After returning from that dilapidated apartment, Symboli Rudolf felt an ache to say something to Dream Weaver.
Yet, every time she opened her contacts, her fingertip would hover in mid-air, hesitating again and again.
What was there to say? She didn't know.
All Rudolf knew was that whatever she needed to convey couldn't be whispered through a screen.
Human connection—true connection—required looking someone in the eye.
So, she suppressed the impulse and waited for Dream Weaver's return.
But as the days ticked down toward the Japanese Derby, Dream Weaver was still nowhere to be found at Tracen Academy.
At this point, it wasn't just the rumors swirling among the others; even Rudolf herself was losing her composure.
She tried every formal channel, calling the Mejiro and Northern households, but received nothing but vague, non-committal answers.
Rudolf even tried calling Dream Weaver directly, only to be met with the same gentle, automated voice repeating that the user's phone was powered off.
Panic began to set in. Rudolf was terrified that Dream Weaver might simply dissolve into nothingness, vanishing from everyone's sight just like the hollow emptiness she had witnessed in that apartment.
Was even that envelope, heavy with the weight of shared memories, unable to tether her?
Had her heart truly turned to a total void? Rudolf didn't dare follow that train of thought to its end.
Instead, she buried herself in paperwork, desperately trying to drown her anxiety in a sea of documents.
It was no use. Every time she reached for a distraction, the image of that room flashed before her eyes like a recurring ghost.
On the morning of May 25th, Symboli Rudolf stood before the gates of Tokyo Racecourse.
The Japanese Derby was set to begin tomorrow.
She had suppressed the news of Dream Weaver's disappearance; for now, at least, no one but herself suspected that the girl might not show up to claim her glory.
But if she really didn't appear tomorrow...
Rudolf looked up at the sky and took a deep breath of the crisp, biting air. She honestly didn't know what would happen.
An Undefeated Triple Crown contender, a star on the verge of its zenith, vanishing just before seizing the crown—she would likely become another legendary "Phantom Uma Musume."
People might even call her the greatest phantom of them all. But what did that matter? A fantasy is just a fantasy. It isn't real.
And then there was that group of Uma Musume constantly chasing after Dream Weaver.
They carried memories of another world. If they realized they had squandered their second chance, Rudolf couldn't even fathom what they might do.
Because a second chance suggested the possibility of a third. And for the sake of a third chance that might be nothing more than a mirage, Rudolf had no doubt they would descend into madness.
Then there was herself. Rudolf closed her eyes, reflecting.
In her memories of that other world, she had few regrets. Though there were moments that made her heart skip a beat, the ending had been perfect.
Alongside her comrades, she had shattered the shackles of Europe and seized the crown of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. In this reality, Rudolf didn't feel she had much left to obsess over.
But now, after seeing that room and glimpsing the profound loneliness in Dream Weaver's soul, Rudolf could not forgive herself for standing still.
She couldn't shake the bitterness of failing to notice that isolation, of failing to say something before she slipped away.
If Dream Weaver's departure was destined to spark a riot, then Symboli Rudolf might very well be the one to light the match.
"You're Symboli Rudolf, aren't you?"
Just as Rudolf was internally contemplating burning Central Tracen to the ground, a woman's voice drifted from her side.
As the "Emperor" and an Undefeated Triple Crown winner, she was used to being recognized by fans at any moment.
She immediately pushed down the rising lava of her internal monologue, putting on a practiced, regal smile as she turned.
"Yes, would you like an autograph—"
The last word trailed off into a long silence. Rudolf had suddenly realized exactly who was speaking to her.
Northern Starlight didn't decline. She pulled out a small booklet and a pen from seemingly nowhere and handed them to Rudolf with practiced ease.
Rudolf signed her name in a daze, taking several seconds to finally snap back to reality. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice level.
"You are Dream Weaver's mother, aren't you? Why are you here? And where is Dream Weaver?"
"Her? Oh, she went back to Tokyo yesterday. The Derby is tomorrow, after all. She should be at school by now."
