?"

"McQueen kept saying things like, 'We should watch over that independent assistant trainer and his Uma Musume until they've grown properly.' She looked genuinely worried all the time."

...I was stunned. McQueen-chan had been worrying about her former assistant Tomio (and by extension, me) that much?

"She seemed so concerned that I got curious too. Ended up following your progress even more closely than McQueen did. ...Well, just your race results anyway."

Mejiro Palmer scratched her cheek with a finger while Daitaku Helios seemed to be searching for my race videos on Umatube, her eyes glued to her Umaphone.

"That debut race and your first maiden race must have been really tough... But in your second maiden race, you completely shattered all those worries! Watching the footage convinced me—your runaway style definitely has the power to captivate people!"

Palmer-chan's eyes sparkled as she passionately explained this to me. Having apparently finished watching the races, Helios-chan practically launched herself across the table with excitement.

"Apollo-chan, you could go much further. But I think there's something small holding you back."

"Something holding me back?"

Almost as if she'd been waiting for this, Helios-chan circled behind me and wrapped me in a bear hug from behind.

"Apollo-chi, just changing your running form a little could make you a crazy good Uma Musume! Your current style's kinda basic, y'know?"

"W-wait, there's something wrong with my running form?"

"Not 'wrong' exactly... How to put it? For us veteran runaway specialists, something feels off. But unless you notice it yourself, pointing it out might not help."

"...?"

"It wouldn't hurt to review after a loss. Of course, we might be completely wrong... I'd love if you could discuss this thoroughly with Momozawa Trainer."

As she said this, Palmer-chan took a sip of her hot chocolate. Mesmerized by her refined movements, I barely noticed when she suddenly stood up.

"Sorry for meddling. Maybe I overstepped... Just think of it as your nosy senpai rooting for you, okay?"

Perhaps she had another appointment. With an apologetic look, Mejiro Palmer excused herself.

"Runaway style rules! You got this Apollo-chi! Yasss!"

Daitaku Helios followed her out of the café with one last cheer.

"........."

Left alone, I sat dumbfounded, replaying Palmer's golden advice in my head.

...Apparently my runaway style has some indescribable weakness. Of course, I never thought my technique was perfect. But having veterans point it out directly makes all the difference.

'I need to notice and fix it myself' and 'reviewing after defeat isn't too late,' huh?

"What exactly could they see in just the videos that I can't?"

I took a sip of my now lukewarm cappuccino.

And then—time passed, reaching mid-October.

At the Shigiku Prize, I would experience a race that defied all expectations.