"What?! How could this... did I once again strip my sister of her life?!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Admire Vega was on her way back from training. She read Mizuki's diary every day, hoping to see the fate of her sister in the real-horse world. Her heart was filled with infinite guilt, she believed her sister had died in her place, and that only her sister deserved all the beauty this world had to offer.
But now, seeing this news that was enough to tear her apart, her pupils trembled. She nearly lost her footing from the sudden weakness, leaning heavily against a nearby tree. She had never felt such a sense of powerlessness spread through her entire body.
In the real-horse world, had she failed to protect her sister again?
Instantly, this overwhelming sense of self-reproach drowned her. She collapsed weakly to the ground, clenching her teeth, her body unable to stop sobbing.
In reality, Admire Vega had already given everything. Her real-horse counterpart was born like her mother, with a natural inward curve in the left front leg. Because of this, her left leg at Tracen wasn't as healthy or strong as those of the other Uma Musume.
But since finding out she could obtain Training Rewards, she had been training desperately. Even when her left leg throbbed with intense pain, as long as it didn't affect her upcoming races, she endured it.
She was actually very kind, her wish was simple— to compensate her sister, and to let the real horse and sister in the other world live on together. The only one she was willing to sacrifice was herself.
But it seemed she had still accomplished nothing. Once again, nothing had changed.
At this moment, Admire Vega's tears were heart-wrenching. She knew she had the diary and could give rewards to the real horse, but those were for the real horse— how could she give a reward to someone else?
For a moment, she was utterly helpless, she was, after all, just a fragile child.
At this moment, it wasn't just Admire Vega. Narita Top Road, T.M. Opera O, and Meisho Doto were also watching this unfold.
When Top Road saw this, she was instantly shocked. She had never known about this, she just thought Admire Vega had a habit of carrying everything alone. She hadn't realized such a burden lay upon her.
She felt a sudden wave of guilt, despite being the class rep, she hadn't noticed the emotions Vega was harboring.
Meisho Doto's eyes also turned red. 'How could this be?'
She was incredibly sad and felt helpless.
T.M. Opera O looked at the diary, and for once, even she remained silent.
Top Road spoke up: "I can't take this. I have to go find Vega-san. This is my fault, I didn't fulfill my duties as class rep. She must have been forcing herself to train these past few days."
"Because... once she knew the diary could give rewards, she must have been thinking if she could do something for her sister, constantly pushing herself. That's just the kind of person she is— a total idiot."
However, just then—
T.M. Opera O suddenly called out to her: "Wait, Top Road-san. Going right now might not be a good idea."
Top Road replied, "What are you saying, Opera-san? Vega-san must be in so much pain right now. We can't just leave her alone."
Meisho Doto also nodded weakly. "Yes, Opera-san. Vega-san is actually very gentle, she even made me a tomato and cucumber sandwich once. It was a very kind flavor. I can't leave her alone either."
However, T.M. Opera O shook her head and said:
"I think, right now, she might not be able to hear any advice. If we tell her not to do something, she might live the rest of her life in guilt toward her sister. We should go find her and stop her from continuing to harm her body, but we should also think of a way to make her want to stop."
Meisho Doto was stunned. "A-wah-wah-wah... I didn't think of that at all."
Top Road saw the point. "That seems true. If we just rush over, it might even have the opposite effect..."
Opera O continued, "Exactly. We need to let her know that hope hasn't vanished. She still has the diary to earn rewards, and those rewards might be exactly what's needed to let her sister be 'reborn' in the real-horse world."
"Therefore, she needs to protect her body even more! She can't be reckless, because she is the only person in this world who can protect her sister now. If she gets injured, there really will be no way forward in the future."
Meisho Doto looked up. "Wow, as expected of Opera-san! That's exactly how it should be said."
Top Road: "Yes, indeed. Let's do this: the three of us will split up and find Vega-san. Whoever finds her will tell her exactly that."
Meisho Doto became scared when she heard this.
"A-wah-wah-wah! Can I really do it? B-But I'm so clumsy, what if I say the wrong thing?"
"To... to give me such a heavy responsibility... it feels as unlikely as me beating Opera O in a race..."
Opera O laughed loudly: "Ha~ hahaha! Don't say that, Doto! You underestimate yourself too much. Even if the probability is small, you might just beat me, the Overlord, one day!"
"But what kind of grand opera would that be? A King overturned by a General? General, please make sure to announce your name with confidence when that time comes!"
