After watching Mejiro McQueen’s performance on the Winner’s Stage, Gotham Song felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to rush straight back to Mejiro Manor and reveal herself immediately.
It was just so foreign. The figure standing on stage felt nothing like the Mejiro McQueen she once knew.
Gotham Song remembered vividly:
The eager little filly who’d leapt into her arms after the Satsuki Sho, promising they’d watch each other’s races—indeed, she’d come to watch, but under a stranger’s identity instead.
The small child who, even as others teased her at the birthday party, had only eyes for the desserts.
None of that matched the figure before her now.
If things had followed the normal Uma Musume storyline, Mejiro McQueen never would’ve ended up like this. So, who was responsible?
It’s you, Twilight Song—Gotham Song.
You have to find a way to take responsibility for this.
In the end, though, Gotham Song didn’t do anything rash—mostly because someone else stepped in to close off any chance of that happening.
Neo Universe had appeared silently behind them at some point, shaking her head firmly at Gotham Song.
Then, silence filled their journey home.
“So, you’re saying, in many timelines I’ve done something stupid here?”
As soon as they reached the dorm and said goodbye to Manhattan Cafe, Gotham Song immediately voiced the question burning inside her.
Neo Universe clearly knew exactly what Gotham Song had done on her first day—and she answered the question as if she’d done it many times before.
Yet, just like every other time, she patiently gave the most straightforward reply without any hint of impatience or reluctance.
Just as Gotham Song felt the urge to make amends for Mejiro McQueen, Neo Universe wanted desperately to do the same for Gotham Song… to lead her toward a new future.
“No matter what you do right now, it’s useless. If you reveal yourself, you’ll just end up back in Mejiro Manor.”
“Is it because there’s something I don’t know that it’s useless?”
There had to be a deeper reason. It was strange to insist that revealing herself wouldn’t work. Mejiro McQueen’s current state was clearly driven by a desperate desire for strength, as if she was trying to prove something. In other words—
Mejiro McQueen was obsessively chasing after strength and glory, right?
“It’s because, in Mejiro McQueen’s eyes, Twilight Song still exists. That’s the real reason.”
“Huh?”
Gotham Song was momentarily speechless. She could only utter a short gasp as she tried to process what she’d just heard.
What did it mean that Mejiro McQueen saw Twilight Song? Was someone cosplaying her deceased identity to deceive her little sister out of money or affection? No, wait… was that it?
Neo Universe shook her head, then sat down on Gotham Song’s bed. Only once the distance between them had vanished entirely did she begin her explanation.
The story was long, but in brief: In that timeline, Gotham Song nearly succeeded in completely destroying Japan’s international racing ambitions—but at the very last moment, facing Mejiro McQueen, she saw something utterly unexpected.
On the track, Mejiro McQueen hadn’t been running alone. Those black ribbons swirling around her were her [Unique Skill], her nightmares, her obsession, her madness.
In the final stretch of the race, when “Gotham Song” stopped hiding her true strength and ran at full speed, Mejiro McQueen’s [Unique Skill] fully manifested—taking the unmistakable form of another person:
It was Twilight Song, engulfed in the silver-white [Unique Skill] that had stunned the world during the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Yet, rather than pure silver, it appeared as dark, pitch-black ribbons.
It was, in fact, the second time the world had been shocked by a [Unique Skill] so powerful that even humans could clearly witness it—an Uma Musume’s ultimate aura.
But unlike Twilight Song’s hopeful silver, this was deep, suffocating blackness—a representation of death itself.
Neo Universe didn’t continue much further. She concluded simply with the imitation’s anguished cry:
“Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why…?!”
“Why did you abandon me?!”
Gotham Song’s mouth twitched slightly.
Wait, what is this? Why does it sound like a desperate lover driven mad by rejection?
And the phrase “Why did you abandon me?” felt especially unsettling.
The entire revelation had such an overwhelming impact that Gotham Song unconsciously overlooked how surreal the scenario sounded. And when she finally regained her senses, it actually felt strangely reasonable—
After all, she’d spent the entire afternoon watching Sunday Silence dance around the train.
Forget revenge—if someone claimed that phantom-Twilight Song’s real goal was to possess her, or even something more outrageous, Gotham Song wouldn’t even bat an eye.
This definitely wasn’t a normal world—Tracen had completely broken down.
“I see. In that case, it really is best to take it slow. Thank you, Neo Universe… though you’ve probably told this story many times already, right?”
If a phantom version of herself was haunting Mejiro McQueen—whether her sister believed this apparition was real or merely used it as a substitute—then Gotham Song, as a stranger, clearly couldn’t achieve anything by speaking directly. Only one option remained:
She had to confront Mejiro McQueen head-on and break through her closed-off heart, creating an opening that might lead to recovery.
Ah, my troublesome little sister. Sorry your big sister arrived late, but now… let me correct your path.
Neo Universe nodded quietly, inching even closer to Gotham Song, taking a deep breath to steady herself before speaking.
“I hope this is the last time… Ru—I mean, Song, promise me something.”
“Hm? A promise?” Neo Universe’s request? And last time…?
She must have been exhausted. You’ve worked so hard, haven’t you?
Gotham Song wasn’t unfamiliar with Neo Universe’s circumstances. In fact, her behavior constantly reminded her of another character she likely wouldn’t encounter in this lifetime—Homura Akemi, the black-haired magical girl stuck endlessly traveling parallel worlds.
How many parallel universes had Neo Universe traversed? Gotham Song wasn’t yet ready to ask. Nor did she understand why Neo Universe cared so deeply about her, but clearly Neo Universe was continuously struggling for Gotham Song’s sake.
In that case, promising a small favor was the least she could do.
“What is it?”
“No matter what, no matter what happens—please don’t ever give up your life.”
No matter what, don’t give up your life…? That means—?
“Neo Universe, you mean… in many parallel worlds, I chose suicide?”
“You despise being imprisoned, don’t you?”
She’s right.
“Then… did the others promise you?”
Neo Universe shook her head slowly. This was the first time she’d found the courage to ask openly—because the very first Twilight Song had done exactly that because of Neo Universe herself.
How could she ever voice such a terrible thing?
“I see. Then Neo Universe, I promise—I won’t give up. No matter what happens, I absolutely won’t.”
—
This is a fan translation of 只能活一年了才更要成为传奇赛马娘! by 大渚教 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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