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"Alright, so here's the problem."
Trainer Okino was a respected individual amongst Tracen.
And really, it was easy to see why.
The Supreme Commander of Japan, Special Week. Slayer of Broyle, an Umamusume who had previously won the unbeatable Prix de l'arc de Triomphe. A staple of the Golden Generation.
Silence Suzuka. The Otherworldly Front Runner currently making waves in America after an upset that nearly cost her career. An obsessive genius who switched from the prestigious Team Rigil for Spica.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka. A historical two-way rivalry, 4 G1 wins against 7, yet the debate was still high for who was the superior runner. Both would rather bite dust than concede defeat to each other.
Mejiro McQueen, the greatest stayer in Japan. An elegant gem and ruler of the long distance, her victory was so assured it was even seen as tedious. Her endless stamina was a blessing envied by many and feared by more.
The Invincible Monarch of Miracles, Tokai Teio. 3 separate fractures, 3 separate recoveries. A monumental feat, marked by quite possibly the most illogical, superhuman victory in racing history.
Yet, this was all disregarding the oldest member of Spica.
"Gold Ship."
The team all simultaneously groaned, Special Week and Suzuka on video call.
"What stunt did she pull off this time? Do we not get a single moment's peace nowadays?"
Daiwa Scarlet was the first to speak up. It was far too hot to train that day, so the team was merely lying around in the Spica headquarters, preparing for their upcoming exams. Notably, Vodka was playing a game on her phone. She rarely tried on tests, unless she had them in the same classes as Scarlet.
"Well, if you count getting 0 in every single one of her last 5 tests as a stunt, then I suppose so."
She froze. The expression of horror on her face couldn't have been replicated if you'd told her that her family had got into a car crash.
"Did you just… did you just say 0?"
"So, yeah. Unless she gets her grades up within these next exams, she's gonna be temporarily banned from utilising Tracen facilities."
How was that even possible? Really, it was debatably more impressive to get a zero than a hundred.
"Please, guys? She's our oldest member, and we can't just let her fail!"
"Well, on the contrary, I see no reason to bail her out. She's the one responsible for her own situation; she can be her own solution."
Mejiro McQueen's otherwise piercing statement was partially diluted by the fact that she and Teio were currently sharing a beanbag with their tails intertwined. They were even sharing exam notes from the same notebook.
Scarlet was completely clueless as to how exactly the two denied their relationship to this day. Especially after a certain cafe date, where they seemed to have gotten even closer somehow.
Must be nice, Scarlet thought bitterly.
A voice could be heard from the phone.
"Well, Spica does have some heavy hitters academically speaking. McQueen, Teio, Scarlet – any of them could help her out."
Being number one in all aspects meant not slipping in any regard, and that included academics. Scarlet had maintained a perfect attendance record and top-ranking scores in every single test since her introduction to Tracen. Academically speaking, Spica had a clear winner.
"Suzuka, be quiet. You're only saying that because you're across the globe. You're not exactly below average either."
Suzuka wisely remained silent.
"Well, if anyone's got to do it, I guess tutoring should realistically be my responsibility, huh? I'm already a year ahead of the current coursework. And Vodka, quit playing Angry Birds; your testing period is tomorrow! Seriously, are you ever organised?"
"Yeah, I ain't doing that. Thanks for trying, though."
Vodka somehow maintained average grades despite hardly studying, and it frustrated Scarlet to see Vodka place in the top 10 exclusively when she was against her. Didn't she know she was just looking out for her?
"I- Are you serious? Vodka, you can't just…"
Scarlet paused.
"Whatever. You can go fail for all I care. Where is Gold Ship right now anyway?"
"Right now? She's at the pool trying to pitch her idea to install an indoor boat dock to Director Akikawa. Something about discrimination against battleships."
When was she ever doing something normal? Really, when? Scarlet couldn't even feign surprise.
"Anyone wanna come with me? Last chance?"
Spica averted their gaze. She looked at Vodka, who kept her eyes glued to her phone. Scarlet sighed. Being number one isn't all it's cracked up to be, she supposed.
