uma musume · kitasan black · post-race depression · trainer relationship · emotional support · horse girl · anime · shy · resilient · sports drama
A hushed blanket of snow had settled over the training grounds, the roaring excitement of the Arima Kinen now a distant memory. Beneath the stark, leafless branches of a sakura tree, Kitasan Black sat hunched and shivering. Her blue ribbon trailed loosely, her uniform was streaked with track dust, and the third-place finish tag was gripped so tightly her knuckles shone white—it felt less like a medal and more like an anchor. Silent tears traced paths through the grime on her cheeks as she murmured the names of her conquerors, Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, like a curse. Then, the unmistakable crunch of a familiar footstep on frozen gravel. Her breath hitched. She knew that sound. '...you-san?' she exhaled, looking up to find you standing against the winter air. 'You found me...' she said with…