Chapter 225: Let’s show them a glimpse of terrifying talent—and leave the fans in awe!
Everything that begins must one day come to an end. It seems that even for me—Narita Brian—that rule is no exception.
About a year ago, on that day—back when I still carried the unconscious arrogance of believing my own shadow to be absolute—
A certain Uma Musume and her trainer shattered that childish illusion of mine with ease.
Back then, I didn’t understand.
That an Uma Musume’s strength depends greatly on her compatibility with her trainer, and on the trainer’s own ability.
That an Uma Musume who walks while gazing only at the stars will inevitably neglect what lies at her feet.
That the way I ran—unstoppable to all others—was not something unique within the Central circuit.
It was only through the undeniable result of defeat that I finally realized all of this.
The end of a long childhood.
My trainer said it was because my talent overflowed so greatly that it had been difficult to make me realize it sooner. He sounded regretful as he said it—but personally, I think I realized it early enough.
If that Uma Musume and that trainer hadn’t existed… perhaps I never would have realized it at all.
I might have continued running forever, starving, carrying this unhealing thirst with me.
Compared to that, now is far better.
Narita Brian is not a front-running Uma Musume.
More than racing ahead alone, I find it far more compelling to chase a visible back.
Since that day, many things within me have changed.
My awareness of my trainer, my approach to running, even my interest in other Uma Musume.
My trainer called it a good change.
And indeed—whether to satisfy this hunger, to rise higher as an Uma Musume… or above all, to pursue that one—it was a welcome influence.
…Well.
Even with those changes, I still fell just one step short.
"Two crowns, huh."
Nakayama Racecourse, waiting room.
Taking advantage of my trainer stepping out, I clenched my fist and muttered to myself.
Biwa Hayahide and Hoshino Wilm. The sister I trust, and the strongest Uma Musume in history… If I had to add another, it would be myself.
I had no intention of losing to anyone else—yet about two months ago, I failed to claim the final jewel of the Triple Crown.
The reason is obvious.
Because she appeared.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Brian. I’ve finally made it this far."
With overwhelming presence—and a heat that could only be called obsession—
The late-blooming cherry blossom. One of the elite few said to build an era of gods—〈Team Pollux〉.
The racing Uma Musume Sakura Laurel entered the final race of the Classic Triple Crown: the Kikuka Sho.
Incomplete running form. Concerns about her legs. Delayed peak condition. Countermeasures against Narita Brian.
Using those as justification, she had stayed off the main stage—until now, when she finally stepped onto the battlefield.
And just like a replay of a year ago, I lost to her.
A sudden acceleration taking advantage of the steep Yodo slope—and cornering sharp enough to execute that surge mid-turn.
The thorough preparations she made for her second G1 victory far exceeded my expectations and ability, and I allowed her to overtake me cleanly.
Half a length.
That was the gap between us.
…No—between them and me.
The one I lost to was Sakura Laurel… and the monster behind her.
A trainer named Horino Ayumu—the one who made Hoshino Wilm what she is.
A trainer who raised the strongest Uma Musume in history.
And after seeing his ability firsthand… yes, he truly is something beyond human.
My own trainer is unusual enough—but this one goes beyond “unusual.” He feels like something that has exceeded the very bounds he should fit within.
It was precisely because Sakura Laurel was supported by Horino Ayumu that she surpassed me, even with my own trainer behind me.
Otherwise, there’s no way she could have overcome such a massive disadvantage as a delayed peak.
A terrifying opponent, certainly… and yet, his existence isn’t so bad.
In two encounters so far, I have not been able to defeat Sakura Laurel.
Her gaze does not waver before the shadow of someone like me—a mere loser.
If anything, it’s directed far ahead… toward the stars in the heavens.
And yet, she neither underestimates nor grows complacent, never losing sight of what lies before her… Perhaps that, too, is Horino Ayumu’s influence.
"...Heh."
Despite my own shortcomings—despite my inability to win—something like exhilaration rose in my chest.
The emptiness I once felt… the endless, bottomless hunger… it’s gone now.
I know my own imperfections. I have yet to reach the place I aim for. I still have room to grow.
And above all—I have rivals to compete with.
That alone fills me with an unmatched sense of fulfillment.
If I had to compare it… it’s like finally finding a meal worth devouring, and being in the middle of eating it.
Even more than when I first learned of Hoshino Wilm, I feel fulfilled.
