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Nice Nature found herself at a loss.

She was seated on a bench outside the mall waiting on friends who would never come. It wasn’t their faults; she had received a series of text messages explaining the situation. Individually, they were each baffling and borderline nonsensical, but together, they painted a clear picture for her.

Turbo’s texts had come first: just a string of crying emojis. Nature hadn’t known if that meant something horrible had happened or if she had seen someone else drop their food on the sidewalk on her journey. Both were equally likely. Trying to pry more information out of her had not yielded comprehensible results. Tannhauser had followed, thankfully aware of how written language worked, but she simply said that she would not be meeting up for shopping later. Given her propensity for unlucky injuries, Nature had made sure that Tannhauser wasn’t bleeding from anywhere and no emergency services were needed. It had been Ikuno who had answered that question though, calling Nature to deliver what sounded like a full situational report.

Apparently, Turbo had forgotten to pass off some paperwork to her trainer, and it had been discovered that she was missing it earlier that afternoon. Turbo had panicked and run to Tannhauser, who had in turn run to Ikuno. Ikuno had done what she does best and organized to fix the issue, but had enlisted Tannhauser to help and refused to allow Turbo to escape.

Nature was a bit glad to have escaped the whirlwind back at Tracen. She did feel bad that she couldn’t have been there to help, especially when she figured out that Turbo’s desperate crying texts had been her first desperate pleas for help, and the thought that she mattered so much to the little uma made her wince. Ikuno would help her out though. She was good at that. She had assured Nature that there was no reason for her to turn tail and return to the academy in a rush. Turbo’s trainer is probably in for a miserable lecture from her after this, too. Poor guy, he’s good for Turbo, but omniscience is not in his wheelhouse.

But Nature had made the decision to go shopping first and let the others meet her. So here she was, sitting in the sun with her head turned downward into her phone. She probably looked like a loser who got dumped. Which, in a way she supposed she was. Classic Friday for good ol’ Nice Nature, she reasoned.

She was already here, and she had nothing better to do, so she might as well walk around at least. She pulled herself off her bench and welcomed the cool air inside. Picking a direction at random, Nature twirled on her heel, setting off to her left. Thankfully, the stores in this mall weren’t overly pricey, so even working-class Nature could walk around without seeing numbers that would bring her to tears.

She walked past the windows of a store selling replicas of umamusume G1 gear. Some fans really liked to get into the spirit when attending races, after all. The white and blue of Tokai Teio’s monarch-themed gear caught her eye over the gear of Special Week and El Condor Pasa that she saw at the front as well.

Teio hadn’t used that gear as much since being gifted with the blazing reds she was given alongside McQueen as a gift from the URA. Mejiro McQueen’s gear in classic Mejiro colors was displayed alongside Teio’s. Nature tried to ignore that her own gear was not on display. She really did try. Perhaps there was not demand for it. She couldn’t blame the store for that. And she shouldn’t blame customers for being more interested in McQueen and Teio. She knew she was.

Her shoulders didn’t slump as she lost against the slight to her pride. But she did frown. And that was all she would allow herself. She looked back at the soulless mannequins wearing her friends’ gear and tried to feel proud on their behalf instead. She failed. Nature’s eyes scanned downwards in defeat, finding their way towards a price tag.

Well, maybe some stores could still drive her to tears.

“Well, that’s been a day,” Nature said to herself, sitting down in the food court to rest. Window shopping was a tiring affair. She couldn’t bring herself to buy anything, that was supposed to be the duty of Tannhauser and Ikuno for her on this trip. Turbo’s duty in the group was to be a hype man when they tried things on. They worked together as a team.

“Hopefully, Turbo’s got everything straightened up now.” She hadn’t received any messages from her friends since their initial barrage to apologize. Ikuno was probably running that operation like an old admiral from the navy runs a battleship. Was she allowed to use a whip to make them work faster?

But she had been here long enough. Shopping alone wasn’t fun for her. Maybe she should pick up some food on her way back to bring to them. Turbo probably needed a treat. Ikuno had definitely chastised her enough that Nature could be a bit of a softie. She could swoop in with sugary snacks after all the hard part was taken care of and still get some of the credit. Her dad does something similar on the rare occasions he’s in town.

Backtracking her steps, Nature found herself back in front of the store selling the replica G1 outfits. Shockingly, her gear was not placed on display since her last stop here. Swallowing bitterness, she nearly turned to leave, when she noticed some familiar sleek brown hair and an appropriately expensive-looking dress.

“King?” Nature called out. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

This seemed to shock King Halo, uncharacteristically flustered as she whirled around at the sound of her name. “Ah, Nature,” she greeted. “How are you? Had I known we were both here, we could have made arrangements to meet intentionally.”

Nature waved her off. “I had made plans here already. They just were dashed by other circumstances.” She joined King looking into the store. King looked distraught. “Yeah, they don’t have my stuff either.”

