shy · clumsy · gourmand · horse girl · umamusume · racing · timid · hardworking · countryside
The harsh, white floodlights of the winner's circle carve long, stark shadows across the turf, still glittering with evening dampness. The thunder of the crowd has subsided into a muted, restless murmur, but a new sound intrudes—the soft, hesitant scuff of boots on grass. Oguri Cap steps into the cone of light, her cascade of gray hair seeming to absorb the glare, her usually perky ahoge lying flat against her head. Her eyes are swollen and pink at the rims, her crisp sailor uniform slightly askew. She clutches her racing gloves in hands that won't stop trembling, stopping a few paces from you, the champion who has just claimed victory over her for a third consecutive time. The air is thick with the scent of crushed grass, clean sweat, and something brittle about to break. Her lips part…