On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

Here's some artwork a reader posted on the Ao3 page of Shirogane in a track race uniform.


Thank you to BungleJucket!

---

Being by herself in her new apartment was…odd.

The Salaryman had lived alone for much of his life, and had thought nothing of it. The Soldier had lived with others, but she had been alone. Shirogane, on the other hand, had lived with a family that cared for her, and the noises they made were reminders of their presence that she'd come to find calming.

Now they were gone, and that made Shirogane feel twitchier than expected.

She managed to put herself to sleep, assisted by the move being moderately tiring, but she had slept lightly, all the unfamiliar noises waking her up periodically through the night, taking active thought to categorize as harmless.

Such as it was, Shirogane woke up as the sun started to gray the skies but before its rays really breached the horizon. This wasn't particularly unusual, as she often awoke early to assist her family in preparing the restaurant, but that wasn't needed here.

Her sleep has not been very restful, so she doubted that any further attempt at rest would be forthcoming. At least there was little risk of being late to her scheduled meeting with her seniors on Team Rigil, as Toujou-san's trainee group was called.

As far as she could tell, each runner still ran and scored individually, so she didn't quite understand how they were really a team, but they were likely just a shorthand of some sort.

Shirogane went through her morning routine of stretches and exercises, before grabbing some water and electrolyte gel and heading for the door, hoping a run would help clear her head. She paused for a moment, feeling something off, before she turned back and loaded some of her training weights into one of her backpacks, shrugging it onto her shoulders.

There, that felt more right.

With some load added, she headed out of her apartment, checked that her keys were on hand, and exited the building entirely onto the quiet early morning street outside, where the streetlights were still lit and most stores were still closed to the public, though she spotted a few shopkeepers doing preparations for opening hours.

Shirogane remembered a fair bit of the surrounding area from last evening's shopping run, initially considering a route around what she recalled, before tossing that out and deciding to do a loop around Tracen's campus to get a lay of the land.

There were still a few hours before her scheduled meeting, and while the academy grounds were huge for being in Tokyo, it was still constrained enough by the city that it could not sprawl out too far, and using its premises as navigation would be easier than trying to learn an area of less distinct buildings.

As she took off, she found herself marveling at the quality of the Tracen tracksuit she had been given among her student equipment. The fabric was smooth and didn't rub uncomfortably as she moved, and seemed porous enough to let her breathe while still serving as decent insulation against the early spring chill.

She probably could have afforded to buy something like it, but hadn't thought it prudent to do so while she was still growing, not that this was a problem anymore. She definitely couldn't have afforded multiple sets like Tracen had provided.

Her feet carried her down the uma lanes as she circled the academy, trying to get as much of it mapped out as she could in one go. Her memory was decent, but it still required a few runs to solidify an area in her mind.

The campus was beautiful, with what appeared to be actual grass, various trees planted in decorative fashion, and modern looking buildings that really spoke to the amount of money involved, with several of them sprawling out in a way few buildings in Tokyo could afford to.

It meant that a circuit around the outskirts of the campus totaled to a decent run. She would have to get more familiar with the traffic patterns later, but in all likelihood it would be less busy than she was used to if there wasn't a race going on, and even then it would likely be mostly foot traffic, which there was not much of at the moment.

Though speaking of which, there were a few people in training clothes running a similar circuit to her. One of them was also an umamusume, but the other two were humans, and all three had packs as well.

Were they a racer and trainers? No, they weren't wearing the school uniform, and the woman looked too old to be a student, and the way she carried herself suggested military training…

Security then?

"Woah! You're up early, kid!" The other umamusume called, waving at her. "You know school doesn't start until next week, right?"

"I am aware," Shirogane replied, slowing down to match their more human pace. "I will be starting next week and moved in earlier to get a feel for things. Thank you for your concern but it was unnecessary."

"A polite one, aren't ya?" One of the humans observed.

"I try to be." They seemed to be quite fit, given their packs seemed to have substantial weight.

