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…Well. You're officially lost. Not horribly— you know how to get back to camp if needed, and you have your phone on you, but taking a quick glance at the faces surrounding you, you know for a fact you don't recognize a single one of them.

Maybe straying from the rest of the group wasn't the smartest decision on your part, especially considering your weakened state— but you needed to buy the last of those chocobananas!

They looked good. Crisp, snappy chocolate, a fresh banana, and topped with a variety of candies— some with just regular ol' rainbow sprinkles, others with toffee bits, or peanuts, or coconut, or even pistachios! You would've been spoiled for choice had the shop not already been almost sold out by the time you got there!

(Regardless of whether or not you're a fan of bananas, or, hell, even chocolate, they looked pretty nice, and you were willing to try it. Just this once. And besides, they weren't all for you.)

No one in your group had noticed the stall, too busy caught up in conversation, but you had, and although you announced your little sidequest, you hadn't actually been sure anyone had… heard, when you departed. Oops.

"Okayy," you say aloud as if it'll help you reorient yourself any faster. It doesn't, it's as if the stream of festival-goers is nonstop— not quite shoving, but definitely nudging you along with the flow, enough that you're definitely no longer near the chocobanana stall like you thought you were. A vendor calls out to you, coaxing you to partake in a game of …Ring toss? Right now? "Hmm…?"

.

.

Now would be a good time to shoot a text to someone.

…Not. You can't reach for your phone. You have four chocobananas, two per hand, of course. So that's a no go. Right. Occupied. And you are certain you are not dextrous enough to have a skewer slotted between each finger to free up one hand just to reach for your pocket.

Well. This is your life now. You're about to surrender to the crowd but your ankle winces in harsh protest and you're starting to think maybe you should sit down. And that maybe you really should have sat out for the festival, too, like you've been sitting out for all of the training this summer camp.

Even though you really, really didn't want to. 

It's fun. Whether or not loud places are typically your style— you like this. The heat, or the sea, the pristine sand and the breeze. All of it culminates into a nice experience. And you wanted to be a part of it.

The dimly lit treeline is where you belong, though, so without a second thought, and with some extra certainty in your gait to show your intent clearly, you break through traffic and plop yourself down, taking the reprieve your injured leg desperately needs on the stone curb. 

Lacking the hands to balance yourself, you end up sitting down with more force than you'd like. Your tail is gonna hurt for a while… 

You should probably eat your chocobananas, to free up a hand to call someone. Though you'd much rather eat them with company. Maybe you should wait, until someone notices you're missing and looks for you. Or maybe no one would notice at all, and you'll return to camp alone, once the festival is over.

Haha. Now that's a possibility. It isn't one that you'd like to entertain for long, though.

Not when there's just so much going on! The crowd is filled with umamusume and humans alike. Summer-camp goers, or stall owners, celebrating the summer festivities. You shut your eyes. The sound of laughter, warm and raucous, is… comforting. And if you listen carefully, you can hear the quiet chirping of crickets, and the rustling of the forest, too. The summer air is balmy. Humidity that clings to your hair, and to your skin. Seasalt on the breeze.

"Ah." Your name is spoken so softly you thought you dreamed it. "There you are."

You open your eyes. Oguri Cap stands above you, haloed by warm lanternlight. You weren't expecting to see her handsome face so soon, your cheeks heating up as she crouches to your height. You lean back instinctively from the close proximity. 

Where'd she come from? How'd she find you?? "...Hi Oguri."

Her tail, resting against the stone path— Stars forbid anyone steps on it— flicks, once, twice. "I thought I lost you."

"...Lost me?" How can she say something like that with a straight face? Your carefree smile is betrayed by the involuntary blush that rises up your neck. To avoid staring too long, you kick the tips of your toes together, sneaker to brace.

"I wouldn't have been gone forever. I would've made it back to camp eventually." She affects you so easily. It's almost too much. 

"Not forever, but…" Oguri's brows furrow faintly, contemplative. Each word said is truthful, sometimes clumsy, sometimes certain. Unfamiliar words paired with unfamiliar sentiments.

