Hearing Dream Weaver's words, the golden-haired Uma Musume took two clumsy steps back, trying to cover her thighs with both hands—but no matter how she tried, she couldn't hide them completely.
Flustered and blushing, she cried out almost in defeat:
"I—I know my legs are a little thick, but they're not that… impressive!"
Only then did Dream Weaver look up, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"What are you talking about? I said your power is impressive."
Seeing Dream Weaver's genuinely puzzled expression, the blonde Uma Musume puffed out her cheeks.
'Was she doing this on purpose? Saying things that could easily be misunderstood? If so, that's just mean!'
When the blonde didn't reply, Dream Weaver continued.
"From what you said earlier, it sounds like you're pretty confident about your debut race."
"So I wanted to see if you had the strength to back up that confidence."
"Turns out, you're pretty strong."
Only the top three finishers in a debut race are considered to have successfully debuted—so Dream Weaver's comment meant she believed the blonde had what it took to finish in the top three.
After speaking, Dream Weaver blinked innocently, as if asking if there was anything else the other girl didn't understand.
Seeing her like this, the blonde's face was still flushed, but she finally moved her hands away from her thighs.
Still, she was a bit confused by Dream Weaver's words, so she asked:
"Did I really sound that confident?"
Dream Weaver nodded.
"Uma Musume who lack confidence don't get excited or look forward to races. If that's not confidence, what else could it be?"
In a way, Dream Weaver was projecting her own experience. When she ran her debut race, she wasn't nearly this optimistic—more like she was throwing caution to the wind and giving it everything she had.
After a pause, Dream Weaver reached out her hand.
"I'm Dream Weaver, number one in this race."
The blonde stared blankly at the outstretched hand, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic.
"Oh… oh, I'm Narita Top Road, number three."
Still, Narita Top Road quickly took Dream Weaver's hand, smiling warmly as she did.
Looking at Narita Top Road's bright smile, Dream Weaver was suddenly reminded of Nice Nature—something about them felt similar, like they were both the type to live up to others' expectations.
"You're a really kind person, aren't you?"
"Huh?! Uh—"
Caught off guard by Dream Weaver's bluntness, Narita Top Road reacted just like Nice Nature often did: flustered, stammering, her cheeks flushing red all over again. She had no idea how to respond.
Just then, another Uma Musume arrived on the field.
Narita Top Road's horse ears twitched slightly at the sound. She turned instinctively and, recognizing the newcomer, began waving enthusiastically.
Still unsure how to respond to Dream Weaver, she seized the chance to change the subject.
"Vega, you're here too!"
She also made sure to introduce the new arrival to Dream Weaver.
Pointing toward the brown-haired Uma Musume with a low ponytail, she said:
"That's Admire Vega, my classmate."
Admire Vega didn't acknowledge them, quietly warming up in the distance.
Narita Top Road knew what she was like, but worried Dream Weaver might get the wrong idea, she started to explain.
Unexpectedly, Dream Weaver spoke first.
"She's strong, too."
"Huh?"
Narita Top Road, who'd just gathered her thoughts, was cut off and instinctively asked:
"Vega is definitely strong, but how could you tell?"
"Her eyes."
"I can see how much she wants to win."
Dream Weaver gazed thoughtfully at the figure warming up in the distance.
Admire Vega had a quality she recognized—an obsession with victory. Different from the usual anticipation most Uma Musume felt, this was a clearer, sharper hunger for the title.
'She has a goal. In a way, she's a lot like me.'
Dream Weaver mused silently.
Narita Top Road nodded vaguely, but soon her eyes widened as if she'd just realized something.
"Ah! So you didn't actually have to stare at her thighs to tell how strong she is, right?!"
Even Admire Vega was drawn by the outburst, glancing over from a distance.
Dream Weaver, standing closest to Narita Top Road, was so startled her horse ears flattened against her hair.
"Don't shout so loud—the spectators are starting to come in."
Dream Weaver smoothed down her ears and pointed toward the stands.
Narita Top Road followed her gesture and indeed saw the stands beginning to fill up—quite a few people were now staring at her in confusion.
Realizing what she'd done, Narita Top Road's blush deepened.
Looking at her, Dream Weaver couldn't help but remark:
"Tomato?"
"Whose fault do you think this is?!"
Provoked, Narita Top Road reached out and pinched Dream Weaver's cheeks. And hey—they were pretty soft.
Dream Weaver didn't resist. She was used to this from King Halo.
"Road! Good luck in your debut!"
"You can do it, Class Rep!"
Just then, cheers for Narita Top Road rose from the stands.
Narita Top Road released Dream Weaver's cheeks, her hand feeling oddly empty.
But she didn't dwell on it, turning to wave back at the crowd.
"Yeah! I won't let you down!"
Behind her, Dream Weaver rubbed her cheeks and said:
"You don't have to put so much pressure on yourself, you know."
She understood better than anyone what it felt like to carry expectations. And if you couldn't win under that kind of pressure—well, that feeling was awful, wasn't it?
Narita Top Road was a good kid. She didn't need to put herself through that.
"Huh?"
Before Narita Top Road could fully process Dream Weaver's words, another voice rang out from the stands.
"Weaver! Go get 'em!"
"Do your best, Little Sister!"
Narita Top Road turned toward the voice and saw a brown-haired Uma Musume waving toward someone behind her—a whole group of followers cheering along.
"Is that King Halo, the senior?"
She recognized the cheering Uma Musume—a senior who'd debuted a year earlier.
"Yeah, she's my sister."
After answering, Dream Weaver waved toward the stands.
"What?! Halo-senpai is your sister?!"
Shocked by the news, Narita Top Road exclaimed without thinking.
In the distance, Admire Vega's ears twitched slightly, as if she'd heard something. Her gaze turned thoughtful as she glanced between Dream Weaver and King Halo.
"Sisters… huh…"
Almost unconsciously, she pressed her lips together.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.