"Halo, what's wrong?" a friend asked with concern. Saint-King Halo shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing. I probably just haven't been sleeping well lately."
Hearing her words, her followers began to discuss cures for insomnia, but the subject of their conversation didn't hear a single word. Her poor spirits were not due to insomnia or staying up late, but a dream. A dream that was strikingly similar to reality.
In the dream, her life was not much different from reality, except for one thing: she had a younger sister named Celestial Weave. Because of this sister, she had done many foolish things she would never do in the real world and had experienced many emotional fluctuations she couldn't experience in reality. Every time she woke up, she would subconsciously call out her sister's name, as if she really had a sister at home.
Dreams fade with time, so she didn't pay much attention to it at first. Until the her in the dream did something irreversible. The guilt and pain that rushed from her heart made her want to jump into the dream and slap herself. But she couldn't. The her in the dream could still go to the tombstone and cry, but where in reality could she find a horse girl named Celestial Weave?
"Halo? I heard melatonin is good for insomnia. Want to try it?" A friend poked her shoulder, pulling her attention back from the ethereal dream to reality. She turned her head, about to chat with her friends, but in her peripheral vision, she saw a familiar horse girl walking past anxiously.
Narita Top Road was wandering through the campus, distracted. As the class president, she would usually stay in the classroom during lunch to help her classmates, but lately, she hadn't been in the mood. The reason was simple: a dream. A dream like another reality.
In the dream, she had made a good friend since her debut. She was direct and would often say embarrassing things. Sometimes she liked to play pranks to make people happy. Because of her usual directness, it was hard to tell if she was playing a prank or just being clueless. But she still liked this friend very much. She liked her determination, her performance on the track. Once she entered a race, this horse girl would shine like a diamond in the sun, emitting a dazzling light.
In the dream, even as her rival on the track, she couldn't help but admire her brilliance. If only I could always be on the track with her. That's what the her in the dream thought. And so, the her in reality was also gradually drawn to that dazzling light.
Until the day of the tragedy. When she finally reached the finish line of the Satsuki Sho, what she saw was a figure collapsing in the rain. An indescribable emotion filled her heart. She felt that she should have had a chance to save her in the dream. If her persuasion had been stronger, if she could have stopped her suicidal training pace... If possible, she really hoped to meet that horse girl again. This time, she would protect her no matter what.
Walking with her head down, she saw a familiar strand of brown hair float past her, but immersed in her regret, she didn't have the energy to say hello.
Admire Vega was the same. Lately, she had been troubled by a dream. In the dream, she had met a rather special horse girl since her debut. She was determined to win, even at the cost of her own destruction. This determination made her see a reflection of herself in that horse girl. And after getting to know her better, she found out that this girl named Celestial Weave actually had an older sister, which gave her an even stronger sense of deja vu.
The extreme similarity to herself, and having an older sister—this made her often project the image of her own sister onto her. In a way, the her in the dream had already come to see the two sisters as a projection of herself and her own sister. The regrets she couldn't fulfill, at least they couldn't happen to them.
Having done her best, she thought that would be enough. She just needed to watch them be happy from a distance, and she would be satisfied. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Her efforts couldn't change that sad ending. Waking up from the dream, she even thought for a moment that it was her sister questioning her, asking if she could only watch as tragedy unfolded every time without being able to do anything.
But when she looked up at the stars, she didn't feel a trace of negativity. Perhaps this was a reminder from her sister. The her in the dream, due to her hesitation, had failed to get closer, always watching from a distance. If the same thing happened again, she would definitely not just stand by.
"Hahahahahaha!" A loud laugh sounded in her ear. Admire Vega, who was on her way to the cafeteria, her ears twitched, but she didn't stop. As an old rival who had been on the same track, she was used to that distinctive laugh.
T.M. Opera O stood in the center of Tracen, her arms crossed, full of spirit. Beside her, Meisho Doto looked at her, confused as to why she was suddenly so energetic today. "Did something good happen?"
"I had a dream recently!" Hearing her answer, the still-confused Meisho Doto said hesitantly, "Eh? Then... it must have been a good dream, to make you so happy."
"No, to be precise, it was a nightmare. Its ending was a Shakespearean tragedy." Her tone was like she was reciting an opera, as if she were also lamenting that fateful tragedy.
"Eh? Eh?!" Meisho Doto, who had been hoping for an explanation, was even more confused. Would a normal person be happy because of a nightmare?
As if she had read her mind, T.M. Opera O gave her a confident smile and said loudly, "Fate! So-called fate is an unchangeable reality! But if someone could know everything before it happens, they would surely be able to reverse the cruel tragedy, like snapping the threads of the Three Fates!"
Bombarded by a string of grand terms, Meisho Doto could only stare blankly at her performance.
"I've already figured it out! That so-called nightmare was actually a prophecy, a sword of rebellion against fate! And I, who hold this sword, will surely cut down that pitiful ending!"
"B-but... why are you so sure it's a prophecy?" Meisho Doto finally managed to pick out a part she understood from her words and asked. This was what confused her the most. Why would anyone treat a nightmare as a prophecy?
"Hahahahahahahaha! Doto, you're asking such a silly question again. What other reason could there be? Of course, it's—"
"Because I am the Hegemon King of the Century's End!"
"The King's intuition is never wrong!"
Laughing heartily, she patted Meisho Doto's shoulder, like a magnanimous king amused by his subject. "Now, follow the King's steps into battle!"