"Are you rucking?" the other human asked. "Looks like you got some weight in that pack. Don't see many students doing that."

"It's only a light load."

"What does a little uma call light?" the first human asked, before gesturing at the older umamusume. "Drift-san here's running with like thirty kilos."

"Just a light load," Drift-san laughed.

"About fifteen kilos," Shirogane replied. She wasn't trying to tire herself out.

"Oof, getting outdone by a little girl!" the second human laughed, slapping his own pack.

"Have you been at this for awhile then, kid?" the first one asked, giving her an appraising look.

"I usually run food deliveries. Or well, I used to." She likely would not have time to work part time at this school, though she might end up doing it again after her racing career.

"Not bad training, that."

"Ever lose a package?" Drift-san asked teasingly.

"No."

"Hoh? Not even from a bad driver in a truck?"

"Never."

"You from the sticks then?"

"Fujisawa."

"Huh, so you ain't scared of traffic, are ya?"

"I have a healthy fear of vehicles."

"Not enough to drop your packages."

Shirogane frowned. In what circumstance would dropping the backpack help if a vehicle was about to collide with you? "I don't think dropping it would save you from an erratic driver. You'd be better off leaping over if it's a sedan or juking if it's larger. There probably won't be enough time for you to drop the pack."

The three older runners (though the humans looked in their early twenties at the oldest) glanced at each other in some surprise.

"Did you have to jump a car before?" the second one asked.

"A few times." Shirogane hadn't exactly stayed around to see what the issue with those drivers had been but she suspected they were drunk tourists. "Luckily I only spilled soup once." That had been embarrassing. Fortunately it had not contaminated the other orders.

"…What kind of crazy delivery service did you work for?"

"That was less a case of the delivery service and more a case of road hazard management."

"Cool story," the older uma chuckled. "Don't think you'll be having to do much of that around here."

"The vehicle traffic is less dense here then?" Shirogane inquired. "It's still early so I didn't know if this amount was typical."

"Traffic can get a bit bad during try outs and debut races," the first human (the taller one) said, "obviously big races do that too, but most attendees take the train."

Not unexpected. Those would likely not be times Shirogane would be running around the area anyways.

"You know you can always train at the campus facilities, right?" the older, mildly scarred uma pointed out. "Unless you're not actually a student and are just wearing the tracksuit to blend in."

This suggestion made the two humans look at her with more suspicion, largely confirming Shirogane's own suspicion that they were part of school security.

"I take it you three are part of the Tracen security team?"

"How do you know about that?" the other uma hissed, her ears pulling back warily.

Shirogane blinked. "I wasn't aware it was supposed to be a secret. With the amount of aspiring celebrities present on this campus there would obviously be some security."

"You ain't real starry eyed for a kid, are ya, kid?" the first human huffed. "Not scared at all by security?"

"I have my student ID, which I presume is legitimate since it was given to me by a Tracen staff member, so you should have no reason to detain me," Shirogane pointed out. They also did not appear to be on duty, not that this would stop a good security officer.

"You have a lot of run-ins with authorities then, kid?" the uma grunted questioningly.

"I am acquainted with many of the traffic cops back home. When you are short they often feel the need to check if you passed your road test."

"Hah!" The older uma chuffed. "You got that right." She was not as short as Shirogane, perhaps 150 centimeters, but still fairly short.

"Don't think you're getting a lot of those questions anymore Kaminari," the first human ribbed.

"You calling me old, Takanashi?"

"I meant your scars!" The shrapnel scars did indeed make the older uma decidedly not childlike.

"Were you part of the defence force?" Shirogane inquired, figuring that even though racing fans could be rabid at times, it was unlikely that anything they could cause would result in the injury that would result in such a scar.

The security personnel looked at her oddly again, though they seemed to have concluded that she was a new student in truth, since they didn't look suspicious anymore.

"Yeah…" confirmed the other umamusume. "You're a sharp kid, ain't ya?"

