"Re... retiring?!" Leap of Faith shot to her feet, staring at Golden Sixty in shock. "Why?"
"Isn't that just normal?" Golden Sixty, in turn, gave Leap of Faith a strange look.
"How could it be... But clearly..." Leap of Faith glanced around and realized no one else showed even a hint of surprise.
...Right. Of course.
An Uma Musume's career is brutally short.
On average, the time they can spend running on the professional tracks is only about three years.
There are exceptions with longer careers, of course, but many Uma Musume have careers even shorter than that.
It's the result of the intensely competitive racing scene and aligns with the peak physical condition of an Uma Musume.
In those high-stakes graded races, every run is like burning through one's very life force. Almost every Uma Musume retiring from such races carries a body full of accumulated scars.
The racing intensity in Hong Kong is a bit lower, but Golden Sixty has already been running on the track for four years.
Four years. An entire generation of Uma Musume has lived under the shadow of Golden Sixty's dominance. The Hong Kong Uma Musume King, truly worthy of the name.
"Well... my recent results haven't been ideal, you see," Golden Sixty rolled her shoulders.
"Thinking about it now, it feels rather strange. After finishing my last race, I kept thinking—"
"Maybe it's not right for someone my age to say this, but have I gotten old? Am I no longer fit to be on the track?"
"Should I... make way for the younger generation?"
Saying this, Golden Sixty burst into loud laughter again: "On top of that, after all these years of racing, my body's picked up quite a few little nagging issues. Individually, none of them seem like much, but piled together, it's starting to feel a bit unbearable."
"Maybe I should take a year or two off, go see the world. Now that I think about it, I've hardly ever left Hong Kong."
Leap of Faith was stunned, looking at Golden Sixty with a complicated expression.
In her memory, Golden Sixty had always carried herself as the absolute superior, the type who'd never utter words that sounded like surrender.
Two years ago, Golden Sixty would have just slapped anyone who suggested she leave the racetrack and then kept on racing, one event after another.
But now, she was actually considering retirement herself?
Leap of Faith had always thought someone like Golden Sixty would one day literally run herself to death on the track.
"So that's why you told me..."
"Yes. The final race." Golden Sixty's smile faded as she looked seriously at Leap of Faith. It was the first time in years she had looked at Leap of Faith with such an expression.
"This special race won't be my very last. At the very least, I still intend to compete in the Hong Kong Mile. But... judging by my current physical condition, it's possible the Hong Kong Mile will be my final battle."
"There's no helping it. You didn't qualify for the Hong Kong Mile. Which means this special race is your last chance."
"Think it over carefully. Whether you come or not, I don't really care. But I'll save a starting gate for you."
Leap of Faith's lips moved soundlessly for a moment before she timidly sat back down.
Thinking about it carefully, she'd already been in Japan for two years. And two years ago was precisely when Golden Sixty was at the absolute peak of her power.
It was right before she left for Japan that she and Golden Sixty had their biggest argument, the one that directly led to her running off to study in Japan.
It was also the first decision Leap of Faith had ever made entirely on her own.
That version of Golden Sixty was irritable, flirtatious, fiercely controlling, and practically treated Leap of Faith, her own sister, as her personal possession, to be manipulated at will—a complete and utter tyrant.
But this Golden Sixty now could actually speak so gently. Even though Leap of Faith still felt she was utterly infuriating, even though this change probably just stemmed from her no longer being able to control Leap of Faith so easily...
This was the first time Golden Sixty had ever given the power of choice to Leap of Faith herself.
Urban Sea was the first to react, smiling and starting to applaud.
"Retirement can be a good thing. Once you retire, you'll have loads of free time, won't you?"
"I went through that stage myself. Right after retiring, I just felt aimless and lost every day. If you find yourself bored after retiring, why not come to Europe and visit me and Sea the Stars?"
"There's still a long life ahead of you. Surely there are many, many life goals left to achieve?"
Agnes Digital chimed in, following Urban Sea's lead: "Yes, yes! There are so many hobbies and interests you only have time for after retiring. As tempting as it is to run on the track with everyone, there are many things you need to do for yourself, like..."
Like closely following every single 'push' of hers, worrying when they get injured, and feeling relieved when they make a comeback.
"Like..."
Like watching your favorite ship start sharing sweet moments, then staying up all night to write an article and post it on the forum to feed the starving fans.
"Like..."
Like the fact that there are people like Golden Sixty, who come asking her for stories, meaning she can't just put down her pen.
Agnes Digital's voice grew smaller and smaller, and she closed her eyes in pain.
It wasn't so much that she felt ashamed, but saying these things out loud... she felt it would completely ruin the carefully built atmosphere of the moment.
Sham didn't say anything.
She just refilled her glass, raised it in a gesture towards Golden Sixty, and downed it in one go.
In this atmosphere, Golden Sixty smiled and sat back down in the seat of honor, though a trace of loneliness still lingered in the corners of her eyes.
Everyone at the table had their own thoughts, but Platinum was the most preoccupied, so much so that she hadn't even heard what Golden Sixty just said.
She was thinking back to the prophecy she had heard during the gratitude festival.
[Another, at the Mouth of Ten Thousand Rivers, the Golden Harbor.]
That was the description for the second anchor point.
Mouth of Ten Thousand Rivers... Golden Harbor...
Thinking about it now, didn't that just point to Hong Kong?
Of course, there were other possibilities. Cities like Singapore, Shanghai, New York, or Istanbul.
But these cities either lacked the confluence of rivers, didn't have a developed Uma Musume racing industry, or were too far away.
All factors considered, the only place with a developed Uma Musume racing industry, a thriving economy, and an excellent geographical location was Hong Kong.
Coupled with this muddled trip to Hong Kong... Platinum felt as if a giant, invisible hand was slowly pushing her forward.
Platinum was almost certain the second anchor point was in Hong Kong.
—She could even narrow it down further. The second anchor point was among the Uma Musume present here!
After all, those gathered here were likely the very top tier of Uma Musume.
Platinum narrowed her eyes, looking over everyone present.
Urban Sea, Golden Sixty, Sham, Leap of Faith, and Agnes Digital.
Among them... who could it be?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.