Chapter 135: My Small-Scale Miracle

The grass at her feet swayed in the wind.

A quiet, gentle prairie stretched all the way to the horizon.

At the very center of that world, she stood.

"Ah… I can hear it."

When she pressed her clenched fist to her chest, a blue flame kindled there.

Hotter than red—a color capable of burning everything to ash.

The heat surging up from her heart was fierce enough to consume even herself.

"The voices… that will set me ablaze."

She swung her arm in a single sweeping motion.

The flames scattered, spreading across the entire prairie.

Her once-chill world filled with blue fire and searing heat.

Grass became flame. Green became blue.

The stage reset, and the world transformed into something entirely different.

From a quiet, gentle place… into one that was fierce, violent, and razor-sharp.

And yet, more than anything, it was the world she herself had wished for.

"This is the path I, Hoshino Wilm, will walk."

Amid the roaring inferno of the prairie, Hoshino Wilm—clad in deep ultramarine racing silks—launched forward, wreathed in blue fire.

Her world. Her memories. Her past. Her experiences.

Everything she possessed—she cast it into the furnace as fuel.

"I’ll trample over it all, turn it all into strength, and now… I’ll run ahead of everyone!!"

==========================

A shiver ran down my spine.

…So this is it.

This is the true essence of Hoshino Wilm’s second Domain.

The landscape of her heart as it stands now.

The moment you see it, you understand. You can’t help but understand.

She’s burning her entire life as fuel—staking the meaning of her very existence on this race.

For her, life itself exists for the sake of running in this very moment.

The run she can produce right now is the culmination of every day she’s ever lived.

A run with her life on the line—

No. That’s not quite right.

It’s more accurate to say she’s wagering her entire life on this single run.

…I see.

No wonder I could never beat her until now.

I wasn’t truly serious.

Or rather, I thought I was—but compared to her, I’d been naïve.

I believed I was throwing everything I’d built into my racing.

But at most, that meant running in selection races, hitting my growth phase, and training under my Trainer.

In the end, it was only the accumulation of two short years since entering Tracen Academy.

She, on the other hand, was fundamentally different.

What she was unleashing was the entirety of her life.

Born, raised—everything she had built, she poured into her stride.

I remember what Wilm told me last year.

That she’d been running since she was little. That she was the kind of Uma Musume who had nothing but running.

Only now do I feel, in my bones, how true those words were.

From the moment she became aware of herself, she must have been running with the same intensity I’ve only managed for this past month.

In that chilly prairie, she trained obsessively, relentlessly—so much it bordered on fixation.

The sheer density of that experience is beyond imagination.

So this is simply a matter of volume.

Two years of hard work versus over ten years of desperate, life-or-death effort.

Which is greater? Which wins?

It’s so obvious it hardly needs saying.

And the real problem is this: I can’t just “bet my life too” by copying Wilm.

After seeing that Domain, the seriousness of the lives we’ve lived is on entirely different levels.

If my fuel is lower in both quantity and quality, I’d only end up a pale imitation—unable even to compete.

In the end, I have to defeat Wilm with my own strength.

Ahead of me, Wilm—running within her blue flames—visibly accelerates.

Opening a Domain to gain speed isn’t unheard of.

But recovering stamina on top of accelerating like that? That’s practically cheating.

She has absurd stamina, the technique to conserve her legs, the audacity to shatter a race with a frontrunning breakaway, a razor-sharp finishing kick, and a Domain beyond reason.

And most of those abilities weren’t talent—they were forged through effort.

It’s beyond envy or jealousy now. I can only be stunned.

…Still, I can’t afford to stand there stunned.

Because right now, I’m chasing her back.

---

"—!!"

At the third corner of the Kyoto Racecourse, on the downhill slope of Yodo, I begin my all-out acceleration.

The third corner feels like the final phase of the race, but counting the curve and the straight, there are still 800 meters left.

And we’re on a steep downhill curve. If I accelerate too hard here, I’ll be pushed off the optimal racing line—or burn through the stamina I need for what remains.