"Thank you for your service."

"Eh…not like we've really done anything." Drift-san's tail flicked bashfully as she glanced away. "I got these scars in a training accident."

"That is still more danger than most people nowadays intentionally put themselves in."

"Pretty sure you're actually more likely to get injured running in a race than I was when I was part of the defence force."

"I am not particularly likely to die while racing." Unlike the horse animal, umamusume did not have to be put down if they broke a leg, though it was still usually a career ending injury.

"She's got a point there," human one said (she should really learn their names).

"Guess I can't really say the same when some dumbf–" she glanced furtively at Shirogane, who did not react to her almost cursing. "Some dumb idiot blew up the mortar we were training with."

"Incompetence? Or faulty equipment?"

"He was a dumbass."

"My condolences."

"Not your fault kid."

"Why were you running around the campus like this anyways?" human two asked, looking like he was trying to change the subject. "Wouldn't the training facility be closer to the dorms? Or one of the practice tracks?"

"I was getting an idea of the surroundings. And I am living in an off campus apartment."

"Ah, a scholarship kid then? I heard a few of them are reserved for that."

"Are they? That would explain the lack of other Tracen students in my building."

"Yeah, something about not letting the big families rent out a building or something," he explained. "You from a Military family?"

"Not really, though there were some on my mother's side."

"Any racers?"

"No."

"Huh," the first human looked taken aback. "You must have some real potential then."

"You seem like a smart kid too," the other one added. "Your Japanese is really good."

"I would hope so. Since I was born here." At least in this life.

"Oooh, you're a hafu!"

"Hayato don't be a dick!"

"My mother is from Poland, so yes you would be correct."

"Sorry–wait, you're not mad?"

"You did not appear to mean offence. Did you?"

"Nope, just thought you were a foreigner for a bit there, kid."

"You are not the first to make that mistake."

"Come on, ya dumbass," Drift-san snorted, smacking human one, who was evidently named Hayato, "you should already know that umas can look a bit different even if we're Japanese." Possibly due to inbreeding.

"Ow! My mistake! I apologize!"

It seemed that soldiers, or soldier adjacents, acted similarly no matter the lifetime.

"Wait…did we actually ask the chibi her name?" human two asked.

"No, you did not."

"Well that was a bit rude of us," the uma grumbled, before pointing a thumb at herself. "I'm Kaminari Drift, these two–" she pointed at human one and human two, "are Takanashi Hayato and Takada Hiroto."

Shirogane blinked. "Are you two cousins?" Those names were rather similar.

"Nope."

"Not related at all. What about you? What's your name, kid?"

Hmm…Coincidence then?

"I am Suzuki Shirogane, or Shirogane Orzeł, if you want my racing name."

"Olrzelr?" Takanashi-san tried.

"Orlzerl?" Takada-san made his own attempt.

"What language is that? Russian?" Kaminari Drift asked in lieu of trying to pronounce it herself.

"No, Polish." Part of Shirogane felt offended that they thought it was Russian…but the Russian word was not that different.

"Oh right, duh."

In the span of their…enlightening conversation, Shirogane had managed to make a loop around the campus, her head feeling a bit clearer after channeling her restlessness into a bit of movement, as was ever so common in this life.

The three security personnel had veered off towards one of the nondescript buildings near campus, which was presumably their base of operations, wishing her well as they did. She hadn't asked if their run was truly simple exercise. It may have well been doubling as a sort of plainclothes patrol, so it was better for her not to pry.

Was it strange that she had found their presence more comfortable than most other people she had met in this life? She remembered the Soldier, and her constant grief over being surrounded by battle maniacs, even if she had found them endearing in their own way. The Salaryman had never really gotten attached to his coworkers and subordinates, not in the same manner. Perhaps ironically, it turned out that both lives had depended on their coworkers, and the one who had been more conscious of this had survived, or at least avoided being murdered.

