Time flies, swift and relentless. No one can hold back its rushing tide.
One moment, you might be standing on a stage, bathed in flowers and applause—then, just a few years later, all of it slips away.
An Uma Musume's career is terribly, terribly short. Even compared to other athletes in similar fields, their time at the top is among the briefest.
Like a shooting star, they blaze with dazzling brilliance for one fleeting instant. That is the Uma Musume.
So brief, that even their brightest glory leaves regrets in its wake. And it's precisely those regrets—the miracles that flash like comet tails, here and gone in a breath—that captivate people so deeply, that hold them spellbound.
Has anyone ever thought:
If only I could see them compete one more time.
If only I could step onto the track with my little sister.
If only I could chase after the Uma Musume I adore, just once more.
But alas—some wishes can never come true—
Except today.
Today is a resurrection of spirits. Old ghosts, dressed in splendor, appear on a stage where they should never have been able to stand. Adorned in vivid glamour, radiant and alive, outshining even the most legendary beauties.
Hearts full of fire, spirits burning bright.
Not like midnight bubbles, illusory and fleeting—but rising from long slumber with dreams still burning, determined to finish what they left undone in life.
"Time and again, facing cold stares and scornful laughs,"
"Never once abandoning the dream in my heart."
A rough, rasping voice—it was Sham. Her hands hammered the drumheads, her jacket flapping wildly, the crimson phoenix tattoo on her arm seeming to spread its wings.
Even if she never won, a true cowboy never bowed her head.
"In a daze, a sudden sense of loss,"
A gentle, serene voice, from Urban Sea. Her fingers danced lightly over the piano keys, the notes drifting softly into every listening ear.
'I'm content with the life I've lived, and with my racing career,' she thought. 'Now I can watch my little sisters grow strong, each day rich with joy.'
'But… sometimes, I still think—how wonderful it would be to run on the track again.'
"Fading unconsciously,"
"Love in my heart."
A voice tinged with a slight tremble—this was Agnes Digital. Faced with singing in a foreign language, her pronunciation wasn't perfect, and she felt a little shy.
'Uma Musume are the most adorable, most perfect beings in this world,' she mused. 'I could spend my whole life chasing their shadows and never grow tired.'
'To run alongside those figures once more… regardless of winning or losing, that in itself is meaningful. Something truly worth remembering.'
"———Who understands me?"
Following Agnes Digital's voice, a soft murmur joined in—the voice of Golden Sixty.
Sham, Urban Sea, Agnes Digital, and Golden Sixty lifted their gazes, meeting Platinum's eyes where she stood at the front of the stage.
In their eyes, Platinum saw so many emotions—a blazing intensity ready to spill over, a watery tenderness on the verge of overflowing… But no matter what, one feeling shone the same in all their eyes:
No trace of nostalgia, no sorrow over time's passage—only pure, unadulterated joy.
Every one of them felt, deep down, that coming to this special race… had been truly wonderful.
As if taking up some heavy burden passed from their hands, Platinum drew a deep breath, turned back toward the crowd, and to the sound of the accompaniment, parted her lips.
"Forgive me for this life of wild freedom and love of liberty,"
"Though I, too, fear one day I may fall."
"Anyone can forsake their ideals,"
"Who's afraid of a day when it's only you and me?"
With a strange, resonant tremor, everyone on stage opened their mouths at once.
Their overlapping voices seemed to merge into a powerful harmony that sent a shiver through Platinum, like an electric current racing from her toes to the crown of her head, echoing in her mind.
In that moment, the dark mass of spectators vanished from Platinum's sight. She saw no one else—except the few on stage with her, it was as if the rest of the world had simply disappeared.
She seemed to hear nothing else, yet she seemed to hear everything. She seemed to hear only the lyrics, yet also the boundless, surging emotion flowing beneath them.
The song spread from the stage like a breeze, flying with seagulls over the vast South China Sea, over the Sea of Japan, onward across the endless Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Urban Sea's slender fingers danced across the piano, the sound washing toward Sham like a wave, only to be shattered by her wildly fluttering leather jacket.
Sham swung her drumsticks, arms in motion, the drumheads vibrating like ripples, sweat flying from her hair and landing on Agnes Digital's shoulder.
Agnes Digital plucked her bass, its low, husky tones weaving almost imperceptibly between the piano and drums. A strand of her hair, as if plucked by a string, drifted loose into the air, soon settling against Golden Sixty's arm.
Golden Sixty's fingers swept across her guitar strings, her clear blue eyes fixed on the white figure standing center stage.
"Still free and true, forever singing my song,"
"Roaming thousands of miles———"
Unable to help herself, Platinum gripped the microphone before her, her silver-white earring trembling with every vibration of her vocal cords.
"———Forgive me for this life of wild freedom and love of liberty,"
"———Though I, too, fear one day I may fall."
"———Anyone can forsake their ideals,"
"———Who's afraid of a day when it's only you and me?"
The chorus rose again—but this time, it was louder than before, spreading farther than before, as if not five voices, but hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands had joined as one.
The lights spread out before Platinum like a glittering galaxy. It was a fervor and heat bright enough to illuminate a black hole.
Around the stage, countless spectators waved flags, flashlight beams, and glow sticks.
Originally, this was just an ordinary Winner's Stage.
Now, it was more than a post-race performance. It was as if eras had converged, as if even the stars had paused to watch.
This was the voice of everyone present. The song traveled far, even surpassing the sound from the speakers. Perhaps tonight, all of Hong Kong would hear this miraculous chorus.
Like an illusion. Uma Musume who should never have gathered together, a race that should never have been run, a song that should never have been sung.
Tonight, Hong Kong was truly a city of miracles—a true city of dreams.
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T/N: This lowkey just feels like a coming of age movie ending
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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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.