Chapter 133: Chase the Dream! End

――The Arima Kinen ended, and with it, my fleeting three years came to a close.

At first, there were doubts about how the Twinkle Series would even unfold, but I was able to make my dream come true—together with my irreplaceable partner. Just making it to the Open Class would’ve been more than enough to be proud of, and winning a graded stakes race was already a huge accomplishment. Yet somehow, I became a racehorse girl who could win multiple G1s. Honestly, as an athlete, I don’t think there's any greater joy than that.

Still, the toll from all those intense races had steadily worn down my body. I had given every last ounce of strength I had in the Arima Kinen—and ended up so drained I couldn’t even run at full speed for a while afterward.

Well, with the lineup we had for that race, I couldn’t afford not to go all out. Practically every competitor was a G1 winner… We had five girls there who’d each won five G1s. How could I not run with everything I had?

This year’s Arima Kinen was even more chaotic than last year’s Grand Prix.

Gate 1, Post 1: Narita Top Road, fresh off her Kikuka Sho victory.
Gate 1, Post 2: Suzuka, just back from a tour in America.
Gate 2, Post 3: Spe-chan, aiming to complete the Autumn Senior Triple Crown.
Gate 2, Post 4: Me, just back from Europe.
Gate 3, Post 5: Jara-chan, hardened from her warrior’s pilgrimage.
Gate 3, Post 6: El-chan, rumored to be resting the rest of the year.
Gate 4, Post 7: The American Dirt King herself—Happy Meek-sama.
Gate 4, Post 8: Grass-chan, eyeing back-to-back Grand Prix wins for spring and autumn.
Gate 5, Post 9: Sei-chan, vowing to return from a slump.
Gate 5, Post 10: King-chan, renowned for her sprint and mile races.
Gate 6, Post 11: Tsuru Maru Tsuyoshi-chan, the late-coming secret weapon.
Gate 6, Post 12: Opera O-chan, winner of the Stayers Stakes and Satsuki Sho.
Gate 7, Post 13: And for some reason, Guriko joined, shocking the whole audience.
Gate 7, Post 14: The soft-spoken noble lady, Mejiro Bright-san.
Gate 8, Post 15: Fuku Kitaru-san, back from a break after the Sapporo Kinen.
Gate 8, Post 16: Ayabe-san, the Japan Derby winner.

The sheer chaos of the lineup said it all. Glico and King-chan had no business at this distance, and Meek-chan was just flat-out terrifying. Really, everyone was terrifying. That was the atmosphere the Arima Kinen took place in.

And somehow, whether it was thanks to my performances in the Tenno Sho (Spring) and Arima Kinen, or maybe my achievements overseas caught attention—I'm not really sure—but I was selected for the Horse Girl of the Year award for the second year in a row.

I also received the Cartier Award in Europe as the Best Stayer, which meant I was honored in two countries simultaneously. A truly wonderful outcome.

...That’s enough reminiscing about the Twinkle Series.

So—what am I doing now, with the new year just having begun? I’m on a hot spring getaway with Tomio, just the two of us. It’s more of a healing retreat than a vacation, but still, we’re enjoying a cozy little trip.

Originally, it was supposed to be a 2-night, 3-day trip. But it got extended to a whole week. The Mejiro family doctor told me, “If you’re planning to keep racing, you really ought to take your time and rest properly.” So Tomio rearranged our plans accordingly.

My family and the academy approved, and both the school and the inn made sure we were shielded from the media. No need to worry about prying eyes.

That’s why our hot spring retreat has been so carefree. We can lounge in the inn all day, soak in the baths, and just chat about anything that’s not racing. With that mutual promise, this might be the first time I’ve truly relaxed since enrolling at Tracen Academy.

A hot spring trip where I could stop being “the strongest stayer” and just be a girl—it’s a precious experience.

...Especially since, after achieving my dream of becoming the strongest stayer, I might just be about to reach another dream entirely.