On that thought…perhaps it would be wise to keep an eye out for hostile actions from her classmates and potential rivals. Shirogane had not heard of such things being commonplace, but from what she had seen, jostling on the track was common enough, and tempers between racers could become quite hot, not helped at all by how ardent their fans could be. She doubted there would be classmates violent enough to push her in front of a train, but that had happened in one life, so it was not outside the realm of possibility. In that case, it would probably be wise to develop a good relationship with Tracen Security.

Maybe her exploratory jog could become a more consistent activity.

But first things first, she had to shower, consume some breakfast, then meet with her seniors on Toujou-san's team for Team Orientation. Best to make as good of an impression as possible.

---

"Ah, you're early, Suzuki-san," Toujou-san greeted, looking mildly surprised to see Shirogane as she stepped out of her office, which was mildly surprising to Shirogane herself, as she was only a few minutes early compared to their scheduled meeting time, having been delayed slightly by needing to navigate an unfamiliar building to find her trainer's office.

"I was expecting to see you at the main building entrance," Toujou-san continued, indicating that Shirogane should follow her, "but I suppose this serves well enough. Come, I will introduce you to your seniors, who happen to also be the Student Council President and Vice President. They will be able to help you get oriented on the scholastic end."

"Both the Student Council President and Vice President were trained by you?" Was that coincidence or was there something more at play here?

"Both Symboli Rudolf and Air Groove were my trainees, yes," Toujou-san confirmed. "Actually, most of the student council members were my trainees, though Narita Brian is not here today."

That did not sound like coincidence. "And the other trainers did not object to your trainees having such dominance in positions of authority?"

"Hmm?" Toujou-san frowned, not appearing to understand, before the question seemed to click. "No, my colleagues did not. This is for several reasons, the most important being that while they are my trainees, they are not my subordinates. What Rudolf and Air Groove choose to do in their official capacity is not subject to my approval, though of course I can object if it interferes too much with their training."

Ah, it seemed that the trainer-runner relationship was less like a coach and player closer to a professional athlete and their staff, with the caveat that the trainer picked their trainees.

"Another reason is that among my colleagues, I work the best with trainees who have a more serious personality, which also tend to be the trainees that are most likely to achieve Student Council positions."

"I take it that my own personality was a factor in my unusual recruitment, then?" Her mother had always worried that her more mature bearing made it harder to get along with children her age. This hadn't really been true, but it had meant she never found children's activities that interesting.

"Correct, or rather, it was part of what solidified your potential in my mind. As much as talent is necessary to compete at the highest level, discipline will take an average racer beyond more talented ones that slack off."

Certainly a true statement, though diligence could only make up for so much in comparison to generational talent.

"And as for the perhaps most explanatory reason my colleagues do not particularly care that my trainees are the ones on the student council…" Toujou-san coughed into her fist politely. "Most of them are…very focused on racing, shall we say, and tend to overlook the scholastic side of this institution."

"I see…" What a strange world this was. "Are the academic teachers similarly separated from our training?"

"No, many of the teachers are, in fact, quite avid fans of races as well. They, of course, are fully qualified in their respective subjects, but you should expect many racing metaphors."

"Right…I suppose that would be more effective at communicating concepts to the typical student at this academy."

"Among other things."

Shirogane really should not have expected those attending and employed at the nation's most prestigious racing academy to be less obsessed with racing than the average umamusume.

Toujou-san led her through the mostly empty corridors of the student side of the academy at a brisk, but leisurely place, and Shirogane took the time to take in her surroundings. The design was open, with many large windows and few enclosed hallways. The main hall even had one wall almost entirely made of glass. Perhaps that was insulated glass, otherwise the air conditioning bill would be very expensive.

Overall this was not too odd, since many schools had many windows, usually with a view of a central activity area, with the idea that this view would reduce stress for students. Shirogane had not found it particularly helpful, and she knew that some of her classmates had found being able to see a running track from their classroom to be quite distracting. On the other hand, it was probably an acceptable trade off if the alternative was umamusume feeling claustrophobic.

