This should be enough.
Right now, she had captured everyone's attention.
Dropping back stealthily at this incredible speed wouldn't be too shocking, would it?
Shinzan narrowed her eyes, watching the racetrack warp and blur before her from the sheer velocity. In her peripheral vision, that searing crimson light never wavered.
She had entered the Kikuka Sho in the first place hoping to shed this heavy burden.
She'd stepped onto the track precisely because her pursuit had failed.
Having fought to this point, wouldn't it be acceptable for her to quietly fade back now?
She had been away from racing for so long. It was only natural her form would decline after a comeback. Even if some found it puzzling, no one could really say anything.
She had done her absolute best within the scope of her own imagination, hadn't she?
That determined girl who once huddled in a mountain crevice, the Uma Musume named Shinzan, had long since achieved her dream, becoming the strongest runner that left everyone else in the dust.
Her footsteps could have stopped long ago.
So what if neither Europe nor Japan could fully accept her? The world wasn't only about racing.
Perhaps she'd find more ease once freed from the self-imposed chains of responsibility.
So… it was okay now, right?
It was okay to stop pushing forward, to ease off the pace, to honestly yield victory into Dream Weaver's hands.
Shinzan pressed her lips together, her brows tightly knitted.
Now that this moment had truly arrived, instead of the expected relief, her chest felt as if it were being scorched by raging flames, a searing, uncomfortable heat.
But this was already decided.
Dream Weaver would be stronger than her, would go further than she ever did. Unburdened by her own restraints, she could bring happiness to more people.
Since that was the case, why not just lose to her now?
If she just lost to her, the perfect ending would arrive, wouldn't it?
Thinking this, Shinzan slowed her pace, bit by tiny bit.
The parallel beam of light from the corner of her eye gradually drew level, then inched ahead.
Just a little more, just a little more and she'd see Dream Weaver's figure fully.
Then, Shinzan would slow further, feigning exhaustion, and hand the victory over.
But in that very instant, a furious rebuke suddenly thundered in Shinzan's heart.
"What are you doing?!"
"Uma Musume… Uma Musume don't step onto the track to chase defeat!"
The reprimand crashed down like a bolt of lightning. Shinzan instinctively lifted her gaze forward.
There, the opponent she wanted to lose to, the successor she wished to bestow all glory upon, Dream Weaver was glaring at her with wide, furious eyes.
In this high-intensity duel, Dream Weaver's and Shinzan's Zones had long since intertwined from the collision of their power.
Through this connection, Dream Weaver vaguely sensed the emotions Shinzan had buried deep within.
She didn't know Shinzan's personal journey, didn't know the loneliness of being unaccepted in both Europe and Japan, didn't know the confusion after losing her way or the mechanical execution of goals that followed, and certainly couldn't know the feelings behind Shinzan's current resolve.
But, but, having spent so long on the track herself, Dream Weaver understood one thing for sure.
No Uma Musume steps onto the track to pursue failure.
Shinzan clearly still had strength left. She hadn't reached her limit, yet she suddenly dropped her speed.
That was undeniably abnormal.
But wouldn't it be simpler to just ignore her? After all, what came through the Zone link were just vague emotions.
If Shinzan chose to retreat, why not just let her?
She still had a mission to complete, an item to exchange, a mother to save. If she could win this final race so easily, why speak up and interrupt?
Hadn't she strived all this way precisely to wake her mother?
Her mother's awakening was right before her eyes. Why bother with Shinzan now?!
Dream Weaver understood. She understood perfectly.
Reason told her the correct decision was to ignore Shinzan's complicated mental state, watch her slow down, and effortlessly seize the championship to complete her task and save her mother.
After working towards this goal for so long, why create waves at the final moment?
She knew all this.
Yet, she simply couldn't bear to watch Shinzan retreat like that.
Just like when she had counseled Orfevre, or when she handed the perfect limiter to break the Northern family's curse to Mejiro Ardan, she always made the most foolish decisions at the most critical times.
Sometimes, Dream Weaver found this part of herself annoying.
But these words, she absolutely had to say them.
No matter how much the Dream Weaver of the Future might despise herself for it!
The me of now, Dream Weaver of the Present, must speak!
Shinzan stared blankly at Dream Weaver, her mind a complete void.
An immeasurable silence passed through their linked Zones.
"Are you… an idiot?"
"You know victory is right before you! The goal you've worked for all this time is about to be achieved! Why… whycan't you just pretend nothing's happening and quietly watch me leave?!"
Shinzan shouted through the link with a hint of self-abandonment.
She had never shown such intense emotion in front of anyone before.
Even back in the training camp, when bullied for her different skin tone, she had simply endured silently, only allowing a small smile after defeating those geniuses.
In the eyes of Pierre, who took her to Europe, in the eyes of those defeated geniuses, in the eyes of the assistant recruited only after she left the track, in everyone's eyes, Shinzan had always been that inscrutable, meticulously composed Uma Musume.
'Calm waters over thunder in the heart'—perhaps that was everyone's impression of Shinzan.
But before Dream Weaver, within the link of their Zones, on this stage that belonged only to the two of them…
Shinzan vented the emotions she had long suppressed deep within.
"Of course it's because you look completely unwilling to lose!"
Seeing Shinzan's bewildered expression, Dream Weaver continued roaring through the link.
"Under Europe's system, Uma Musume without talent can't run even if they desperately want to step onto the track."
"Those with talent who enter the training camps get twisted by the system, forgetting why they wanted to run in the first place."
"Glory, victory, status—layer upon layer of chains bind countless Uma Musume. Even becoming a Triple Crown winner can't break free…"
In that moment, Dream Weaver thought of many people.
She thought of Shiragawa, stripped of her right to run for lacking talent.
She thought of Mr. C.B., who left the training camp to avoid having her freedom distorted.
She thought of Symboli Rudolf, who sensed all this and planned a rebellion.
Beyond them, she thought of many more, some she didn't even know.
The Triple Crown hopefuls who intercepted her in the Satsuki Sho, seeking higher status and authority.
The five Triple Crown Uma Musume dispatched by the European Racing Association during the Japanese Derby.
Figures Dream Weaver knew, didn't know, had met, or never seen—all flashed through her mind.
"And now… are you telling me that even after becoming the World's Strongest within this system, you still can't follow your most basic, instinctive competitive spirit and run freely?!"
"Run, Shinzan!"
--+--
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.