"What do you... mean?"
Perhaps because Dream Weaver's voice was too soft, T.M. Opera O didn't answer her question. Instead, she gazed up at the sky and continued speaking as if to herself.
"Your debut race, the Hankyu Hai, the Yayoi Sho—with three spectacular wins in a row, you've become the idol every Uma Musume of this era looks up to."
"In everyone's eyes, someone as dazzling as you was destined to grace the stage of the Triple Crown classics and contend for the legendary achievement of an undefeated triple crown."
"That's exactly why you're worthy of being called the rival of the Conqueror of the Century's End!"
Hearing this, Dream Weaver silently sat up and turned to T.M. Opera O, whose features were partly blurred by the glaring sunlight. "You've looked into my past?"
"Call it a rival's intuition~"
T.M. Opera O turned her head and grinned at Dream Weaver. Most of her face was illuminated by the sun, shining so brightly it was almost blinding. Her short orange-red hair seemed to glow as if lit from within, radiant like the sun itself.
"Aside from your debut race, I was there in person for both the Hankyu Hai and the Yayoi Sho."
"Narita Top Road and Admire Vega are fine rivals, but only you have what it takes to be the Tyrant's true opponent."
"And right now, my best result is only a G3—the Daily Hai Queen Cup. You could even say I'm chasing after you! Ahahahaha!"
To Dream Weaver, T.M. Opera O's frank acknowledgment of her own shortcomings was as dazzling as the sun. That intense, unshakable confidence made Dream Weaver want to look away almost instinctively.
"Maybe I'm not as strong as you think. I might have even hit my limit already."
"Do Uma Musume have limits?"
"If not, then where do you draw the line between genius and ordinary? There must be a limit somewhere—a boundary!"
"Is that so? Then, can you see my limit, oh rival of mine?"
Provoked by T.M. Opera O's relaxed, almost mocking tone, Dream Weaver instinctively pulled out her potential-sensing goggles and fixed her gaze on the other girl.
--+--
[Uma Musume: T.M. Opera O
Potential Ceiling: S+ (Crowned Uma Musume)
Description: An undisputed monarch, destined to leave her legend in history.]
--+--
This was the highest potential ceiling Dream Weaver had ever seen. That glaring S+ rating felt like a sharp blade piercing right into her eyes.
She tugged at the corner of her mouth in a self-mocking smile. Narita Top Road was right. So-called geniuses possessed immense confidence and pride—someone as proud as T.M. Opera O naturally had the talent to match.
"...It's painfully clear."
"Well? What do you think?"
"With once-in-an-era talent like that, you might truly become the Conqueror who reigns supreme at the end of this century."
Maybe later, Dream Weaver could find a way to shake off this feeling of defeat and work up the will to step back onto the track and compete against T.M. Opera O.
But at this moment, she didn't have the strength to argue anymore. She stood up and turned to leave.
Just then, T.M. Opera O's voice rang out loudly behind her.
"Is that all?"
"Wha... what?"
Dream Weaver turned back in disbelief. Could such high praise still not satisfy T.M. Opera O?
"Would the Conqueror's path only lead this far?!"
T.M. Opera O suddenly sprang to her feet. Standing against the light, she seemed even more dazzling than when facing the sun directly. Her amethyst eyes suddenly blazed with a terrifying golden light, like a fierce beast awakening from the abyss.
Under that gaze, Dream Weaver felt her heart pounding uncontrollably. The person before her was no longer just that confidently laughing girl—this was the real deal—
The Tyrant who reigns at the end of the century.
Right then, the potential ceiling displayed for T.M. Opera O in Dream Weaver's goggles began to change at an unbelievable pace. It flickered into garbled code, then back to S+, cycling several times before finally settling on a final screen.
--+--
[Uma Musume: T.M. Opera O
Potential Ceiling: ? (?)
Description: An Uma Musume who transcends limits. No one can tell how far she will go.]
--+--
"What is... this?"
The potential-sensing goggles suddenly cracked apart, but Dream Weaver hardly noticed. Staring at T.M. Opera O, whose presence had shifted so dramatically, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"You know what this is, don't you?"
Instead of answering directly, T.M. Opera O stepped closer to Dream Weaver, one pace at a time.
Their foreheads nearly touched—two girls of similar height. T.M. Opera O's amethyst eyes reflected Dream Weaver's deep dark ones. In the space between their heated breaths, T.M. Opera O's lips parted.
"Tell me."
Scorching air swirled between them. Pressured to her limit by this sun-like presence, a competitive fire suddenly surged within Dream Weaver. This time, she didn't back down.
Instead, she even grabbed T.M. Opera O by the collar, pulling them even closer. Glaring into those violet eyes, she snarled:
"If you're so eager to hear it, I'll tell you! It's Zone, isn't it?!"
"Exactly! That's the rival I'm talking about! Ahahahaha!"
Hearing this, T.M. Opera O broke into a wild, triumphant grin. She lifted Dream Weaver's chin, staring at her as if admiring a rare treasure.
"I could feel it—that state you enter on the track! That feeling of holding the entire course in your hands, like you can control everything!"
"You've already touched it—that world known as the Zone!"
Her cadence rose and fell like a grand opera, at times soaring like a hymn to glory, then sinking low like a lament of fate.
"But we both know we haven't fully mastered this power yet."
"The limited conditions for using it, the fluctuating intensity—that's proof we haven't taken that final step."
Suddenly, T.M. Opera O grabbed Dream Weaver's head and pulled her close, whispering in her ear:
"For Uma Musume, only the fiercest competition can forge the brightest brilliance!"
"So let's meet on the track."
"At the Satsuki Sho."
"Let's use each other as the price to take that step!"
With that, she pushed Dream Weaver away. Dream Weaver could see that T.M. Opera O's face was now flushed, her hair damp with sweat, but her eyes still burned with excitement.
"Let's meet again at the Satsuki Sho! My rival! Ahahahaha!"
And just like that, she turned and walked away from Dream Weaver.
On the grass beside Tracen's track, Dream Weaver watched that figure waving a hand behind her back as she departed, and quietly clenched her fists.
Her own heart was also surging with emotion. The frustration she'd felt over their difference in potential had been replaced by pure, raw competitiveness.
"I will win! No matter what it takes!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.