"What're you doing, Mary-chan?" Urara asked as she walked closer.
"Stay away!" Mary barked, still on all fours on the track, her body trembling.
"Please…" she choked. "I can't…"
But instead of backing away, Urara's eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, she rushed forward.
Before Mary could react, Urara grabbed her and gently rolled her onto her back. Her backpack swung around to the front as she moved.
Mary let out a short yelp, struggling to process what just happened.
The next moment—
She found herself lifted, "Wha—?!"
Urara had already hoisted her onto her back.
"Urara, put me down!" Mary protested.
But Urara ignored her.
She walked over to Mary's belongings and began stuffing everything into the duffel bag while still supporting Mary on her back.
"I said, let me down—!"
Before Mary could continue, Urara cheerfully interrupted.
"Let's go home together, Mary-chan!" she beamed.
One hand kept Mary steady while the other hurriedly packed the rest of the items.
"It's been a while since we did that…"
Mary immediately froze.
Her words caught in her throat.
For a moment, she tried to protest—
But nothing came out.
With her mind racing for words, for hurtful terms to drive Urara away.
Yet, she couldn't.
Slowly, her head lowered, surrendering.
Meanwhile, Urara continued, humming while packing,
"I miss the time when we walked home together. And it was so much fun when we did it back in the day! Even though we only did it for a short time…"
With that, Urara finished packing and zipped the bag.
She let out a small grunt and hoisted the duffel bag onto her shoulder, letting it hang there.
"Let's do that again, shall we? Mary-chan!" Urara added, her excitement was palpable.
"Otherwise, we might never get a chance to do it again! And I don't want that!" she continued as she turned to Mary for approval once more, "Let's walk home together, Mary-chan?"
Mary, though, wanted to refuse; she remained silent.
And only a brief silence later, she finally agreed, nodding on her back.
There, Urara instantly beamed and started walking with Mary on her back.
Meanwhile, Mary stayed silent.
She was still too stunned to respond.
Then, Urara began her usual hum and bounced as they departed.
Meanwhile, Mary lowered her head and pressed her face against Urara's shoulder, burying her mouth in silence.
...
...
...
As they continued down the path, Urara bounced lightly, humming cheerfully.
Even with Mary and the duffel bag weighing her down, Urara didn't seem bothered at all.
Perhaps it was simply because of Umamusume genetics.
They were capable of carrying weights far heavier than what normal humans could manage.
For them—
It was hardly more than a small chore.
In the meantime, Mary remained lost in her thoughts, silently clinging to Urara's back.
Yet strangely—
She felt at ease.
The same quiet comfort she always felt whenever she was around Urara.
The only person who had ever made her feel safe enough to lower her guard.
Not her trainer.
Not her classmates.
Not her teachers.
And especially not her father.
Only that empty-minded, happy-go-lucky Umamusume—
Haru Urara.
Who was probably still completely unaware of how dire Mary's condition was—how close she might be to losing the mobility of her left leg.
But she didn't mind that she was oblivious, nor was she dense, as long as she kept that overdue grin of hers, she was relieved and strangely comforted.
Then, they continued, Urara humming and bouncing along the street, Mary silently clinging to her back.
Until—
Mary finally spoke.
"Why…"
"Why did you do this… Urara?" Mary asked quietly.
Urara answered immediately.
"Because Mary-chan is my friend."
"And a friend will never leave her friend behind! Even if it was a chore to do so—and I hate chores!"
"But when it's Mary-chan, I wouldn't mind!" Urara continued brightly. "Because helping friends makes it feel less like a chore and more like a fun hangout!"
Mary was stunned by Urara's remark again.
For that, she said nothing once more.
Slowly, she buried her face back into Urara's shoulder again.
Quietly...
And memories began to flood her mind.
Their first encounter on the field.
When Urara had been the one to approach first, introducing herself with that same cheerful smile.
Then came their first heated moment.
Back near the school gate—
When Mary had lost control and struck Urara.
Then their first real hangout.
Mandated by their teacher, who forced Mary to spend time helping Urara with her grades.
And somehow—
That forced meeting became something else.
Their first genuine hangout.
Their first moment of fun.
The first time Mary had actually felt like someone her age again.
Then—
After that—
Everything turned dark.
Pain.
Fear.
And guilt.
Because after that, they stopped meeting.
Stopped talking.
Stopped spending time together.
Especially after her father intervened.
After their forced separation.
After they were made to part ways.
From then on, the moments she had with Urara slowly faded.
She could only watch from afar—
Watching Urara walk away with others.
Leaving Mary behind to face everything alone.
Darkness.
Pain.
Fear.
But Mary never blamed her.
Not when Urara was safe because of it.
Not when she believed she should be the only one to endure it.
And with that—
Mary had convinced herself she was content.
After all, Urara had grown into a better person.