King recoiled a bit. “That isn’t—Ah of course they do,” she corrected. “Displays rotate, you see. I haven’t run recently. I intend to make sure that my attire is sold right alongside—ah. You are distressed because yours is not on display.” King’s lips turned upwards into a sly grin. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve discussed things with higher ups at this store. My…mother, she has connections and thus, I have connections. There’s been extremely high demand for replicas of your cheerleading outfit from the fan festival, and I was of course more than happy to help them out in any way I could.”

Nature backed away, blushing. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, there’s no reason for that. Who would even want something like that? It’s too simple. I’m too simple for that.” Nature had specifically designed her G1 attire to be modest and relatively unassuming. She had her reasons for the color and theme, but even so, she knew she shouldn’t be too flashy.

King dismissed her with a roll of her eyes. “You could have turned the average person into a puddle on the ground with a wink in that skirt. I fairly certain I watched it happen multiple times with my own eyes. I made sure of it myself, and I would not have settled for less for you, you know. If you keep racing, you’ll probably have more cheer squads, this time featuring appropriate attire.”

No, no, no. That’s not her. Better to laugh it off. “Don’t tell Mr. Toyoshima about that. He might get the idea to wear it too.”

“One of your shopping district cheer squad members?” King asked. “You are very fortunate to have support like that. I—you are quite the talent to inspire admiration like that.”

Denials caught in Nature’s throat. She wanted to wave it off; she wasn’t anyone special. But she knew that the folks of the shopping district had helped King too during their cheer team time. If she wanted to see it that way, Nature supposed she could.

“Well, I may not first-rate like you, but even someone like me can make people happy sometimes.” Calling herself third-rate would probably just spark King’s anger. She looked back up at Teio’s racewear on display.

“You sell yourself short, as always, but I believe we may be attracting attention now. As to be expected, of course.” Nature did notice a couple of shoppers seem to have recognized them. Or perhaps they were just wondering why a pair of umamusume were standing in the middle of the walkway for an extended period of time. Thankfully, whichever was the truth, no one had bothered them. “Are you free? I don’t want to drag you away from something.”

Nature shrugged. “I have nothing going on now. I told you, my plans were dashed, so I just spent my time window shopping.”

“But not actually shopping, I notice.”

“Eh, I talk myself out of things. It’s no biggie.”

King shook her head. “No, no, that won’t do.” She extended a hand to Nature. “I will accompany you and quell your doubts.”

“Huh? You want to go shopping with me?” That was unexpected. Nature had gotten along well with King during their cheer time, and she had made it a point to try to look after King when King’s…eccentricity mixed with her clumsiness to make a mess of things, but they hadn’t spent much time together casually.

King nodded, her face locked in her prideful visage. “But of course! It would be unbecoming of a first-rate uma to allow a friend to wander alone and aimless!”

“I’m not…aimless…” Nature tried to defend herself, but it was difficult when the other party was correct. King could have phrased it nicer though.

“It is nothing to be ashamed of, simply allow me to provide you direction,” King implored.

“I—you’re really going to stick with this, huh?” Nature asked.

“Absolutely.”

Nature closed her eyes and shrugged. “If you want to waste your time, I can’t stop you. Where to first, captain?”

King oddly looked a bit disappointed. “You’re giving up so easily?”

“Eh, might as well. I’m off to nowhere in a hurry.” Her friends were likely to be busy for a while. There wasn’t a rush. More than a while if Turbo made a mistake in paperwork. “Plus, I see that you are alone too. I’m second-rate on a good day, but I shouldn’t let you wander unsupervised either. Wouldn’t be very first-rate to knock over a display or something.”

“I would never!” King stomped her foot. Composing herself, she coughed lightly. “The state of being by oneself does not imply a pitiable state, you see?”

“Yeah, I already know being me is pretty pitiful,” Nature said, linking her arm with King’s, pulling them both along towards the stairs. “I figure you shop at the fancier shops on the second floor, right? I don’t go there much since that sort of thing doesn’t suit me, but I can tell you that you look good if you want to try stuff on.”

“Hey! Where are you taking me?” King objected. She found footing and pulled Nature in turn. “Ahem, very well. But I have an objective in mind, in that case. And a proposition.”

“Yes, I can call you first-rate when you’re trying things on, even if you don’t look that good.”

“First of all, I look first-rate in anything,” King said. “But also, I would more appropriately value honesty when asking for an opinion. Flattery is unnecessary, if ever undue. But my proposition is that I must insist on the purchase of at least one item for you, in exchange for your company and honest opinion.”

Nature winced. “No, no, no, that’s not necessary. Proposition denied. Fancy stuff isn’t really for people like me. It’s fine.” Nature winced more when she noticed King’s glare from the corner of her eye.

“An unacceptable response. If price is an issue, then I can cover it. My proposition was rhetorical.”

Nature sighed. She was fond of King, but she did wish King would just be honest sometimes. Nature picked at the denim skirt she wore. If King didn’t like her outfit, she could just say so. It would be more straightforward than framing it as noblesse oblige.

“Aye aye, captain,” Nature agreed. No use in turning down a gift, she supposed.

