Tagami Kan wandered outside Nakayama Racecourse, clutching his camera. With the Satsuki Sho drawing closer each day, his heart raced faster and faster.
This assignment was something he'd fought tooth and nail for.
To get it, he'd cast aside his usual laid-back demeanor and pushed himself relentlessly for over half a year, finally earning the chance to be a field reporter for the upcoming Satsuki Sho.
This sudden change naturally raised eyebrows, but whenever asked why he'd transformed so abruptly, Tagami's answers were always vague and evasive.
He could hardly tell people it was because of a hazy, half-remembered dream.
Gazing at Nakayama Racecourse before him, a swell of complex emotions surged in Tagami's chest.
The legendary Uma Musume from his dreams was now about to begin her own story in reality.
There wasn't much he could do, but just being here to see her with his own eyes, to snap a few photos and ask a question or two—that alone would satisfy him.
Just as his thoughts drifted back to the Satsuki Sho, a burst of noisy chatter erupted beside him.
"Old Rich, I'm tellin' ya, this Nakayama Racecourse ain't half bad! Holds up to our Sha Tin Racecourse!"
"Let me say this one more time: my surname is Phil, my given name is Richard. 'Old Rich' is not a proper form of address."
"And Anthony, next time you give an example, could you please reference a European racecourse? Why must you always bring up Hong Kong's?!"
Turning toward the voices, Tagami saw two tourists with distinctly European features.
One had tousled blonde hair and, despite it still being spring, was already sporting a loud Hawaiian shirt. The other wore a pair of mended gold-rimmed glasses and was eyeing his companion with clear disdain.
There weren't any major G1-level races today to attract international visitors, were there?
What were foreigners doing at Nakayama Racecourse?
Curious, Tagami observed these two figures who stood out so starkly from their surroundings.
They immediately started bickering again.
"What's so great about those waterlogged tracks in Europe?! Still can't beat our Sha Tin—solid! Powerful! Only the strongest, most dominant champions can conquer it all and seize victory!"
"Maybe look in a mirror before you say things like that..."
Richard tugged at the corner of his mouth in exasperation.
Ever since his friend's trip to Hong Kong, his whole demeanor had shifted. To outsiders, he just seemed like a baffling, muscle-headed blonde giant.
And it wasn't even a trip he'd taken in this reality—ever since receiving memories from another world, he'd started morphing into this.
Thinking about how his once-sharable companion had turned into a brawny meathead spouting phrases about strength and dominance made Richard sigh.
He, at least, was descended from a distinguished European lineage—how had he ended up like this?
Centuries of refined European sensibility had been utterly lost on this guy!
Watching Anthony, oblivious and still grinning goofily, Richard gave up entirely on persuasion and turned his gaze toward Nakayama Racecourse.
"Back here again... ah, no, I suppose this visit is actually the first time."
Unlike that other world, the European racing scene hadn't twisted into that distorted form.
Richard had stayed in Europe, attended classes normally, tested into Paris Tracen, and became a professional trainer.
If not for that dream, he might never have set foot on this island nation thousands of miles from his homeland.
Yet Richard was also grateful for that dream.
At the very least, it had shown him what a world with warped dreams looked like, and made him appreciate just how precious everything he'd gained in reality truly was.
Without those memories, it might have taken him years to realize that living in a world like this one was happiness enough.
"So you're finally going to start your own story in this world too."
Richard adjusted his glasses and smiled faintly at the racecourse.
"Perhaps this time we won't have a chance to interact. But maybe that's for the best. At least I can support you without any reservations, and make sure your name is remembered even thousands of miles away in Europe."
"Do your best, Dream Weaver. Just like in that world, go and do what you want to do."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Anthony slung a heavy arm around Richard's shoulders and boomed, "Why so gloomy, man? If you really wanna support her, just go ask for an autograph! Apply with Paris Tracen for an exchange program to Japan! If you want it, nothing's impossible, right?"
"Or maybe..." Anthony suddenly smirked mischievously, shaking his friend's shoulder. "You're scared you'll burst into tears in front of her?"
"Whoa, never thought you, Mr. Cold-faced Glasses, had such a sensitive side! But it's fine! It's no sin for a man to cry! My glorious pectorals are here for you to lean on!"
Richard, his hidden history from the other world laid bare, instantly flushed red with a mix of embarrassment and fury.
He angrily shoved Anthony's arm away, sputtering, "Shut up! What's it to you?! Just go back to Hong Kong and be a musclehead in peace!"
Tagami couldn't really understand what the two were arguing about, but he keenly caught one word from Richard's speech.
"Dream Weaver... Did that foreigner just say 'Dream Weaver'?"
"Could it be that Dream Weaver's fame has already spread overseas?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the camera.
Unbelievable. Just as he'd been thinking about what he, as a reporter, could do for Dream Weaver, it seemed another journalist had already spread her name abroad.
He was already a step behind!
If not for that wasted half-year stuck in Kasamatsu, forced to watch old recordings of Weaver and write outdated little articles, how could he have fallen this far behind?!
Tagami's gaze gradually sharpened with resolve. He'd made up his mind: once this assignment was over, he would confess to his editor that he only wanted to cover stories related to Dream Weaver.
His peers were already way ahead. Tagami absolutely would not allow them to shape Weaver's narrative before he could.
As a reporter, he understood the nature of reporters better than anyone. Only he could write the best articles about her!
Zaizen Shuuji gazed melancholically outside Nakayama Racecourse.
One mystery reporter seemed to be spontaneously combusting for unknown reasons, and two foreigners were loudly squabbling.
All peace and quiet for nostalgic reflection had utterly vanished.
He looked up at the sky and murmured wistfully, "The Satsuki Sho... truly the opening act of the Triple Crown classics. It really does attract all sorts of strange characters."
Unaware as he mused, Zaizen Shuuji—standing there in his white lab coat, staring skyward outside the racecourse—failed to realize that in the eyes of others, he was very much one of those "strange characters" himself.
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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.