Tonight, Mejiro Ardan had a strange dream.
In the dream, while she was alone at the Mejiro estate, she suddenly encountered an Uma Musume who felt oddly familiar.
At first, she was just a young girl with a peculiar sense of closeness, but through a twist of fate, they ended up living under the same roof.
Facing this sister who shared the same bloodline, Mejiro Ardan spent her days watching the girl run on the training field.
Without realizing it, Ardan sometimes saw her own reflection in the other's movements.
Though they shared the same blood, their destinies seemed completely different.
The other was a gifted Uma Musume, destined for the world stage, while Ardan herself was confined to the estate due to her brittle, glass-like legs.
They would never have met if not for their bloodline connecting them.
But Mejiro Ardan knew that one day, this girl would have to leave her.
It reminded her of a fairy tale she'd once read.
A lonely girl named Liz met a bluebird, whose feathers were so beautiful, whose presence so striking, that everyone who saw her couldn't help but adore her.
But even though Liz loved watching the bluebird, she had to let her go.
She knew her small, cramped cage couldn't be the bluebird's world—the bird had vast skies waiting for her to explore.
Mejiro Ardan knew that with the other's talent, she was destined for the world someday; she would eventually leave this small courtyard behind.
For that, Ardan thought it would be enough just to be a watcher, to witness her soaring flight.
But as events unfolded, not only did Mejiro Ardan fail to let go, their bond grew even deeper.
She even confessed her own hidden longing for the racetrack, a desire she couldn't hold back.
And at that moment, the other girl reached out her hand.
Inviting Ardan to fly into that sky together.
Ardan knew she could never truly reach those heights again, but the scent of freedom was too tempting—she found herself agreeing as if bewitched.
Just one more day, just one more try. Even knowing she couldn't fly, Ardan began training with the other's help.
She treated those months of training as a beautiful dream, one that would inevitably end.
For Ardan, who had lost her wings, it had been so long since she'd last touched that sky.
Of course, every dream must end. Because of her glass legs, Ardan eventually returned to the familiar confines of the hospital.
For someone without wings, wanting to soar in that sky was still too much to ask.
Just when Ardan thought she would return to being a watcher, seeing the other girl fly off into the world…
The girl came to the hospital.
Unlike the tale of Liz and the bluebird, the bluebird that belonged to Mejiro Ardan did not fly toward her own sky.
Instead, she broke her own wings and gave them to Ardan.
At first, Ardan didn't even realize what had been given to her. Not until she saw her bluebird collapse beneath the sky, not until wings sprouted from her own back, did she finally understand what had happened.
Her bluebird had broken her own wings, caged herself, and handed Ardan the chance to soar through the heavens.
Even though, at the end of the story, the bluebird walked out of the cage with her broken wings, how could Mejiro Ardan ever forgive herself?
After all, the other's suffering was all because of her.
If not for Ardan, the bluebird should have been soaring freely under her own blue sky.
But at that moment, the dream abruptly ended.
Drenched in sweat, Mejiro Ardan bolted upright in bed, countless tangled emotions swirling in her heart.
It felt as if she had truly met her bluebird, as if she had truly been the one to break those wings.
A suffocating pressure spread from her chest, making her want to vomit.
She leaped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, leaning over the sink as she retched, but nothing came out. The heavy feeling in her heart didn't ease in the slightest.
Ardan coughed dryly a few times, wiped the tears that had unknowingly welled in her eyes, and stared helplessly at her reflection in the mirror.
Was this... really just a dream?
Right then, the alarm clock she'd set earlier suddenly rang, snapping Ardan out of her daze.
She had school today. Mejiro Ardan quickly washed up, got ready, and changed out of her pajamas into her Tracen Academy uniform.
When she opened the door, her driver, who had been waiting for some time, promptly opened the car door for her.
As she got into the car headed for Tracen Academy, Ardan—who had been too busy with the dream and her morning routine to think—finally had a moment to collect herself.
But before she could ponder the dream further, a strange sensation in her legs made her frown.
Her legs... felt different today?
Because of her "glass legs," Ardan had always carried an indescribable heaviness in her limbs.
It was a weight like carrying tons on her shoulders, a constant burden that threatened to shatter with the slightest misstep—one that had followed her all her life.
But now, she realized that this feeling she'd grown so used to was almost... gone.
She suddenly remembered that when she'd woken from the dream earlier, there'd been a sign too: she'd dashed to the sink with a frantic speed she'd never dared use before, yet it hadn't caused any discomfort.
Her glass legs... were gone? But... how was that possible?
Mejiro Ardan blinked in disbelief.
The condition that had clung to her like a shadow had suddenly vanished—how could such a miracle happen to her?
Just as Ardan was at a loss for how to react, the driver in front spoke up.
"Miss Ardan? Miss Ardan?"
But how could Ardan hear him now? Seeing no response, the driver raised his voice slightly.
"Miss Ardan, we've arrived at Tracen Academy."
The driver's raised voice finally snapped Ardan out of her stupor. She nodded reflexively and moved to push the car door open and head toward the school gates.
But in that instant, out of the corner of her eye, Ardan caught sight of a deeply familiar figure passing through the crowd and entering Tracen Academy.
The driver, thinking his job was done, prepared to drive away, but then he noticed the young lady frozen in place again, staring out the window, her lips moving softly as if whispering something.
"Bluebird...?"
--+--
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.