Thump, thump, thump. Gravel rustles underneath Normcore’s sneakers as she runs around the still-empty outskirts of Fukushima City. The day was early, so much so the sky was still turning a shade of orange. As for why she was out… Well, she couldn’t sleep.

  Every second she had her eyes closed, her brain would replay the final straight over and over; the sudden thud followed by the searing pain of scraping over turf, then coming to a stop battered and bruised on the green. Her body lightly throbbed of the still-fresh wounds from last evening, draped over her body like countless medals of failure.

  Masaru was sound asleep when she slipped out of the hotel for a morning jog. She makes her way through a relatively quiet patch of street when she spots a familiar figure coming from the other direction. In an instant her ears shoot up and her eyes narrow, her entire body tensing up in apprehension.

  Katsura Oscar.

  She slows to a halt, the two locked in gaze. For a moment, not a word is said. Katsura’s nose scrunches instinctively, looking like she had just smelled a patch of sewage.

  “Why the hell are you still here, vermin?”

  Something hot rises from the back of her throat. Normcore draws in a deep breath, lifting up her shirt and wiping her forehead in an attempt to cover her gritted teeth.

  “Because of you.” She hisses back. “You’re one hell of a sore loser, you know.”

  Katsura slowly pulls her hands through her bangs, her gaze still on Normcore.

  “What loser behavior, crying about losses and blaming others for your inadequacy.” She spits back. “If you truly deserved to win, you wouldn’t have given me the opportunity to take you down.”

  Normcore’s eyes flare wide.

  “You didn’t win, Katsura. So who’s the real loser here, huh?”

  “You didn’t win that race,” she hissed. “The officials gifted it to you. But their decision doesn’t change reality. The reality is absolute: I was stronger. I was faster. I was better. My only failure was underestimating the need to crush the vermin that dares to stand in my path.”

  Her gaze was terrifyingly sincere. “You possess a winner’s medal. I possess the certainty that I am the true victor. And in the end, which do you think matters more? Their paper ruling, or the truth written in every fiber of my being?”

  Katsura replies a little too quickly. Something burns in the back of her eyes- Normcore had struck a nerve. Katsura stomps forward, leaning as close as she can get, yet Normcore doesn’t back off.

  “Listen here, you good for nothing squanderer. I didn’t lose to you, I lost because I wasn’t strong enough to keep the lead in the final stretch. You had no role to play in this, you were just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.”

  She lifts a finger to jab at Normcore, who swats her hand away.

  “Don’t touch me.”

  “You think it’s so unfair that you didn't win even though you oh-tried-so-hard? You think I’m the sore loser for claiming what is rightfully mine?”

  Her face looms closer, an unsettling shadow covering her head that seemed to make her eyes turn bright red. Katsura’s tail was starting to spike up, her curled ribbon-like hair unravelling ever so slightly.

  “Tell me, have you ever felt the sensation of your legs falling apart beneath you as you sprint with weights at your ankles? Have you ever torn your body apart in the shadow of a promise that you’d be stronger tomorrow morning compared to what you were today?”

  Her voice was charged now. Past the pure, seething anger and hatred was a note of hysterics, her fist clenched so tight Normcore saw blood.

  “I despise people like you because you always think it’s your right to win. You have no idea what real pain is. You’ve never felt your own bones betray you. You’ve never had to buy every step forward with needles and pills-”

  She suddenly pauses, eyes wide, her chest rising with fast, ragged breaths.

  “All you do is show up, run, and take home the victories, sitting on nothing but your thumbs and the goddamned talent gift wrapped to you from the gods…”

  Her voice drops low. Threatening.

  “I will make this clear. We are Umamusume. We are born to run. That is our purpose, and I will not let you take that purpose from me. Victory and defeat is a matter of life and death, and I would rather die before seeing someone like you win.”

  Her face is bright red by the time she finishes. She turns and storms away before Normcore can respond, crossing a red light in the process and causing a car to screech to a halt. Normcore slowly blinks, her tail settling down between her legs.

  “...What the hell was that?”

  Whatever it was, she had far worse to worry about.

  Krsssssssh. Creak.

  The faucet turns close as Normcore leans into the sink, feeling hollow. Her hair drapes over her face like a curtain, her arms shaking even as they propped up her upper body. She had drenched her face in cold water to rinse off the grime and sweat that was so firmly caked up on her skin- Kentaro made her run twice as many laps in their morning sessions. The man, in his thundering fury, seemed even more pissed than usual.

  “You want to head to the stakes?” He cackled loudly. “Sure. Then let’s properly prepare you for a Graded race.”

  The bathroom door swings open and she promptly collapses onto her bed. The choices were simple: lunch or sleep. She checks her phone, the fatigue slowly washing over her like waves on a beach.

  “I’ve got time. Might as well.”

  She sets the alarm. The slumber is absolute, a total system shutdown, the fatigue between morning runs and an extra few laps during first and second period hitting her collectively like a truck… and she doesn’t hear her phone go off.

