The next day…
After school, as the classroom buzzed with students packing their belongings, Urara eagerly stuffed her things into her bag.
Just like always, she was trying to make a quick escape.
Meanwhile, her teacher had already vanished—just like usual.
Before Urara could leave, two familiar figures approached her.
Rolling up beside her as they always did.
Lidden and Young.
Rush and Mary, however, were nowhere to be seen.
"Congratulations, Urara!" Lidden said.
"We heard that you finally applied to Tracen!" Young added from her wheelchair.
"Thank you!" Urara replied brightly.
"Well… Lidden and I already got approved, since we both only enrolled in the local school," Young added.
"I—It's okay though, Urara! Even if yours hasn't been reviewed yet, we believe you'll get in no time!" Lidden chimed in.
Urara nodded, already bouncing on the spot.
"I can't wait!"
"So, should we head home now?" Young asked, gesturing toward the exit.
"Let's go!" Urara replied immediately.
With that, the trio left the classroom together.
But before they did—
When Urara walked past Mary's seat, her heart skipped.
She paused for a brief moment and turned to look.
It had been more than a week since she last saw Mary.
And she has been missing since. No one actually knew where she went.
Now, Urara missed her.
Even if they barely spoke most of the time.
Just knowing Mary was there had always been enough.
But now—
She wasn't there anymore.
Leaving nothing but a vacant seat...
...
...
A moment later…
The train screeched to a halt.
Urara finally stepped off, turning back to wave energetically.
"Bye-bye, Young-chan! Lin-chan! See you tomorrow!"
"See you!" Young waved back.
"B—Be careful on your way home!" Lidden added.
The doors then closed.
And the train began to move again, carrying the two further down the line.
Meanwhile, Urara stood there for a brief moment… watching it go.
Then turned.
Facing the exit, she began her way home—walking with her usual bounce, humming to herself without a care.
Step by step, she continued.
For a moment, she just hummed and bounced.
Until—
She stopped.
"…Huh?"
Without realizing it.
She had walked past her house again.
Arriving at the field near her home.
With that, Urara turned, glancing over the field, and expecting it to be vacant like the usual.
Except this time—
Someone was already there.
A lone figure.
Running.
Training.
Under the same golden hue of the evening sun.
A sight—
Strangely familiar.
Just like the day she first met Mary.
Urara's eyes lit up instantly.
And a person immediately formed in her thought.
Mary.
Without thinking, she dashed forward.
"Mary-chan!" she called out.
Instead of walking around, she eagerly climbed over the fence.
But—
Just as expected.
She tripped, "Uwah—!"
And fell face-first onto the grass.
*Thud*
The running figure stopped immediately, "What...?!",
and rushed over.
As the figure approached, she was startled the moment she saw that pink critter sprawling on the grass,
"Urara?! Are you alright?!"
Meanwhile, Urara was still deluded by the fall and snapped her head up excitedly.
"Mary—"
"—chan…?"
Her voice faded as her eyes met the figure's silhouette.
Something felt… off.
The sunlight blinded her view for a moment.
Then, the figure reached out a hand.
"What are you saying, Urara? Are you alright?" she said with a small smile.
Urara then grabbed the hand and stood up.
And the moment her vision cleared...
Instead of the expected Mary, it was actually Rush.
Chuckling softly, she asked again,
"Are you alright, Urara?"
"Ru—Rush-chan!" Urara beamed.
Even if it wasn't Mary, she was still thrilled.
After all, she hadn't seen Rush much lately either.
"What are you doing here?!" Urara asked eagerly, already bouncing on the spot.
"Well… I'm training," Rush replied, wiping the sweat off her face.
"Bu—but didn't you train somewhere else, Rush-chan?" Urara asked.
Rush then let out a small sigh; her shoulder slumped.
"What can I say… we're graduating, Urara. Because of that, the trainers here are starting to wrap things up, too." She shrugged.
"Whoa! So that means you guys are going to the next school together?!" Urara asked excitedly.
Rush chuckled and waved her hands.
"Of course not."
"We're being released—that's what I mean."
"Re… released?" Urara tilted her head, clearly confused—almost as if she imagined Rush being set free into the wild.
Rush quickly added,
"Yeah… it just means we're no longer under the school's program," she explained. "We're advancing."
"Ohhh~! Like you guys are evolving?!" Urara said.
Then she turned to herself, muttering,
"I hope I can evolve too…"
Rush froze for a second, confused.
"…Evolving?"
"I mean… I guess you could put it like that…" she tittered.
"Anyway," she continued, glancing ahead,
"I just hope I can get scouted by a good trainer when I move on to the next school…"
"Currently, I'm just getting trained by the school staff," she added.
