A week later…
On a Sunday…
Morning sunlight stretched across the quiet streets of Kouchi, gently waking Urara's mother.
She yawned, stretching her arms, and brushed her teeth.
Then, tying her apron around her waist and headed into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her small family.
Inside the bedroom, however, darkness remained.
Only thin rays of light slipped through the gaps of the curtain.
Two figures lay sprawled across the room—
Still fast asleep, snoring.
In the kitchen, her mother hummed softly as she chopped through the ingredients.
Until—
The sound of an engine approached.
A bike rolled up to their porch.
The rumble stopped right in front of the house.
It was the mailman.
And just like the past few days—
The same routine repeated.
Before the mailman could even reach the mailbox—
*SLAM*
The sliding door flew open.
Urara's mother stood by the doorway, panting...
Before dashing out at full speed.
Then, she would stop right before the mailman, slightly out of breath,
"I—I'm here for the mail!" declaring.
The reason this routine was repeated was not just for any ordinary mail.
But for the one they had been waiting for.
The one they had been losing sleep over.
The admission letter.
For the past week, Urara's mother had rushed out every morning like this—
Only to be met with bills… or nothing important at all.
At this point, even she had started to lower her expectations.
Thinking today would be no different.
Just another ordinary day.
Except—
The mailman let out a small chuckle this time.
"Good morning, it's been a week since you've been doing this, right?" he said, already accustomed to their odd welcoming. "But I think… today might be the last."
He reached into his bag.
Pulled out a single envelope.
"This is what you've been waiting for… isn't it?"
It wasn't just any envelope.
It was neatly sealed.
Carefully designed.
Impossible to miss.
An envelope with the crest of Tracen Academy.
The one they've been waiting for.
Urara's mother immediately froze, eyes widened.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"Wh—"
"It—"
"IT'S HERE—!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs, raising the envelope high into the air before bursting back into the house.
Waking the two still half-asleep figures inside.
"What… is it… Mom…?" Urara mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she stepped out of her room.
"IT'S HERE, EVERYONE!" her mother shouted again.
"URARA'S ADMISSION LETTER IS HERE!"
Both half-asleep figures instantly jolted upright.
"It's here already?!" her father blurted.
"Oh my god, I can't wait!" Urara chimed in, already bouncing with excitement.
Then—
....
....
...
A few minutes later, after barely calming themselves down—
The three of them sat in a circle in the living room.
The envelope lay neatly on the kotatsu between them.
No one touched it.
Cold sweat trickled down their faces.
Their eyes were glued to it—
Yet none of them dared to move.
They were excited.
But also… terrified.
Until—
"So…?" her father finally spoke, his voice quivering as he looked between them. "Is everyone… ready?"
And Urara and her mother nodded.
Without wasting another second, her father slowly extended his hand.
It trembled as it reached forward…
Hovering just above the envelope.
Closer…
Closer…
Until—
"I CAN'T!" he suddenly yelped, pulling his hand back instantly.
He then dropped to all fours, slamming the floor in panic.
"I CAN'T! I CAN'T! I CAN'T DO IT! I CAN'T DO IT! I CAN'T FIND MYSELF TO FACE IT!"
Meanwhile, her mother let out a long sigh, her eye twitching slightly.
"What are you doing, honey…?" she said in disbelief. "It's just a letter… stop acting like it's a bomb…"
She shook her head.
"What are we even making a fuss about… It's not even that serious."
With that, she reached forward.
Her hand hovered above the envelope.
"Let's just get this over with…" she added.
Then, slowly…
Carefully…
Her fingers moved closer.
Just a little more—
She was right there.
Then—
She stopped.
Her hand trembled.
And just like her husband—
She pulled back instantly.
Her body stiffened as she froze on the spot, fear taking over.
"I… I… I…"
She stuttered.
Then slumped slightly.
"I can't… do it…" she admitted weakly.
With both of her parents completely defeated by fear, Urara tilted her head in confusion.
"…Why are you guys acting like that?"
Without overthinking it, she simply reached forward and grabbed the envelope.
And in one swift motion, she tore it open.
A second later, she had already taken out the letter and started reading it.
"Hmm…?"
Beside her, both of her parents sharply turned to her.
Then—
Slowly…
They crept closer.
One on each side.
Peeking over her shoulders.
Reading along with her.
Their eyes scanned the paper.
Adjusting…
Focusing…
Until—
Both of them froze instantly.
Mouths wide open.