You notice the way her attention drifts to your leg. Injured enough to call for a brace, but not bad enough for crutches. Subtle enough to escape notice, especially if a particularly rambunctious individual were to ram into you. Ha. You'd blame yourself if something like that were to happen.

"I… missed you. You disappeared without saying anything. I was worried you got swept away." 

"I did say something," you laugh, breathlessly. The air feels like it's swept from your lungs from the way she makes you feel, "I'm sorry, I probably wasn't loud enough. That's my fault though. I'm okay, though, promise." Tap tap.

Then, you add quickly, a bit coaxingly, "But look what I got for us!" You fan out your prizes in your hands, splaying each treat carefully. The skewers bite into the spaces between your fingers slightly, holding tight enough so each one is displayed upright. "Chocobananas! Like the ones you mentioned!"

You're a bit surprised Oguri hadn't noticed the treats immediately, but, maybe you should give her more credit than that, when it seems she'd been far more occupied with finding you. Either way, seeing the glimmer in her eyes, brighter now that she's no longer weighed by quiet concern, makes the wait all the more worthwhile. 

"Ah… They look like the ones that were served that one time back home…" She murmurs almost wonderingly, and you know her mind is drifting to warm memories. Despite that, she still reaches out to accept the two you hold out in offering, "Did you already get the takoyaki you wanted?"

You're reminded of the fact you'd mentioned, when first heading to the festival, all the foods you wanted to try as means of participating in conversation with everyone. It's always the quiet ones that listen, huh?

"Well… not yet…" you make sure she's got a proper hold before letting go, "hearing about all the festivals you would attend back in Kasamatsu, it…" your face warms, "it made me wanna try some new things out, too. Since it sounded like chocobanana stalls weren't always there each year."

"Yeah." She nods, and— gosh, that's already one chocobanana down, impressive as always— "You're right. Thank you." One skewer, perfectly cleaned and polished.

"I could only buy these four, haha," you admit, sheepishly, "not because I didn't bring enough money, but because they were selling out. That's why I didn't give enough of a warning, probably… Got too excited. Sorry." 

She moves to sit down beside you, close enough your elbows touch. "And you bought half for me? That's amazing… Thank you." Her tail rests on yours. 

Of course you did. You like hearing about Kasamatsu. About Oguri's life, leading up to her career here in Tokyo. The community she had. The support. The love.

"Nothing to thank me for." You admire as she devours the other chocobanana. Ah… your money well spent.

You figure you've idled enough. Wait any longer, and maybe the summer heat will melt the chocolate right onto your hands. This is what you've been looking forward to, after all. Eating festival treats with Oguri. So you take a bite of your own.

…It's sweet. Perfectly ripe and creamy, and paired with the bitterness of the chocolate coating, it's pleasant. It's so rich you're still surprised how quickly Oguri can handle eating. But not that surprised. You know her well enough by now to know nothing stops her if she can help it.

It's a bit embarrassing the way Oguri watches you eat sometimes, but you figure it's because she's still hungry, if anything else. Or maybe you got chocolate on yourself? 

"Want a third one?" You offer, because you think one is enough for you. You haven't really been expending much energy these past months, and seeing the way Oguri's eyes light up is always worth it. 

"Yeah. Thank you." 

A part of you would tease her for eating so fast, are you really able to enjoy food  like that? While another part of you thinks that that kind of teasing might be a bit too mean for her taste. You don't really want to find out, because while you like being playful on purpose, you also don't want to actually… make her upset. You don't actually think that her appetite is a bad thing, after all.

In your distraction, you fail to notice Oguri rise to her feet, only letting out a small "huh?" when you feel your empty skewer slipping from your grasp. She gathers the trash in one hand, looking down at you with curiosity.

"...I'll go look for a garbage bin." She says, glancing back for confirmation. You give her a thumbs up, loose and easy. "You should stay seated." 

…Ah, doing you a favor so you can rest longer, huh? You smile, lopsided. "Will do! Thank you, Ogurii." You say, sing-song. Her tail flicks as she heads off.

That's fine. You don't mind being left to your own devices; you just hope she won't get lost herself, making her way back to you.

…

"Might as well get comfy." You stretch your legs out, trying to avoid tripping any passerbys but also feeling your knees begin to lock up from the way you've been holding this position so long, and pull out your phone to check the time. It's not that late. 

