Am I interrupting at a bad time?
Shinzan's eyebrow twitched. Her emotions had settled somewhat on the way here—after all, as a mature and reliable adult, she had the ability to adjust her feelings.
Besides, crying alone in the car over nothing… if she had something she wanted to say, it was better to say it directly to the person herself.
Holding onto the resolve that even if Dream Weaver scolded her, it would be fine, Shinzan had pushed open the door fully prepared.
But what she never expected was that the moment she stepped inside, she'd be met with a scene of several Uma Musume piled up together like a stack of pancakes.
This isn't right, is it?
Shouldn't the usual emotional drama unfold with everyone sitting around the heroine, tearfully confessing their regrets, only to be tenderly comforted by the pitiful heroine before finally reaching a heartwarming reunion?
Shinzan hadn't expected to clear her name that easily, but she certainly never imagined this scene.
She even glanced uncertainly at the doorknob, wondering if she'd walked into the wrong room.
Or perhaps, like in some sci-fi stories, the door she'd pushed open was actually one leading to the past, showing a scene of Dream Weaver and the others playfully roughhousing in the lounge?
To be honest, it was the first time Dream Weaver had seen such a rich array of expressions on Shinzan's face.
For a moment, she found it rather novel—after all, the other girl hadn't shown this much emotion in front of her before.
But Dream Weaver didn't hesitate for long.
Turning her face from Mr. C.B.'s embrace, she called out to Shinzan, "I don't know what you're thinking, but I guarantee it's not what it looks like!"
"…Saying that while in this position?!"
Shinzan really didn't know whether to believe her, especially since those three Uma Musume were still clinging tightly to Dream Weaver.
With a wry smile, unsure how to explain, Dream Weaver simply said, "Well, do you want to come over and join the hug?"
As she spoke, she tried to spread her arms in welcome, but with one movement realized she was completely held in place by Symboli Rudolf in front of her—she couldn't move an inch.
"…We're just one short—"
Shinzan raised an eyebrow at that.
Was Dream Weaver treating this like a game of mahjong?
Besides, with Dream Weaver, Symboli Rudolf, and the others, weren't there already four people?
If she was still saying they were one short, then what did that make Dream Weaver herself?
The prize?
Shinzan sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead, but she still walked over. After all, she hadn't said she wouldn't join.
Gesturing for Mr. C.B. and Symboli Rudolf to shift slightly, Shinzan leaned against Dream Weaver's side, resting her head on the other's shoulder before saying softly, "If I'd known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have pushed so hard back in the Kikuka Sho."
Dream Weaver opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Mr. C.B. and Symboli Rudolf, who were holding her, chimed in first.
"Exactly!"
"Think carefully, Shinzan!"
As Shinzan's admirer—at least in the past—Shiragawa didn't say it outright, but her sharp gaze made her thoughts perfectly clear.
The corner of Shinzan's mouth twitched. She knew they'd stir up trouble.
Especially that kid Rudolf.
Talking was one thing, but she even tightened her hold on Dream Weaver, almost as if making some kind of declaration.
She sighed, realizing that pouring her heart out to Dream Weaver today was probably out of the question.
But it didn't matter. Dream Weaver was back now, and there would be plenty of time in the future to talk.
Just as Shinzan thought the moment had passed without a reply, Dream Weaver suddenly spoke up.
"It's fine. Just think of it like one of those classic shonen manga arcs—where the protagonist and their friends lose contact for a while due to some reason, all so they can train during that time and reach an even higher stage later on."
And isn't the two-year time gap pretty classic too? Dream Weaver added silently to herself.
But she completely forgot that at this point in time, that classic trope she was thinking of hadn't even appeared yet.
Sure enough, Symboli Rudolf and the others all wore puzzled expressions upon hearing this.
Only then did Dream Weaver suddenly remember that this trope didn't exist yet at this time. Just as she was about to backtrack, she heard them say:
"Dream… you read manga?"