"Con...
...gra...
...tu...
...la...
...tions"
Was the word they saw first.
And her father immediately stuttered, "Wh—What…?"
"D—Did… did it just… say?" her mother added.
"Congratulations...?" they added together.
Meanwhile—
Urara's eyes sparkled brightly.
"Yay! I did it!" she cheered, waving the letter in the air.
Her parents slowly turned to each other.
Still completely stunned.
"Did…"
"Did our daughter just…"
"Get accepted into…?"
Then, in unison—
"TRACEN ACADEMY?!"
There, Urara was still bouncing around in excitement, and her father quickly snatched the letter from her hands.
"Let me see that…"
He adjusted his posture and began reading it more carefully, word by word.
"Congratulations on your acceptance as our institution's examination candidate…"
"We are pleased to invite you for further evaluation, including both academic and physical examinations…"
"…It is an honor to consider you for admission into our prestigious academy…"
"…The entrance exam will be held on—"
He continued until the very end.
"…Yours sincerely, Tracen Academy."
Silence.
He slowly lowered the paper.
Turned toward his wife.
Completely speechless.
"Thi... thi... this... isn't real... right...?"
Her mother, equally stunned, turned to him stiffly, shaking her head.
"N… n-no… it doesn't seems… so…"
Then—
They both turned toward Urara.
Watching her.
Their daughter was still happily prancing around the room, celebrating like it was just another small victory.
Completely unaware of how big this moment truly was.
A miracle that she had somehow achieved.
A miracle that somehow completely flew over her mind...
...
...
...
The next day…
Back in the classroom—
"WHAT?!" another voice burst out, echoing across the classroom and startling everyone nearby.
Everyone turned.
There, Young quickly covered her mouth.
"S—sorry…!" she said awkwardly.
Then she turned back to Urara, still shaking.
"Wh—what?! H—how did that even happen?!"
Beside her, Lidden clasped her hands in disbelief.
"Oh my god, Urara! I can't believe it! You actually did it!"
Urara nodded proudly, striking her usual pose.
"See! I told you guys I'd get into Tracen Academy!"
"Shh!" Young quickly interrupted, glancing around nervously. "Keep your voice down, Urara! You can't let everyone hear that!"
"Why…?" Urara tilted her head.
"Because it's not normal!" Young whispered urgently.
She then subtly gestured behind her.
Urara followed her gaze.
In the corner—
Murashi sat quietly, head lowered, tears falling as a few classmates tried to comfort her.
"See…?" Young continued softly. "Even Murashi got rejected…"
"Murashi…?" Urara muttered, tilting her head even more. "But why?"
"Like I said… it's not normal," Young replied. "I don't know how or why you got in… but this kind of thing just doesn't happen."
"Especially not with your level..." she added.
"Either way… I'm not saying you're not qualified…" Young started, then paused.
"…or maybe I am saying that… but that's not the point."
She sighed.
"Normally, you wouldn't even get considered in the first place."
"But somehow… here you are. Accepted," she said, still in disbelief. "It's basically a miracle, Urara."
"You don't realize how blessed you are to even get this chance."
"Whoa! So the holy spirit is blessing me?!" Urara beamed.
"No, no!" Young waved her hands quickly.
"I mean—this is like… like getting to meet Santa Claus in your sleep!"
"Whoa! So I am meeting Santa Claus this year?!" Urara added, eyes sparkling.
Young froze.
Sighed again.
"…That's not what I meant."
She then continued, smiling.
"Just… keep this to yourself for now, okay?"
"Not everyone gets a chance like this."
"And if people find out, they might start questioning things… and that could seriously affect your chance."
"And besides," she added, "you're still only a candidate."
"You haven't passed the entrance exam yet. That still put you in a very… vulnerable spot, Urara."
"Right! Then I've gotta get ready!" Urara said, pumping her fists. "And I can't wait to race Mary-chan!"
"Mary…?" Young tilted her head. "Did she get accepted, too?"
"I don't know," Urara shrugged. "But I'm sure Mary-chan must've got in too, just like me!"
"Th—then I can't wait to see you at the entrance exam!" Lidden said, her eyes lighting up.
"Lin-chan!" Urara beamed, her tail wagging.
"Me too!" Young added. "Besides, it'll be our first time seeing Tracen Academy as well!"
Lidden nodded excitedly beside her.
"But…" she hesitated, her excitement fading slightly. "Are outsiders even allowed to go?"
"I heard the entrance exam is closed to the public… only trainers are allowed."
With that, Lidden's ears dropped a little.
"But!" Urara quickly cut in.
"You guys can still watch me on the big screen, right?!"
"Because when I finally run at Tracen… you'll definitely get to see me race someday!"
"U—Urara!" Lidden brightened again.
"Then we'll wait for your first official race!" Young said with a grin.
"A—and we'll cheer for you when that happens!" Lidden added.
"Sure! Then it's a promise!" Urara beamed.
"It's a promise!" they echoed together.
Just then—
The recess bell rang.
And their small gathering quickly broke apart. They waved goodbye as they returned to their seat.
Then, the class resumed...
...
...
Until…
Evening came.
Once again, Urara parted ways early with Lidden and Young.
Given her teacher had asked her to stay behind after class...
...again.
Slowly…
The classroom emptied.
Leaving only the two of them once again.
There, her teacher sat across from her, arms crossed, already sighing.
"So… Urara?" she began. "What's the result? Did you get accepted?"
Urara beamed instantly and nodded.
"Yes, teach! I did!"
Her teacher immediately leaned back in her chair.
Relieved.
"Thank god..."
But instead of celebrating—
She sighed.
"…Well. I guess that worked out well..."
Then she looked back at Urara, and her expression turned serious.
"Listen carefully, Urara."
"I know getting accepted into Tracen is a big deal. But from here on out… It's not going to be easy."
She paused.
"I had to pull quite a few tricks just to get you this far."
"Not through correlations, just saying..."
"And don't expect them to treat you any better over there," she added with a shrug. "If anything… it might be worse."
She then leaned forward slightly.
"But most importantly…"
"Don't lose who you are."
"The only reason you made it this far is because of that thick head of yours," she said bluntly.
"And honestly… the only way you'll go any further…"
"…is if you stay that way. Otherwise, you'll crumble before you even get started."
"After all… Tracen Academy isn't just some place for jokes. It's a place where dreams get crushed, and only the strongest last."
"Yes, teach!" Urara saluted brightly.
"Right… right. Now move along," said her teacher, already waving her off, "before I lose my mind talking to you again."
"Okay!" Urara replied, already turning and dashing out of the classroom with her usual energy.
But just before she disappeared...
"Oh! By the way, teach!" she called out, peeking through the doorway.
"I left a gift for you on your seat this morning!"
"And I hope you like it! Bye, teach! See you tomorrow!"
With that, she waved and ran off.
"WHAT?!" her teacher shouted, startled.
She quickly rose from her seat.
Scrambling around and nearly tripping, only to stub her toe hard against the desk.
"Ah—damn it!" she hissed, hopping on one foot in pain.
After a moment, she finally turned toward her chair.
There—
On her seat—
Was a piece of paper.
As she picked it up, she realized it was a drawing.
Crude… childish… unmistakably Urara's.
And it showed her alongside Rush, Mary, Lidden, Young…
And Urara.
All together.
Above them, written in big, uneven letters—
"Thank You"
With that, her grip tightened slightly around the paper.
And she exhaled.
"…Damn you, Urara…"
Then she stared at the drawing again.
Right there, her expression softened slightly.
Something in her chest felt… warm.
"…Tch."
She sighed and quickly stuffed the paper into her bag, still muttering under her breath.
Then she slung the bag over her shoulder and began staggering toward the door with her broken toe.
Step by step…
Until—
She stopped.
Something crossed her mind.
She then turned back.
Looking at the classroom one more time.
A quiet realization finally settled in.
Graduation was only a week away.
Her time with them…
Was about to end.
Even though her days with Urara had been nothing but chaos...
Loud, exhausting, and unpredictable.
Still…
She felt it.
A strange sense of sentiment.
After all—
It was the first time she had ever met a student like Urara.
And perhaps…
The last time she ever would.
A faint smile then curved on her lips.
As she stood there, taking in what little remained of those days.
With that, she sighed.
Heaving her sling bag over her shoulder once more, before she turned.
Staggered away...
Step by step.
From this…
Memorable…
Classroom.
But... the moment she reached the doorway...
Midway through...
She paused.
"…Wait."
Something clicked.
That paper.
The drawing Urara gave her—
It was done with crayons.
With that, her eyes widened.
Immediately, she looked down.
And there it was...
Smudges all over her skirt.
With that—
In a beat of silence—
"DAMN YOU, URARA!"