"..."
"..."
Silence, silence is the Police Station tonight.
It was the same familiar place and the same familiar person, but this time, Legend couldn't laugh.
She just wanted to cry.
"This is our third time meeting, isn't it, Miss Legend?" The Police Officer's voice was full of helplessness in the silent night.
"...Life is always full of surprises." Legend looked away.
"Three visits in two days since you enrolled. Do you treat this place like your home?" The Police Officer stopped pretending and started being sarcastic.
"...No one wanted this to happen." Legend's words lacked any conviction.
"Fortunately, you were drinking champagne. Underage drinking is a serious matter, and you're Horse Girls too. If anything happened, it wouldn't be a joke!" The Police Officer's words were stern with a hint of worry.
"...Yes, I'm very sorry." Her head dropped even lower.
"Considering you didn't actually commit a crime, I'll give you a warning. Don't let it happen again." The Police Officer let the matter go.
"And now, the person picking you up is here."
Legend turned her head and saw a familiar green figure.
What will come, will come. Legend thought, choosing to play dead... After sending the three pathetic, passed-out girls back to the dorm with Miss Hayakawa, Legend and the now-calm Orfevre received Miss Hayakawa's "loving" guidance and lecture.
By the time everything was over, the moon was high in the sky.
Successfully making it back to the dorm before curfew, under the Dorm Head's strange gaze, the physically and mentally exhausted Legend wobbled back to her room.
After a quick wash, she threw herself onto the bed and let herself fall into a dream... When she opened her eyes, Legend found herself sitting in a comfortable chair in front of a giant screen.
She was in a screening room.
"What's going on?" she murmured, bewildered.
"Oh, you're awake?" a somewhat unfamiliar female voice said. "Hmm? Asking if you're awake while in a dream feels quite subtle."
"A dream?" Is this a dream? A lucid dream?
Legend turned her head, and then, she saw herself.
"Hi, hello, this is Legend."
The beautiful girl greeted her with a smile.
"...You're Legend, then who am I?" Legend?
"What are you talking about? Of course you're Legend too," the girl said with a bit of surprise, then added as if remembering something, "We both are!"
"?" Legend expressed her confusion.
Suddenly, the lights went out, and the big screen lit up.
"Alright, alright, I'll explain the details later. Let's watch the movie first."
Watch a movie? What movie? Spider-Man 3?
"You'll know after watching it. Spoilers aren't a good habit."
The girl placed her index finger against Miss Legend's lips and shook her head.
Fine then, let me see what you've got up your sleeve.
Legend suppressed her curiosity and began watching... "Legendary Uma Musume" refers to those Uma Musume who have won multiple championships, achieved difficult feats, and left their names in history.
Their images are beautiful and powerful, and their stories are moving.
But in the world of Uma Musume, "Legendary Uma Musume" has another meaning.
That is, an Uma Musume who has completed her "Zone" during her career.
What is the "Zone"? It is the sublimation achieved by an Uma Musume after honing herself to the limit and breaking through her boundaries; it is a symbol of surpassing oneself. It is a derivation of mind, body, and technique—the manifestation of talent and the pinnacle of an Uma Musume.
Those who possess a "Zone" are the Legends among Uma Musume.
Theoretically, the "Zone" is a "realm" that can only be reached by an Uma Musume after undergoing incredibly rigorous training.
However, there are exceptions to everything.
Legend was that exception. She possessed the Zone from the moment she was born.
That is to say, she was born a Legend.
And because of this, she was named Legend... "What a cliché setting!"
"Indeed. Ah, give me some popcorn."
...Legend's childhood was not smooth.
As mentioned before, the "Zone" is a derivation of mind, body, and technique, but you can't expect a child to have those things.
When one's virtue does not match their position, disaster is bound to follow.
The "Zone" brought her no benefits, only misfortune.
From the very beginning, the "Zone" oppressed everything about Legend, from her body to her soul.
Doctors asserted that this child might not live past the age of two.
Fortunately, she had parents who loved her and a harmonious family.
For her sake, her parents resolutely gave up their carefree lives to go into business and earn money, and her family did not give up on this child destined for an early death, doing their utmost to find a way for her to survive.
They succeeded; they suppressed Legend's "Zone" and extended her life.
But they also failed, because it was merely drinking poison to quench a thirst.
"She will live to sixteen at most," the doctor said.
They did not truly extend her future.
They blamed themselves for it... "What enviable family affection."
"Right? That's why I love them the most!"
..."I was born and raised under everyone's care."
Legend had always been aware of this.
"So I have to do something for everyone."
With this thought in mind, the young Legend would always try to do what she could.
Perhaps as a reaction to the pressure of the "Zone," Legend grew very quickly. She could always learn new knowledge and master new skills rapidly, absorbing everything that could help her grow like a sponge.
She was happy to do so because it allowed her to help others more... "What a good girl."
"Hehe."
...In the year Legend turned eight, her parents took her back to the main house, hoping she could learn something there.
That was the first time she realized her family was actually a prestigious one.
Oh right, she also met Journey, who was of the same generation, and accidentally kicked her into the hospital while playing.
That was the first time she knew she was special.
She went to ask her parents because she knew they wouldn't hide anything from her.
And indeed they didn't; they confessed everything to Legend, including the "Zone" and her lifespan.
Legend was shocked, but not excessively so.
To the still-young Legend, both the "Zone" and "death" were too far away.
But she understood one thing: she should do something, or rather, leave something behind.
She felt a sense of urgency in her heart... "..."
"..."
...Legend stayed at the main house for five years, during which she met several Uma Musume of the Gold Family's current generation.
She grew up here, and she laughed here.
But the sense of urgency in her heart did not dissipate; instead, it grew heavier with age.
Yet she didn't know what to do.
At the age of fourteen, she received a gift from Journey—a ticket to the 33rd Arima Kinen.
"I think you might like it," Journey said.
Not wanting to waste Journey's kindness, she went to the racecourse and witnessed that legendary duel.
Feeling the intense atmosphere of the racecourse and watching that Gray Mane monster defeat the White Lightning, something sprouted in her heart.
"I want to become an Uma Musume," she told her parents after returning.
"You should know your body cannot handle this," her father said to her.
"Yes, I know, but I want to become an Uma Musume." Her eyes sparkled with light.
"I understand," her father said. He was always like this, never refusing her requests.
Later, she went to the Uma Musume training center prepared by her family to learn everything one needed to know to become an Uma Musume.
After two years of hard work, she successfully received her admission letter from the Tracen Central Academy.
Then came her sixteenth birthday... "How do you feel?"
The screening ended, and the lights came on.
The girl asked Legend beside her.
"From a viewer's perspective, this is a cliché script and terrible storytelling," Legend said.
"..." The girl smiled and remained silent.
"But from my perspective, it's far too heavy." That was the life of a girl.
"Why are you letting me know this now?" Legend asked, looking at the girl before her.
"Because you are Legend now," she said.
"What do you mean?"
The girl just smiled and said no more.
"Alright, time's about up. If you don't wake up soon, you'll be late. Remember to miss me, see you next time."
With that, she gave Legend a gentle push.
Legend felt a sudden sensation of falling, and then she sat up in bed, drenched in sweat.
She looked at the clock on the wall; it pointed to seven-thirty.
Sunlight streamed into the dormitory, and the faint sound of training could be heard from outside.
Everything was as it always was.
She lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.