Glittering Dyna had fallen asleep.
At first, she had only meant to lie down for a short while, then get back up and turn off the light.
But her exhausted body and mind refused to let her move. The instant her head touched the soft pillow, she lost control and drifted off.
Cody's Wish sat at the edge of the bed, fingertips lightly stroking Dyna's cheek again and again, until Sea the Stars, frowning, finally asked, "You've become a little strange, haven't you?"
"I don't really understand it myself." Cody's Wish's answer was vague. "I just feel like she has to stay close. I need to be able to see her, touch her, know she's here. Otherwise I can't settle down."
Sea the Stars didn't really know Cody's Wish herself. Most of the time, she came across like a serious mentor, only occasionally dropping that composed exterior in certain situations.
But this sort of open display of emotion was rare.
From the moment they first met, Sea the Stars had sensed that Cody's Wish and Dyna had known each other for a very long time, and that Dyna trusted her almost unconditionally. In daily training, Dyna treated Cody's Wish as a mentor on par with Ryūji Wada.
That, too, was one of the ways Sea the Stars had felt she'd lost ever since arriving here.
All her life, apart from that one mistake in her debut race where she'd chosen the wrong position, she had never really lost.
Yet here, of all places, she had suffered her second defeat in life, and the one who had beaten her so effortlessly was right in front of her.
Still leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded, Sea the Stars' deep, starry eyes shifted toward Cody's Wish.
"Can you tell me about yourself?" she asked. "You know me well enough, but I know almost nothing about you."
Cody's Wish, still absorbed in gently stroking Dyna's cheek, froze for a moment and looked up at her, as if hesitating. But in the end, she began to speak.
"I'm actually very afraid of being forgotten. Or abandoned. Or… left behind without a word."
She still remembered when she had first entered Tracen Academy in America.
Back then, she had been small and physically frail, unable to produce any speed on dirt. Her classmates and even the teachers had constantly used her as an example of what not to be. That period of her life had been incredibly bleak.
The American style of racing, and even the academy's general environment, had always worshipped strength. On-track contact was judged far more leniently than elsewhere. A girl as delicate as Cody's Wish had never dared to meet the others head-on in practice races. Her best result had only ever been second place.
"There was a time when I thought about dropping out," Cody's Wish said. "If I did that, I wouldn't have to worry about any of it anymore. But then, the week after I started having those thoughts, a very special child came to the academy."
Her voice softened.
"Cody."
That name still felt different on her tongue.
"It was because of him that everything changed."
Because their names were so similar—Cody and Cody's Wish—it was as though fate itself had arranged it. The academy assigned Cody's Wish to guide Cody and his family around Tracen.
His parents did most of the talking. Cody himself sat silently in his wheelchair, almost never speaking, only keeping his face turned so he could look at Cody's Wish the whole time.
Cody's Wish's fingers paused for a moment on Dyna's warm cheek, and the heat there softened her gaze even further. When she spoke again, her voice was low, as if afraid of disturbing Dyna's sleep.
"That child couldn't really talk, but he was very sharp. I could hardly imagine what it must have been like, to be trapped in a wheelchair at that age, to know illness had locked away most of the life you were supposed to have. Just imagining it made me feel suffocated."
His parents had told her he loved horse girls from the time he was little. Every weekend, his father would take him to the racecourse to watch. This trip to Tracen, too, had been meant to lift his spirits before his next round of treatment.
She had taken them all over the academy—from the library to the training grounds—and Cody had stayed quiet the whole time.
But when he saw the horse girls running on the track, his eyes lit up.
It wasn't an ordinary brightness. It held too many emotions for that. Cody's Wish had never forgotten it.
That day, the sun had been especially bright. The horse girls on the dirt course ran freely, kicking up clouds of dust. Cody's gaze stayed fixed on the girl running furthest behind—a horse girl who, like Cody's Wish, was physically slight, but who still hadn't given up.
Sea the Stars loosened her folded arms slightly.
She had never seen Cody's Wish like this before. The usual composure was gone. In its place were tenderness, regret, and something deeper. Sea the Stars even had the feeling Cody's Wish had never told Dyna this story at all.
