Orfevre—that name had been echoing in Dream Weaver's ears ever since she first entered this scripted world. She'd heard it countless times from countless people, and had always regarded Orfevre as her most formidable rival.
But only now did she finally understand why Chizuru Haibara had been so terrified by Orfevre's frightening rate of improvement.
In just a little over a month, Orfevre had actually managed to raise one of her core attributes to S-rank.
And that was counting from after the Satsuki Sho—if measured from the moment Dream Weaver had spoken those words of encouragement to Orfevre, it had taken her less than a month.
Even if her attribute had already been at A-rank before, this kind of progress was nothing short of astonishing.
Witnessing such rapid growth, no wonder so many people had pinned their hopes of breaking the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe curse on Orfevre.
She truly possessed world-class innate talent.
Raindrops fell against Dream Weaver's face, and she could've sworn she felt a scorching heat from them—no, it wasn't the rain that was burning, but—
Her own heartbeat?
In that moment, all sounds—from the track, from beyond the track—faded into insignificance. The only thing Dream Weaver could hear was the pounding of her own heart.
That thrilling rhythm.
Was she… actually feeling excited?
But why? Orfevre's power had exceeded her expectations, lowering her own chances of victory—so why did she feel excited?
Yet deep down, Dream Weaver knew: this was an instinct carved into the very nature of every Uma Musume—a longing for a powerful rival.
It had been that way with T.M. Opera O, it was that way with Orfevre, and now, Dream Weaver was no exception.
But, clenching her teeth, Dream Weaver poured all her effort into calming the turbulent emotions in her heart, stepping forward through the rain toward her starting gate.
She'd already been far too self-indulgent in this scripted world. If she could previously justify encouraging Orfevre by telling herself she 'just couldn't stand to watch,' then now, she absolutely wouldn't allow herself to be so reckless again.
Dream Weaver had never forgotten what had supported her all this time. She needed to complete the main mission, to earn SP points to exchange for that precious Hope Gem to wake her mother.
Orfevre's abnormal improvement had become a heavy pressure, forcing Dream Weaver to cast aside this so-called Uma Musume instinct.
She knew the consequences of following that instinct—Uma Musume would yearn for stronger rivals to awaken the power hidden deep within them. T.M. Opera O was like that; why else would she have invited Dream Weaver to sprint together in the middle of a race?
T.M. Opera O wanted nothing more than to run on the same track as a rival who could match her. And now, Orfevre was the same—she'd already likened the Japan Derby to a banquet, which proved that subconsciously, she too was looking forward to a showdown with Dream Weaver.
But such a showdown came with risks, and Dream Weaver didn't want those risks.
The only thing she wanted now was to win.
Before she knew it, Dream Weaver had stepped into her own starting gate.
She took a deep breath. Because of Orfevre's growth rate, Dream Weaver had already secretly made up her mind during her earlier reflections.
Her original strategy had to be executed even more aggressively. If she were to step onto the track with the same mindset as T.M. Opera O—hoping for her rival to grow stronger—then Orfevre would undoubtedly improve at an astonishing pace.
Dream Weaver closed her eyes, blocking out all sound, pouring her entire focus into her heart.
Tokyo Racecourse, the rain, closing her eyes before the gate—it was as if she had returned to that moment of regression.
There, Dream Weaver didn't need to consider anything else.
The only thing she needed was victory.
BANG!
A gunshot tore through the continuous rain like thunder. Eighteen gates flew open simultaneously, and eighteen sets of hooves instantly churned the turf as they charged onto the track.
The spectators and commentators, who had been waiting with bated breath, all turned their eyes to the front, searching for that crimson figure they dreamed of.
But this time, that red streak was not at the front.
Instead, it was—
"At the very back?! Number six, Dream Weaver, is actually behind all the other Uma Musume?! Could she have had a bad start?"
Before Sugimoto Kentaro's exclamation had even finished, Rin Akasaka, who had been watching Dream Weaver the whole time, cut in with a denial.
"No, I've been keeping an eye on Dream Weaver's movements. She didn't have a bad start—she deliberately chose this position."
"But…"
"Why would she choose that? Is she planning a Great Chase?"
Even Rin Akasaka, who had watched all of Dream Weaver's races, was deeply puzzled. In her memory, Dream Weaver had always led from the front.
Even if she wasn't using her Great Escape this time, she should at least maintain a front-runner's position, or at the very least, be among the forward group.
But instead, Dream Weaver had fallen to the very back of the pack?
Rin wasn't the only one confused. The stands erupted in murmurs of bewilderment.
Among the crowd, spectators with keen insights into racing began to discuss.
"Generally speaking, an Uma Musume has varying adaptability to different tactics. Those who make it to the Japan Derby usually know their own strengths very well."
Tamamo Cross murmured in the crowd, and beside her, Oguri Cap continued.
"That's right. Take Orfevre, for example—she's clearly an Uma Musume suited to mid-pack or chasing tactics. This race, she's chosen to position herself at the very tail of the mid-pack group."
They both let out a puzzled hum.
"But Dream Weaver has never shown adaptability to any other running style before."
"Is this a secret weapon she's been hiding until now? Or maybe…"
Not far from them, the same questions were on the lips of everyone from Kasamatsu Tracen. They looked expectantly at Chizuru Haibara and Kitahara, hoping the trainers would have an answer.
"I'm not Dream's trainer, how should I know?"
Kitahara Jo scratched his head irritably and turned to Chizuru Haibara.
"Chizuru, is this some kind of secret trump card you prepared for Dream?"
"After all, her opponent is Orfevre. It would be disadvantageous to stick to the same tactic… but is such an extreme change really necessary?"
Just as Kitahara was trying to convince himself, he noticed that Chizuru Haibara also wore a look of complete confusion.
"I've trained Dream in other running styles, but we never specifically practiced Great Chase tactics. Why would she suddenly choose this style?"
While those outside the track were baffled by Dream Weaver's sudden change in tactics, they had no idea that on the track, Dream Weaver had already taken even more radical action.
The moment she left the starting gate, she had already activated her [Zone].
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T/N: Type Moon x Multiverse Fic Up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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