The next day.
Rice Shower awoke to the chirping of birds.
Looking toward the bedside, she saw Sakura Baimu sitting in a chair, leaning back with her eyes closed, fast asleep.
In the days leading up to her hospitalization, she had been falling asleep almost constantly, accompanied by intense anxiety and fear.
Even in deep sleep, she was plagued by nightmares.
The scene at Takarazuka Kinen...
The nightmare of a future confined to a wheelchair, never to stand again, would always jolt her awake.
Despite her exhaustion, she couldn't sleep well.
This was a significant blow to Rice Shower's mental well-being.
For an Umamusume, nothing was more terrifying than the prospect of never being able to run again.
Fortunately.
Rice Shower always woke up from nightmares...
She could always see Mihono Bourbon's face, or perhaps that of TCB's trainer, Sakura Baimu, by her bedside.
This gave her a little peace of mind.
Rice Shower had actually interacted with Sakura Baimu many times before.
However, it was mostly Sakura Baimu approaching her to do strange things.
For a while, Sakura Baimu even pestered her every day, making her learn another language that was incredibly strange and awkward to her.
For Rice Shower, who wasn't good at socializing, Sakura Baimu's social awkwardness caused her a lot of trouble.
However, Rice Shower's opinion of Sakura Baimu gradually changed after the Takarazuka Kinen incident.
Mihono Bourbon had told Rice Shower that when she was in trouble that day, Sakura Baimu jumped down from the audience to find her.
She even lied and claimed to be her trainer, accompanying her almost entirely through all the hospital admission procedures related to Rice Shower.
Of course.
More importantly,
Mihono Bourbon also told her that Rice Shower's rapid recovery was thanks to Sakura Baimu.
Every day, when the hospital doctors came to check on Rice Shower's recovery, they would gather around and discuss it in astonishment for a long time.
They praised Rice Shower's amazing body, saying that her rapid recovery from injuries was nothing short of miraculous.
Although Rice Shower didn't quite understand what was going on, she was certain that Mihono Bourbon wouldn't lie to her.
All the credit likely went to the trainer beside her.
Rice Shower could genuinely feel her body recovering to full health at an astonishing rate.
This was why Rice Shower was able to sleep peacefully.
"It seems that Ms. Sakura is actually a very kind person..."
Rice Shower glanced at the still-sleeping Sakura Baimu, silently observing the trainer.
"Looking closely, Ms. Sakura is quite pretty. Her eyelashes are so long, and her face is like it was drawn with a pen; she's practically straight out of a fairy tale..."
Rice Shower had finally found a moment when Sakura Baimu was asleep, so she took the opportunity to observe this trainer—someone she wasn't particularly close to, yet for some reason, she cared for her so diligently.
Just then, the sun rose, and sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains in the hospital room, illuminating Sakura Baimu's flowing black hair. This light complemented her fair and radiant complexion, making it appear even more luminous.
Rice Shower then realized that Sakura Baimu possessed a beauty that was in no way inferior to an Umamusume.
In fact, even among Umamusumes, she could be considered top-tier in terms of looks.
Of course, all of this was contingent on Sakura Baimu being awake.
At least in Rice Shower's memory, Sakura Baimu was mostly ill in the head.
Rice Shower simply watched her quietly, momentarily lost in thought.
"It must be exhausting. Working at the academy during the day, and then training her Umamusume in the afternoon..."
Rice Shower thought to herself, suddenly feeling envious of Tokai Teio and the others for having a trainer like Sakura Baimu.
It wasn't just because Sakura Baimu was an excellent trainer.
It was also because Sakura Baimu cared so much for her, an Umamusume not even part of their team; one could only imagine how much she cared for the Umamusume on her own team.
Unlike her, who always trained alone...
Just as Rice Shower was lost in thought, she suddenly noticed Sakura Baimu open her eyes.
She had been observing Sakura Baimu, and now their eyes met instantly in Sakura Baimu's azure gaze.
Rice Shower panicked instantly.
"You're awake," Sakura Baimu spoke softly with a smile.
"Yes, Rice is awake." Rice Shower nodded, relieved to see that Sakura Baimu didn't seem to notice anything amiss.
"Onee-sama, was the chair uncomfortable?"
"It's not a big problem. I didn't sleep long. Two more Umamusume were admitted last night, and I didn't get back until very late," Sakura Baimu said.
"Ah?! More Umamusume admitted?!" Rice Shower's face instantly filled with panic upon hearing this.
"Yes, Queen Beret from the middle school, and an Umamusume from Pluto Academy, Golden Crown Eagle."
"Huh? I've heard of Queen Beret. And that American Umamusume is…?" Rice Shower asked in surprise.
"Here, it's her."
Sakura Baimu pulled out a picture of Golden Crown Eagle on her phone and held it up in front of Rice Shower.
Rice Shower's expression suddenly changed drastically upon seeing the picture in Sakura Baimu's hand.
"She…she!!"
"She's the Umamusume who taught Rice Shower about the Zone, right?"
"Yes…I didn't expect…how did she get hospitalized? Rice could sense she was very strong…!"
"I don't know. I think she fell while running and broke a bone. It's not too serious; she should recover in a month or two."
Sakura Baimu had held back last night. She had achieved her goal of giving thay Umamusume a warning, but she didn't necessarily want to completely destroy this American Umamusume, preventing her from running for the rest of her life.
Firstly, she was worried that if she had really injured Golden Crown Eagle to that extent, even if she wasn't wanted by the police, she probably wouldn't be able to run at Tracen Academy anymore.
Secondly, Golden Crown Eagle must participate in the Japan Cup in November.
This is the strongest opponent TCB has faced so far.
Sakura Baimu's next goal is to train Mejiro McQueen to a level where she can defeat Golden Crown Eagle before the Japan Cup.
If she really crippled Golden Crown Eagle, Mejiro McQueen would have one less opponent in the Japan Cup, and even if she won, she probably wouldn't be happy.
Sakura Baimu thought to herself, checked the time on her phone, and then stood up.
"Rice, you should rest well and recover. I'm going to the academy."
"Okay, Rice got it! Have a safe trip, Ms. Sakura."
Rice Shower gave Sakura Baimu a radiant smile, incredibly soothing.
However, unexpectedly, Sakura Baimu looked dissatisfied, frowning at Rice Shower.
"Wait a minute. What should you say at this point?"
Rice Shower's smile froze instantly upon hearing Sakura Baimu's words.
"Sakura-san's having another episode!"
She held up an "OK" sign for Sakura Baimu and spoke in extremely awkward pronunciation.
"It's... okay, Onee-sama."