She spent the day in a repressive atmosphere. The next day, the scheduled debut date, everyone from the academy gathered at the racetrack. Besides the school members, the desolate Kasamatsu Racecourse only had a few yawning staff members.
After changing, she walked out of the entryway. Everyone she could see had a gloomy expression.
Oguri Roman had lost. The only possibility at this academy had failed. Her failure was not just a matter of winning or losing a race. She carried the expectations of everyone at the school, their last hope. People had placed their hopes in her, hoping that her victory, her brilliance, would inspire them to move forward. But now, it was all just empty talk.
She turned her head. On the side of the track, Principal Haihara was gripping the railing, his head bowed, lost in thought. This short, stout man who always faced his students with a cheerful demeanor was also dejected by her failure. His hope was shattered.
A young man in his late twenties stood silently beside him, his eyes vacant. He was Ken Sato. Even though it was a debut race, he couldn't bring himself to look at the track. Even he, who called himself a slacker, was dispirited by the failure. Chizuru was sitting with Oguri Roman, both silently watching the race, not saying a word to each other.
It wasn't just the people in the stands; even the horse girls on the track were in a state of despair. She turned her gaze to Suzune. She remembered how bright her eyes had been when she had been introducing the equipment to her. But now, they were dim and lifeless, without a trace of passion. The tall, blue-haired Nishimoto Makikusa was leaning on her knees, making herself look much smaller. The pink-haired Kobayashi Kaze, who liked to wear her hair in twin-tails, hadn't even bothered to tie her hair today. It was just a mess on her back.
Only Minamino Sumire was still nonchalantly twirling her curly hair. As if sensing her gaze, she even walked over to her.
"Still have the courage to talk like that? Transfer student?"
"What do you mean?"
Seeing her confusion, Sumire smiled slightly and explained, "Courage needs a foundation. When you first came here, you could still stand up for others. After realizing that this place is just a ruin—"
"Will you still have the mood to care about others?"
She frowned. It was as if yesterday's events had never happened to Sumire. Her tone was so light. "What about you? Even though Oguri Roman failed, you can still be so calm?"
"Well, Uncle Haihara might be dejected for a while," she said, squinting slightly. "But for me, I was just putting on that expression to go along with the atmosphere."
"Was your disappointment yesterday an act?"
"In such a small place, you have to learn to fit in. Look at Suzune. She's so lonely because she doesn't fit in, so she flocks to a transfer student." As she spoke, she gestured vaguely at Suzune in the distance.
She was silent for a moment. She could understand why the others were dejected, but she couldn't understand what Sumire was thinking. So she just asked, "Didn't you... pin any hope on Oguri Roman?"
"There has to be hope to be pinned in the first place." Sumire replied with a smile. The answer was so cruel, yet it sounded so light coming from her. "Uncle Haihara and the others can pin their hopes on her, hoping that her results can revive the local scene, or at least Kasamatsu. Suzune can pin her hopes on her. She loves studying equipment so much, so of course she'd be drawn to the racetrack. It's the same for Kaze and Makikusa. Because they're also horse girls, they'll also give her their hopes."
"Aren't you a horse girl?"
Sumire chuckled. "So what if I am?"
"No one cares about local races anymore. No one cares about local horse girls. This academy is just the last echo of that Miracle Generation."
"So what if I debut successfully? Will my future change in any way?"
"A debut certificate is even less valuable than that guy Sato's trainer license. At least he can find a job with that piece of paper to support himself, right?"
She was silent. Unlike her "gyaru" appearance, Sumire was actually very smart. Unlike her two companions who still held expectations for racing, she had already seen the end of local racing. Even if she debuted successfully, it would be meaningless. Her life, besides this period of time, would have no connection to running anymore. So she didn't care. She didn't care about Oguri Roman's failure, about the dilapidated state of the academy, or about whether she could run.
Minamino Sumire, as a horse girl, had already given up on being a horse girl. At this academy, she was the most realistic, the most desperate, the most pessimistic person.
At this moment, Celestial Weave finally understood what the irritability in her heart these past few days had been. Kasamatsu Tracen was a school of despair. Everyone here had been forced to give up something by the cruel reality: their hopes for the future. The last little bit of dregs had been pinned on Oguri Roman. With her failure, that little bit of dregs was also gone forever.
Why wasn't Sumire dejected by her failure? It was because she didn't even have that little bit of dregs left. Hope for the future, expectations for the future—this was what had brought Celestial Weave to this point. No matter how difficult the days were, she would never give in.
So that's why she felt irritable. Irritable at everyone who had already given in, who had already surrendered.
After understanding her own heart, she suddenly laughed. The sudden laughter made Sumire look at her with confusion.
"I will show you..."
"What?"
"The brilliance on the stage will also give the audience hope. I will show you this."
"Stage? Brilliance? Those are words for the horse girls from the central circuit," she said with a scornful smile. "Look around! Are there any 'audience' members here? Besides a few staff members, it's just us!"
"Can a place like this even be called a stage?!" she waved her arms, as if to show her the entire Kasamatsu Racecourse.
But even with the cruel reality laid bare before her, she still didn't see a trace of despair in her eyes. "Wherever I am, is the center of the stage."
"Watch closely, my entrance."
A red light suddenly flashed in her dark eyes. The fear that surged from her body drove Sumire to instinctively take step after step back. She stared at her in shock, unable to say a word. All she could do was watch as her back walked out of the starting gate, one step at a time.
Author's Note
Well, would you look at that, it's time for the premium chapters. I really didn't think so many people would read this before I started writing. I was even mistaken for the reincarnation of a veteran author by readers and other great writers.
I started fantasizing again, fantasizing that I really was the reincarnation of a veteran author, with a bunch of fans eagerly waiting for my new book, without having to worry about readership numbers or whether the audience would like it.
But that's not the case. I wrote a Dragon Raja fanfic before that no one read, and it went premium without a single trial recommendation. I never thought this Uma Musume fic would get promoted three times in the trial recommendations. It's all thanks to everyone's support. Seeing so many people催更 (urge for updates) and reply every day makes me really happy.
I've read every single chapter comment and book review. I just regret that I'm too much of an introvert and don't know how to reply to many comments.
Having so many people read it also puts a lot of pressure on me. Every day I worry if the new chapter will be liked by the readers. Plus, I'm still in school, so my writing time is limited. I'm being chased by deadlines every day, but pressure is also motivation. Everyone's enthusiasm also gives me more motivation to build the plot.
Finally, because it's going premium, I haven't blinked in three seconds. I've been thinking about what to say to everyone, but I have to end it somewhere. After thinking about it, there are only four words—
Three chapters today! (Maybe I can write a fourth one later)
Ah, no, that's not it. It's—
Thank you for reading!
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