"You're already putting a heavy burden on your body just by racing," Rudolf said, voice tight. "And this time you'll face opponents who are even more dangerous. I truly don't want—and can't—watch you get hurt again. Please… promise me, okay?"
Eternal Meteor's only answer was silence.
She could clearly feel that Rudolf's concern wasn't fake in the slightest.
"I'll win."
"This isn't about winning or losing!"
Rudolf's voice shot up. It felt like the fuse in her heart had been lit—like a volcano already on the verge of eruption had just had a high-yield bomb dropped straight into the crater.
"Your body cannot handle that level of intensity right now, do you understand?!"
It was too strange—completely irrational.
Did she not feel pain?
Whether it was training or racing, Eternal Meteor got seriously injured every single time. A normal horse girl—maybe she wouldn't wail like she was dying, but she'd at least cry. At least shed tears, right?
But Eternal Meteor?
That day on the track, training her start, the very last thing she said before passing out from blood loss was said with a smile—I learned it.
Just because she'd finally mastered a fast break, all those injuries didn't matter.
And in races, too. Her body was already at its limit, yet she still opened her Zone for the sake of a wide margin. In the most recent race, she'd even run with a fractured leg.
That wasn't "competitiveness" anymore.
That was pathology.
And the beginning of it all…
…had been Rudolf.
Rudolf hated herself—hated that she hadn't taken Eternal Meteor for a full physical before signing her in, that it had only been discovered after she got hurt.
And now she couldn't let the same mistake keep repeating.
"What if you fall halfway through the race?! What if the injury is so bad you can never race again?! What if you die on the spot?! This isn't a game! You won't get a chance to regret it!"
With every question, Rudolf's voice rose again, until the last word was a shout.
Yet Eternal Meteor's expression grew strangely calm.
After Rudolf finished, Eternal Meteor asked in an even, steady voice:
"Then what would it take for you to allow me to race?"
"Absolutely not right now. At the very least, you have to wait until you've fully developed."
Rudolf didn't even need to think. If Eternal Meteor was going to step onto a real stage, her body had to meet the baseline conditions first.
"Once I've fully developed… you'll allow it?"
Instead of the fierce argument Rudolf expected, Eternal Meteor accepted the condition almost too easily—so easily Rudolf needed a couple seconds to process the question before she confirmed it.
Damn it.
Unlike Rudolf, X already knew exactly what Eternal Meteor was plotting—what she was about to do next.
"Correct. Once you've fully developed, I won't stop you from entering races."
"Okay, then."
Eternal Meteor's lips curled into a strangely unreadable smile. She held that smile as she walked out of the room, leaving Rudolf blinking like she'd been short-circuited.
Only when she heard the soft click of the door closing did Rudolf come back to herself, utterly unsure what Eternal Meteor was planning.
But work was still waiting.
She turned back to the computer. The argument had eaten a lot of time, and none of the workload had reduced. Rudolf rubbed her temples, miserable.
Looks like she'd be sleeping late again.
Still… at least she'd stopped Eternal Meteor, right?
That thought lifted her mood slightly. She began working again—trying to find sweetness in bitterness.
Meanwhile, X was in a far worse mood.
"You're doing this for real? Couldn't you choose another method?"
"Mmph—I like it."
Eternal Meteor's cheeks were puffed up like a hamster as she chewed dark chocolate. Sitting at the desk, she scribbled everything into a notebook.
Rudolf — person I like; watched fireworks together on New Year's
Tokai Teio — junior; we have a bet tied to a race; if she wins I'll agree to one thing
Maruzensky — friendly big-sister type; good relationship
…
She wrote down everyone she knew and everything that had happened, down to trivial details—just in case something went wrong later.
She took another huge bite. The bitterness with a thread of sweetness was addictive.
Like life.
"So you're not going to wear her down slowly? You just gave up?"
"Rudolf's stance won't change," Eternal Meteor said. "No matter how I probe from every angle, the answer is the same—unless I do something like cutting myself and using a suicide threat."
"Then do it. Why not?"
X thought she was insane. Cutting herself was better than burning lifespan to force "full development," wasn't it? Was she really that eager to die sooner?
"Because that wouldn't be self-harm," Eternal Meteor said quietly. "It would be hurting everyone who cares about me."
She leaned back in her chair, raised a palm to block the light, then clenched it into a fist.
"I don't want to do that."
X understood, the same way Eternal Meteor understood Rudolf's attitude: she wasn't changing her mind about this method.
"Sounds cool," X said, the usual bite returning, "but it'd be cooler if you actually swallowed the chocolate before talking, you stubborn weirdo."
"Hahahaha—"
"Is it already this late?"
Rudolf stretched lazily. Usually at this hour, Eternal Meteor would knock and call her to eat. So she really was angry about the afternoon, huh?
Eternal Meteor seemed to love meat—Rudolf decided she'd order some better barbecue to soothe her mood.
She pulled out her phone, about to call for delivery—when she suddenly felt something she knew all too well.
Something she could never forget.
Someone had activated a Zone.
Rudolf's ears shot straight up. Her eyes turned instinctively toward the source through the wall—and when she realized where it was coming from, her heart lurched.
Eternal Meteor's room.
What had she done now?
Rudolf didn't think. She sprinted to the door, shoved it open—
—and saw a sight she would remember for the rest of her life.
Crimson mist filled the room. Countless bright red points of light flickered within it—no, breathed—like an endless nebula in distant space.
They were beautiful.
But they were only the backdrop.
They revolved slowly around the true protagonist, proclaiming their owner's extraordinariness.
At the center of that storm stood a figure.
A back both familiar and strangely unfamiliar.
As if sensing someone enter, she turned slowly and looked at Rudolf—who stood frozen.
Those ruby eyes seemed to hold a whole galaxy inside them, countless stars reflected within—so overwhelming it was hard to look away.
"Beautiful, isn't it… President?"
"Meteor… you—"
"Lies~"
Eternal Meteor lifted her left index finger to her lips and smiled softly.
Then she raised her right arm with excruciating slowness, as if wrestling with something invisible.
As her arm moved, the lights at the room's edge dimmed first, the crimson haze fading with them, until both vanished without a trace.
By the time her arm was held straight out, most of the lights were gone. Only a few remained circling her body—almost reluctant to leave, as if they had feelings.
When she opened her right palm, only a handful of lights remained. They began spinning on their own around the center of her hand.
Eternal Meteor closed her eyes.
Her flawless white hand clenched into a fist.
And the last lights—those that refused to disappear—were extinguished by her own grip.
The room returned completely to darkness.
Eternal Meteor exhaled, opened her eyes, and broke into a bright, genuine smile.
"I've fully developed."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter155)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter172)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 158
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 144
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 165
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 140
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 120
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 95
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 80
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 50
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 40
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 50
Still playing traditional Honk 30
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