"Shinzan vs. Dream Weaver, the Trial from the Japanese Triple Crown!"
"The highly anticipated showdown to decide Japan's strongest Kikuka Sho!"
Anthony's jaw hung open as he mumbled the headlines, his face a mask of disbelief.
Shinzan? Why was it Shinzan? Why was this Uma Musume facing Dream Weaver in the Kikuka Sho?
Had he missed something incredibly important these past few months?!
Unlike Anthony, who was lost in the shock of the headlines, Richard's stunned silence came from the article's content.
Call it luck or not, the reporter who wrote this front-page story had meticulously detailed everything from Shinzan's training calculations months ago to every ripple of public opinion stirred up since, allowing Richard to effortlessly grasp the turbulent events of these past months just from the text.
By the time he had read it three times and reluctantly handed the newspaper to Anthony, Richard felt the ache in his chest from pulling an all-nighter inexplicably sharpen into a sharper, different kind of pain.
Though both were pain, he could strangely tell they weren't the same.
"No way! Shinzan's been out of the races for so long, and she can still come back this strong?!"
"Are all the Uma Musume from that training center just monsters or something?!"
Ignoring Anthony's exclamations beside him, Richard took a deep breath and started walking toward the other end of the street.
"How can there even be—"
Before Anthony could finish his outburst, he caught Richard's movement from the corner of his eye and hastily put down the paper, shouting,
"Hey! Where are you running off to?!"
"The square nearby… I need to check something."
Shaking his head in bewilderment, Anthony decisively gave up on probing his friend's thoughts and simply followed, newspaper in hand.
The high-rise they were working at wasn't particularly remote; just a few streets over led to a square flanked by tall buildings.
They'd always just slept at the site after work, though, knowing of the square's existence but never actually visiting.
Anthony followed Richard's steps while sneaking glances at the paper, letting out occasional gasps.
Richard paid him no mind, his steps never faltering, only growing quicker until he finally broke into a run.
It was as if he was chasing something, sprinting down the empty morning streets.
His lungs cycled the complex, sleep-deprived air of the previous night with each breath, the crisp autumn air flooding his nose and mouth with every gasp, washing over him like a baptism, sweeping away the haziness of last night.
"…"
Reaching the square's entrance, Richard came to a stop, lifting his head to gaze silently at the banners hanging from the skyscrapers.
"What's the big idea, running so fast…"
Half a minute later, a breathless Anthony finally caught up, bending over with hands on his knees to complain.
Richard's sudden sprint had left him no time to read, forcing him to just run blindly after him.
Richard didn't answer, merely pointing at the building before Anthony.
After a few more panting breaths, Anthony straightened up and followed Richard's gesture toward the square's buildings.
Staring at the massive banners fluttering in the morning breeze, his mouth fell open, and he stammered to himself,
"It's… this huge?!"
Bathed in the morning sun, two facing skyscrapers were draped with enormous banners.
Portraits of Shinzan and Dream Weaver faced each other silently in the light, while waves of other banners fluttered around them, densely covered with the expectations of the people.
"This isn't Tokyo… just a small, out-of-the-way city."
"But even in a town like this, they've hung such extravagant banners for the two of them in the square."
"Then what must Tokyo be like? The Kyoto Racecourse during the Kikuka Sho must be even more spectacular."
"All of Japan—no, perhaps the whole world—has already set its sights on these two."
Richard murmured under his breath.
"Maybe only two guys who've cut themselves off from outside information, who through some twist of fate never noticed, could have missed it."
"It's like they were abandoned by the whole world, only to finally return to it at this moment."
Still reeling, Anthony couldn't help but add, "This is insane… Even the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe might not get this kind of treatment…"
"No matter how glorious the Arc is, it's still a race held once a year. But their showdown…"
"Unprecedented, and one that will never, ever be seen again."
Richard adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, squinting at Dream Weaver in the sunlight. The red ribbon tied in her hair was like a trigger, pulling Richard back to that racetrack in his mind.
He was among the first to see Dream Weaver run in this world, the first in the European Racing Association to realize how terrifying she was, and the first within that association to grow disillusioned with Europe because of her performances.
Now, gazing at that shade of red almost etched into his soul, Richard quietly clenched his fist.
"We've saved up a bit from working these past few months."
"Yeah, but we're still short of our goal, right?"
Anthony replied instinctively. They did plan to return to Europe, after all, and had been saving for plane tickets, though they still hadn't reached the amount needed.
"What are you getting at?! You don't want to go back to Europe? It can't be that bad, right? Once the old folks at headquarters cool down, we can still go back!"
"It's not that I don't want to go back."
Richard patted Anthony's hand, signaling him to release his shoulder.
"It's just… I feel I have to see this race, no matter what."
"Even if it means delaying our return home, I don't want to miss this Kikuka Sho."
He looked up, murmuring to himself as he stared at Dream Weaver—a face he'd memorized from countless research files.
Richard's feelings toward Dream Weaver were complicated now, but he felt he'd already watched her step onto the world stage.
Now that she'd reached the end of the Triple Crown road, what reason did he have not to witness it with his own eyes?
Seeing the determination in his best friend's eyes, Anthony scratched his head in frustration, gritted his teeth, and shouted.
"Alright, alright! We'll go to the Kyoto Racecourse together then!"
--+--
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.