Mejiro Ardan's hands trembled.
The evening sun cast mottled patterns across the floor through the window frame, dust motes drifting lazily in the light. Everything seemed so tranquil—so still, as though nothing would ever disturb it.
She had never imagined that Dream Weaver would speak to her for the first time on such an ordinary day.
In her fantasies, that moment would only come after she had won the Dream Cup—a scene she thought belonged to a distant, triumphant future. Yet here it was, unfolding today.
And precisely because of that, it felt all the more dreamlike, like a bubble of happiness so fragile it might vanish at the slightest touch.
Right now, Mejiro Ardan's heart was pounding violently. Her chest felt tight, as if gripped by an invisible force, and even breathing had become difficult.
Her gaze remained fixed on Dream Weaver, seated in the wheelchair. Those eyes, always downcast before, were now looking straight at her.
Eyes that had turned ashen and lifeless after the Autumn Tenno Shō… today, they were clear once more.
Watching her, Mejiro Ardan unconsciously clenched her fingers, knuckles turning white without her even noticing.
Her voice trembling with emotions she couldn't put into words, Mejiro Ardan spoke softly.
"Dreams…?"
"Is this real?"
Her words were barely a whisper, cautious, as though speaking too loudly might shatter this blissful illusion.
Dream Weaver didn't answer. Instead, she slowly wheeled herself closer to Mejiro Ardan.
The soft sound of the wheelchair's wheels against the floor echoed distinctly in the quiet room.
Stopping before Mejiro Ardan, Dream Weaver took her trembling hand and gently loosened the fingers digging into her own palm.
The warmth that spread from their joined hands felt so real. Only then did Mejiro Ardan find the courage to believe this wasn't a hallucination.
Her strength gave way, and she slumped to the floor, the hem of her clothes soaking in spilled broth unnoticed.
Burying her head against Dream Weaver's knees, she began to murmur, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Over and over, her voice growing fainter, as though each apology cut deeper into her heart.
Unconsciously, tears welled up, blurring her vision.
They trailed down her cheeks, falling onto Dream Weaver's calves, leaving faint, damp marks.
Mejiro Ardan's shoulders shook slightly as she curled into herself, as if trying to hide from the world.
"You're the one who needed the limiter the most… yet for someone as selfish as me, you threw away your own future…"
"I… I'm really…"
There was so much she wanted to say to Dream Weaver.
Regret filled her heart day after day, yet now that the moment had come, she couldn't find the words.
Thoughts swirled in her mind, refusing to form coherent sentences. Only endless guilt and self-blame churned inside her.
All she could do was weep against Dream Weaver's knees, murmuring disjointed phrases that barely formed complete thoughts—each one dripping with remorse and sorrow.
Dream Weaver gently patted her back, just as her own mother used to do when she was young, and said softly, "Why are you crying? Wasn't returning to the racetrack your dream?"
"But… but…"
Dream Weaver knew what Mejiro Ardan wanted to say and gently cut off her regrets.
"Back then, you were always running to the Northern family's home, working so hard. Training must have been painful too, with your brittle legs—yet you never said a word to me."
"I don't want to see someone who cares for me suffering in silence to help me."
"So… you don't owe me anything. This was my decision."
Dream Weaver paused, then cupped Mejiro Ardan's tear-streaked face, looking directly into her violet eyes, now blurred with tears, and smiled.
Seeing Mejiro Ardan's face, a mess from crying, Dream Weaver continued gently, "You know, I've actually known your name for a long time, Ardan."
She was referring to the second script world—back before she was the Uma Musume of the Northern family, she'd heard of Mejiro Ardan around the same time she learned of Oguri Cap.
When she first arrived in that script world, Mejiro Ardan was the only one from the Mejiro family she remembered.
She didn't know the specifics, but she'd long known that Mejiro Ardan was a powerful Uma Musume—one who could rival Oguri Cap and the others.
Yet this strong, kind, racing-loving girl had been forced to leave the track early because of her cursed, brittle legs…
"You were so close to proving yourself… Don't you think it's a shame?"
"But not at the cost of your future, Dreams! If that's the price, I'd rather have stayed at the Mejiro house forever!"
Dream Weaver watched the emotional outburst calmly, wiping the remaining tears from the corners of Mejiro Ardan's eyes, revealing the reddened skin beneath.
"But who can say what the future holds? Back when you were confined to the Mejiro house, did you ever imagine you'd return to the track one day?"
Then, Dream Weaver turned her gaze toward Narita Brian.
"Now, there are many people helping me. Who's to say I won't be able to stand again soon?"
While Mejiro Ardan wept, Narita Brian had slowly shaken off her own shock. But being a woman of few words, she struggled to find the right moment to speak.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, her brow slightly furrowed as she tried to form her thoughts.
"I want to stand on the same track as Dreams again."
"So… wherever I'm needed, I'll give it my all."
Her voice was low and firm, each word weighed with conviction.
She wasn't one for eloquent speeches, but her determination was unmistakable.
Yet Mejiro Ardan still couldn't forgive herself. She lowered her head and muttered,
"But what about time? Even if Zaizen Shuuji develops a new limiter, it'll take ages, won't it? How long would that delay everything?"
"That's why I have to work hard too."
