After leaving Mejiro Asama, Mejiro Ramonu learned of Dream Weaver's whereabouts from a passing doctor, but she never expected to stumble upon such a riveting debate the moment she arrived.
Especially Dream Weaver's whimsical train of thought—it made her wonder if this was the same reclusive Uma Musume who had once shut out the entire world.
But Dream Weaver was, after all, still a child.
This spirited nature suited her age far better. Her earlier aloofness was likely just a self-protective shell, built up under layers of accumulated pressure.
Watching the two suddenly freeze in place, Mejiro Ramonu let out a subtle sigh and thought to herself.
Still, she was puzzled. If even she hadn't been able to get Dream Weaver to open up before, how had Mejiro Ardan managed it?
She didn't recall her younger sister being any sort of social expert. In Mejiro Ramonu's memory, the frail Mejiro Ardan always preferred quiet corners alone. Yet now, she had drawn out expressions from Dream Weaver that even Ramonu had never seen.
How on earth did she do it?!
Could it be that Mejiro Ardan was a natural-born social genius, hidden all this time for lack of opportunity—like a polished gem concealed in dust?!
As Mejiro Ramonu wrestled with her confusion, Dream Weaver snapped back to attention. She swiftly moved in front of Mejiro Ardan, shielding her, and spoke warily to Mejiro Ramonu.
"So you've caught up? But I won't go down without a fight!"
"Go on, call out all the lackeys your Mejiro family has in ambu—I mean, stationed here! This Uma Musume who's seen the light and I will break through together!"
Shielded in front, Mejiro Ardan covered her flushed cheeks, utterly lost about what was happening, and stared blankly at Mejiro Ramonu.
Seeing the two of them, Mejiro Ramonu knew it wasn't the time for wild speculation. She massaged her temples, a headache brewing.
"Anyway… could you just hear me out first?"
As the future head of the family, Mejiro Ramonu couldn't force Mejiro Asama to speak if she was unwilling. She had only managed to pry a few shallow fragments of the past from her.
But that was enough to establish some common ground with Dream Weaver. Using the eloquence and negotiation skills honed over years of training, Mejiro Ramonu engaged in a fierce exchange with the fugitive Dream Weaver—all while their "hostage" Mejiro Ardan remained caught between them.
A maid discreetly observing from the edge of the courtyard later recorded the following:
"Their verbal clash was so intense it seemed to darken the skies and dim the sun and moon. As their clashing auras battled without surrender, even the very laws of the universe felt on the verge of collapse."
After dozens of minutes, her lips parched and throat dry, Mejiro Ramonu finally managed to half-convince Dream Weaver that the Mejiro family wasn't the den of villains she had imagined.
Exhausted, the two now sat slumped in chairs by the dining table.
Mejiro Ardan, who had witnessed the epic confrontation, looked on with admiration and handed each of them a glass of water.
Having seldom engaged in such intense exchanges herself, she found the experience strangely enlightening—useful, perhaps, if her gentle nature ever led her into a dispute.
"Let me recap one last time to confirm," Dream Weaver said, gulping down the last of her water before handing the cup back to Mejiro Ardan. She straightened her posture and addressed Mejiro Ramonu.
"Go ahead," Mejiro Ramonu replied, waving a hand dismissively as she drank. She'd already learned that Dream Weaver was far from the fragile, solitary foal she'd once imagined.
"First, the Mejiro family wanted to take me in because of an agreement between my grandmother and your family head. They agreed that if anything happened to her, the last hope of the Northern family would be entrusted to your care."
At this, Dream Weaver still looked skeptical. Would her grandmother, who supposedly disliked Mejiro Asama so much, really make such an arrangement?
But then she remembered—the agreement was with the Mejiro family head, not necessarily Mejiro Asama. She set the doubt aside for now. After all, her grandmother had said she held no grudge against others in the Mejiro house.
Maybe the current head was an old friend of her grandmother's. That would explain the trust. It also made the story about the Mejiro family helping develop limiters more plausible—her grandmother's friend was now the family head, after all.
"Next, you are Mejiro Ramonu, and she is Mejiro Ardan." Dream Weaver pointed at Mejiro Ramonu across from her, then at Mejiro Ardan beside her.
"You both met my mother when you were young. After her passing, the frail Mejiro Ardan chose to recuperate here, far from the crowds."
Hearing this, Mejiro Ramonu raised an eyebrow and replied wearily, "Dreams, don't call us 'you' and 'her.' Ardan and I are your blood-related sisters."
But Dream Weaver merely sniffed lightly, ignoring Ramonu's words, and continued on her own terms.
"I have one more question." Dream Weaver gestured toward Mejiro Ardan. "Why does she look so much like my mother in her youth? And why do you act like you had no idea? Weren't you the one who saw the portrait at the Northern house? How could you not find the resemblance strange?"
Mejiro Ramonu set down her half-empty glass and answered seriously.
"Let me address the second question first."
"Even before I saw the portrait at the Northern house, it had been years since I'd seen your mother. My memories had already faded."
Besides, in Mejiro Ramonu's eyes, Mejiro Ardan had always been her frail younger sister—that image was fixed, not easily linked to the elder sister figure from her childhood.
Only someone like Dream Weaver, meeting Mejiro Ardan for the first time with no prior impressions, would connect her appearance to their mother.
"Now for your first question." Mejiro Ramonu held up one finger, addressing both Dream Weaver and Mejiro Ardan.
What she was about to reveal, she herself had only recently learned. Facing Dream Weaver's question now, Mejiro Ramonu finally understood why the family head had chosen to disclose this here.
So you knew she would ask, and you wanted it to come from me.
But why not say it yourself? If you'd shared this back in the office, things wouldn't have gotten so tense between us.
Mejiro Ramonu replayed her earlier conversation with the family head in her mind, thinking privately.
But thinking was one thing—her words didn't falter in the slightest.
"It's because Ardan also carries Northern family blood."
"Here in the Mejiro family, she is your closest sister by blood."
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.