Today, Kitasan Black suddenly realized training felt very strange.
At first, it was the usual horizontal wall running.
1.9 meters, 1.5 meters, 2.4 meters—these three heights, practiced countless times, were already carved into her bones.
She could control her height even with eyes closed, running horizontally along the wall exactly as Yasui Makoto instructed, rarely ever slipping down again.
But for some reason, this time when practicing at 2.4 meters, the familiar wall suddenly became endless.
And strangely enough, her stamina also felt limitless.
Yasui Makoto hadn't called stop, and since she could keep running, she involuntarily kept going along this infinite wall.
At some unknown point, the wall transformed into a racetrack.
The racetrack was covered in lush green grass, equally endless.
From the guardrails and stands that appeared unnoticed on both sides, this place somehow seemed to have become Tokyo Racecourse.
Cheers and shouts erupted into boiling fervor, and an excited announcer's voice echoed throughout the track:
"Around the corner lies the final straight from which there is no turning back! The Japanese Derby's straight is long; a fateful clash is about to unfold!"
Very abruptly yet naturally, booming footsteps began to chase her from behind.
Each step exerted everything, completely all-out.
Every step on the grass resonated with her heartbeat.
Among those footsteps, one resonated particularly clearly with her heartbeat—familiar yet distant.
Before she could identify whose steps they were, the announcer suddenly raised his voice dramatically:
"Entering the straight... Tokai Teio makes her move!"
"Tokai Teio is coming!"
"Tokai Teio is accelerating on the outside!"
"Only 400 meters left! Tokai Teio charges forward!"
"The other Uma Musume are also speeding up! But…"
"Tokai Teio... has overtaken them all!!"
Graceful yet powerful hooves struck the turf, the figure dancing elegantly past opponent after opponent.
Grass peeled away behind her, revealing deep brown soil beneath, as waves of dirt and grass shards cascaded outward.
Viewed from the side, it looked like silk sliced by a sharp blade—this figure cut through the air, relentlessly charging toward the distant finish line.
Kitasan Black finally understood. Somehow, she'd returned to the Japanese Derby she'd once watched with her own eyes.
The last time she'd seen this moment, she'd been in the stands, so excited she'd forgotten the safety instructions, leaning halfway over the guardrails.
Now, inexplicably, she was running alongside the idol she'd admired back then.
Unable to restrain herself, she reached desperately toward the figure ahead, pushing her legs with every ounce of strength.
She opened her mouth, trying to call out her idol's name—but no sound came.
As if knowing the burning eagerness in her heart, the frenzied announcer shouted that name for her:
"Tokai Teio has overtaken them! 3 horse-lengths... 4 horse-lengths!"
"The disadvantage of the outer lane is nothing at all! Tokai Teio charges forward!"
"200 meters left... 100 meters! Tokai Teio leads the way! Tokai Teio is alone at the front!"
"50 meters! The glory of the Japanese Derby is right before her!"
"She crosses the line!"
"Tokai Teio... achieves her second crown!"
"Utter, absolute dominance! Tokai Teio wins the Japanese Derby!"
"Once again, after the Emperor, an undefeated Uma Musume claims two crowns!"
In that instant, staring at the petite, delicate figure beyond the finish line, watching the vivid red cape fluttering behind her, seeing her raise two fingers toward the cheering crowd with a brilliant smile, Kitasan Black felt fireworks explode in her heart, overcome with uncontrollable ecstasy.
She won... She really won!
Did you see, Dia-chan? Teio-senpai won!
An undefeated Uma Musume with two crowns… Senpai did it!!
Then I also... Eh?
Wait a moment, why am I suddenly here...?
Lost in confusion, her excitement gradually faded, and suddenly she heard someone calling her name.
"…Kita-chan? Are...are you alright? Did you have a nightmare...?"
Nightmare...
Still dazed, a soft sensation filled her body, and Kitasan finally realized she must have been dreaming.
She quickly opened her eyes, only to see the entire room upside down.
Her desk, the opposite bed, the stuffed toy beside the pillow, and the reddish glow of her bedside lantern...
This was definitely her familiar dorm room.
Yet, the ceiling and floor had swapped places; the desk and bed all hung inverted above her.
Also upside-down was Satono Diamond, wearing pajamas, an eye mask pushed up to her forehead, head tilted slightly as she looked over with concern.
"I...eh? Why am I sleeping on the floor?"
Bewildered for a moment, Kitasan realized that though she'd been comfortably tucked in bed before falling asleep, now she was sprawled halfway onto the floor.
Seeing her awake, Satono Diamond hurriedly came over and helped her up.
"You seemed to be having a nightmare...? I was asleep but suddenly heard loud noises from your side, and then you shouted something excitedly about Teio-senpai..."
"Oh, I see...now I get it."
Standing up, Kitasan sheepishly scratched her head and explained:
"I was dreaming, but not a nightmare."
"You know, Dia-chan, the dream was really exciting!"
"I don't know how it happened, but I was training at first—running on the wall, you know?"
"But as I ran, suddenly I ended up at the Japanese Derby!"
"It was the Derby where Teio-senpai ran!"
"So, I was running together with Senpai. But Senpai was so fast, she swooshed ahead and won in a flash."
"I was just celebrating for her when you woke me up."
As Kitasan excitedly rambled, Satono Diamond quickly grasped the situation.
Seeing her friend's bed sheets and pillows scattered about, she smiled gently and started helping tidy things up.
"So that's why your blanket ended up like this..."
Kitasan scratched her head again. Spotting her plush doll—which had somehow ended up at the foot of her bed—she quickly retrieved it, joining Diamond in tidying up.
Afterward, watching Kitasan preparing to crawl back into bed, Diamond thoughtfully said:
"But… I guess it's only natural you'd have a dream like that, Kita-chan."
"Only natural...?" Kitasan paused.
Smiling encouragingly, Diamond looked straight at Kitasan:
"After all, the race you dreamed about is happening in just two days, Kita-chan..."
"The race called the Japanese Derby."
"You've been training so hard every single day for this race. Teio-senpai has always been your idol, so having a dream like that is perfectly normal."
"I suppose this is exactly what they mean by dreaming at night what you think about during the day."
"Dreaming at night what you think about during the day, huh..."
Muttering quietly to herself, Kitasan paused mid-way into bed.
Suddenly, her gaze sharpened. She grabbed her phone from the desk beside the bed and glanced at the screen.
"Alright! Decided! It's almost wake-up time anyway, so I won't sleep anymore!"
She energetically bounced up, shocking Diamond as she swiftly started undoing her pajamas.
"Good morning, Dia-chan! I'm heading out to train!"