Palmer remained stunned for a long time. The moment she finally settled, it felt as if a lifetime had passed. She had run her entire career to finally conquer this 2200-meter distance. At last, she raised her head and cautiously looked toward the stands.
For the first time, Palmer saw it clearly.
The stands were overflowing with smiling faces.
"AHHHH! PALMER!!!!"
The cheers crashed over her like a heatwave, so overwhelming that she instinctively took a step back. Though the crowd was only at one-third capacity, the Takarazuka Memorial erupted with more fervent applause than ever before. The spectators felt incredibly lucky to have witnessed this race in person.
This was undoubtedly one of the most thrilling Takarazuka Memorials in history—perhaps even a contender for Race of the Year. And yet, the stars of this race were two "unknown" Umamusume.
Among her companions, Daitaku Helios had the most dramatic reaction. She wept uncontrollably, muttering incomprehensible words through her tears of joy.
A sense of relief and quiet pride settled over them.
Clap, clap—
Kousei led the applause, and Twilight Cloud's group quickly followed suit. The clapping, though uneven, was equally fervent, honoring not only Palmer but also Dai Yusaku and every competitor in the race.
A truly spectacular race could never be achieved by a single person alone.
Palmer looked back, searching for Dai Yusaku.
She found her rival with her face tilted upward, eyes closed, her expression serene. There wasn't a trace of bitterness from her defeat.
Dai Yusaku seemed to be quietly savoring the thunderous applause, a hint of contentment gracing her lips.
Palmer stared, momentarily stunned. It was only then that she realized how small this fighter—who had given her so much trouble—truly was.
How strange, Palmer thought. On the racetrack, I felt like I was racing against a giant. I had no choice but to flee.
Dai Yusaku slowly opened her eyes and noticed Palmer watching her. Palmer started to step forward, but Dai Yusaku raised a hand to stop her. She said nothing, but their gazes met, and everything was understood.
Dai Yusaku wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, straightened her back, and walked away with dignity.
Having given her all, there was no shame in defeat. One cannot always achieve their desires, but one can always strive to have no regrets.
The crowd watched Dai Yusaku depart with respectful silence. Though defeated today, she had earned the world's admiration. She was no mere low-tier competitor; she was a worthy opponent, a brilliant star in the Twinkle Series.
Kousei felt a surge of emotion. It had been a long time since she had watched a race from this vantage point. In the past, she had always been the one galloping on the track. Now, watching Palmer and Dai Yusaku's duel from a spectator's perspective stirred a different kind of feeling within her.
As for how she felt, Kousei could think of only one answer—
If my body were sound, I would have turned this race upside down.
After watching Dai Yusaku leave, Palmer thought she should head to the Winner's Circle for her interview. But as she turned, she came face-to-face with McQueen and the Mejiro Family.
Sometimes, encounters happen just like that—abrupt and unexpected. Palmer never imagined she would run into McQueen here. Perhaps it was guilt that made her instinctively avert her gaze.
McQueen stared at Palmer without a word. Seeing their leader's silence, the other Mejiro members suppressed their own restless emotions, communicating only through exchanged glances.
"Why did you leave the family? Why did you defy my orders and race?"
After so long apart, their reunion began with such a question.
Ryan opened her mouth to speak, wanting to smooth things over, but seeing McQueen's stern expression, she realized now was not the time.
Palmer had always dreaded confronting McQueen. Yet, now that the moment had finally arrived, she found she wasn't as afraid as she had expected.
Perhaps the Takarazuka Memorial had truly changed her.
Palmer composed herself and looked directly at McQueen. "Are you willing to listen to me now?"
"I've spoken with Kousei at length," McQueen began, her words coming straight from the heart. "She wanted me to hear what you have to say, Palmer. While you were away, I often found myself missing things—not just the family, but you too."
Palmer's expression softened, deeply moved.
"Everything I did... I did it for you, McQueen."
McQueen froze, taken aback. Palmer's earnest expression made it clear this was no joke.
"At first, I was just scared," Palmer continued. "I couldn't understand why I, who also bore the Mejiro name, was so weak. I couldn't compare to you, McQueen, or to Ryan.
"During that Spring Tenno Sho, I watched you and Kousei up close. I couldn't comprehend it. My fear grew day by day, and being around you both became agonizing."
McQueen was speechless. They had grown up together, yet she had never known Palmer harbored such deep-seated turmoil. There must have been signs, but she had overlooked them.