But Wilm has opened a huge gap.

If I’m going to close it, waiting for the final straight or the fourth corner won’t be enough.

Like Nature in last year’s Kikuka Sho, I have to make the downhill my ally… or I won’t win.

That’s right.

Even after witnessing a Domain like that, I haven’t given up on victory.

Wilm’s strength is overwhelming—something I don’t possess.

Ridiculous natural gifts on top of over a decade of desperate effort, throwing every ounce of that experience at me—

Facing that head-on is almost impossible to win.

But “almost impossible” isn’t the same as “impossible.”

At least, my instincts are telling me not to give up.

Her speed with the Domain active is incredible—but my full-power finishing kick should still be faster.

It depends on how long she can maintain that Domain, and how cleanly I can run from here.

Even if it’s not realistic, the probability of victory still exists.

So I can’t give up.

No… I won’t give up!

"TOKAI TEIO has made her move! Just past the 800-meter marker, Tokai Teio makes her move! She’s surging forward, looking to close the gap in one go! 700 meters remaining—uncharted territory from here for Tokai Teio!

Hoshino Wilm and Mejiro McQueen are responding as well—this is the decisive moment! Just over 300 meters to go—can Hoshino Wilm hold on and escape!?"

Wilm’s back still looks far away.

It feels like she could cross the finish at any second.

But… even so.

I close my eyes for a single heartbeat.

Behind my eyelids, the runs of countless Uma Musume flood back.

The gallant figure racing with a pounding heart.

An explosive force that could only be called monstrous.

A furious charge overtaking one rival after another.

A Speed Star’s elegant breakaway.

A king’s checkmate that nearly sealed victory.

And… the dragon’s all-or-nothing finishing kick that has made me taste defeat time and time again.

Wilm.

If you’re going to throw your entire life at me—

Then I’ll use everything I’ve seen.

The techniques I’ve observed, studied, practiced, stolen—never fully mastered, only reproduced in flashes of improvisation.

It feels like fighting in borrowed armor, and it’s infuriating.

But if I’m going to defeat you—if I’m going to run on equal or greater footing—this is my only path.

"T-Tokai Teio! It’s Tokai Teio!! Tokai Teio is charging in!!

With terrifying speed, she’s devouring the gap, blowing past the front pack in an instant and charging into the final straight!! Is this the Emperor’s true strength!? Three lengths to Mejiro McQueen! Six lengths to Hoshino Wilm!! Transcending the limits of aptitude, the Emperor reaches for her first crown!!

Don’t lose, Hoshino Wilm! Don’t lose, Mejiro McQueen! And don’t lose, Tokai Teio!! 200 meters to go!!!"

I cut sharply left and right, slipping past the other Uma Musume.

Now the only ones in my sight are Wilm far ahead—and McQueen just in front of me.

I can do this.

At this rate, I can overtake McQueen and close in on Wilm.

…But perhaps that thought itself was a trigger.

The instant it crosses my mind, the scenery shifts.

As if switching from Wilm’s world of blue flames—

A white sky rushes toward us from the front.

It is a dream of downfall.

Falling from grace. Decline. Defeat. Collapsing before fulfilling a long-cherished wish.

As if embodying that vision, she plummets from the sky.

Though she is now called a flawless star performer, Mejiro McQueen has endured many failures and setbacks.

Foremost among them was last year’s Tenno Sho (Spring).

A tragic race where she carried the expectations of countless fans and the Mejiro family’s long-held dream—yet failed to win.

…And yet, that fall does not last.

When she opens her closed eyes, red feathers drift before her.

The color of a certain Uma Musume’s first racing outfit—the one who inspired her to rise again.

And perhaps also the color worn by the rival she has long regarded—me.

When she clutches them to her chest, wings sprout from her back.

Wings that can carry her anywhere through the sky.

Or perhaps… wings meant to let her race alongside her rivals on the turf.

"With these wings, I shall soar ever higher!"

And so, she reaches out.

Further ahead. Further still.

Yearning—burning—for victory, glory, and triumph over her rivals.

