Hi, hi~! Good morning, good evening, and good night to all the Readers who've taken their time to view this little story.
Sorry, this is probably a little abrupt, isn't it? After all, we're all dearly waiting for our little Guiding Star to finally awake from her beauty sleep.
You don't need to worry about her! Her body's just going through the final steps of her transformation. After all, Star's spent so long being kept alive by her System. If the System immediately left her, she would've been reduced to a husk, barely able to contain the power of her own heart. Putting her into a coma's a little excessive, but better safe than sorry, right?
Not that I was ever worried or anything! After all, cute girls can do anything, right~?
…Hmm~? Who am I?
Silly, silly, silly~! You probably already have an idea, don't you? I've shown up so many times recently! I can't be that forgettable, can I?
Anyway! I should probably stop wasting your time, right?
Ahem, ahem~!
Dear Readers, to you all who have stayed all this time, who have witnessed the journey of my friend as she ventured forth, who have witnessed her rise past the shackles of her previous life—I now come with a question.
To you who have come this far, for what reason do you Read?
[1. To Listen. To live another life in a world far different than mine.]
[2. To Learn. To witness the journey of another and gain insight.]
[3. To Escape. To leave behind the confines of banality and partake in the Circle.]
[4. To Enjoy. To read a Story written by a Fan for a Fan.]
This might seem a little strange to you all, but I assure you that it's only for my curiosity! After all, I am but a mere character from another's story—surely I can be a little curious about all the Readers who've shown up, right?
Unfortunately, I can't stay to listen to everyone's answers. But~! I've heard there's a function called the…um, what was it called again?
(AN: The Paragraph Comment?)
Ah, yes, that! Thank you so much, dear Author!
Mhm! Leave a Paragraph Comment on any of the choices you think best suits you. And don't be shy! Our dear Author here loves to see a comment appear in their Inbox! It makes them light up like a little kid. It's super adorable.
(AN: I do not.)
Aww~? Getting shy, Author?
(AN: I'm changing the Scene.)
Huh? W-Wait a moment! I'm not done–!
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Suddenly, my eyes opened, burning with the sheen of gold.
My breaths were shaky for a few moments, before I eventually calmed down. My eyes softened, and the eerie golden glow faded into a faint gradient in my normal blues. A powerful heat radiated from within my chest, but it wasn't painful or uncomfortable in the slightest. Instead, it just felt like I was standing next to a heater in the height of winter.
I blinked as I looked around. From the looks of it, I was still in the same hospital room I'd been in. The television screen was dark, and the normally open windows had been sealed shut. I could faintly see moonlight streaming past the window blinds.
I groaned softly as I pushed myself up. My back felt a little sore, but aside from that, I felt great. The pain and itchiness that'd plagued me was gone, my eyes were no longer overly-sensitive, and from just a quick glance over my body, I could tell that most of the cracks that'd spread across my skin were gone.
Not only that, but I felt even better than usual. My body felt energetic and full of vigor, and I felt like I could run a marathon around Tokyo and not feel tired in the slightest. Though I doubted I'd actually be able to do that, even with my unnatural Stamina.
No doubt courtesy of the System's efforts.
…Nothing, huh?
I sighed softly. I knew that I'd already given up my System, but now that I was back in the real world, the fact had fully cemented itself. By all rights, I was no longer the destined Hero. The Umamusume Hero System had ascended back to the stars, laying in wait to recover all the energy it'd spent over the last 200 years.
As the System said, I'd fully entered the {Epilogue} now.
Just as I was thinking that, my skin tingled as I felt something change, and by instinct I turned just in time to see Oguri spontaneously appear in front of the door, somehow entering without opening the door. Oguri blinked back, surprised that I'd somehow managed to catch her appearing.
I smiled as I pried away the respirator attached over my mouth. "Can't let you surprise me this time." I jokingly said with a small grin, if only to restrain the urge to ask how Oguri was even capable of doing that.