Encouraged by Opera O, Meisho Doto put her hands on her hips. "U-understood, Overlord!"
Opera O said, "Ha~ hahaha! Indeed. A solo is a thing of the past, a duet is hard to make perfect, even a trio feels slightly lacking. The four of us are all indispensable to this era."
"Because we are destined to make this era shine. The light of the turn of the century will not be weaker than any other era!"
Narita Top Road smiled and nodded. The three of them set out together, believing that Admire Vega wouldn't be defeated— perhaps she would even stand up on her own.
Because in this "Four-Part Opera of the Turn of the Century," no one would be missing. It was destined to shine.
And at that moment, Admire Vega did indeed stand up once more.
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, knowing she couldn't give up yet. She didn't want to gamble her sister's fate on a low-probability event, but at this moment, what else could she do? She had to go all-in on one big gamble.
She planned to go find Trainer Mizuki. It wasn't time to quit. Moreover, she wanted to understand the contents of the log as much as possible to see if she could discover anything new.
At this moment, Mizuki's log continued.
[After Admire Vega debuted, she showed her immense strength, but she also had a hidden weakness. Like her mother, she was born with her left front leg curved inward, and her "White Star" marking wasn't particularly beautiful either.]
[Although she could run, her body harbored danger. Though she achieved great results later, she retired due to injury after shining for only one year. It can only be described as a heartbreaking regret.]
[Looking at it this way, it seems Admire Vega at Tracen has the same personality— running recklessly without caring for her body. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?]
[I think... if she doesn't even have the ability to judge whether her body can handle her high-intensity training and ends up ruined by injury, it's only logical.]
[In this regard, she's a bit too stubborn. If she could listen to others' opinions more, maybe things would be better.]
['Haste makes waste.' Her sister probably thinks so, too.]
As Mizuki wrote this, Admire Vega finished reading and froze.
"Haste makes waste?"
She hadn't expected to be lectured by Mizuki in the diary. Because of her past, she was very dismissive of Trainers. Usually, she wouldn't accept any discipline.
'Is this what it feels like to be scolded?'
It was the first time she had experienced it, and it was indeed quite embarrassing. She let out a sigh, but her heart didn't hold any blame. She knew this was a form of care.
And the truth was indeed so. Her left leg was throbbing today, yet she was forcing herself to train and run. The consequence of doing so would most likely be being ruined by injury.
She really was a fool, lacking even such basic judgment.
'Sigh... I guess this is a wake-up call...'
At this moment, in another location.
Eishin Flash was working hard at her training, strictly following her schedule. When she saw the contents of the diary, she froze.
Initially, she felt a wave of sadness for Admire Vega's situation and expressed a willingness to help, however, seeing that Narita Top Road had already found Vega and was looking after her, she felt relieved and prepared to resume her training.
However, after finishing her session, she saw the later entry: Haste makes waste.
She realized she might have been pushing herself a bit too hard. She suddenly turned to the girl next to her. "Um, Smart Falcon-san? Do you think the way I'm training is correct?"
"If you can, please give me your honest feelings." Eishin Flash gave a polite bow.
Smart Falcon, of course, didn't stand on ceremony and replied instantly: "I think Flash-san's training style is definitely wrong! It's the type of style only the dumbest Trainers would recommend!"
"Because Flash-san doesn't care about her body at all. You just practice like someone who's never out any thought into their training regime! Falco is ve~~ry~~ worried!"
Good lord. Falco didn't hesitate for a single second before dropping that sharp critique, leaving Eishin Flash completely stunned. She had expected Smart Falcon to offer a gentle suggestion, but she hadn't realized her words could be so piercing.
[Alright, that's it for tonight's log. I need to leave early tonight— apparently I'm supposed to supervise the students sweeping tonight?]
[I'm not sure why they'd make a new Trainer do that, but when Symboli Rudolf told me this, she said that I might have to show the students how to properly sweep.]
[She even gave me a spare broom of my own...]
[Good grief, this school is getting stranger with each day that passes.]
[Also, a notice came down from Tracen today saying the Test of Courage has been moved up. This is definitely the Chairwoman's idea. She's always been rich and willful. Hayakawa Tazuna is probably fuming. There are so many events coming up— Freshman Orientation, the Fan Thanksgiving... let's get it started!]
[Test of Courage, START!!!!]
[I wonder if I can get a reward today...]
Mizuki finished her evening log. A voice chimed in her mind.
[Host's log uploaded successfully.]
