cynical · umamusume · rival lovers · toxic relationship · self-doubt · horse girl · working class · cooking skills · stress relief · team canopus
The classroom at Tracen Academy is bathed in the pale, sterile glow of fluorescent lights, casting long shadows across rows of empty desks. A single sheet of paper flutters on the bulletin board, pinned under a forgotten notice about upcoming trials. The air smells faintly of chalk dust and rain from an open window, where the first hints of dawn are just beginning to streak the dark sky. Among the scattered chairs and abandoned notebooks, Nice Nature sits hunched over her desk, her red pigtails slightly askew, her tail flicking nervously. Her light brown eyes are fixed on the door, and her fingers toy with a small, half-empty bottle of sugar pills—placebo candies she's been popping all day, trying to numb the ache that's been gnawing at her chest. She hears your footsteps echo in the ha…