On a rainy, gloomy Racecourse, Starlight stared blankly at the timer board showing a two-horse-length gap to first place.
In the spectator stands, countless fans and Uma Musume watched the scene in disbelief.
Everyone thought that silver figure, once like a war goddess, had finally returned, but had she still failed to hold on?
"Hey.... don't blame yourself, Trainer Inami. Starlight has been resting for a year and a half. Just recovering, her strength is certainly not what it used to be..."
"Right, and on top of that, it was those two..."
Helios got up from the ground, strode over to Starlight, and said with a grin.
"So, how was it, how was it, Starlight-chan? I won~"
That's right, Starlight also got beaten.
In her comeback race, she ran into Helios and Mejiro Palmer.
She wasn't fully aware of her own current condition to begin with, and encountering these two lawless characters on the track made it even more difficult.
Wiping the water droplets from her face, Starlight said with a smile.
"Amazing, Helios is really strong now~"
'Is there still a gap between reality and dreams? Why...'
Thinking this, Starlight chatted with Helios and Palmer as she walked off the track.
"Starlight... let's go, to the hospital first."
In the corridor.
Kiryuu Inami looked at Starlight's slightly trembling legs and stepped forward to support her.
Looking down at her own legs, Starlight's heart sank even lower.
After the examination came recuperation.
A shattered cup, even if glued back together, will crack again during use. It was the same with Starlight's legs.
She sat in the hospital lobby's rest area, her mind recalling the battle from a few days ago in her dream, against the pink-haired Uma Musume.
When the tidal wave surged towards her again, the pink-and-white-haired Uma Musume activated her Domain.
The gold in Starlight's hair tips began to spread, eventually enveloping her entire head of hair, leaving only a streak of silver in her bangs.
That Domain, as if a miracle had descended, successfully halted the pink-and-white-haired Uma Musume's raging tidal wave.
The pause was brief, but it was enough.
Because less than a hundred meters remained to the finish line.
Bang—
Bang—
Bang!
Three-stage acceleration, now unleashed by the silver-haired Uma Musume.
In that short distance, she burst forward three times, successfully winning by half a horse length.
Kneeling on one knee, the silver-haired Uma Musume gasped for breath, the gold at her hair tips gradually fading.
She looked at the figure of the white-and-pink-haired Uma Musume before her and asked with difficulty.
"You... can you tell me your name now?"
A smile playing on her lips, the white-and-pink-haired Uma Musume crouched down, reached out to help Starlight up, and said softly.
"Breaking Waves~!"
"Breaking Waves..."
Back to the present, hearing the name Starlight murmured, Kiryuu Inami looked at her curiously.
"Who is she?"
"Ah, no... she, she's an Uma Musume who appeared in my dream."
Hearing this, Inami narrowed her eyes, came over, and sat down beside Starlight, reaching out to pat her head.
"Aiya~ Starlight-chan, really, you even have such naughty dreams~ But then again, you're not that young anymore."
"What nonsense! Inami-chan, don't talk nonsense! It's not like that at all, I was just running with her!"
Nodding, Kiryuu Inami wore an expression that said "I understand perfectly," making the silver-haired Uma Musume's face flush red and hot.
"The results are out... about a month of rest, and it should be mostly healed. It's not a serious injury."
Listening to her words, Starlight lowered her head and nodded.
She had known this would be the case all along.
But since she could still run, she would choose to keep running...
Back at the farm, Starlight was settled into bed in Suzuka's room. At the doorway, Silence Suzuka gently assured Inami.
"Don't worry, Trainer Inami, I will definitely take good care of Starlight!"
"Mm, thank you, Suzuka."
"No, no, not at all troublesome. Starlight-chan is very cute, and I enjoy taking care of her."
... The door closed, and the Trainer left. Silence Suzuka turned and came to sit by the bed, taking Divine Starlight's hand in hers.
"I'll go prepare dinner for you, Starlight-chan. I'll also handle applying the medicine later."
"Mm, thank you, Suzuka-chan."
Evening. Starlight leaned against the headboard, her two fair, delicate feet resting on Suzuka's lap.
In Suzuka's hand was a jar of medicine with a strong herbal scent.
Scooping out a bit with her fingers, Suzuka grasped Starlight's ankle and began to evenly apply it to the injured areas.
"How is it, Starlight-chan? Does it hurt when I do this?"
"It's fine..."
"Mm... Starlight-chan."
"What is it?"
"Thank you. Without you, the person lying in bed now might have been me... Without you, I might not have been able to run as freely as my heart desired..."
"Starlight-chan, you are really important to me. In my heart, I, I like you."
Looking up, Starlight was somewhat shocked, gazing into those green eyes filled with affection.
"Thank you, but..."
"I know. Starlight-chan doesn't like me that way now. But that doesn't stop me from taking care of you, from being good to you. It's okay if you reject me, but please don't dislike me..."
"I won't. I won't dislike you, Suzuka-chan. I'm also very grateful to you, Suzuka-chan."
"My body is already broken, as you can see... Before I can mend it completely, perhaps the only things holding it together are Suzuka, and everyone's love for me."
The way she smiled with her eyes narrowed was truly beautiful.
Suzuka's heart tightened, and she went to hug her.
"Starlight-chan..."
"The ointment, the ointment is getting on the bed!"
"Ah... sorry, sorry, I'll go wash my hands right away."
Late at night, the sleeping Starlight once again arrived at the familiar Tracen.
Seeing the pink-and-white-haired Uma Musume sitting on a bench basking in the sun, she slowly walked forward.
"Breaking-chan..."
"Hmm? You're here. The weather is really nice today, isn't it, Starlight-chan~"
"...Why."
"What?"
"Why did I lose the race? I already defeated you, so why did I still lose? Or is it that dreams are ultimately different from reality?"
Looking up at the silver-haired Uma Musume before her, Breaking Waves smiled.
"No, Starlight-chan is already very strong, stronger than me... but, it's still not enough."
"Huh? But I can't train like I used to anymore."
"What's lacking isn't training, Starlight-chan. You don't need to train anymore. The reason you lost is because you can no longer find the heart to win."
"How could I..."
"You can't hide it from me. I know what you're thinking. But this is the Racecourse. If you don't bring out the determination you had when competing with me, you can't achieve victory in reality."
"If I do that, I'll..."
"If you do that, you'll get hurt. You'll see the sad expressions on the faces of those who care about you. You don't want that, right? Then don't think about winning."
"What you truly want, you've become unclear about now. I admit everyone's love for you is too intense, but did you really think this way at the very beginning?"
In an instant, Breaking Wave's words brought Divine Starlight back to the very, very beginning.
Holding a bouquet of flowers, looking at the gray-haired Uma Musume rejecting her, the whispers of other onlooker Uma Musume beside them.
She threw the bouquet away and spoke her own words.
"I will leave my own light on the Racecourse..."
Back then, her eyes were filled with nothing but determination.
'Emotions and bonds are just boosts that help you win.'
'If you abandon the determination to win... then they will only become your burden.'