No messages. No missed calls. That's good. 

Tossing your phone from palm to palm, you look up to the evening sky. The treeline bordered by lanterns and strung up flags all above. Flickers of embers rising from freshly grilled meats and seafood… 

…You're in your head about a lot of things, right now. 

Even though maybe you shouldn't be, considering the time and place; maybe you should be more present. You're trying to be.

But it's your final summer camp for the Twinkle Series. Or at least, it's supposed to be. 

You were planning on competing in a lot of the end-of-year races, if fate had allowed you. But what you thought was just a stupid sprain revealed itself to be a hidden fracture, which, from being left unchecked for so long, became something so— so frustratingly incapacitating that you don't think you're gonna recover in time. That you won't be able to race again this year. Would you even be able to run the same?

Thump. You tap your brace and your sneaker together with a bit more force than necessary.

The laugh that escapes you is more of a scoff. Honestly, you think your trainer's given up on you— they say they're ever busier and busier, so your time has just been spent alone resting. Getting back to the track is like a pipe dream for this year at this point. No hopes for physical therapy, either.  

You would've been fine staying on campus while everyone else went off to the beachside, you would have, had your dorm leader not pitied you, hadn't brought you along. So you're here now.

…But! It's okay. Because you're with your friends. They're somewhere close, never too far away. You're attending a summer festival. And…  

An outstretched hand enters your line of sight, waving gently to catch your attention.

"Have you gotten takoyaki yet?" Oguri Cap looks at you expectantly, hand lowering to her side, the other folded against her chest. 

Yeah. It's okay. Because you're with Oguri, right now.

It's shocking how such a small, steady, gesture can make you feel so at peace. 

"Hmhm… no?" you question, just a bit playful, "You told me to stay, so I did? I couldn't possibly have bought, eaten, and returned back here in the time you were gone, could I?"

She tilts her head. "...You're fast. I thought... maybe. You didn't have to… listen."

"Ahh? No way, that's something you could pull off, though," trying to be nonchalant, you flippantly wave a hand in her direction, smile wide. No way someone like her could call you fast? Especially not now… and you're way out of her league in speed. 

"And besides… of course I'd listen to you. Always." You say, like a promise. A bit cheeky, but you mean it. 

And Oguri blinks at you. It's a shame, but because of the warm lighting of the lanterns, you entirely miss the flush that rises to her cheeks. She nods, once, twice, before turning her head away slightly, bringing a thoughtful hand to her chin.

"But… maybe it's good. That you didn't." She mutters to herself. You raise an eyebrow in curiosity, but don't press. She's clearly considering something. Maybe you're both lost in thought, right now.

"I want to buy you some." She decides. 

"Huh? Takoyaki?"

It's not the conclusion you were expecting, but her hand finds yours and before you know it you're being helped to your feet, her shoulder there to lean on to avoid putting weight on your bad leg, one arm looped around your side and…

"You wanted to walk around, right? That's why you came in the first place…" Her contemplative expression is cute as always, brows knitted with something close to frustration, something close to concern, "You should sit, but if I'm here then… it should be okay. We can walk."

"Wh- Oguri?" That's just too sweet. You can't even really argue back, because she's right.

You did. You did, which is why you didn't want to say anything about… being tired. Or that you wanted to go slowly, enjoy the festival, when everyone was so energetic about it. You'd just continue tagging along, ignore the ache, and try not to get left behind…

…Haha, which is why you're in this situation in the first place, isn't it? 

"I can't use you as a crutch the whole time, Oguri," you protest with a laugh.

"Why not?" 

Tucked close to each other, and with intent in her eyes, she weaves with you through the crowd to the nearest takoyaki stall. You stare up at her, ever leading you forward.

You don't have an answer to that.

Her long, ashen hair is still fixed into a ponytail— you'd put it up for her earlier in the evening, because it had been getting in her way while eating crepes. She puts it up herself sometimes, for training, while other times she lets her down freely. It tickles when the summer breeze blows it towards you.