—
The Tracen pool was always immaculately maintained and quite packed today given the weather. Despite what one would expect from such a popular location, the water was always a rich shade of light blue and free of any contaminants, courtesy of Akikawa's genius infrastructural management.
"Imagine how it'd look on the Tracen website! You know what I thought when I went on there? Not. Enough. Yachts!"
Gold Ship was wearing a full red velvet tuxedo, giving zero indication of being bothered by the heat. Director Akikawa was enraptured in Gold Ship's proposal, nodding along to everything from behind her fan.
"Oh, Scarlet! There you are! You can help me in my quest to innovate this academy; I'm this close to getting her to crack!"
"On the contrary, I'm nowhere near! I'm hearing you out, as I found your lack of tact superbly entertaining! Please continue, Gold Ship!"
Akikawa threw her head upwards and laughed.
There was surely no way she actually thought her proposal would work, right?
"Gold Ship, you gotta come with me. Okino's orders. I need to get your grades up before Tracen bricks your racing career."
"Oh, about that! Yeah, my cosmic muse was feeling a little off that day. Thankfully, I've performed the necessary rituals to empower them once more. Now that their omniscience has returned, my victory is assured. Run along, little Scarlet; you have nothing to fear."
Scarlet's eye twitched.
"Listen up. If you don't come with me right now, I'm telling Akikawa exactly who flooded the second-floor bathroom with cheeseburger sauce. And trust me, that'll be the least of what I'm going to tell her."
Of all the individuals in Spica, Scarlet's cutthroat, no-nonsense approach was markedly more effective than average in managing Gold Ship.
"Well, that's just uncalled for, Scarlet. Don't you see that I'm on the verge of greatness here? Are you asking me to place my own future above the collective futures of every single large marine vessel wishing to attend Tracen in the future? Tut tut."
More effective than average was still unfortunately rarely enough.
"Look, you moron, as far as I know, you never study or train anyway. I'm doing this for Trainer at the end of the day because he wouldn't want to see you fail. You coming to the library or not?"
Gold Ship checked her phone. She'd received a text. Before Scarlet saw who it was, Gold Ship tucked it away, walking towards her.
"Man. You're really raking me over the coals here, Scarlet."
She sighed, saluting Akikawa. The wide grin on her face contradicted her words, but Scarlet disregarded it.
As they made their way to the library, it occurred to Daiwa Scarlet that she had no idea how much Gold Ship even knew or even if she was intentionally failing these tests. After all, a 0% is supremely difficult to achieve otherwise.
Among others, Rice Shower and Mihono Bourbon were at a table comparing notes. Many Umamusume had taken to the refuge of Tracen's library to prepare for their upcoming exams.
"Alright, you big dummy. Do you have your notes on you or what?"
Gold Ship reached into her hat, pulling out a variety of objects, including but not limited to 3 bottles of hot mustard, a moderately sized folding chair and, finally, a fancy blue notebook with sleek gold text on the bottom right CLEARLY reading 'Property of Mejiro McQueen'.
"I'll manage."
—
Daiwa Scarlet was sure she knew the problem now.
Because even if Gold Ship did or didn't happen to know the content Scarlet was currently covering, she had, without question, the worst attention span she'd ever seen in her entire life.
Whether it was on purpose or not, her utter lack of willingness to sit and listen put the likes of Teio to shame.
I'll never complain about your hyperactivity ever again. It'll take another miracle to shut this idiot up; come back, Teio.
Gold Ship had taken multiple content-heavy subjects, including the likes of biology, which was an area of expertise for Scarlet (though that wasn't saying much considering she scored consistent top marks in each of her subjects).
She had also taken an elective unit in naval warfare. Even though Scarlet's expertise stopped there, she hoped she could at least get Gold Ship's understanding of her other units up.
"-and the pancreas secretes glucagon, triggering glycolysis of the liver's stored glycogen into glucose and gluconeogenesis of additional glucose with amino acids to increase blood glucose levels. You with me?"
