Domo, Average desu! I've just been juiced up on Umamusume-ium since discovering our victory at the 2025 Game Awards! I'm honestly smitten with this game, and I'm glad to see all the effort CyGames put in supporting the real-life horses paying off globally!
Formalities aside, though, let's pay Suzu-chan a visit!
The day went by as usual, as students poured out of the halls of Tracen - some heading off to the tracks to test their mettle, others preferring a more casual trip to the vast streetside shops of residential Tokyo. The sun was particularly bright today, and the clouds were as beautiful as the stained glass of church windows. Looking up did hurt my eyes a bit, but it gave me a strange feeling - but not a bad one, per se.
In the middle of my blissful basking, I heard Suzuka's calm and quiet voice take notice of me. As she slowly made her way in a bubbly conversation with Special Week. As she bade farewell to Spe and met me, I offered a quick stroll by the nearby lake to break some ice. After a bit of reflection, she gave me a gentle nod, leading us off to the waterside sidewalk.
Suzuka is not very talkative, preferring to bask in your presence and simply enjoy the sights around - but this honestly didn't come as a detriment to me. I'd been exhausted after an endless slaughter of business meetings, trainer studies, and the regular toils of everyday life that had left me fumbling about like a restless fool. Moving my legs at last after hours of sitting, luxuriating in the scents of Suzuka's perfume, the beautiful air outside, and seeing the way the waves cascaded in the sun's brilliant light was a great reset for me and brought me back to my wits. I offered a glance at Suzuka, who was still forward-bound, and by the looks of it, holding herself back from breaking out into a sprint, which brings me to my second point.
Silence Suzuka is undoubtedly one of Tracen's most legendary Umamusume. Not only does her explosive front-running, almost limitless stamina, and uncanny command over every race she ran - not to mention her record, with enough gold to make Scrooge himself cry - added to the sense that I was in the presence of some beast. All the races I'd seen with her, for both research and entertainment, showed a green and chestnut bullet racing across the turf of Japan - kicking grass and dirt away in her wake. Although I hadn't seen any of her races in person, just the mere image of it made me feel the wind of her passing the finish line like a speeding subway. She'd let no one pass her - not from start to finish - crusading for the front like her life depended on it.
And yet, this wasn't the aura or personality I got from Suzuka at all. She seemed more like Doto, in the sense that she was quite gentle and quiet, preferring to let the world pass her by rather than taking the reins herself. She noticed my gaze and smiled at me, a sight as beautiful to behold as the rose petals that danced at the coming spring.
"You alright, Trainer? You know, I'm a bit scared of running off without you, so~ Here!"
She offered me her gloved hand, the black fabric shielding her porcelain skin. In that moment, it was as if her eyes glowed more brilliantly than usual, outshining even the sun itself. The breeze blew leaves, love, and Suzuka's hair elegantly as I snapped out of my stupor and lent her my own hand, interlocking fingers and surrendering our arms to gravity.
Suzuka stepped a bit closer to me this time, the closing distance sending my heart into a frenzy - one which I was able to conceal to great effect.
Once our stroll ended, we made a quick stop to get some milk tea before once again desiring the visage of the blue lake from which we came. Thankfully, there just so happened to be a bench overlooking the waters, where Suzuka and I stayed until the sun's act of the day drew to a close. The orange sky that appeared over us, gifting us with light as gentle as a mother's kiss, gave a warm look to Suzuka's green attire. While we stayed, we had brief talks about the races she'd run, and the other, less grandiose happenings of life. Apparently, Spe and Oguri had gotten into a sort of rivalry and had eaten so much that Tazuna had stepped in to scold them both. "The rascals," I remembered chuckling to her and myself.
After the last drops of our drinks had given in to our appetites, Suzuka decided that she'd wanted me to spend the rest of the day with her. "I know a few good races we could watch," she'd said - worried that I'd grow apathetic in her company. I don't know if it was the breeze that made Suzuka's hair flow about the wind like the dance of flower petals, or the light that dimmed but never seemed to put out the sparkle in her eyes, but in that moment I told her that the only thing I wanted to see was her - and that no race could ever compare to the way my chest tightened in her presence. All of that was apparently enough to set her off - showing a rather rare but entertaining side of her as she spouted on about how confessions of love were meant for marriage and not just a trip with a friend. However, after another moment of silent thought, she'd supposed that perhaps this could be something more.
As we arrived at her home and settled in, she asked if we'd watch one of my favorite races - the Heisei Era's Arima Kinen.
The race was a clash of Titans - Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, Super Creek - and a G1 race of the highest stakes. I'd seen the race a thousand times, but never once did the opening fanfare nor the buzzing commentary grow old and repetitive.
And now, I would get to see it with Suzu-chan. So, obviously, I said yes.
Speaking of that, I actually called her that out of curiosity, and just to toy with her a bit. It sent her into a folly of blushing and stammering, a sight most adorable, considering its subject was the undefeated front runner of Tracen.
As the race drew to a close in the wake of Oguri Cap's brilliant victory, Suzuka yawned a draught of air and asked if she could change to her night clothes. I obliged, even getting myself prepared for concluding the day. As the two of us got settled in her bed, as soft as spring grass and sakura petals, Suzuka hugged me, bringing her head closer to mine as she wished me a tender goodnight.
FINAL VERDICT: 10/10, as always with our beloved Umamusume. Suzuka may be a beast on the tracks, but she definitely comes off as a friend you can confide in after the last bells ring at Tracen. Her lack of demand for rampant conversation and style of simply keeping company makes her a good partner to end the day on a relaxed note with - something i'm sure we all need from time to time. Because sometimes, silent handholding can have just as much effect as an earnest "I love you".
