Tokyo Racecourse, Sunny, Firm Ground.
All eyes were fixed eagerly on the entrance tunnel, awaiting the appearance of that Uma Musume. More than half the crowd had gathered here precisely because of her.
Fully aware of the audience's expectations, the commentator was not about to dampen the mood. The seasoned middle-aged announcer in the booth knew exactly what everyone wanted to see and hear. He raised his microphone and shouted with all his might:
"Next to take the track is—"
"The top pick! Number twelve, Orfevre! The once-in-a-lifetime Classic Triple Crown—the destined ruler has finally arrived on her stage!"
The commentator's voice echoed throughout Tokyo Racecourse. Such an introduction would have seemed biased if applied to any other Uma Musume—commentators usually need to build suspense to spark the audience's curiosity, and absolute statements like this are generally avoided.
Take Akasaka Rin during the Kyodo Tsushin Hai, for instance: even though Dream Weaver won that race, she was later warned against bringing personal preferences into the commentary.
But today, not a single spectator questioned this declaration, and the commentator would face no reprimand after the race.
This wasn't just one person's preference—it was a consensus shared by all.
Orfevre, the Uma Musume who bore gold in her name, was the undisputed monarch dominating this generation.
Her legend had already spread throughout the horse racing world: her prodigious talent detected from a young age, her single-handed dismantling of Central Tracen's future, even the feuding elite families had to admit—
She was the future of Japanese horse racing.
As the Uma Musume most likely to break the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe curse, the Satsuki Sho was little more than a starting point on her legendary path.
Amid the roaring crowd, a calm figure emerged from the tunnel. The mountain-like pressure of expectation didn't crush her—instead, she waved confidently, sweeping her gaze over the stands as though surveying her own domain.
Among the cheering masses, Sumire Nanno watched Orfevre's entrance, silently tightening her grip on the Dream Weaver plushie in her hands.
Today, Orfevre wore a race outfit of gold, black, and red—a color scheme that magnified her imposing presence. Extravagant accessories adorned her figure, adding an air of nobility, while a six-pointed star crown glittered atop her brilliant golden hair under the sunlight.
Even filled with belief in Dream Weaver, Sumire couldn't help but feel a sinking in her heart at the sight of Orfevre.
Especially since—apart from those from Kasamatsu Tracen—almost every spectator was chanting Orfevre's name. Compared to the force of tens of thousands, Dream Weaver's supporters seemed vanishingly small.
Their group of ten or so stood like a little isolated anomaly, liable to be crushed without a trace if discovered by that tidal wave of energy.
Sumire instinctively glanced at the others around her and noticed the same grave expression on their faces. In this jubilant Tokyo Racecourse, they were very much in the minority.
The name "Orfevre" alone was already overwhelming enough, but now, amplified by the roar of tens of thousands, Sumire couldn't bear to imagine what Dream Weaver would face when she finally appeared.
The thought suddenly sparked a surge of courage in Sumire. Knowing full well that Dream Weaver couldn't hear her, she shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Go get 'em, Dream!"
Her voice was utterly insignificant against the roar of thousands, swallowed up in an instant without anyone even noticing.
But Sumire wasn't speaking for the crowd—she was speaking for herself, and for everyone beside her.
Sure enough, hearing her, the Kasamatsu Tracen group all rose to their feet, shouting defiantly into the cheering tide:
"Show them what a Kasamatsu Uma Musume can do!"
"Yeah! It's just Orfevre! Use that unstoppable Great Escape and blow past her!"
Amid the ocean of cheers, the Kasamatsu Tracen supporters were like a stubborn little reef, standing firm against the waves as they shouted for the one they believed in.
Just as they thought their cries would go unanswered, two surprised voices spoke up simultaneously behind Sumire:
"I can't believe there are people here supporting Dream too?!"
"It's a miracle, really, how she brings everyone together."
The group turned to see a man and a woman.
