Sugimoto Kentaro sat alone in the deserted office late at night, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he sifted through documents. The screen in front of him played and replayed footage of Narita Brian's interview.
"What are your thoughts on the upcoming Kikuka-shō? With two of the Triple Crown races already secured, are you confident about clinching the final one?"
The reporter on screen passed the microphone to a long-haired, dark-maned Uma Musume whose intense gaze was striking—even through the screen, it felt almost suffocating.
"I just have to overwhelm everyone with my strength."
She spoke expressionlessly, her eyes fixed on Sugimoto Kentaro beyond the camera.
Even after hearing it countless times, Kentaro couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. He scratched his head irritably, tossed his pen and papers aside, and slumped back into his chair.
Staring at the ceiling, faintly lit by the glow of the monitor, he muttered to himself:
"She really can just crush everyone with pure strength, can't she…"
Over the past few days, he had pored over every detail of Narita Brian's performance—her top speed, her explosive final sprint down the homestretch, the sharp angles she cut on the turns. By now, Kentaro felt he knew Narita Brian almost as well as her own trainer did.
And that was exactly why he was so frustrated.
Narita Brian's strength was simply overwhelming. She didn't just win her Triple Crown races—she dominated them. From her three-and-a-half length victory in the Satsuki-shō to a five-length triumph in the Japanese Derby, it seemed like she hadn't even reached her limit.
These were G1 races—the Classic Crown series. Every one of her opponents was a top-tier competitor, and yet Narita Brian kept delivering terrifying results.
"Overwhelm everyone with my strength"—coming from her, it wasn't arrogance or exaggeration. It was just a fact.
She really could overpower everyone with sheer ability.
A younger Kentaro might not have felt so helpless hearing those words. He might even have been among those eagerly awaiting the birth of another Triple Crown winner.
But everything changed after the Kobe Shimbun Hai. Watching his childhood dream run once more on the track, something shifted inside him.
Rather than witness another Crown winner, what he truly wanted now was to see the Northern family shine again on racing's biggest stage.
But standing against the tide of popular opinion felt like steering a tiny boat against the whole ocean—reckless and foolish.
He kept telling himself that Dream Weaver hadn't shown her full power in the Kobe Shimbun Hai, but that did little to comfort him. Even if Dream Weaver had more to give, who was to say Narita Brian had shown everything she had?
Wishful thinking was meaningless. Cold, hard data was what truly reflected ability.
And no matter how many times he ran the numbers, Kentaro couldn't find a path to victory for Dream Weaver.
"Can she… really win?"
--+--
"She will win."
On that same night, the grandmother of the Northern family was also awake, gazing at the moonlight outside her window as though speaking to someone unseen.
"I know Dreams has talent, but her opponent is Narita Brian. We've both been in this world long enough to understand what kind of power she possesses."
The dial-up telephone on the table crackled with static, likely from poor maintenance, but the Northern matriarch paid it no mind and continued speaking as if the person were right beside her.
"I know that child better than you do. The power she holds will surpass everyone's expectations. The future glory of the Northern family rests on her shoulders."
"She… will bring the Northern family back to its glorious era."
A sigh came from the other end of the line before the person responded.
"Rather than chasing glory, shouldn't we want the children of our family to live happily under the sun?"
"You're putting too much pressure on Dreams."
"She's still just a child. To burden her with something like 'glory'…"
Before the voice could finish, the Northern grandmother gripped her wheelchair tightly and rasped:
"Silence!"
"Your family has only seen one golden generation, and you already have plenty of promising young ones coming up—inheritance isn't even a concern for you. What could you possibly understand about my situation?!"
"Asama… Mejiro!"
She practically roared the last name, and the force of her voice seemed to shake the dust from the desk.
On the other end, Mejiro Asama fell silent for a long moment, waiting for the other to calm down before speaking softly.
"If it were me—if the Mejiro family ever faced such a day—I wouldn't want the children to push themselves to the brink for something called 'glory'."
"Even if the name Mejiro were one day forgotten, I would still want the children to have a bright future."
A faint, mocking smile touched the lips of the Northern grandmother as she struggled to catch her breath.
"That's because the Mejiro family is still young. You are practically the first generation of Uma Musume to carry its name. How could you possibly understand what the Northern family represents?"
"From St. Simon to Nearco to Northern Dancer—do you have any idea how many years of history our family carries? How can we simply discard the glory our predecessors accumulated?"
After she spoke, the mansion fell back into a suffocating silence. Moonlight spilled through the window, casting a faint circle of light in the darkness. The figure in the wheelchair seemed to shrink even further.
Her health had never been strong, and these intense emotions were only making things worse.
Mejiro Asama knew exactly what state her old friend was in. She remained silent, allowing the other woman time to recover. For someone as proud as the Northern matriarch, this was the greatest respect Mejiro Asama could offer.
A long time passed before the heavy breathing on the other end of the line finally steadied. Then, Mejiro Asama said gently:
"You must take care of yourself."
"What would be the point if she restored the Northern family's glory, but you weren't there to see it?"
"I know my own condition. I've done everything I can. Breaking the Northern family's curse will be my final act."
"What about for Dreams' sake? Do you really want to leave that child alone in that crumbling old mansion?"
The grandmother ignored the rising urgency in Mejiro Asama's voice. She leaned heavily into her wheelchair, gazing out at the bright moon, and whispered:
"The Kikuka-shō… She must win. She will win."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! 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.