After saying that, she walked off in the direction Admire Vega had gone. The still-confused Meisho Doto followed behind her. After judging the direction, she came to the most logical conclusion. "Are we going to the cafeteria to eat?"
T.M. Opera O didn't respond. Her back was to her, but her amethyst-like eyes shone with an indescribable light.
Horse girls needed a lot of nutrition for their daily training, so the Tracen cafeteria was always crowded during lunch. In the chattering crowd, four horse girls who had once met each other all happened to come to the cafeteria at the same time.
Saint-King Halo, surrounded by her followers, got her food and then let her mind wander, eating mechanically. Narita Top Road, who had been wandering around the campus with her mind full of thoughts, also happened to arrive at the cafeteria. Feeling hungry, she got her food and sat down, thinking about the dream as she ate. Admire Vega had already finished her lunch, but she hadn't left, just sitting there with a vacant look in her eyes.
And the last to arrive, T.M. Opera O, didn't even get food. Instead, she stood in the center of the cafeteria, her head raised, her eyes fixed on the TV screen hanging in the air.
"Opera O? You came to the cafeteria but you're not eating?" Meisho Doto asked weakly beside her. She was acting too strangely today. Even she, who was always with her, didn't know what she was thinking.
Faced with her question, T.M. Opera O just smiled faintly and said softly, looking at the TV screen, "It's coming!"
Coming... what?
Suddenly, the moment her words fell, a race appeared on the TV screen. As an academy dedicated to training horse girls, it was normal to have TVs in the cafeteria playing students' races. Everyone was used to it.
"Welcome back, viewers. We are now broadcasting the Niigata Nisai Stakes."
"The contestants are at the ready. Who will be the champion of this race?"
"Oh? Contestant number seven—"
"Celestial Weave!"
Hearing this name, Narita Top Road, Admire Vega, and Saint-King Halo all looked up at the same time, staring at the TV screen in shock.
"She's broken away from the pack! So fast, unbelievably fast! She's left the other contestants behind in an instant! Contestant number seven, Celestial Weave! Can she maintain this speed to the end?!"
The commentator's excited voice sounded like it was from another world. Hearing that familiar name again on the racetrack, right before their eyes, the hearts of the three horse girls pounded like they were being hit by a heavy hammer.
Clatter. Saint-King Halo's chopsticks fell to the ground. She could no longer hear the noise of the cafeteria, or even her friends' calls. Her eyes were fixed on the red figure flying across the track on the screen.
Narita Top Road's mouth hung open, with bits of food still inside. But despite her comical expression, her eyes were already red, as if tears were about to flow out at any second.
Admire Vega suddenly stood up, the table and chair making a loud noise that drew the attention of the nearby horse girls. But she didn't care. Her hands were trembling slightly. The residual emotions from the dream seemed to be on the verge of erupting like a volcano.
"It's been a long time."
"My rival!"
T.M. Opera O, who had been staring at the screen, smiled to herself. This scene perfectly overlapped with the back of the figure in her dream, and a long-forgotten thrill surged in her chest.
"She runs so fast," the still-in-the-dark Meisho Doto said blankly, following her gaze to the screen. In her eyes, the horse girl named Celestial Weave didn't seem like someone who should be in this kind of race. For the other contestants, it was a bit too cruel to face such an opponent so early in their careers.
"She's crossed the finish line! Unbelievable! Contestant number seven, Celestial Weave, maintained that speed to the very end, creating a terrifyingly large lead! Are we witnessing the rise of a new star here?!"
On the screen, Celestial Weave, having crossed the finish line, was waving the red ribbon wrapped around her hand to the audience. Seeing this, Saint-King Halo, who had been staring at the screen, could no longer hold back her emotions. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she didn't even blink, as if afraid that everything before her was just an illusion that would disappear if she closed her eyes.
After a while, the TV switched to another channel. The horse girls in the cafeteria were eating lunch as usual, but they all couldn't help but look at the three who were inexplicably emotional.
Having calmed down a bit, Saint-King Halo silently made a resolve. This time, she would not make the same mistake. But when she looked away from the TV, she noticed that the other horse girls were looking at her strangely. It was understandable that they were looking at her, but why were they also looking at Narita Top Road and Admire Vega? And why were they also standing up? Connecting this with the world in her dream, a bold guess gradually formed in her mind.
Could it be that I'm not the only one who inherited that memory?
At that moment, Narita Top Road and Admire Vega also made eye contact. Even though the cafeteria was bustling with noise, a strange silence fell between the three of them.
"So Opera O came to the cafeteria just to watch this race? How did you know about it?" Outside the three's line of sight, Meisho Doto curiously asked.
T.M. Opera O, who was smiling strangely at the confronting trio, casually replied, "Of course I investigated it!"
Her extreme confidence had made her believe that she would not have a meaningless dream. Unlike the other three, who were still struggling with the dream and reality, she had immediately started investigating after realizing the abnormality of this memory. By yesterday, she had finally confirmed all the information she could find about Celestial Weave, which was why she was so energetic today.
Without time to buy a ticket to go to the race, she had simply dragged Meisho Doto to the cafeteria, planning to witness her rival's reappearance on screen. She just hadn't expected to see this scene in the cafeteria. "Things are getting interesting."
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (330 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (148 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (150 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (130 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (100 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (50 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (94 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (90 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal Life in the Nasuverse (75 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.