The man lifted his camera in greeting, scanned the group thoughtfully, and remarked with emotion:
"I'm Tagami Kan, a field reporter from Gifu Publishing. Running into everyone from Kasamatsu Tracen here at the vast Tokyo Racecourse—it must be fate."
Hearing this, Kobayashi Kaze turned around, equal parts surprised and puzzled:
"You know who we are?"
"I know everyone from Kasamatsu. I'm a professional, after all."
Tagami then proudly recited the names and race records of every Kasamatsu Uma Musume present, not forgetting the two trainers and the principal working behind the scenes.
Just as he finished, expecting looks of amazement, a soft male voice piped up in front of him:
"What about me?"
Tagami looked over the unremarkable young man and the Dream Weaver plush in his hands, then asked curiously:
"Are you… also a Dream fan who ended up here by chance?"
Hearing that, Satou Ken finally gave up hope. He had thought, since Tagami knew everyone else's name, that he might be included too.
It seemed support staff really were invisible. Just as Ken was feeling disappointed, the woman who had spoken earlier finally said:
"You're Satou Ken, the third trainer at Kasamatsu Tracen, right?"
Rin Akasaka took off her sunglasses and winked slyly at Tanishi, as if to say, 'This is what a professional looks like.'
Faced with her challenge for the title of "Most Dedicated Dream Weaver Fan," Tagami could only shrug in surrender.
Having defeated her rival, Rin grew even more pleased with herself. She winked at the Kasamatsu group, expecting to be recognized.
But everyone just looked at her curiously, waiting for her to continue.
"You really don't recognize me?! You should know my voice—I've been commentating at Kasamatsu Racecourse, and I called several of your races!"
Once she revealed her identity, Artisan Bell spoke up apologetically:
"We thought you'd be in the commentator's booth today, so it didn't click right away."
Hearing that, Rin staggered back as if struck, looking even more upset than when the Uma Musume hadn't recognized her.
She looked up toward the commentator's booth, an unwilling expression on her face:
"I wanted to commentate Dream's race too… This is her first G1!"
"I must've stepped on the toes of those old-timers in the commentary world at some point—they set me up!"
Truth be told, given Rin's experience, being assigned to host the G3 Kyodo Tsushin Hai after moving to Central was already a sign of respect. But today was different: not only a G1, but the start of the Classic Triple Crown, and most importantly, Orfevre's debut.
This race was too important to entrust to a rookie commentator fresh to Central.
No matter how much Rin resented it, she had to buy a ticket and watch Dream Weaver's race from the stands.
While everyone was surprised by the two behind-the-sc supporters of Dream Weaver, Sumire keenly noticed that Chizuru Haibara, sitting to the side, hadn't said a word.
Not only was she uninterested in Tagami and Rin, but she hadn't even joined in when everyone was cheering for Dream Weaver earlier.
"Chizuru, what's wrong?"
Sensing something off, Sumire poked Chizuru's shoulder.
The sudden touch made Chizuru stiffen briefly. Recognizing Sumire, she relaxed and said:
"Oh, it's you. Is something wrong?"
Her reaction only made Sumire more certain something was up.
Dream Weaver and Chizuru's conversation in the office had stayed private, and during track training, Chizuru had deliberately maintained her usual demeanor.
But today, at the venue, seeing Orfevre in person, she could no longer fully conceal her emotions—and Sumire's sharp eyes caught that slight abnormality.
That tiny hint reminded Sumire of what Dream Weaver had once told her: Kitahara supported running in the Satsuki Sho, while Chizuru had argued for starting with the Japanese Derby.
Now that Dream Weaver was running in the Satsuki Sho, was Chizuru upset about that?
"Even if Dream chose Kitahara's schedule, you shouldn't hold it against her."
"I never took you for such a petty adult, Chizuru!"
Hearing Sumire's words, Chizuru was taken aback, then suddenly laughed.
"You really do adore Dream, don't you?"