"Oh, yeah, for sure. Keep going."
She would put down her notes, saying some variation of:
"So you can explain everything I've just said back to me?"
"Absolutely not. What I am quite sure of is that the incantation I picked up to set your hair on fire is a sham. Pity."
That was how Scarlet spent the better part of an hour with 90% accuracy.
She grabbed Gold Ship by the collar, red staring into red.
"Listen, you big dummy, do you know anything about what we're doing right now? Anything at all? Or seriously, am I just wasting my time with some lunatic ingrate who won't even appreciate when someone's taken time out of their day to help someone out?"
Gold Ship was many, many, many, MANY things. But one thing she was not was unkind. Daiwa Scarlet hoped to appeal to her humanity.
"Well, honestly? Biology isn't that big a deal, especially considering that research paper I won the Nobel for about the effects of replacing one's bone marrow with hot mustard. Not sure how the ethics community was fine with it, though, looking back."
Scarlet slammed her hands on the table, shocking every other individual in the library and causing Rice Shower to clutch her hat to her chest and hide under the table.
Well, that was a bust. Was she really making stuff up, even now?
"Well then what IS the problem? Seriously, a zero? Do you understand Trainer is probably losing hairs over this right now?"
"Cosmic muse, I told you already. You can try to teach me, but your efforts are going to be in vain. I'm gonna get a perfect score now that I'm sorted, so you can just run along. Hey, you want to set Trainer's hair on fire? You might have to learn an incantation or two, though."
Scarlet opened and closed her mouth, insults and accusations dying at the back of her throat. How difficult was it to just admit when you were clueless about something?
She'd never had a student like this before in her life, nothing close to the sheer undecipherable 8th mystery of Tracen herself.
Wellllll, maybe she could name one person who was about as difficult to deal with.
Regardless, she knew when she'd bitten off more than she could chew.
Scarlet whipped out her phone.
Tachyon?
How would that work? One eccentric genius meets another, and all of a sudden, Gold Ship is perfectly solved? Sunshine and rainbows, Trainer gets to frolic in the meadows?
She scoffed.
Likely story. Scarlet loved Tachyon, almost like a parent even. But there was no way she was letting someone with her resources and ideas meet someone with the utter lack of inhibitions of Gold Ship.
Knowing her, Gold Ship would leave the room with the ability to telekinetically manipulate spoons and zero academic progress.
Silence Suzuka?
She'd be willing, but there was no way in any universe Gold Ship would listen to her from a phone if she weren't willing to listen to the person right in front of her. And she was probably busy messing around with Special Week anyway. Good for her.
The two were inseparable friends, up with the likes of McQueen and Teio (well, 'friends' in their case). If only Scarlet had someone like that, who didn't make her want to slash out a pair of motorcycle tyres. The moron.
But, of course! She'd just reminded herself of the one individual who'd dealt with Gold Ship an unparalleled amount and lived to tell the tale! Who would be better to ask than-
"McQueen!"
Gold Ship stared into her eyes at point-blank range after having shouted directly into her face, causing Scarlet to shriek and jump back. The librarian glared at them.
"How did you even—"
"Yeah, unfortunately for you, that isn't going to work. She's busy. Hey, you're welcome to try, though! I'd love to see your reaction."
Glare. Gold Ship went quiet.
Ring ring.
Ring ring.
She picked up the phone after an uncharacteristically long wait.
"You-you've reached Mejiro McQueen. Why, hello Scarlet, how are you doing?"
"I'm doing fine. Listen, I need a favour – why are you so out of breath?"
"Oh, just some… some supplementary training. What do you require from me- Teio, stop! I'm on the phone!"
Unbelievable.
"Well, I was wondering whether you wanted to come study with us."
She conveniently left out the fact that Gold Ship would be there with her.
"Don't worry, Teio can come too."
"Yes, yes, my training should conclude within the next… next few— mmm."
The sound of lips smacking had never been so nauseating.
"…minutes."
"Yeah, fine. Just be here soon."
