Chapter 78: Our Story

When was the last time I doubted the reality right in front of my eyes this much?

It felt just like when I received the call telling me my dad had died… The scene before me was so unreal it might as well have been a lie.

"Trai… ner…?"

"Yeah. …If we go by your sense of time, I guess it’s been a while, Hoshino Wilm."

Standing in front of me right now… is Ayumu-san.

The person I had always wanted to see.

The person I’d wanted—over and over again—to meet, to talk with, to laugh over stupid things with, and to share all kinds of experiences together.

That person… is standing right in front of me now.

For the past two weeks, all I wished for was that he would wake up safely.

I didn’t care if there were aftereffects, if his arms or legs were paralyzed, or even if he’d lost his memories. If he couldn’t move well, I’d support him. And memories—we could make as many as we wanted from now on.

As long as he opened his eyes, I wouldn’t ask for anything more.

If he could just be himself, staying by my side… that alone would have been enough.

But…

In the end, not even once did he wake up.

No matter how much I wished. No matter how much I leaned in to look at his face. No matter how long I stayed in the hospital room.

His fingers never moved even a little, and his eyelids never opened.

Before I knew it, I had even started to feel something like resignation.

Of course, I believed he would wake up someday.

But… probably not now.

At this very moment, the cold logic inside me told me he wouldn’t suddenly wake up.

Maybe, instinctively, I’d been putting the brakes on my own hope.

If I kept thinking, maybe today, maybe now, the shock when I was disappointed would be too much to bear.

So while believing in him, I was also, somewhere in my heart, starting to give up—a strange, contradictory state to be in.

And yet… now.

He’s here. Ayumu-san is standing right in front of me.

…A dream? Yeah, maybe it’s a dream.

There’s no way things could work out so conveniently… so perfectly, just for my sake.

Just like Spe-senpai said—carry it, run with it, and then believe.

The Arima Kinen ended… and then, and then I was rewarded…?

It felt so unreal it was almost like someone had staged it.

It might be contradictory, but thinking it was a dream somehow felt more realistic than believing it was real.

No… enough.

Even if this isn’t reality—if it’s a dream or a hallucination—that’s fine.

If he’s here… that alone is enough.

So please, don’t let me wake up just yet.

Let me keep dreaming, just a little longer.

"Why… did you wake up… huh, no, the hospital… no, that’s not…"

What I managed to drag out from the back of my throat was a hoarse, broken voice.

I was confused.

My thoughts were a complete mess, and I had no idea what to say or where to start.

Even though he was the one I’d wanted to talk to so badly.

Even though I’d wanted to see him so much.

When I actually faced him, I found myself completely at a loss for words.

Seeing that, Ayumu-san gave a small, wry smile.

"Hoshino Wilm, I really worried you. As you can see, I’m fine now… ah—"

His body suddenly wobbled.

At that sight, my mind nearly went blank…

But the Uma Musume standing nearby caught him just in time.

"Wo—"

"Master, you have only just recovered. Please be careful."

"…Sorry, Mihono Bourbon. You saved me."

The one supporting him… was Mihono Bourbon-chan.

Why? Why is she here?

She should still be at the hospital right now…

…Ah—no, right.

Bourbon-chan was staying at the hospital so she could respond immediately if Ayumu-san woke up.

If Ayumu-san woke up and came here, it only made sense that she’d come along too… probably.

But that logic only works if you assume Ayumu-san really did wake up…

No—that’s exactly it. He woke up, so she’s here.

"…Eh, seriously… the Trainer really… woke up…?"

"‘Seriously’ or not, do I look like anyone other than your trainer?"

"But… you didn’t wake up at all… for so long… two whole weeks…"

"Yeah. I only woke up a little while ago. Time-wise, about an hour ago?"

As he said that, Ayumu-san glanced over at Bourbon-chan, as if to confirm.

"It has been one hour, twenty-one minutes, and forty-one seconds since Master regained consciousness."

"Thanks, Bourbon. …One hour, twenty-one minutes, and forty-one seconds."

"It is now one hour, twenty-one minutes, and forty-nine seconds."

"Hey, you don’t have to be that precise."