[Reward obtained: Injury Recovery Potion x5. Can rapidly heal minor injuries accumulated by Horse Girls.]
Mizuki's reward for today was a recovery potion, which was actually quite good.
Today was Saturday, the Test of Courage was scheduled to start Monday night and end Tuesday. Tracen was actually quite decent, they didn't take up the students' weekend rest time for events, choosing Monday and Tuesday instead.
This allowed everyone to rest and have fun for a while. It was essentially like the students getting a long break from Saturday all the way to Monday.
'Now that is how you do a holiday shift!'
When the Spica girls found out, they were incredibly happy. Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka were excited to hear about the Test of Courage, unaware that both of them were actually huge scaredy-cats.
Once Mizuki finished writing, she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find Admire Vega standing there. After seeing the diary, she had gone back to shower and change.
Now, she had come to find Mizuki to explain the situation regarding her sister.
In her casual clothes, Admire Vega looked stunning. She already had extreme beauty and a great figure, now, wearing black tights and a small skirt, she looked dignified and elegant— a real eye-catcher.
She had actually wanted to wear something more relaxed, but Curren Chan had helped her dress up.
To be honest, Curren Chan was very cute— gentle, kind, approachable, and very "down to earth." It was easy to like her. Moreover, Curren Chan had that delicate, soft-girl vibe, seeing her, Admire Vega sometimes felt a strong urge to protect her.
Curren Chan had cried after learning everything about Vega, but silently focused on helping her dress up. She was a truly great roommate.
That makes sense, given that Curren Chan is basically Ikezoe's mother— she was his only source of tenderness. If it were Orfevre or Blast Onepiece, and Ikezoe dared to annoy them, Orfevre would chase him down to bite him, while Blast would follow up with a kick.
In those moments, only Curren Chan would stand in front of Ikezoe, a sight that could move one to tears.
Upon seeing Mizuki, Admire Vega went straight to the point: "Trainer Mizuki, do you have a moment? Just you, alone." She waited for her answer.
"What is it?" Mizuki asked, curious.
"There are too many ears here. I'm sorry, but could it just be one-on-one?" Vega requested.
"Sure." Seeing her solemn expression, Mizuki figured she had a request, so she followed her to a relatively secluded spot.
Admire Vega knew everyone had learned about her real-horse history, but there were some things she was still too embarrassed to say in public. Once they were alone, she opened her heart.
Using the excuse of "asking for advice," she inquired about some things and shared her worries with Trainer Mizuki. She told her about her sister, about how much she wants to honor her sacrifice, and eventually, she got to the core of the issue.
"I... I had a dream the other day..." Admire Vega began. "A dream I haven't had before."
"In my dream, I ran across the racetrack with all the strength I could muster. A voice deep inside me kept saying that if I ran hard enough, if I won enough races, I could bring my sister back. Maybe not in this world, but if I tried hard enough, she'd have a good life in another world."
"Trainer Mizuki... what do you think about this dream? Do you think... do you think it might mean something...?"
Mizuki was stunned when she heard this. She didn't know that the dream didn't exist— that it was just Vega making something up to refer to the diary without getting silenced.
'Was this a vision from the Three Goddesses?! Is this their way of telling the girls about my diary?!'
'Can my diary really do something like this?!?!'
Truthfully, Mizuki didn't know how to respond to Admire Vega. She didn't know the limits of her diary. If she told Admire Vega that she could bring her sister back, only to be wrong, wouldn't that crush her spirits?
And yet... she couldn't bring herself to tell Admire Vega that it was impossible. After a few moments of silence, she started talking.
"I believe your dream means something," Mizuki said, "Maybe it's a vision from the Goddesses telling you what you have to do to bring your sister back. Maybe this is your one and only chance to achieve your dreams."
As Admire Vega's expression turned into one of pure hope, Mizuki quickly continued speaking.
"But you need to keep in mind, it might not be like that! The dream may mean something else entirely! Don't get your hopes up for no reason!"
"I don't know if you can bring her back. All I know is that if you work hard day in and day out, if you truly do your best and race with everything you have... you'll be able to honor her memory."
"You'll become someone your sister's spirit will be able to look at and say 'I'm proud'."
"..."
Admire Vega didn't know what to say to those words.
Not being able to get a solid answer was extremely frustrating to her... and yet her heart felt much steadier.
Since her secret had been made public by Mizuki, she wouldn't have to hide it anymore.