"I thought about leaving," Palmer confessed, "going somewhere no one knew me, where no one would pay me any attention. I figured if I could just escape the gossip, I might be happier.
"That's what I originally planned. But then I heard from Ryan that you were injured, McQueen. In that moment, I felt an overwhelming pain.
"The day of your surgery, I secretly returned home. I hid in the shadows, watching you lie unconscious on the operating table..."
"I once resented you, McQueen. You were tyrannical and unreasonable, dismissing our careers with a single careless word.
"I resented you for being so special. You, born into a branch family, shone like a white Pegasus, while I, born into the main family, was as insignificant as a mayfly.
"Fate is so unfair. I should have blamed you for it. But... I couldn't!
"If I had done that to you, McQueen, I would never have been able to forgive myself. You were running with all your might for the sake of Mejiro. It was only after experiencing all this that I truly understood how heavy the Mejiro name is.
"If it weren't for our weakness, if it weren't for you carrying the weight of Mejiro all alone...
"McQueen... you wouldn't have been injured so severely."
Day after day, year after year, people only saw the moment Mejiro McQueen became the Strongest. They ignored the price she paid to reach that pinnacle—race after race, the injuries accumulating over time.
She was the guardian of Mejiro. She couldn't rest. She had to keep running until she fell from the sky.
"I don't want to see you covered in scars anymore, McQueen! I don't care about the pride of the main family, and I don't care what others think of me. I just want to share some of your burden."
"I won't hide behind you anymore, McQueen. We grew up together. We're family. Even if I still haven't amounted to much, I want to protect you.
"I will protect my family!""
Even sisters have parts of each other they can't understand, but family is family.
"Why didn't you say so sooner... Why didn't you come home..." McQueen's voice cracked with emotion.
"I just... couldn't find my way back..."
Two streams of hot tears rolled down Palmer's cheeks. She had always hidden behind a cheerful, carefree facade. Her true feelings, her earnest passion—all were locked away in a prison of self-loathing.
Everything she felt inferior about was real, but so was everything she loved.
She feared the world's judgment, but she loved her family even more.
"You are Mejiro's greatest treasure. You are the Pegasus that runs across the heavens. You are the strongest long-distance champion in history. You are a legend, the very embodiment of Mejiro's glory.
"It's my honor to be your family," Palmer joked, trying to lighten the mood even as tears still stained her face.
McQueen's tears turned to laughter. Without waiting for a response, she took Palmer and Ryan's hands, ignoring their confused expressions, and declared, "That's right. The Mejiro family is a family of glory. We are the most prosperous family in Central, but Mejiro's glory wasn't built by me alone.
"Me, Ryan, and Palmer—let's create the most brilliant era together!"
Palmer and Ryan's eyes welled up, and the three of them embraced. McQueen held Palmer and Ryan tightly, overwhelmed with emotion at having them back, tears streaming down her face.
"Hahahahaha—"
Suddenly, they all burst into hearty laughter, as if transported back to their youth in a daze.
"My luck isn't that I have more innate talent than others," McQueen realized then. "It's that I'm surrounded by people who love me."
In that moment, McQueen understood that a family isn't just one person—it's a group of people who support and protect each other. That is the true meaning of family. The Mejiro family never needed a guardian deity.
"Hey! Our big sisters are leaving us out! That's so unfair!" Dober grumbled loudly, feigning indignation. "I don't care! I want in too!"
"Oh my~"
Dober's playful tantrum made everyone laugh again. Ryan pulled Dober and Bright into the circle, and the young girls huddled together, their radiant smiles adding a vibrant splash of color to the festival.
Ramonu looked gratified, gazing at the photo of his grandmother in his pocket watch. "It's not that you are brilliant because you are Mejiro," he murmured, "but that Mejiro is brilliant because of you."
As Ramonu repeated the words his grandmother had once told him, watching his younger sisters together, he finally understood her.
"Oh, right! Palmer! Hurry up with the interview!"
"Shoot!"
Palmer scrambled toward the Winner's Circle, nearly tripping along the way. She looked nothing like a G1 competitor, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Palmer scratched her head, embarrassed, as all eyes turned to her. She took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, her demeanor had completely changed.
"YEAH!!!!"
A glorious achievement, a triumphant roar!
A three-peat at the Summer Festival—the Flower Group reigns supreme at Takarazuka