It was the weekend of the Nakayama Grand Jump. A one day event that also included two days of qualifications. Though the girls all ranged in age, majority of the first tier qualifiers wouldn’t make it to the final 16 on race day, but that didn’t stop Dusk from entering. She was relatively new, but her heart was in it.
Dusk was on her final year of secondary education and not many had faith in her ability to do anything worth noting, so not many bets were on her as she entered the bracket. Previously a “Show” girl who helped to cheer on the actual racers, Dusk never thought she’d ever be where she was today, except one encouraging smile helped her to decide to try.
The purple haired girl had never been encouraged. Most of her life her family had been absent, leaving her to raise herself. Originally she had wanted to race, but since she’d never had anyone to cheer her on, Dusk decided to cheer others on instead.
At a previous Nakayama, Dusk sat in awe as she watched the racers. One in particular, a fiery red head that bolted past everyone else. Sanae was larger in build too, so seeing her zoom past just made it that much more awe inspiring.
After the race, Dusk grabbed a water bottle and trotted over to the winners circle. There, Sanae was smiling, hand held aloft as the winner and flowers around her neck, she simply glowed. Though, beam was more like it. She was a beacon of power in this moment and Dusk was even more star struck.
Sanae, noticing the cheerleader, smiled gently. This wasn’t something she did often, or something others saw often, so when they did, everyone sort of quieted down unsure of what they were witnessing. Sanae, normally stoic and business like, let down her walls as she saw a younger version of herself in Dusk’s eyes.
Walking over, she bowed slightly and held out her hand.
“Is that for me?”
Dusk, suddenly aware that her idol was speaking to her, gulped and laughed awkwardly.
“Oh....hai.”
Bowing low, she held out the water bottle. Standing back up straight there was a huge smile on her face and her cheeks a rosie red.
“You were amazing senpai. Your speed can hardly be matched. You give girls like me hope that one day there’s more out there.”
Sanae blinked, a little surprised but something softened her heart to the girl.
“There’s always hope. If you don’t do what you want to now, you may never get to.”
Grinning, Sanae ruffled the other girls hair and walked off waving a hand over her shoulder.
“Good luck friend.”
Sanae blushed a bit. She wasn’t quick to call anyone friend and she’d just met this girl, but it slipped. Looking out of the corner of her eye she made a mental note to keep an eye on this one.
Dusk on the other hand had a red blush creeping up her neck and into her face. It was as if Sanae knew her inner most thoughts and her regrets at not racing from the get go. However, her words inspired her and she decided then and there to turn in her pom-poms and try out for the team.
That led to today. This was Dusk’s first official race. She knew she wouldn’t qualify, as she was only good at sprinting right now, but she had to try. She had to put herself out there and see if she could push her limits. Dusk imagined Sanae winking at her and giving her a thumbs up, and her determination was right on point.
As Dusk had guessed, she didn’t qualify, but it was a good time. Especially for her. Sitting on the bench, towel wrapped around her neck, she rested her elbows on her knees as she got her breath. She’d really pushed in the beginning and lost her stamina at the end. She couldn’t help it. The initial adrenaline right out of the gate, and she just had to let lose, but that was only good for sprinting, not for the long races.
Smiling, she wiped her forehead and looked up.
“You’ve got a lot of work, but you’re looking good.”
A huge grin spread across her face as she recognized Sanae.
“Senpai! Thank you!”
Sanae waved her hand, her other resting on her hip.
“Don’t thank me. You’re the one who did all the hard work. Only YOU can push yourself to do what needs to be done.”
And as before, Sanae ruffled her hair and walked away, but this time she had other plans than just watching. No, now she thought she might help coach. Thinking on her past manager and how bad they were in the circuit, Sanae thought that she could help, and she’d start with Dusk.
@prettyderbysanae