You have to admit that it's fun. Standing in line together, conversing with friendly townsfolk as you wait for your order of takoyaki to be made right before your eyes. Tucked into Oguri's side, warm, almost too warm when paired with the summer heat, but you wouldn't ask for anything else. 

It was absolutely well worth it, too. Oguri holds the boat of takoyaki for you, while you take the first bite and absolutely sputter from how piping hot and fresh it is, knowing that that's also the only thing preventing Oguri from downing the entire batch too.

You thought that'd be that, and after your little escapade, the two of you would rejoin your group, catch up and continue the night, but…

Somehow, Oguri Cap has made it a mission of some kind, for you to enjoy this night as much as possible, with her and her alone.

She buys you a skewer of grilled squid. You chatter in between bites, taking turns nibbling away at it because it's more fun that way, because she blushes uncertainly, unused to sharing her food like this. Her hand never leaves yours, even as she gets you a thing of cotton candy— her treat, she insists, as a thank you. For what, you want to ask, but your vision is filled with soft pink and candy floss before you can— and finally, when you're feeling full, she gets you a drink, to wash it all down. 

She has to let go of you for that one, though you don't entirely mind, opting to take a seat once more on the stone curb.

"Go Oguri!" You cheer lightheartedly as she peels the plastic away from the bottle and pops the plastic plunger out its case.

It's a funny sight, admittedly. Oguri braces the bottle of ramune against her thigh, bent slightly to pop the marble into the bottle.

Her hands slip, but she catches the bottle before it falls, though the same can't be said of the plastic plunger itself. It clatters to the pebbled floor, and you scoop it up so neither of you are thought to be littering.

"Oh..." Her ears lower, and her expression droops.

"Aw, hey, Oguri, it's okay," you say reassuringly, hiding your endearment best you can, "I can just get a different drink, you know?"

She shakes her head, resolute. "No. I'll figure it out. Leave it to me." She clenches her fist as an expression of her determination. Ah… how could you ever say no to that face…

You're not well versed in the art of opening ramune bottles, at least, not without the plunger, so you're curious to see what she comes up with. Hopefully not breaking the bottle neck off.

Her solution is to buy herself one as well, and use the plunger from her ramune to open yours. Which is… yeah, you'd probably do that too.

(Though you wonder… What would she have done if she dropped that one too?)

Either way, you both enjoy your beverages, and you realize you desperately needed this, throat parched like nothing else. The cold glass against your fingers, slicking up your skin with condensation is satisfyingly refreshing.

"I always wondered what the original flavor of ramune is," you hum, sipping slowly at your soda, "Like Garigari-kun."

"...Hm." Contemplative, Oguri drinks half of hers in one go. How she can do that without the carbonation killing her, is beyond you. "...Soda, isn't it?"

"Yeah." You hold your bottle out to her, and she takes it. When you make grabby hands for hers, she tilts her head, confused, but obliges. "We're doing halfsies." You explain, smile carefree. And because she doesn't seem to reject such a suggestion, you take her drink in hand.

Oguri Cap chose the original flavor. You decided to go for strawberry, on a whim. Your attention lingers when she brings the bottle to her lips. You look away before doing the same.

"Soda flavor, huh…" you muse. It's clear, unlike Garigari-kun, which is blue. You take a slower sip this time, really trying to deliberate on the topic. "It's kinda lemony." 

"...!" She perks, before nodding twice, emphatically. "You're right. It's refreshing, like one too…"

…Stars. She's so cute. You really… really… like her.

(Sneaky, sneaky you. You can't say you're perfectly innocent when suggesting you split drinks.)

Embarrassed by your train of thought, you chug as much of the soda as you can, choking on the carbonation much to her confused surprise. She pats your back comfortingly while you recover, even if she doesn't know what led you to do what you did. 

Simple-minded and honest Oguri Cap. Lovely, in every way you could think of. Even with her distinctively mellow disposition, you know the passion within her burns brighter than anyone you'd ever seen. A force of nature, by your side, sharing soda pop, quietly. You're so lucky. 

Because of all the things she could spend her time doing—when all she has to do is be her simple, earnest self— she chooses to think of… you? Lucky. 

_

The crowd dwindles eventually, as the night goes on. Families disperse, some retiring for the night, others disappearing off to the beachside to light fireworks of their own before the main show, while others head to the designated picnic spots and benches. 

