Dream Weaver didn't have to wait long. Before she could even finish counting the leaves, two sets of footsteps already reached her ears.
Just as she had expected, the newcomers were Dancing Brave and King Halo.
They approached her one after the other, placed the bouquets they were carrying gently down, and then fell into silence.
A long moment passed before Dancing Brave finally spoke, her voice soft and measured.
"It's this day again."
"How time flies…"
Hearing those words, it suddenly dawned on Dream Weaver why Narita Top Road and the others had all crowded in yesterday to pay their respects—they had wanted to leave today, this particularly meaningful day, for Dancing Brave and King Halo.
Still, she couldn't help but smile wryly at the thought of that rascal T.M. Opera O, who'd straight up fallen asleep right in front of her and didn't leave until early this morning.
"Now that's what I call cheating," she mused quietly to herself.
Just as Dream Weaver was lost in her own thoughts, Dancing Brave, who stood before her, continued speaking.
"Even after all this time, the brilliance I witnessed that day at the Satsuki Shō still feels as vivid as if it were yesterday."
"Was that your gift to me?"
As she spoke, Dancing Brave placed a hand over her heart, as though feeling once more the fierce intensity of that long-ago race.
To Dream Weaver, the Satsuki Shō had only just happened. She couldn't fully grasp how that radiance had been refined by time into something even more dazzling.
But it still made her happy to hear Dancing Brave say those words. The championship she'd won at the cost of her life had accomplished more than just completing her main mission—it had left something behind. And that was enough to satisfy her.
"Was it really that brilliant?" Dream Weaver murmured, not really expecting a reply.
"Oh, it was blinding," Dancing Brave answered, as though she'd heard her.
"You on that track…"
But before Dream Weaver could feel surprised, Dancing Brave added one more thing.
Then, she turned her gaze toward King Halo.
"I'll leave the rest of the time to you. I'm sure you have plenty you'd like to say to Little Dream alone?"
After giving King Halo a slight nod, Dancing Brave quietly stepped back and retreated beneath the shade of a distant tree.
Dream Weaver looked at King Halo with curiosity. Narita Top Road had cried like a child; Admire Vega had seemed to hold back words left unspoken; that cheeky T.M. Opera O had not only sneaked in to play out her Romance of the Three Kingdoms fantasy but even stayed the night; and Dancing Brave had openly acknowledged the impact Dream Weaver had on her—that brilliance had truly reached her heart.
But what about King Halo?
What would she say?
After Dream Weaver's death, had she become a truly remarkable Uma Musume?
Perhaps because King Halo had shown the most vulnerability in front of Dream Weaver, she was especially curious about how her story had unfolded.
King Halo pressed her lips together, hesitating as she stared at the tombstone. Finally, after a long pause, she gathered her courage and spoke.
"I'm sorry."
"This apology is long overdue."
"I should have said it much sooner, but… right after the Satsuki Shō, everything happened so suddenly."
"After that, I felt I didn't have the right to face you. It took me until today to finally find the courage to come here."
Her voice was soft as she spoke, her fingers gently tracing the cold black-and-white photo on the tombstone.
"Black and white don't really suit you."
With that, she drew a red ribbon from within her clothes. Wrapped inside was something that glinted with a metallic shine.
King Halo laid the ribbon flat before the tombstone, weighing it down with a small medal. Embossed in gold letters were the words:
[G1 Race — Takamatsunomiya Kinen — Champion: King Halo.]
After Dream Weaver's departure, she had finally broken through her own limitations and become the first-class Uma Musume she had always dreamed of being.
Seeing this medal, a symbol of glory, Dream Weaver smiled warmly and began to applaud. Having burned her own life for a G1 victory, she knew exactly how hard-won such honors were.
Especially since King Halo had earned it after her death—it seemed to signify that she had finally overcome her inner demons.
"Congratulations—"
"I actually won this medal several years ago."
Huh? Dream Weaver was puzzled. So it wasn't a recent achievement?
Shouldn't the natural progression have been to win a G1, then come to her little sister to declare that she had made peace with herself?
But there was more she hadn't anticipated. When King Halo showed the medal, there was no sense of relief in her demeanor.
"Now I finally understand how Admire Vega must have felt."
"What's the use of winning so many titles? Are they just excuses to console myself? Would you have come back even if I became a top Uma Musume?!"
King Halo's voice began to tremble with emotion, her clear tone shaking with suppressed sobs.
Tears welled incessantly from the corners of her reddened eyes, lingering briefly on her chin before falling heavily onto the cold ground, leaving dark spots on the bluish stone.
"But what's the point of saying 'I'm sorry' here in front of a tombstone?!"
"It's not this stone I owe an apology to—it's a living person!"
Her tears fell like broken strings of pearls, her voice fracturing into choked, gasping fragments, each word seeming to be wrenched from deep within her chest.
From these broken, tear-filled words, Dream Weaver clearly understood the journey King Halo's heart had taken over all these years.
At first, there was a regret so intense it felt like vomiting one's very marrow—a heart-wrenching agony. Later, it transformed into an obsessive drive to chase after G1 victories at all costs. But when she finally lifted that trophy, the redemption she had hoped for turned into an even deeper void. King Halo still could not forgive herself.
And then, at that very moment, that cold, mechanical voice sounded once again in Dream Weaver's ears.
[Beginning return to the real world.]
Was showing her this scene with King Halo the reason she was brought back to this scripted world?
How cruel, System.
Watching King Halo's tear-streaked face, Dream Weaver instinctively reached out to wipe her tears away, even though she knew she couldn't really—
"Huh?"
Two puzzled voices sounded simultaneously in the cemetery.
Dream Weaver's hand was now enveloped in points of light, appearing ethereal and unreal. And yet, that very hand made tangible contact with King Halo's cheek.
Seeing the confusion on King Halo's face, Dream Weaver was stunned for a moment, then broke into a gentle smile.
"There's no need to blame yourself so much."
"Little… Dream?!"
"It's me."
Dream Weaver softly brushed away the tears on King Halo's face.
King Halo completely broke down. She didn't know if this was her own delusion or a hallucination, but the warmth on her cheek felt undeniably real.
Sobbing, she threw herself into Dream Weaver's arms, crying and sniffling as she spoke through her tears.
"Little Dream! I—I'm so sorry! I—I'm your big sister, and yet I did something like that… and I never even came to see you—"
"I—I don't deserve to be your sister at all—"
But Dream Weaver simply held her, gently stroking her cheek.
Her mind drifted back to the first time she had met King Halo—that proud, somewhat spoiled girl who had dragged her around the campus, and who had shyly handed her a ribbon.
"You're right, it is a mistake—"
With that, she gently pushed King Halo back, holding her face—now timid with uncertainty—in her hands.
Looking at the pitiful expression she wore, Dream Weaver smiled, tapped her reddened nose with a fingertip, and said amid the shimmering light:
"Because you've always been a first-class big sister."
--+--
T/N: Gah damn its another bad day for rain...
--+--
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.