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Vodka didn’t even want to be near the training track. With everyone training for the Arima Kinen or any smaller, less-cool races, it was just too much of a reminder of how badly she’d failed last year. Aptitude, schmaptitude, she should have done better. And between the race upcoming and those who weren’t selected for this year talking about either watching them or their Christmas plans, Vodka would rather be anywhere else.
So she headed to the arcade to try and boost her spirits. That, and log some time on the motorbike racing game. She’d been saving up for a bike and finally convinced her dad to give her recs for one, but the actual road lessons weren’t something she could hide from her trainer, so for now this would have to do. That, and sneaking out of the dorm after-hours.
“Haaaaa,” she yelled as she leaned as far to the side as the mounted game bike would allow her, which wasn’t far enough at all. She wanted to feel the wind! Like an all-out last spurt, accelerating until she knew she could pass anyone in front of her, weaving through anything that stood in her way.
“No!” She heard a familiar voice shout, followed by a loud bang of a hand slapping against glass. Vodka looked over to see one Daiwa Scarlet, glaring at the claw machine. Though losing a plushie wasn’t as big of a deal as not being able to run in one of the coolest races around, Vodka could emphasize with losing something you wanted. She assumed to Little Miss Perfect it might be the same feeling. She swung her leg off the bike and strolled over, putting her hands in her shorts pockets for extra coolness.
“Need me to show you how it’s done?” Daiwa Scarlet looked up, surprised to see Vodka there as if Vodka hadn’t had a crowd of people around her, watching her race.
“Only if I need help seeing how to lose every single time,” Daiwa Scarlet shot back, raising her chin. This was what Vodka needed, this thrill of competition. If she wasn’t going to get it from the racetrack, this would just have to do, and no matter how many times they bickered, for some reason competing with Daiwa Scarlet never felt stale.
“As if you could ever get as many plushies. I bet you don’t even know how to tell if the magnets in their hands are connected to another one and if it’ll hold.” Vodka could see Daiwa Scarlet’s eyes widen just a fraction at that. Bingo. Then they narrowed as Daiwa Scarlet tossed her hair.
“And why would I take advice from someone who spends all her time and money on that dumb motorbike game? You probably don’t have any money left to challenge me anyway.”
”I’ll have you know I have plenty, since you couldn’t measure up at the Autumn Tenno Sho.” The flare in Daiwa Scarlet’s eyes was what she needed, the memory of that two centimeters difference between winning and losing, and soon thoughts of the Arima Kinen were far behind them both.
She’ll give it to Daiwa Scarlet, though, the positioning of most of the plushies left was tricky, and calling a staff member over to reset any positions would be almost the same as admitting defeat. The only one she could get, to her embarrassment, was a small plushie of herself.
”Here.” She thrust the doll in Daiwa Scarlet’s direction. “Since you wanted one of these so much.”
Daiwa Scarlet looked down at the plushie, then up at her, her expression conflicting. “No,” she said with a grudging tone, “you won it, it’s yours.”
”I can’t keep it, it’s of me! That’s so uncool.”
”And I should take it? What would people think, carrying around a doll of my greatest rival? I can’t do that!”
”So you admit it, you think I’m better than you.”
”I said rival, not better than!”
”As if you’d accept anyone lame as your rival. You think I’m cool.”
”I just want to race you, okay! That’s all!” She snatched the doll out of Vodka’s hands and tried to shove it into her bag. Its head was too big to fit, so she was forced into the choice of having it stick out, an obvious passenger, or carry it herself. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were wide and Vodka had the thought that this was what she looked like when she’d just run a good race - out of breath after achieving something worthwhile. It made Vodka want to race her immediately, but the track was almost definitely packed with umamusume and their trainers.
”What are you doing on the 25th?” Vodka blurted out, before she could keep the words from escaping.
Daiwa Scarlet eyed her suspiciously again. “Likely the same thing as you. Why?” Vodka knew they had team members racing and would be there to support them, but she wanted something for herself now.
“Race me.”
“What?” Daiwa Scarlet scoffed. “I know you don't study that much, but you do know it's impossible to enter a race at this point. Besides, I'm not about to waste my time on something foolish like running a distance I'm not going to focus on.”
“I'm not talking about the Arima Kinen, you idiot,” Vodka said, continuing on over Daiwa Scarlet’s protest, “I mean just you and me, our own stakes.”
“Like what?”
“Like…,” Vodka tried to think of something that would entice Daiwa Scarlet, beyond their normal need to one-up each other. “Winner gets to pick what we do the rest of the day.”
“We? You're assuming I'd want to spend the rest of the day with you?” Before Vodka could shoot back that she'd only get to pick if she won, Daiwa Scarlet tossed her hair again and raised her chin. “Fine, but make it the 24th.”
Now it was Vodka's turn to narrow her eyes in suspicion. “Why?” She supposed winning against Daiwa Scarlet would be enough of a victorious feeling to carry her through watching the Arima Kinen, but it was still an odd request.
“Because some of us have better things to do with the rest of the day after such a big race? Like strategize for next year?” It seemed reasonable and nerdy enough to Vodka, but it didn't quite fit the way Daiwa Scarlet wouldn't meet her eyes. Or the flush beginning to cross her cheeks. “It was your dumb idea, accept it or don't, I don't care.”
“Deal.”
“Be there early - I want to get beating you over with quickly so I can make you carry all my things when we go shopping.”
“Fine by me, that means all the more time to rub it in your face how much better I am.”
“Ooooh, you,” Daiwa Scarlet started, but stopped herself quickly enough. “Fine.”
“Fine!” They turned their backs on each other, as if they wouldn't have to see each other later.
It was only after they'd walked away that Vodka realized that the 24th was a day for couples. She scoffed to herself; surely Daiwa Scarlet didn't realize that. But maybe Vodka could tease her about it when she won. She couldn't wait.