On the giant scoreboard, Tokai Teio stared at the gap between first and second place, and more importantly, the distance between herself and the winner.
She stood there, dazed.
The stadium's cheers and applause echoed in her ears, but they weren't for her.
They belonged to Mejiro McQueen, who was currently waving to the crowd not far away.
Teio's eyes cast downward, her expression unreadable.
From a distance, Symboli Rudolf watched her, her mind drifting back to the words Teio had spoken not long ago:
"Even if I can't be an undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume, I can still be an undefeated Uma Musume forever!"
Meanwhile, the gravity on Mejiro McQueen's face had long since vanished, replaced by an unprecedented sense of relief and joy.
She stood by the railing, responding enthusiastically to the spectators and fans.
At the same time, her purple eyes were constantly scanning the crowd, searching for Divine Starlight.
Before long, she spotted a Uma Musume with long, dark blue hair pulling Starlight along, the two of them chatting and laughing together.
Snap.
McQueen's expression stiffened.
Then, Starlight seemed to notice her gaze and offered a smile and a wave in response— to which McQueen gave a somewhat forced reaction.
Behind her, Teio slowly approached, her voice carrying an unmistakable sense of loss.
"McQueen... winning the Tenno Sho back-to-back, you're really amazing."
Teio's blue eyes were misted with tears, and her drooping ears made her look incredibly pitiful.
"Teio... it's only because of your motivation that I was able to make it this far."
Tokai Teio didn't say another word, she simply walked up and hugged Mejiro McQueen.
In an instant, the entire stadium erupted in cheers once more.
"Whoa! Starlight, Starlight, look! They're hugging! Look!"
"I see it. They really are close~ Since they hadn't talked for so long, I really thought they'd had a falling out."
Starlight didn't think much of it, remarking with some emotion.
"Hey, hey Starlight-chan... don't you think there's something more going on between those two?"
"Who knows."
"I think it's highly likely!"
"Eh? Why do you say that..."
"Starlight-chan, look at how their eyes are practically glued to each other! Doesn't that prove it?"
"Haha... Daitaku Helios is so funny, thinking so much~"
Scratching her cheek, Helios saw Starlight giggling behind her hand and felt her own face flush slightly.
Amidst the cheers, the Uma Musume began heading back to the tunnel.
Sharply, Starlight noticed that Tokai Teio's stride was unsteady and flickering— a gait eerily similar to her own back then.
Her brow furrowed.
She patted Helios on the head and rushed toward Ryo Nishizaki.
"Sorry, Helios, I have an urgent matter, I have to go for a second."
"Ah, Starlight-chan, what is it? Let me come too..."
"No need, no need, it'll be quick."
...
...
"What? Are you sure?!"
"Yes. Hurry down and check on her. I'll go find the nearby medical staff."
"Alright."
After briefing Nishizaki, the two split up.
Left behind, Special Week stared wide-eyed in shock.
"No way... Teio has... another fracture?! How could this happen."
"She just lost the race, and now a fracture... Teio's mood is going to be terrible no matter how you look at it..."
But the despair didn't end there.
To make matters worse, Mejiro McQueen had also sustained an injury.
After one legendary showdown, Team Spica had lost two of its greatest generals.
In an instant, the "Twin Stars" lineup that should have been shining was completely torn apart.
Fortunately, the team still had veteran powerhouses like Special Week and the recently returned Silence Suzuka to hold things together.
The following morning, in the Middle School classroom of Tokai Teio.
Seated in the back row by the window, Teio propped her head up on her hand, gazing at the sky outside.
She listened to the teacher's lecture listlessly, her spirit drained.
When she arrived at school that morning, she learned that Mejiro McQueen had returned to the Mejiro Estate to recuperate from her injuries, leaving Teio even more despondent.
When you run with a heart full of expectations, obstacles always seem to be set in your path to make you trip and leave you wounded.
You lie on the ground looking up at the sky, clutching your wounds and asking your heart if you should keep going... and when you finally stumble to your feet and look forward with hope once more, you are met with even greater obstacles and yet another fall.
Her past dreams were completely shattered, and the goals she had set for the present were now unattainable.
What about the future?
Clutching her injured leg, Tokai Teio couldn't see it, she couldn't see a future for herself at all...
Whack!
"Aaah!!"
Snapping back to reality, Teio saw the teacher holding a pointer, arms crossed, staring at her with a "kind" smile.
Behind her, Twin Turbo, who had been sleeping, was now wide awake with a massive lump throbbing on her forehead.
"Student Teio, please pay attention to the lecture."
"Ah... haha... Y-Yes, teacher!"
(T/N: Nah that's discrimination. They don't do this when Starlight is sleeping in class.)
On the grass by the lake, Kiryuu Inami had once again put on her Trainer's badge after a long absence.
Holding a folder and a stopwatch, she looked at the silver-haired Uma Musume before her with concern.
"Are you really going to start recovery training? Starlight-chan, are you sure you're okay?"
"It's fine... Come on, Inami-chan. Have you ever seen a bird that doesn't flap its wings?"
"...Alright then. But even though this is recovery training, it'll likely only get you to a point where you can barely run."
"Running at full power is out of the question, and I won't allow you to try it anyway..."
"Aww, don't be so harsh. Let's start the training."
Standing on the turf in her training gear, Starlight could hear the sound of the nearby stream.
The sunlight was brilliant. She looked toward Kiryuu Inami, who was standing by the distant finish line.
Taking a deep breath, she moved her legs for the first time in a long while.
One step, two steps.
She was walking slowly.
Her speed gradually increased, but just as her legs prepared to exert force to lift her off the ground, a sensation of weightlessness washed over her.
Without even completing a single running stride, the silver-haired Uma Musume slammed heavily onto the ground.
"Starlight-chan?! Are you okay?"
Kiryuu Inami rushed over and knelt beside her, asking anxiously.
Shaking her head, Starlight let out a breath, her voice flat.
"I'm fine... What happened just now? My mind understood perfectly how to run, and my legs knew what to do, so why couldn't I just... run? How strange."
"That's enough. Let's go back. Once you're feeling a bit better in a few days, we'll start the recovery training again, okay?"
"...Mm. You go back first, Trainer. I want to... look at the scenery for a bit."
"I'll stay with you."
"No need, I want to be alone. Please."
Unable to win against the stubborn silver-haired Uma Musume, Kiryuu Inami had no choice but to leave, looking back three times with every step.
"Want to try one more time? The scenery while running is truly beautiful, you know~"
An unfamiliar voice drifted into her ears, melodic and pleasant.
Starlight had never heard this voice before and had no idea who it belonged to.
She looked around, the open space was empty save for herself.
"Who... who are you?"
There was no response, as if the voice had been a mere hallucination.
'The scenery while running is truly beautiful... I haven't seen it in so long—'
Slowly standing up, she brushed the dust and grass from her clothes and looked forward.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of footsteps came from behind her, and a silver afterimage blurred past, sprinting toward the distance at incredible speed.
Watching that figure, Starlight instinctively wanted to follow.
She moved her legs, lifted them, and dropped them to exert force—
Thud.
She fell again.
A smudge of dirt stained her cheek.
Clenching her fists, she stood up quickly this time and tried to move her legs once more.
'What exactly am I running for? Why am I even trying?'