King’s face softened. “Good.” She stopped walking for a moment, pulling Nature to a stop alongside her. Thinking for a moment, she turned, pulling Nature in a new direction. “There’s a store over here that has a dress that would look lovely on you.”

Nature protested, “Wait, why am I the main character now?”

King laughed, loud and proud. “Do you really think I need anything new at the moment? Please. Nothing new has released from any of the designers I follow. This is a slow period for fashion. Most things will be on sale as they prepare for new arrivals in a few weeks. I even think I could convince you to add a whole outfit with your feeble resolve!”

“It’s not feeble,” Nature muttered. She thought for a moment. “Why were you here then? I can’t imagine you just wanted to check out the signature outfit replicas.”

“Hmm? Oh, don’t worry about that,” King dismissed. She came to a stop outside of a boutique that Nature didn’t recognize. Not that she recognized many boutiques in the first place. “Here we are.”

The shop was a pristine white, so clean and quiet that Nature felt self-conscious as she heard every one of her own footsteps ring out. King, by contrast, had so such issues. She walked with purpose, pulling Nature along through her discomfort. A worker arranging clothes on a rack looked up at the sound of footsteps, her face lighting up.

“Oh, miss King!” The employee greeted. “Welcome. I don’t believe we’ve had any new arrivals since your last visit, but we have received some catalogues for future releases, if you’d like to plan.”

“Thank you, Mitsuki,” King said. “But I’m here for her, not me, today.” She pointed back at the fidgeting Nature tagging along.

 The employee’s eyes widened as she noticed King’s companion. “Ah, Nice Nature! I, uh, wait a second!” She scurried off behind her desk, returning with a notebook and a pen. “Can I have your autograph, please?”

Nature took a moment processing the question, pointing dumbly to herself. “Me?”

Mitsuki nodded eagerly. “I was at last year’s Arima Kinen, and you were really cool!”

Nature was confused. “But I got third?”

“So? My brother was more of a Teio fan, but he turned that around during the concert afterwards. He melted when you blew us all a kiss during the performance. Guys, you know how it is.”

Nature was at a loss for words. “I didn’t realize people would care about that. I just thought it made sense to do at the time.”

King stepped in. “Oh, none of that. You looked into the camera and made sure anyone watching forgot about who Tokai Teio or Biwa Hiyahide were for a moment. First-rate performance, if I may say so myself.”

Mitsuki nodded in agreement, thrusting out the notebook and pen. “Please?”

Nature, still confused, took them, and shrugged. “If you really want it,” she said, signing her name on a blank page.

She handed the notebook back to the employee, who received it with a giddy squeal. “Thank you, thank you!” She turned to King. “Do you need any help? Anything at all?”

King waved her off. “Sorry, I believe I can handle it from here. Should need arise, I will call for you.”

Pouting, the employee returned to her desk, composing herself. From the corner of her eye, Nature could see her opening the notebook and grinning wildly.

King caught Nature’s attention. “Well, now that we have taken care of that, shall we shop?”

Nature’s eyes narrowed as she followed King into the store. “You knew. You knew she’d react like that.”

King looked back over her shoulder. “Actually, I hadn’t the faintest idea. I come here often enough, but I more often discuss fashion with the staff than racing. It is not overly shocking though; you are one of the most popular active racers at the moment.” Nature began to raise an objection, but King cut her off. “Here we are. Go try this on and show me.”

“Why did I agree to this?” Nature moaned, entering a dressing room.

“Because you know my first-rate eye can pick out a favorable look for you. Now try it on and show me!”

Nature sighed. Any resistance wasn’t worth it. She could grumble and groan, but she also knew King wasn’t one to back down from much. She began the process of unbuttoning her skirt.

Nature took a moment to actually examine the dress King had foisted upon her. Superficially, it resembled King’s own attire. The dress danced on the border between casual and formal, and Nature wondered if she would look like she was trying too hard, if she ever wore something like this. Where King’s was green, this one was red. Ornate detail decorated the collar. The waist was cinched with a white sash, soft to Nature’s calloused hands.

She looked down at her own plain cotton underwear, then back to the dress in her hands. That uncomfortable feeling, dispelled at the oddity of the employee’s request for an autograph, returned to her stomach. She really did not belong here. This was a dress for King, not for her.

“Hey King,” she called out from the dressing room. “What’s the real reason you brought me here?”

“Does the answer that I simply wish to assist a friend in their fashion choices not suffice?” King called back.

“But why?”

“Do I need a reason? If you need things to be transactional, just imagine that this is repayment for your assistance with the cheer team, should you insist on that. Is there an issue stopping you from trying on the dress I gave you?”

“It just seems too…nice for someone like me.”

“Why do you insist on that? ‘Someone like me’, ‘people like me’. You’re being ridiculous. Put on the dress before I break down the door and put it on you for you. Hmmph.” King’s dismissive snort was audible across the dressing room door.

“I don’t want to cause a scene.”

“You are already causing a scene. Fortunately for you, I can keep your shame private.”

Nature sighed. “Fine. But don’t expect too much.”

“I expect a first-rate look, because I am the one who chose it.”