After recycling your bottles, Oguri takes your hand once more. It's natural for her, you're aware; you've seen the way she thoughtlessly seeks out others' hands, too, so you shouldn't feel too special, but…

"Okay. Let's watch the fireworks together over there." She lifts your joined hands to gesture to an emptier spot near the outskirts of the festival, a grassy hill overlooking the sea. "It should be time, soon."

How could you possibly say no? Why would you ever? You beam, leaning closer to brush your arm against hers. "Okay!"

Honestly, this is the best possible outcome. You would've loved to enjoy the festival as a group, with everyone, but… having just Oguri here, is… 

…a little romantic, if you could hope.

She makes sure you sit down carefully. Her shoulder presses against your own, a steady support as always. Her tail intertwines with yours. You ask about her time at the summer camp. How good the food is, how generous everyone is. She loves how good it feels to run on the hot sand, but her ears pin down slightly whenever she has to swim for long periods of time. She talks about the festivals back at home, this time able to directly to the one you're at now. The dances. The music, the chatter…

Her shoe nudges gently against your own, clad in a thick brace. 

And once the fireworks begin, illuminating the night sky in flowers bright and colourful, does Oguri Cap go quiet. You don't mind. You've always known she can be a relatively quiet person anyway, so it isn't something you demand of her. It's comfortable. 

Unable to take the strain of craning your neck up, you flop onto your back, shifting your tail out of the way so you don't squish it too much. You think you hear a laugh escaping Oguri. She turns to face you, leaning down into your field of vision. 

…Oh?

"You're always nice to me. I don't know why." She looks at you with rapt attention, quiet. 

Not expecting such a sentiment, your breath catches. 

There is something burning about the clarity in her beautiful eyes, reflective and certain.

"Oguri, I…" You want to protest, because if this is about not deserving kindness, you want to take that thought and squash it immediately, but… 

She leans closer to you. Ashen hair tickles your cheek. "...I don't know why, but I always want more. Even if it's… what you always do."

Oh. You weren't prepared for this. One arm hugging yourself, your hand digs lightly into the cloth of your shirt. She's close. But you're not touching. Yet.

"I'm not that nice," is your automatic response, light and airy, because it's true, you're no Super Creek, no Nishino Flower, "But thank you. You're too kind to me." you say, warmly, turning your face away. You aren't rough, or callous, sure, but those aren't necessarily bad traits, they're just… demeanors people have. Kindness can exist even with things like that, and you? You're… you. Awkward, playful, a bit flighty.

"You are. You're kind. But it's not…" Oguri falters. "It's different. I don't know how to describe it." 

"...Do you want to?" You probe, and after a moment of helplessness, she nods, slowly. "Then… take your time. There's no rush. And if you mess it up, you can always try again. Say it again until you say it in a way that satisfies you." 

That comforts her somehow. You sit up slowly, scooting back so you don't knock heads with her, you prop yourself up on an elbow. Oguri doesn't look away once. 

"I'm not going anywhere, clearly." you tack on, with some levity. It doesn't feel like it would sour the mood, after all. "You have me."

Her hand presses into yours. 

"Will you run with me?" 

It's so sudden you let out a surprised laugh. "Right now…?"

"When you recover. I want to run with you again." She'll leave you in the dust. Especially since you haven't trained properly in so long. But you imagine it, briefly, the soaring wind and the pounding of footsteps, and…

"...Yeah. We can." You laugh, breathlessly. "As much as you want, though I can't promise a real race, turf, crowd and all…" 

"That's okay." She leans in, hair tickling your cheek as her forehead bumps into your temple. "And then… I want to go to more festivals with you." Oguri adds. "Again. Have you ever gone cafe-hopping? I did, once, and… I think the next time I go, I want it to be with you."

"...Maybe that's it," spoken wonderingly, carefully, "You're so kind… to everyone, and everything. To me, too. So it makes everything feel better when done with you."

Oh. If that's true, then… Oguri sees you in lights far brighter than you see yourself. 

"I feel the same." You laugh, turning your face away just a bit. You like the closeness, but you think there's a risk that it'll do your heart in. Make it race too much. You don't want to interpret this as anything else but what Oguri says it is. 