She realized she had been too dense, keeping things bottled up was worse than just being open. After talking with Trainer Mizuki, she truly believed that through her hard work, she could save her sister.
She looked toward the sky, where the star Pollux, radiating a gentle red light, was guiding her way.
"Thank you for the guidance, Trainer Mizuki. I made a few extra sandwiches. Please share them with everyone in Spica. I know McQueen is on a diet, so I made some sugar-free ones."
"I only really know how to make sandwiches and the like, but the taste is actually quite good."
"You've been a great help to me today, so please don't refuse."
"There are bacon ones, ham ones, and cucumber-tomato ones. I also paired them with various dipping sauces... including the mustard sauce Gold Ship likes."
Admire Vega was too embarrassed to give gifts in person— she was still a bit socially anxious. She had rehearsed these lines several times, speaking them all at once in a rapid-fire burst, saying more in one night than she usually said in a week.
"Haha, well, I'll thank you on their behalf. But about the mustard... Gold Ship doesn't actually like it. She just uses it to prank McQueen." Mizuki accepted the gift.
"Also, Admire Vega-san, sometimes your speaking style is a lot like T.M. Opera O's."
"Eh?!!!" Vega looked like she'd been struck by lightning. Comparing her to Opera O was unacceptable— she wasn't nearly that much of an idiot!
"Then... thank you again, Trainer Mizuki. If you want sandwiches again, just come to me." She forced out, quickly preparing to leave before Trainer Mizuki could find new insults for her.
"Hiss..."
However, just as she turned toward the dorms, she suddenly frowned, let out a pained groan, and sat on the ground, clutching her left ankle.
"Eh? What's wrong? Admire Vega-san, are you hurt?!" Mizuki stepped forward.
She had been keeping her body tense, and now that she had finally relaxed, the pain came rushing in.
"Yes... sorry, Trainer Mizuki. I think I trained too hard earlier. Plus, my left leg is naturally curved, which caused some injury."
Sweat beads appeared on her face from the pain.
Mizuki helped her find a clean spot to sit, then helped her remove her shoe. Her left ankle was swollen and red— worse than she'd imagined. Her feet were pale and pretty, but the inward curve was indeed visible.
Vega looked very embarrassed. Mizuki said, "I happen to have some ointment on me that can help, but you can't train like this anymore."
She took out the injury potion from the system and applied it to Vega's ankle. As the intense sensation hit, Vega's delicate face contorted in pain. She hadn't expected the ointment to hurt so much.
"There's more here, take the rest back with you."
Vega nodded bashfully. A few moments after the medicine was applied, her foot felt significantly better.
"If it were before... I might have actually enjoyed this pain..." she murmured. And it was true— in the past, she believed she deserved to suffer as punishment from her sister.
She likely would have savored the agony as a form of spiritual atonement.
Mizuki was stunned.
What does that mean? "Enjoyed the pain"? A joy found in suffering? Holy crap— is this something a pure, delicate girl like her should be hearing?
Actually, yes. Absolutely.
Can you tell me more, Miss Admire Vega?!
However, Admire Vega had already left.
Mizuki returned to Spica, and since nobody asked questions, they just started eating the sandwiches she'd sent. They were, admittedly, delicious.
"Trainer Mizuki, let's pull an all-nighter! An all-nighter!" Gold Ship proposed. It turned out she had invited a bunch of people— Narita Taishin, Mayano Top Gun, Tokai Teio— to play video games.
Thinking back to when Mizuki played the Uma Musume mobile game, seeing Mayano Top Gun in Teio's URA scenario was enough to make her blood pressure spike. She'd often drag Teio into gaming all night, causing her to have a bad event.
If anyone has low blood pressure, just give them a phone and download Uma Musume: Pretty Derby.
Spica became lively, but unfortunately, Mizuki had to leave to join the Sweeping Gang.
Other guests, however, came to join in the all-nighter.
"Hahaha, Taishin-san, you actually came! How is it? Fun, right?" Winning Ticket said.
"Hmph. You dragged me here by force," Taishin said, exasperated. However, she sat down anyway. "I'll play for a bit. We've had a lot of training lately, so I'll consider this relaxing."
Soon, the night passed. Everyone had claimed they'd go all night, but Winning Ticket fell asleep right on schedule.
Narita Taishin actually played the whole night, having a blast with Top Gun.
Eventually, everyone headed back. McQueen and Gold Ship went out for breakfast.