---

McQueen deploys her second Domain.

Seeing it for the first time, I immediately understand: it is a Domain of rebirth.

A heartscape born from grief and downfall, rising to take flight.

As though literal wings have grown from her back, she surges forward, her speed climbing sharply.

It is almost certainly a simple, speed-type Domain.

Unlike the complex manifestations of the Chairman or Wilm, this straightforward effect suits McQueen’s physically focused style perfectly.

…And precisely because it is simple, it is powerful.

The gap between McQueen and me shrinks all at once.

As expected of an Uma Musume’s ultimate secret art—the effect of a Domain is overwhelming.

Right now, McQueen is so fast that even using everything at my disposal, I might not be able to overtake her.

If I can’t pass McQueen, I can’t pass Wilm.

At this rate, I’ll lose this race without accomplishing anything.

I hate that.

I want to win. Against her. Against them.

So—

"The one who’s going to win… is me!!"

Facing my rivals, I hurl the pounding of my heart and the surging heat inside me into reality.

---

What repaints my vision is a scorched, barren wasteland.

It’s the second time I’ve seen this scenery—since that day at the Osaka Hai.

By nature, it resembles McQueen’s Domain: one born from setback and the vow to rise again.

Within it, I can run far faster than either McQueen or Wilm.

…And yet—

"It’s not enough."

This still isn’t enough.

At this rate, she’ll escape again—and it’ll be over.

Heat from a parched earth can’t defeat that all-consuming blue flame.

I can’t match that temperature… the near-lethal fighting instinct of a girl who feeds her entire life into the furnace as she runs.

But what am I supposed to do?

There’s no greater heat inside me than this.

The fire within Tokai Teio cannot surpass Hoshino Wilm’s.

Even if I steal and recklessly use the techniques of countless Uma Musume, when it comes to the fundamental temperature of the soul—the total heat of a lifetime—I can’t beat her.

And if that’s the case, then in a Domain that so strongly reflects the heart, I shouldn’t be able to surpass her either…

"Still not enough."

Even so, I can’t give up.

I’ve come this far.

On a battlefield overwhelmingly stacked against me, I’ve used everything available and pushed to within one step.

Of course, there’s a price.

My head feels like it’s splitting from overuse.

Maybe I’m not getting enough oxygen—my vision warps and wavers.

My legs have long since lost sensation, even if they no longer hurt.

My lungs feel broken, greedily demanding air, my throat rattling with every breath.

I’m battered beyond belief. So worn down it’s hard to even remain upright.

And yet, I won’t stop my legs. I don’t want to stop.

Because I want to win.

This time, I want to deliver the best run imaginable, compete head-on with her—and win.

So—

"Hotter… burn hotter!!"

In that instant—

From the scorched, barren earth beneath me, the stored heat erupts upward as flames.

But this heat—

It didn’t come from me.

Half-dazed, I felt fire and a wave of heat slam into my back.

And then—

I heard voices.

"Teio, don’t lose!"

"Show us a comeback!"

"You can do it! Overtake them!!"

I heard them.

So many voices cheering for me.

Their heat burned far hotter than anything inside me—and pushed me forward.

And then I was lifted skyward.

"Just a little more!"

"At this pace…!"

"I want to see Teio win!"

"Take your first major title at the Tenno Sho!"

"Show us a miracle!"

"Go, Tokai Teio!!"

…With that final cry, I finally understood.

This was what I had overlooked.

Ah… I really am an idiot.

Trying to challenge Wilm with “everything I can use”—trying to fight her alone—had been the wrong premise from the start.

I have so many allies.

Refusing to rely on them—refusing to fight together with them—was beyond foolish.

Maybe their number can’t rival Wilm’s or McQueen’s.

Even so… they’re this strong.

The flames blasting into my back gather, taking shape.

Wings larger and stronger than the ones I gained at the Osaka Hai.

Wings resembling McQueen’s—yet unmistakably mine.

No… our wings.

Ah. With these, I can go.

There are only 200 meters left—

But from here, the real race begins!!