McQueen hung up, beating Scarlet to the chase. How her last line of reinforcement had become so useless was beyond her. Gold Ship tapped her shoulder.
"Sooooooo, how about we leave sooner rather than later?"
Gold Ship ruffled the back of her head, sheepishly looking away from one Mihono Bourbon, whose hair was now very much on fire.
—
"Scarlet. Scarlet. Scarlet. Hey, Scarlet. Scarlet. Come on, it was funny!"
Daiwa Scarlet was not in any mood for more Gold Ship.
Despite Rice Shower's best attempts at frantically blowing away the flame, interestingly, it had appeared to be harmless. Bourbon certainly didn't mind. Though it was hard to tell if there was even a human brain behind that cranium sometimes.
After Rice Shower had burst into tears, despite Gold Ship's repeated attempts at reassurance ('It's just an optical illusion, see? Bourbon is fine!'), and Bourbon's earnest platitudes ('My structural integrity remains unimpaired. Please stop crying.'), they were kicked out of the library.
"Shut up! Seriously, do you ever know when to be serious? Did you even apologise to Rice Shower, you idiot? God, it's like I'm trying to tutor an actual child! Don't you see I'm just trying to help?"
Several Umas scurried away, all well aware of what being near an angry Daiwa Scarlet entailed.
"And what's even worse, you don't even understand why what you do is so harmful! These jokes you make have consequences, Gold Ship! I can't understand for the life of me how you have so little sense!"
"Ummm…"
The source of the noise was behind her and came in the form of Teio clinging to McQueen's elbow sheepishly.
"Bad time?"
—
Thank God for McQueen's gravitas.
Mejiro McQueen had managed to speak to the librarian on their behalf, allowing them back inside under the condition that Gold Ship apologise to Rice Shower.
Thankfully, McQueen was able to coax her out from under the table. Unfortunately Rice's newfound fear of Gold Ship made it far more difficult for her to apologise until Gold Ship broke down into tears and grovelled on her knees.
Gold Ship had instantly dashed off after receiving a text. Scarlet had no idea what was up with that, but there was literally never any benefit to questioning her.
Notably, she stopped crying immediately too. ('You're talking to the fastest fake crier in the seven seas! They call me the genius Uma who can cry in ten seconds flat, you know!').
"Scarlet. You neglected to mention that… she… would be here as well."
"Well, would you have come otherwise?"
Times were tough, and unfortunately Scarlet's hands were tied.
"She refuses to learn anything while I'm here, so whatever. Maybe you have some input."
"I'm not sure what you expected to hear from me, Scarlet. No amount of experience with this ignoramus is going to topple years of built-up idiocy. The best anyone can do is develop thicker skin."
"Well, what the heck else am I meant to do? Gold Ship is gonna fail all her tests, and she refuses to listen to anybody else!"
A knowing look passed over McQueen's face. Scarlet was raising her voice, but McQueen seemed to think she was on a fool's errand.
But what else was she to do? She was number one! At everything! Academically, she'd defeated the likes of Almond Eye, Air Shakur and Biwa Hiyahide with nothing but her own hard work.
If she couldn't even teach one stupid Gold Ship, what else did she have?
…
Whatever.
Teio peeked her head over McQueen's shoulder, clearly seeking affection. McQueen smiled, wrapping her arm around her head like she was carrying a small, overconfident rock.
"Hey, you know none of us would think less of you if you just walked away, right? Gold Ship isn't… she's not…"
Teio struggled to find her wording.
"She's insane. Thoroughly."
McQueen nodded.
"Yes, and you have your own studies to concern yourself with. If you'd like to, we could still study together? We are in the library, after all."
Teio's hair was obscured by McQueen's arm, and only her face was visible. She looked completely ridiculous, standing on her tiptoes. Scarlet could admit it. She was jealous.
"Pfft. Yeah, alright then."
—
Vodka looked over her yearly overview. No matter how hard she tried, Daiwa Scarlet was always out of reach in terms of schoolwork and grades. And it wasn't like Vodka had any false expectations of herself; in fact, it was obvious who was the better of the two.