"When they were leaving," Cody's Wish said, "Cody looked at me for a very, very long time. I didn't know what it meant. In the end, it was his father who told me."
She smiled faintly.
"'Cody wants to see you keep running.'"
At that point, she finally understood.
There really had been someone who cared about a horse girl like her.
Someone who had been waiting for her to run.
"In the beginning, I lost terribly," Cody's Wish said with a quiet laugh. "I ran several maiden races before I finally won. Somehow Cody found out about it, and he and his parents came all that way to cheer for me at my next maiden race."
When she saw him there, he looked even more worn down than before. But he was dressed neatly in a suit, and despite being in a wheelchair, he seemed so alive, so bright.
"I won that race. And every race after that, if Cody was there, I won."
Then her expression dimmed.
"On the day I retired, after winning the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Cody's parents sent me a photo."
Her mouth curled into a smile, but tears glimmered in her eyes.
"He was sitting in his wheelchair. His face was stiff, but I could still see his smile. I didn't know then that it would be the last time I ever saw him."
The very next day after the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Cody's Wish had wanted to go see him.
Instead, she received a message telling her that Cody's condition had suddenly worsened on the way home.
He hadn't made it.
At the time, Cody's Wish had gone numb. Maybe she cried. Maybe she didn't. She simply sat by the window with her phone in hand until evening fell.
Once again, her fingertips brushed Dyna's cheek.
"He's gone," she said quietly. "But his wish remained. I always remembered that he wanted to see me keep running. And then… I, the soul of the horse girl Cody's Wish, met Glittering Dyna."
Only then had she realized what it felt like to carry someone else's dream forward.
The room fell silent.
Cody's Wish's fingers moved, and the main light clicked off. Only the small night lamp at the bedside remained, its dim glow too weak to reach Sea the Stars where she stood in the doorway.
Sea the Stars raised an eyebrow, then broke the silence.
"What you feel for her… it's not just a mentor looking after a junior, is it?"
Cody's Wish stiffened. She didn't deny it. She only lowered her head and looked at Dyna's peaceful sleeping face in the soft light.
"She's a lot like me," Cody's Wish said. "And yet… not at all."
"She's been lost before too. She's had moments where she wanted to give up. But she's stayed kind—truly kind—and she warms the people around her in her own way. Even with Orfevre, she's the same. Haven't you noticed? Dyna genuinely wants her to become an excellent horse girl."
Sea the Stars stayed quiet.
Cody's Wish continued, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I know she has her own dreams. Her own people she wants to protect. So if I can just stay by her side, that's enough. Watching her run, watching her win, watching her slowly make those wishes come true… that's enough for me."
Though the room was dark, Sea the Stars could still make out the feeling hidden in Cody's Wish's eyes.
A love that asked for nothing in return.
A care that handled something precious with both hands.
For someone as dull about these things as Sea the Stars, it still became clear in that moment:
Cody's Wish cared so deeply for Dyna not only because their experiences resembled one another, but because in Dyna, she had found the possibility that dreams could continue.
She had found a light worth protecting for a lifetime.
"Hearing you say all that really is disgustingly sentimental," Sea the Stars said with a small laugh. "Still… you're much more honest than I am. There are a lot of things I can't say at all, no matter how much I keep them in my heart. Especially when it comes to my sister."
Cody's Wish lowered her head and took a slow breath.
"Some things don't need to be said aloud," she replied. "I just hope she never has to live through the regrets I did."
Late that night, Sea the Stars finally left the room.
Cody's Wish stayed where she was at Dyna's bedside, flipping through a thick notebook filled with records from her life. Every time she opened it, it was like stepping back into those days, like meeting the people she had cherished all over again.
Glittering Dyna had a very long dream.
But when she woke, she had forgotten every bit of it.
Her head felt heavy and stuffed, like it was packed with files she couldn't read. Even sitting up made it throb, and only splashing her face with cold water dulled the pain enough to bear.
Standing in the bathroom doorway, Dyna looked toward Cody's Wish by the bed and felt vaguely confused.
Had Cody's Wish already been sitting there when she woke up?
Why couldn't she remember?
