Urara crossed it...
"I… I did it!" she huffed.
Her legs finally gave in as she reached the finish line.
And for some reason, the cheers came louder than when King had won.
Applause broke out, and voices rose in each direction.
"Good job, Number 8!" some of the candidates praised.
But Urara—
Urara just...
Urara just collapsed...
Before she could hit the ground, someone caught her, pulling her gently into their arms.
And with that, she was held, her chest rose and fell rapidly, her breath uneven. Her eyes trembled as they slowly lifted.
Trying to see.
Trying to focus on who caught her.
And there—
A figure stood before her.
For a fleeting moment, her vision blurred, and the sounds from her surroundings faded slightly, muffling.
And in the midst of that haze...
She saw…
…Mary…?
"You did it…" Mary uttered, her voice was soft.
"You finished it for us… You crossed it… Haru Urara…!"
And for a moment—
Urara was stunned as she murmured breathlessly.
"Mary…chan…?"
But before she could say another word, her vision flickered
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Reality settled in, and the figure before her quickly shifted.
And it was not Mary.
Instead... it was King Halo.
"Hey, you! Are you alright?!" King called, lightly shaking her.
Urara blinked again, trying to stir herself to focus.
"You… you're not Mary-chan…" she uttered weakly.
"What are you talking about?! Geez… snap out of it already!" King replied, still holding her firmly.
Then, more carefully, she began to help Urara upright.
"Here—can you stand?"
"I…" Urara breathed, her legs trembling as she was slowly let go.
But before she could say anything more—
Her legs gave out and...
*Thud!*
"Hey—Urara!" King rushed forward, dropping beside her. "Are you alright?! Can you hear me?!"
"Hello—?!"
Then, the voices, the noises, slowly damped away.
And her eyes slowly drifted shut, her lips barely moving.
"Mary… Mary…chan… Where... where are you...?"
And just like that—
She succumbed to unconsciousness as the exhaustion finally claimed her.
Leaving her in an involuntary slumber, resting on the turf...
…
…
…
Then—
Urara's eyes fluttered open.
She found herself standing amongst the darkness, the void, alone within it.
No sound.
No wind.
Nothing.
Startled, she spun around, looking for anything, searching for any sign of where she was.
"Hello!" she called out, cupping her mouth.
But only echoes responded.
"Mom! Dad?! Mary-chan!" she shouted again.
And the same repeated.
With that, she twisted into her thinking pose.
"Hm… where did I end up…?" she wondered aloud.
Then, suddenly—
She struck a dramatic pose, scanning the void.
"Whoa! Maybe I outran time itself!" She grinned.
"That's so cool!"
But—
Before she could continue, something appeared.
Not far from her, a figure appeared under a strange spotlight.
Kneeling with its head lowered.
Urara's eyes lit up instantly. Without hesitation, she ran toward them.
"Hello?!"
"Hi! I'm Haru Urara! Who're you?!"
But before she could get closer—
The figure raised a hand, stopping her.
"That's enough, Urara…"
And Urara froze.
That voice...
That presence...
She jolted slightly, and in that instant...
She knew.
"Mary-chan!" Urara called out, bouncing in place. "I did it! I finished the race for us! I crossed the finish line! Did you see that?!"
The figure didn't respond.
Still kneeling.
Still silent.
With that, Urara tilted her head.
"Mary…chan?" Confused.
"Are you alright, Mary-chan?" she asked again, stepping closer.
"I said that's enough!"
The voice snapped, louder this time.
And Urara was taken back once more.
"I… I…" the figure faltered.
"I don't think we'll be seeing each other again… Urara."
Urara's eyes widened.
"What do you mean, Mary-chan?! We promised, remember?! If I outran you, we'd hang out again!"
"That… was the condition, yes… but…" the voice wavered,"I can't anymore… not after this…"
"No!" Urara then shook her head. "I won't leave Mary-chan, even if you're not okay! We're friends, remember?!"
And then—
Urara began to run.
Straight toward her.
But no matter how fast she moved...
No matter how much effort she exerted...
The distance only stretched.
Further and further.
"Mary-chan!" Urara cried, pushing herself forward with everything she had.
"I'm sorry… Urara," the figure finally replied.
Then, it moved.
Slowly and gently, rising to its feet.
"I'm sorry to break it to you... But in reality… we never truly had a chance to be… together," she said, "Even if you did uphold to our promise..."
With that, she turned, and her form began to drift away.
"No—!" Urara ran harder, chasing after the fading silhouette.
"Mary-chan!"
"Mary-chan, don't go!"
"Wait for me!"
"MARY-CHAN!"
And suddenly—
"Mary-chan!"
Urara jolted upright.
Her eyes snapped open as she shot up from bed.
A soft, unfamiliar bed.
It's comfortable, though... given that Urara barely had a chance to sleep on one.
"Mary…chan?" she murmured, still dazed from that nightmare.
She then blinked and looked around.
White curtains. Clean sheets. A quiet room.
"…Huh? Where am I..."
Her eyes widened.
"Whoa! Did I just teleport?!"
But then—
A voice came from beside her, beyond the curtain.
A tired grumble.
"So... You're finally awake…?"
A yawn followed.
"Whoa!" Urara spun toward the curtain. "Did the curtain just speak?! That's amazing!"
"No… no… I'm not a curtain," the voice replied, "I'm just resting on the bed next to the curtain between us."
"Whoa…" Urara blinked, "That's cool!" she exclaimed, somehow still impressed.
A small chuckle then came from the other side.
"Anyway…" the voice continued, stretching slightly.
"Why are you here? When I got here, you were already tucked in nicely on that bed," she said.
"Did you try to sneak out of the writing exam too? Didn't expect to meet someone as energy-conservative as me."
"Writing exam…?" Urara tilted her head.
"Yeah. After the race, we're supposed to take a paper exam as well."
A sigh followed.
"But honestly, I'd rather spend that time angling for fish than writing."
A brief pause.
"Too bad there's no lake around," she muttered.
"Angling… fish?" Urara asked, puzzled.
"Yeah," the voice replied casually. "Fishes. You like them?"
Urara's face lit up instantly.
"Fish? I like fish! They always look so happy!" She beamed.
"Especially stingrays! They always look like they're having the best time with that smiley face underneath!"
"Stingray...? Hm, I see, I see…" the voice said, nodding from the other side of the curtain.
"Well, to me... I personally like—"
*Bang!*
The sliding door suddenly slammed open.
"There you are!" a voice snapped as a figure stormed in, arms crossed.
"Why are you still lounging around?! You're supposed to be in the exam hall!"
"B-but I got a tummy ache…" the voice protested nervously.
"If you did, you wouldn't be bothering the patient next to you!" the newcomer shot back.
"B-but—!"
"Now go to the exam hall before I call the staff to drag you there!"
"B-but… Fine…" she gave up.
The bed then creaked, followed by the soft thud of feet hitting the floor, and it retreated.
Soon, the figure left, and the silence returned.
Then—
"And you…"
King Halo stepped through from the curtain.
"Are you alright…?" she asked, stepping closer and placing a hand on Urara's forehead. "Do you feel dizzy? Any fever?"
"I'm fine!" Urara shot both arms up. "I won't fall that easily!"
King exhaled, her shoulders easing slightly as a faint smile appeared.
"That's a relief…"
Then her expression hardened.
"You know you nearly gave everyone a heart attack with that stunt you pulled."
"Stunt...?" Urara blinked, completely lost.
"Yes, you know... By pushing yourself too hard," King continued, "...and have your body literally give up on you."
She crossed her arms.
"You could've made things much worse if you weren't careful."
"Whoa! That sounds bad!" Urara blinked in surprise. "But… I'm fine! And I had to finish that race no matter what!"
She then clenched her hands.
"It was a promise after all!"
King paused.
"…A promise…?" she uttered softly.
For a brief moment, something flickered in her eyes...
A memory of her younger self, making a promise to someone she admired.
Her mother.
How she promised she would become the next legend to carry her legacy. How she would surpass her family and become the next prodigy rather than just a nepo-baby.
Then—
She shook her head, snapping back.
"I-I see..." she added, clenching her fists slightly.
"C-Come now. If you're feeling better, you should take the writing exam too," she casually added.
"It's about to start."
"But... I don't want to write... It hurts my brain every time I do…!" Urara groaned.
She then swiftly flopped back onto the bed, already pulling the blanket over herself.
"How about you go on ahead while I take a nap?"
Then—
A brief silence settled.
Instantly, King's hand curled into a fist.
"I said get up!" she snapped, snatching the blanket off Urara, "Do you even want to enroll in Tracen or not?!"
"But I don't want to write…" Urara mumbled.
"You don't have a choice! Now get up!"
"I DON'T WANNA!"
And before either of them realized...
They were at it again.
Push and pull.
Resist and drag.
Until—
Once again, Urara was defeated and was already dragged away by King.