――On the sixth day of the trip. After five days of rest, most of my fatigue had melted away, and my mind finally had space for other thoughts—along with a strange sense of urgency.

No surprise, really. It was the panic of “If I don’t act now, I might miss my one and only shot.”

Looking back, ever since I went back home last year and gave Tomio the boldest confession of my life… not much had changed between us. We said things like “I want you to be mine forever” or “you already are,” and let ourselves be satisfied with metaphorical nonsense. And time just kept ticking away.

Sure, my dream of being the best stayer was important—but come to think of it, we haven’t gone on a proper date since I got back from Europe, have we? I get that our relationship is solid enough not to need constant confirmation, and I am happy about that… but still, is it wrong to want him to say the words? And for me to say them too?

A maiden’s heart is complicated.

“…………”

...A maiden’s heart is complicated—but…

The moment I see the peaceful look on his sleeping face, all those little inner conflicts just vanish.

“Heheh… such a cute sleeping face.”

Of course, we could’ve booked two rooms for this trip. But I insisted on just one. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be brave enough to do anything bold (I’m a total chicken), and I trusted that Tomio would never make a move. If he were that kind of guy, I wouldn’t love him this much in the first place. That’s part of what makes it all so frustrating… but still.

I gently stroked his hair and, shivering, slipped under his futon. Yes, I wanted to cuddle—but also, it was seriously cold. This was a legitimate defensive move to avoid catching a cold. I wasn’t doing it just to cling to him or anything!

“Achooo!”

“!?”

“Ah, sorry. Did I wake you?”

“…Wipe your nose.”

“…………”

…Why is it, I wonder? Every time I get close to him, things never turn romantic. Maybe because I always screw it up and kill the mood. Or maybe because I’m just dancing in the palm of his hand.

I blew my nose and muttered, “So cold, so cold,” as I snuck back under his futon. After staring at him for over ten minutes, my own futon had gone ice cold.

“…What are you doing?”

“Uh, I’m cold.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Your futon’s sooo warm.”

“…………”

I watched him with sleepy eyes and pressed up against him, cuddling gently. Snow was falling outside the inn, and I had absolutely no desire to get out of the futon.

Tomio shifted uncomfortably and turned away—but with his back to me, my hesitation melted away. I hugged him tightly from behind and pressed my ear to his back.

Thump. Thump. I could hear his heartbeat. I couldn’t tell if it was a fast rhythm for him or just normal—but compared to my own, it sounded so much quicker.

“Hey, Apollo. You feeling okay now?”

“Totally fine. I underestimated these hot springs. I think I can totally handle my second senior year.”

“…I see.”

Just as he gave my hair a little rustle, Tomio suddenly sat up. When he did, he pulled the futon up with him—and the cold air rushed in around my feet. I yelped and curled up like a snail.

There wasn’t anything planned for the day, so there was no reason to get up early. But he’s so used to his trainer schedule that he just has to wake up early. I wonder who needs the rest more. Back in my junior days, I remember him falling asleep in the trainer’s office all the time. He really should take a break too.

“…I’m gonna go take a bath.”

“’Kay.”

“Is Apollo going back to sleep?”

“Mm.”

“Got it.”

“Oh, but hey.”

“Yeah?”

“This inn has private family baths, apparently.”

“Quit being dumb and go back to sleep.”

“Boo—”

Tomio scratched his head and stepped out of the room. I muttered “So cold” over and over as I crawled along in my snail form and switched on the heater.

What should we do once Tomio gets back? It’s the sixth day, so we’re kind of over playing Go and Shogi. Just chatting is fun enough, but maybe today I’ll go out into the hot spring town and splurge on souvenirs. According to the forecast, it should clear up by late morning. It’ll even get a bit warmer.

There’s been so much snow until now, but it finally feels like we can enjoy a proper hot spring date. Once I decided that, I moved fast.

Even though the cold was biting, I washed my face, put on a light bit of makeup just in case, and fixed my slightly overgrown hair. Ready to meet Tomio fresh from the bath.

“I’m back~”

“Welcome back! That was quick.”

