"That was quite harsh."
Mejiro Ramonu, leaning against the wall, spoke as Dream Weaver emerged from the office.
"To snap someone so deeply stuck in the past out of it, you need sharp words," Dream Weaver replied, glancing at her.
"And what about that vast fortune? Even if you can't inherit the Mejiro family's prestige and influence, the wealth alone should be a significant boost for the Northern family's future revival, shouldn't it?"
Mejiro Ramonu stepped closer, patting Dream Weaver's shoulder while shaking her head, wearing an expression of frustrated disappointment.
Dream Weaver smacked her hand away, her face impassive. "Do you really think I'd take an old woman's pension?"
Mejiro Ramonu just laughed, utterly unbothered by the rebuff. "No, you wouldn't."
"Then why ask such a stupid question? Take me to see Ardan."
With that, Dream Weaver turned and strode off—in the wrong direction. Mejiro Ramonu could only shake her head and quicken her pace to catch up.
"Didn't you ask me to lead the way? What's with the hurry?" she chided.
Dream Weaver said nothing, but silently slowed her steps to fall in behind. Noticing this, a faint smile touched the corner of Mejiro Ramonu's mouth.
They say your greatest understanding comes not from friends, but from rivals.
Having played the antagonist to Dream Weaver for a time, clashing with her countless times, Mejiro Ramonu felt she had come to understand her completely.
Dream Weaver's earlier exchange with Mejiro Asama had particularly delighted Mejiro Ramonu. She, too, had been endlessly frustrated by the old woman's stubbornness.
Seeing her finally refuted was deeply satisfying.
Even if she was her grandmother, wasn't it a child's duty to make a stubborn elder face reality? In Mejiro Ramonu's eyes, Dream Weaver had handled it perfectly.
Though Dream Weaver still refused to acknowledge her place in the Mejiro family, Mejiro Ramonu already saw her as a sister—the kind who might bicker on the surface but shared a deep, unspoken understanding of each other's character.
Mejiro Ramonu secretly resolved that if she ever took control of the Mejiro family, she would absolutely lend her strength to Dream Weaver's goal of reviving the Northern house.
Since the old grudges between their families were settled, she was ready to join Dream Weaver in forging a new era.
Lost in her thoughts, Mejiro Ramonu barely noticed as they left the mansion and settled back into the black car.
While the Mejiro estate had its own infirmary, the hospital's facilities and specialist staff were far superior. So, instead of keeping her at home, Mejiro Ramonu had sent Mejiro Ardan there for care.
If Mejiro Ramonu hadn't reached Dream Weaver first today, the girl might have been left wandering like a headless chicken after her confrontation with Mejiro Asama, searching blindly for Mejiro Ardan.
As they drove toward the hospital, Dream Weaver suddenly spoke. "How is Ardan's injury, really?"
With the matter of Mejiro Asama settled, Mejiro Ardan's condition was the only thing still weighing on Dream Weaver's mind.
From Mejiro Ramonu's earlier brief account, Mejiro Ardan—nicknamed "Glass Legs"—seemed to have an extremely injury-prone constitution.
After months of rehabilitation, Dream Weaver couldn't help but worry.
Mejiro Ramonu thought for a moment before answering. "It's actually not too bad. Whether it's luck or misfortune... because Ardan has been injured so many times before, this is far from the worst it could be."
"My earlier panic and stress... half of it was from other pressures, and the other half was just the shock of it being Ardan's first injury in years. I lost control for a moment."
Hearing this, Dream Weaver let out a quiet sigh of relief. Her worst fears hadn't come to pass.
"However, we can't let Ardan train anymore. She should give up on the Dream Cup, too."
Just as Dream Weaver began to relax, Mejiro Ramonu's next words sent her heart right back into her throat. "Why?! Does she have some underlying chronic injury?!" she demanded instantly, already mentally preparing to open the system shop to find a healing item for Mejiro Ardan.
But Mejiro Ramonu's next words stopped her cold. "It's mainly those glass legs of hers."
"If she can't even handle low-intensity rehab training, how could she possibly compete in the Dream Cup? Every Uma Musume who steps onto that track has a legendary reputation. At that level of intensity... I'm afraid her injuries would only get worse."
"Next time... it might not end so well."
Dream Weaver fell silent for a long moment before whispering, "But this is Ardan's dream, isn't it? Every time I saw her on the training field, her eyes were shining. She's always wanted to return to the races..."
Mejiro Ramonu's spirits, briefly lifted by Mejiro Asama's defeat, sank again. She rubbed her temples wearily. "But there's no helping it... Ardan's been like this since she was born. Letting her compete in the Classics before was already a huge risk."
"If we let her enter the Dream Cup... I don't even dare imagine what might happen..."
Finally, she could only sigh deeply and pat Dream Weaver's shoulder. "At least this way, Ardan won't get hurt."
The question of what matters more—dreams or life—has a different answer for everyone. To those chasing a dream, there are often things more precious than life itself. But to their loved ones, nothing is more important than their survival.
Last time, Mejiro Ardan had yielded to her family's wishes. She left the racetrack, spending day after day in that lonely, desolate little courtyard, her life growing increasingly dull.
The training grounds were right there, so close, yet she could never set foot on them again. The word "racing" seemed to have left her forever with that choice.
Until the day Dream Weaver suddenly appeared. That word, which Mejiro Ardan thought she had long forgotten, began to sprout anew in her heart.
Watching Dream Weaver speed down the track, her own heart, cooled by loneliness, gradually grew warm again. The thrill she hadn't felt in so long had returned.
And now, after finally rekindling that fire, was she to leave the track again because of her cruel, fragile legs?
To have hope lit again, only for it to be snuffed out—wasn't that even crueler than having none at all? At the thought, Dream Weaver's fists clenched silently.
--+--
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.