Amidst this mutual deception, Dream Weaver and Mejiro Ardan passed their days one after another. Between them, suspicions naturally sprouted because of the secrets each kept.
For instance, why hadn't Dream Weaver started training yet?
No matter how naturally gifted she was, she couldn't just show up for the Autumn Tenno Sho without any preparation.
Besides, she herself had said that Narita Brian would be in peak form for the race. Mejiro Ardan felt that even Dream Weaver needed to put in more practice.
She didn't want her own situation to prevent Dream Weaver from fulfilling her potential.
The same went for Mejiro Ardan. Dream Weaver had asked her multiple times why she always slowed down midway through a run.
According to the data Dream Weaver had observed, Mejiro Ardan was far from reaching her limit.
Dream Weaver also hadn't noticed any signs of injury on Mejiro Ardan. Even when she asked directly, Mejiro Ardan always insisted she was perfectly fine.
How could Mejiro Ardan tell her the truth? Her brittle legs were the source of her insecurity.
As long as she could keep it hidden for one more day, she wouldn't tell Dream Weaver prematurely. If Dream Weaver found out that the training schedule she arranged was causing her pain, she would be wracked with guilt.
That was the last thing Mejiro Ardan wanted to see. This was the path she herself had chosen to walk. Dream Weaver had already spent so much time on her, making victory in the Autumn Tenno Sho seem uncertain.
How could she bear to see Dream Weaver torment herself over this?
Though they maintained this unspoken agreement to keep their secrets, both knew the day of reckoning would come eventually.
For Dream Weaver, the timeline was clearer. She knew her lie would end after the Autumn Tenno Sho.
But for Mejiro Ardan, it was far more vague. She had no idea how long her body could hold out. It was like glass—no one could tell it was about to break until it suddenly, inexplicably shattered.
That moment might be far off, not coming until after the Autumn Tenno Sho, or even until after she participated in the Dream Cup.
Or it could be imminent, perhaps arriving within these few months leading up to the Autumn Tenno Sho.
Mejiro Ardan didn't know. She could only try her best to cherish each day she still had on the training field. This life would inevitably end, but before that day came, she wanted to savor the feel of the wind and the scent of the grass here with all her might.
With one month left until the Autumn Tenno Sho, Dream Weaver stood puzzled at the gates of Tracen Academy, waiting for Mejiro Ardan.
She hadn't shown up yesterday either. With no way to contact her, Dream Weaver had simply assumed she was taking a lazy day off and didn't think much of it.
But now, as the agreed-upon time arrived again, Mejiro Ardan was still nowhere to be seen.
This was beyond what Dream Weaver had expected. In her eyes, while Ardan never pushed to her absolute limit, she had always been diligent and serious. She truly wanted to return to the racetrack.
Skipping one day of training was understandable, but Dream Weaver refused to believe she'd skip two days in a row.
Yet, with no way to contact Mejiro Ardan, the only way to find her was to go to the Mejiro household—a place Dream Weaver absolutely loathed.
She had long intended to settle things with Mejiro Asama, but her revulsion had caused her to put it off until now.
'I guess I have no choice but to go…'
Dream Weaver leaned against the school gate with a sigh and was about to head towards the train station when a sleek black luxury car suddenly pulled up, blocking her path.
Frowning at the vaguely familiar vehicle, Dream Weaver didn't even have time to speak before the window rolled down.
Revealed inside was a weary-looking Mejiro Ramonu, with deep dark circles under her eyes. Her usually neat and tidy bun was hastily tied up, the naturally curly ends of her hair a tangled mess.
Seeing Mejiro Ramonu in such a disheveled state didn't change Dream Weaver's expression in the slightest. In her view, this was just the price the Mejiro family had to pay for trying to manipulate public opinion.
"What do you want?" she said, her voice icy cold. Though she had just resolved to go to the Mejiro house to find Mejiro Ardan and Mejiro Asama, that didn't mean her attitude towards them would be any better.
In her eyes, the Mejiro family were all a bunch of power-hungry scoundrels, capable of anything to achieve their goal of consecutive Tenno Sho victories. As the heir to the family head, Mejiro Ramonu was undoubtedly involved.
She had probably had everything planned out from the very first time she visited the Northern household. How could Dream Weaver possibly have a good attitude towards her?
Hearing Dream Weaver's words, Mejiro Ramonu's eyebrows shot up, looking as if she was ready to have a shouting match right at the gates of Tracen.
But in the end, she swallowed her words with a sigh. Rubbing her throbbing temples, Mejiro Ramonu spoke, her voice laden with undeniable fatigue.
"Can you just listen to my explanation?"
"The last time I listened to your explanation, I was tricked into going to the Mejiro house."
"What kind of explanation are you trying to give now? To really trick me into becoming a Mejiro family Uma Musume?"
Dream Weaver's tone was mocking. Mejiro Ramonu's eyebrow twitched upon hearing it, but she suppressed her anger as best she could.
"What do you mean, 'trick'? You have Mejiro blood; of course you are a Mejiro Uma Musume!"
"How arrogant. You might as well say every Uma Musume who has ever won the Tenno Sho belongs to the Mejiro family."
"Just what do you take the Mejiro family for?!"
"What do you think?"
Looking at Dream Weaver's cold smile, Mejiro Ramonu could bear it no longer. She shoved the car door open, grabbed Dream Weaver by the collar, and demanded sharply,
"Even if you hate the Mejiro family, what about Ardan? Ardan hasn't done anything wrong, has she?!"
"What do you mean?"
Dream Weaver frowned slightly, not understanding why Mejiro Ramonu was suddenly bringing up Mejiro Ardan here.
Mejiro Ramonu's hands trembled slightly. Her voice held an indescribable fury as she hissed at Dream Weaver,
"Didn't I tell you before? The reason Ardan has been recuperating in that courtyard is because she's frail and sickly!"
Dream Weaver remembered her mentioning it once. But after being deceived by the Mejiro family, Dream Weaver had dismissed everything Mejiro Ramonu said back then as lies.
Besides, she hadn't seen any signs of frailty or sickness in Mejiro Ardan. Back at the Northern house, she never once complained, and on the training field, she never claimed illness to quit.
"That was just a story to trick her into living in that courtyard, wasn't it? If it weren't for the environment there and Mejiro Ardan herself, how could you have tricked me even once?!"
If it weren't for her inexplicable habit of never pushing to her limit, Mejiro Ardan would be practically perfect...
Wait... something connected in her mind...
As soon as the words left Dream Weaver's mouth, she immediately realized a connection. A terrifying possibility sprouted in her heart, leaving her momentarily bewildered and at a loss. She could only stare at Mejiro Ramonu with disbelief, hoping she wouldn't say what Dream Weaver had just guessed.
But her hopes were in vain. In response to Dream Weaver's words, Mejiro Ramonu snapped sharply,
"Who tricked you? Everyone in the Mejiro family knows that child Ardan has glass legs! That's the reason she retired in the first place!"
When Mejiro Ramonu shouted those words, the puzzle that had plagued Dream Weaver was finally solved.
But this time, it was the answer she least wanted to find.
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T/N: Honkai: Star Rail fanfic up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! 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.