“Bath was empty.”

“Well, it is early morning.”

“Wanna head out after breakfast? Looks like we’ll be able to go out around noon.”

“I was just about to say the same thing!”

“Then it’s settled.”

“Yay! You’re buying me souvenirs, right?”

“…I’ll have to consult my wallet on that one.”

Come on, we make plenty of money—was the obvious retort, but instead we ate breakfast and headed into the hot spring town.

“Wow! A footbath!”
“Manju buns!”
“A souvenir shop~”
“A wooden sword!?”

The town was full of snow-covered wooden buildings. It was my first time ever doing a food crawl through a place like this, and we went into every single shop that caught our eye, enjoying every nook and cranny of the hot spring town.

We did get into a bit of a debate over whether or not to buy the wooden sword, but in the end, I decided to spend my allowance on it—I wanted to show it off to El-chan and Grass-chan.

…I said earlier that things haven’t really progressed between us, but being able to hold hands naturally while walking is a big step, right? I mean, our hands were full with shopping bags most of the time, so we didn’t get to hold hands that much, but still.

After thoroughly exploring the town to our hearts’ content, it was suddenly evening before we knew it. As we returned to the inn with me fully transformed into Souvenir Shopping Apollo Rainbow, we found a mountain of dishes already laid out in the room, and just as we arrived, both Tomio and I had our stomachs growl in perfect sync.

“This looks so good.”
“Wanna eat before we hit the bath?”
“Sounds good.”

Classic hot spring inn fare—dozens of dishes spread across the table, packed with lavish ingredients centered around fresh fish. We polished everything off, and then, to wash away the sweat from wandering around all day, we headed to the bath.

“Tomio, about the family ba—”
“Nope.”
“…Okay.”

Firmly shot down on the family bath front, I washed myself alone in the now fully dark open-air bath. Honestly, I felt relieved. I wouldn’t mind bathing with Tomio at all, but… it’s like, yeah, this is so him, and that weirdly makes me happy.

But at this rate, we’re never going to reach the next stage. I mean, just once during this trip, I’d really, really like to at least get a ki, ki, ki—k-kiss. Just a little one… Is that too much? A kiss. Yeah, probably is. Sigh. But even just a little kiss on the cheek would make me so happy.

“…Kiss, kiss…”

Muttering as I practiced kiss motions at the night sky, I soaked in the open-air bath and let it heal me to my core. Honestly, I feel like I’ve recovered to how light my body felt two years ago.

Thank you, hot spring. For real, if this place has this much restorative power, I’d be fine coming here with Tomio every year. Maybe the atmosphere would work its magic, and we’d progress even more next year… you know?

I got a little lightheaded from thinking about kisses too much, but somehow managed to get back to our room on my own. I was about to dive straight into the futon when Tomio caught me by the hand and stopped me.

“Wait, Apollo. Your hair’s still damp.”

“Huh? Guess I didn’t notice ‘cause I was woozy.”

“Want me to dry it for you?”

“…You will!? Then yes, please!”

“O-oh… I wasn’t expecting such a fast yes.”

As I sat on the floor chair, I perked up my ears and urged him on. He fumbled a bit at first, but after taming my ears, he gently ran the comb and dryer through my hair.

“Mmm…”

My ears twitched. It felt so nice. So comforting. Just being touched by someone I love this much—it fills me with happiness.

My feelings for him keep overflowing. It’s almost maddening. I love him. I love him. I want him to touch me more. I want him to know me more. And I want to know everything about him.

“…Ah.”

Our eyes met as he brushed my hair. My face was flushed. Part of me didn’t want him to see it… but another part really did. But I was embarrassed. Too shy. I ended up looking away, fidgeting with my fingers and ducking my head.

“…Apollo?”
“…………”
“…………”

A short silence. The mood wasn’t bad, but that’s all it was. I wasn’t sure whether to make a move or not, so I stayed quiet.

And then, as he finished drying my hair, Tomio gently patted my head and said something unexpected.