  Minutes pass, then half an hour, the only sound in the room her deep, exhausted breathing.

  BAM. The silence shatters.

  The door flings open with a splintering crack, her ears shooting upright in startled confusion. Normcore practically flings herself upright in a panic, her vision still a blurry haze as she hears heavy thudding footsteps approach from the left.

  “So. Slacking off, are we?”

  Whap. The sound of a belt snapping together echoes through the air. Her heart starts slamming between her ribs, her body violently quivering in panic. She needed to get out. Her instincts were screaming at her to flee. She shoots up too quickly and-

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Thud. The back of her head connects with the top bunk. She collapses in agony, a throbbing pain against her skull. Then the whistle of the belt came down, and her back began to scream.

  A stinging pain that rips over her skin and down her spine, shooting up every last nerve fiber in her body, an unbearable sensation that left her curling into a ball. The terrified shrieks that ripped from her throat were not one of protest, but of panic and fear so primal it rendered her completely immobilized.

  She was trapped. Ragged gasps tear from her throat as the world melted into pure agony, the idea of flight long since having departed her brain. There was no point in trying to flee and so she braced for impact, making herself as small as possible, praying whatever stood before her didn’t kill her. It wasn’t even until Kentaro spoke up with his booming voice again did she realize who was there.

  “Well? Are you gonna stay there or are you gonna get up?!”

  She was dragged- all the way out the halls and down the stairs, out onto the field and through the turf, dozens of others watching in shock. Her ears burned like they were about to come off, her eyes stinging so bad she was practically tripping over her own feet with each step.

  “Ow! Ow! Ow-”

  Her protests fell on deaf ears. Kentaro continued his stride without a care in the world, and it was her turn to be bright red. She wanted nothing more than to disappear into thin air, for the ground to open up and swallow her.

  Kentaro eventually releases her onto the turf, still shaking from head to toe. The two come down to the track where several others are running, and Masaru practically bolts over the second she spots that sliver of gray peek over the hilltop.

  “Norm! Thank god you’re okay, you were missing for so long…”

  She immediately spots the look in her face. The way her ears droop and twitch against her skull. Her tail straightens and her eyes catch a nervous glint in them.

  “Norm? What’s wro-”

  “She was asleep!”

  Kentaro’s booming voice ripples across the grounds. Normcore and Masaru both flinch, the commotion causing the others on the track to turn their heads as well. Her face burns only redder as she buries herself in her own hands.

  "Asleep!" Kentaro spreads his arms as if addressing a rapt audience. "Cozy in her bed while the rest of you poured your sweat and souls onto this track! Does that sound fair to you?!"

  “Trainer, you shouldn’t-!”

  Kentaro waves off Masaru’s interruption. There was a genuine spark in his eyes, darting around with a glint of glee in them. He looked happier than he had been all week.

  “You’re going to make up for all that lost time, young lady. You’ve got a graded race to run, isn’t that right?! So start hustlin’! Wind sprints till I say I’m done!”

  Normcore knew better than to fight him. She makes her way to the track, head hung low enough that her silvery hair curtained over her face. And so she begins to run, Masaru throwing her a concerned glance as her sneakers thump against gravel.

  “Norm…”

  The sun slowly sets over the horizon. Normcore doesn’t dare stop, lest Kentaro finds another reason to get mad at her again.

  The sprints had long since devolved into jogs. Her legs burn. Her lungs are on fire. How many laps had it been? How many more did she need to do? Her tracksuit’s practically covered in a fine layer of gravel dust, each lap only bringing up more in the air and making her cough.

  The fat man watches from the sidelines, arms crossed, slowly nodding as if she was being taught a lesson. Masaru had been placed on “mandatory rest”, leaving the track empty for Norm and Norm only. In reality, she had barely gotten any, agitatedly pacing the fencing as her tail swung left to right with concern.

  “You can do it! A little more! Come on!”

  Her cheers were hollow as the reason Normcore had to run them, but it was the only help Masaru could provide. She’d slowly walk along the fence where Norm was coming up and then follow her till she had to go into the next bend- and then return to the start only to repeat the process all over again.

  Norm grits her teeth- each step now brings a stinging pain up the left leg. Her limp had come back worse than ever, eating at her posture in a way that made it impossible for her to run in a straight line.

  “Kentaro? What’s this?”

  The sound of an unfamiliar voice comes from the rooftop. A fairly-wrinkled man in his 50s makes his way down the hill. His face, while bearing a resemblance to Kentaro’s, was far less pudgy, his body bordering on the line of skinny. He throws a glance at Normcore, who was running with her ears flat, and makes a beeline straight for the fat man.

  “Now, what’s this about? I’m in the middle of-”

  “You.” The principal pulls Kentaro over with a hushed voice. Masaru’s ears turn towards the two, even as her eyes fixate on the pitch. “I know I should’ve put a stop to your bullshit a long time ago. The hell’s this I hear about pulling your student’s ears?”