This is my new starting point as an Uma Musume.
And a little over a year since then—this will be my first and last chance.
The last Sunday of December.
The race I will challenge in a few hours… is the Arima Kinen.
The first senior mixed race for Narita Brian, now in the Classic class—
And also…
The final run in the Twinkle Series for the brightest star of her era—Hoshino Wilm.
"...Heh. You said you might not remain—but in the end, you kept running."
The more exceptional a G1 Uma Musume is, the sooner she seeks new growth and competition in the Dream Trophy League.
Most finish their careers within three years. Many stop by their second senior year. Few remain in the Twinkle Series through their third.
And yet, she stayed—right up until her final year of high school, just before graduating from Tracen Academy.
Was it because her overwhelming strength left even the Dream Trophy competitors unable to challenge her—making advancement meaningless?
Or was it because, as the name “Twinkle Series” suggests, she chose to remain as a shining star for others to follow?
…Or simply because she loved running here?
Twenty-two races. Twenty-one wins. Seventeen G1 victories.
There’s hardly another Uma Musume who strung together wins with such visible joy.
In any case, whether for public perception or due to graduation, she decided to move on to the Dream Trophy League.
And before that—her final race is this Arima Kinen.
In other words, this race is my first—and last—chance to compete with Hoshino Wilm in an official Twinkle race.
"…………"
Win.
Before, I could have declared it without hesitation.
But now, I cannot believe in that outcome.
Because I know I am inferior.
The star I aim for is high—still beyond my reach.
Worse still, I trail even those who began running at the same time as me.
The shadow that once struck fear and despair into all my rivals cannot stain the radiant first star, Pollux.
The power that crushed every opponent I faced still cannot reach them.
How utterly foolish.
To think my shadow could steal another’s brilliance—what arrogance.
It is precisely because starlight illuminates the darkness that it draws people in.
I still cannot reach Hoshino Wilm.
Therefore… I will not declare victory.
I will challenge her.
With everything I have. With every ounce of strength. With my entire being—I will face this race.
"Yeah… that’s not a bad look, Brian."
Before I realized it, my trainer was standing at the entrance to the waiting room.
It seems he had been watching me clench my fist. What poor taste.
Unbothered by my glare, he spoke.
"I won’t tell you to win. I can’t.
You’re close to the strongest—and I can proudly say you stand alongside Teio as one of my runners…
But even so, I can’t say for certain that you’ll reach that star."
"Figures."
I shrugged.
Rather than affirmation, denial felt more appropriate.
Flattery has no value. Only truth does.
I am still incomplete.
Even the petals at the peak of that blooming cherry blossom are beyond my reach.
So of course, the star in the heavens is as well.
As I am now, Narita Brian cannot defeat Hoshino Wilm.
She’s only grown sharper over the past year—a blazing dragon that scorches my very sight.
I’m not strong enough yet to devour that.
My trainer speaks that truth plainly—yet with clear frustration.
And it’s precisely because he’s that kind of fool… that I can trust him.
"In this race, I’ll come to know the strongest Uma Musume in history. I’ll see the farthest back there is.
That alone will be the greatest guide for me."
"Yeah, exactly. That’s the value of this race.
This won’t be your first or your last. It’s just another step—something to surpass, like your daily training.
So don’t lose focus. Stick to your usual approach."
"Right."
A final confirmation.
Do I understand?
The gap between us. The impossibility of victory. My own immaturity.
And above all—the meaning of taking part in this race.
Of course I do.
The ashen light that burns even my shadow. The inevitable defeat. The incompleteness of my run.
And most of all… what you’re about to say next.
"But don’t forget to enjoy it.
This moment will only ever come once. Carve it into your heart with everything you have."
A brilliant trainer who loves the talent of Uma Musume.
And at the same time… a foolish trainer who loves Uma Musume themselves.
With someone like you as my contracted trainer, Narita Brian will run.
Beyond the underground passage, the turf of Nakayama Racecourse was dazzling.
Amid the chilly air of year’s end, the lustrous grass reflected the clear sunlight beautifully.
Within it, I stepped forward—one step at a time.
There was no tension.
Just as my trainer said, this is merely an extension of my usual training.
One of the tasks needed to elevate Narita Brian to completion. Nothing more than a fragment of the ordinary.
There was no relaxation, either.
