December 31st, Longchamp Racecourse.
The rain fell steadily, turning the turf heavy.
An hour before the race was set to begin, Vela Azul stood before the gates of Longchamp.
Being in a foreign land felt surreal; the architecture of the racecourse and the entry procedures were entirely different from everything she knew. Unable to read French, she looked utterly lost amidst the surging tides of the crowd.
Just as Vela Azul was hesitating over whether to grab a random passerby and use her clunky translation app to ask for directions, a familiar voice drifted from behind her.
"Hey! You! Yes, you! Stop looking around, I'm talking to you!"
Standing there with her hands on her hips was Iresine, dressed as extravagantly as she would be in her racing silks. Her golden hair was vibrant enough to stand out even in a crowd like this.
"Who else would I be talking to but you!"
Watching Iresine stride toward her, Vela Azul tilted her head in confusion. It wasn't that she had forgotten her; that Japan Cup had been Vela Azul's final race before retirement.
As a fellow Grade 1 competitor on that stage, Iresine was etched clearly in her memory.
Vela Azul just didn't understand why the girl was going out of her way to call her out.
Before she could say a word, however, Iresine grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the other side of the grounds with clear intent.
In her daze, Vela Azul was dragged to a spot where the crowd was a bit thinner.
She watched as Iresine spoke to a staff member in fluent French, and just like that, they were ushered directly into Longchamp Racecourse.
It was only then that Vela Azul finally snapped out of it, hurriedly asking, "What was that just now...?"
"My family has been a sponsor here since Longchamp was first built! Is it so strange for someone with VIP access to bring a friend inside?"
The high-born French Uma Musume, Iresine, tilted her chin up, looking quite proud of herself.
"Eh? A friend? Me?"
Vela Azul pointed at herself, sounding unsure. Her connection with Iresine amounted to a single race at the Japan Cup, and they hadn't even spoken much during the event. Could they really be called friends?
Could it be...
Vela Azul suddenly looked at Iresine with a gaze full of pity. Could she be one of those lonely rich girls who has no friends, so she treats anyone she's shared a track with as a best pal?
"No way! I am incredibly popular in Paris!"
As if reading the thoughts behind Vela Azul's eyes, Iresine grew flustered and annoyed. Seeming desperate to prove her point with a concrete example, she grabbed Vela Azul again and kept moving.
After navigating a maze of corridors, Iresine led her to a set of luxuriously decorated double doors and pushed her inside without explanation.
"Oh? We've got another newcomer?"
Do Deuce, who was sitting on a sofa in the VIP lounge munching on a macaron, looked up and spoke through a mouthful of crumbs.
"See, I told you! Since so many of us happened to gather here anyway, it was only a matter of course that the entire Japan Cup lineup would assemble! It's destiny, I tell you, destiny!"
Panthalassa spoke while winking at Titleholder, as if declaring herself the winner of some unspoken bet.
"While it is somewhat incredible, when you consider that this is Dream Weaver's race, it doesn't seem so hard to understand why everyone would gather here."
Leaning against the wall, Titleholder adjusted the brim of her hat, ignoring Panthalassa's gloating.
Vela Azul blinked in disbelief. The geniuses from that Japan Cup a month ago had actually converged once again.
And based on the conversation between Panthalassa and Titleholder, this wasn't a planned reunion—they had all simply run into each other at Longchamp.
Vela Azul was amazed by the coincidence, yet a part of her felt it made perfect sense.
The gathering of such talent might sound like a fantasy, but this was Dream Weaver's return to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after two long years.
With that as the catalyst, it wasn't so strange for these elites to be drawn to Paris and Longchamp.
After all, hadn't Vela Azul herself been lured by this very race, traveling alone to a foreign land just to be here?
"Now you know why I pulled you in."
Having vindicated herself, Iresine arched her slender neck proudly, as if asserting she was definitely not a lonely noblewoman.
"It's about the sense of occasion! Since fate brought so many of us together, wouldn't you want to see if we could complete the set of every Grade 1 Uma Musume from that Japan Cup?!"
Vela Azul really wanted to point out how ridiculous it was for someone to camp out at the entrance for half a day just for "a sense of occasion," but she realized that without Iresine's stubborn waiting, she wouldn't have gotten inside so easily. Instead, she said:
"Regardless, I should thank you. Whatever you might think, I personally consider us friends now."
With that, Vela Azul extended her hand in a gesture of friendship. Iresine froze for a moment before taking it, her face flushing as she replied.
"D-Don't get the wrong idea! I didn't bring you in because I wanted to be your friend or anything!"
Vela Azul smiled, choosing not to tease her further. Instead, she turned her attention to the rest of the room.
Because of what Panthalassa and Titleholder had said, she had assumed every Grade 1 racer from the Japan Cup was already there. But after a careful count, she realized a few were still missing.
"Are Liberty Island, Symboli Kris S, and Equinox not here?"
"Liberty Island said hello and then headed back to the regular stands. She's Dream Weaver's apprentice, after all; she wanted to cheer for her teacher alongside the rest of the team."
"As for Equinox, she seemed to follow Liberty Island out. I'm not sure if she's coming back. Oh, and Symboli Kris S went too—probably to find Hishi Miracle."
Truly a pair of star-crossed lovers, Vela Azul thought with a shake of her head.
She had heard far too many stories about the drama between Liberty Island and Equinox to want a second helping of that today.
She quickly changed the subject, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window that offered a stunning view.
"The spectators are almost all in their seats. The race should be starting soon."
At her words, the other Grade 1 racers put down what they were doing and gathered at the window.
At the same time, out in the stands where she had managed to blend in, Symboli Kris S turned to Hishi Miracle and asked a question.
"In a Grade 1 race... how exactly do you win?"
Having just been crushed by Equinox at the Arima Kinen a few days prior and missing out on G1 glory once again, Symboli Kris S was asking for Hishi Miracle's advice from the very bottom of her heart.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.