Seeing the fire reigniting in Silver Charm's eyes and hearing that sincere, emotionally charged "love and hate," the smile on Myriad Dreams' face deepened slightly.
It was like sunlight piercing through dark clouds, warm and bright.
She didn't pull her hand away.
Instead, she used her fingertips to even more gently wipe the remaining tear tracks from the other girl's face, her movements cautious, as if she were handling a piece of precious porcelain.
"Mm, that's better."
Myriad Dreams' voice was soft yet infused with strength.
"You have to truly pull yourself together this time! I don't want to see you looking so lost and soul-shattered ever again."
Silver Charm closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath, as if trying to draw all the warmth and strength provided by Myriad Dreams into her lungs and blood.
Feeling the gentle touch on her face, the stormy waves in her heart gradually calmed, replaced by a clarity and resolve she had never felt before.
When she opened her eyes again, although a hint of redness remained, the previous confusion and despair had been swept away.
In their place was a will like tempered steel.
"Don't worry!"
Silver Charm's voice was still a bit raspy, but her tone was iron-clad.
"I won't stay depressed. I'll stand back up. At the Belmont Stakes, I will give you my all in a fight!"
She placed a heavy emphasis on the words "my all." It wasn't a provocation, but the highest form of respect for an opponent and a promise to her own future.
Only then did Myriad Dreams satisfiedly retract her hand. Her eyes crinkled into crescents as she beamed.
"That's the spirit! That's the Silver Charm I know! I don't want you finishing the final leg of the Triple Crown with regrets. A victory like that wouldn't be perfect enough for me, either."
Her recognition and expectations became the final and most vital support in Silver Charm's heart.
Sure enough, by the afternoon, when Myriad Dreams returned to the training grounds, she spotted that familiar figure from a distance.
Silver Charm had already changed into clean training gear, her long silver hair tied up neatly.
She was on the track performing systematic recovery drills.
Though her pace wasn't as violent as it was at her peak, it was exceptionally stable and focused.
Every movement was filled with a renewed seriousness and a sense of bodily control.
As the sunlight spilled over her, the faint silver specks of light seemed to become gentle and steady.
Touch Gold appeared beside Myriad Dreams at some point. Looking at the rejuvenated Silver Charm on the field, her face was written with surprise.
She lightly nudged Myriad Dreams with her elbow and whispered, "She's out of it that fast? What did you... do to her this morning?"
Myriad Dreams watched Silver Charm's hardworking figure, a gentle and mysterious curve tugging at the corner of her mouth.
She pulled a piece of chewing gum from her pocket, expertly unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth before speaking leisurely:
"Nothing much. I just gave her a little bit of guidance."
Her tone was relaxed, as if she had only performed a trivial task.
But as Touch Gold looked at the understanding and tenderness in Myriad Dreams' eyes, and then at the silver-haired Uma Musume on the field who looked as if she'd been reborn, she understood that the weight of this "little bit of guidance" was likely far heavier than imagined.
Seeing Silver Charm training so diligently, Touch Gold couldn't restrain herself and headed toward the track as well.
"I can't afford to fall behind, after all, I'm participating in the Belmont Stakes too~"
With that, Touch Gold also began her training.