Chapter Text
Her routine was, well, routine at this point. Stretch, stretch a bit more, then run laps for a while until her trainer showed up.
It was nice, something natural about getting to watch the sunrise. Especially when it meant waking up before her daily 'Marvelous!' alarm. Not that she didn't appreciate her dormmate for being a sweet friend, but... let's just say that equating her normal reaction of 'slamming the snooze button on her alarm' wasn't something she want to associate with her cute roommate.
...
...heh. 'Nice, something natural'... Rudolf would like that one...
She let out a little groan, wincing as she dipped low, bending from one side to the other. Her muscles were getting really sore lately. Her trainer was doing a good rotation, so this should have been fine...
...guess my body's just not made for this easy stuff anymore...
Her hands came up, massaged her temples.
No, don't think like that. You already know that everyone hates the self-deprecation stuff. Come on, maybe next race...
...next time...
"NYAAAARGH!"
That growl of frustration as she clutched her head. She'd done it so many times recently. So many races... aside from quite a few fiascos, she'd gotten a few firsts, in a G3 and two G2s... but the best she could manage was third for the G1s. The old reliable spot. Every single time. Couldn't even get up to second. Was this really the legacy she was gonna leave? Well... her fans DID love seeing her race... and third place WAS a pretty respectable placing against the newer youngsters... but if she was already getting worn out now, then for the future races... was she just...?
She looked up at the sky. Light clouds, some glistening with gold. She sighed to herself. Even stupid little imagery like that had to mock her every day.
Contrails... her eyes followed them to the source. A jet... so high up that it was a little silver glimmer in the sky... flying far above all the other clouds.
Her hand reached out for it for a second. Before, with an amused sigh, she let it drop down again. Closed her eyes.
What the hell am I even doing here...?
"Nay-cha!"
"Kya-!"
She jumped, before turning, feigning annoyance on her expression.
Mayano Top Gun. Her 'little cutie angel' as she liked to nickname her (though she'd never let her know about that name), a young yet genius up-and-coming racer who had gotten well-acquainted with her roommate and, by proxy, herself. She'd already won a G1 (one that she herself had managed to place NINTH in, by the way), and her chestnut hair seemed to glisten gold like the medal she probably kept close on her nightstand.
...whatever. She was cute. She deserved it.
"...hey, Maya."
"Sorry, did I scare you?"
"A little, yeah. I was just lost in my own world."
"Ah, really? You looked like you were thinking really hard about something."
The redhead chuckled, crossing her arms in front of her herself. "So you felt like interrupting me?" Though her gray eyes darted away for a second.
I wasn't worrying THAT hard about it, was I...?
Mayano puffed out her cheeks. "Wha- no, I was just-" She blew out a long sigh before smiling again. "You're getting ready to run?"
"...yeah." Nature's gaze shot away again, a bit of pink dusting her cheeks. "Wanted to get in a few laps before my trainer got here."
"Oooh~" Amber eyes lit up, almost sparkling. "You're trying to impress your trainer, huh~? Well, aren't you two close~?"
"O-okay, cut it out right there!" The taller girl grit her teeth and waved off the other girl's teasing. She got a giggle in response.
"I know, I know~ you're just a hard worker is all~"
Hardly...
The redhead thought better of dissuading the compliment, though, instead putting her hands on her hips. "So, done picking on your elders yet?"
"I wasn't picking on you, not that you're that old anyway~" Maya's smile was still bright. "But, you know, is there anything interesting up with you recently?"
"Hmm?" Nature arched a brow. "Well, aside from helping Marvelous getting through that one test she was stressing about, nothing too crazy..."
"Ah, that's good to hear!" The younger girl lit up again. "She was getting worried about something like that when I last saw her."
"Yeah, though she's definitely a better student than I am, so I doubt I actually helped that much... at least not as much as you probably would've."
"Ehh? But I've seen you do some pretty crazy impressive stuff recently..."
"Sure." The redhead returned, not in the least bit convinced. "So, how about you?"
"Hmm... oh, Teio said she was gonna apply for the Spring Tenno Sho!"