About an hour ago… Ayumu-san woke up.

…He really did.

…He really woke up?

"Trainer…"

"Yeah."

"I… um… I’ve been waiting for you the whole time… and, um…"

"Yeah. I really kept you waiting."

The words wouldn’t come.

I should have had so many things I wanted to say.

I’d been piling them up for two whole weeks.

And yet… nothing. Nothing came out.

"N-no, that’s not it… um, Trainer… your body… is it okay?"

"My body… huh? Come to think of it, am I okay? Well, everything hurts like crazy right now—pretty much evenly all over."

"According to the doctor, aside from the prolonged lack of consciousness, your body was in perfect health. The pain is presumed to be a side effect of excessive movement while your body was in a weakened state.

That said, the brain remains a black box. If Masa-san were to examine you, it is highly likely you would be sent back to the hospital."

"Ugh… right, Masa… She’s gonna be mad. No—not just mad—she’s definitely going to blow up at me…"

"You left the hospital room immediately after regaining consciousness. It would be natural to be reprimanded."

"Ah, uh… yeah, I guess that’s true…"

Ayumu-san and Bourbon-chan seemed… a little closer than before.

Ayumu-san, who used to keep a certain distance, felt slightly more at ease around her now.

…No, maybe that’s not quite it.

It wasn’t just with her—Ayumu-san himself felt softer than before.

Before I could even wonder what had happened…

Ayumu-san turned back toward me.

"Well, whatever. I knew I’d be dragged back to the hospital later anyway.

The important thing is this, Hoshino Wilm. As you can see, I’m fine. My body’s a bit rusty, sure, but I don’t think I’ll be bedridden again."

When he said "Here" and held out his hand, I clutched it as if clinging to it.

…It’s warm.

Just a little warmer than when I held his hand on the hospital bed.

Ah… this hand.

The one that gave me warmth… was this hand.

He’s alive.

Ayumu-san is… right here in front of me!

"Trainer… Trainer, Trainer!"

Warm—so warm, so warm!

This hand, his elbow, his shoulder, his body… everything!

"You’re alive…! Trainer, you’re alive, you’re alive!"

"Yeah. I’m alive."

"Thank goodness, thank goodness—really…! You’re alive! Trainer!!"

I wrap my arms around his body.

Tightly, tightly—like I’ll never, ever let go again.

So he won’t disappear somewhere on his own ever again.

"I was really worried, you know! I worried and worried the whole time, and so—!"

"Uh, well… um… Hoshino Wilm?"

"So… please don’t go anywhere ever again."

…My fingertips are shaking. My voice is shaking too.

The fear of losing someone precious makes my heart tremble.

"When I heard you’d been in an accident… I was scared. I was scared the whole time.

I thought I might never be able to talk to you again. I was scared that I’d lose you—someone so important I’d finally found—all over again.

But… but I believed. I believed that if it was you, Trainer, you’d definitely come back."

"…Hoshino Wilm."

"So I’m really, really glad…! I’m glad I believed, glad I waited…!"

Ah… what do I do?

There were so many things I wanted to say, so many complaints I wanted to throw at him, so many things I wanted to lean on him for…

But what spills out of my mouth are nothing but selfish feelings.

With my face a mess of tears, like a little kid, I cling to Ayumu-san’s waist.

"I’m so glad… so glad…! Thank you for coming back… really…!"

---

For a while after that, I couldn’t even manage a proper conversation.

For more than ten minutes, all I did was cling to his waist and cry.

"I-I’m sorry for showing you something so embarrassing… snff… ahem…"

Once I finally started to calm down, the embarrassment hit me hard enough to turn my face bright red.

…I mean, if I were just a normal middle-school Uma Musume, that would be fine. It’d be an age-appropriate reaction.

But I’m a reincarnator, you know. I still have my past life’s memories and experiences—same personality and all.

I was a college student in my past life, okay? You could argue whether I was really an adult since I hadn’t entered the workforce yet, but I was at least legally grown. Old enough to drink, old enough to smoke.

And yet here I am, crying like this… it’s seriously beyond embarrassing.

Ughhh… people say “my face feels like it’s on fire,” but that saying is totally real.

