Kitasan Black fell silent abruptly after her unfinished question.
When she'd asked just now, she hadn't thought deeply enough.
Only after the words left her lips did she recall that during that particular Tenno Sho (Autumn), Silence Suzuka-senpai had suffered a severe accident after the fourth turn—a leg fracture.
Although she eventually recovered fully after long treatment, a fracture was something every Uma Musume dreaded and desperately tried to avoid.
Regret rose sharply in Kitasan's heart for her thoughtlessness.
Yet the moment regret surfaced, she felt a soft, warm hand gently press down on her head.
Startled, Kitasan raised her gaze, meeting Silence Suzuka's comforting eyes and gentle smile. She froze.
"Suzuka-senpai…"
"Don't worry about it, Kita-chan."
Smiling softly, Silence Suzuka spoke gently. "It's all in the past. I don't mind at all."
"In fact, it was precisely because of that accident that I chose to become a rehabilitation therapist."
"No Uma Musume ever wants to experience a fracture—we all just want to run freely, forever."
"But since I can't predict what'll happen, all I can do is help others avoid even greater sadness after an injury occurs."
"At least, that's how I see it."
Kitasan stared, even more astonished now. She hadn't expected Suzuka-senpai to speak about her past injury so calmly.
At the same time, Rice Shower also gazed over gently, trying to comfort her.
"Rice thinks…something similar to Suzuka."
"In the Takarazuka Kinen, Rice also experienced something similar to what Suzuka went through…"
"Rice isn't as impressive as Suzuka, but Rice also wanted to do something helpful after retiring, so Rice chose to become a nutritionist."
"If everyone eats well, stays healthy…then perhaps fewer injuries will occur."
"At least, that's how Rice thinks."
Suzuka smiled warmly. "Nutritionist… The meals Rice cooked these past days were truly delicious."
"R-really?" Rice Shower blushed slightly, shyly averting her eyes. "Rice just wanted Kita-chan to eat better…"
By now, Kitasan realized both her senpai were trying to comfort her—or rather, change the subject. Her spirits lifted quickly, and she no longer dwelled on her earlier slip.
"Yeah! Rice-senpai's cooking really is delicious!"
Kitasan eagerly nodded. "The first few times, I thought the inn provided those meals! When I learned Rice-senpai made them herself, I was truly shocked!"
"I-is that so?" Even more flustered, Rice Shower smiled bashfully. "As long as Kita-chan liked them."
Seeing Kitasan stop feeling guilty over past events, Suzuka quietly nodded to herself in relief.
She lowered her eyes back to the pamphlet she still held, gently flipping through it as memories filled her gaze.
"Stay Gold, huh… I do remember racing her in that Tenno Sho (Autumn)."
"Afterward, while recovering in my hospital room, I watched the replay and honestly thought she'd win. Unfortunately, in the final straight, she drifted sideways slightly and wasted some speed… The winner of that race…"
"I believe it was Offside Trap."
Having received Suzuka's gentle reassurance earlier, Kitasan wasn't surprised when Suzuka herself mentioned that particular race again now.
Curious, she flipped through the pamphlet thoughtfully.
"To achieve that kind of performance… Stay Gold-senpai must've been very strong."
"But if you just look at victories, she seems…" Her voice trailed off hesitantly.
"Not quite as impressive, right?"
Finishing Kitasan's sentence, Suzuka spoke with a hint of melancholy.
"Stay Gold was indeed strong. Before that Tenno Sho, if I recall correctly, she already had three runner-up finishes in G1 races."
"One second-place finish might be attributed to luck—but three times is enough to prove true strength…or perhaps sheer bad luck."
"But that's the nature of the Twinkle Series."
"Stay Gold…simply faced an incredibly tough generation."
"Yet, she never gave up."
Suzuka's tone shifted suddenly, eyes glinting with deep respect.
"In the end, she still managed to win the Hong Kong Vase before retirement. And Kita-chan…you can try counting exactly how long that took."
"How long…?"
Hastily checking the pamphlet, Kitasan muttered quietly while counting with her fingers, before looking back at Suzuka in shock.
"Five…whole years?!"
Suzuka nodded gently.
"Before finally winning that G1, I believe she had only two or three wins total."
"Notable among those, if I remember correctly, was the Akan-ko Tokubetsu race shortly after her debut."
"As for Graded Stakes, she'd only won the Meguro Kinen."
"In all other races, she'd painfully finished second or third."
"Another Uma Musume might've given up long before, but she never did."
"For five years, no one knew exactly how she felt, what she went through."
"But in the end, she claimed a G1 victory all her own."
Kitasan knew a few stories about Stay Gold, having read many introductions in the pamphlet earlier.
But only after hearing Suzuka speak of that G1 victory—earned after five long years—did she suddenly realize how much lay behind just a few simple lines in pamphlets or anecdotes: possibly the entire career of an Uma Musume.
Five whole years… If it were me, could I endure waiting so long for my first G1 victory?
No… actually, it's six years. Even after Stay Gold-senpai won the Hong Kong Vase, she still kept running…
Six years… I don't think I've ever heard of any Uma Musume racing that long and still being able to win G1 races…
If it were me…
Kitasan fell into thoughtful silence. Suzuka, Rice Shower, and Yasui—who had quietly listened throughout—didn't interrupt.
After a short while—
"I…think I understand a bit more now."
Kitasan raised her head with a thoughtful look, offering a soft smile.
She didn't clarify exactly what she'd understood, instead returning her attention to the pamphlet, carefully flipping through its pages again.
"Based on what Suzuka-senpai said, Stay Gold-senpai was very strong, but unfortunately faced a powerful generation."
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be really tough for her to win this Dream Trophy as well?"
"Because…"
She pointed at one of the pages she'd flipped to—a promotional image resembling a group photo.
"Almost all the senpai racing here…are from that same generation, aren't they?"
Glancing at the promotional photo, nostalgia and deep emotion filled Suzuka's eyes.
"Yes, they're practically all from the same era. Let me see…"
"Hmm… Offside Trap is here, so is Fukurai."
"Also the Mejiro sisters… I recall Stay Gold competed against Bright in the Tenno Sho (Spring)."
"And then… Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi, Air Jihad, Phalaenopsis… They debuted slightly later than Journey, but still count as the same generation."
"And then…"
She unknowingly smiled, yet beneath that gentle expression flashed seriousness.
"Your familiar senpai—Special Week-san and Grass Wonder-san, and…"
"El Condor Pasa, Seiun Sky, and King Halo."
"It's going to be incredibly tough. I mean, Kita-chan, if you're asking whether Stay Gold can win against these opponents, I can only say…"
She shrugged helplessly.
"It'll be very difficult."
---
T/N:
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