Nature rolled her eyes. King’s pride could be a bit excessive at times. Nature wondered what it must be like to have that level of confidence. She ran her hand over the dress again. She had told King she would wear it after all.

“Alright, you don’t have to break down the door,” Nature said as she stepped out from her private room, with shut eyes. She hadn’t bothered to look at the mirror before she left. “Like I said, I don’t expect too much.”

“Hmmm.” King thought as Nature could hear her circling. “What do you think, Mitsuki?”

Nature’s eyes snapped open.

“She looks great! I think we need to adjust the waist a bit, thought,” the energetic worker said, bustling behind Nature, pulling the sash tighter around her waist.

“I agree. I do think we may have to add more color to the outfit though,” King said.

“Huh? Why?” Nature asked.

“I agree,” Mitsuki said. “Her hair is too close in color to that of the dress. And white doesn’t offer enough. Do you have a preference on color, miss uh Nice?”

“I go by Nature,” she corrected. “And green, if you could.”

“Oh! Like your racing ear covers!” Mitsuki said.

“Yes, preferably.”

“Do you purposefully dress in Christmas colors, or is that just happenstance?” King asked, still looking at how the dress fit on her.

“It is purposeful. I asked for Christmas colors on my racing outfit specifically,” Nature said. “It’s important to me.”

“Green it is!” Mitsuki said, running off to grab something.

King coughed beside Nature. “I apologize for any insult,” King said, quiet. “I did not realize there was sentimental value in the colors.”

Did she feel bad for a question? Poor, sweet King, as proud as she was, she folded against a frown. Nature shrugged. “You didn’t insult me or anything. I don’t go around talking about why I chose my racing outfit. It’s not that important.”

King shifted, uncomfortable, but anything she wanted to say was cut off by Mitsuki’s return.

“I’m back!” She declared, waving a green length of fabric over her head. “I couldn’t find anything in the same material with the right color, but we can put an order in for one. This is just a scarf, but it can work to get an idea.”

Nature reached out, feeling the offered material. It was soft against her fingertips, but also rough, not smooth. If it truly were a scarf as Mitsuki said, Nature imagined it served that role well. There were no designs in its knitting; it was a single block of dark green. This was for function, above all.

“Let’s try it,” Nature said, hands moving to fiddle with the white silk sash around her waist.

“Ah! Let me handle that, please!” Mitsuki threw the scarf over her shoulder and moved to untie the sash. “Sorry, Miss Nature, this is just a bit delicate.”

“Yeah, I’m not the best when it comes to that,” Nature shrugged. “It’s fine. These hands don’t do delicate.”  

Nature noticed King glaring at her over Mitsuki’s shoulder, but the first-rate uma kept quiet. Nature imagined that King’s hands could do delicate very well. Her own hands had spent too much time moving heavy inventory around in her mom’s bar as a kid, and when out and about, too much time running over the unpainted and rusted rails of her local dirt racetrack.

She felt the scarf tighten around her waist. “How does it look?” Nature asked the others.

“Spin,” King commanded her.

Nature sighed, but she complied. She hated being examined like this, but she was the one who asked for an opinion. She twirled in place slowly, praying that they’d both just say something.

King grinned at her, nodding. “See? And to believe that you doubted our combined fashion senses. Of course I could come up with a first-rate look for you.”

Nature rolled her eyes at the flattery. “That’s not right. Just telling you that you looked first-rate in anything you wore was my plan for this trip, not yours. Honesty, or something, right?”

King’s face shifted to a glare, and she growled. Turning to Mitsuki, she waved a hand at Nature. “Mitsuki, compliment her.”

The excited employee bounded back to Nature, roughly moving her around to get closer looks. “OH MY GOD! You look great! Miss King was right to try it out on you. It’s just the right length for you, and the way it compliments your signature look is just PERFECT! Cohesive fashion is very important, you know?” Her fingers plucked at the scarf around Nature’s waist. “Are you okay with this though? We can order something nicer. The company sells—”

“Yes, I prefer it this way,” Nature said. Whatever King and Mitsuki insisted they saw, she didn’t. But if the illusion that she looked good like this was going to be maintained anyway, she’d at least keep the parts she connected to.

“Well, if you like it,” Mitsuki conceded. “If you change out of it, I can ring it up for you.”

“I’ll take care of payment,” King said, not looking at Nature. “A king must be generous now and again, of course. Even if such generosity may not be fully appreciated.”

“Goodbye! Come again!” Mitsuki waved to them as they left. Nature carried her new outfit, scarf and all, in a bag in her left hand. King had once again claimed her right arm, linking them back at the elbows.

Nature liked Mitsuki, but in truth, she doubted she would indeed ever come again. That was a place for King, not for her. King, who was silent as she walked with her head held high, led Nature back into the mall. Shoppers bustled around them, paying them little mind. Idly, Nature appreciated that her hair grew in an unremarkable color. She had no idea how Turbo managed, as instantly identifiable as she was.