"Here we are," Toujou-san declared, pausing in front of a set of double doors labeled 'Student Council'. She looked Shirogane up and down, likely looking for signs of nervousness. "I imagine you will get along with Rudolf and Air Groove, since they're both the more serious sort. Just remember that they are both very willing to help their juniors if you ask, so don't be too intimidated."

Was she supposed to be? Though as the head of the student council, it was still likely better to get on their good side.

"I suppose that isn't as much of a problem for you," Toujou-san huffed, a slight smile pulling at her lips.

Without further preamble, she knocked sharply on the door, then opened it, ushering Shirogane through. "Rudolf, Air Groove, here is our new team member."

The student council room looked like one that might be portrayed in an anime, with a large desk for the president framed by paned windows, several other desks for the other members to work at, and even several seats for visitors. A banner hung on the wall, displaying the words: 'Eclipse first, the rest nowhere'. She was likely missing some context, because that seemed incoherent.

There were two umamusume in the room, both significantly taller than Shirogane, but not extraordinarily so all by human standards, since they were about the same height as Toujou-san.

The first had long brown hair that varied in color from a lighter brown at the back, with darker brown and a streak of whitish towards the middle of her forehead. A green-blue crystal of some sort hung from her right ear, both of which were up and alert. Her eyes were a light purple and observed the intruders into her domain with a calm focus. This looked to be Symboli Rudolf, a well accomplished racer and student council president.

"Good morning, Trainer-san."

The other one had dark hair cut to shoulder length, grayish eyes set into a regal, aristocratic face that regarded the newcomers evenly. Around her left ear was a yellow ribbon, which moved as she twitched her ear in greeting.

"Good morning, Trainer."

Then they turned their attention to Shirogane, and she bowed respectfully.

"It is nice to meet you. I am Suzuki Shirogane, or Shirogane Orzeł. Please take care of me."

"It's nice to meet you as well," Symboli Rudolf returned, stepping around her desk and approaching Shirogane, looking her up and down before offering a hand. Her voice was confident and authoritative, as befitting both a well-decorated racing veteran and a student council president, but the tone was lighter than expected. "I've heard some interesting things about you."

"True things, I hope." Shirogane clasped hands with the student council president, who gave a firm squeeze, which Shirogane returned with equal force. "Though I doubt I am well known enough for any rumors to have spread regarding me."

"You might be surprised," Rudolf hummed, releasing her grip with an acknowledging nod. "The Tracen gossip network is quite impressive. I try to rein it in before it can stir up trouble most of the time, but the desire to kick up dirt is strong in curious fillies."

While there was nothing truly unusual about this statement, Shirogane found it inexplicably funny, and it took almost too much force of will to avoid breaking out into laughter. That would have been a disastrous impression.

"Do you have to start with that?" Air Groove sighed, shaking her head in disappointment, before moving to greet the newcomer herself. "I am Air Groove, as you probably already know. It is nice to meet you, Suzuki-san." Her voice was similarly authoritative, with a slightly darker timbre, but while serious sounding, her ears and tail flicked in a friendly manner.

"...Thank you," Shirogane managed to reply, successfully suppressing her inexplicable urge to laugh. "I will be in your care, Air Groove-senpai."

The honorific seemed to fluster the upperclassman momentarily, given the slight widening of her eyes and from the amused look on Symboli Rudolf's face, it was not something entirely unexpected.

"As both the Student Council Vice President and your senior on Team Rigil, I will do my best to make sure your introduction to the academy goes as smoothly as possible."

From the confidence in her demeanor, as well as the neatly organized desk she had been standing near, Shirogane gathered that Air Groove was a person who was quite put together. She could see how Toujou-san had worked well with her.

"That will be much appreciated. While I have trained with a racer periodically, I am relatively unfamiliar with much of the details of official racing."

"Hmm…you haven't run races before?" Air Groove's eyes narrowed in thought, one hand coming up for her to rest her chin on its knuckles.