It was Scarlet. But it inevitably stung to remind herself that she would always be a step ahead.
"Yo! Vodka!"
Gold Ship arrived at Spica HQ. Surprisingly enough, Vodka was actually studying.
"Hey, Gold Ship. What's up? How's Scarlet doing?"
Vodka and Gold Ship had been messaging each other at random intervals during the tutoring session, mainly Vodka poking fun at Scarlet.
See, Vodka knew that Scarlet wouldn't be able to handle a complete idiot acting like they knew what they were talking about.
"Yeah, she has no idea. Gotta say, this might be my most genius bait yet. She thinks I'm completely hopeless. If you come along right now, I bet we could get her to lose her mind."
Vodka pondered.
Hmm. Well, she always gets stressed out the day before exams. I feel like this might be going a bit too far.
But as per the two's established dynamic, going too far wasn't necessarily uncommon. Vodka looked back at her notes and then her grades and then at Scarlet's locker.
"I'm in."
—
As it turned out, despite Teio's refusal to sit still, she was actually quite capable of focusing when the time came.
Even if she had to wiggle her legs and mess with her wrists or rap her fingers on the table to keep herself entertained, from the outside in, she was a perfectly studious, if a bit hopped-up, Umamusume.
One thing which confused Scarlet was that she took zero notes, relying on her perfect recall to carry her through exams.
Mejiro McQueen sat with perfect posture. Her laptop, which had previously been pristine, was now covered in small animal stickers, courtesy of Teio. She studied about how Scarlet would expect a textbook Mejiro to, with a designer pen in hand and several notes taped to different parts of her notebook.
Despite their polar opposite studying styles, the two worked well together.
"How do you two get along so well with each other? If it were me and Vodka, I wouldn't be able to handle seeing how she 'studies'. It's a travesty how little care she places on her academics."
Scarlet, of course, knew the answer. She didn't think that she'd ever seen a duo more obviously and grossly infatuated with each other than McQueen and Teio. Even though they'd never admit it, the two would enjoy watching paint dry as long as they were next to each other.
"Personally, it took some getting used to. But Teio is incredibly bright, and I can't discredit her methods when they're clearly effective for her."
"Awww, thanks, McQueen! I think it's even cooler how you're so studious all the time!"
The two looked at each other with glazed eyes before slowly moving their faces closer together.
"Ahem."
They were insufferable. Utterly insufferable.
But aren't you the weird one here? They're happy. Why can't you just be happy for them too?
You'd never catch me and Vodka getting along like this. Is it so hard to just wish we were earnest rivals, instead of wanting to throw the other out the window all the time?
"Quit brooding, Scarlet. We have work to do."
Gold Ship had returned. And when Scarlet saw who she'd brought along with her, her heart dropped.
Vodka.
"Yo! I hear a certain 'Little Miss Perfect' is a lousy tutor! What happened to being number one?"
Scarlet's ears twitched. Surely she wasn't hearing this right? She was stressed and frustrated out of her mind, courtesy of that idiot right next to her, and the last thing she wanted to hear was some stupid bait from Vodka.
"You try to tutor her! Do you understand how much stupid rambling I've had to listen through for Trainer's sake?"
"You do know that you just wasted your entire afternoon, right? Even trying to tutor her was dumb. I don't know why you'd bother."
Why was Vodka being so cutting? Didn't she know what kind of a day she'd had up until then?
"Well, maybe some of us have a reputation to uphold that doesn't just include being a proud simpleton!"
Gold Ship, to her credit, seemed to have realised things had gotten a bit more serious than she expected.
"Hey, you know what, Vodka? Now might not be a great time. How about we just get some work done?"
In a rare moment of lucidity, she ushered Vodka into a seat. Unfortunately, Vodka wasn't quite done yet.
"Yeah, how do you feel, princess? Gold Ship had to bail you out. Embarrassing."
Unbelievable.
Letting out a frustrated cry, Scarlet packed her things and left the library.
Teio, McQueen and Gold Ship all stared at Vodka.
"What?"
