"Hey, hey! Hurry up everyone, we are about to leave! Make sure you check your luggage again because we will not turn around for any reason." Fuji Kiseki stood near the entrance of the dorm building, making sure no girls were left behind.
Astonishing watched her by the window from the bus.
The bus interior already smelled of sunscreen, cheap snacks, and the energy of forty-six umamusume packed into one space.
Astonishing kept her forehead rested against the cool glass of the window. Beside her, the seat is still empty, she's sure it will be occupied in a moment, but she doesn't pay mind of whoever it is. Dora was in another bus, that's normal since they are from different dorms.
Her daydreaming got interrupted with a heavy thud of someone who just sat down on the seat next to her.
"Ugh, please tell me we aren't taking the mountain pass road." The girl groaned, burying her face into a giant horseshoe-shaped neck pillow.
Astonishing felt like she met her before.
...
It's the person who help cleaned her room that night. Her name is...
"Oh, it's you! You remember me, right?" Before Astonishing could recall her memory, the girl already turned to her.
Astonishing blinked. "Narita Top Road-senpai,"
"That's right! I'm glad you remember me" Top Road beamed. "Though, please, just 'Top Road' is fine!"
"Um... mmh" Astonishing nodded.
"I always wanted to ask this, though you don't need to answer it if you don't want to, really!" Top Road said awkwardly. "Umm... what happened that night?"
The blunt question hung in the air, momentarily louder than the surrounding chatter of the bus.
"Ah! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have blurted it out like that!" Top Road immediately waved her hands frantically, "It's just... you looked so scared back then so, I'm actually worried"
"It's okay" she assured. "But, I don't think I'm ready to tell"
Top Road's frantic hand-waving stopped instantly. She dropped her arms, her bright, energetic demeanor softening into something remarkably gentle.
"I understand," Top Road said softly, adjusting her giant horseshoe neck pillow so she could look straight ahead at the driver's rearview mirror. "I'm sorry for prying. But, if you need someone to talk with, I'm here! Though we just met... but I wanted to help!"
"Thank you, Top Road," Astonishing said quietly, the corners of her mouth twitching into a tiny, genuine trace of a smile. "I... appreciate it. Truly."
"Ehehe, don't mention it!" Top Road beamed.
Astonishing leaned back against her headrest, watching the familiar scenery of the academy gates slide past outside the window.
"So," Top Road started up again, she dug through a small tote bag at her feet. "Since we're going to be sitting together for the next few hours, do you want a sandwich? I packed a lot of sandwhiches in case the bus got stuck in traffic. I planned to share with the others too"
She held out a neatly wrapped triangle of egg salad sandwich.
Astonishing blinked at the neatly wrapped package, the simple aroma of fresh bread and savory egg salad sure is tempting.
"Thank you," Astonishing reached out to accept the sandwich. "I'll gladly have it."
"Ehehe, eat up, eat up! There's plenty more where that came from!" Top Road beamed, visibly delighted that her offering had been accepted.
Astonishing peeled back the plastic wrapping, and took a small bite. It was delicious, perfectly seasoned and remarkably comforting.
"It's really good," Astonishing said, swallowing softly.
"I'm so glad you like it!" Top Road practically radiating a wholesome older-sister warmth.
Seeing the atmosphere has returned to normal, Top Road decided it's time for some more talk. "Umm... so, I watched your race in the Derby"
The casual mention of the Derby caused Astonishing's chewing to stop for a second.
"I see....." Astonishing murmured.
"I-I'm not trying to make you remember bitter memory or discourage you! I watched the race up until the end and I think you did great" She paused. "I heard that you suffered an injury after the Satsuki Sho, even then you still make it to the Derby"
"It wasn't exactly a miracle," Astonishing said quietly. She looked down at the neatly wrapped plastic in her lap. "My leg mended, but... the gap between me and her didn't change just because I showed up."
"But you did show up," Top Road said. Her voice lacked pity, it was grounded in the absolute sincerity of someone who had faced those same towering walls herself. "Even if that injury took a lot of your time away, you still decided to show up, even when the odds are against you. I think that's something to be proud of"
Top Road leaned her head into the headrest. "I still remember that day when I was racing the Derby too."
A flush of memories begin to flood her mind. "I never imagine I would see myself standing on that big stage with so many people cheering for me, and the others too"
"I wanted to win for everyone who believed in me, but in the end... I lost. I finished second that day. I cried so much after that race. I really hope nobody remembers it, it's embarassing now that I thought about it ahaha..." She rubs the back of her neck as a faint blush dusted her cheeks.
"I don't think it's embarrassing at all," Astonishing said softly.
Top Road blinked, her ears twitching in surprise as she looked back at her seatmate.
"If you didn't care, you wouldn't have cried," Astonishing continued, looking down at the neat layers of the egg salad sandwich in her hands. "To run until your lungs burn, to push past everything just to see someone else take the crown... crying is the only honest thing left to do. I didn't cry after the Derby, but I do feel the stress"
"You're right," Top Road murmured, "We cry because we gave it everything. But you know what the best part about finishing second is?"
Astonishing raised an eyebrow slightly.
"It means you're the closest one to the top," Top Road said. "It means you're the one who knows exactly how high the cliff is, and exactly where the handholds are."
"The Derby is once in a lifetime, yes. It hurts to lost. But it isn't the final destination." Top Road turned her head, her bright eyes locking onto Astonishing's.
"I lost the Derby, but I didn't let that be the end of my story. And World's End Opening might have taken your Derby, but the classic road doesn't stop there. There is still the the Kikuka Sho... and there are so many races left to conquer."
"Astonishing-san, no... Aston-san! I believe there will come the moment for you to truly shine! So, don't give up just yet!"