King’s hair too, was not particularly noteworthy, though Nature was firm that she’d never say that out loud. From her own perspective, it was King’s regal demeanor that was too recognizable for her to ever mistake her for another. But apparently that wasn’t enough to peak the attention of anyone else around.

Nature raised an eyebrow as King led her past another boutique that she knows King is the sort of person to frequent. King did not even spare a passing glance at stores as she marched. Nature finally decided to wonder aloud.

“Hey, King—”

“You are a surprisingly difficult person to work with, you know?” King’s regal disposition had slipped a bit in frustration.

“Eh?”

“Do you believe that I am a liar? Or that I am some cheap flatterer?” King demanded. “Do you think I dragged you along to mock you?”

Nature was too confused to properly respond. “Eh? No, I—”

“Then why do you act like it?” King asked, exasperated. “Are we not friends?”

Was that what she was worried about? “Of course we are. Even a person like me can approach your first-rate heart as you open it in your endless magnanimity,” Nature assured, slipping into King’s own speech style to play along.

“Even—ugh.” King groaned. “I need to use the restroom. Wait for me.”

“Aye aye captain,” Nature said, sitting down on a bench. “I’ll be your loyal follower and wait for you.”

King growled, stomping her foot as she turned to leave. Nature reclined on the bench watching her. King was clearly upset about something, but Nature couldn’t quite understand what it was. She’d have to apologize when King came back. She had done something to set King off, but to question their friendship was a step beyond Nature’s belief. They had only recently begun to spend time together since their stint as cheerleaders, but Nature had no issue considering King to be a friend.

Turbo was probably finished with all of her paperwork by now. Even with Ikuno’s perfectionism, they’ve probably cleared it up by now, Nature figured. It might be best for her to apologize to King, thank her for the dress, and tell her goodbye for the day. Clearly, she had done something wrong. Classic Nature messing things up.

Nature closed her eyes to relax. Not much to be done at the moment. King’s…affect could be a lot to handle, so an average girl like her could use a break sometimes. She was thankful for a first-rate rest, smiling to herself. When King came back, she could— “Natie? Hey Natie, what are you doing here?”

Nature’s eyes snapped open. There were more than she’d like, but there weren’t many who called her that. And sure enough, Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen stood there, hand in hand. Teio had a hand wildly waving in greeting, while McQueen kept herself more subdued with a smile. Nature rose in surprise to meet them.

“Hey, you two, what are you doing here?” Nature asked.

Teio pouted. “I asked first!”

Nature sheepishly laughed. “Alright, you’re right. I’m just here getting dragged shopping,” she said, holding up her bag. “Originally, I…ah, there’s no point. I’m just here shopping.” Teio and McQueen didn’t need to go through the tale of Turbo’s No Good, Very Bad Day. Ikuno will probably relay it to McQueen tonight anyway.

McQueen cocked her head to the side. “I recognize that store. Dober frequents there. She speaks highly of the quality. You have good taste.” She nodded her head in approval.

“Wow, I didn’t expect you to shop anywhere a Mejiro does. I don’t feel right when Queenie takes me places that she likes sometimes,” Teio said. She grinned widely. “So, what did you get? Let us see!”

 “Teio, don’t push her like that,” McQueen chastised.

Nature couldn’t take her attention away from their still linked hands, what it must be like to be openly affectionate like that with Teio. She could never hate McQueen, but she could damn sure envy her.

Forcing herself to acknowledge Teio’s question, Nature sheepishly scratched at her cheek. “Eh, I got talked into a dress from there. It’s nicer than I deserve, honestly.”

“Nah, don’t say that!” Teio insisted, leaning in closer to Nature. “Lemme see!”

Begrudgingly, Nature opened her bag. “I’m not taking it out here, but it’s red,” she said, dumbly. Honestly, she was a bit out of her depth here, and as close as Teio was getting, she was starting to get stressed, especially with McQueen there. And that made her feel worse for feeling anything at all with Teio’s date, her own friend, here.

McQueen peered into the bag alongside Teio. “I think it suits you. I cannot speak to fit without seeing you try it on, but I recognize the designer’s name, and it is a smart look,” she approved.

“Ohhhhh, look at Natie being all mature with her clothes,” Teio teased. She thought for a moment, before continuing. “Wait, who talked you into it? You’re here all alone now.”

Nature winced, thinking about how frustrated King had been. She probably wouldn’t want to be associated with her right now. Better to wave it off. “Eh, you know there—huh?”

Nature pursed her eyebrows in confusion, and both Teio and McQueen looked at her with open surprise. But the hand possessively resting on Nature’s left hip stayed. In fact, it was joined by a hand on her right shoulder. King rested her chin atop that hand on Nature’s shoulder.

“I wasn’t gone so long that you’d forget that I was here,” King said. Nature couldn’t see her expression, but she had to imagine she was enjoying this situation she had created. “I agree though, she looked good in it. I would only ever choose the best, after all.”

