When Mejiro Ramonu realized she simply couldn't avoid the dust no matter what, she simply gave up.
She stopped carefully holding her skirt and mincing her steps, instead casting aside her restraints as she began to observe her surroundings.
Every piece of décor and furniture here exuded an air of antique opulence. Having been steeped in such an environment since childhood and possessing a personal interest in the arts, Mejiro Ramonu could even intuitively guess the era and style of these ornaments.
Though everything was thick with dust, she could still imagine how this place must have looked in its prime.
"So many antiques from the Victorian era... all brought over from Europe, I suppose."
Mejiro Ramonu narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself.
It seemed this was indeed the Western-style mansion of the Northern family. But she still couldn't quite understand why Dream Weaver would choose to stay in a place like this instead of coming to the Mejiro household.
Anywhere would be better than staying here, right?
Her concern for Dream Weaver overriding her aversion to the dust, Mejiro Ramonu quickened her pace as she explored the mansion. She wanted to find Dream Weaver as soon as possible and bring her back to the Mejiro home.
Several minutes later, having searched nearly every room in the entire mansion and now covered in dust, Mejiro Ramonu stood before a large door. This was the last room.
If she didn't find Dream Weaver after opening this door at the end of the hallway, then Mejiro Ramonu would truly start to wonder if the girl had gone out to chop wood or hunt. She couldn't possibly be training in conditions like this, could she?!
Taking a deep breath of the stale air, Mejiro Ramonu pushed open the door with an immensely heavy heart.
Light seeped from the room onto her face as the door opened, making her instinctively squint. Before her vision could even clear from the blurriness, a cool, aloof voice rang in Mejiro Ramonu's ears.
"Who are you?"
A Uma Musume with long black hair was sitting on the floor. She turned her head expressionlessly to look in Mejiro Ramonu's direction.
Those abyssally dark eyes, seemingly capable of swallowing one's soul, caused Mejiro Ramonu to freeze for a moment. The Uma Musume before her gave off a strangely familiar feeling.
It was almost like...
...facing herself.
Mejiro Ramonu's presence on the racetrack was called the 'Enchanting Black Bay.' An inscrutable mystique was her defining trait. While she was a gentle observer to her family, in the eyes of the world, Mejiro Ramonu was undoubtedly a mysterious and dangerous Uma Musume.
But now, she was seeing her own shadow in Dream Weaver.
Their similarity wasn't just in their shared black hair and dark eyes. It was even more in that sense of aloof distance from the world, and a danger that felt bone-deep.
But Mejiro Ramonu's distance and coldness were reserved only for strangers; she was still gentle with her family. Yet, the Dream Weaver before her gave off an aura of rejecting the entire world, as if she had no attachments left and might vanish at any moment.
Furthermore, the moment Mejiro Ramonu stepped into the hall, she was immediately struck by a sharp, palpable atmosphere.
A faint, sword-like humming whisper seemed to echo intermittently in her ears. The girl before her was like a manifested cursed blade; her mere existence radiated an unparalleled danger.
Looking at Dream Weaver was like looking at a colder, more dangerous, smaller version of herself. She responded almost instinctively.
"I am Mejiro Ramonu. Your... elder sister."
She had previously wondered just how much Mejiro blood ran in Northern Dreams's veins, but the moment they met face-to-face, all uncertainty in Mejiro Ramonu's heart vanished. She was now certain the other was absolutely her younger sister.
"Mejiro..."
Dream Weaver glanced at the horse ears on the other's head and said, "I never thought they'd send a Uma Musume from the main family. But you are mistaken. I am not your sister."
"My surname is Northern."
Having said that, Dream Weaver turned her head away again, seemingly unwilling to speak any further with Mejiro Ramonu.
But having come this far, how could Mejiro Ramonu possibly give up? She could never allow her younger sister to remain alone in this dark, dilapidated mansion, nor could she stand by and watch Dream Weaver shoulder such immense pressure all by herself.
She walked briskly towards Dream Weaver, but before she could say anything, her attention was captured by the picture frame Dream Weaver was looking at.
"Huh?"
Seeing the familiar figure within the frame, Mejiro Ramonu's memories stirred. Wasn't the Uma Musume in this picture the big sister who often took her and Ardan to play in the backyard when they were children?
Shouldn't she have been an Uma Musume of the Mejiro house? Why was her picture here?
For a moment, Mejiro Ramonu forgot her purpose of persuading Dream Weaver, simply staring blankly at the person in the portrait.
Noticing her approach and subsequent silence, and the lack of any immediate attempt to drag her off to the Mejiro household, a flicker of curiosity arose in Dream Weaver's heart.
She looked up and asked Mejiro Ramonu, who was still gazing at the frame, "You know her?"
"I often saw her at our home when I was little. But then, one day, she completely vanished. I never thought I'd see her again here, of all places."
"She is your..."
Mejiro Ramonu's words made Dream Weaver fall silent for a long while. She had learned from her grandmother that her mother used to visit the Mejiro house frequently, but she never expected to meet someone who had witnessed those times.
Perhaps it was because Mejiro Ramonu hadn't immediately tried to pull her away to the Mejiro house.
Perhaps it was because of her strange connection to Dream Weaver's mother. For whatever reason, Dream Weaver's attitude softened slightly, and she spoke plainly.
"My mother."
"I see..."
Hearing Dream Weaver's answer, Mejiro Ramonu's voice grew low before she fell into silence.
That single answer told her all she needed to guess the fate of the Uma Musume in the portrait. If she were still alive, she would never have let her daughter stay alone in a place like this.
The two of them stood in silence, surrounded by the gazes of the many portraits, their hearts and minds churning with thoughts stirred by each other's words.
After what felt like an age, Dream Weaver slowly spoke.
"For me, this is all that remains of my mother. So I will not leave this place."
Mejiro Ramonu, of course, couldn't simply accept that. She had a million reasons to take Dream Weaver away. But looking into the other's stubborn eyes, the words she had prepared suddenly shifted.
"Remnants of her? Then isn't it all the more reason to visit the Mejiro house? Your mother left many things there as well. Even if you don't stay, you should at least retrieve the things she left behind in this world."
"After all, she carried the blood of both families. Don't you want to know more about her?"
As the words left her mouth, Mejiro Ramonu noticed a slight flicker of uncertainty in Dream Weaver's expression.
"...Just a visit."
Ultimately unable to resist the pull of her mother's past, Dream Weaver said softly,
"Just a visit."
And Mejiro Ramonu answered her with firm conviction.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 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.