On the track, the orange-clad Uma Musume showed no emotion on her face.
She was extremely calm, as if this victory were an absolute certainty.
The runner-up was El Condor Pasa.
Looking at Suzuka's back from behind her mask, her eyes were filled with shock and doubt.
She couldn't understand why she still couldn't outrun her rival.
She couldn't understand how Suzuka, having only recently recovered from a leg injury, could still possess such overwhelming strength.
It wasn't until Suzuka turned around and those emerald-green eyes met hers that she froze for a moment, realization dawning on her instantly.
Silence Suzuka's gaze was incredibly resolute— it was the kind of determination that comes from pushing oneself to the very edge.
"It seems... she isn't here to enjoy the race or the joy of running. It's purely for the sake of winning, and her conviction to win is incredibly pure..."
Air Groove, having caught her breath, walked over to El Condor Pasa and offered her assessment.
"How terrifying. How can an Uma Musume not love running?"
Special Week finished only fourth in this race.
She knelt on the ground, gasping for air.
Her eyes were filled with complex emotions as she looked at Suzuka's silhouette.
'What's happened to Suzuka-chan? She's definitely strong, but... she doesn't have the same brilliance as before.'
Clatter, clatter, clatter—
In the tunnel leading to the backstage area, the sound of Suzuka's footsteps echoed until Special Week's voice suddenly rang out from behind.
"Suzuka-chan?"
"...What is it, Spe-chan?"
Silence Suzuka's figure stiffened slightly before she slowly stopped. She then turned around with a smile.
"You weren't like this before. What on earth happened?"
"I'm doing great, Spe-chan. But you still need to work hard~"
Her tone was as gentle and calm as ever, but having spent so much time with her, Special Week naturally sensed something was wrong.
Quickly stepping up to Suzuka, she grabbed her shoulders and gave them a shake.
"No, that's not right! Even though your race today was excellent, you aren't the same as you were before! I can feel it— something must have happened to make you like this!"
Gently, Silence Suzuka brushed Special Week's hands away.
Her smile vanished.
"You don't understand, Spe-chan. I have a reason now that won't allow me to lose— Starlight-chan traded her own legs to give me the right to run again... I cannot let her down!"
With that, Suzuka turned and walked away.
Watching her figure grow more distant, Special Week remained dazed for a long time.
She lowered her hands, her ears drooping.
"Starlight-chan traded her own legs to give me the right to run again... I cannot let her down."
Those words played on a loop in Special Week's mind.
Although she didn't know the full details of the incident, she knew that the only one who could bring the old Suzuka back was Starlight-chan.
Even though El Condor Pasa didn't win the Japan Cup, it didn't change the fact that her record was currently the best among the new generation.
Sitting on the plane bound for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, she stared at the receding sky, lost in thought...
"Silence Suzuka, I will definitely defeat you! No one can stop the great El Condor Pasa from becoming the world's number one Uma Musume!"
At the hospital, inside Divine Starlight's ward.
Propped up in bed, Starlight smiled and patted Special Week's head as the latter leaned against the side of the bed.
"What's wrong? Why the long face? Is it because you lost the race?"
"...That's part of it, but mostly, it's that... Starlight-chan, Suzuka has changed."
Looking at Special Week with a hint of confusion, Starlight asked, "How has Suzuka changed?"
After briefly recounting her post-race conversation with Suzuka, Special Week reached forward and grasped Starlight's hands.
"Um, Starlight-chan... what should we do? Only you can bring Suzuka back to normal now."
"Mhm, I'll do my best! Don't worry, Spe-chan— the Takarazuka Kinen is coming up soon, so make sure you prepare well~"
Her smile returning, Special Week nodded vigorously.
"Leave it to me! Starlight-chan, I'll definitely win that race!"
As she spoke, Special Week's eyes kept drifting toward the bedside table, and a "tear" of longing escaped the corner of her mouth.
Following her gaze, Starlight understood immediately.
Because friends came to visit every day, they naturally brought plenty of gifts and condolences, so the bedside table was piled high with snacks and desserts.
Although it still looked like a small mountain, it was actually about three-quarters smaller than before. Oguri Cap had stopped by two days ago and helped "clear out" a significant portion.
Otherwise, there truly wouldn't have been enough room to put anything else.
"If you want some, go ahead and eat, Spe-chan. There's so much here anyway, I won't be able to finish it all anytime soon."
"Eh? How could I... ehehe, but everyone gave these to you~"
Special Week wiped her mouth, but her expression had already betrayed her.
Seeing this, Starlight reached out and pinched her cheek.
"Stop pretending to refuse and just eat~"
"Ahem, well in that case, thank you so much!"
With that, Special Week hopped over to the other side and excitedly began munching on the snacks.
As evening approached, Silence Suzuka arrived.
She sat down slowly by the bed and gently took Starlight's hand in hers.
"What is it? Starlight-chan... is there something I can help you with?"
Suzuka spoke with a gentle smile on her face.
"It's nothing major, I just wanted to chat with you about the race the other day."
"Did you watch my race, Starlight-chan? That's wonderful..."
"Actually, I wanted to say... Suzuka, you don't have to do this. You don't need to intentionally mimic my stride."
"Just run like yourself. I want to see your own silhouette on the track. Not mine."
"...No, no, Starlight-chan, this is all your fault. Why would you say that to me?"
Shaking her head, Suzuka grabbed Starlight's shoulders, her tone sounding slightly out of control.
"I... I just wanted you to be back on the track again, even if it's just a lingering shadow... If you hadn't given me that medicine, maybe I wouldn't be like this..."
With her head lowered, Silence Suzuka rambled to herself, sounding like she was complaining, but sounding more like she was pouring out her grievances.
For a long, long time, the room went silent.
Suzuka suddenly realized something and snapped her head up.
The moment she saw the expression on the Uma Musume's face, her pupils shrank violently.
"Is that so... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Suzuka-chan. I only wanted to save you. I just didn't want you to be sad."
Starlight's golden eyes were wet with tears, shimmering brilliantly under the moonlight.
She hadn't expected Suzuka to feel this way, she truly had only wanted to spare her the pain.
"I... I spoke too harshly, Starlight-chan. I didn't mean it like that, I..."
Silence Suzuka panicked.
The gloom on her face transformed into sheer helplessness as she hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe away the other's tears.
"It's okay, Suzuka-chan. The one I want to watch is you— the you who loves running, and who loves your fans and the audience."
"Don't do it for my sake, okay? It would make me sad."
Perhaps because this obsession was still in its budding stage, Starlight's "purification" skills were quite effective.
If left alone for a year or so, Suzuka likely would have truly fallen into darkness.
Starlight was quite reliable in that regard. If your psychological state took a turn for the worse, she would promptly get injured and step in to set you right.
'Starlight-chan... why are you so...'
"I understand. I... I won't make you sad, Starlight-chan..."