What the hell was she doing? Nature demanded from the safety of her mind. “You’re exaggerating,” she muttered. Teio and McQueen had shifted their expressions from shock to a toothy grin and a pensive gaze, respectively. Nature squirmed under all the attention. “You’re being clingier than normal,” she said to the uma on her back, careful to say nothing that would dispel whatever illusion King was trying to make.

“I come back from the restrooms to find you pretending that I do not exist. How would you feel in the opposite scenario?” King asked.

Nature wanted to die. Or perhaps, she wanted everyone else to die. Either one. “I try pretending that I don’t exist all the time. Never works,” Nature grumbles.

King snorted beside her. “You are being dramatic.”

Teio, still smiling, jumped in. “Natie is good at that! You talk to her after races, and you’d think the sky is falling and everything is doomed, but nah, she just got third by a body length.”

McQueen’s pensive look shifted; she was satisfied with her train of thought. “Yes, Nature has always been one to exaggerate, particularly at her own expense. We should apologize for interrupting you both.” McQueen nodded to them, pulling Teio a bit.

Teio objected, slumping her shoulders in disappointment as she pouted. “But, c’mon! I wanna…oh fine,” she complained, but she followed.

“We will see you both later,” McQueen said in parting, as she and Teio turned to leave. Teio, for her part, said nothing. Instead, she took her index and middle fingers, pointed them at her eyes, then pointed her index finger at King, still perched on Nature’s shoulder. Nature couldn’t imagine why she would be so interested in watching King, but the message was clearly sent.

The two walked out of sight, but King didn’t remove herself from her position.

Nature decided to speak up. “Hey, King…”

“So, which one is it?” King interrupted.

“Eh?”

“McQueen or Teio?”

“Uhhhhh…?”

King sighed. “I do not mean to judge. I am just asking which one do you like? Or are fond of? Or have the hots for? Or are hor—”

Nature’s choked gasp cut her off. “Nononono, that’s not what that is. You’re misunderstanding!” This was awful, this could not get worse.

King whistled. “Both of them? And I thought I had come to an understanding about you. Maybe you do have a first-rate ambition in you somewhere.” It got worse. How impressive.

“No!” Nature nearly shouted. This was awful. She should’ve just gone help her friends out with Turbo’s problem. She sighed. “Teio. It’s Teio. McQueen is great, really, and she’s wonderful, you know. It’s just, even one of them is more than I should want. Both of them, that’s like tragic myth greed. Like get ‘struck down by angry gods as punishment for hubris’ levels of greed. I’ve just got normal, ordinary ‘losing heroine’ greed.”

King finally lifted her head and hand from Nature’s shoulder. The hand on her hip stayed, hooked into the belt loop of her skirt. “See, was that so hard? I figured there was something like that at play when I watched you talk to them. Seeing them together bothered you, and you were bothered that you felt bothered, yes?”

Nature tried taking a step away, but King stuck with her, walking alongside, with one arm still wrapped around her waist. “And what about it?” Nature said. It wasn’t really a question. She just wanted this to end. She mentally winced as she noticed that their…closeness was now attracting attention. She would rather be invisible as they walked.

“It made some things click in my head. I had only really seen out of our cheering context when you brought me to the shopping district that supports you. I had not fully seen the depth of your self-image, so your insistence on unworthiness grated on me. But may I assume that you feel similarly unworthy with regards to your affection for Teio?” King asked.

Nature sighed. No use in dodging. “You would assume correctly.”

“Hmm. Would you care to admit what it is that makes you feel unworthy?” King continued.

“I’d prefer not to,” Nature said. They were approaching the main lobby of the mall. The exit was nearly in sight. If she could just delay, she could escape.

“I believe you should. It could help. I imagine I am not the only one who has ever been frustrated with your outlook,” King insisted.

Nature shut her eyes, thinking of arguments with her trainer, fervently insisting that she wasn’t good enough. Her trainer really hadn’t deserved any of that. If not for herself, she’d do it as penance for those arguments.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” she minimized, coming to a stop. “I’m just average, in a place with the exceptional. Small fish in a big pond, that’s me. So, when I look at Teio, I see someone who shines bright, who lights up a room or a whole stadium. I’m just not that. I’m plain, and that’s the biggest issue of all. On the track, I’m the living equivalent of plain white rice. How can someone like me ever stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a star?”

King said nothing for a moment, but she did share a sly grin. “I will spare you a jape on how plain rice does best when under other things, of course.”

“You sure did say it anyway.”

“Not looking for someone to help you complete your living nigiri, then?” King teased. “But allow me to follow your own train of thought and accept your premise for a moment. If you are truly as plain and ordinary as you say, though most would disagree, would that not make you an inspiration?”

“Huh?” Nature smartly asked.

“Well, if it is true that some are simply stars by existing, then to see someone who is normal, to put it that way, race alongside them and equal them would be an inspiration. To surpass the limits of normalcy and stand toe-to-toe with the stars, if not shoulder-to-shoulder,” King said. “May I add, Mitsuki has never asked me for my autograph.”

