I made the wrong judgment.
Sakura Yamato thought to herself.
But she felt the responsibility for this misjudgment didn't lie with her, nor with her trainer—it lay with Dream Weaver.
Though it was shameful to pin all the blame on an opponent—well, perhaps she couldn't even be called an opponent anymore, but for the moment Sakura Yamato couldn't think of another name for her.
Yet there was simply no other way.
Sakura Yamato believed that anyone in the world, making a pre‑race assessment, would never have imagined that Dream Weaver would display such strength in the Hopeful Stakes.
Her power had lost all sense of reality for Sakura Yamato, for all the other competitors.
It was like an ordinary person encountering a calamity sweeping the world—if you met it, you met it; there was nothing to be done.
At that thought, a profound sense of helplessness surged up in Sakura Yamato's heart. She could no longer imagine what she might possibly do next.
Sakura Yamato entered the starting gate almost in a daze. Only when the sharp clang of the gate closing startled her did she suddenly realize the race was about to begin.
She wasn't alone. Glancing left and right, Sakura Yamato saw the other Uma Musume beside her wore the same bewildered expressions; they hadn't even recovered from the earlier shock.
But… what if she had recovered?
Facing an opponent like a force of nature, what strength did she have left to resist?
The race was about to start, yet Sakura Yamato couldn't hold back a sigh, her face clouded with worry as she stared at the turf beyond the gate.
"Bang!"
Time waits for no one. Before Sakura Yamato could sigh again, the gate before her suddenly flew open.
The instinct engraved into her muscles through training awoke instantly.
Even with her mind clouded by doubt, unsure of the meaning, Sakura Yamato's legs began to move of their own accord.
A flash of red light streaked past the corner of her eye, a chilling roar swept by her ear, and in almost an instant Sakura Yamato saw that red light pull away from her.
Perhaps because she had been left so far behind, that icy‑sharp blade, facing one who could no longer pose any threat on the track, withdrew its edge.
So the suffocating pressure vanished.
Air scented with fresh turf filled her nostrils once more, and only as Sakura Yamato gasped in deep breaths did she finally realize that earlier, even her breathing had been suppressed.
Squinting, the red light in her vision shone almost as brilliantly as the sun in the sky.
Was it because she had moved away that she could now feel the sun's warmth?
The thought rose unbidden in Sakura Yamato's mind.
So the reason they had felt so suffocated earlier was simply because they had been too close to the sun.
But then again, staying that close to the sun, Uma Musume like them would only meet one end—being burned to ashes.
Now, all they had to do was carefully maintain their distance from the sun, bask in its warmth, and let the race end easily.
Sakura Yamato could see the expressions of the other Uma Musume around her relax noticeably.
It truly was a relief not to feel that terrifying, razor‑sharp presence anymore.
Yet for some reason, Sakura Yamato's heart yearned otherwise.
Rather than hiding far behind the sun, she wanted to throw herself toward it, heedless of the cost.
'This might be my last victory.'
She suddenly recalled the words she had said to her trainer before the race. After the Hopeful Stakes, her precocious talent would no longer allow her to compete for wins.
If that was the case, if this truly was her final race, why not indulge a little?
Sakura Yamato knew she could never catch the sun.
But still, she wanted to try.
Her toes dug fiercely into the turf, spraying grass and soil that scattered by gravity into the astonished eyes of the other Uma Musume.
At the very moment when almost everyone had decided to give up, Sakura Yamato suddenly surged forward, charging with fierce determination toward Dream Weaver.
The raging wind nearly tore her vision apart. Cheers and commentary from the stands blurred into indistinct phantoms under the speed.
The straight stretch of turf lay ahead, and at its end was the sun she longed to chase.
The closer she got, the more intense the heat.
The closer she got, the more she felt suffocated.
The closer she drew to the sun, the more Sakura Yamato felt she was about to be incinerated.
No Zone. The Divine Slash remained sheathed, resting quietly at Dream Weaver's waist. Yet even the mere wisp of presence it exuded was enough to make Sakura Yamato's hair stand on end.
It was danger itself. The faster she ran, the more her instincts screamed at her to flee.
But stubbornly, she pressed down that inner roar, desperately telling herself over and over again.
This is the last race.
Sweat blurred her vision. Sakura Yamato could no longer clearly see the world of the turf, only following the instinct of the chase as she pursued the sun.
Only when the last drop of sweat fell to the ground, only when that unbearable scorching sensation faded, did Sakura Yamato suddenly realize the race was over.
The once‑blurred world solidified again. Sakura Yamato turned her head.
The stands, roaring Dream Weaver's name, seemed to form a tidal wave of sound, while the excited commentator shouted himself hoarse proclaiming this incredible scene.
She felt a moment of clarity. Such an uproar was only fitting for Dream Weaver.
Then Sakura Yamato shifted her gaze to the side, toward the large screen displaying the results.
Her own placing was second, her finishing time among the best in the history of the Hopeful Stakes.
Dream Weaver placed first. Her time had far surpassed the historical record of the Hopeful Stakes.
"I still lost, after all."
Sakura Yamato murmured softly. From the moment she perceived Dream Weaver's strength, she had abandoned any illusion of victory.
This might have been her last chance to win, yet she had encountered a calamity she could never overcome.
But she had given her all. Perhaps there were no regrets left.
Just as Sakura Yamato gazed somewhat despondently at the sky, a voice suddenly came from behind.
"You ran really well, you know."
Sakura Yamato turned in surprise.
The sun she had chased now stood before her, without the earlier scorching heat that threatened to burn her alive. Even this close, all Sakura Yamato felt was warmth.
She opened her mouth, at a loss for what to say.
Could such a huge gap still be called 'running well'? Were you just coming to mock me? What a condescending, arrogant genius—somehow, words like those wouldn't come out.
Sakura Yamato simply stared blankly at Dream Weaver, waiting for her next words.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.