For Oguri Roman, the Junior Crown Cup had been a crushing blow. What made it truly devastating wasn't the loss itself, but the fact that Dream Weaver had shattered the record left by Oguri Cap.
Sitting on the grass with her knees drawn to her chest, Roman watched the stream flow gently before her, yet her gaze seemed fixed on some distant world beyond. She couldn't even sort through her own emotions—the bitterness of defeat, the shock of seeing her idol's record broken right before her eyes, and a faint, budding hope for Dream Weaver herself. All these feelings churned in her chest until she couldn't tell what her heart truly felt.
Where should she go from here? Should she suppress these emotions and keep racing? Follow Kitahara straight to the central circuit, avoiding Dream Weaver altogether? Or maybe just retire and call it quits?
Dream Weaver was clearly more talented, more promising—the one who could bring revival to the local circuit. She could become the next Oguri Cap, maybe even surpass her.
Only one Uma Musume could shine on that stage, and it wasn't going to be Oguri Roman.
If her own pursuit had lost all meaning, maybe it was better to go back to how things were when she was little—watching others shine from the other side of a TV screen.
"Admiration is the greatest distance from understanding."
"A friend of mine used to say that."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind Oguri Roman. Before she could even turn around, Dream Weaver had already taken a seat beside her.
Faced with this rival who had defeated her and surpassed her idol, Roman suddenly realized that although she'd seen her countless times in her dreams, she'd never actually spoken to her in real life.
Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
"Kitahara says you treat him like some character from a legend. You only take his words as scripted lines from a story, you look up to him with admiration, but you never really listen to what he says."
"He's your trainer now, you know."
"Did you watch TV when you were little?"
Under the gentle tone of Dream Weaver's words, Roman finally stirred. But when she spoke, it was about something else entirely. Dream Weaver didn't interrupt, though, seamlessly picking up the thread.
"Who hasn't?"
"Then you must have seen heroes too, right? Stories like transforming into giants to fight monsters and protect the city."
"For me, Oguri Cap and Kitahara were those kinds of heroes. I thought I'd only ever be able to watch them on TV for my whole life, but then suddenly… the heroes stepped into my reality."
"The expectations they had for me, the inspiration they gave me—it all felt like something out of a dream. Too beautiful to be real."
"Do I… really deserve to carry those expectations?"
It was precisely because she admired them, because she longed for it so much that when it actually happened, she was filled with dread.
Dream Weaver listened quietly until Roman finished speaking before she replied.
"You mean that one, Great Decisive Battle! The Super-Dimensional?"
(T/N: Dream Weaver is referencing Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: The Warriors of the Star of Light where in the plot a boy wishes Ultra and monsters from the tv out into the real world, interacting with their TV heroes.)
"Feels more like Ultra Brothers... I'm surprised you've seen that."
(T/N: Oguri Roman is referencing Super Ultra 8 Brothers where the MC watched Ultraman in their childhood, but they are called to become Ultraman, who they previously adored through the screen.)
Roman had only wanted to pour out the confusing emotions in her heart, so she'd brought up a topic most people wouldn't understand. She never expected Dream Weaver not only to understand but to correct her.
It made Roman feel suddenly closer to Dream Weaver. She was no longer just that symbol—a strong, talented stranger—but someone who shared her interests, who understood what she was talking about.
Seeing Roman's expression soften, Dream Weaver didn't bring up the race again. Instead, she chatted with her about the shows.
As they discussed the stories, the walls around Roman's heart gradually loosened. Always focused on catching up to Oguri Cap, she hadn't made many friends, and certainly none to talk about these plotlines with.
Kitahara was her trainer, but there was still that wall called 'admiration' between them, so Roman had never brought it up with him.
But Dream Weaver was her peer. Once they found common ground, the barriers between them melted away as they talked. Before they knew it, the sun had dipped halfway below the horizon, and the sky was draped in a brilliant orange-red, casting its glow over the earth.
Gazing at the glittering surface of the stream under the sunset, Dream Weaver said softly, "The sunset's beautiful, isn't it? So many classic scenes are shot at this hour."
"A warrior under the evening glow… yeah, it really is beautiful."
Relaxed now, Roman lay back on the grass and murmured. But then, as if remembering something, her tone turned wistful. "But night falls soon after the sunset, doesn't it? That moment is always so brief."
"Even after dark, there's still light, isn't there?"
"You've done it, I've done it—who hasn't pretended to be that light in front of the TV?"
Roman's faint melancholy vanished instantly at Dream Weaver's words. She thought of her childhood self and couldn't help but smile. "So you're saying we saved the world?"
"Of course we did. We've been heroes all along."
"Now it's just about replaying what we did as kids. Back then we had to save the world—this time, we just need to save the local circuit."
Hearing this, Roman opened her eyes and looked at Dream Weaver in surprise. "Me? But I can't figure out how to beat you no matter what. Can someone like me really help save the local circuit?"
"Every bit of light matters. Back then, when we faced despair, maybe the world couldn't have been saved without the two of us."
Dream Weaver smiled as she replied. "Nanno Sumire, Kobayashi Kaze, Nishimoto Makusa, Artisan Bell, and you and me. Reviving the local circuit isn't something one or two stars can do alone. Every Uma Musume who fights for it is a force to be reckoned with."
With that, Dream Weaver stood up and, just like Kitahara Jō, turned to face the setting sun before extending a hand to Roman. "Let's pull those elite young ladies from the central circuit down and save the local scene together!"
"You won't be walking this road alone."
Looking at Dream Weaver, radiant in the sunset, Roman finally understood her loneliness. She had always believed this path was meant for one person—that it could only be walked by one person.
That was why, after being defeated and seeing no hope of victory, she had felt so lost.
But Dream Weaver was telling her now that this road wasn't a one-way street. It was a path that needed many people to pave it together. Even the Miracle Generation wasn't just Oguri Cap alone, was it?
Tamamo Cross, Super Creek, Yaeno Muteki, and so many other Uma Musume and trainers—the Miracle Generation was created by all of them together.
"You're really something else…"
Roman chuckled softly and took the hand Dream Weaver offered. With her help, she rose to her feet. Before them, the stream glimmered under the sunset, and two Uma Musume stood by its banks, their shadows stretching long in the fading light.
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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!
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