"Tokai Teio’s run… starts now!!!"

And with that, I—

Reached out my hand toward the distant star.

I heard the sound of wind being torn apart.

It was much later that I realized it had been the sound of my own acceleration.

Already on the brink of collapse, I had opened a Domain that demanded extreme concentration—so it seems even my thoughts had finally surpassed their limit.

It’s hard just to stay conscious. I can’t even properly perceive the other Uma Musume anymore.

And yet, my desire to defeat her hasn’t faded in the slightest.

The urge to run further ahead explodes, scorching my heart and driving my legs.

So within my whitening vision, toward a finish line that feels both impossibly near and endlessly far—

With everything I have—

"Gah, aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!"

I run.

I run.

I run—

And then, at last—

"…So, you finally caught up to me, huh."

For a fleeting instant, I think I hear that familiar voice.

---

Before I know it, I’m lying flat on the ground.

Above me stretches a distant blue sky streaked with drifting white clouds.

Far beyond my reach, they move quietly on, indifferent to the fact that I’ve collapsed beneath them.

Combined with the warming air, it all feels strangely peaceful.

…Well, my lungs are still throbbing and screaming for oxygen. My legs feel like solid logs. My mind is foggy. There’s nothing peaceful about the state I’m in—it’s awful.

"Haa… haa… whew…"

Even so, I can’t help thinking—I really gave it everything.

There wasn’t a single ounce more I could have run.

This past month, I did absolutely everything I could.

I piled effort upon effort, stole every technique I could get my hands on, and poured all of it into this race.

To overcome the twin walls of poor aptitude and insufficient stamina, I trained as hard and as efficiently as possible with my Trainer.

And in the race itself, I left nothing unused.

The race unfolded cleanly. I made zero mistakes. It should have been a perfect run.

If anything, with everyone pushing me from behind, I might have even drawn out power beyond Tokai Teio’s natural limits.

I couldn’t have run better than that.

There probably isn’t a better race I could ever run.

And that’s… what makes it disappointing.

Of course, the exact same race can never happen again.

It’s not just that I might not be able to reproduce that run—

McQueen is already in her second senior year. She could move on to the Dream Trophy at any time.

And Wilm, as we saw in last year’s Takarazuka Kinen, has physical limits too.

There’s no guarantee the three of us will ever run this race together again next year.

And even if we could… I don’t think I could produce a better run than this.

If I was ever going to defeat both of them perfectly, it had to be this race—

…No. That’s not it.

It’s not that I’m disappointed because I might not win.

It’s just—

"…Just a little… more…"

Maybe I just wanted to run with them a little longer.

It was a brutal race.

Not a single second to relax. My head burned the entire time. It felt like hell.

And yet, that intensity—that ferocity—was so… so much fun.

It was fulfilling. Exhilarating. My heart pounded. It was unbearably fun.

This incredibly high-level game of tag with my rivals, deciding who was faster.

So even though it hurts so much, even though I can barely breathe, the fact that my time running with those two is over—and that I might never get another chance to race them like this again—

That’s what feels so disappointing.

"Teio, are you all right?"

As I lie there staring vaguely at the blue sky, someone calls down to me.

"…Mc…Queen."

Into my blue-and-white vision drifts her silver hair and eyes filled with concern—along with something more complicated.

McQueen… she looks composed.

At least compared to me.

After running that distance, she’s still standing. Still able to call out to someone.

…Yeah. In long-distance races, I can’t beat her.

"You’re amazing, McQueen."

"What are you saying? Is that sarcasm?"

"Sarcasm…?"

I take the hand she extends and somehow manage to sit up.

That’s when the roar finally reaches my ears.

When I look around, the spectators in the stands are all staring at us, shouting something.

It’s too chaotic to make out individual words…

But I can just barely tell they’re calling my name—and Wilm’s.

"…………?"

"That reaction… I see. You were that focused.

Teio, look at the board."

The board.

The massive electronic display announcing the official placings.

When I lift my gaze toward it—

First place: Number 9, Hoshino Wilm.