"Not official ones. Due to financial constraints, much of my training came in the form of running deliveries, though I have participated in informal races."

"Ah, I see," her senpai's eyes brightened, her tail flicking excitedly even if she did not show it on her face, "and your scholarship has given you the opportunity to pursue your dreams of racing where before it was unfeasible."

"Essentially so," Shirogane agreed, feeling it better not to mention that she had never seriously considered racing at all before recent events changed things.

"It's always good to see those scholarships being put to good use," Rudolf remarked, her gaze considering, as if thinking about a distant topic. "There is much potential that can be found out there that runs afoul of various barriers, stalling what could be exciting careers right out of the gate."

Shirogane clenched her jaw, her chest tightening as she bit down on her inappropriate laughter. Just what was so funny about Rudolf's words?!

"I'm sure Suzuki-san will be a capable member of this academy," Air Groove responded, glancing at Shirogane sympathetically. "From what I understand, your grades were at the top of your class. Given how many students here unfortunately sacrifice their schoolwork to focus on running, you likely have a better shot at reaching that spot here than it might seem initially."

"Oh? Not so confident in our kouhai's racing abilities?" the president prodded, in what seemed to be both a challenging and teasing tone.

"I have yet to see her run for herself," Air Groove pointed out, "and this year's class appears to be particularly strong, not to mention that even the strongest runner cannot guarantee a victory in every race." Her pointed look back at her fellow council member was chiding, but in a friendly manner. It seemed these two got along quite well, for the most part.

"Well, then what are we waiting for? Most of the campus is quite similar to a typical high school, so I'm sure our smart little kouhai will be able to find her way around. If what she needs is more experience racing, why don't we show her that right out of the gate? It would help start her stay here on the right track, no?"

"You would…like me to race against one of you?" Now was not the time to laugh.

"It will just be to get a feel for where you are at," Air Groove interjected reassuringly.

"That seems reasonable enough," Shirogane mused, still unable to determine what was so funny about Rudolf's manner of speech. "It's generally not a wise idea to move too quickly when you are unsure of where you are to begin with."

"I see the three of you hit it off quite well," Toujou-san observed, drawing their attention back to her. "And I think this suggestion is a good one. Shirogane, you're used to running on the road, which is quite different from running on the turf, so the faster you start becoming accustomed to the track the better."

"Acknowledged."

For the most part, Shirogane had been able to keep up with Steady Distance when they trained together, which she supposed was a decent feat itself, as her friend was older and in her racing prime, but Steady was far from as renowned as the likes of the umamusume nicknamed the Emperor and Empress. There was very little likelihood of her winning even a friendly contest, but it would serve as a starting point.

---

Changing into her tracksuit had required a short trip back to her apartment. She really should have expected for her orientation to include a stint around the track, but it was clear that she still had much to learn about how this school worked. She arrived at the school racetrack as quickly as she could without outright running, finding her seniors and trainer already present.

Air Groove was already on the turf in her own tracksuit, shifting her feet this way and that way, looking like she was getting used to new shoes, or had a sore foot, while Symboli Rudolf and Toujou-san were standing by the track, preparing to serve as spectators as well as evaluators.

"Apologies for the delay."

"No need to worry, Suzuki-san." Air Groove waved off her apology, clearly not taking offense. "I needed some time to adjust to the heavier shoes."

"Training weights?" It was frankly bizarre for horseshoes to be useful for umamusume, given that as far as Shirogane had been able to determine, their feet were largely similar to that of humans. She actually ran without them for a while, not having considered such a thing, before she was required to put on horseshoes during school and found that for whatever reason, they made her feet less sore after longer runs.

"Essentially. They will slow me down somewhat as well, to better simulate you running against one of your classmates."

"Wouldn't this throw off calibrations?" Shirogane asked. "If I run against you while you are handicapped it would not truly tell me how far I have to go."

"That's what Trainer-san and the president will be watching you for. Me being weighed down somewhat will give you a better idea of what it will be like during tryouts as you race against your classmates."

