Chapter 49: Rest
The weeks following the Derby were nothing short of chaotic. Interview after interview, TV appearances I barely understood, photoshoots for magazines begging to feature meâmy training schedule, originally left open for recovery, was now packed with obligations, leaving me more exhausted than ever.
As for my trainer, he was in a death march of his own, juggling a tight schedule and endless phone calls that never stopped ringing.
It was fun experiencing all these new things, but what worried me was my trainer, who looked like he was on the verge of collapse from working late into the night every single day.
There were times when Iâd visit the trainerâs office, only to find him swamped with media calls, unable to hold a proper conversation. Weâd both agreed to take it easy after the Derby, but if anything, he seemed even busier now than before.
As unavoidable as it was, it was honestly brutal. At this rate, heâd seriously work himself to an early grave. Tracen Academy ought to give him a long vacation and a hefty bonus.
Then, after the Derby and Apollo Rainbowâs dominant victory in the Yasuda Kinen, mid-June arrived. Just as things were finally settling down, five large cardboard boxes from the URA arrived at our doorstep. One afternoon, when we were enjoying a rare moment of peace, Tazuna-san carried them in, arms full.
"Tazuna-san? Whatâs with the boxesâ Huh? Youâre leaving already?"
As I turned to respond, I caught Tomio at the edge of my vision, while Tazuna-san bowed politely at the door and said, "Iâll take my leave now." Straightening up, I returned the gesture and asked about the boxes.Â
But she just smiled mysteriously, saying, "Consider it a surprise for when you open them," before quickly making her exitânot even giving me a chance to offer coffee or snacks. Left behind, my trainer and I exchanged glances before slowly setting down our mugs.
"Whatâs all this?"
"Why would I know?"
"S-sorryâŠ"
"I wasnât trying to make you apologize⊠Anyway, wanna open one?"
"Yeah."
We got to work. I snatched a pair of scissors from the desk and handed them to my trainer, who carefully began unwrapping the package as if handling a bomb.
After slicing through the packing tape, Tomio reached inside andâslowly, deliberatelyâlifted out⊠a . And not just any Paka Puchiâit was me, Apollo Rainbow.
"Wait, thatâs my Paka Puchi! Theyâre already done? That was fastâŠ"
"Oh, right. I remember nowâTazuna-san said theyâd send over Apolloâs merch once it was ready⊠She really loves her surprises, huh?"
Tomio nodded in understanding, then triumphantly raised the Apollo Rainbow Paka Puchi high.
âPaka Puchi. The tagline? "That horse girl who raced across the turf has arrived at your sideâas an adorable 2.5-head-tall figure!?" In short, theyâre chibi-style horse girl dolls. Heavily stylized to be extra cute, their 2.5-head proportions make their faces look huge (No offense, Biwa Hayahide!).
Even as Tomio held my Paka Puchi up like a trophy, I couldnât help but noticeâmy ears werenât that big. And compared to real-life me (judging from mirrors and photos), the eyes were way larger⊠The stylization was strong. Yet, anyone could tell at a glance that this was Apollo Rainbowâs Paka Puchi. Funny how that works.
And donât let the looks fool youâPaka Puchi are insanely popular. The URA releases all sorts of official merchâclear files with color prints of us in action, Paka Puchi-style keychains, pin badgesâbut these figurines outsell everything else by a landslide.
They come in various sizes: small (15 cm), medium (30 cm), large (50 cm), and extra-large (1 meter). The one Tomio was holding? The XL. The bigger they are, the pricierâbut apparently, theyâre amazing to hug. Itâs common knowledge that the XLs sell out first whenever a new batch drops. Oh, and the URAâs official site always crashes when they restock.
Legends like Oguri Cap and Haru Urara still sell like crazy. Iâve even seen people riding around with them in their back seats.
âŠSo, Iâve finally reached the point where I get my own merch, huh? I could feel my eyes stinging a little.
"Apolloâs Paka Puchi has been highly requested by fans for a while now. Winning the Derby finally gave them the green light."
Letâs be bluntâhorse girl merch doesnât get made unless youâre popular. And that usually means winning big. The URA isnât the type to take financial risks. For most, the borderline is a G1 victoryâthatâs when production starts.