"Really now?" Nature let out a sigh. "Guess I'll cross that race out of my schedule..."
"Hmm?" Mayano blinked. "Why?"
"Because I was already stressing enough that McQueen was gonna try that race..." The older girl scratched at her head. "But if Teio's competing too? Forget it. I'll try for a long G2 instead."
"You sure? I think you have a pretty decent chance even with those odds..."
Nature just gave her a blank look. "Really now."
The shorter girl's ears pinned back in frustration as she pumped her fists in front of herself. "Hey, I mean it!"
The redhead brought up her own fist to stifle her laugh. "Yeah, I know. And I appreciate it. But I don't think 'a pretty decent chance' is enough for me to consider trying right now. Not when I feel like I'm one bronze medal away for losing my mind. So I'd rather play it safe..."
"Boo..." Mayano pulled on her own jersey shirt before blowing out a sigh of defeat. "...fine. I guess I can't force you, but I really did want to see you run..."
"You'd probably do better than me if you did it, though." Nature countered.
"Hmm, maybe, but I also wanna try something else this spring... Seiun and I have kinda gotten into a bit of a rivalry recently and she said she was gonna compete in the- ah!" The younger girl jumped. "Hey, Nature, I didn't tell you about my recent win-"
"Yeah, you won the Arima Kinen." The older girl stopped her. "I know. I was there."
"Eh?!"
The redhead was a bit taken aback by the other girl's surprise. "Y-yeah. I got 9th. Did you... not see me?"
...only to bring up a hand to her head. "Oh, what am I saying? You were in the front, of course you didn't..."
"Well, I mean, eheh..." The orange-haired girl scratched her cheek. "I guess it slipped my mind... I really thought I'd surprise you with that..."
"Even if I hadn't been there, it would've made it's way to me anyway." Nature chuckled. "That kind of news travels fast around here, you know."
"I guess..."
This kind of chatter was surprisingly nice. Despite the subjects... well, Maya was cute, so it didn't really matter. It was... nice. Peaceful.
I really oughta talk to her more often... I feel healed every time~
"Hey, actually, since you were gonna do some laps-"
"Oh, right." The redhead brought up a hand. "Yeah, sorry. I should go get to that. See ya."
"Wait!"
The shout stopped the older girl in her tracks. Blushing, she turned back to her shorter compatriot, expression expectant.
"Um, actually..." Maya pushed her fingers together. "That was, uh, something I wanted to ask..."
She clasped her hands together.
"Nay-cha, can we race together?"
Gray eyes stared back at her. Blinked once. Twice.
"You... just beat me in a race, though?"
"No! I mean... another! This one's different!"
"Why would it matter? If you can beat me in the Arima Kinen, then-"
"-then we'll do a shorter one! You're better at those distances, right? Pleaseeeee~!"
...
Nature settled her hands on her hips again, letting out a tired sigh.
"I really can't just be defeated by you in peace, huh?" She grumbled. "Fine."
"Yay~!"
Being led by the hand, Maya guided her quite a distance down the track.
"There." She pointed at one of the milestone markers. "This'll be a bit under 2200m. Sounds good to you, right?"
"Sure." The redhead replied. "You're still gonna beat me, anyway."
"Hey!" Her companion pouted again. "You can't just give up before we've even started! That's no way to treat a proper race!"
The taller girl stared blankly at her shorter companion.
This isn't a proper race, though...
"Anyway!" The orange-haired girl bounced back instantly. "Betting rules: whoever wins gets to ask something of the other, and the other can't refuse!"
"H-huh?" Nature reeled back. "H-hang on a second, I never-!"
"Come on~!" Starry amber looked up at her. "Doesn't that make it more interesting? What, you can't think of anything you want to ask from me~?"
A blush quickly stained the older girl's cheeks. "T-That's not- what do you mean-?"
"Well, I already know what I'm gonna ask of you~" Maya giggled conspiratorially to herself. "And don't worry, I think you'll have fun with it, too~!"
