"War. War never changes."
"The Second Field War, sparked by Dream Weaver and Nanno Sumire—also known in history as the One-Day War."
"With the great Gold Ship declaring, 'Let me join in too!' things spiraled completely out of control."
"In the end, every Uma Musume present was dragged into a muddy abyss with no hope of escape."
"Gwah—"
On the dirt path by the fields, Gold Ship's dramatic narration was cut short by a swift chop to the neck from Dream Weaver.
"That was never part of the setting," Dream Weaver said, retracting her hand with a sigh as she looked at the mud-splattered Gold Ship.
"Even the true history was concealed by an unseen hand, until no one remained who knew the truth of that war."
"This is but a glimpse of the dark age of the Uma Musume."
But Gold Ship showed no remorse. Still dodging Dream Weaver's attacks, she delivered her closing lines full of sly metaphors and sarcasm.
As the target of those insinuations, Dream Weaver could only tug at the corner of her mouth speechlessly.
She fell silent after that, simply following the group as they made their way to Makusa's home.
Walking along the field path with several other Uma Musume, Dream Weaver watched the backs of her companions—Gold Ship waving a tree branch ahead, her own hands still dirty from work. For a moment, she was lost in thought.
This was her first time experiencing something like this—going to a friend's house with classmates.
Back in the scripted world, she'd formed friendships with Narita Top Road and the others, but the pressure of the main quest left her no time to relax or hang out.
This time, though, the scenario started off simple for Dream Weaver, who retained memories of the real world. The real challenges hadn't even begun yet, leaving her plenty of time to joke around with friends.
Realizing this, it struck her that this period might turn out to be unexpectedly precious.
"What's on your mind?"
Noticing Dream Weaver spacing out, Nanno Sumire poked her arm and asked.
Even though they'd just been roughhousing, it didn't mean they didn't get along. On the contrary, the clever Sumire always noticed when something was off with Dream Weaver.
Snapped out of her thoughts, Dream Weaver turned to Sumire.
"Why'd you dye your hair blonde? Do you just like the color?"
Hearing that, Sumire unconsciously twirled a strand of her hair.
"Not really. I just thought it looked nice. All the models and celebrities in magazines dye their hair this color anyway."
Her tone was casual, but Dream Weaver could somehow tell what she was really thinking.
She remembered Sumire once telling her that to fit in at Kasamatsu, you had to blend in with the crowd. That's why, when Oguri Roman failed without seeming too upset, Sumire put on the same act in front of everyone.
The blonde hair was part of that too—dyeing it was Sumire's way of trying to fit into the mainstream during her lost period after giving up on becoming an Uma Musume.
"Your natural brown hair was pretty nice too, though."
Dream Weaver glanced at the roots of Sumire's hair, where the brown was gradually growing out. She hadn't redyed it in a long time—that trip they took together last time was just an excuse.
Hearing that, Sumire's face flushed, and she instinctively hid behind her hair.
"Makes me look like some country girl."
"Hey, I finally say something nice and you immediately backtrack."
Sumire's eyes went deadpan, and she elbowed Dream Weaver irritably in the side.
"Country girls are fine though. You don't have to change yourself to keep up with city trends."
"Aren't we aiming for the central circuit? Once you become a star there, everyone will start copying you and dye their hair brown."
"What kind of nonsense is that? There's no way that'd happen."
Sumire elbowed her again, annoyed, but for some reason the blush on her face didn't fade.
"Out of all of us, only you and Oguri Roman have a shot at making it to the central circuit. Have you decided on your race schedule yet?"
She abruptly changed the subject.
Dream Weaver, still watching their friends horsing around up ahead, didn't notice Sumire's odd behavior. She thought for a moment before answering.
"The Gifu Gold Cup in October, the Kasamatsu Kinen in November, and the Shiwasu Kinen in December."
"That's the race schedule Chizuru and Kitahara settled on for this year."
"They're still debating whether to enter the Kasamatsu Grand Prize next March. If not, we'll probably start scheduling central circuit races."
Sumire listened quietly, hands behind her back, kicking a small stone as she walked. Only after Dream Weaver finished did she ask:
"What's special about the Kasamatsu Grand Prize?"
"They say it's the centerpiece of Kasamatsu's spring season. If you win, you qualify for the Haneda Hai."
"Not that I can enter anyway. The Haneda Hai is deliberately scheduled on the same day as the Japanese Derby—like the local circuits are trying to compete with the central ones."
"But that's all in the past now. These days, the local circuits don't have what it takes to rival the central ones."
"Kitahara wants me to start with the Satsuki Sho and aim for the Triple Crown, but Chizuru thinks I should just go straight for the Japanese Derby. So they're stuck arguing."
Hearing names like the Satsuki Sho, the Triple Crown, and the Japanese Derby coming one after another from Dream Weaver's mouth made Sumire feel a little dazed.
This time last year, she never would've imagined being this close to top-tier races—or having someone around her actually considering competing in them.
"Such distant goals… I'll probably never catch up to you."
Sumire lowered her head, her expression hidden.
Sensing the shift in her tone, Dream Weaver wanted to say something comforting, but before she could, Sumire continued:
"You said the Haneda Hai was set up to compete with the Japanese Derby, right?"
She turned slightly toward Dream Weaver with a smile.
"Then I'll just aim for the Haneda Hai. While you're winning the Japanese Derby, I'll take the Haneda Hai."
"Don't let me… don't let everyone down, okay? Our local hero?"
Sumire held out a fist. Looking at her—face and hair streaked with dirt, clothes wrinkled and soaked with mud—Dream Weaver thought she seemed far more captivating now than she had back when they first met, all dressed up and polished.
Dream Weaver bumped her fist against Sumire's.
"I'll show you."
They shared a smile, but before they could say more, Kobayashi Kaze turned back from ahead and waved at them, shouting:
"Hurry up, you two! This isn't a date, you know! If we're late getting back to Gramps' place, the food will get cold!"
Seeing the other Uma Musume calling out to them, Dream Weaver and Sumire responded and quickly caught up to their friends.
--+--
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.