Shock, disbelief, incredulity, dawning realization, then acceptance—Northern Starlight's rapid-fire shift in expressions was so fast that even Dream Weaver, with the dynamic vision of an Uma Musume, couldn't quite catch them all.
After a moment, finally calm, Northern Starlight spoke to Dream Weaver in a voice worn with time.
"Girl… Mom always knew this day would come."
"Just didn't think it'd be this soon… this soon…"
Dream Weaver blinked, a little surprised, watching Northern Starlight sigh as she gazed at the sky. She wondered if her own feelings were really that obvious.
But before she could ask, Northern Starlight patted her on the shoulder and spoke, voice full of meaning.
"You're in high school now. Most Uma Musume at Tracen Academy your age are starting to figure things out. It's just… your situation's a bit tougher."
"Back in my day, the biggest heartbreaker in our class only had three or four flings going. The legendary seniors before us? Maybe five or six at most. Compared to you, they're small fry."
"In a way, you've really made history."
Dream Weaver's mouth twitched. The more she heard, the more she knew something was off.
Northern Starlight had misunderstood. But before she could get a word in, her mom barreled on.
"But that's okay!"
"Your mom's an open-minded mom! I don't care how many girlfriends you bring home!"
Then, as if realizing something, she quickly added a patch.
"'Course, they gotta be your age! Mom absolutely won't accept any adults besides a trainer. And even a trainer has to wait three years!"
It was clearly a move to ward off Dancing Brave. Even though she'd already explained herself, the first impression she'd left on Northern Starlight wasn't one easily forgotten.
A few black lines of exasperation appeared on Dream Weaver's forehead. She had no idea how Northern Starlight had gotten wind of this, but she figured she should probably clear things up.
"First off, I haven't reached that kind of relationship with anyone beyond close friends."
"Second, my mental issues aren't because of a messy love life."
For a split second, Northern Starlight looked even more stunned than when she'd thought Dream Weaver was trapped in a love maelstrom.
As if, in her mind, the only possible reason for Dream Weaver's troubles could possibly be that.
And Dream Weaver just watched her quietly.
For a long moment. Until Northern Starlight finally processed this unbelievable news. Then, carefully, she asked.
"Is it… because of your grades?"
"That's okay! Mom's grades weren't great back in the day either, so I'm not about to tease Dream for that."
As she said it, she reached out to pat Dream Weaver's head comfortingly, only to have her hand swatted away.
"What kind of image do you have of me, exactly?"
Dream Weaver sighed, a little helpless. Did Northern Starlight really see her as some kind of airhead who was popular for no reason?
Northern Starlight ignored the swatted hand, looking at her daughter with concern.
"Then what kind of mental thing could it be? Depression?! I heard girls your age are really prone to that these days!"
Suddenly flustered, she fumbled for her phone and started clumsily tapping away.
"Have you seen a doctor? Don't try to handle things on your own! Mom might not have much power right now, but we can go to your grandmothers!"
Seeing her about to call Northern Grandmother and Mejiro Asama, Dream Weaver, not wanting to blow things out of proportion, rushed over and stopped her.
She took Northern Starlight's hand and led her to a patch of grass to sit down and talk things through properly.
After calming her down and assuring her nothing was seriously wrong, Dream Weaver finally told her what had happened on the day of the Satsuki Sho.
"Something like that. It's not a huge deal, and after it was over, I just went on with things. But having that question hanging in the back of my mind… it still feels a bit off, I guess."
Having laid out the whole story, Dream Weaver shrugged.
Relieved that things weren't nearly as bad as she'd imagined, Northern Starlight let out a sigh. But then she looked puzzled.
"You can't find meaning in racing for yourself, Dream? For an Uma Musume, just stepping onto the track and wanting to beat your opponents is exciting by instinct, isn't it?"
"There's that kind of pleasure… the relief of beating a strong opponent…" Dream Weaver paused before continuing.
"But for me, it doesn't feel particularly special. Compared to when I used to just beat classmates with my grades back in the day, there's not much difference."
Maybe it's because I'm not pure, she thought, lowering her eyes.
Someone who only became an Uma Musume in her second life could never feel that instinctive thrill like they did.
Other Uma Musume would never mistake the track for a battlefield on their debut race.
Even Narita Brian, who craved the fight, wanted a one-on-one duel with a strong rival. Not like Dream Weaver, who stubbornly believed only one victor could walk off the track alive.
Her Zone—whether it was the Cursed Blade or the Divine Blade—was, in the end, born to cut others down.
In Dream Weaver's heart, the very concept of "winning" was more important than the so-called race, the so-called glory.
It's just that, before, she'd had a reason she had to win. A goal she had to achieve, even if it meant betting everything and burning herself out.
But now, Dream Weaver was already incredibly strong. She didn't need to sacrifice anything for victory anymore.
The goal she'd sought beneath the pursuit of winning had already been achieved. And so, for her, winning on the track now felt no different from winning on a test paper back then.
The track was never special to her.
What was special, always, was the mother she'd wanted to save.
Northern Starlight stroked her chin, thinking for a bit before saying, puzzled.
"But that doesn't sound right. I remember when you were little, Dream, you'd point at the TV during races, your eyes all sparkly, telling me you wanted to be an Uma Musume like that when you grew up."
"And I remember you were so frail back then, always breaking your legs. I'd massage you while watching you, the bottomless pit, scarf down food."
"Fake memories, huh…" Dream Weaver's mouth twitched. The story sounded awfully familiar.
"Are you mixing up some other Uma Musume's legendary story? We live in Tokyo, you know, not Kasamatsu."
Apparently surprised that Dream Weaver had heard that story too, Northern Starlight coughed awkwardly.
She'd been hoping to use fabricated memories to rekindle Dream Weaver's passion for the track. She hadn't expected it to fail so spectacularly, and so simply.
But she still wouldn't give up. Stubbornly, she looked into her daughter's eyes and pressed on.
"Dream, when you were little and sat with Mom in front of the TV watching races… did you really feel nothing at all?"
--+--
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.