"By the way, aren't you the Student Council President? Why are you here during school hours? Don't tell me you're playing hooky!"
Rudolf's lip twitched. The complexity of her emotions was beyond words.
So, here she was, taking the morning off to come to the Tokyo Racecourse and spiral into a dark pit of "what-ifs," imagining the fallout of Dream Weaver's absence—only to find out the girl was already back at school. She had missed her entirely.
"I am the Student Council President. I don't 'play hooky.' I'm here on official business."
She tossed out a hollow excuse to brush past Northern Starlight's question, then immediately pivoted to the matter that weighed on her.
"Where on earth have you two been for the past month?!"
Northern Starlight flipped through her booklet and held it out for Rudolf to see. The pages were filled with signatures from famous figures across dozens of different industries.
"I took her on a trip around the world. We met a lot of famous people. I wanted to see if anything would catch her interest."
Rudolf narrowed her eyes as she flipped through the pages. She paused, choosing her words carefully before speaking plainly.
"Looking for an interest... was that to fill the void in her heart?"
The expression on Northern Starlight's face shifted through a dozen different emotions in a matter of seconds.
After a long silence, she spoke in a low, hollow tone.
"I didn't expect anyone outside the family to notice that."
"It was a stroke of luck, mostly." Rudolf didn't elaborate, instead pressing further. "And? Did it work?"
Northern Starlight fell silent again. Eventually, she sighed and shook her head.
"No."
"Halfway through the trip, I realized something. She wasn't looking for something meaningful for herself. She was just accompanying her mother on a vacation."
"In the end... she was only doing it to satisfy my expectations."
Satisfying expectations... Rudolf thought.
Because she was a blank slate, did she simply reflect and fulfill the expectations of others? Rudolf realized she still didn't understand Dream Weaver well enough.
But now wasn't the time for soul-searching; she had one more question for Northern Starlight.
"Why wait so long? The Japanese Derby is right in front of us."
Northern Starlight gave a wry smile and shook her head.
"It wasn't my idea. But she seemed to think that the longer she spent traveling with me, the more it would satisfy my expectations. So, she was the one who insisted on extending the trip."
"And you just went along with it? What if something went wrong at the Derby? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an Uma Musume!"
Rudolf's voice rose with sudden heat. Regardless of anything else, she was the Student Council President and the "Emperor."
The Triple Crown was the foundation of her pride and her life; she couldn't stand to see it treated so lightly.
"It's fine."
"What...?"
Seeing Rudolf's deepening frown, Northern Starlight offered a bittersweet explanation.
"That's what she said. 'It's fine.'"
She mimicked Dream Weaver's tone, repeating the words back to Rudolf.
"Because there isn't an Uma Musume alive who can beat me."
"So, it doesn't matter if I only return to Tokyo the day before the race."
"I will win. There is no other outcome."
The sheer, cold arrogance in those words almost made Rudolf take a step back.
In that moment, she finally understood why Tokai Teio had suddenly grown to dislike Dream Weaver.
If Rudolf herself were the opponent hearing those words, she would be consumed by an uncontrollable rage.
"It's almost as if..."
A scene suddenly materialized in Rudolf's mind: an expressionless Dream Weaver standing on the track, looking at her opponents with hollow eyes.
She had no goal. The race held no personal meaning for her.
And yet, she possessed an absolute power that no one could overcome—a power that would righteously crush every Uma Musume who dared to carry a dream.
And when you finally gathered the courage to approach her after your defeat, wanting to know if she was so strong because she carried a burden even heavier than yours, wanting to know if her dream was grander than your own...
Dream Weaver would only smile and reply:
"I will use my victory to bring hope to everyone."
To an Uma Musume who wasn't particularly observant, she might just seem like a kind soul who offered comfort even after the race was over.
But for someone as sharp as Tokai Teio, or someone like Symboli Rudolf who had glimpsed the truth of Dream Weaver's nature, they could only see one thing in those words.
"A person of absolute arrogance... and absolute emptiness."
Rudolf finished her thought aloud, her heart unable to find peace for a long, long time.
--+--
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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.