Second place: Number 18, me.

And between those two positions…

The word: "Photo."

"…Huh?"

Photo.

Photo finish.

In other words, the battle had been so fierce it couldn’t be decided by the naked eye.

As I struggle to process that, McQueen kneels beside me and speaks.

"A complete defeat, Teio. In this 3200-meter Tenno Sho, I never imagined I would be made to taste the dirt so cleanly… It seems Wilm-san’s words were correct."

"Wilm’s…?"

"She never doubted that you would surge forward. No matter how impossible it seemed in theory, she believed you could create a miracle. …And just as she said, you passed me beautifully."

McQueen’s tone is calm, but—

When I look closer, her fists are clenched so tightly they might draw blood.

She’s said it many times.

For the Mejiro Uma Musume, the Tenno Sho shield is their deepest wish. After losing last year’s Tenno Sho (Spring), there would be no forgiveness for a second defeat.

For her, this was a defining battlefield.

And losing not just to Wilm—who had the proper aptitude—but to me, who didn’t… that must have wounded her pride deeply.

I almost say, "You never know about next time."

But I stop myself.

Saying that would insult the sincerity with which she fought.

And besides… I don’t even know if I’ll get another chance to run like this.

As I struggle to find the right words, a single set of footsteps approaches us.

Even after 3200 meters, there isn’t the slightest disorder in that stride.

There’s no need to guess who it belongs to.

"Teio."

…Hoshino Wilm.

Unlike me, who feels like collapsing any second, Wilm looks completely composed. As if she could easily run another 1000 meters from here if asked.

You can see it in her bright expression.

After every race, she smiles in satisfaction—

But today, that smile is even more vivid than usual.

She trots over and suddenly grabs both my hands, shaking them enthusiastically.

"Teio, Teio—ah, Tokai Teio! You were incredible! As expected of Tokai Teio!!"

There isn’t a trace of frustration or bitterness on her face—not even at the possibility that she might have lost.

Only gratitude and excitement toward the rival who pushed her to the limit and made the race unforgettable.

"Honestly, when you didn’t close in until the final corner, I started to wonder—but that finishing kick was spectacular! I mean, how were you faster than me even after I was already spurring?! Just how much training have you done?! I shouldn’t be the one saying this, but your absorption and mental strength are outrageous! There’s nothing to do but applaud!"

Her words crash over me like a storm, and my not-quite-recovered brain starts to throb.

She’s praising me… I think.

But it’s such an emotional torrent that processing it all right now is a bit much.

Thankfully, she notices my condition and blinks.

"Ah, sorry. I’ll calm down.

…In any case, it was an excellent run. Truly worthy of Tokai Teio—the Uma Musume who creates miracles."

"Ah… yeah. Thanks."

To be honest, even being praised right now feels strange.

It’s like my mind hasn’t fully caught up with reality.

This is the first time Wilm has acknowledged my run like this.

Which means I really did push her that far.

Or rather—

It was a photo finish.

Right?

The fact that it went to a photo finish means I got closer to Wilm than ever before.

And… it also means the result still hasn’t been decided yet, right?

…Did I win?

Did I… maybe beat Wilm?

Could that… really be possible?

No, I mean—I’m sure I ran the best race I possibly could. I truly believe that. But still…

But… I see.

I finally reached her.

I finally made it far enough to stand right beside her.

Just as my thoughts begin catching up with reality, Wilm’s chatter flares up again in front of me.

"Someday, I knew this might happen… but you’ve finally caught up to me, haven’t you? As expected of Tokai Teio! You truly are my greatest rival!

And of course, McQueen-san was monstrously strong too! To start your spurt that early and still have the stamina to last—terrifying, honestly! I planned to put a full length between us, but I could only manage half a length. It was absolutely incredible!"

"Thank you for the praise… however, I entered this race intending to win without fail. To be the only one clearly defeated… if I’m honest, the frustration outweighs anything else."