Some horse girls are popular because they win G1s; others gain fame after winning. Either way, a G1 guarantees a certain level of demand. Of course, there are exceptionsâhorses like Nice Nature, Twin Turbo, Ikuno Dictus, and Matikane TannhĂ€user, who built fanbases through consistent top performances or flashy racing styles despite fewer wins.
âŠâŠâŠâŠ
âŠAnyway.
"Hey."
"Hm?"
"Hm? Wait, noâwhy are you hugging my Paka Puchi so tight?"
"I mean, wouldnât anyone do the same if they got an XL one?"
At the center of my glare, Tomio was squeezing my oversized Paka Puchi against his chestâarms wrapped firmly around its back, even patting its head like it was some kind of pet.
For some reason, it irked me. A vague, prickling frustration I couldnât quite put into words. Before I knew it, Iâd grabbed his wrist, yanked the doll free, and hurled it onto the couch. "Ackâ!" The trainer yelped as the figure bounced face-first into the cushions. He let out a relieved sigh when it didnât hit the floor.
"Hey, be careful! The URA went through the trouble of sending these. We should treat them nicely."
"âŠâŠâŠâŠ"
"Whatâs wrong all of a sudden? Donât like how it turned out? Or are you feeling sick? Iâm not a mind reader, you know."
"...Itâs nothing."
He was right. Even a kid would know better than to mishandle a gift. And yeah, I knew I was being that girlâthe one who randomly gets pissy for no reason.
Butâbutâthe real thingâs right here! I couldnât help screaming internally. I was jealous. Of a doll. Swallowing my pride, I sidled between Mio and the Paka Puchi, fidgeting and batting my lashes up at him. That was the absolute limit of my flirting skills.
"...??"
Tomio tilted his head, a giant question mark practically floating above him. If you wanna hug something so bad, just hug me! Câmon, Trainerâ Not that my romance stats were high enough to actually say that. Silent, desperate eye-contact was my pathetic max.
As his confusion visibly deepened, he finally turned away. "Letâs check the other boxes." The moment his back was to me, my knees buckled. Ugh⊠What a worthless Uma Musume, wasting all her past-life guy experience. Right after the Derby, weâd hugged without a second thoughtâbut now that Iâm aware of it, Iâm useless⊠Sigh. Humans are hard.
Straightening up before he noticed my meltdown, I peeked into the remaining boxes. Inside were more Apollo Rainbow goodsâclear files, keychains, the works.
Tomio handled each item with exaggerated care, gleefully shoving them in my face. Dude, I donât need a close-up of my own merchâ But his stupidly happy grin made my own smirk unstoppable.
Once everything was unpacked, we staged a grand relocationâled by the XL Paka Puchiâto the shelf housing our Derby trophy, certificates, and photos. The figurines and Mioâs favorite merch now stood alongside them.
"Place feels livelier now."
"Yeah."
"...Seeing it all like this really hammers it home. We won the Derby." His voice softened. "Kinda hits you, huh?"
"...Mhm."
The XL Paka Puchi ended up exiled to the couch (shelf space: insufficient), but taking in the display made me reflective.
In the far corner was a photo from last Juneâright before my debut. Me in gym clothes, Tomio in a suit, standing awkwardly apart on the track. His rookie nervousness, my pre-fall innocence. Our faces havenât changed much, butâŠÂ our eyes sure have.
Next to it: post-maiden victory, me in generic gear flashing a peace sign, Tomio fist-pumping like a dork. By then, the foundation between us was set.
Further downâthe Kikuka Sho at Kyoto, a solo shot in my racing silks before the Hopeful Stakes, pre-Satsuki Sho tensionâand at the end, the Derby.
That one was taken on Tokyoâs turf, both of us rubbing teary eyes. God, we cried so much it was embarrassing. Wait, has it really been a month alreadyâŠ? My gaze drifted to the trophy beside the photos.
The golden cup looked vaguely uncomfortable, dwarfed by Paka Puchi of assorted sizes. "Kinda messed up the layout," Tomio muttered. We snorted, then burst out laughing. A little anticlimactic, but⊠thatâs us. And for a while, the room stayed steeped in that easy warmth.
One week until the Takarazuka Kinen.
Until Silence Suzukaâs true awakeningâjust a little longer.
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