"I... don't know..." Special Week's small ears drooped a little, and her face was full of confusion.
"I see..." Saying that, Zero helped Special Week up.
"Go change your clothes, then come to the track."
"Eh?"
"If you don't know, then go ask." Zero had already taken off her pajamas, revealing her figure beneath, which was somewhat flat but graceful.
"Ask?" Ask what, ask whom?
"The wind."
"The wind?"
You'll understand once you've done it, now go change." After a light tap on her head, Special Week quickly headed back to her room.
However, as an Uma Musume who hadn't debuted yet, Special Week naturally only changed into sportswear, inexplicably not putting on her regular clothes.
And when she saw Zero, her eyes widened slightly.
The other person was standing with her eyes closed on the vast training ground, a gentle breeze stirring her hair and her thin, white, gauze-like scarf, looking so beautiful under the moonlight.
"You're here, how do you feel?"
"Very beautiful…"
"www I didn't ask for your thoughts on me."
"But, Z-chan is really beautiful!"
Zero was dressed in all black.
The inner layer was pure black, with a relatively large diamond-shaped silver-white emblem on the chest, which, when seen with the outer garment, looked like a suit tie; whether the sleeves were long or short couldn't be distinguished due to the jacket; the pure black outer garment was adorned with silver-white patterns, perfectly enveloping her delicate figure; a black skirt with a white base was topped with a black overskirt, the back of which was slightly split, making her look like a gentleman in a tailcoat from a distance.
Her silver-white hair on both sides of her head was tied up, while the rest of her long black hair remained loose; she wore white gloves on her small hands; her left leg was covered by a black stocking up to mid-thigh, while the stocking on her right leg only reached her knee, with something like a leg guard on her thigh; and exquisite yet somehow simple black long boots covered half of her calves.
But the most striking part was her scarf.
Its texture was unknown, but it was clearly very thin, almost transparent; yet, upon closer inspection, one couldn't see through it, making it exceptionally dreamlike. The white scarf was wrapped around her neck, with a long excess portion trailing behind her to her right, making her look imposing like she was wearing a cape, but it also appeared incredibly soft as the wind blew.
Black and white, along with a small amount of silver, were the only three colors in her outfit.
"This is called a Winning Outfit, every Uma Musume will receive one. Once you successfully debut, and qualify for a G1 race, your Trainer will report to the Anshin'in Family to get one for you."
A Winning Outfit, huh… "Now, get ready, we're going to run, okay?"
"Eh!?" Wasn't she talking about listening to the wind or something?
She thought it was some way to commune with nature!
"www, I don't possess any supernatural powers (Three Goddesses system: ?), nor can I just conjure wind out of nowhere, so of course, we have to run to create wind." She urged Special Week with a laugh, telling her to quickly enter the starting gate.
Special Week walked in, looking utterly bewildered.
"Remember, don't speak, just think about my question from earlier, and then, feel with your Whole Heart and Soul. I will always run ahead of you."
"Mhm."
"Then, let's begin."
Beep—
Click.
Zero's figure dashed out as usual, with Special Week following closely behind.
These past few days, she had run alongside Zero many times, and Suzuka-san had also joined, which made her very happy.
What was Z-chan's question again?
She pondered the question while watching Zero's back.
In fact, even this time, the other person wasn't running at her full speed, but even so, Special Week still had to exert more effort to keep up.
The other person ran silently, her white scarf, hair, and tail fluttering behind her like ribbons.
Watching that back, Special Week's thoughts inexplicably entered a profound state.
Z-chan… why does she run?
A sudden curiosity arose.
She runs to achieve the "Japan's Number One" goal she promised her adoptive mother, so what is Z-chan's reason for running?
That day, Z-chan, who ran recklessly and was eventually carried away, had truly startled her. Afterward, she couldn't even focus on training, and food had no taste.
Is a dream… that important… for an Uma Musume? Would I go to that extent too?
"Only one person achieves their dream, at the cost of destroying others' dreams."
No! That's absolutely not it!
What is it, what is it all for?
Her physical condition was excellent, and she was still maintaining her usual training pace, following the other person.
But, where exactly was the problem?
Both Z-chan and Suzuka-san are very kind people; they would never be the kind of people who would destroy others' dreams… "Are you prepared to keep running, even if it means trampling on others' dreams?"
The question from earlier weighed on her heart like a thousand-pound burden.
If she runs in races… she might hurt others, but if she doesn't participate, her dream would just be nonsense.