"Shonen manga, huh. I'll make a note of that as intel."
"I may be known for knowing a lot, but shonen manga is something I really don't get. I might know a bit more about shoujo manga, though."
Since Dream Weaver had previously focused all her energy on the Triple Crown, and the pressure from Europe was immense, their usual conversations had revolved around that.
Dream Weaver had never brought up anything outside of that with them.
So it was no wonder Symboli Rudolf and the others looked like that.
They were in the same boat—previously focused on helping Dream Weaver win the Triple Crown, and afterwards working hard to honor her efforts, they hadn't had much time for leisure, let alone reading manga.
As for Mr. C.B., she had preferred exploring around before and didn't know much about manga.
After Dream Weaver collapsed, she spent even more time taking care of her, leaving no room for such things.
Seeing everyone's clueless expressions, Shinzan—feeling that her adult experience was finally useful—spoke up.
"Shonen manga… you mean those boy robot ones, right? I think it was called something like 'Astro'…"
Astro's a bit too far off, isn't it? Dream Weaver's mouth twitched, and she simply called out from within everyone's embrace, "Anyway—"
"My point is, after reuniting with your comrades, you head for an even bigger stage!"
She looked at everyone, her dark eyes shining as she said, "Mr. C.B. told me earlier—right now, even though we've gained some strength, we're still basically in a stalemate with Europe, right?"
Everyone instinctively nodded.
"Then let's take it a step further!"
"Winning the Triple Crown isn't enough. How about we go straight to their home turf and win a championship there? Right under the eyes of the whole world, we'll snatch away their brightest glory—"
"The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!"
In this same meeting room, two years ago, Dream Weaver had drawn her companions toward the Triple Crown with her unwavering determination.
Two years later, in the same place, on the same couch, she extended another invitation to everyone.
It was almost as if she were saying—
"That was just a short break. Now, she's setting off once more—are you coming along?"
After Dream Weaver finished speaking, everyone paused for a moment, then broke into smiles together.
"So the first thing after coming back is to set a new goal for me, huh? You really won't let me slack off even a little, will you?"
Mr. C.B. said with a laugh, as if reminiscing about something.
"Alright! That's just like you, Dream. You really are my favorite Uma Musume! Let's show Europe our current strength, then. Let's tell them—the tides have turned! If they can come, so can we!"
Symboli Rudolf laughed heartily, shaking Dream Weaver, her eyes filled with admiration.
In that moment, she finally felt certain—the Uma Musume who had captivated her during the selection trials was truly back by her side.
"I've said it many times already—whatever Dream wants to do, I'll lend you my strength."
Shiragawa wiped the lingering tears from the corner of her eye, offering Dream Weaver a gentle yet firm smile.
After looking at everyone, Dream Weaver turned her gaze to Shinzan beside her.
As if asking—how about you? Are you coming too?
Meeting Dream Weaver's gaze, Shinzan felt a struggle within herself. Dream Weaver was, at the very least, a Uma Musume capable of pushing her to her limits, and part of her longed to face Dream Weaver on the track once more.
But last time, the Kikuka Sho ended the way it did. She didn't dare gamble on whether Dream Weaver would meet the same fate after this Arc de Triomphe.
If that happened… she might as well just refuse right here and now.
At least that way, she wouldn't have to blame herself all over again.
As if sensing the hesitation in Shinzan's eyes, Dream Weaver said softly to her, "Do you remember what I told you?"
"Run for me, Shinzan. Just run."
Those were the words she had said to Shinzan during the Kikuka Sho—the words that had shattered the demon in Shinzan's heart. Now, faced with them once more, Shinzan slowly closed her eyes.
A moment later, she gave a slight nod.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Dream Weaver's lips, and she called out to the companions surrounding her, "Then, let's set off once more! Our goal—"
"The Arc de Triomphe!"
--+--
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.