The television is full of legends about geniuses.
Hishi Miracle watched plenty of them when she was little.
Back then, her favorite Uma Musume were actually gray-maned runners like Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap. Because she was a gray herself, she always held out hope that one day she could stand on that same stage just like them.
But at some point, Hishi Miracle gradually realized something.
Even if they shared the same coat color, she was no genius.
Clawing one's way up from the local Kasamatsu circuit to the Central stage, only to face a fated rival in a final showdown at the Arima Kinen to prove the glory of the grays—it was a beautiful story.
But what did that have to do with Hishi Miracle?
So, without even noticing it, she stopped chasing the stories of gray Uma Musume.
She became just like the classmates around her, following whoever was the trendiest and strongest at the moment.
Like everyone else, she grew to love that flash of crimson light galloping across the turf.
She no longer dreamed of being the protagonist of the stage, so the gray Uma Musume on the screen were no longer reflections of herself.
Hishi Miracle stopped investing any emotion into those legends beyond a simple, detached admiration.
Dream Weaver was wonderful, and she was powerful.
She might very well be the strongest Uma Musume of this generation—but again, what did that have to do with Hishi Miracle?
She liked that red light, but she never craved to become that light. Long ago, Hishi Miracle had learned she simply wasn't qualified.
That was why, when she met Dream Weaver for the first time, Hishi Miracle didn't show any particular emotion.
Liberty Island, Equinox, Symboli Kris S—the geniuses all yearned to be the next Dream Weaver.
But to Hishi Miracle, Dream Weaver was just a very impressive girl who appeared frequently on TV. Her existence changed nothing about Hishi Miracle's own life.
Even to this day, Hishi Miracle still didn't understand how the world looked through the eyes of those geniuses, nor why they harbored such heavy obsessions with a girl on a television screen.
To her, the Dream Weaver on TV remained unreachable, a figure so distant that the thought of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her never even flickered in her mind.
But her Trainer—the one who was always by her side, the one who poured endless energy into her—was different.
The Trainer would storm into the dormitory to shout her awake when she overslept; she would treat her to sweets with a helpless sigh after training ended; she would sit with her in front of the TV for countless nights, breaking down every opponent and every track detail bit by bit.
For a plain, unremarkable Uma Musume like her, the Trainer was even willing to let go of her obsession with the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, staking all her hopes and her future on a "dummy" like Hishi Miracle.
So, while Dream Weaver remained just a girl on TV, someone she wouldn't dream of surpassing like those geniuses did... her Trainer was the most important person in her life.
As an ordinary Uma Musume, Hishi Miracle had been forced to give up on many things.
Once she knew she had no talent, she gave up the dream of the highest stage; once she knew she wasn't smart, she gave up on her studies.
She had spent her life letting things go.
But now, she didn't want to give up anymore.
She didn't want to let her Trainer down.
She didn't want to fail right in front of her eyes.
Just this once—even if it was only this once—she absolutely had to win!
The world's pause button was pressed once more, but this time, Hishi Miracle couldn't hear a thing.
The cheering, the rain, the beating of her heart... it was as if everything in the world had abandoned her in this instant.
In this moment, the only thing she could feel, the only thing she could perceive, was a scorching flame in her chest that felt like it was exploding.
It was almost like a grand ritual; when an Uma Musume pours in enough will, the furnace known as fate begins to hum.
And then, it forges a miracle strong enough to overturn everything.
"Go, Miracle."
"Go and take your victory."
In a daze, Hishi Miracle heard her Trainer's voice ringing in her ear.
A hand rested on her shoulder and gave a gentle push. In the next heartbeat, a thunderclap roared across the turf.
A bolt of red lightning burst forth with a radiance that nearly lit up the entire Kyoto Racecourse.
The clouds seemed to be blown apart, revealing a tiny crack through which a single beam of sunlight quietly spilled.
As the Kikuka-sho reached its climax, the gloomy drizzle that had lasted half the day finally seemed to tire and cease.
Long-awaited sunlight filtered through the parting clouds and struck the track, pointing unerringly at the Uma Musume who had just conjured a miracle.
In this moment, Hishi Miracle was no longer just a face in the crowd.
At least for this heartbeat, every single person at the Kyoto Racecourse was watching her—watching the only Uma Musume bathed in light.
"Hishi Miracle! Hishi Miracle is accelerating too! She's so fast—her closing speed is neck-and-neck with Symboli Kris S!"
"No, wait! She's even faster!!"
A length's distance was reclaimed in a flash. Symboli Kris S watched the girl beside her who seemed to pierce through the curtain of rain.
Feeling that trembling, explosive power, Kris S felt no anger at her victory becoming an illusion again.
Instead, her heart grew even more fervent.
Through the link between their Zones, she cried out in Hishi Miracle's heart.
"Hishi Miracle! You've awakened your Zone too! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"
"The one who was never wrong about me wasn't you!"
"It was—"
"My Trainer!"
Hishi Miracle gritted her teeth and screamed the words in her mind.
The violent, wild gales nearly forced her eyes shut. She pushed forward recklessly, then further still.
She didn't listen to whatever Kris S said through the link afterward; she didn't hear what the announcer was shouting; she didn't even hear the roar of the crowd.
Her body, her heart, her Zone—every single part of her existed for one thing only: to run, and to keep running, until she could stand before her Trainer and proudly hold up her victory.
Whoosh—
Two figures, one leading by a hair, crossed the finish line almost simultaneously.
The entire Kyoto Racecourse fell into an inexplicable silence. Even the announcer, who usually never let a moment go quiet, couldn't help but hold his breath.
Everyone's eyes instinctively turned toward the same spot. The massive screen standing by the track refreshed its characters after a brief calculation.
[1st Place: Hishi Miracle, 1/4 length.]
The gap was tiny, but she was the undisputed winner.
She was the champion of this Kikuka-sho, the brightest Uma Musume at the Kyoto Racecourse today.
The name "Hishi Miracle" can be split into two parts: the first is her surname, and the second carries the meaning of a divine sign, a wonder.
And today, this plain, ordinary Uma Musume had lived up to the miracle in her name.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.