"Me too!" Urara chimed in. "I want to know what it's like to be trained!"
Rush chuckled softly.
"Yeah… I hope you get to experience that."
Then she raised a finger slightly.
"But it's not going to be easy, Urara. Trainers are all different."
"Some are super strict, like iron walls… and some are so laid-back it feels like nothing matters," she explained.
"But both have their own strengths. In the end, it depends on which one fits you best."
"Whoa! That sounds exciting!" Urara beamed. "I can't wait to have a trainer who listens to everything I say!"
She began imagining it—her trainer doing her homework while she played around. "It sounds nice...!" she muttered.
Before she could drift further into her fantasy—
"Besides…" Rush spoke again.
"I want to say something…"
She hesitated for a moment.
"I'm sorry, Urara… for doubting you."
Urara blinked, completely puzzled.
"Sorry…? Why?"
"Remember when I told you to be realistic?" Rush said. "That your dreams were just wishful thinking…"
She let out a small breath.
"I take that back, Urara."
She smiled.
"Because I believe in you. I believe you'll always find a way to do what others think is impossible."
"I only said those things because I was lost… stressed… not thinking straight," she admitted. "But now… I see it."
"I want to see you make it to Tracen Academy, no matter what."
"Because you're my pride, Urara," she added gently. "Whatever you achieved is an achievement of mine too! And I want to see you to keep running with that smile of yours… no matter what happens."
"Rush-chan…" Urara murmured.
"So don't fall apart on me, okay?" Rush continued. "Even if everything feels like it's collapsing… keep smiling."
"So I will know my Urara is still doing okay."
Urara immediately beamed and nodded.
"Of course! I'm Urara after all! And I already promised my mom, too! That I will always run with a smile!"
"Then add this to it," Rush added with a smile before reaching out, holding Urara's hand.
She looked straight into her eyes.
"Run for us, Urara. Be our pride at Tracen Academy."
"Show them that even someone from a small town like Kouchi… can become the greatest."
Urara's eyes sparkled.
She nodded firmly.
"Don't worry, Rush-chan! I will!"
Rush smiled, a sense of relief finally settling on her face.
"Thank you, Urara," said Rush as she gently let go of Urara's hands and turned toward the bench nearby.
"I have to go now, Urara…" she said softly. "And… I hate to say it, but this might be the last time we see each other like this."
"Since I won't be coming back to school anymore," she added, walking over. "And I'll be busy with what comes next…"
She glanced over her shoulder.
"Still… I hope we'll meet again someday."
"Rush-chan..." Urara muttered.
"Because I'm really going to miss the time we spent together. The times we laughed, we played, and even trained together... What a bunch of beautiful memories we had made."
She paused, "But time does fly when you least expect it..." and glanced over the vast field one last time, gently felt the breeze that carried the grasses too, "And I'm going to miss this place, too..."
Then, she resumed, reaching the bench, and picked up her duffel bag. Slung it over her shoulder.
"So if you join Tracen—" she paused, then corrected herself with a small smile,
"When you join Tracen Academy…"
She turned back one last time, her eyes slightly glistening.
"Please don't forget us. Don't forget Kouchi… Don't forget about everyone here, because we'll be waiting for you back home."
With that, she walked toward the fence.
Before leaving, she stopped once more and waved.
"Goodbye, Urara! I'm going to miss you! Let's meet again someday!"
Urara immediately waved back with all her energy.
"Don't worry, Rush-chan! I'll never forget you!"
"Even if I lose all my memories, I still won't forget!"
Rush laughed softly.
"Then it's a promise."
She then turned away, still waving.
"Buh-bye, Urara… see you when I see you."
And with that—
Rush slowly... left...
Leaving Urara alone in the field, still waving at her disappearing figure.
And so, this marked the end of her days with Rush—
A friendship built through tears, effort, and shared dreams.
Everything they made together was ending...
...
...
...or was it?
...
...
...
Meanwhile, a week later…
Back in the council room, stacks upon stacks of envelopes were piled in front of Rudolf.
"Say… Air Groove," Rudolf began, glancing at the mountain of envelopes. "What's with this… mountain? It's like hima-layers…"
She let out a small chuckle.
"Get it? Hima-layers? Like Hima—"
"...Yes, yes. Enough with your jokes," Air Groove cut in flatly, clearly unamused. Crossing her arm.
Rudolf then cleared her throat and returned to her usual composed demeanor, raising a brow.
"So…?" she continued. "What's with the sorting?"