Suddenly, she remembered the first time they ran together on this track.
She still remembered how she had given her all but was still overtaken by Z-chan, right at the last moment.
"Cry if you want to cry, remember this feeling, and strive so that you won't experience it again in the future."
Those words, vivid and clear, echoed in her mind.
Remember this feeling… is it the feeling of failure?
Then, do the Uma Musume who lost feel the same way?
Vaguely, Special Week seemed to understand something.
At that time, Z-chan, who had won, who had just defeated her, held no shadow in her heart; she was so warm and radiant.
Why… why… remember that moment's feeling… what to remember… is Z-chan of that moment!
That's right, the Uma Musume on the track are absolutely not beings who trample on others for their dreams!
So why did Z-chan say that, and what was the meaning behind it?
"Ah, she's very talented, perhaps she'll be the next Undefeated Triple Crown."
"If I teach her, we can remove the 'perhaps'."
Why did she have such high expectations for her? Undefeated Triple Crown is not just a literal term… "She is an absolute monarch, a true monarch."
In a daze, she recalled the incident when she met Teio.
That time, Miss Emperor gave an evaluation of Z-chan, who was on her team.
A monarch… huh?
King… she looked at the other person's running back.
"Listen, to the sound of the wind."
The sound of the wind?
The track reached another straightaway; closing her eyes for a moment wouldn't cause a problem.
The wind… the gently blowing wind, because she was following behind the other person, she could effectively use that slipstream to conserve her stamina.
Among them… [I want to become an existence like Miss Zero!]
[I want to win first place!]
[I want to stand on the winner's stage and shine brightly!]
Numerous voices rose and fell, but when Special Week was startled awake by a sudden cool breeze, she heard no sound.
What was that… just now?
"Uma Musume are beings who bring dreams to everyone."
She recalled Miss Emperor's teachings.
"One horse leads, ten thousand horses lose their light."
"When you understand the true meaning of this phrase, it will only be a matter of time before you become a top Uma Musume."
The voices just now, dreams… so that's it.
The figure in front of her was still galloping, but for some reason, she seemed to see the figures of many unfamiliar and familiar Uma Musume, running alongside Zero.
That's right, the running of Uma Musume is an existence that brings dreams, and so is Z-chan, and Suzuka-san.
They defeat other Uma Musume, and then… they carry their dreams and wishes, and keep running!
I understand, Z-chan.
Everything you wanted to tell me, I understand, so… watch closely! This is my answer!
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
Listening to the commotion behind her, Zero's lips curved into a smile.
[Special Week activated [Late Charge]]
[Late Charge ascended to: [Whole Heart and Soul]]
[Whole Heart and Soul: Accelerate with all your might in the final straight. It represents not only the [Whole Soul] of running with all your strength, but also the determination to keep moving forward for victory, which is also [Whole Heart]]
Watching the figure that overtook her, Zero merely looked at the other person gently, not accelerating further.
But more than that, it was surprise.
[Special Week activated [Meteor]]
[Meteor upgraded to Lv2]
[Talent Bloomed]
[Meteor Lv2: The meteor streaking across the sky is not just a girl's thoughts, but also other, more beautiful, purer things.]
You've never disappointed me, Little Special.
Special Week's figure gradually faded into the distance, and Zero also perked up a little, following behind her.
Finally, when the other person collapsed from exhaustion, she caught her.
Special Week was panting, very rapidly, but her face was beaming with joy.
"Z-chan! I understand! Ha… ha… I will keep running! I will keep winning! And then… carrying their hopes! Keep going!"
Her words couldn't be clearly expressed, but what she wanted to say had already been conveyed to Zero.
"So, I won't be confused anymore! I won't be afraid anymore! Z-chan! Watch closely! Tomorrow! My run!"
"Idiot, you make it sound like I won't be there www"
Carrying the other person in a princess carry, Zero stepped towards the house.
"Then it's a promise, okay? If this happens again, I won't hesitate to cut off your snacks for a few days."
"No problem!"
Does she not even care about food anymore?
No, it's just that she herself understood that she wouldn't be confused anymore.
"Anyway, let's go back, take a shower, and then let me give you another massage."
"Z-chan will serve me?" Her face was full of excitement.
"Sure."
"Yay!"
"Don't move! You're too big for a princess carry!"
"Hehehe..."
Their figures gradually faded into the moonlight, with only the gentle breeze carrying away their words and their promise.