After a bit of playful roughhousing with Narita Top Road, Dream Weaver headed back to the competitors' lounge with her.
Even though they'd just met, the distance between them had somehow shrunk without either of them noticing.
But that made sense. Influenced by Nice Nature, Dream Weaver had always had a soft spot for gentle, hardworking types like this.
And Narita Top Road, with her mild temperament, got along with almost everyone—no wonder she'd been chosen as class president.
"Lived up to expectations, hardworking, and a great personality too—"
Back in the lounge, Dream Weaver counted off Narita Top Road's qualities on her fingers, then clapped her hands as if she'd just had a revelation.
"You're basically the main character! The most classic shonen jump type!"
Narita Top Road had been blushing a little from the praise, but as soon as she heard that last part, she walked over and pinched Dream Weaver's cheeks, scowling.
"Who are you calling the main character when you're the one who took first?!"
"You made top three too, though," Dream Weaver mumbled, rubbing her sore cheeks.
"Your debut race ranking isn't that important—as long as you finish in the top three, you've made your debut successfully."
"Besides, don't main characters always lose their first big match? It's all about the underdog comeback."
Narita Top Road knew Dream Weaver was trying to cheer her up, but she couldn't help feeling a little discouraged, like she'd let her trainer and friends down.
Still, she didn't want to dump those negative feelings on her new friend, so she changed the subject.
"So… have you picked the song you're gonna perform on the Victory Stage later?"
Dream Weaver tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"Pick a song? What do you mean?"
"The winner gets to choose which song to perform for the Victory Stage! Don't tell me you forgot?!"
Narita Top Road stared at her in disbelief. For a Uma Musume, your debut race was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the song you performed for your first Victory Stage was something almost every girl thought about constantly—aside from training, of course.
How could someone as strong as Dream Weaver not have picked a song?
Seeing Narita Top Road's expression, Dream Weaver started to feel a little uneasy. She chose her words carefully.
"First… let's make sure we're on the same page about what the Victory Stage even is."
That only made Narita Top Road even more shocked. Who would've thought that this Uma Musume, who'd just won her debut race by a landslide, had no idea what the Victory Stage was?
She was a student at Tracen, not some country bumpkin—didn't she have classmates who'd already run their debut races?
"Dream-chan… don't tell me you're…"
Narita Top Road furrowed her brow, already coming up with a backstory for her.
"...the illegitimate child of some noble family! You were raised out in the countryside and only recently moved back to Tokyo, right! I've heard about this! This is your chance to show up everyone who ever looked down on you, isn't it!"
Drawing from Dream Weaver's background as a descendant of a famous bloodline, and mixing in some of the gossip she'd heard from classmates lately, Narita Top Road pieced together what she thought was a flawless explanation.
Faced with this theory, Dream Weaver could only sigh and shake her head.
"If that were really my backstory, maybe I wouldn't have had to endure my sister cheering for me like that in front of everyone."
Hearing that, Narita Top Road fell silent. She'd almost forgotten what King Halo was like.
King Halo's little antics were legendary at Tracen—Narita Top Road just couldn't picture someone like her, who acted like she was the main character, playing a part in that kind of drama.
Suddenly, as if she'd just realized something, Narita Top Road's gaze softened with pity. She placed her hands on Dream Weaver's shoulders.
"You've been through a lot."
If her sister was that much of an airhead, life as the younger sibling must've been tough.
Dream Weaver didn't quite understand why Narita Top Road had suddenly said that, but she mirrored the gesture, placing her own hands on Narita Top Road's shoulders and speaking earnestly.
"More importantly, could you please explain what the Victory Stage is?"
Seeing the utterly clueless look in Dream Weaver's eyes, Narita Top Road suddenly understood. Maybe… both sisters were a little silly after all.
A minute later, Narita Top Road had given a concise explanation of what the Victory Stage was.
By the time she finished, Dream Weaver was already breaking out in a cold sweat.
Oh no. She'd completely forgotten about this.
Now that she thought about it, she'd skipped the Victory Stage after her real debut race too. After years of training focused solely on mission objectives in the script, she'd forgotten all about it.
She was supposed to perform on stage, when she didn't know the first thing about dancing?
She'd already been embarrassed enough by King Halo's cheering earlier—the thought of having to do something like that in front of a live audience—
Dream Weaver shuddered at the idea. She grabbed her backpack and reached out for Narita Top Road's hand.
"Road-chan, let's make a run for it!"
"Don't say it like we're eloping or something!"
Narita Top Road swatted her hand away and continued, "I'm pretty sure the school offers classes for this, right? There's no need to panic."
Hearing that, Dream Weaver smiled faintly.
"I skipped all of them!"
"Why would you do that?!"
Narita Top Road was stunned again. Dream Weaver didn't seem like the type to play hooky.
"I went to train instead!"
Dream Weaver puffed out her chest, completely unashamed. And it was true—the mission requirements had always been about winning races, never about dancing.
Seeing her like this, Narita Top Road opened her mouth to retort, but then a question that had been nagging at her was suddenly answered.
So that's why she's so strong, she thought, looking at Dream Weaver with mixed emotions.
After a moment of silence, Narita Top Road asked cautiously, "Dream-chan, how long have you been training?"
"Since I was six. Why?"
"From age six… until now?"
"What's the problem? Don't worry, I managed the intensity well—I didn't push myself to the point of serious injury."
Thinking Narita Top Road was concerned for her, Dream Weaver smiled and flexed her arm playfully.
Narita Top Road's feelings were complicated.
From what Dream Weaver said, she'd even designed her own training regimen. And by the looks of it, she hadn't just skipped dance classes—she'd probably skipped a lot of other things too.
Narita Top Road pressed her lips together. She'd started training at a young age too, but certainly not as early as six. Besides, she'd had a trainer guiding her. Even when she felt like giving up, her coach had been there to help her through it.
But Dream Weaver was different. A six-year-old elementary schooler, enduring the hardships of training, pushing through both physical and mental challenges—and even planning her own regimen.
Given how strong she was now, she must've followed that plan perfectly.
She'd kept that up for ten years.
An image flashed through Narita Top Road's mind: other kids gathering friends to play freely, while a young Dream Weaver ran alone on the track, all by herself.
Didn't she ever get tired? Didn't she ever want to slack off? Didn't she… ever feel lonely?
--+--
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.