Chizuru's unexpected comment immediately made Sumire's cheeks flush. She waved her hands in denial, flustered:
"What—what are you talking about?! Don't change the subject!"
Watching Sumire thrown into disarray by one remark, Chizuru couldn't help but smile, but the thought of what she'd been pondering earlier quickly wiped the smile from her face.
"Sumire, do you think Dream can win?"
"Huh? Well—"
Sumire was caught off guard by the sudden question. After a moment's thought, she said:
"She might have a chance, right?"
"During the Kyodo Tsushin Hai, she didn't even go all out. And she pushes us so hard in training. Even if Orfevre is amazing, she's still just an Uma Musume—the gap can't be that big, can it?"
Chizuru nodded silently. That was pretty much the shared opinion among Dream Weaver's supporters. Before coming today, she too had believed Dream might snatch a victory from Orfevre through clever strategy.
But…
Chizuru narrowed her eyes slightly. Even from this distance, surrounded by all these people, she could still feel the terrifying, overwhelming aura radiating from Orfevre.
Orfevre was stronger than Chizuru had previously imagined. Even without pressure from other Uma Musume, her growth rate far exceeded Chizuru's expectations.
Now she was starting to worry that Dream Weaver's one remaining chance might slip away too.
If that happened… would she have to witness another Uma Musume's dreams shattered before her eyes?
If Dream Weaver fell, it wouldn't just be her failure. The revival of regional racing would be cut short, Kasamatsu Tracen would revert to its old state, and all their efforts over the past year would become meaningless.
Chizuru closed her eyes. Her heart was already trembling at the thought of that future.
Seeing Chizuru fall silent, Sumire asked worriedly:
"Chizuru, you don't think Dream can win?"
"I… don't know…"
"Since it's all unknown, why not believe in her first?"
"What?"
Chizuru opened her eyes in surprise. She hadn't expected Sumire—once the most pessimistic of Kasamatsu Tracen, who had almost given up on Uma Musume—to say such a thing.
"Hasn't she already shown us plenty of miracles?"
"Her debut race, the Junior Crown Cup, the Kyodo Tsushin Hai… Why couldn't a miracle like that happen again?"
"That kind of thinking isn't rational. Relying on something so uncertain—"
"If we're talking rational, wouldn't that be the elite schools with their precise, machine-like training and tactics?"
Sumire's words left Chizuru speechless. Her own method of accumulating data and analytics was learned during her time as an assistant trainer at the Gold Family, and she had applied it to training Dream Weaver and the others.
"But the racetrack isn't something mechanical, is it? What everyone feels from the races isn't just cold, hard victory."
"You've always been so smart… Why are you saying things like this now?"
The lessons from the Gold Family were engraved in Chizuru's soul. Though she didn't know how to refute Sumire, she couldn't convince herself either.
"Maybe I've spent too much time around fools."
Sumire replied with a smile. Seeing Chizuru turn away as if ignoring her, Sumire kept poking her waist until she finally turned back, then continued:
"Want to make a bet?"
"I think Dream will win this time—maybe even a victory that stuns everyone."
"You think something like that can decide the outcome…?"
"Don't be such a pessimist! Have you been watching too many gloomy cartoons holed up in your room?"
"That has nothing to do with it!"
For some reason, Chizuru suddenly seemed agitated. Sumire smiled and waved her hand:
"If I win, you're not allowed to say depressing things anymore. You have to support Dream properly in the races ahead—you're her trainer, after all."
"It's not about support—it's about rational consideration. You fools wouldn't understand!"
"So? Do you want to bet or not?"
Chizuru meant to refuse outright, but the words wouldn't come. No matter how much she claimed to think rationally, she too wanted to see Dream Weaver win. After a long silence, she finally muttered:
"What happens if you lose?"
But Sumire just blinked and said to Chizuru:
"She won't let me lose."
Before Chizuru could respond, the voice from the commentator's booth cut through their conversation:
"The final entrant is—"
"Number Eighteen, Dream Weaver."
--+--
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.