Astonishing looked at Top Road, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden use of her nickname and the intensity in the senior's eyes. There was no pity there.
To Top Road, the path forward was straightforward: dust yourself off, face the next apex, and climb again.
"I have not given up, Top Road-san," Astonishing said quietly. "Thank you for the support, but the truth is, I'm not going to enter Kikuka Sho"
Top Road's ears perked up instantly, her eyes widening in sheer surprise. "Eh? You're... skipping it?"
"Yes," Astonishing confirmed. "After reviewing the Derby, I think I'm not really suited for long races. So, it's better to not participate at all"
That is also one of the reason she wanted to skip the race. She isn't doing well with long distances. While the Derby is only 400 meters longer, combine that with her lack of preparation, it make things worse. Now facing Kyoto 3000 meter, she doesn't think she can put a fight.
She's sure even Takeda knows it.
"Oh..." Top Road's ears slowly dropped. "I see... B-but it's not over yet, right? There's still the Autumn Tenno Sho! It's only 2000 meters so I'm sure it will suit you!"
Tenno Sho, like the same suggest "Emperor's Prize", it's one of the most prestigious race in the Twinkle Series. Umamusume in their Classic year can enter it, but so are the umamusumes in senior year, making it a challenging race.
"Tenno Sho, huh... I'll think about it"
Top Road nodded. "Whatever race you're going to enter, I'll be there to support you!"
With one final bite, Astonishing finished her sandwhich. "I don't understand why would you willing to go that far for me..."
Top Road smiled warmly, "Because... you remind me of someone I know. Your personality isn't exactly the same but the something about you just feels like her. I don't know what kind of burden you are carrying, but I hope you can overcome it. If you need assistance then I'm happy to help." She paused. "Oh, and I'll introduce you to her when there's time, I'm sure you two would get along."
"Then... I suppose I wouldn't mind meeting her."
"Ehehe, great! It's a promise then!"
Outside the window, the sprawling urban borders of Tokyo had completely vanished. In their place, a vast, sparkling blue horizon opened up. The afternoon sun caught the crests of the ocean waves, turning the water into a brilliant field of crushed diamonds that stretched as far as the eye could see. The salty tang of the sea breeze swept through the bus's ventilation, carrying the unmistakable signal that they about to arrive.
.
.
.
"Hnnnghhh!" Top Road strecthed her back right after she get off the bus. "Sitting for too long sure isn't good"
Soon, Astonishing and some other students left also get off the bus. The blazing summer sun beat down onto the concrete parking lot, good thing she applied sunscreen.
"Aston-chan! Over here!"
A familiar voice cut through the noises. Astonishing turned her head to see Dorazora waving frantically from the shade of a large equipment tent. Dora's uniform was already slightly rumpled, and she was clutching a clipboard as if she had been drafted into helping with the room assignments.
"Ah, your friend is calling you," Top Road said. "Let's go over there"
Astonishing nodded and rolled her suitcase along.
"Dora" Astonishing said. "What are you doing?"
"Huu..huu.. Aston-chan, the evil dorm leader forced me to work without pay..." She said, shedding the tear from her eyes.
WHACK
"Ow-ouch! Brutal! That's physical labor abuse!" Dora cried out, rubbing the back of her head.
Behind her stood Hishi Amazon, towering with her arms tightly crossed over her chest. She lowered her hand, letting out a sharp, exasperated huff that instantly silenced Dora's dramatic whimpering.
"Who are you calling an evil dorm leader, you little troublemaker?" Amazon scoffed, "You wouldn't be standing here holding that clipboard if you hadn't spend the entire bus ride trying to initiate a high-stakes card tournament across the aisles! You almost caused the driver to miss the highway exit three times with all that shouting!"
In the end they were assigned into a group with a few other students. Unlike in the academy, the room here is pretty big and students sleep together on the floor.
Well at least that means, she's going to have roommates for the first time, right?
Astonishing stepped into the room. For the first time since enrolling at the academy, she's not going to sleep alone.
That's if you exclude the time when she slept with Fuji.
"It really is spacious," Astonishing said.
"It sure is" Top Road appeared beside her and smiled. "It looks like we are in the same room"
Just then, a sound of heavy footsteps can be heard from outside the room. Two girls come running into the room, one with long dark brown, almost black hair. The other is a girl with short pink hair.
"Yatta! I came here first!" The pink girl shouted.
"Ah... Urara-chan, please don't run so fast inside, we might trip over someone's luggage..." The other girl said.
"Urara-chan! Rice-san!" Top Road beamed.
"Yay! Top Road-chan is here too!" Urara cheered, dropping her bright backpack without a care and immediately running over to Top Road. "We are in the same room again!"
"Ah, Rice-chan, Urara-chan, let me introduce you two," Top Road said, "This is Aston-san. She's my friend, I hope you'll get along with her"
"Woah! A new friend!" Urara's eyes practically sparkled as she bounded over.
"Hello, Aston-chan! I'm Haru Urara! I love carrots and running, and I'm super glad we're roommates!"
Astonishing blinked down at the sheer, unbridled energy radiating from the pink-haired girl.
It's too bright!
It's like like every single bit of positive energy in the universe got squeezed into a single form.
"N-nice to meet you, Urara-san" She needs to get used to Urara's energy.
"U-Umm..."the other girl spoke, her voice soft and delicate, like the rustle of autumn leaves. "Rice's name is Rice Shower... It's very nice to meet you, Aston-san. Rice... Rice hopes she won't be a bother to you during the camp."
Unlike Urara's high intensity energy, Rice Shower is more gentle.
"Nice to meet you too, Rice-san. I'll assure it you won't be a bother"
Top Road clapped her hands together. "Now that we're all here, let's claim our spots and unpack."
"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Urara cheered
Thus, begin the summer camp.