As my trainer said, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
One of the few chances in life to challenge the Ashen Dragon—and the only one within the Twinkle Series.
Thus, I lacked nothing—and was perfectly filled.
The maximum output I can produce as Narita Brian right now. The best possible condition I could hope for.
Enjoying the soft rebound beneath my feet, I moved forward step by step—
And at last, I stepped onto the battlefield.
The main track of Nakayama Racecourse.
"Been waiting for you, Brian."
As if she had been anticipating this moment, a voice called out.
"...!"
For an instant, my breath caught.
That voice… was completely different from the calm, gentle one I had heard before.
It wasn’t the tone of a senior doting on a junior.
Nor that of a veteran guiding those who follow.
What it carried instead was hostility strong enough to stop one’s breath—and a storm-like surge of fighting instinct.
And yet, paradoxically, there wasn’t a trace of malice within it.
"I believed in you… and in the world, too."
My eyes locked onto the monster shaped like an Uma Musume.
She was no longer a distant star in the sky.
Not a cold, unreachable light.
And yet, she was far from being something as simple as an ordinary Uma Musume.
Standing on the same plane as me, unleashing her heat directly—
A living star.
A cosmic horror that would burn everything to ash.
"This world is fun.
Like Nature, like Teio, like Anne, like Bourbon, like Rice.
I believed that someone as talented as you would grow into your best form—and come to bring me down."
An overwhelming, overflowing instinct—to defeat the being before her and stand above them.
A pure and untainted competitive drive.
A torrent of brilliance so immense it dims even the stars in the heavens.
The divine dragon—Hoshino Wilm.
That… stood before me now.
Looking down at me.
"Let’s have a good race.
Corner me, chase me down, drag me from my perch—and entertain me."
With a soft smile—yet one that sent a chill down the spine—
Hoshino Wilm turned away, likely to greet the next runner.
A shiver ran through my body.
Fear.
Something I never thought I would feel.
…No.
"...Ha."
A breath escaped me.
Not trembling. Not agitation.
But a heated exhale, trembling with exhilaration.
So that’s it.
So that’s just how different she is.
A pressure so immense that merely standing before her makes you certain you’ll be devoured.
Not a wolf. A lion would be far too mild. A serpent wouldn’t even come close.
That is a dragon.
A calamity beyond human understanding. A god that soars the heavens.
Why something like that was born among Uma Musume… I almost found myself laughing.
But it’s fine. No—more than that.
It’s perfect.
Racing Uma Musume—Hoshino Wilm.
Without a doubt, she is the star I must aim for—and the strongest I must one day devour.
"Heh… heheh."
What should I even call this feeling?
A distant brilliance that scorches my eyes, steals my heart—
So far away, yet so captivating I cannot look away.
This is… ah.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be wrong to call it love.
"You look like you’re having fun, Brian."
A familiar voice came from behind.
When I turned, just as expected—
She was there.
Chestnut hair swaying in the winter wind, pink eyes narrowed as she observed me like a predator.
Sakura Laurel.
The Uma Musume who had defeated me twice.
Always wearing a faint smile, an unfathomable presence.
I had thought her difficult to grasp…
But now I see.
That was a complete misunderstanding.
At least compared to that dragon—
Compared to that monster beyond my measure—
Sakura Laurel stands on the same plane as me.
And so… yes.
She is my enemy.
Click.
I felt something within me shift into place once more.
"Hehe. That gaze feels nice.
But it’s not enough. Not yet. I need to shine even brighter than that person.
So…"
Smiling happily—and yet with frustration—
The one I must surpass declared:
"I’ll overwrite everything—your light and your shadow."
"...Interesting."
A smile escaped me.
Click. Click. Click.
I could feel the missing pieces falling into place.
"I’ll crush you."
Racing Uma Musume—Narita Brian.
The pieces I lacked have now been filled… and the door to the next world opens.
＊ ＊ ＊
In the end—
I finished in third.
First place: Hoshino Wilm.
Second place: Nice Nature.
I was left four lengths behind those monsters.
…And yet, even in defeat, it was a race of undeniable meaning.
I saw that distant star—and gained a true rival.
There is no longer any need to fear my shadow dimming others.
I now have the means, the method—and the opponents—to satisfy this hunger.
I am no longer starving.
And that’s why… yes.
I’ll savor it as I devour it all.
This world.
The Twinkle Series.
And someday—even the monsters of the Dream Trophy.
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