The estate sat amidst the swirling snow, its wings stretching endlessly to the left and right. Kousei glanced at Reiko. The woman before her was clearly either wealthy or noble.
Among all the people Kousei knew, Mejiro McQueen was the one with the most prestigious lineage. But she had never visited the Mejiro Estate, so this was her first direct encounter with the world of the elite.
"So this is what wealth looks like..." Kousei murmured in awe.
However, the interior was not what she had imagined. The vast estate was utterly empty. Sparse decorations only amplified the desolation. The air hung heavy with a deathly stillness, like the inside of a giant coffin, creating an unsettling atmosphere.
Kousei glanced at Reiko from behind, her eyes flickering with thought.
The massive gate swung open from within, revealing a large dog with pure white fur.
"I'm home, Little White."
Little White padded over and nuzzled against Reiko's leg. The two seemed very close. Kousei scanned the surroundings; the interior decor was also minimalist, which perhaps made the place feel even colder.
Kousei's gaze inadvertently met Little White's. The dog was staring straight at her.
"What?"
Little White suddenly crouched low. Kousei instinctively tensed, but the dog simply flopped onto the floor, looking completely at ease.
"Afraid of dogs?" Reiko teased.
"No, it's just... Little White was clearly..." Kousei trailed off, unable to put her finger on it.
Reiko's eyes narrowed slightly. She's sharp, she thought.
"Seeing all this, you must have a lot of questions."
"I'm waiting for you to tell me." Kousei looked at Reiko, her gaze calm and unhurried.
"Then, as the first step in building trust between Trainer and Umamusume, I will lay bare my goals and expectations."
Riko sat upright and began her story.
"The Chiin family was once an elite name in the Umamusume world. As you can see, I'm a fallen young lady. Of the once-glorious Chiin clan, only Little White and I remain. As for why... it might be because of the Chiin family's training philosophy.
"Our guiding principle, which was like an absolute command, seems to have been flawed. Every Umamusume who partnered with the Chiin family ended up with mediocre results, whether they were geniuses or merely average talents.
"That alone would have been manageable. But during my father's generation, an accident occurred that led to the complete collapse of the Chiin family."
"My father's Designated Umamusume suffered an accident during training. A subsequent examination revealed her body had accumulated significant damage, rendering her unable to race as an Umamusume again. Because of this, my father was branded with the crime of 'abusing his Designated Umamusume.'"
Kousei's heart skipped a beat. Such a simple statement revealed a horrifying truth. Even if not in Central under Acting Chairman Chiin's governance, the consequences of such an act were devastatingly clear.
Kousei knew all too well: public opinion could crush everything in an instant.
She frowned slightly. Reiko had mentioned her father, but now only she and Little White lived in the mansion. Could it be...
"So, you're doing this to clear your father's name?"
"Why do you assume my father was wrongly accused?" Reiko countered, avoiding a direct answer.
"I don't know. But I see a shadow in you."
"Whose?" Reiko stared at Kousei with keen interest.
Kousei looked at Reiko for a long moment.
"Mine."
A brief silence fell.
"It wasn't exactly a wrongful accusation," Reiko admitted. "It's a fact that my father's Designated Umamusume was injured."
"And it's a fact that I injured my friends."
The "Ominous Festival"—the incident that branded Kousei a "Demon"—had implicated both Agnes Tachyon and Mejiro Ryan.
It was Kousei's willful actions that ultimately compelled her to leave Central.
"So you think we're the same?"
"Aren't we?" Kousei countered.
This time, Reiko didn't answer directly. Instead, she said, "My father always used to say, 'Trailblazers must endure unimaginable pressure. Darkness and hardship are necessary. Don't worry, don't be anxious—the dawn will shine upon the bravest.'"
Reiko glanced at a framed portrait on the wall. In it, a man with a heroic, smiling face looked back. But Reiko's own expression was tinged with self-mockery, her feelings unspoken yet clear.
"My father said something similar," Kousei murmured. "He told me, 'Don't fear the coming night. The darker the night, the brighter the stars.'"
"So, is that why you've been pushing yourself so hard?"
"I want to run. I want to achieve my dream."
I want to become the strongest Umamusume. I want to be a friend who chases dreams alongside my dearest friend. I want to be the best, the strongest rival, running side-by-side. I want to stand proudly beside my 'fated rival.'
Until the day our futures converge, I will never stop.
Through countless hardships, my heart burns like a flame.
"Alright," Reiko said, her voice firm. "I'm entrusting it to you. To the strongest Umamusume, who will carry my hopes."
Kousei's heart stirred. She decided to ask the question again—the one Chiin Reiko had never answered.
"My dream is to 'Go Beyond the Peak,' to become an Umamusume who carries everyone's hopes on her back. Can you believe in me and help me? Can you guide me, firmly and repeatedly, toward that goal? In your heart, am I the Umamusume who can Go Beyond the Peak? Can you bear the weight of this dream?"
The questions she had asked before, now desperately needed an answer.
"I believe in you."
Reiko's voice was gentle yet firm, like the first star to appear in the night sky.
If that was the case, there was only one response.
"Let's reach the summit together, Reiko."
"Mm."
Suddenly, a voice shattered the atmosphere between them.
"How melodramatic. Am I interrupting something?"
Caesar Rose popped out of nowhere. Before Kousei could say anything, she spotted a familiar face behind her.
"Way!!!"
Just a Way emerged from behind Caesar, greeting Kousei as casually as ever.
"Good evening."
Kousei's brain short-circuited. Just a Way's presence here was completely bizarre.
"She said she's your friend," Caesar explained. "For some reason, she hid in the plane and tagged along. She's pretty skilled, though. Neither Twilight Cloud nor I noticed her."
Just a Way scratched her head sheepishly. Kousei's feelings were a complicated mess.
"That wasn't a compliment," Kousei snapped, then turned to her friend. "Way, why did you follow me? Why didn't you stay at Central?"
Just a Way looked aggrieved. "Kousei isn't in our dorm room, so I can't sleep. The thought of not being able to sleep in the same bed as Kousei gives me insomnia."
Caesar shot Kousei a strange look. "You two sleep in the same bed? Are resources at Central really that tight?"
"She has her own bed."
Caesar gave her a knowing look.
"Since Just a Way and Kousei are roommates, you two can continue to stay together," Caesar said.
Kousei and Just a Way didn't mind; they were roommates anyway. But outside the door, Twilight Cloud, who had been eavesdropping, bristled. "Where did this homewrecking cat come from, trying to butt in?!"
In a foreign land, having a friend by her side brought Kousei considerable peace of mind.
"So, what's our race schedule now?"
As an Umamusume, Kousei's Classic Year schedule would normally have been the Spring Triple Crown. But now that she had left Central, her path would naturally be different.
Reiko smiled faintly.
"[NAU]"