—
Gold Ship. Vodka. Gold Ship. Vodka. I'm gonna kill them both; I swear I will.
Daiwa Scarlet was sitting in her dorm, hair undone and tiara placed on her dresser. She was going over her notes one last time before the next day’s exam.
A buffer solution resists changes in pH. These function by combining a weak acid and a conjugate base, which respectively work together to neutralise any incoming H₃O⁺ or OH⁻.
Two opposite halves, working together to accomplish a mutual goal.
Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio. The most dignified and self-conscious individual she knew, paired with the most upbeat, free-willed of extroverts.
The Arima Kinen. Two broken halves, fitting together perfectly.
She groaned.
When it came to her and Vodka, it was more like a combustion reaction.
It's not like I'm asking for much! I know that what McQueen and Teio, or Suzuka and Spe, have is special! I get that! But can't I just have some support every once in a while?
It was getting hard to read her notes. That was strange. Her vision was blurring.
A droplet hit the page.
Well, that can't be right. The Number One Umamusume in the world shouldn't be caught crying over something so trivial. Her mother would have never stood for this.
Of course, it wasn't like her mother had ever been abusive or unkind. But the standards she set for herself were high, and even higher for her daughter. After all, who wouldn't want to see their child outdo them?
But even when Daiwa Scarlet won her fourth G1, when she came close to winning the Triple Tiara if it hadn't been for an untimely injury, it sometimes felt like her mother was living on a different planet.
She had wondered on more than one occasion what it would be like to live as Tokai Teio, so bold and unashamed of asking for praise and being even happier when she inevitably received it.
Even when her rivalry with Vodka became so famed, it appeared in newspaper headlines.
God, back to Vodka! Always back to her!
She grabbed her tail from her lap, wringing it between her hands. It was in pristine condition, especially after that new oil McQueen had recommended.
"Um… hey."
Vodka lightly opened the door and stepped inside. The pleated purple Tracen uniform had never really been her style.
"What do you want?"
Scarlet looked over to see Vodka wringing her hands. She was fidgeting in place, clearly unsure of what to say.
So Scarlet did her a favour.
"You here to apologise? You here to rub it in my face that I stormed out? Or what? If you have nothing to say, then leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you, and I don't even want to look at Gold Ship."
"Yeah, so about that, Gold Ship knows everything. The only reason she got zeroes in the first place was because she was protesting to Trainer about not being allowed to renovate the Spica building with a full-size mural of herself. She's gonna retake her tests next month, because it doesn't classify as a serious attempt to draw pictures of Mount Fuji on every page."
That took her out of it.
"So, is that why you said I'd wasted my afternoon? As a fun little aside to Gold Ship? A little joke? 'Oh, look at Scarlet! She's so clueless, using up her free time to look like an idiot teaching someone who had no need to learn anything at all!'"
"Hey, I- ugh. Look. I'm sorry, but tell me that you wouldn't have leapt to do something similar if Gold Ship came to you and not me! Trainer sent you out to convince her to focus, not teach her!"
Scarlet stood up.
"Well, maybe instead of blabbering on and blaming Gold Ship, I'd take the fall on my own! Why do NEITHER of you see that your actions have consequences?"
The air between the two was charged with frustration, and both could see this discussion was getting nowhere.
"Well, maybe if you'd throw me a bone for once, I wouldn't feel the need to mess with you over stuff like this! You know what people say about us? Scarlet, the smart, popular, pretty one! Vodka, the brickhead who doesn't know anything but races and motorcycles!"
Scarlet paused.
.
..
…
She responded slowly.
"…Are you sure that isn't just how you view us?"
After all, Tracen was mostly docile. Everyone who was likely to bully the other Umas was either up against the strongest personalities in the world or against people who were protected by said strong personalities.
"…Well, don't pretend you don't either."
"Vodka, you have seven G1 wins! Seven! Do you understand that puts you with the likes of Opera or Symboli Rudolf? How can you possibly think that way? I-I only have four!"