At this point, I feel like I could actually breathe fire. Not to burn trash, but to incinerate my own cringe-filled black history…

At least the only ones who saw that mess were Ayumu-san and Bourbon-chan—people I’m comfortable with.

…Or so I thought, but now that I think about it, this is a hallway. There were probably staff members or Uma Musume passing by who saw everything. Haha… yeah, I kind of want to die now.

"Uh, well… how do I put this. I was… happy, you know? It made me realize our bond of trust again."

"I believe that being deeply moved upon reuniting with one’s master is not something to be ashamed of."

"Could you please stop with the serious emotional support!? That actually makes it worse!"

Ugh, seriously, my face is burning.

I don’t even remember exactly what I said, but I’m pretty sure I blurted out all kinds of things without holding back…

My eyes are definitely bloodshot right now…

And on top of that…

Ahhh, this is the worst.

…Okay. Reset.

I lightly pinch my cheeks and clear my thoughts.

I’m his assigned Uma Musume. Before getting lost in catching up, there’s something I need to report.

"Trainer… um, how much of the situation do you understand right now?"

"Today was your Arima Kinen. I was in an accident, fell into a coma, and completely missed it—making me an unbelievably useless trainer. I haven’t heard the race results yet. Judging by the time and the fact that you’re wearing your race outfit, you must’ve just finished your live and come back."

"…That’s impressively well put together. Aren’t you confused at all?"

"Getting confused would just be a waste of time, wouldn’t it?"

"Wow…"

As expected, when it comes to anything related to being a trainer, this man is absurd. You could say he’s got a screw loose.

Well, aside from that… he also has plenty of careless moments, and cute ones too.

Anyway, if he understands things that well, there’s no need to organize it further.

"Then… there’s just one thing I need to tell you. Today’s race result."

I take a deep breath… and let it out.

"In today’s Arima Kinen, I… beat Spe-senpai by a margin of three centimeters."

"It was incredible. I really want you to watch the footage sometime.

From the very start, Suzuka-san cutting in at insane speed and that head-to-head chase with Turbo, Turbo’s unexpected persistence, then Suzuka-san and I switching places up front for a ridiculous match race!"

…Ah.

"Even after getting through that, it immediately turned into a battle with the pack behind us—Meek-senpai, Sky-senpai, and Teio pushing forward…

And then Spe-senpai came charging in with unbelievable acceleration!

Her Zone was absolutely insane. I don’t think I’ve ever felt defeat so clearly.

From the final straight, I opened my own Zone too—and oh, mine’s gotten even better than before, you know? I used that to counter Spe-senpai’s sprint, and then—"

…Honestly.

"And it came down to a truly razor-thin fight over whether I could hold the lead… I crossed the finish line completely spent, so exhausted I could barely stay upright… and then it went to a photo finish.

And even if it was only by three centimeters, I won! Against Spe-senpai!"

………Really.

……

"…That’s what I wish I could say."

I’m really, truly frustrated.

"Sorry. That was a lie. I lost. By three centimeters… truly, genuinely, a paper-thin margin."

…That is the real ending of the Arima Kinen.

First place: Special Week.
Second place: Hoshino Wilm.
The gap between us: a mere three centimeters.

I couldn’t beat Spe-senpai.

"This time, it was an absolutely insane race. A chaotic scramble where no one could fully bring out their true potential.

I was forced to play one of my cards just to get past Suzuka-san, which cost me stamina…

And it seems Spe-senpai was also pushed toward the outside by Sky-senpai’s strategy.

So the conditions were even—both of us disadvantaged. In the end… I was simply one step short."

…This isn’t good.

I tried to speak calmly, but no matter what… my heart won’t settle.

"…I’m frustrated. Really, truly.

If only I’d been able to conserve a little more strength somewhere. If only I’d been able to fine-tune things a bit more before the race. If only my legs were just a little faster… I can’t help thinking that."

The frustration singes my heart, leaving it raw and aching.

It was so close. Truly, genuinely close.

Just a little more… and I would’ve reached it.

"…I’m sorry."

The Trainer—just as expected—wore an expression of anguish and bowed his head.