Dream Weaver slowly wheeled herself backward, putting a little distance between them. Then, gripping the armrests tightly, she pushed herself upward.
The movement startled Narita Brian, who instinctively rushed forward. Mejiro Ardan, too, forgot her self-pity and scrambled to her feet.
But Dream Weaver lifted her head and shook it gently at them.
Fine beads of sweat already dotted her forehead. Her lips were pressed tightly together, yet her eyes shone with unusual brightness.
"Let me try."
Under her resolute gaze, both Mejiro Ardan and Narita Brian stopped in their tracks. A thought occurred to them—there must be a reason Northern Dreams, who had been withdrawn and silent for so long, chose to speak today.
Had she felt some improvement in her legs?
Holding that hope, they watched her intently.
The room was so quiet they could hear each other breathing. The evening sun slowly shifted across the floor, stretching their shadows long.
But unlike what they imagined, Dream Weaver's legs hadn't improved at all.
Her body, pushed far beyond its limits, had been eroded by a curse. Now, any pressure on her legs brought excruciating pain.
Pain washed over her like a tide, threatening to drown her. Every nerve screamed in protest, yet Dream Weaver gritted her teeth, not letting a single sound escape.
Finally, under their mixed gazes of shock and pity, Dream Weaver managed to stand—her body already drenched in sweat from the effort.
Her face was pale as paper, her lips marked with deep bite marks, yet her spine remained straight.
"That's enough, Dreams… that's enough…" Mejiro Ardan choked out through tears. How could she not understand?
Dream Weaver's legs were no better. But she knew exactly why Dream Weaver was doing this—to ease her guilt.
"Not… enough!"
Dream Weaver gritted her teeth, her voice a low growl. At first, she had intended this as a gesture to soothe Ardan's conscience. But the moment she stood and felt the pain, another feeling surged within her.
This was the pain the Northern family's Uma Musume had endured for generations—the pain that had taken her mother from her.
Dream Weaver refused to yield to this pain, this curse. Even without a limiter, she wanted to overcome it by her own strength.
Perhaps this was what she, as the last hope of the Northern family, wanted to leave for her lineage—and what she wanted to tell Ardan.
That no matter what, she would never give up.
If her mother had given up when she fell, Dream Weaver would never have entered Tracen Academy, never had her debut race with Tokai Teio, never awakened her system—and never come this close to saving her mother.
Step by step, she had gritted her teeth and refused to yield, all the way to today.
She hadn't given up against T.M. Opera O, nor against Orfevre, nor against Narita Brian at her peak.
Those fierce races, the sweat and struggle, the moments she pushed through—all of it felt vivid now.
And now, facing pain that surged like a tide, facing the curse that had nearly destroyed the Northern family, Dream Weaver would not give up.
She pushed her wheelchair away, leaving herself completely unsupported.
Amid the relentless agony in her legs, Dream Weaver glanced back at the portrait on the wall.
The evening sun now bathed the portrait in light. Her mother smiled, her gaze gentle yet firm in the golden haze, as though lending her strength one last time.
Dream Weaver nodded toward the portrait, and under her mother's gaze, took her first step against the curse.
Click.
That faint sound was almost inaudible, but to Narita Brian and Mejiro Ardan, it was as startling as thunder.
They stared in stunned silence at Dream Weaver, her face contorted with pain, as she lifted her head and gave them a weak but determined smile.
"I did it."
Then, as if her body could no longer support her, she began to collapse. But Narita Brian and Mejiro Ardan wouldn't let her fall—they rushed forward and caught her.
Their movements were swift, arms firmly supporting her limp form. The moment they held her, they cried out almost in unison,
"Dreams!"
"Why push yourself like this?!"
Cradled between them, Dream Weaver let out a soft laugh.
Her breathing was still ragged, her face pale, but her eyes shone brilliantly as she said, "See? Good things can happen when you're alive. Neither of you expected to see this today, did you?"
"What kind of nonsense is that…?"
"Are you an idiot?"
Facing their anxious words, Dream Weaver simply nodded.
"Maybe. But I believe if you don't try, nothing changes. Just like you, Ardan—if you'd stayed trapped in the gilded cage of the Mejiro family, you wouldn't be running today."
Her voice was soft, yet unwavering.
"So I wanted to try moving forward in front of you—to prove I can still change something."
She glanced at Mejiro Ardan and Narita Brian, who held her on either side, and smiled sheepishly.
"But it seems I still can't do it alone just yet."
"Will you help me? Will you move forward with me?"
Seeing the determination in Dream Weaver's smile, how could they possibly refuse?
Mejiro Ardan nodded through her tears, too overwhelmed by that single step to form words.
Narita Brian met Dream Weaver's gaze and nodded firmly. She wasn't good with words, but once she gave her word, she would keep it.
"Then let's try…"
"Even without a limiter… I want to overcome the curse in the Northern family's blood!"
Dream Weaver looked back at her mother's portrait, bathed in the evening light, and whispered, "Mother, please watch over me."
"I will make it happen."
It wasn't just about defeating the curse in the script world—Dream Weaver would save her mother in the real world too.
That was the vow she made to her mother, the goal she had to achieve.
Gazing at her mother's smiling face in the sunset, Dream Weaver nodded with resolve.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.