"That’s a fantastic kind of frustration! The bitterness of defeat becomes a spring, after all! I’m even more excited for the next time I get to race you, McQueen-san! Please corner me even harder next time!"

When I hear words like “next time” and “when we race again,” the light, floating feeling in my chest sinks just a little.

McQueen will probably aim for the next Tenno Sho and return from autumn onward. But Wilm will head overseas in autumn for an international campaign. As for me… I’m scheduled to take a break to recover from the Osaka Hai and Tenno Sho—and to grow stronger.

When will the three of us be able to race together again?

…Maybe that chance will never come again.

The highest wall imaginable. The strongest rivals imaginable. The fiercest race imaginable.

A race where all those conditions aligned—and I could challenge it with such joy… maybe there won’t be another.

While I’m thinking that, Wilm smiles at me.

"Hey, let’s make a promise. The three of us—promise!"

"A promise?"

"Yes! Let’s have a rematch at the Takarazuka next month! This time I’ll win decisively!"

She grins like an innocent child, saying something completely unreasonable. Before I know it, McQueen and I exchange glances and laugh.

"My apologies, but I will be retraining until the Autumn Tenno Sho. Having lost under these conditions, I would have no chance of winning if we raced again immediately."

"As for me… I need to recover from the Osaka Hai and Tenno Sho first. And I want to get even stronger. I probably won’t be able to race for… about half a year."

"W-What!? I have the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in autumn! If we miss the Takarazuka, I won’t get to race you two for ages! That’s torture!"

I’m not entirely sure what she means by “torture,” but Wilm clenches both fists and flails them up and down in frustration, letting out a wordless groan before muttering to herself.

"Then autumn… no, they said the Tenno Sho might be tricky, and to hold back for the Japan Cup… ughhh…"

Seeing such childishness from a rival who had just been overwhelmingly strong feels like someone gently pulled the thorns from my heart.

Besides, Wilm usually markets herself as cool and composed in front of fans. Is it really okay for her to show this side? Though at this point, maybe it doesn’t matter.

After tilting her head back and forth in thought, she finally seems to find an answer she can accept. She nods firmly and looks at us.

"I’ve got it! This year’s Arima Kinen! Let’s race the three of us again at the Arima Kinen! This time I won’t let you catch me—I’ll crush you completely!"

That’s a brutally straightforward declaration of war.

Next time, she’ll win. We should show up prepared to lose.

It makes something in me twitch…

But more than that—

For the first time, I truly understand how Wilm feels.

How much fun it would be to race again—just the three of us.

And in that next race, I’ll win by a landslide.

So—

"...Sure. But next time, I’m the one taking a complete victory!"

"Indeed. As a Mejiro horse girl, I shall challenge you fairly and squarely."

The three of us seal that promise.

The same race will never be held again.

This Tenno Sho (Spring) is over. Its result can’t be overturned. Its process can’t be relived.

Time flows like a river—it never runs backward.

…but.

I believe we can create a race even better than this one.

With that belief, each of us begins walking our own short-yet-long moratorium toward the end of the year.

---

Tenno Sho (Spring).

The photo finish review to determine first place continues for over twenty minutes.

After that unusually long deliberation, a single conclusion is announced—

Hoshino Wilm and Tokai Teio: dead heat for first place.

Not even centimeters could separate them. It becomes the first G1 race in Twinkle Series history to end with a tie for first.

Afterward, I’m called things like “the miraculous horse girl who shattered the wall of aptitude head-on” and “the only active Twinkle Series horse girl who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Hoshino Wilm.” I receive a bit of attention for it…

But honestly, I can’t quite call it a miracle. It feels incomplete.

After all, I beat McQueen at the Tenno Sho—but I didn’t beat Wilm.

A tie means we’re side by side. Our win and loss still hasn’t been decided.

And that’s exactly why—

I raise my voice proudly toward the microphone in my post-race interview.

This time, it isn’t empty bravado. It’s my new goal.

"I’m not going to just be dazzled by the light of the stars anymore! At the Arima Kinen, I’m going for a complete victory!

Everyone, look forward to it!"