"Big sis?"
A voice sounded again from behind Fuka Shirayuki.
…
…
Staring at the blank document on her screen, Fuka Shirayuki pulled her slender fingers back from the keyboard and shoved them into her pocket.
Then she let out something like a stupid little heeheehee laugh.
The first iron law of writers:
The instant you open your writing panel, countless annoyances come flooding in… getting interrupted is practically a daily routine.
Sometimes it's not that a writer doesn't want to write—
It's that they can't.
Like right now.
Fuka Chiori stood there, full of curiosity, watching her sister sit in front of the laptop and zone out at an empty page.
She couldn't help asking, "Sis, what are you doing?"
"Nothing…" Shirayuki dodged the topic, deciding not to expose that she was writing. If the stuff she was about to write got her "alt" identity revealed, she'd be genuinely screwed.
Then she smoothly switched topics and asked, "Why are you home so early today?"
Chiori raised her wrist and checked her watch. "Huh? Isn't this normal? It's already after four! We get out at three."
What an enviable school schedule…
Shirayuki tilted her head up again. "No club activities?"
"Like I'd have the energy," Chiori complained, barefoot on the wooden floor. Then she tossed the topic back at Shirayuki. "Besides, you're the one who came home early, sis!"
"Did you finish work that early today?"
The conversation suddenly fell into silence.
After sitting there and pondering for a moment, Shirayuki decided to tell the truth.
She couldn't hide things from her sister for long…
And anyway, from here on, she'd mainly be living off race prize money and writing fees. At that point she'd either be holed up at home or going out to race—she wouldn't be able to keep using "work" as an excuse.
And why should she hide it?
They were sisters. Family. Not enemies.
So…
Shirayuki said bluntly:
"I'm preparing for my debut race—five days from now. I heard someone called Tokai Teio will be in the same debut race as me. When the time comes, I'll beat her and show you."
"… "
Chiori stopped what she was doing, turned her head, and looked at her sister seriously.
Then—
She nodded flatly. "Mm."
"…What kind of reaction is that?" Shirayuki asked, confused.
Wasn't she supposed to be shocked?
Like: You can run a debut race? Then DANKING can win the Shanghai Major!
That was the kind of line that should've happened.
Or if it got more dramatic, Chiori should've tried to stop her—told her not to dream unreal dreams—then Shirayuki would return strong and slap faces!
So why did she agree so casually, meow!?
Web novels don't go like this, meow!
You're supposed to doubt first, then force out the trump card, build hate, build hype, and finally explode it all so readers feel great—
Who just agrees from the start!?
It's like a NIK0major-level "sure, okay."
Web novels really aren't written like this, meow!
"Sis…" Shirayuki couldn't help calling.
Chiori tilted her head. "Yeah?"
"If you want to run your debut race, then just run it. I believe in you."
In the end, the little "grown-up" girl lightly rose onto her toes. Her palm still warm, she gently patted her sister's head.
As her fingers threaded through the soft white hair, Chiori added softly:
"Because…"
"You've already worked so hard for so long."
"If you want to rest, then rest properly. I'll hold things up."
"You should chase your dream and take a break for a while."
"I'll be graduating junior high soon. Once I'm in high school, I can go get a part-time job. Even if it doesn't pay much… earning some pocket money and helping with the household is still good."
"To me, you'll always be my most beloved big sister."
"… "
Shirayuki fell silent.
She could still sense it—
Her sister's emotions were made of disbelief.
Watching Chiori finish speaking and head downstairs to cook dinner, Shirayuki sank into thought again—something she hadn't done in a long time.
So she'd actually stumbled into a real-life little-sister-route galgame!?
But—
Everything Shirayuki said was true!!!
Does no one believe the truth anymore these days?
Well, then there's nothing to do about it…
She turned back to the screen. Her gaze slowly sharpened into seriousness—steadfast, determined.
She thought:
The only thing left now was to write Tokai Teio's ending.
Step onto that track.
Defeat Teio fair and square.
Earn the massive five million prize.
Take on the name of responsibility.
Hold up the future of this household—
A thousand blades and a million weapons can't compare to faith!!!
"A god will bear everything!"
Shouting about bonds, friendship, and all that—Fuka Shirayuki, in full chuuni mode, lunged back into the writing interface.
She continued from Chapter Five.
In the previous chapter, she'd thrown out the hook:
"Tokai Teio will lose her debut race."
Any reader who finished that chapter would bite like a school of fish, waiting for the predetermined climax—
So what she needed to do now was build different kinds of setup so the climax would hit even harder.
Chapters Six and Seven—
After thinking briefly, Shirayuki decided she'd only write the protagonist training hard for the debut-race goal, picking up an initial tool—or rather, a trump card—capable of winning the debut.
After achieving that effect…
They'd move on to registration.
The real kill shot—
Would be saved for the debut race itself!
Shirayuki poured out four thousand words in one go.
She even felt like she wasn't done!
She had a premonition—
Today she could go on a posting spree! She could climb the Japanese light-novel author rankings!
Without hesitation, she typed out the title of Chapter Eight:
Chapter Eight: "Unrivaled Under Heaven—Yet an Enemy Descends From Above!"
"Tokai Teio is the pride of Central Tracen…"
"Her goal is the undefeated Triple Crown, inheriting the Emperor Symboli Rudolf's will!"
"Teio's talent is unprecedented… even her factory-default flexibility is rare across all ages—she can run as if she's flying inches above the turf!"
"Just when everyone thinks Teio will easily win her debut…"
"Just when they look at the entry list and see no enemy worth mentioning…"
"Tokai Teio confidently declares: 'I am unrivaled under heaven!'"
"And right at that moment…"
"Another name appears on the debut roster—BAM BAM BAM! An enemy descends from above!"
Then Shirayuki immediately started writing Chapter Nine without even pausing.
She thought…
In Japan, there's a saying: "the eternal one horse-length."
When you rewatch race footage, you can indeed see that right before the finish line, Symboli Rudolf would slow down and "coast."
Later on, the seven-crown horse T.M. Opera O also had a similar habit.
And—
The ending Shirayuki wanted to write for Tokai Teio…
Was a defeat dripping with mockery and amusement:
A loss by one horse-length.
Lose.
That's your ending.
"One horse-length" is as far as you'll ever reach!
God says: You may come this far—no further!
-------
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