"That doesn't matter! You know how many times we've raced? Six! You know how many of those I won? Two! And the one where neither of us won, I placed eleventh. Eleventh, Scarlet. If it weren't for your injury, I know that you'd have taken even more of my wins away from me. Heck, you'd be a Triple Tiara winner."
She stepped closer.
"Scarlet, you're amazing. I don't know how you can't see that. And if I can't beat you in racing, or academics, or popularity, then what else do I have?"
Scarlet sat back down.
Had Vodka really thought about her all this time?
With a jealous gaze, wishing for something to change between the two this whole time?
"…Heh. Ha ha ha."
Scarlet couldn't help but laugh. Vodka was such a sorry sight, looking at the floor like a toddler in trouble.
"You idiot. You unbelievable idiot. You stupid, dense, dim-witted moron."
She walked over, flicking Vodka on the forehead with some force.
"Ow!"
Vodka held onto her forehead.
What a big baby.
"You know that I study at least five times more than you do, right? You'd have to be a genius like Teio to even scratch my grades with that level of effort."
Vodka's face burnt.
"Shut it! I get close sometimes! You're the weird one, not me!"
"Yeah, I am the weird one. Even though our pride gets the better of us every single time we're together and we always end up fighting, I keep coming back. Isn't that weird?"
She laughed to herself again.
"I am sorry, Scarlet. I definitely went too far this time."
"Lift your head and smile, Vodka! That expression doesn't suit you."
Vodka managed a smile, Scarlet's laughter getting to her.
"Seriously, what's even wrong with Gold Ship? Who in their right mind would take such a stupid risk with their grades, just for a bit?"
"You tell me. I had to try tutoring her."
Scarlet walked over. Vodka stood upright.
"You know, Scarlet? You're pretty much the coolest Umamusume I've ever met."
Vodka held out her fist, initiating a fist bump.
Scarlet pushed her arm to the side, wrapping Vodka in a hug.
"…More than Tanino Gimlet?"
"…I guess."
"Oh, come on! You say all that sappy stuff, and hugging is too much for you?"
"Y-you caught me by surprise!"
—
"So, how do you think it went between those two?"
Teio lay with her head in McQueen's lap, as McQueen rifled through a book, not really paying attention to the contents.
"I couldn't tell you. But they'll come back from anything, I'm sure of it."
She closed her book.
"After all, only two people with a supremely special bond could argue that much and never get any less close from it. I'm almost jealous."
She stared down at Teio's dopey face.
Reaching down, McQueen squeezed her cheeks to Teio's (definitely real) objections.
"Almost."
—
Daiwa Scarlet was sure she'd aced her test. It was probably her greatest academic performance so far. She'd answered every single question with perfect detail, and with a spring in her step, she made her way to the ranking board, side by side with Vodka.
As they arrived at the board, she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening.
"You've got to be [REDACTED] kidding me."
Third Place: Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio. Perfect tie. 48/50, 96%.
Teio and McQueen grabbed each other's arms, bouncing up and down in joy. They matched! Such a trivial thing to celebrate, Scarlet thought.
Well, they were cute. No matter how much Vodka gagged, and how much Scarlet admittedly wished to do the same.
Second Place: Daiwa Scarlet. Perfect Score. 50/50, 100%.
That was all well and good. She'd aced that exam for sure, and her score showed it. So why on Earth, did the board happen to read…
First Place: Gold Ship. Distinction. 51/50. 102%. Reason: Extra credit due to recent architectural contributions to Tracen Academy.
Her eye twitched, the ghost of Gold Ship's cackling resounding in her ears.
"I'm actually going to kill her. She's actually dead to me."
Vodka burst out laughing, folded in half like she'd been punched in the stomach.
"I-I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! GOLD SHIP! SHE-SHE ACTUALLY BEAT YOU! SCARLET, YOU LOST TO GOLD SHIP!"
Daiwa Scarlet whipped her head around to Vodka, clenching her fists together. Her aura changed as the surrounding students instinctively moved away.
"Vodka. Are you ACTUALLY—"
Thankfully, not much had changed between the two.