Only One Year Left—I’ll Become a Legendary Uma Musume! 2 [59]

Gotham Song miserably scrubbed the scorching-hot bath tiles under the glaring sun, while Neo Universe, dressed in her swimsuit, tried repeatedly to get up and help—only to be firmly restrained by Dancing Brave, who calmly sat next to her.

Neo Universe good, Dancing Brave bad.

Well, that was just a small, petulant thought. In truth, Gotham Song herself felt her earlier prank had indeed crossed a line.

Yeah—I definitely won’t do that again. Absolutely not.

Making such promises to herself, Gotham Song continued her bitter struggle against the stubborn pool grime.

Thankfully, since the area was regularly cleaned, it wasn’t as difficult a task as she’d feared. By the time Dancing Brave left early to head back to her hotel, Gotham Song was already almost finished. Neo Universe finally joining in gave Gotham Song the boost she needed to swiftly wrap things up.

Hah! Take that, pool!

But then again, could a pool even respond to provocation?

Dancing Brave, meanwhile, had bid farewell and taken a train back to her hotel alone.

She planned to rent a long-term place near Central Tracen, so she needed to pack her luggage first.

Legendary Uma Musume moved swiftly—before long, Dancing Brave had exited the train and reached her room, quickly tidying up.

Hotels usually provided housekeeping services, but Dancing Brave preferred handling things herself, so she’d left a “do not disturb” sign on her door.

Halfway through cleaning—specifically at the sink—Dancing Brave suddenly noticed something peculiar.

Small strands of mixed white-and-black hair scattered near the basin.

What on earth…? They clearly weren’t normal strands of hair; far too short and oddly colored.

She stared, puzzled, but finding no explanation, simply swept them into the trash.

Maybe something shed without me noticing? It’s probably nothing unusual.

She placed the broom down, then glanced curiously into the trash can.

There was something else—a small torn wrapper.

Strange… did I open anything with paper packaging last night?

She couldn’t recall anything like that.

Dancing Brave pondered for a moment, but eventually shrugged it off.

Whatever—probably nothing important anyway.

—

Afternoon at Central Tracen Academy.

Having finally finished her initial meetings with Dancing Brave, Gotham Song scheduled their next session for two days later, leaving herself a bit of breathing room.

Her next race was the upcoming Takarazuka Kinen at the end of June.

She’d already conquered this race in her past life. To be honest, if it weren’t an event with international potential, she wouldn’t even bother running it again. But since Takarazuka had such status, she had no choice.

Dancing Brave, however, didn’t plan to teach Gotham Song much about racing technique. Or rather, to quote the legendary mare herself:

She’d studied Gotham Song’s race footage extensively, nonstop from the moment she’d finished her flight until landing in Japan. The conclusion she’d reached was clear it was that Gotham Song’s technique and raw power were impeccable. There simply wasn’t much to teach.

That was why Dancing Brave had earlier said Gotham Song might become a legend of this generation—not mere encouragement, but a carefully analyzed conclusion.

Dancing Brave disliked giving anyone hollow encouragement. In truth, she was rather like a certain “French swordswoman”—blunt and straightforward.

Instead, Dancing Brave intended to instruct Gotham Song on matters off the racetrack. While it sounded vague initially, the explanation made perfect sense:

Simply put, Dancing Brave planned to teach Gotham Song how to meticulously dissect opponents through race footage, fully analyzing their strengths and weaknesses to achieve absolute dominance.

Yes, “dissect”—precisely what Dancing Brave herself had done against Gotham Song before the Arc. The initial advantage she’d seized was undeniable, although ultimately…

Twilight Song really was the greatest monster I’ve ever encountered.

A monster so formidable that no matter how thoroughly analyzed, Twilight Song’s raw talent simply crushed all strategies.

In any case, this off-track skill wasn’t urgent. Gotham Song could study it later. For now, she’d continue living normally.

After all, who knew how long she’d remain safe before fully becoming URA’s enemy number one?

After being surrounded at the airport, anything seemed possible.

Though Dancing Brave had joked that Gotham Song could always leave Japan and move to America or France to live with herself or Secretariat. Neither legend would refuse her.

Heh, worst-case scenario—maybe I’ll run Takarazuka Kinen without a single fan in the audience.

Gotham Song shivered at the thought.

She wouldn’t have to flee due to popularity rankings again, would she?

Yet even as she thought this, nostalgia surfaced.

Hadn’t something similar happened before the Gotham Stakes—when she’d left due to lack of support?