Someone brighter.
Someone happier.
Something Mary could never promise if Urara had stayed with her.
Something she could never guarantee would remain unchanged if Urara stayed by her side.
Because Mary believed she had never been the right person for her.
She was nothing more than a bad influence.
So perhaps—
It had been better that way.
It had been the right thing to do—
Just as her thoughts began sinking deeper—
Urara suddenly broke the silence.
"Mary-chan, Mary-chan! I'm going to apply for Tracen Academy soon! Isn't that great?!"
"And I heard that you're doing that too! And I can't wait for us to meet again when we both enter the school!" Urara declared happily.
Hearing that—
It reminded her of the last time, the day she lost herself over Urara's participation in the school race, and how she struck Urara senselessly.
Except this time, she did not feel the bitterness.
Instead, a faint smile formed on her face.
"If we both enter, that is," she corrected quietly.
Urara immediately shook her head.
"No! It's when! Not 'if!' Since we're both guaranteed to enter! After all, we're both the greatest Umamusume there is!"
She then lowered her head, muttering,
"…only if Rush-chan sees it too…"
But just as quickly, she lifted it again.
"Never mind that! Because I know we're both guaranteed!"
Mary let out a soft chuckle.
"I hope so…" she said.
Her gaze then drifted down to her left leg, hanging limply as Urara carried her.
"I hope so…" she repeated, quieter this time.
Unbeknownst to Urara—
The thing Mary feared most about Tracen was not Urara's capability.
But her own.
...
...
A moment later…
The train screeched as it reached its terminal.
"That's far enough, Urara. I will be alright from here," Mary said as they stepped off the train, leaning lightly on Urara's shoulder.
"I should be able to walk back now," she added before pulling away. "Thank you…"
"Then, see you tomorrow?" Urara asked brightly.
Mary paused, surprised.
Then she smiled—a smile that only Urara seemed capable of drawing out of her—and nodded.
"See you tomorrow, Urara…"
With that, Mary bowed politely as usual before turning and slowly staggering down the pathway toward her home.
Behind her, Urara waved energetically.
"Bye bye, Mary-chan! Safe travel!"
And Mary continued walking.
Step by step, she slowly faded into the distance.
Until—
She suddenly stopped midway.
Turning around once more, she called out loudly toward Urara.
"The promise is still standing, Urara!"
"Our promises!"
Upon hearing that, Urara blinked in confusion for a moment.
Then she suddenly remembered.
Her hands instantly curled into fists as she shouted back,
"Yes! Mary-chan!"
"The promise that I will outrun you the next time we race! And I can't wait!"
"Then," Mary called back, "see you at the entrance exam, Haru Urara! Let us see who will truly be the one to outrun one another!"
"And challenge accepted!" Urara replied loudly.
"And when I outrun you, Mary-chan! We'll continue where we left off last time! Together, forever as friends!"
Mary was taken aback for a moment.
Then she smiled again.
"Only if you did!" she shouted back.
After that, she turned away without looking back, the smile still lingering on her face.
This time—
She truly walked away.
Alone.
As she did, she murmured to herself, her smile lingered,
"Thank you, Urara… Thank you for giving me everything I needed during my darkest hour. You're a light no one truly deserves, but one everyone needs to move forward."
She then gently took a glance behind her.
"And when the day of our race comes… it will likely be the last time we see each other."
"And to that… Haru Urara… May we interwine when fate allows us to..."
"Goodbye..."
With that, she disappeared into the dark street ahead.
Leaving Urara standing alone.
Urara's eyes now shone brighter than ever.
Filled with a determination stronger than before.
More excited.
More motivated.
Ready for what was to come.
"Alright!" Urara shouted to herself.
"I will win this! And then Mary-chan and I can finally be friends!"
"Go, Urara, go!" she cheered, pumping her fist into the sky before sprinting toward home, full of excitement.
Can't wait for the entrance race to come, though it wasn't warranted.
A moment later—
"I'm home!" Urara declared brightly as usual.
Except this time—
Her mother immediately shouted back from inside.
"Urara! What time is it now?! What about the curfew I told you before?!" she immediately approached her. Arms on her hips, clearly pissed.
"Sorry, Mom! I forgot!" Urara answered in shock.
"Well, sorry isn't enough! As punishment, you must finish your pickle from your dinner plate!" her mother declared.
"Anything but that!" Urara cried.
She immediately started running around the house.
"Come back here, Urara!" her mother shouted while chasing after her. "Finish it before you go to sleep!"
"Not in a million years!"
And so the night ended with Urara's mother chasing her around the house, while her father calmly watched TV and scratched his back.
Eventually—
The lights in the house went out.
And their night came to an end.
Urara went to sleep excited, eager to see Mary again tomorrow.
But unbeknownst to her—
Tonight was the last night...
...she would ever see Mary at school again.