"So sleepy... once in a while is enough for an all-nighter," McQueen said, munching on breakfast, her spirit flagging.
After a night without sleep, she had dark circles under her eyes, looking like she was wearing smoky eye makeup.
"I'm going back to sleep, then it's back to training..."
Just then, a small Uma walked by with her mother.
"Wow, Mommy, look! The girls at Tracen are so amazing! Is that Miss McQueen? She's out training so early in the morning!"
"Mommy, coming to Tracen looks so hard. Do you think I can pass the exam?"
"Titleholder-chan... I'm not thinking about things that far away yet. For now, let's think about how to apologize to that little friend you made cry yesterday with a headbutt."
It turned out this little girl was named Titleholder. She had been playing with another little girl yesterday and had headbutted her until she cried. Today, the teacher had called for her parents.
"Sorry, Mommy," Titleholder said apologetically. The girl she'd made cry was named Liberty Island.
And why did Titleholder headbutt people? The reason was simple: it was inherited from her father in the real-horse world, Duramente.
Duramente's nickname is The Sledgehammer. His nickname comes from the fact that he loves going berserk. He likes to headbutt people and once delivered an explosive headbutt to a drone.
Titleholder inherited this trait.
Titleholder also inherited Duramente's talent. In the 2021 Kikuka Sho, he achieved a Front Runner victory— the first in 23 years— dedicating the glory of the final Triple Crown jewel to his deceased father.
Mizuki slept in, just as exhausted as the group that pulled an all-nighter. By the time she woke up again, it was already noon. Everyone had caught up on sleep and was full of energy.
After she headed out, she saw many people preparing items for tonight's Test of Courage. She spotted Mejiro Ardan painting some masks.
She began writing her log.
[Just went for a stroll. Everyone is getting ready for tonight's Test of Courage.]
[Looks like tonight will be very interesting.]
[I saw Mejiro Ardan painting, her art skills are quite impressive.]
[I was amazed by what I saw. The masks and clothes she painted... I'd suggest putting them right on the store shelves, whoever buys them gets a bargain. Of course, I definitely won't buy any. I'm mainly here for companionship.]
Inside Tracen.
"???"
Three question marks appeared over Mejiro Ardan's head. She thought Mizuki was finally saying something nice, only for her to pull a complete 180 and say, "Anyway, I'm definitely not buying."
She had never seen such a thick-skinned person.
[Tonight, we're going to the Ghost Howl Cave behind Tracen. Watch me scare at least three Horse Girls silly tonight.]
[They say the chilly winds there howl and countless spirits wail, there are many extremely evil ghosts there.]
[Tonight, the ghosts will claim another soul to join them in their torment!]
Mizuki wrote this, but she was actually just rehearsing her lines. She planned to trick the girls in Spica first with these lines so that when she suddenly appeared later, she'd scare them to death.
However, at that moment—
Over by Matikane Fukukitaru:
Fukukitaru's face turned pale as she read.
'What... extremely evil ghosts?'
She immediately knelt down, praying for the protection of the Great Shiraoki. She had already finished her props— she had modeled them after the deity from her dreams, Shiraoki-sama.
She made a "Sunshine Altar" for Shiraoki and added special effects to the altar so that a halo appeared behind its head.
As expected of Divine Fortuneteller Fukukitaru.
"D-don't be afraid! Everyone, stay close to me tonight."
Fukukitaru was terrified, but she was still talking tough. She had Shiraoki's protection, so she wasn't panicking.
Meisho Doto and Matikane Tannhauser were already clinging to her legs.
After writing this, Mizuki added some daily fluff and ended the log.
She intended to play a part and see how exciting the Test of Courage would be. Since she was the "scarer", she certainly wasn't worried. As she finished, she wanted to see what kind of reward she'd get.
[Diary uploaded successfully.]
[Today's reward obtained.]
[Obtained "Gloom Special Effect." You will appear as if tainted by the aura of death. You can cause the sound of misty winds to appear in others' ears and summon phantasms of blue-faced, fanged demons.]
[This effect is only valid for today.]
Mizuki was stunned. Holy crap. she was truly becoming a living demon. She was going to scare the Umas out of their wits!
She also received real-horse news today and immediately burst out laughing— it was about Gold Ship's Takarazuka Kinen rearing incident. She planned to write about this later, the entertainment value was off the charts.
Furthermore, she noticed that as the URA races progressed, most of the Umas' "Mysterious Keys" had their front parts collected.
She really wondered what kind of reward these would unlock...