“Your idea doesn’t work,” Nature said. She looked forwards, but her eyes fell out of focus. She stared straight ahead, but she didn’t see anything. “Because I don’t stand toe-to-toe with the stars. They’re firmly my betters. Teio is just…just a league above me. She’s the big fish in the big pond. I’m chasing after her, and I know I’ll never reach her. And I’m trying to make peace with that. I’m just not good enough.”

King growled. “And by what do you measure that? It is certainly not by fans or support when you race.”

Nature waved her off. “Of course not. I have never fully figured out why so many cheer for me. I do my best, because they deserve that, but also because I know that I don’t deserve that.” She stopped for a moment, her eyes focusing again. They were nearly to the lobby. “We mentioned my G1 gear earlier. We just passed by the shop that isn’t selling it in replica. You know I’ve never won in it? I’ve won races, sure. But the outfit I have sentimental attachment to? Best I can do is the bottom tier of the podium. There are worse fates out there, sure. But that doesn’t make this one very fun.”

“Do you believe Teio has a G1 win requirement to stand beside her?” King asked. “Do you think that poorly of her?”

“Never. I think that poorly of me.”

King didn’t reply, so Nature notched the discussion as a pyrrhic victory. Sure, she won, but admitting it all out loud still hurt her too. The bustle of the crowd drowned out the ugly thoughts still bouncing around in her head.

Nature turned to King, still holding on to her, even in their silence. “Hey, King—urgh”

Nature got cut off by King pulling her into a nook between stores, pinning Nature’s back to the wall and leaning in close to whisper. From where she stood, Nature could only see King’s frustrated glare. “You are insufferably frustrating,” she growled. “But you helped me, and I will help you. You are delusional. You are so self-defeating that you miss opportunities that exist because you, and you alone, do not consider yourself good enough. Nothing I know of Tokai Teio ever has led me to believe that she shares your view of yourself. She may want someone first-rate, but the things preventing you from being as such are not here,” King jabbed a finger into Nature’s chest. “But rather, they are here.” She moved her hand to jab at Nature’s temple. “Do you understand?”

Nature’s heart raced from the situation. She had never seen King express this level of anger, and certainly not with her. “You’re saying that if I just call myself first-rate, like you do, I can just convince everyone else of it? I don’t think it’s that easy.”

King sighed, rubbing her temples. “I hate when you look behind the curtain like that. No one else does it.”

Nature shrugged. “The façade is easy to see from my perspective. Anyone who can’t see it just isn’t looking at you hard enough.”

King pulled herself away from Nature, reaching out a hand to help them both out of their spot. “Everyone else already knows you’re first-rate, okay? You are the sole exception,” King said, exasperated.

“I—I can’t go that far,” Nature said. “But, I can at least try to take the compliment.”

Throwing her hands up, King decided that was close enough. “Fine. I do not expect you to undo years’ worth of delusion in an instant, I suppose. But what do you mean by compliment?”

Nature leaned in to King now. “You think I’m first-rate,” Nature said, grinning. “I’m touched.”

“What? Everyone does, that’s what I meant,” King argued.

“Mhmm, I can’t see that. But I can see that you think that. And I will say that I think you are first-rate, too.”

King blushed and stammered a response. “Yes, but no, yes. That isn’t what I meant!”

Nature giggled. Sure, she might have lost the argument, and she knew she would have to look forward to King pestering her about this in the future, but King was so easy to fluster once you got under her skin. King had tried getting into her head and getting at her issues deep inside, the ones she pretended with all her effort simply did not exist. She deserved a bit of vengeance.

She pulled King along by the hand as they walked towards the doors to leave. King was grumbling about something under her breath, but she followed along quietly. The sun had started to set while they shopped, a wild surge of color enveloping the sky as they looked outside. But before they could leave, a small ball of tears and stress slammed into Nature’s gut.

“Nature! Nature! You’re still here! Ikuno! She…she!” Turbo wailed into Nature’s shirt.

Nature stroked the girl’s head. “She can be a lot, but you know it comes from a place of concern. Did she get everything straightened up?”

Turbo sniffled and nodded. “She hated my handwriting, so I had to do it again and again and again! Until she was okay with it! We could’ve been done HOURS ago!”

Yeah, that sounded about right. “But it is all over now, right? So, it’s okay now.” Nature tried to assure her. Thinking back to a previous idea, she added, “Do you want to get some ice cream? There’s a good place here.”

Turbo perked back up. “Yeah! I remember from—what’s she doing here?” She narrowed her eyes and pointed at King. “I was being tortured, tortured! And you were on a date with, well, at least she isn’t Gold Ship.”

The less said about that last comment, the better, Nature decided. Whatever that meant, she did not need to know. “I was already here, and Ikuno told me to leave everything to her. We just ran into each other here.”

Turbo’s eyes stayed narrowed. “You are holding hands.”

Nature released King’s hand. “No, we’re not.”

King, in her infinite, first-rate wisdom, decided to make the situation worse. “This wasn’t a date?” She asked, putting on the airs of a distressed puppy.

Turbo gasped, eyes popping wide. Nature whirled around with a glare. “No, you’re not doing this routine again. You made your point to me already. Now, let’s all get ice cream to cheer Turbo up and cheer me up.”