"Is that very useful, in my particular case? Since Toujou-san scouted me directly, I will not exactly be running to impress a trainer during tryouts in the same way, no?" Shirogane pointed out. "Wouldn't it be better for you not to hold back so I have a growth target for the next few years?"

Air Groove's ornamented ear flicked thoughtfully. "You may have a point. You will be expected to run in the tryouts, though it would be more of a formality. Since you have already been scouted, there is going to be more pressure to perform well…in which case…I believe I will be giving this run my best, aside from these weighted shoes." So she had been planning to hold back, which, while reasonable, was a little bit irritating.

"You believe that otherwise the gap would be too large to be useful?" Shirogane doubted she would be able to match a runner who won several grade 1 races, but why say she would not sandbag but still wear the heavier shoes?

"Not exactly," Air Groove's ears dipped sheepishly. "I want to run, and changing my shoes back would take time."

"...Fair." Shirogane did feel somewhat guilty about delaying them already. There was no need to waste more time. "How exactly will we be conducting this practice race?"

"That depends on which distance you would like to run. Twelve hundred meters? Sixteen hundred meters? Two kilometers?"

"Which would you recommend?"

"I prefer two kilometers myself. It's a middling length, so would help give you an idea of which length of race you are better at. If it is too long for you, then you can focus on miles or sprints."

"Start with the middle and then work up or down based on the results. That seems sensible enough." If it was Air Groove's preferred distance, that would also mean more of a challenge.

"Very well then, two kilometers it is." Her senpai gestured to the truncated starting gate that Rudolf was pushing onto the track. "We'll use the training gate, since you will have to get used to this as well. Would you prefer to try a few starts to get accustomed to it?"

It was just supposed to be a calibration run, to get an understanding of her starting point, but Shirogane was starting to feel twitchy, which was odd, since she had warmed up a bit not too long ago.

"I think I will be fine without."

Getting into the gate was not dissimilar to the turnstile for the trains or running through a narrow alley, though it made her again aware of her short stature. If she wanted to she could easily duck under them, not that this would be a wise course of action.

"Are you alright with the gate so far, Shirogane-san?" Air Groove asked from the gate next to her.

"No issues so far." Some umamusume had a dislike of small spaces. Shirogane would not say she particularly liked small spaces, but she did not have claustrophobia.

"Runners ready?!" Came Rudolf's authoritative voice, barking like an announcer, or a field commander. A useful trait for her position.

Both of them gave an affirmative, crouching slightly in preparation, watching for when the gates would open–

Bang!

CRUNCH!

"Wah?!"

Shirogane blinked, finding herself turned around and her fist smashed through the speaker that had played the starting…gun noise.

Oh.

"Well, that is one kind of jumping the gun I haven't seen before," Rudolf remarked.

"Ehem." Air Groove coughed into her fist, trying to pretend she hadn't just let out a rather undignified sound. "That is a stronger reaction than I have seen in a while."

"My apologies," Shirogane grunted, extracted her hand from the ruined speaker. "I should have recognized the gunshot was fake."

"Don't be too upset," Toujou-san interjected quickly, "it takes some time to get adjusted to the starting gates, and it's quite expected that this one will be damaged–" She paused, her face furrowing in confusion for a moment before she shook it off. "Why don't we run some mock starts first to get you used to the sound?"

It seemed, Shirogane mused, as she wrapped her bleeding knuckle in a bandage from her first aid kid, she still had plenty to learn.

"Heh."

She also needed to figure out what was so laughter-inducing about Symboli Rudolf.

---

AN. At first I thought about breaking this chapter up since Shirogane talking with the security personnel took a lot longer than I expected, and I was thinking that her meeting Rudolf and Air Groove should be start of a chapter, but then I realized this actually worked, because for any other uma, meeting Rudolf and Air Groove would be a huge thing, but for Shirogane, it's just meeting her senior coworkers who are known to be competent.