  “She overslept. She needs a bit of discipline.”

  “That is very, very clearly against regulations. I’ve already got enough to cover up for your sorry ass, I don’t have to want to deal with this too.” He jabs a finger into Kentaro’s chest, his finger melting halfway into the fat. “Listen, you’re only here because old man Nakata wanted you out of his goddamn house. I can turn a blind eye to the gambling. I can even dismiss the… stuff you do as hearsay. But this? In broad daylight? With students watching? Do you know what happens if I don’t do anything with this going around?”

  “Okay. Fine.” Kentaro’s face contorts into one of disappointment as he throws his hands up into the air. Like a child who had been denied his candy. “I’ll tone it down.”

  “No. Not tone it down.” The principal snaps, yanking him back and pointing a finger in his face. “You’ll stop. Full stop. Not in front of the students. I don’t care what you do out of earshot, but nothing- and I mean NOTHING- in front of the students. The school’s reputation is on the line here. Got it?”

  Kentaro awkwardly shuffles around, trying to look everywhere but the principal in the eyes. “Mmhm.” He mutters back.

  Then, just like his arrival, the Principal shuffles away with a step very brisk for a man almost in his senior years. Masaru’s heart pounds loudly in her ribcage, her eyes wide as dinner plates. She had known the principal was the one who got Kentaro, his cousin, a position. But this? This was something else entirely.

  “You!” Kentaro’s booming voice calls out across the field.

  “Eeeeeek!” Masaru jumps on the spot, her tail spiking out in terror. Her soul leaves her body in an instant, practically sending her crashing to the floor-

  “You can stop running now!”

  It takes her five seconds to register that the hollering was, in fact, not for her. She slowly slumps down against the fence, heart still racing and covered in cold sweat. The thumping of footsteps comes to a stop as Normcore practically collapses against the wood, fighting for breath in loud terrible gasps. Her body slowly shudders as she slides under the fencing and onto the grass, her entire body practically shutting down in an instant.

  “Take a break.” Kentaro grunts, all the wind having been taken out of his sails.

  “Huff… Huff…” Norm slowly sits up, uncorking a bottle of water and downing it whole. She wipes what’s left of it on her lips, shuddering and staring off into the distance. She ruffles slowly in her pockets, pulls out a packet of powder, and dumps it into the water before giving the bottle a firm shake.

  “W-What’s that?”

  “Protein powder.” She replies, sweat glistening on her. “If I take it now, it helps build muscle.”

  “Huh? S-Since when did you know all that?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Normcore lowers her head to catch her breath. She throws a glance behind her before turning back. “The Unicorn Stakes is a 1900 meter Dirt race. If I don’t build muscle now, I’ll regret it.”

  Masaru blasts into full-scale panic.

  “Dirt? Norm, they invited you to a Dirt race? But you’ve been running Turf your entire life! H-How’d this happen?”

  “The technique I used at the end of my last race was a Dirt runner’s technique. It wouldn’t be strange for them to think my natural strengths lie in a Dirt race.” Normcore sighs.

  “A-And you didn’t say anything? Why?” Masaru shrieks. “You just let them?”

  “All the turf races before July would’ve been stuffed full anyway. It’s the middle of May.” Normcore stands, a resolute look in her eyes. “I’ve got no intention of staying here till fall, my life is hell enough as is. This is my shot, Masaru. I’ll play the hand they deal me and I’ll make it count.”

  “Norm… have you… even stepped foot on a dirt track?”

  She pauses. Her tail slowly swishes back and forth as she digs into her memory bank. It’s a blank.

  “No.” She eventually spits out slowly. “But I’ll manage.”

  “Norm! That’s insane! You’ve got no shot at a G3 Dirt Race!”

  Thump. Normcore flips over the railing and lands on the gravel. She tosses the empty bottle aside, her expression unreadable from the back.

  “Norm??”

  She throws a glance back at Masaru. Her eyes look nothing like what she’s given before. The cold, silvery gaze pierces straight through Masaru with resolution enough to make her shudder.

  “This is my freedom. This is my lifeline.”

  There was a burning blaze behind her gaze, one that burned bright enough for Masaru to take a step back. It was the haunting look of someone so consumed by the fanatic frenzy of victory that they refused to see anything else.

  “It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of how. If I win, I live. If I don’t, I die. So tell me, Saru-”

  Masaru’s ears twitch frantically. She hadn’t imagined it, Normcore’s eyes were burning with the same deranged fire harbored by Katsura Oscar’s soul. The silvery mare takes off upon the gravel once more, her steps crunching against the crushed rocks defiantly. Her parting words drift through the air, fading with each step she takes.

  “If it was your life on the line, wouldn’t you, too, fight tooth and nail… against all the odds in the world?”

  call it a little happy accident though, the plans have basically got her fully deviated from her irl career so why not make things go a little further off the rails