“Apollo, you did a great job.”

It came out of nowhere. Pofun, a big hand softly rubbing the top of my head. I didn’t even know what I’d done well—I just flicked my ears back in surprise.

“Things got hectic after the Grand Prix ended, and I never really said it properly. I think I’ll keep competing for a while, but since this is kind of a turning point, I just wanted to say it now… These past three years, you’ve worked so hard. Thank you for chasing your dream.”
“—!”

Wrapped in his hands, I was exposed to words filled with care and affection. All he did was pat my head, and yet, an aching tightness suddenly welled up from deep inside my chest. Before I knew it, tears were spilling from the corners of my eyes.

"Y-Yeah... I really did my best...! I trained so hard, raced so hard... all for myself, and for everyone... and then..."

"I know. Apollo, you’re the hardest worker of all."

Tomio gently stroked my hair, once, twice, three times. If you’re that kind to me, it’s no good. I won’t be able to cry in any way other than the ugly kind that no one’s supposed to see.

I wiped my tears with my wrist while Tomio tried to soothe me. Not wanting him to see my tear-streaked face, I didn’t pull away. Instead, I moved even closer, using the proximity to hide myself.

"I—love—you—more—than—anything—else—about—you—just—the—way—you—are."

Roundabout, and yet utterly sincere.

It pierced deeper than words like “I love you” ever could—because of everything we’d been through together. Those were his own special words, filled with warmth and emotion.

When I looked up, I saw Tomio’s face drawing closer.

“Eh, wait—!”

I flinched and shut my eyes tight. No way, he’s actually going to kiss me out of nowhere? You can’t just spring that on someone! If you’re gonna do that, you should at least give me a heads-up!

As my mind screamed and scrambled, bracing for impact, I felt something gently press against the top of my head, around the hair near my forehead.

“...?”

I cracked open my tightly shut eyes—only to find his face already far away.

...Did he just kiss my forehead?

“...Tomio, did you chicken out?”

“No, no… I just figured this was as far as I could go right now.”

“Chicken. Coward.”

“Oof…”

“...You totally made me misunderstand. I thought you were going to kiss me on the lips.”

“Well… maybe that’s something to save for another time.”

“…………”

Even though I’d been bracing for it, the idea of it actually happening left me flustered and my heart pounding. I slipped out of Tomio’s arms, which had wrapped around my back, and escaped to the desk and chair near the window, trying to cool off.

...I couldn’t bear for him to see my crying face, so I clung to him, and now that I’m embarrassed to be close to him, I run off? Honestly, I’m such a mess of a horsegirl.

Even with the dim light behind me, I could still see how red my face looked in the glass reflection. I’d finally gotten to confirm my feelings with Tomio, just like I’d always wanted. Strangely enough, it happened pretty naturally. Or maybe it took way too long after things had already started leaning this way. Either way, I guess it’s safe to say I won the race of love, too.

Things didn’t go exactly the way I originally imagined. If anything, I was the one who got led on more often than not.

“...So, Tomio—since when did you start liking me?”

“From the beginning, I think?”

“Wh—so unfair! That’s totally cheating!”

“I honestly don’t know. I’ve always cherished you, that’s all.”

“...Seriously. You’re so unfair.”

Tomio followed me out onto the veranda and sat down leisurely in the chair across from me. His face, and even his neck, looked a little flushed. Realizing I wasn’t the only one embarrassed helped me relax, just a bit.

“...Me too.”

“Huh?”

“Honestly, I thought you were pretty great from the start. I don’t really know when exactly things started turning into this…”

“…………”

“…………”

“…………”

“Come on, say something. You’re making it more embarrassing.”

“A-Ahaha. Sorry.”

A silence settled over us—one that felt like a mixture of awkwardness and giddy warmth. If our eyes met, it made us smile shyly. But if we looked away, we wanted to peek back again. It was like being caught between two happy extremes.

