Leap of Faith was starting to tread the same worn path she had.
Hating herself, looking down on herself, putting distance between herself and everyone else.
She herself had to act that way because of Soul Dissolution Syndrome, but if Leap of Faith ended up like this too… Platinum absolutely refused to let that happen.
She was already stuck at the bottom of this pit, but anyone with a shred of conscience would try to cushion the fall for someone else about to tumble in, right?
So Platinum sat down beside Leap of Faith, lowered her eyelids, and spoke softly, "That's not what I meant."
"And I don't think Golden Sixty meant it that way either."
"Needing others to look worse so you can feel better? That's complete nonsense."
"I can't really talk you out of these feelings, and I'm not sure I even need to try. If you could just listen to my few words and be convinced, I might as well quit running and apply to be a counselor instead."
"Let's just talk about this race. I still think you should go."
Platinum's voice was low, her hands tightly twisted together.
"Because right now, I really, really, really miss my parents."
"I don't know if I'll ever see them again. I can't even remember the last time I consciously saw them."
"Right now, I just deeply regret that I never got to say goodbye to them, to tell them goodnight."
Could Platinum ever return to her original world? She wasn't sure.
So, in a way, this was goodbye forever, wasn't it?
"Sometimes I wonder if all those arguments back then were even worth it. Maybe if I'd just backed down sometimes, things would've been better. Why did I always have to prove I was right against my own parents?"
"Only now do I realize how awful I was, choosing to be stubborn back then."
"So, speaking from my experience, if you don't participate in this race, you will definitely regret it."
"It has nothing to do with winning or losing. It's simply because she's your sister, and you're hers. That's all."
Leap of Faith fell silent after hearing Platinum's words. She knew Platinum came from a far, faraway place, and that she held many secrets, but she hadn't known about this.
Would Platinum never see her family again?
Leap of Faith couldn't help but wonder, would she ever face a day like that? With Golden Sixty, Dad, Mom, all no longer by her side? What would she do then?
She hated Golden Sixty with every fiber of her being. Yet she couldn't imagine a world without Golden Sixty in it.
"I… hate Golden Sixty…"
Trembling, Leap of Faith spoke.
"I think she's the worst sister in the whole world. When I was little, people always told me, 'I'm so jealous you have a perfect sister like Golden Sixty—so pretty, so popular, so good at everything.'"
"At times like that, I'd always force a smile and deal with it. Because everyone would say they envy me for having her as a sister, but no one would ever tell her they envy her for having a sister like me."
"I'm just like a little tail attached to her, treated as her possession."
"Hah, I can't stand her either." Platinum grinned, bumping her shoulder against Leap of Faith's.
"That woman has zero sense of boundaries. When she showed up, she actually took us on a crazy joyride. Made me wonder if I'd somehow offended her."
"See? Your wish just came true. As far as I'm concerned, Golden Sixty is just Leap of Faith's sister, nothing more."
Leap of Faith immediately laughed through her tears. "Really now… stop teasing me."
Then, she rubbed her eyes and continued, "But after what you said… well, compared to having her vanish completely from my world, I guess I'd rather have her annoy me in her free time."
"So…" Platinum tilted her head and held out a hand to Leap of Faith. "Shall we go together?"
"If we go now, we can still make it."
"Ah, no, going to actually run the race is out of the question." Leap of Faith waved her hand dismissively.
Platinum stared at her own rejected hand, blinking in disbelief.
Wait, wasn't the deal that after the heartfelt pep talk, there'd be a reconciliation?
How come her speech had zero effect? She thought it was pretty good.
For a moment, Platinum questioned her entire life.
"Platinum, you came back to get your winner's garb, right? You should hurry, or you'll be late for the race." Leap of Faith, having composed herself, resumed her usual smiling demeanor.
"I'll go to the venue and cheer for you all. Please don't worry about me."
"Uh, well… it's just… you see…" Platinum scratched her head and ears, utterly confused about where her persuasion had gone wrong. "So… you're really not running? Really, really sure? No second thoughts?"
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't." Leap of Faith shook her head. "I don't have a winner's garb. I never prepared one."
"You all step onto the track in your winner's garb, right? Well, without one, I have no right to set foot on that track."
In other words, it would be considered a forfeit, an automatic withdrawal.
That was also why Sham and the others hadn't tried harder to persuade Leap of Faith. It was simply too late now.
Without the proper attire, there was no chance.
Platinum was dumbstruck. So… that was the issue!
"---So, does that mean if you had a winner's garb, you'd be willing to step onto the track?"
A man's voice suddenly sounded from the doorway. Leap of Faith turned around in surprise to see Uncle Francis, wearing his round-frame sunglasses, standing at the entrance.
He was Golden Sixty's trainer. Right now, instead of being with Golden Sixty awaiting the start of the race, he was here, standing before Leap of Faith.
"…Uncle Francis?" Leap of Faith blinked, not understanding his purpose.
"Uncle Francis was the one who drove me back," Platinum explained. This time, she had no psychological hang-ups about calling him 'Uncle'—combined with her past life, her total age was probably enough to call someone his age 'uncle' anyway.
Uncle Francis just stood at the doorway, placing a suitcase on the floor and gesturing for Leap of Faith to take it.
"You two sisters, each and every one of you, are stubborn as mules."
Hesitantly, Leap of Faith walked over, opened the suitcase, and unfolded the contents inside.
The fabric was thick and soft, a jet-black color reminiscent of Leap of Faith's waterfall-like hair.
Although the main body of the garment was black, the cuffs and collar boldly used a bright red fabric, making it very striking. As Leap of Faith continued to unfold it, the full appearance of the outfit was revealed to her.
"…Is this… a winner's outfit?"
"Little Sixty had this made for you from the very start," Uncle Francis said with a sigh. "Not the start of this race, but from the first time she ever ordered a winner's garb for herself."
—Getting my winner's outfit? Great! I want to design it myself. I'll get two made—one for me, and one for Faith!
—But Faith is still so young. Forget about the fit for now, she might not even become an Uma Musume like you in the future.
In her memory, a younger, still somewhat childish Golden Sixty laughed brightly, revealing her pearly white teeth.
"She definitely will! One day, we'll definitely stand on the same track together!"
"And when that time comes, I'll proudly tell everyone, 'She's my little sister! She's Leap of Faith!'"
Leap of Faith covered her lips with her hand. She then noticed a photo tucked at the very bottom of the case.
It was a family portrait. She herself, pouting, stood on one side next to Golden Sixty. In the middle sat their grandfather in his wheelchair, with their father and mother standing behind him.
Golden Sixty was holding the clingy ragdoll cat, with a common-looking tabby cat perched on her head, laughing cheerfully.
Come to think of it, her own memories were really too hazy.
What ever happened to that cat she brought home in the end?
Leap of Faith reached out, her fingers tracing the image of Golden Sixty's face in the photo, over and over again.
--+--
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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.