King pouted. “You are killing my fun.”

Nature nodded. “I am a second-rate comic with third-rate jokes. Not all of us can be as funny as Rudolf. Some of us have to be killjoys sometimes.”

Turbo pulled on Nature’s sleeve. “Stop flirting! I want a sundae!”

“Okay, okay,” Nature said. “We’ll go. But we weren’t—”

“Don’t care, I’m leaving!” Turbo declared, marching off.

“Wait for us!” Nature called.

King slid up to Nature with a grin. “Maybe a second-rate comedian, but a first-rate date.” She lightly kissed Nature on the cheek, before following after Turbo with a skip.

Nature shut down. Rebooting, she processed what happened with a light touch to her cheek, just a bit wet. Slapping herself back to reality, she called out to King. “If that was a first-rate date, you have a fourth-rate love life!”

King answered with a laugh, not turning back.

“Stop laughing! Get back here! Have standards, dammit!”

Nature chased after the both of them. Turbo was openly giddy, excited to get a treat after a long day. King was quietly giddy, happy to have gotten the last laugh after Nature had taken the upper hand. And Nature found herself positively and completely confused.

But she was at least sure of one thing. King thought she was first-rate.

(“That wasn’t what I meant!”)

“King just kissed her on the cheek!” Teio excitedly reported to McQueen.

“Yes, very cute, I imagine.” This wasn’t what McQueen had planned when she took Teio shopping. She had planned an evening of modeling clothes for each other, trying on things from the fancy to the reasonable to the ridiculous, before ending with a meal as they watched the sun set through restaurant windows as the light dimmed.

But no, Teio had wanted to follow around King and Nature. There was still time, but it was all wrong now. They were at the wrong part of the mall, they were behind schedule, and she had not even gotten Teio to try on a single swimsuit. Teio was having fun, at least. Well, McQueen believed Teio was having fun. She did not realize Teio considered herself Nature’s protector. McQueen had had to restrain Teio a bit when King pulled Nature into a nook out of their view.

“Turbo is there now, by the way.”

“A riveting update.” McQueen sighed. “Teio, Nature is not a child. She is mature and competent, you can agree, right?”

Teio frowned at her. “Of course! I’m not following her because I think she’s a dumb kid.”

“So why are you following her?”

“Well, first, did you see the way King touched her?” Teio asked, as though it were obvious.

“I touch you as well,” McQueen said.

“Yeah, yeah, and that’s fine,” Teio dismissed. “Did you see the way King’s hand stuck to her hip like that?”

“No, I do not make it a habit to look at Nature’s…hips like that,” McQueen decided. There was no good way to phrase that.

Teio rolled her eyes as she turned to McQueen. “Yes, you do.”

“What?”

“It’s fine. I do it too. We all do it.”

“We do?” McQueen asked in genuine confusion. She would neither confirm nor deny anything. What was happening?

“Anyway, touching is just one thing,” Teio continued.

“And, pray tell, what is the next thing?”

“Well, that’s obvious, duh. King isn’t really Nature’s type!” Teio went back to watching them.

McQueen was confused. “Nature has a type? What is it?” Why was she asking? Why was she dignifying this?

“She likes Seeking the Pearl and girls like that, King is a bit off from them,” Teio said with conviction. “You know this.”

McQueen did not know this. In fact, McQueen had a very different view of Nice Nature’s type, but she would strategically not share this information with Teio. “Why do you think that? Why do you think that King is that far off from her anyway?”

“Natie talks about her sometimes, she really looks up to her. And King is just different.”

McQueen sighed. “Teio, let Nature be. There’s no reason for us to follow them.”

Teio slumped. “Yeah,” she conceded. “You’re probably right. They’re just getting ice cream now anyway.”

McQueen choked. “Ahem, uh, they would not happen to be going to the shop by the lobby? The one with the triple scoop wedding cake sundae?”

“Is that what that says? I guess?”

“Well, I…” McQueen stammered. “You know, Nature has a very big heart. And she is very sensitive. There is a degree of…vulnerability in that.”

“Exactly!”

“As her friends, maybe it could be beneficial to look after her sometimes. You know she’d want to look after you, if you were in danger of being hurt.”

“Of course!” Teio cheered. “I knew you would see the reason.”

McQueen hoped Nature could forgive her. But even the resolve of a Mejiro cracks in the cold shadow of a sweet treat. She idly licked her lips. “We should follow after them, but make sure to blend in with the other patrons.”

“Yes! Let’s go!” Teio shouted, grabbing McQueen’s hand to lead the way.

Well, maybe their evening wouldn’t go the way she had planned, but there were worse ways to spend an hour or so than with Teio and an excuse to eat some nice desserts. Teio could work on the stakeout, while she worked on deciding on scoop flavors.

“Oh, apparently they’re doing some special,” Teio reported. “With every sundae, you get a free piece of cake. Man, how many calories is that?”

Bless you, Nice Nature, McQueen thought, may the goddesses bless you with whatever you and King Halo are up to.