But after a little while, we returned to being our usual selves. The strongest stayer and the trainer who’d supported her all along. Always somewhere between close and distant, like friends, like lovers, like just a normal trainer and horsegirl. That subtle, ambiguous distance we’d always maintained.

“…It was kind of embarrassing earlier, but things haven’t really changed that much.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s how it goes.”

“It’s more like… we were just confirming something that was already there.”

“Why do you sound so composed? You were the one who got all flustered and ran off.”

“S-Shut up.”

We’ll probably keep joking around like this, taking racing seriously like always. I doubt our relationship will change in any dramatic way.

It’ll just shift slowly, little by little, as time passes. Like the gradual move from being trainer and horsegirl—to becoming something more, like lovers. We’re in that in-between stage right now.

“I’ve trained so much, haven’t I?”

“Yeah.”

“I always pushed myself with the goal of running faster than anyone—faster than light itself… But someday, when I retire, when I’m no longer racing… I think I’d like to walk slowly with you. I don’t know why, but that thought makes me kind of happy.”

“…Yeah? That makes me happy too.”

“If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

“What even is that?”

“Hehe.”

“…Yeah. I’ve always been the one supporting your runs. But one day, in the far future… to walk beside you, nice and slow—that really might be something special.”

I look up at the moon floating outside the window.

It’s not a full moon, a half-moon, or a crescent—just a vague, nameless moon.

And yet, no matter its shape, the moon is beautiful.

“Hey… Tomio. Can I come over there?”

“Yeah.”

“Look—see? Isn’t the moon really pretty?”

“…Yeah. It’s beautiful.”

Nestled shoulder to shoulder with the one I love, I closed my eyes.

Caught between the biting cold that pricked at my skin and the warmth I felt through our entwined fingers.

In this space that he and I shared, eternity existed—no doubt, it drifted gently in the air—I truly believed that.

Time passed after that—

A gentle spring had arrived at a certain training academy somewhere in Europe. The coming of spring meant it was the season when aspiring horse girls donned their brand-new uniforms, filled with dreams.

The girls, clad in uniforms that still hung a bit loosely on their frames, stood ready. Though a demanding life awaited them—balancing intense training with rigorous academics—their eyes sparkled.

There was no need to explain why. Each of them held dreams of the Twinkle Series in their hearts. It was still a time when their admiration outweighed the harshness of reality.

Among them was one horse girl whose eyes shone more brightly than anyone else's.

She had flowing, dark bay-colored long hair. A single white star on her forehead stood out—a soft, gentle-looking girl.

She had a dream. A precious dream gifted to her by someone she admired.

And to make that dream come true, she had come to Tracen Academy.

The bay-haired horse girl stood before the door of a certain trainer's office.

The one who poked their head out from the other side was a trainer with vivid green eyes.

“…You’ve come.”

“Yes!”

It seemed the newcomer and the trainer were already acquainted. Sitting across from each other with a desk between them, the trainer picked up a binder and began quickly filling in a “Contract Agreement” form with a pen.

“Coming here means you know what that means. You’re ready—no turning back now, right?”

“I am!”

“…Really?”

“Yes!”

In the friendly girl’s eyes, something dazzling and sharp flickered.

A brilliant sparkle, like a snowflake catching the light.

Once upon a time, there was a girl who longed for grueling long-distance races.

A girl who challenged the world in search of that singular beauty that lies beyond the ultimate struggle.

That same girl now races for someone else’s dream.

“Good. Then just for formality’s sake… give us a quick self-introduction.”

Once, everyone thought the same thing.

Eternity doesn’t exist.

As living beings, we can never become something eternal.

There’s no escaping that law of nature—or so they believed.

And yet, there was a girl who wished to become eternal.

To be remembered, either as a record or in someone’s heart—forever.

And now, by betting everything on her dream, that girl has grasped a certain kind of eternity.

“Yes! My name is Yeats! And my dream is—!”

Let’s chase the dream.

Together with you.

Together with everyone.

As long as she chases her dream, the girl’s brilliance will never fade.

And so—

As long as they chase their dream, the two of them will remain eternal.