Well, maybe it counts as revisiting an old scene in another sense.

Shrugging off worries, Gotham Song wandered onto the training grounds, and unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure.

Under the blazing sun, an orange-haired Uma Musume was running silently, completely alone. Clearly, she was restraining herself; her pain and internal conflict were plain to see.

That contradictory struggle was easy to understand—after all, her name was Silence Suzuka…

Gotham Song hesitated briefly, then shook off her doubts. Checking her shoes and doing a quick warm-up, she boldly stepped onto the field.

Really, that looks painful. Fine, since I’m such a kind soul, I suppose I’ll lend a hand.

Now—first things first. Face me directly!

She made no attempt to conceal her aura or presence, deliberately pounding the ground like a drum, creating thunderous echoes directly behind Silence Suzuka.

If you don’t fully commit, if you hesitate, you’ll be left far behind, Suzuka-san.

For someone like you, isn’t defeat even more painful than death itself?

Clearly, the gap between them wasn’t enough to deter Suzuka from accepting Gotham Song’s challenge. In fact, Suzuka was quickly losing ground.

Suzuka’s condition visibly deteriorated—her emotions wavered, reason struggling fiercely against her body’s instincts.

This was a challenge, an open provocation, an invitation to run side by side, a race!

Could any Uma Musume truly resist the call to compete, the threat of falling behind? Could any Uma Musume…

…ever willingly accept that she’d never win?

Suzuka continued forcing herself to restrain her impulses. She didn’t like this running style at all, but her Trainer had instructed her clearly, and her Trainer was always kind and trustworthy. She wouldn’t hurt her.

But—but at what cost, Suzuka?

A long, seemingly endless road chasing victories that never came.

Yet deep inside, Suzuka knew perfectly well that she could surpass anyone if she truly let herself run freely. She could dominate the racetrack, lead every race, taste freedom in the roaring wind—

But she was shackled, bound from running freely.

What should I do…?

“A horse girl who always hangs her head will never taste victory,” Gotham Song called sharply.

Without hesitation, Gotham Song burst forward with explosive speed, blasting past Suzuka like a fierce gust of wind.

Suzuka bit her lip, frustration simmering, struggling to maintain her composure.

But Gotham Song suddenly turned back, eyes gleaming provocatively, deliberately slowing down to run side by side again.

“Are you okay with this?”

Suzuka didn’t reply. Gotham Song laughed boldly.

“Are you truly satisfied trailing behind everyone else?”

Suzuka kept silent, concentrating harder, but Gotham Song pressed gently once more:

“Even if it’s only once—don’t you want to see that breathtaking view at the front of the race?”

Even if just once—wouldn’t she want to see that beautiful scenery?

Suzuka felt dazed. She’d nearly forgotten what it felt like.

Yet she had once experienced it, hadn’t she? Before she’d adopted this running style, she’d tasted it briefly—running at the very front, alone with the wind, leading everyone—

Silence Suzuka had once passionately loved running at full speed, leaving behind all worries, chasing pure freedom!

And now, Suzuka…what were you doing?

Run, of course—

The instant her body responded ahead of her mind, instinct shattering reason, a fierce joy surged through Suzuka, igniting her entire body like a roaring engine.

She accelerated furiously, casting aside all troubles and leaving only the empty, boundless track ahead in her view.

Mission accomplished, Gotham Song smiled warmly.

Now then—how should I respond to this reborn Suzuka?

Answer?

By racing, obviously!

Gotham Song surged forward again. Though Suzuka had opened a lead, Gotham Song quickly closed it with casual ease, reclaiming the advantage effortlessly.

Ultimately, Suzuka lost to Gotham Song’s monstrous strength, yet her eyes gleamed brightly.

“I’ll definitely beat you one day!”

I’ll claim that beautiful scenery for myself!

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Gotham Song replied lightly, smiling without urgency.

After Suzuka departed, Gotham Song sighed in relief. At least Suzuka wouldn’t cling annoyingly after this breakthrough…

Wait.

Why did it feel like she’d done something like this before, only to get chased by Mejiro Manor?

“Actually, that’s exactly right…” came Neo Universe’s quiet voice.

“How did you—wait, Neo Universe?!”

Neo Universe silently poked Gotham Song’s cheek, clearly amused.

It’s all over your face.

Was this veteran player’s approval?

I didn’t ask for this!

Gotham Song sighed helplessly.

At least these new acquaintances would be safer than Mejiro Manor…right?

—

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!