Gotham Song had a long, distant dream.
In the dream, she heard something behind her—heard a call from far away—yet she couldn't make out what was chasing her.
Only after she woke did she fall into a daze, staring at Mejiro Ramonu as she read beside her.
Whatever. If she couldn't remember the dream, she couldn't remember it. It was probably nothing important… after all, she dreamed so, so rarely…
…Wait. Was something off?
Gotham Song blinked. Across from her, Mejiro Ramonu—who'd been holding a book off to the side—blinked back.
"Good afternoon, Song."
"Ah—good afternoon, Ramonu-nee. Weren't you supposed to be out dealing with things?"
Mejiro Ramonu slid the book aside, then ran her fingers through Gotham Song's long silver hair. She stroked her cheek, then pinched it and tugged ever so slightly—exasperated, and fond.
"It's handled, so I came back early. Is that not allowed, Song?"
"O-of course it's allowed. I'm just surprised."
Waking up to Mejiro Ramonu right in front of her… that was rare. Especially like this—on her lap.
But even if it was her first time...
It was unexpectedly… really nice.
Thinking that, Gotham Song got greedy. She rolled over like she wanted more, nosing closer and nuzzling against her sister's stomach.
Mejiro Ramonu hadn't expected that. She paused, helpless for a beat—then curved her lips into a smile, petting her softly, savoring the affectionate time.
Come to think of it… Song was getting better, little by little, wasn't she?
If she hadn't already confirmed it, Ramonu would honestly have found it hard to overlap Song with Ruka in her mind.
Because the way they presented themselves was simply worlds apart.
Ruka had always been quiet—always unwilling to speak. Though toward the very end, Ramonu had been able to feel it: Twilight Song's defenses had started to loosen, just a little.
At least her relationship with Mejiro Ardan had improved a lot. The two of them looked practically inseparable.
Back then, Ramonu really had been a bit jealous.
But as the eldest sister, it was only a tiny bit.
After all, both she and Ardan were just Twilight Song's sisters. With equal standing, the difference came down to time spent together, nothing more.
Sooner or later, they'd become just as close. It was only a matter of time. There was no way Ardan and Ruka had some secret intimacy Ramonu didn't know about, right?
Something like that was impossible—Ramonu didn't believe it for a second.
Her two little sisters having something going on beyond her awareness?
No. Absolutely not.
In any case, aside from that slight jealousy, Ramonu hadn't felt impatient. Her little sister would open her heart eventually—she believed it, firmly.
All that remained was waiting.
And Ramonu really had been waiting. Her work was always busy. Sure, she could push a large portion of it onto Mejiro Ardan, but...
As the eldest sister, even when Ardan said she could help share the load, Ramonu remained stubbornly, decisively obstinate, shouldering almost everything herself.
Which led to another consequence:
She rarely had time to stay by Gotham Song's side.
When did she finally find the time?
Only in the last few races.
Back then, Ramonu had even been thinking, Our little sister finally seems brighter.
And then…
The Arc happened.
For a long time afterward, Ramonu couldn't make peace with herself. She couldn't understand it. Had she done something wrong? Was she not gentle enough, not considerate enough?
Why would the Three Goddesses give her a life like that?
Why wouldn't Ruka open her mouth and talk to her…?
No—Ruka really wouldn't talk, would she? That child was, unexpectedly, terribly clumsy about things like that.
Only after losing her did Ramonu finally understand everything.
Did Ruka not want to be real family with them?
Did she not have that desire?
Of course not.
She'd known from the beginning that she didn't have much time left. She didn't want—she couldn't bear—to drag everyone at Mejiro Manor into sorrow.
It had to be that. Ramonu knew it. She was sure of it.
And the real pain was that even if she'd never reached that understanding, she still would've blamed herself—why hadn't she noticed earlier? Why did she only figure it out after she'd lost her?
She wouldn't blame Twilight Song. That child was an idiot—an idiot who was gentle.
How could Ramonu blame her little sister?
Ruka hadn't done anything wrong.
If anyone was wrong… maybe it was Mejiro Ramonu.
Ramonu didn't know how long she drifted through those days in a haze—until she eventually steadied herself, until she began to feel that maybe a miracle had happened again, until—
Ramonu became certain: the Three Goddesses were never that cruel.
Even if she'd changed her name, even if she'd changed her identity, even if her personality was far more cheerful than before—so different it almost felt unbelievable—
Ramonu still knew, with complete certainty, that the little sister she'd lost—the idiot she'd wanted to take care of—had come back to her side.
That gentleness, that clumsiness… it hadn't changed, and it couldn't.
If anything, maybe this Gotham Song was what Ruka had always been meant to look like.
No longer harried by pain. No longer chased by death. No longer hunted by anything she didn't want, didn't like—anything dangerous.
Free to do whatever she wanted—carefree, unrestrained.
Gotham Song, no longer forced to suppress her nature.
Yes.
Mejiro Ramonu believed it, utterly.
So even though her days were still busy—busy enough to be called even busier—Ramonu gradually began carving out time to keep Gotham Song company.
Not because she was afraid of losing her again this time. She knew that wouldn't happen now—Mejiro Manor had everyone undergo a full medical checkup once a month, and when the results came in, Ramonu personally kept them under her watch.
Accidents weren't coming.
And if that was the case, then companionship was simply for seeing more of her little sister—learning her every small habit and movement.
That was all.
This time, she wouldn't let go.
