Hishi Miracle pulled back the white curtain, revealing Dream Weaver lying on the hospital bed as if deep in a peaceful slumber.
She stepped forward slowly, her gaze fixed intently on the other's face, drifting into a daze.
Her mind was besieged by self-reproach, leaving almost no room for anything but bitter regret.
If only she had deduced the truth a step earlier; if only she had found the Trainer and joined the fray a moment sooner—would there have been a different ending?
Or perhaps if the timeline had been shifted even further back.
If she had never joined the team from the start, if the Trainer had only ever had Liberty Island as her sole Uma Musume, then perhaps a burden-free Trainer could have returned to her prime sooner.
Winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe wouldn't have been such a grueling struggle, and she would have had more strength left to deal with the specters.
To be honest, these "what-ifs" were a bit of a stretch, and the causal links were flimsy at best, but Hishi Miracle couldn't help but spiral into those thoughts.
She felt, deep down, that she was the one who had wasted Dream Weaver's time.
Even after winning the Kikuka-sho, Hishi Miracle felt she had failed to live up to Dream Weaver's mentorship. Whenever things went south, she instinctively wondered if it was all her fault.
She had been blaming herself for the Arc just moments ago. The second anything bad happened to Dream Weaver, Hishi Miracle's first instinct was to turn the knife on herself.
But this time, there was no one to comfort her.
The Trainer who had always shielded her lay still on the bed, unable to give her that familiar push of encouragement from behind.
Hishi Miracle suddenly felt that the reality before her was strangely illusory, fragile enough to shatter at any moment.
If the world was going to be like this, there seemed to be nothing left worth holding onto.
Looking at Dream Weaver's rosy complexion—looking for all the world like she was just napping—Hishi Miracle spoke in a hushed whisper.
"Trai... Master. I'm going to completely destroy the existence that turned you into this."
And then, she would exit this fragile reality right along with them.
"Right now, I'm going to go blow up the toilets!"
The moment the words left her lips, Hishi Miracle didn't hesitate for a second. A light of unshakeable resolve flashed in her eyes as she turned to bolt out of the infirmary and ruin everything.
"Why on earth would you do that?!"
Dream Weaver, finally unable to endure the nonsense any longer, bolted upright in bed.
She lunged forward and grabbed Hishi Miracle's hand, desperate to stop her from committing a blunder that would be etched into the history of Longchamp Racecourse forever.
Feeling the warmth radiating from the hand holding hers, Hishi Miracle's eyes went wide. She stared at the slightly breathless Dream Weaver, and before she knew it, tears were blurring her vision.
"Master, you're resurrected!"
She wailed, tears and snot flying, and launched herself like a battering ram into Dream Weaver's arms.
"Oof!"
Facing the "Miracle Impact" once again, Dream Weaver had nowhere to retreat. Sitting on the bed, she took the full force of Hishi Miracle's tackle, the weight of it nearly knocking the wind out of her.
Was this her punishment for starting this prank?
Dream Weaver thought as Hishi Miracle burrowed into her chest. She managed to use her hands to brace against a second impact, catching her breath before wheezing out a response.
"I... was never... dead to begin with..."
"Though, with that hit you just gave me, I felt like I visited a very familiar place for a second there."
"Master, don't die!"
"I told you, I'm not dead..."
At least not in this scripted world, Dream Weaver added internally.
"Ah! Miracle! What are you doing?! Get off Master right now!"
Liberty Island, hearing the commotion, burst through the curtain and stood there dumbfounded. She began frantically trying to haul Hishi Miracle away, shouting all the while.
"And 'Master' is my special nickname for her! Don't you dare steal it! Stick to calling her 'Trainer'!"
"I'm the senior disciple! It's only natural for me to call her Master too. Liberty, where is your respect?"
Hishi Miracle clung tightly to Dream Weaver's waist in defiance. Now that she had finally managed to say the word, it seemed she had no intention of giving the title back.
"What did you say?! Get! Off! Her!"
Liberty Island gritted her teeth, redoubling her efforts to pull Hishi Miracle away.
But perhaps because Hishi Miracle had been a bit too self-indulgent after her Kikuka-sho win—and Dream Weaver had been too focused on the Arc to keep her in check—her weight was more than Liberty Island could easily shift.
For a moment, they were locked in a stalemate.
"I get the feeling... this isn't exactly the ending we envisioned," Agnes Tachyon remarked with a wry twist of her lips, watching the chaotic scene.
"It's fine, isn't it? Feels like business as usual," Sugar Lights said with a smile, rolling over in her wheelchair to join them.
"Stop standing there making quips! Someone, anyone, pull them off me!"
"My back... I think it's going to snap!"
Dream Weaver, caught in the middle of the tug-of-war, was truly tasting the bitter fruit of her prank. She hissed through the pain, calling out to the spectating Agnes Tachyon and Sugar Lights.
"At this very moment? You must be joking."
"Retribution is all part of the prank. Just sit back and take it."
As if in perfect payback, Agnes Tachyon and Sugar Lights threw Dream Weaver's own words right back at her with matching grins.
"You guys..."
The struggle between Liberty Island and Hishi Miracle had reached a fever pitch; they couldn't even hear Dream Weaver anymore.
But Dream Weaver wasn't about to let Agnes Tachyon and Sugar Lights enjoy the show for free. Seizing a gap in the girls' scuffle, she suddenly lunged toward Agnes Tachyon.
Though their fight was heating up, the two girls hadn't forgotten their prize. Seeing their target "escaping," Liberty Island and Hishi Miracle gave chase without a second thought.
Feeling the crushing pressure approaching from behind, Dream Weaver looked up and flashed a triumphant smirk at Agnes Tachyon.
"You're coming down with me!"
The words went unsaid, but the intent was so clear that Agnes Tachyon instinctively backpedaled.
However, she was no match for the combined speed of the three, and it looked like she was about to be tackled into the floor by the group.
Just then, the infirmary door swung open.
"Dream-senpai? The staff said you were in here. Are you okay?"
"What could be wrong? She just beat me, didn't she!"
Equinox and Sea the Stars walked in mid-conversation. Before they could get an answer, their attention was snatched by a heavy thud echoing through the room.
Seeing the four bodies piled on top of each other on the floor, Sea the Stars' face turned bright red. She immediately covered her eyes—though a suspiciously wide gap remained between her fingers—and shouted.
"The infirmary isn't for this kind of stuff! Even though I know plenty of people who like to do it here!"
Equinox, appearing much more composed, blinked a few times and asked in a serious tone:
"Can I join in?"
--+--
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.