If she wants to be with you more, then she wants to be with you more. And you know that you have not a single complaint with that.

So maybe you're not the fastest runner. Maybe you got injured during a pivotal time of your career. Maybe you can't make Oguri Cap's heart race the way other stronger, fiercer runners, other rivals can. 

…But you can at least have this with her. She chose to look for you. Chose to be with you.

It was late at night in the Ritto Dormitory–way too late for anyone to be awake. And you knew that, but you just couldn’t help yourself.

Homesickness weighed heavily on you for days now, and you needed to do something about it. So you turned to the one thing you knew best…

Baking.

Your family owned a bakery for generations, and its recipes were passed down to you– it was expected for the eldest child to help run the shop once they were old enough. You still remembered those late nights spent brainstorming new recipes with your mom, and the quiet, early mornings baking beside your dad before sunrise.

And now here you are, face smudged with flour, sleeves rolled up, hands shaping cookie dough into perfect, round pieces before setting them down on the tray. It felt like a ritual to you, something that kept you grounded.

When you finally slid the tray into the oven, pride warmed your chest. For a fleeting a moment, it almost felt like home again, and your tail swayed gently behind you, the smallest sign of ease as you turned toward the counter, ready to clean up.

You looked over the trays of baked goods that you made; some were old recipes, while others were recipes that you thought of yourself. As your eyes scanned the counter you started to realise…

“Oh no,”

You made way too much. How did you not notice?!

Your eyes quickly darted up to the clock above the door…

3 AM.

You felt your stomach drop. Three hours… you’ve been here for three hours.

Your ears pinned back in panic as you stumbled into motion, trying to clean, organise and think all at once. You started wiping down the counter, only to stop halfway through when you realised there was still some batter left in one of the bowls. Then you reached for a tray, but there was nowhere left to set it down.

The kitchen, once calm and quiet, now felt like complete chaos.

What are you gonna do with all this food now? The fridges were already full, and you couldn’t just leave them out. Containers were also out of the question–you made too much food for it all to fit.

You stopped mid-panic, ears twitching as your tail gave a nervous flick. The kitchen had gone silent, save for the hum of the oven. You stood there, heart racing, torn between cleaning and just… standing still. Maybe if you didn’t move, it’d all sort itself out. What wishful thinking.

Your thoughts were so consumed by the mess, that you didn’t notice the faint sound of footsteps in the hallway until the door creaked open.

You’ve been caught.

Slowly turning around, your eyes land on an unfamiliar figure; an ashen-haired uma musume standing in the doorway. Shadows swallowed her figure, leaving only the faintest outline of her tall, commanding frame. She seemed almost unreal.

You didn’t recognise her, but the Tracen crest on her tracksuit uniform told you that she wasn’t a stranger either.

“…What… are you doing here?”You whispered, voice barely above a murmur, your tail giving a small, tense flick behind you.

She lifted her head, meeting your gaze with striking blue eyes that almost seemed to glow in the darkness. The intensity of her stare made you look away for a second, heat creeping up your neck.

“I smell…”She finally said, her voice flat and low, almost like a monotone hum. A pause, then a barely perceptible lift in her tone–“Food.”

You blinked, your ears flicking forward in surprise as you processed her words before relief washed over your body. “Oh- Yes! I made too much, actually. Here–“You hurried back to the counter and lifted up one of the trays, holding it out to her. “Eat as much as you’d like!”

Her ears perked up, eyes widening as her tail began to wag, a motion that reminded you of a very large, very eager dog. Before you could even react, she took the tray and devoured everything on it in seconds.

You stood frozen, not knowing if you were impressed or completely overwhelmed.

She set the now-empty tray down and silently reached for more, her eagerness pulling you out of your shock. You didn’t stop to hesitate, already lifting another tray with a smile. There was something contagious about her enthusiasm.

By the time it was over, you finally learned her name. Oguri Cap. Together, you moved around the kitchen, quietly finishing up, small gestures passing between the two of you.

And as you headed back to your rooms, there was a faint, unspoken promise in the way you glanced at each other–an understanding that this wouldn’t be the last time.