Looking at the completely dumbfounded Dream Weaver, Tokai Teio released her grip on her collar, reached up, and wiped the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes before speaking.
"The racetrack is a crucible for dreams. The losers become the fuel that ignites the brilliance of the victor."
"Only this time, we who became the fuel... we ignited a star that has no dreams, no meaning, and just shines for the sake of shining."
She walked past Dream Weaver, lowering her voice as if making a vow.
"Even if the Undefeated Triple Crown is gone, I will never bow down..."
"I will never acknowledge an Uma Musume like you!"
Having said that, Tokai Teio left the racetrack without looking back, as if she didn't even plan on attending the Winner's Stage.
Dream Weaver remained frozen in place. Just moments ago, she had been the one to approach Teio, worried because the other girl hadn't moved, intending to comfort her.
But now, it was as if they had simply swapped places, and she was the one standing there, rooted to the spot in Teio's stead.
She was still turning over the question Teio had finally posed in her mind, endlessly asking herself what running truly meant to her.
But her head was a chaotic mess after the impact of Teio's words, and she clearly couldn't think of anything. In the end, she could only stand there, her mind a complete blank.
"Dream Weaver? The winner's stage is about to start, you know?"
It was only after who knows how long that Sakura Yamato walked onto the track and poked Dream Weaver, finally snapping her out of it.
She had also run in this Satsuki Sho, but her result was average, only around fifth place.
Abruptly yanked from her chaotic thoughts, Dream Weaver flinched instinctively, staring dazedly at the girl in front of her for several seconds before realizing who she was.
She was silent for a moment, then, as if she had made up her mind, asked Sakura Yamato.
"Yamato... what you said to me at the Hopeful Stakes... do you think it was right?"
Sakura Yamato was clearly taken aback. She really hadn't expected that coming to remind Dream Weaver about the stage would lead to a question about the very meaning of life.
But she didn't hesitate, answering firmly.
"If it wasn't for your encouragement back then, I probably would have come into this Satsuki Sho with a feeling of giving up."
"Even though my final result was just average, at least my heart doesn't feel so empty."
As she spoke, Sakura Yamato suddenly grabbed Dream Weaver's hand and smiled at her.
"Because I know my future still has infinite possibilities. Even if I lost this time, it doesn't mean I can't win next time."
"Alright, the winner's stage really is about to start. Let's hurry backstage."
Pulled along by Sakura Yamato as they ran towards the stage, the question still echoed in Dream Weaver's mind.
She couldn't have been wrong, right? Yamato's fighting spirit was ignited precisely because of those words. How could bringing hope to someone ever be wrong?
Dream Weaver couldn't deny the rightness of her own actions, yet she also couldn't answer Teio's question.
Because what Teio asked wasn't what she could achieve with victory.
She asked what running meant to her.
Her reason for stepping onto the racetrack was to save her mother.
The track was a brutal battlefield to her. From the moment she first set foot on the debut race track, Dream Weaver realized this: if she couldn't win, her mother would truly be in danger.
A Zone is a reflection of an Uma Musume's heart. Because she saw the track as a battlefield where defeat was unthinkable, Dream Weaver's Zone manifested as a blade.
A cursed blade, drenched in fresh blood. Because, deep in her subconscious, only a weapon of such immense power, carrying a curse of risk, could lead her to victory, battle after battle.
The reason that cursed blade evolved into God-Slayer was simple: Dream Weaver realized a cursed blade could never defeat Shinzan.
Facing that Uma Musume, one even the gods would sing praises for, she needed a blade capable of cutting down a divinity if she wanted to walk off that battlefield as the victor.
But now, the goal she had been chasing all along was already achieved.
Dream Weaver no longer desperately needed to race from one track to the next to save her mother. In fact, she hadn't entered a new scenario world in over half a year.
That stage ticket, symbolizing the transition between worlds, still lay quietly in her system inventory.
With power that crushed her entire generation, Dream Weaver could effortlessly walk off any battlefield.
The God-Slayer in her hand could cut down any enemy who dared stand in her way. But after it was over, there was no ripple in her heart.
After all, it was just an expected victory, wasn't it? Winning this race was only natural. Why should there be any stir of emotion?
Victory, for her, had lost all meaning.
Dream Weaver couldn't find a reason to keep running.
So, she tried to soothe her own heart with the idea that her victories brought hope to everyone who loved her.
Telling herself, since she could do it, why wouldn't she?
And then, using that as a reason, she won the Hopeful Stakes, won the Satsuki Sho, and would aim for the future Triple Crown.
This wasn't wrong. Saving others could never, ever be wrong. But that didn't change the fact that Dream Weaver was simply moving forward on autopilot, following a familiar path.
Because she was relied upon in the scenario worlds.
Because she saved many people there.
She saved the local Kasamatsu, saved the last remnants of the Northern family, saved all the Uma Musume whose dreams had been stolen by the European racing world.
And so, she tried to replicate that salvation in the real world.
It was something she was used to doing. And it wasn't wrong. If she had the power to save others, then Dream Weaver would do it.
But beyond that, she could find no other reason to run.
What did running mean to her?
This question, one every Uma Musume had answered long before ever setting foot on a track, was finally, through Tokai Teio's lips, posed directly to Dream Weaver.
And she realized, after traversing several scenario worlds, she couldn't answer it.
Pulled onto the stage by Sakura Yamato, she performed the predetermined songs and dances. Everything was etched into her muscle memory; Dream Weaver completed the task without a single misstep.
Then came the press conference, answering one question after another about the future, stating her goal of winning the Triple Crown, and finally, surrounded by flashing cameras, she gathered her things and left Nakayama Racecourse.
Sitting on the train home, Dream Weaver simply hugged her backpack, standing by the door, her head resting against the railing, quietly watching Tokyo's nightscape blur into streaks of passing light outside the window.
The myriad of colors reflected in her night-dark eyes... none of them truly belonged to Dream Weaver.
--+--
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.