"Have you been sitting by my bed all night again, Cody's Wish?" Dyna asked, pushing back her damp bangs. She smiled, but there was exhaustion in it. She had gone to sleep early, yes, but the quality of that sleep had been terrible.
"No. I only came over at dawn," Cody's Wish answered. "Now that you're awake, I'm going to rest for a while too. Be careful on the road to Takarazuka today, alright?"
After that brief reminder, she faded slowly from Dyna's sight.
As she straightened her clothes, Dyna sighed inwardly.
Being a spirit really was convenient. One thought, and they could simply go rest. Meanwhile, she herself still had to deal with insomnia more often than not.
The wardrobe was full of the same things as always—jeans, T-shirts, dark jackets. Dyna grabbed a set at random, then took a baseball cap and settled it over her head. It had originally been a regular human cap, but she had cut two holes in it herself so her ears could fit through. Otherwise, it would have gone completely to waste.
By the time she reached the first floor, Changying and Oguri Cap were already there.
Oguri was dressed much the same as Dyna—T-shirt, light outerwear, jeans. In terms of clothes, the two of them shared the same philosophy: whatever was practical came first. Only race outfits were allowed to be flashy.
"Morning, everyone. I slept badly last night, so I got up a little late." Dyna came downstairs rubbing her eyes, already nibbling on one of the breads she had prepared the day before. The moment she bit into the filling, her whole stomach practically writhed in delight.
"You can tell," Changying said. "Boss, those dark circles are terrible. Just sleep in the car later, alright? Leave the rest to me."
Changying had already looked into the location and recent operating history of the shop in Takarazuka. Since Dyna had said from the start that she intended to hand franchise matters over to her, Changying knew she couldn't keep seeing herself as just a pastry chef anymore.
As for Oguri, she was mostly here to have fun. But at the same time, being a famous horse girl was a kind of reassurance in itself. If anything went wrong, they could always just throw her reputation at the problem.
Dyna nodded, pulled the cap lower over her face as she stepped out, and squinted against the already glaring morning light. Her eyes narrowed almost to slits, her vision swimming slightly in the brightness.
The rideshare arrived right on time. Dyna slid into the back seat shoulder-to-shoulder with Oguri, while Changying sat up front chatting with the driver.
They hadn't taken the train because at this hour, the commuter rush would have gotten them packed to death in the carriage.
"Boss… ah, she's asleep already?"
Oguri had just been about to remind Dyna to put on her seatbelt when she turned and saw her slumped over, swaying loosely with the motion of the car, already fast asleep.
Oguri blinked.
Then, in the end, she simply let Dyna settle against her shoulder. It would tire her out more, yes—but at least this way Dyna might get some proper rest.
This time, Dyna's dream was much clearer.
She stood in the middle of a racetrack.
But the track was surrounded on all sides by grandstands in a strangely unnatural way. No matter which direction she turned, the floodlights at the top of the stands shone directly into her eyes, making her deeply uncomfortable.
"What kind of racecourse is this?"
She called out, but no one answered.
At times like this, hadn't Cody's Wish or Sea the Stars always shown up eventually? Yet no matter how many times Dyna called, the only reply was the echo of her own voice returning from all directions.
This wasn't so much a racecourse as it was a specially built cage.
No matter where Dyna tried to walk, she would end up right back where she started. It was the first time that kind of wrongness made her feel suffocated.
Floodlights blazed on every side. Other than directly beneath her feet, not a single place was left in shadow.
She was completely exposed to the light.
"Cody's Wish? Sea the Stars?"
Still no answer.
What Dyna didn't know was that in the real world, she had also murmured both names in her sleep, so softly that only Oguri Cap, whose shoulder she was leaning on, could hear.
Oguri had originally been looking at her phone. Hearing those names so suddenly made her jump.
She turned her head and saw Dyna's bangs damp with sweat, her brows knotted tight. Oguri had never seen anything like this before and immediately thought Dyna must be seriously unwell in her sleep.
So she started shaking her.
And that purely physical intervention successfully pulled Dyna out of the bizarre racecourse drenched in light.
Gaga! Goo-goo!
Actually, I'm a night heron. You know what I mean, right?
Master Heron, what exactly is your line of work?
Ha!
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin