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Published:
2025-07-14
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1,135
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1/1
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Ryegrass

Summary:

Haru Urara receives a very unexpected delivery.

Notes:

As basically everyone in the fandom knows, the real-life Haru Urara recently received a kind donation of a sizable amount of high-quality ryegrass from fans. This has led to multiple pictures of our favourite rose-haired sweetie left awestruck by comical amounts of the stuff, and now I throw my writing cap into the ring with this:

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Jacob Hudson, Tracen Academy Trainer, blinked once, then twice, then finally opened his mouth to say, “Miss Hayakawa, I have to admit that this is not at all what I expected when you said Haru and I were urgently needed.”

‘This’, in this case, referred to the hapless delivery driver playing escort to four comically large crates sitting on pallets outside the front entrance of the academy. Each one bore the same marking: “Ryegrass, Premium Grade, 4 tons, FAO: Haru Urara”.

Jacob took a moment to process this. Four crates, at four tons each, was an easy enough equation to solve. “Sixteen tons of top-quality ryegrass. I just,” he faltered, “how? Why?” He looked to Tazuna, who could only boggle at the sight in similar disbelief.

The deliveryman cleared his throat. “There’s also this, sir. A letter addressed to Miss Urara.” He handed the envelope to the young Umamusume, who was thoroughly distracted by the, again, still comically large crates designated for her attention.

“Haru? You okay there?” Jacob prompted.

She started, ears standing up straight and tail flaring out. “Ah! Um! Thank you, mister!”

“Don’t thank me, thank whoever bought this for you.” His piece said, the deliveryman turned to rummage in the cab of his truck and pulled out a clipboard of documentation. “Just need a signature here to confirm successful delivery.”

“May I?” Jacob stepped in. Recognising that he would have better luck with him than the Umamusume currently engrossed in her letter, the deliveryman handed it over. He immediately scanned the documents for any sign of a sender, and soon enough he found it: “Haru Urara Fan Association.” He turned back to Tazuna. “Is this kind of thing common at all? I know a lot of these girls get fanmail, even the ones back home in England do, but this seems…excessive.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t happen often, no. I’ve worked here for several years now and I can count the number of times it has on one hand.”

“Huh.” Jacob went back to the documentation. All fees had been paid upfront by the sender, which was a relief. Everything else checked out, but one question still remained. “Where exactly are we supposed to put all this anyway?”

Dear Haru,

We hope you’re doing well at Tracen Academy. We’ve all fallen in love with your smile and never-quit attitude, and wanted to show our appreciation.

Everyone put in some money, and we bought as much high-quality ryegrass for you as we could. It’s supposed to be really tasty with a lot of health benefits for Umamusume like you, so we hope you enjoy it!

Cheering for you always,

The Haru Urara Fan Association

In the end, it was decided that the ryegrass would be held in the kitchen’s ingredients storage. However, five days later, another problem arose.

“Haru?”

“Mmph?” Haru looked up from her eleventh plate of steamed ryegrass that week, cheeks bulging like a squirrel.

“I’ve done some research and some calculations, and unfortunately, at the rate we’re going, there’s no way you can eat all the ryegrass before it goes bad without completely ruining your diet.”

“Mmph?!” A hard swallow cleared Haru’s mouth to let her speak, “Trainer, that’s terrible! Mama and papa always said to never let good food go to waste!”

“And they were wise to say so, but given the choice between your health and the ryegrass, I’m going to pick you every time.”

“Mou…” She visibly deflated, and Jacob had never in his life felt worse than he did now. Even knowing that it was completely beyond his power to solve, he still couldn’t help but feel that he’d failed her.

“Oh my, Haru, is that steamed ryegrass? Ohohoho! At last, my first-rate habits are beginning to rub off on you!”

Jacob looked up at the new arrival: King Halo, Haru’s roommate and self-proclaimed “first-rate” Umamusume. At first, she’d struck him as a bit of an arrogant blowhard, but prolonged exposure had revealed her to be a girl who truly did care about her friends, and he knew Haru was lucky to be among their number.

“Un! This stuff is delicious, King! It’s almost as good as carrots!”

“Oho? From you, that’s high praise indeed. But if that’s the case, why on earth are you not grinning like I’d expect someone with such good fortune to?”

“It’s not a matter of taste, Miss Halo. It’s a matter of exactly how much of the stuff Haru has on hand. We’ve barely made a dent in it, and there was sixteen tons to start with.”

“Sixteen-?!” King’s composure shattered completely.

“Hey, hey, King, did you want some? There’s still loads on my plate but my tummy kinda feels like it’s gonna burst!”

“Haru, please don’t force yourself if you're feeling uncomforta-” Jacob stopped, his eyes widening, before he promptly palmed his forehead in realisation. “Of course, that’s it!”

“Summation! You wish to donate the remaining ryegrass to the academy as a whole, then?”

“Exactly, Madam Director. As it stands, Haru would only hurt herself trying to eat it all on her own before it expires, and she’s more than happy to share her good fortune with her friends.” Which, given the effusiveness of her personality, basically included the entirety of the student body.

“Wahaha! Acceptance! Please do let her know that her admirable generosity will not be soon forgotten!”

“Of course, Madam Director. Excuse me.”

Jacob stepped out of the Director’s office, letting the door close behind him, and breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, he’d had no doubt that she would accept the offer, but it still felt like a massive burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Trainer, you look really happy!”

He smiled at Haru. “Director Akikawa has graciously accepted our donation on behalf of the academy, which means you,” he ruffled her hair, earning a happy hum, “no longer need to worry about either gorging yourself sick on ryegrass or disappointing your fans. However, this whole mess has been a massive distraction from our training for the past week, so you know what that means?”

He pointed out the window to the waiting training course. “Track time, Haru! Let’s see if you can get a new PB now that you’re running on the good stuff!”

“Okay-dokey!” And just like that, Haru shot off like a rocket in the direction of the changing rooms.

One month later, both trainer and trainee stood in the same place they had once before, both wearing near-identical expressions of shock. Sakura-pink eyes sparkled with awe at the sight before them, while the other's hazel eyes were completely devoid of emotion.

In front of Tracen Academy, in the care of an exasperated delivery man, stood sixteen comically large crates packed to the brim with premium-grade ryegrass.

Notes:

Energy restored to maximum!
Mood remained Great!
Gained Condition: Beloved (O)

[Beloved (O): Buoyed up by the well-wishes of countless fans. Mood cannot drop below Great.]