And honestly, part of why Ramonu was so busy was because of Song, too. Her appearance had landed a brutal hit on URA, giving Mejiro Manor and the Symboli family a chance to carve up URA again now that it had grown rotten once more.
And this time, Ramonu and Symboli Rudolf had agreed: URA should vanish entirely.
As for race administration… Symboli Rudolf already had the massive machine that was Central Tracen. It wasn't appropriate to pile even more burden on it. So Ramonu planned to step in personally and take full control of whatever URA became after the restructuring.
It wasn't that she didn't trust humans. It was just that when it came to not corrupting…
Uma Musume were practically legendary creatures.
Thinking that, Ramonu sighed and tugged gently at Gotham Song's cheek again.
If not for the little troublemaker nuzzling against her stomach right now, she honestly wouldn't even want to bother with whatever state URA was in…
Ah. Truly. A little sister who never let you rest.
Ramonu caught those eyes sneaking a peek at her, but said nothing. She simply picked up a comb and slowly began to neaten Gotham Song's silver hair, now a little mussed.
It had grown long—so long that when she lay on Ramonu's lap, it spilled all the way to the ground, covering the green of the grass completely.
Even among Uma Musume, that was excessive.
A bit more and it might reach her calves—start to interfere with running.
But… it really was beautiful.
Ramonu remembered what she'd seen only minutes ago: her adorable little sister sleeping under the shade of a tree, curled into a small bundle—so slender and sweet.
And what delighted Ramonu even more was that even when she lifted Song's head into her lap, Gotham Song hadn't shown a single sign of waking.
Only someone who felt truly safe would sleep like that, wouldn't they? Because at the level of the subconscious, Gotham Song trusted Ramonu—believed she was absolutely reliable.
Ramonu decided it had to be so.
"Are you done messing around, Song?"
"Nope. Ramonu-nee smells nice. I can't ever get enough—!"
Oh? Now she dared talk back?
But Ramonu knew she was smiling. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been this happy.
Ah, whatever. She was her little sister. If she went outside and got lured away by someone, that was when Ramonu would regret it.
Wasn't this fine?
No—this was the best.
Ramonu told herself that.
So the two of them fell quiet again. In an afternoon where others were still running around the training grounds, Ramonu combed through Song's long hair, and the little sister in her lap grew so comfortable she sometimes made tiny, kittenish hums.
No one came to disturb the scene.
Ramonu felt quietly grateful.
"By the way, Song… it's almost here again, isn't it?"
"Almost here…? What is?"
Gotham Song looked completely lost. She truly couldn't figure out what her sister meant by "almost here."
Mejiro Ramonu gave her a look that said, Of course.
Her little sister really was an idiot in every possible sense…
Still, it was understandable this time. Ramonu hadn't given her a single hint.
"What's today's date, Song?"
"Today… May 24, I think. Is there something special about that, Ramonu-nee? I honestly can't think of anything."
Now that the Oaks had ended, and a few days had passed… May 24 really did feel like a day that was ordinary in every way.
"Nothing special today," Ramonu said. "But what about this time two months from now?"
"Two months from now?"
Two months after May 24 was July 24. What was special about July 24—no, about around July 24?
Gotham Song sank into thought. She vaguely remembered that around July 24 there was something important—something that had happened, something she didn't want to forget.
But the moment she tried to grasp it, her mind went blank.
That near-miss, that slippery uncertainty she couldn't pin down, made her a little irritated. In the end, Gotham Song gave up and surrendered, lifting both hands toward her sister like she was waving a white flag.
"I surrender, meow, Ramonu-nee! I really can't remember, meow!"
See? Total idiot.
Just earlier this month, for Dobber's birthday, she'd started preparing ahead of time and even gave their youngest sister a huge surprise, and yet—
"July 20," Ramonu prompted. "Does that ring a bell?"
"J-July 20? I… no."
Ramonu puffed out a laugh. "Then, Song—think back. What gift did you give Dobber this month?"
Gift…? Dobber? This month?!
Only then did Gotham Song feel the pieces click into place. She stared at her sister with her mouth slightly open, and all she found in Ramonu's eyes was patient affection and helpless fondness.
Yes, my adorable idiot little sister. It's exactly what you're thinking.
So what is it?
"..."
"My birthday?"
"Looks like you don't need to be hospitalized just yet," Ramonu teased. "Any wishes? For this year's birthday—or any gift you want?"
Gotham Song was utterly lost.
Something she wanted?
That was… an impossible question for her, wasn't it?
With her life as it was now, hadn't she already gotten everything she wanted? Everything she needed, everything she should have—didn't she already have it? At least materially, what could she possibly still ask for?
Ah—no.
There was something. Something only Mejiro Ramonu could grant.
Gotham Song seemed to find her answer. She drew a deep breath, then cupped her sister's cheeks and met her gaze, adjusting herself as if bracing for something important.
"Then, onee-chan… can you grant my wish? A promise starting from right now."
"Of course I will. Go on, Song. I'll listen carefully—and I'll remember it."
Anything onee-chan can do, anything onee-chan can give you—anything at all, my adorable idiot little sister.
"Then—on my birthday, onee-chan, you're not allowed to do any work. Not a single thing. For me… take a full day off and rest properly, okay?"
My workaholic onee-chan!
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T/N: OUGHHH i can see what this is setting up towards... the sisters being conflicted seeing twiligiththa song OUGHHH ICANT BEAR IT