The goddess's form faded before Nearl's eyes, leaving not a trace behind, yet the words she spoke before vanishing continued to echo in Nearl's ears, striking deep into her heart.
"…Thank you for your answer, Sister Byerley. Now I have something to hope for."
The world blurred in Nearl's vision as tears welled up in her eyes. It was the first time she had cried in the fourteen years since her rebirth, but these tears were not filled with pain—they were tears of happiness.
The happiness of knowing she was loved.
The happiness of knowing she hadn't been abandoned.
The happiness of knowing she would see her homeland again.
Nearl held no dissatisfaction with the life she had lived these fourteen years. She was grateful for this second chance at life, but that didn't mean she never longed for the home she had left behind.
Although her previous life had been filled mostly with painful memories, there were still people she remembered with gratitude.
Even now, when she closed her eyes, she could recall those who had helped her: her parents, who never left her side during her illness; that silly dog of an online friend who often came to visit; the doctors and nurses who patiently chatted with her… These were all people Nearl wanted to thank.
If there was one regret she had after coming to the world of the Uma Musume, it was that she never got to properly say goodbye to those who had been kind to her.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as Nearl's eyes shone with anticipation. The path back would surely be long and winding, and she had already formed bonds here that would be hard to leave behind—but if it were possible, she still wanted to return.
Not for any grand reason, but simply to thank those who had cared for her, to thank the world that had blessed her, and to properly bid them farewell one more time.
This time, they would watch her go—watch as she stepped forward into a new future.
--+--
In the distance, a star cluster collapsed. The blue planet beneath her feet ceased its rotation. It felt as though everything in the universe was drawing closer to her.
Nearl knew that this experience had reached its end. She was about to return to reality, to wait until she had gained enough strength to manifest this realm once again.
She closed her eyes, surrendering to the sensation of weightlessness engulfing her. She could feel her body growing heavy again, her fingers moving sluggishly, as if her senses had been draped with a veil.
Nearl understood what this meant: her physical body was holding her soul back. In that realm, she had moved and acted with her soul alone—the speed of her thoughts had been the speed of her actions.
But returning to reality was different. Her body couldn't keep up with her reaction speed yet. It hadn't reached its peak.
'I need to train even harder,' Nearl sighed softly.
But before she could open her eyes, an astonished exclamation rang in her ears.
"Hah!? And you call that not hard enough?!"
The voice was laced with a mix of emotions—envy, complaint, surprise, skepticism—all jumbled together into a messy stew.
'Oh no, I learned so much from Sister Byerley that I completely forgot I was in the middle of asking Norn about the races. I hope she can forgive me for spacing out.'
Nearl winced inwardly. In her view, losing focus during a conversation was deeply rude. Even if she had a good reason this time, she couldn't use it as an excuse. She needed to apologize properly.
"I'm sorry, Norn. My mind wandered just now—I was thinking about something else. Please forgive my rudeness."
Nearl rose to her feet and bowed her head in apology to Norn Ace.
Her straightforwardness clearly took Norn Ace by surprise. Especially since they were already the subject of quiet gossip among the other horse girls, this apology immediately drew a flood of curious stares, leaving Norn flustered and unsure how to react.
She quickly tugged at Nearl's sleeve, urging her to sit back down. If Nearl kept standing there bowing, who knew what kind of rumors would start spreading? The local horse girls didn't train as often and had plenty of time to gossip.
"Never mind, I'll let that 'humble-brag' comment slide. Anyway, I've got a pretty good idea of how strong you are by now. I can't exactly judge you by normal standards."
Norn Ace crossed her arms, closed one eye, and tilted her head up slightly, speaking in a calm tone.
"Thank you for understanding."
"Now, back to what we were discussing earlier—your debut race."
"I'm all ears."
Nearl sat up straight, waiting for Norn to continue.
"Since you passed Kasamatsu Tracen Academy's special admissions exam, the debut race the academy hosts probably isn't the best fit for you."
"Is there a reason for that?"
"Because hardly anyone shows up to watch the academy's debut race! Its main purpose is to let rookie Uma Musume show off their skills and sign contracts with trainers. Even if you win, you'll have officially debuted, but you won't have gained any real fame."
Here, Norn Ace glanced at Nearl, her tone turning serious. "If we Uma Musume want to compete in higher-level races, we need to build a fanbase and earn prize money. The academy's debut race has official recognition, but it doesn't help you gain fans."
"I understand. So I should choose one of the upcoming races as my debut instead?"
Nearl grasped Norn's meaning.
"Exactly. Right now, there are quite a few races suitable for your debut, but three of them stand out as the best options."
"They are: the Nike Gear Sponsorship Cup on October 10th, the Shirakawa Grand Festival Race on November 16th, and the Sun-Moon Cup."
By now, Nearl had a general idea about these races, but she still wanted to know why Norn had specifically recommended these three.
"Norn, what makes these three races special?"
"Obviously, these three are the most representative events among all the races you're eligible to enter right now."
"Representative in what way?"
Facing Nearl's curious gaze, Norn Ace let out a light hum before explaining.
"Each of these three events has its own advantages. The Nike Gear Sponsorship Cup offers the highest prize money among all the races you can enter. The sponsor is a company that sells racing gear for Uma Musume, so they've got deep pockets. You could use the money, right?"
"Ah, I certainly could use the funds. What about the other two races?"
"Don't rush me, I haven't finished. Although the Nike Cup has the highest prize money, it doesn't draw a big crowd. Most spectators aren't interested in watching a corporate-sponsored event."
"The Sun-Moon Cup is the opposite. Since it's held on the same day and at the same venue as the quasi-graded race, the Junior Crown, many spectators who come for the Junior Crown will also check out the Sun-Moon Cup. So this race has the highest number of viewers."
"As for the Shirakawa Grand Festival Race, it's a mix of both. It's held as a prelude to the festival, so the prize money isn't too shabby, and plenty of people come to enjoy the festivities that day. It's a solid, middle-of-the-road option."
Norn Ace looked at Nearl, her eyes questioning.
"So, which one are you planning to enter, Nearl?"
--+--
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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.