Oguri's surprise didn't last long, and a soft smile soon came onto her lips as she came to my side. "Are you okay?" She immediately asked, gently holding my hand. "Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"
I chuckled softly. "I'm fine!" I raised my arm, revealing my perfectly healed skin. "If anything, I feel great! I thought I'd feel groggy or something after sleeping so much, but I don't feel anything like that."
Oguri's brows furrowed. "So you're fine? You…still remember me?"
I paused, staring at her in confusion. "Uh, obviously?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "I just went to sleep. I didn't-, like, get some sort of trauma to the head while I was sleeping, did I?"
Oguri was quiet for a moment, before she reached her hand forward and grabbed the collar of my hospital gown. "Look down."
And then she proceeded to pull the collar down, revealing my skin to the world. "Hey, hey! I-I don't think this is the–"
The rest of my words went silent as I finally saw what Oguri had been worried about. And honestly, my own brain stuttered for a good few seconds, and even after that I spent nearly a minute staring, my jaws having dropped wide open.
Because etched into my upper torso were several star-shaped sigils, softly glowing with faint embers of gold. And from the looks of it, the star-shaped sigils seemed to be some kind of constellation, vaguely forming the shape of a stylized sun.
"What the…?" I whispered. I-, this was so completely out of left field that I was left speechless for quite a while.
Yet even then, I couldn't help but feel like this had something to do with me bearing the {Soul of Bravery}. Or in other words, me being a Proxy to the Goddess of Bravery—a veritable Demigod. I hadn't really thought about it when Darley first explained it to me, but the fact was finally sinking in.
Holy shit, I was a Demigod.
What the fuck–
"Star." Oguri said, her voice prying me away from my spiralling thoughts.
I took a shaky breath as I turned back to her. "Y-Yeah? What's–?"
My cheeks turned red when Oguri suddenly pulled down her own collar, but my expression then shifted to shock when I saw those same star-shaped sigils also etched into Oguri's chest. Though unlike mine, her sigils glowed with silver, and instead of the sun, Oguri's constellation mimicked that of a crescent moon.
"It's okay." She said, gently bringing my hand to her glowing constellation. It felt warm to the touch. "You don't need to worry." She said, placing her hand on mine. "You're not alone."
I breathed softly. Slowly, the crawling panic I'd felt began ebbing away, and my shoulders fell as I relaxed. I hadn't noticed how tense I'd become.
I smiled. "Thanks."
She smiled back.
We remained there for who knows how long—my hand gently resting on her moonlit constellation, and her hand on my flaring constellation. It was a moment reserved for the two of us, lit only by the faint light of the moon. It felt breathtakingly intimate.
And then Oguri finally pulled her hand back, and I took a shaky breath as I pulled back mine.
"So-, uh," I cleared my throat, my cheeks still warm. "What now? I guess we should call a doctor over, right?"
Oguri paused, before she hummed. "We should." She then smiled. "But Kitahara and Belno are downstairs." She extended her hand to me. "Why don't we go visit them first?"
I chuckled. "My, my. Trying to ignore the doctor's orders?"
"You don't need a checkup." She grabbed onto my hand and pulled me close, causing me to press close to her chest. "I know Star best."
I gulped, my cheeks turning even more red. "...fine. Sure. Whatever." I forced a casual grin. "Let's go then.
"Let's." She said. A triumphant smile then came onto Oguri's lips, and I yelped when she suddenly pulled me into her embrace, carrying me in her arms like a princess. "W-Wait, this isn't necessary, is it!?"
Oguri humphed. "You broke your promise." She growled, and I felt a shameful tingle crawl up my spine. "No complaining."
I squirmed as I hid my face behind my hands. "O-Okay."
And so, with me carried in Oguri's arms, I was brought out of my hospital room for the first time in who knew how long.
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AN: Some work suddenly got dropped onto my lap, so I didn't have the time to prepare the second chapter. I might be able to get it done tomorrow morning, but don't be surprised if it isn't there. That aside, tomorrow's two chapters should come out as usual.