"Because I was unconscious… I caused you so much trouble.

As a result, in what may have been your one and only Arima Kinen, you might’ve had to run while not truly at your best.

If you called me an unfit contracted trainer, I’d have no excuse."

…I figured he’d say that.

He’s self-critical, self-punishing, and above all, unbelievably serious.

He’s probably thinking that because he wasn’t there, that absence might’ve created that three-centimeter gap.

And realistically speaking… that’s not entirely wrong.

Masa-san did her absolute best, and I did everything I could during our strategy meetings, but… it still wasn’t the same as having Ayumu-san.

If he hadn’t fallen into a coma—or even if he’d woken up just one day earlier…

I might’ve been the one who won today’s race.

…but.

"It’s okay."

As I said that, I wrapped my arms around the Trainer’s back once more.

"I gave it everything I had, and I fully received everything my opponent had. That’s how the outcome was decided.

It’s frustrating, but I don’t regret it. I just need to carry this heat forward into the next race."

"Frustration" and "dissatisfaction" aren’t the same thing.

I lost today’s race, marking my first loss in an official competition—of course I’m frustrated.

But I lost while giving everything I had, without holding anything back.

There’s no bitterness left behind. Just a burning resolve for the future: Damn it—next time, I’ll definitely win.

As Spe-senpai said after the race, the Arima Kinen was a race where "whether you win or lose, you’re left with no regrets—a truly incredible race."

That’s why I accept this result.

At least for this moment, I accept that Spe-senpai was better than me.

…Still.

I understand why he’s afraid.

So, holding Ayumu-san tight and gently stroking his back, I said:

"So it’s fine. I won’t break, and as long as these legs can still run, I’ll remain your Uma Musume.

…I’ll absolutely come back to you."

---

When Ayumu-san collapsed, I had a chance to talk with Masa-san for a bit…

She said this to me:

"Please keep your contract with my brother and win the Arima Kinen."

"If you lose, he might truly fall into despair this time."

…But something about those words felt off to me.

Because Ayumu-san had never once demanded victory from me.

Maybe, back then, it was simply his duty as a Horino-family trainer.

From what I’ve heard, the prestigious Horino family places their highest priority on ensuring that Uma Musume can keep running in a healthy and happy way.

So perhaps that’s why, more than victory, he wished for my safe return.

That interpretation was possible.

But… even after he stopped being a Horino-family trainer, what he wanted never changed.

That much was obvious if you thought about what he said to me after every race.

Now and in the past, it’s always been the same.

Rather than "congratulations," he’s the kind of person who tells me "welcome back" after I finish a race.

What he wants isn’t his Uma Musume’s success.

It’s something far more ordinary—almost trivial—yet rare and fragile.

That the people close to him return safely.

That when tomorrow comes, they can meet again as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

That was all he ever truly wished for.

…But in truth, "coming back safely" in the purest sense is difficult for racing Uma Musume.

After all, our legs are so fragile they’re called "glass legs."

Countless Uma Musume have been forced into retirement due to injuries sustained during training or races.

And that wasn’t all.

Apparently, among the horse girls, there are some who lose a race, have their hearts break, and end up stepping away from the battlefield entirely.

For him, "being safe" probably doesn’t just mean physical safety. It must also include being mentally whole.

That’s why, when he sees horse girls other than me lose—when he watches their spirits shatter—it hurts him deeply… or at least, that’s what I think.

At this point, a lot of this is still just my own speculation… but judging from the look on his face, it doesn’t seem like I’m that far off the mark.

"Hoshino Wilm… you are…"

What surfaced on his expression was surprise—and faintly, just barely, a pale glimmer of hope.

Whether tomorrow would arrive peacefully. Whether he would be able to see the people close to him again.

He must have lived without even being able to believe in things as small as that.

If he didn’t try hard enough, someone might die. Even if they didn’t die, he might never see them again.

So he had to keep trying. To protect the warmth around him, he had to keep pushing himself, constantly.

…And if he didn’t keep doing that, then he would lose his value as a person.

That’s how he lived—burning his own life away. Trying to atone for the irredeemable past, for what had been lost because of his own failures, even just a little.