Gray eyes rolled again. Yeah, sure, getting forced to run in the Spring Tenno Sho sounded like the time of her life. She was getting nowhere with this.
Resigning herself to her fate, she took up position next to Maya. Both leaned forwards. There were no gates, but they didn't really need them for a casual scrimmage like this.
"Alright, then. Count us down."
"Copy! Threeee... twoooo... ONE!"
The other girl took off, leaving the redhead blinking, stuttering in shock before almost immediately bolting after her.
"W-wait! What happened to 'TAKEOFF'?!"
"Nyehahaha!" The orange-haired girl cackled over her shoulder. "This distance is perfect for you, so I gotta give myself a little advantage, don't I? Hope you like the aquarium, Naycha-chan~"
"Huh?"
She almost tripped over her legs as she reached the first curve, getting well and truly left behind.
"Ugh- you little-!"
Despite herself, she swore under her breath...
...not at Mayano, though... at herself.
Casual scrimmage or not, the other girl was at least eight lengths ahead of her now and not letting her close the gap. It was a seriously intense pace, and Nature was already ready to just give up for real...
...but, well, Maya HAD asked her to take it seriously. Even if she herself DID cheat...
So, she swallowed her frustration and pressed on, using her pride as fuel to burn as her lungs and muscles strained at the speed. Her legs were already aching, soreness not ready for this kind of workout right out the metaphorical gate, but she didn't let up. Didn't let herself trail any more than she already was.
1600m.
1400m.
1200m.
I'm not gonna be able to close with her in time if I keep this up...
...then...
She started pushing herself. All out. There was no way she'd be able to sustain this acceleration with more than half the race left, but she didn't care. If she didn't start now, she wasn't gonna get in front of the other girl before they reached the finish line.
...did that even matter, though? It was Maya. The Grand Prix Star. Young genius who could outsmart a fox spirit with her cunning. She couldn't close the distance even without the late start.
...and yet, still, somehow, the gap began to close. Little by little. Even as they approached the fourth corner, and Maya picked up her own pace for the last spurt... the gap was STILL closing.
Gray eyes squeezed shut. She could already hear the shouts. The announcers. She was gonna get another bronze medal for the collection. It was how it always was.
"And don't worry, I think you'll have fun with it, too~!"
...
Two lengths.
400m.
One length.
200m.
Half a length.
100.
A head.
50.
A nose.
20.
...
Mayano collapsed onto the turf. Nature caught herself on her own knees, muscles screaming at her in rage for having the audacity to do something as crazy as that this early in the morning. Exhaustion...
A bit of elation.
"W-whoa..." The younger girl panted out, rolling over onto her back. "I guess... you didn't start as late as I thought you would..."
"Y-you're kidding, right?" The older girl sputtered, still heaving in breath. "I almost... burnt a lung out... on that last sprint..."
"Fuuu..." Maya blew out a seemingly-frustrated groan, though she was still smiling. "And here I was, thinking I could keep myself from thinking too hard about you and focus on the race... dang... and I really wanted to go to the aquarium with you..."
Gray eyes blinked. "...huh? O-oh... that's what you meant... I thought you were gonna make me... do the Tenno Sho..."
"...but you said you didn't want to..." The orange-haired girl pulled on her own hair, rubbed her fingers together in embarrassment. "So I didn't wanna pressure you..."
...
"...w-well, I mean..." The redhead's gaze shot away for a second. "...I think going to the aquarium together... sounds like a fine enough prize..."
"Ehh?" Mayano shot up, expression confused.
"I mean... you're the one who said-"
"But if you're just gonna choose the same thing I was going to, then..."
Neither of them could look the other in the eyes. They were too busy playing with their own hair, Nature pulling her twintails in front of her blushing cheeks.
...
...after a few seconds, Maya managed to stand, whipping grass of her pants.
"Well, in that case..."
She finally approached her older companion, their eyes meeting once more.
Both were blushing.
A bit from exhaustion, maybe.
But Nature was definitely embarrassed.
And Mayano?
...well, her smile had never been wider.
"Then... I guess it's a date~"