Mejiro Ramonu couldn't believe her eyes, but she'd never been one to lie to herself.
She had raced down the straight at her utmost speed, had given everything she had, but in the end, she was still one step too late.
Even as the announcer screamed desperately for the medical team, what unfolded before Ramonu's eyes was a scene so cruel she didn't even know how to react, her normally composed expression shattered entirely.
A long, trailing streak of blood.
Even in the muddy ground soaked by rain, Twilight Song's blood was starkly visible, blooming across the earth like a sinister, scarlet flower.
But that grotesque, sinister image was not what Ramonu wanted at all.
She had wanted to see a clean, decisive victory—to see that little filly proudly returning home to Mejiro Manor.
How could this happen?
Why did it suddenly turn out like this?
Had pushing through all those races finally taken its toll? But she'd personally checked every medical report herself!
Ramonu fell to her knees beside Twilight Song, the blood-stained mud staining her noble skin without protest.
Twilight Song had run incredibly fast—too fast—and once she'd crossed the finish line, her sudden loss of momentum had flung her violently forward, leaving behind a long gouge in the turf.
It was like an ugly scar carved across Longchamp Racecourse itself.
Gently, Ramonu lifted Twilight Song from the muck, resting her small frame on her lap. She couldn't bear to look directly, but forced herself to anyway.
The adorable little filly's face was covered entirely in mud—but it wasn't merely dirt. Beneath the grime, Ramonu could see torn flesh.
No, no, don't scare me like this, Ruka. Don't you dare—this is my failure as your big sister...
I was still waiting for your next birthday, to celebrate happily together with everyone, like a real family.
"…Is…"
Ramonu wanted to scream at the medical team for their infuriating slowness, but the faint whisper she heard forced her to lean down instead.
"Ruka? Don't move around, medical staff are on their way. It'll all be alright..."
Ramonu whispered soothingly, hoping desperately that Twilight Song would obediently stay quiet—but instead...
She watched as Twilight Song slowly opened her eyes, bloodshot and unfocused, gazing blankly upward, only reacting faintly when raindrops touched her face.
In that instant, Ramonu understood something horrible:
This was far worse than just a simple injury.
Ah, of course. Setting aside that strange coughing up of blood, the way Ruka had crashed so violently must have caused devastating harm…
Ramonu struggled desperately to maintain composure, bending even closer to catch Twilight Song's barely audible voice.
"Is...that you, Ardan-nee? I...can't hear clearly…can't see…"
But it's me—it's Ramonu! Wait... can't hear, can't see?
Ramonu went numb. Helpless fury surged through her as she realized the cruel truth:
She was powerless. Completely and utterly useless in the face of this disaster.
She could only watch silently as the little filly weakly raised her trembling hand toward Ramonu's cheek.
That tiny hand was slick with blood, trembling as if it would collapse at any moment—but Ramonu quickly guided it, pressing Twilight Song's palm softly against her own face.
"I'm so cold… It's Ramonu-nee, right? Ardan...wouldn't feel like this…"
Speechless, Ramonu remained frozen, but after a moment of hesitation, she took a desperate step:
No more self-deception. At least let Ruka feel a little comfort at the end.
In the rain, Ramonu gently cradled Twilight Song closer to her chest.
I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do.
It's your big sister's fault...
Ramonu instinctively tightened her embrace, but quickly relaxed again. What she held in her arms felt like wet feathers—soft, yet unbearably heavy, rapidly losing warmth—but Ramonu refused to let go.
"Ruka, hold on just a bit longer. Do you hear me? The medics will be here soon…"
Even though she knew Twilight Song couldn't hear her, Ramonu kept speaking gentle encouragement. She clung desperately to hope.
Hope that once the rain stopped, something called a miracle would come—that Twilight Song's determination, the miracle she sparked by standing back up after falling, might return again.
Please no. Please, please no!
For the first time in her life, Ramonu began praying, begging any entity that might listen. But did it even matter?
Under Ramonu's hopeless gaze, Twilight Song weakly smiled through battered lips, her fingertips tracing slowly along Ramonu's cheek as if memorizing her touch.
"I'm glad…at the end… Ramonu-nee finally hugged me... ugh…"
A thick stream of blood, filled with pieces, burst violently from her mouth—but in one last conscious effort, Twilight Song twisted her head away, letting the filthy liquid splatter onto the muddy ground.
Yet that very action only deepened Ramonu's agony.
That was the exact moment Ramonu fully realized the truth.
In the pouring rain, she broke down crying, mourning her own incompetence and slow reactions, her failures, and her helplessness.
Why? Why like this?
Ruka was still so young; she'd only been with us for one short year. Her racing career had just begun, and only one final step stood between her and becoming a legend.
Why did this happen—why this? It shouldn't end like this...
Behind her, Ramonu heard the approaching footsteps of the medics, but just as she was about to speak, she felt the small body in her arms slowly relax.
Twilight Song was losing strength, her once proud body—victorious only moments before—growing cold and rigid.
Ramonu closed her eyes in despair. She knew exactly what that meant.
In that moment, a childish urge to deny reality briefly seized her, but then she heard one last faint whisper.
"Ramonu-nee…I'm so cold."
So cold. In this relentless rain, she was so terribly cold—and as her sister, Ramonu could do absolutely nothing but hold Twilight Song, helplessly feeling the life in her arms fade away bit by bit, drifting ever further away.
Twilight Song's name would forever be carved into Uma Musume history, remembered as the first horse girl to triumph at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
But...
But Twilight Song was leaving her forever.
Forever abandoning Mejiro Ramonu.
Under the endless rain, water droplets falling from her chin, Ramonu gazed emptily toward the heavens, filled with overwhelming despair.
If only there were another chance. If only there was another life.
If only she could have kept Ruka safely by her side from the very beginning, away from all dangers...
...
...
...
Stop deceiving yourself, Mejiro Ramonu.
She died because of your negligence and your lack of care.
This is all your fault.