I hated it.

The fact that he chose such a painful way to live, and that his eyes were forever turned toward the past.

…That’s why.

"I will always… from now on and forever, stay by your side. As your partner, as your horse girl, I’ll carry your pain and sadness together with you."

…My words might not reach him right now.

Ayumu-san has spent over ten years trapped inside those dark values. It might be impossible for everything to be undone just because of what I said.

But… even that surely isn’t eternal.

Just like how I spent a year and a half slowly melting the ice around his heart… as long as we keep walking together, he’ll change too. I’m sure of it.

"I’ve already been saved. Because that night, you took my hand, cherished me… and gave me warmth. So now… it’s my turn."

I wrapped my arms around him and spoke, pouring my prayer into the words.

"Someday, please let me save you."

He froze for several seconds at those words.

And then…

He placed his hand on my head and spoke quietly.

"I’ve already been saved by you. Because we met that night, because you believed in me, and because you came back. Thank you, Hoshino Wilm. From here on out too, as long as possible… let’s keep going together."

---

After finishing a slightly embarrassing, but surely important conversation… the three of us—Ayumu-san, Bourbon-chan, and I—headed once more toward the waiting room where Masa-san was waiting.

…I’m really grateful that Bourbon-chan read the room earlier and stayed quiet. Even now, she’s deliberately not bringing up what we talked about. If she’d teased me even a little, I might’ve died of embarrassment and run away on the spot.

She really is a capable junior. A bit airheaded, sure, but at her core she’s a kind girl who knows how to be considerate of others.

Thinking about that absentmindedly as we walked…

I suddenly remembered something I’d forgotten.

"Ah—right, Trainer. The usual."

"Hm… right."

I asked for it in the most abstract way possible… and Ayumu-san understood without me having to explain.

What he gave me as I faced him was the familiar warmth placed on top of my head, and his usual words.

"Welcome back, Hoshino Wilm. You ran well—and you came back safe."

The reward I’m given after a race.

Surely, it’s a symbol of how Ayumu-san and I save one another.

"Mm, I’m home, Trainer."

After saying that, a good idea suddenly popped into my head, and I grinned.

"Hey, hey—could you bend down a bit?"

"Hm? Yeah… give me a second."

With movements that were clearly stiff and awkward, he slowly crouched down for me.

After sleeping for two whole weeks—even if they’d moved him lightly from time to time—his body was bound to be stiff.

Pushing through the sharp pain shooting through him, Ayumu-san still came to see me.

In that case, I can’t just keep receiving the reward all the time. I should give a little back too.

When his head finally lowered to about my height, I ruffled his hair roughly and smiled.

"Welcome back, Ayumu-san. I’ve been waiting for you."

Ayumu-san stared blankly for a moment…

Then he showed a gentle smile I’d never seen before.

"…Yeah. I’m home, Will."

---

If the Takarazuka Kinen marked the end of my story, then this is the end of our story.

…Or maybe it’d be more accurate to call it the beginning of our new lives together.

We put uncertain feelings into words and shared the salvation we’d been given…

And only then did we truly become partners, in the real sense of the word.

A relationship where we stand as equals, saving each other—and continuing to do so from now on.

…Hehe. Though calling us "just partners" might be underselling it a bit. We’re kind of close for that, aren’t we?

Life goes on.

From here on out, there will be plenty of unpleasant things, plenty of difficult things.

We’ll make mistakes we can’t take back, and we’ll probably regret them more times than we can count.

There may even come days when the harshness of it all trips us up again.

Even so, as long as it’s the two of us, we’ll be fine.

No matter how painful things get…

We’ll just keep saving each other, and keep living.

Because from now on, we’ll continue walking through this life side by side.

…Ah—no, wait, isn’t that jumping the gun a little?

Ahaha… wow, my face is getting kind of hot…

---

By the way, after that—

"Huh!? B-brother!? Wait—Mihono Bourbon-san, what’s going on here!? And—and what is this supposed to be!?"

The fact that Masa-san completely panicked for once was honestly pretty funny… but for the sake of her dignity, let’s just pretend that never happened.