Seasons came and went, again and again.
Inside the medical room, Reiko and Takuya examined Kousei's physical report.
"Everything's normal, except..."
"Her eyes."
The two exchanged a glance. Since the Spring Tenno Sho, Kousei had entered a long recovery period. Dr. Takuya knew Kousei's physical constitution was exceptional, yet this time, her recovery was agonizingly slow. Even under his meticulous care, progress remained sluggish.
Fortunately, while slow, she was undeniably regaining her health.
So Takuya allowed Kousei to move freely, confident that with time, her body would fully recover.
But just as he thought this, the problem arrived as expected. Though Kousei's eyes had regained their clarity, she could no longer use her Gate Technique as effortlessly as before.
For some unknown reason, whenever her Flame Wheel burned for a certain duration, Kousei's eyes would plunge into temporary blindness. Though her vision would eventually return, this abnormality was deeply unsettling.
For an Umamusume renowned for her health, this tiny crack felt like an invisible hand, constantly tightening its grip on Dr. Takuya's throat.
Takuya stared at the report, lost in thought, while Reiko turned to gaze out the window at the swirling snow.
A cacophony of footsteps echoed, punctuated by the muffled thud of bodies crashing through snowdrifts.
Two figures sprinted down the racetrack. In the final 200 meters, Kousei began to lose speed, and Caesar crossed the finish line with an absolute advantage.
"Alright, looks like you've recovered quite well," said Just a Way, clicking her stopwatch.
Kousei panted lightly, looking up at her.
Her thoughts drifted back.
Having decided to stay at the Northern Academy, Kousei naturally needed a place to live. Director Akikawa had already prepared a room for her in the student dorms—after all, students belonged in dorms.
But before that, Reiko had invited Kousei to her home. Though they had only just met, Kousei felt it was important to get to know her new trainer and build a closer relationship, so she accepted.
She followed Reiko to her residence. Reiko didn't live in the Northern Academy's staff dorms, which gave them ample time to talk during the journey.
From Reiko, Kousei learned that the Northern Academy was situated in the Far North, a land perpetually shrouded in wind and snow. Here, the seasons held no meaning; only the eternal blizzard reigned.
At the same time, the Northern Academy was also an experimental project from Tracen's early days. Kousei was puzzled. If the Northern Academy had such a long history, as Reiko claimed, why was it so obscure?
Reiko explained, "Because it was the first guinea pig—an initial experiment by Central. Once they confirmed its potential, they abandoned it to focus on creating the next, more perfect creation."
It was like the first card played in a poker game, its sole purpose to gauge the opponent's reaction.
Kousei suddenly recalled Caesar mentioning she was from "Tracen Academy 44." Could there be other Umamusume academies in the world?
Reiko answered Kousei's unspoken question.
"Of course. Coming from Central, you might not know. The world is much larger than just Central. The other Tracen Academies are home to countless powerful Umamusume, and they host Super Grand Prix races that rival the URA."
Kousei knew about "expeditions," but in her mind, they were simply trips from Central to regional areas.
It was a strange feeling, realizing how one's perspective could be confined by their environment. It reminded her of when she believed no Umamusume could ever match Rudolf, only to then encounter McQueen and Teio. Just as she thought those two super-geniuses were the strongest, Caesar and her group appeared as if from nowhere.
Now, Kousei saw the world through Central's eyes. Though nothing had physically changed, she felt something within her had quietly shifted.
Just then, her gray eyes regained their clarity.
The swirling snowstorm crashed into Kousei's vision. Having never seen snow before, she was utterly stunned, freezing in place.
Reiko noticed Kousei had stopped and turned back, puzzled. She saw Kousei looking up, her hair fluttering in the cold wind, her eyes sparkling.
Reiko froze too. Kousei and the snowy landscape were a perfect match, as if they were always meant to be together.
"A Cinderella..." Reiko thought, studying Kousei intently.
When Kousei snapped out of her trance, she looked at Reiko. She finally saw the woman's face clearly—exceptionally beautiful, with an air of refined elegance. From this alone, Kousei concluded that Reiko must also come from an elite family.
"A first-rate trainer..." Kousei thought, studying Reiko intently.
Their minds were on different tracks.
"Does 'Tracen 44' refer to the Northern Academy?" Kousei asked as they resumed walking.
"Actually, there is no 'Group 44.' That was a lie T fabricated. Caesar and the others have always been Umamusume from the Northern Academy. The story was invented to deceive the Central Committee."
"Is it that simple?"
"Of course it wasn't simple. We spent a fortune to forge an identity that wouldn't arouse suspicion from the Central Committee. After all, if the lie were exposed, our goal of pressuring you would have failed."
Kousei knew her father had hidden many things from her, but she never imagined he had planned everything from the very beginning.
"What did you mean when you said I would repeat my mother's mistakes?"
During their earlier conversation, some of Reiko's words had deeply troubled Kousei, especially the part about "repeating mistakes."
"From the 'Ominous Festival' came the 'Running Demon'—a nostalgic piece of history. Who do you think was the Umamusume called a 'Demon' before you?"
From Reiko's words, Kousei learned a fact that shocked her to the core. Though Reiko didn't state it outright, her guidance led Kousei toward a terrifying truth.
"Could Mother's retirement..."
Kousei only knew that her mother had retired, married her father, and given birth to her. But her parents never spoke of their past.
Not a single piece of footage from her mother's racing career could be found—only the videotapes her father had given her offered a glimpse.
"I heard there's a strange Umamusume at Central named Manhattan Cafe. She can see ghosts that ordinary people can't."
Kousei didn't understand why Reiko would bring this up now, but Reiko didn't elaborate. Instead, Kousei remembered that while she was trapped in the Emotional Test Center, the package Black Bullet brought her had contained videotapes of her mother's races.
There were only two tapes. One had been given to McQueen, who then passed it on to Teio.
At this moment, Kousei realized the recording format of the tapes was extremely old-fashioned, and even the footage was very blurry. At first, she had dismissed it as her father's retro hobby, but now she felt something was wrong.
Because her father had never let her watch the second tape, Kousei had no idea what it contained. But since someone had gone to such great lengths to get it to her, there must have been a reason.
The desire to watch the second tape grew stronger in Kousei's heart.