"After a thorough review by the committees," Air Groove began, gesturing to the stacks, "We have sorted out all the applicants based on their academic records."
"On the far left are applicants with the strongest potential, excellent academic records, and solid recommendations from officials or faculty. These are the most promising candidates for admission."
"I see, I see…" Rudolf nodded.
"And on the right," Air Groove continued, "are those who also show strong potential and performance, but lack sufficient endorsements from their institutions."
"Their achievements are… less verifiable. They are considered secondary candidates."
"Okay… okay…" Rudolf responded, following along.
"In the middle," Air Groove continued, pointing at another stack, "are applicants with average to decent potential, but questionable academic performance. However, they have strong recommendations backing them, which makes them somewhat considerable."
"And to the right of that," she added, "are applicants similar to the second group… except their overall performance is significantly worse."
"I see… I see. It really seemed there were a lot of them..." she nodded. "Anyway, thank you for your hard work, Air Groove," Rudolf added.
"You're welcome."
Rudolf's gaze then moved across the neatly organized stacks.
Left… middle… right…
Until—
She paused.
Her eyes landed on a single envelope.
Alone.
Placed at the far end of the table.
"Say… that I understand the categorization," Rudolf said slowly, pointing toward it. "But what about that one?"
"Why is it isolated from the rest?"
"There's no stack… no similar applicants?"
Air Groove raised a brow, realizing what she had overlooked.
"Oh… that one."
She then let out a small sigh.
"It's… the strangest application we've ever received."
"It almost feels like a mockery."
"Mockery…?" Rudolf tilted her head, puzzled.
Without another word, she reached for the lone envelope and began to review it herself.
Meanwhile, Air Groove continued from the side,
"Well… not only is this applicant's potential extremely substandard, but her academic performance is also dreadful."
"Hmm… I can see why," Rudolf nodded as she skimmed through the form and muttered, "Haru... Urara...?"
"Worst of all…" Air Groove sighed, crossing her arms, "she actually has a recommendation."
"A recommendation, you say…?" Rudolf repeated, placing the form down on the table.
"Most applicants in the second stack don't even have proper backing," Air Groove continued. "Yet this one… somehow does."
"I don't even know what to call this level of absurdity."
Rudolf rested her chin on her hand for a moment.
"Perhaps the letter will explain its authenticity," she said calmly. "Have you read it?"
Air Groove exhaled sharply.
"I do not have the time to entertain what could very well be an elaborate prank."
"Maybe it is," Rudolf replied, reaching for the envelope. "But we cannot dismiss the possibility that it's genuine."
"No matter how… underwhelming the applicant may seem, every application deserves equal consideration."
"After all… we cannot judge a book by its cover."
With that, Rudolf opened the envelope—
And pulled out the recommendation letter, still neatly sealed within.
"By the looks of it, it's properly sealed… and signed too," Rudolf noted, turning the envelope over as she inspected it carefully.
"Anyone can fabricate that," Air Groove replied with another sigh.
Then she crossed her arms.
"Do we really need to spend time on an applicant who clearly doesn't qualify for our academy?"
"No offense to her boldness. But it's not like we'd accept everyone like this out of nowhere, right?"
Meanwhile, Rudolf had already opened the envelope and begun reading.
"What would others think of us?" Air Groove continued. "We're an academy for elites—not some place that picks up just anyone."
"If we're to consider her application, shouldn't that apply to everyone else in the room? That would make a mess for the institution."
"And we certainly don't tolerate this level of—"
Before she could finish—
Rudolf burst into laughter.
A laugh that shook even Air Groove.
"Oh my… this…" she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
"…this is something else."
"Wha—what do you mean?" Air Groove asked, startled.
Instead of answering, Rudolf simply stood up.
Without another word, she began walking toward the door.
"Air Groove," she said calmly, hand already on the handle, "could you please sort the applicants based on their qualifications for me?"
"Wait—what? That's your job, Prez!" Air Groove shot back immediately.
"Please, just cover for me for a moment," Rudolf replied. "I kinda need to meet the director now."
"The director?" Air Groove frowned. "What's going on, Prez? What was written in the letter?"
Rudolf paused at the doorway.
"Don't worry, Air Groove… you'll understand when the time is right. Now I have to meet the director."
She opened the door.
But before stepping out, she turned slightly and added one last time with a faint smile,
"Oh—and thank you for your hard work, Air Groove. I appreciate it! I promise I will get back as soon as possible."
Then—
With that—
She was gone.
Leaving Air Groove all alone in the room.
Surrounded by the towering stacks of applications.
One she was now tasked to complete... by herself.
And she muttered...
"You've got to be kidding me..."