"Is this... how I looked when I had my racing outfit custom-made back then?"
Ardan watched as Nearl stood naturally before the statue, reaching out a hand to touch it.
Unconsciously, admiration and longing filled Ardan's eyes.
"Well, how should I put it... Miss Nearl is truly one of a kind. When it was your turn, Miss Ardan, it was just ordinary sparkles."
"...Mr. Kazumi, has any Uma Musume ever told you that you're not very good at pleasing others?"
Ardan felt choked up. A certain feminine yearning for beauty and fantasy had been shattered so bluntly, leaving her both embarrassed and a little angry.
"Ugh!"
Kazumi instinctively clutched his chest with one hand. Right now, he felt as if an arrow had struck his knee.
"I was only telling the truth. Why do so many Uma Musumes dislike me?"
Kazumi's fighting spirit has plummeted!
"Bzzzzz~~"
Just then, a new commotion suddenly arose from Nearl's direction. Layer upon layer of multicolored light gathered around her, swirling like the aurora—hazy and dreamlike.
"So beautiful..."
Ardan felt her heart was being stolen by Nearl in this moment.
That dreamlike scene certainly lacked the grandeur of nature, yet it displayed the ultimate, intricate, and ever-changing craftsmanship of human hands.
"No mistake about it. This is the Goddess's attention. Miss Nearl is under the protection of the Goddess! Such... such an honor!"
Kazumi was nearly prostrating himself on the spot, if not for that last shred of reason still holding him back.
'No, I can't abandon my duty. Completing racing outfits for the Uma Musume is the best reverence I can offer to the Three Goddesses.'
Thinking this, Kazumi stepped forward.
"Miss Ardan, please wait a moment. Please don't cross the surrounding stream."
"I understand. Thank you for the reminder."
"Then, I'll proceed."
He stood at attention, using both hands to straighten his simple yukata, smoothing it out and tucking it in properly.
Although the garment wasn't really messy to begin with, this was Kazumi's attitude: one must be solemn when facing the Goddess.
He waded through the stream without a care for his clothes, the lower half of his yukata soon soaked through. But judging by Kazumi's demeanor, this was simply routine for him.
Step by step, he approached the statue and Nearl, who was touching it. He bowed respectfully, then placed his own hand on the statue as well. In an instant, he entered a world of pure concentration, awaiting that single flash of inspiration.
--+--
"Ta-da! How about this one?"
"Rejected!"
Looking at the garment Byerley held up—one that was completely open at the back—even Nearl couldn't help but protest loudly.
"What part of this looks like something for the racetrack? And high heels, too?"
Holding the pair of shoes, Nearl shook them disdainfully, then with a thought, reduced them to dust.
"A shame."
Goddess Byerley watched regretfully as Nearl ground the clothes to ashes piece by piece. These outfits were made according to her own aesthetic sense, guaranteed to attract attention.
Just imagine it: the usually calm, serious, and utterly proper Nearl suddenly wearing something that drastically accentuated her figure, with large areas of lace that half-revealed, half-concealed, paired with Nearl's rare bashfulness and reluctance.
Wasn't that contrast the very essence of feminine charm?
"I don't think so. And, Sister Byerley, your image in my heart has already shattered, you know."
With an utterly speechless expression, Nearl destroyed the clothes completely.
Just by looking at Byerley's face, she could guess what the Goddess was thinking.
"Shattered is fine. After all, there's no way you could ever dislike me, Nearl."
Having figured out Nearl's character by now, Byerley was brimming with confidence. And she wasn't wrong, of course. But such jokes wouldn't actually lower her standing in Nearl's heart.
"Sigh."
Nearl sighed helplessly.
"Alright, alright. This design was my favorite, but if you don't like it, there's nothing to be done. Let's settle for the second best."
Though she said that, Goddess Byerley had known all along. Nearl would never accept her original design. So this one was the racing outfit she had truly prepared.
"What suits you is best. So I won't gild the lily. Little Nearl, embrace your inherent stylish trench coat—a must-have for experts."
"So, Sister Byerley, did you pick this up from watching TV with Centaurea?"
Nearl's body gradually became enveloped in light as she offered this final quip, before being completely wrapped in radiance, becoming a "cocoon of light."
--+--
Back in reality, Ardan waited quietly in place, witnessing events unfolding before her that defied physics.
"Wings? Wings are growing from Nearl's back?"
Covering her mouth to prevent even a whisper from disturbing Nearl and the others, Ardan could only watch in awe.
Light—golden light—seemed to take on substance.
It gathered, coiled, melted, adhered, like malleable threads gradually swirling across Nearl's back. Finally, with a spreading motion, it transformed into resplendent golden wings.
Her clothes were also covered by a film-like layer of light, which refracted into a simple white robe through the play of rays.
Her hair came loose, and the headphone she always wore on her left ear vanished. Nearl's appearance had become simplified to an extreme, which instead accentuated a sense of sanctity.
Her eyes slowly opened. The gold within them had deepened, unlike her usual pale gold.
In ordinary times, Nearl's pupils were extremely light in color, as if one could see reflections of all things within them—a captivating, pervasive sense of purity.
But now...
Deep, profound, like a mountain pool surrounded by dense woods, its surface calm and clear under the sunlight.
Yet, if you gazed directly, you'd fear the increasingly unfathomable, bottomless depths hidden within.
"..."
This was not the same person. Whoever stood there now was definitely not the Nearl that Ardan knew.
"..."
The radiant Nearl seemed to notice something. She turned her head, her gentle yet weary expression settling on Ardan.
Thump...
Ardan helplessly realized her heart was racing. Even though she knew that wasn't the Nearl she knew, the charm was simply overwhelming.
(Smile)
"Nearl" revealed a smile—faint, like the subtle ripples on a pond after rain, making one doubt what they'd just seen.
"Whoosh!"
The wings behind her suddenly dispersed as if solid. In that instant, Nearl returned to her original appearance. Simultaneously, Kazumi seemed to snap awake, his eyes opening as well.
"The design is already in my mind!"
He exclaimed excitedly, then quickly scurried away, leaving behind a final remark.
"Please make yourselves at home, you two! I have to rush and craft the racing outfit! The inspiration is overflowing! I can't wait another moment!"
--+--
T/N: 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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.