"How is your leg holding up?"
Standing before Tokai Teio, who remained rooted to the spot, Dream Weaver found herself at a loss for words.
Fortunately, checking in on someone's recovery—clichéd as it was—offered a convenient icebreaker.
Tokai Teio flinched as if being jolted awake from a dream. Before she could even find the words to answer, her body moved on its own; she swung her backpack around and pulled out a small medicinal bottle.
"This... I'm giving it back to you."
Dream Weaver took the bottle, realizing why the girl had come to find her.
"Seems like you've recovered well," she noted. "So, do you have plans to run in the Kikuka-sho?"
It was a casual remark, but Tokai Teio's eyes widened as if she'd just heard something utterly beyond belief.
"That's not what you said before!"
She immediately began to mimic the way Dream Weaver had stood by her hospital bed over a week ago, repeating her words with practiced precision.
"'You want to run away from the Kikuka-sho? Do you have my permission? You've always called me arrogant, haven't you? Well, then I'll show you what true arrogance looks like!'"
"It was supposed to be like that!"
Dream Weaver instinctively looked away. To Tokai Teio, that scene had played out only a week ago, but for her, it felt as though a lifetime had passed.
While she remembered the emotions and the reasons behind her outburst, the exact dialogue had slipped through the cracks of her memory.
"To barge into someone's hospital room and say things like that..."
"Do you have any idea how many times I've replayed that moment in my head this past week?!" Tokai Teio huffed, sounding like a crestfallen girl who had just realized her heart had been trifled with.
But she wasn't just a girl. Above all else, her identity as an Uma Musume defined her. She had already sensed a shift in Dream Weaver's aura, and this conversation only confirmed it.
"So, it doesn't matter to you anymore whether I run in the Kikuka-sho or not, does it?"
"I wouldn't go that far. If you can make it, I'd be really hap—"
Dream Weaver turned her head awkwardly, but Tokai Teio cut her off before she could finish.
"Being 'happy' about it... that's not how it's supposed to be."
"Back then, you were so certain it had to be me. You said that for your own sake, I had to be at the Kikuka-sho. You were the one who demanded I show that same form I had at the Japanese Derby!"
Looking at Dream Weaver, who seemed unwilling to meet her gaze, Tokai Teio paused for a long moment before speaking in a soft, low voice.
"You... found your reason for being on the turf, didn't you?"
The air in the room seemed to turn to lead. Dream Weaver's expression shifted from awkwardness to a sudden, piercing sincerity.
This was a question she couldn't—and wouldn't—avoid.
If she did, what would become of everything she had experienced in that scripted world? What would become of the other Dream Weaver's regrets and cowardice?
She turned her head, meeting the other girl's eyes for the first time during this encounter.
"Yes."
"I found the answer. Even if I'm not carrying the hopes of others, I now have the resolve to win simply because I must."
"Then tell me. Give me the final answer to that question from the Satsuki-sho."
Seeing Dream Weaver turn so serious, Tokai Teio's own expression softened unexpectedly. She looked into those eyes—eyes that seemed to reflect the shimmering starlight—and waited for her to speak.
"It's not actually a very grand answer..."
Dream Weaver's voice was quiet, yet her conviction didn't waver in the slightest.
"I want to win. I just want to win. I refuse to taste the bitterness of defeat on that turf ever again. That's my answer."
"I see..."
Tokai Teio lowered her head. After a few seconds of silence, she let out a soft chuckle and looked up. For the first time in months, her face was bright with a sense of easy joy.
"Isn't that wonderful?"
"As an Uma Musume, wanting to win is reason enough."
She took a deep breath and waved her hand dismissively, putting on an air of nonchalance.
"Winning for yourself instead of for others... it looks like you don't need me anymore, do you?"
For some reason, a pang of loneliness hit Tokai Teio's chest. She had always believed she was special to Dream Weaver.
They were of the same generation.
They had met during their debut races and were once hailed as the twin stars leading their era. Even after Dream Weaver had surpassed everyone's wildest expectations, Tokai Teio still felt she held a unique position.
Only she was qualified to challenge Dream Weaver for the Triple Crown.
Only she could help the Dream Weaver of the past—who had been like an empty vessel—find meaning in racing.
And it had been true.
Dream Weaver had reflexively sought answers because of their exchange at the Satsuki-sho, and it was Tokai Teio's performance at the Japanese Derby that first made her want to do something for herself.
If nothing had changed, Tokai Teio might have been the one to fully awaken Dream Weaver's consciousness as an Uma Musume at the Kikuka-sho.
Unfortunately, it seemed that in some place she couldn't see, Dream Weaver had completed her journey of self-growth on her own.
So, the "special" status Tokai Teio prided herself on was no longer necessary.
Combined with what she had seen over the past two days, she realized that Dream Weaver was now surrounded by countless other Uma Musume—some of whom seemed to share a bond that went even deeper than friendship.
It felt as if she was no longer an essential presence.
Just as Tokai Teio decided there was no reason to linger and moved to grab her bag to leave the office, Dream Weaver suddenly reached out and caught her hand.
"Like I said... if you can run in the Kikuka-sho, I'll be truly happy."
Tokai Teio turned back in shock.
She couldn't hear a hint of a lie in Dream Weaver's voice, which only made it harder to understand. Her voice trembled with confusion.
"Eh?"
"...Why?"
Dream Weaver gently pulled her back, setting the girl's backpack aside before speaking with total earnestness.
"What I said back in the hospital... I was too impatient. I was so desperate to figure out my own feelings that I didn't stop to ask what you wanted. I was arrogant, trying to decide everything for you."
Tokai Teio wanted to tell her that she hadn't actually hated that arrogance.
That moment of being overwhelmed by such intense emotion had made her feel like she truly mattered to Dream Weaver.
Besides, she had been at fault too; she had been far too aggressive toward Dream Weaver from the start.
But the words wouldn't come. She was captivated by those eyes, deep as the night sky, and she found herself completely speechless.
"However!"
Dream Weaver tightened her grip on Tokai Teio's hand. The warmth spreading from her palm felt like a heartbeat, transmitting the surging emotions within her.
"I still want to finish the road to the Triple Crown with you."
"This is a story we started together. It's only right that we finish it together, too."
--+--
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.