After Dream Weaver and T.M. Opera O finished cleaning the dance studio together, exchanged contact information, and said their goodbyes, the parent-teacher conference held in the gymnasium had long since ended.
Northern Starlight, who had been waiting at the school gate for quite some time, spotted her daughter and quickly waved to show where she was.
Once reunited with her mother, Dream Weaver and Northern Starlight left the school entrance together and headed toward the subway station.
However, there was actually another pair of mother and daughter still at the school gate.
King Halo, looking a bit disheveled, leaned against the gate.
Even though Dream Weaver had run off earlier, the four self-proclaimed "older sisters" weren't about to give up so easily.
To fight over who was truly Dream Weaver's real sister, King Halo and the others had gotten into quite a fierce scuffle.
Although it ended in a draw, King Halo couldn't help but come out looking a little worse for wear.
"Mom…"
"What happened to 'foolproof'?"
Even though they had reconciled earlier, years of underlying tension weren't so easily dissolved. When King Halo and Dancing Brave spoke before, there was still a bit of restraint between them.
But now, perhaps because the plan had failed and there were several new rivals competing for the "sister" position, King Halo's tone had become much more casual.
Feeling a bit embarrassed herself, Dancing Brave also leaned against the school gate. After an awkward cough, she replied, "Halo, what if I said this was just an unavoidable setback? Would you agree?"
Dancing Brave let out a sigh. She had just finished coming clean to Northern Starlight at the café, under the other woman's strange gaze.
At first, Northern Starlight had treated her like some kind of would-be criminal.
But after Dancing Brave explained about dreaming of another world, Northern Starlight's expression shifted to pure bewilderment.
It was as if she were thinking, 'This person went this far because of a dream?' Not being seen as a criminal but as an eccentric left Dancing Brave unsure whether to feel relieved or not.
"How could I possibly agree!"
"Didn't you say you were the one closest to Dream? That you had her contact info, even her home address and the reason she trains so hard? How could you not know her mom was coming to school today?!"
King Halo pressed on relentlessly. Her admiration for Dancing Brave was melting away like ice under the fierce summer sun, at an almost unbelievable speed.
"Even I can't hire someone to watch her hospital room around the clock… That really would make me a criminal suspect…"
Faced with her daughter's questioning, Dancing Brave could only offer a weak rebuttal.
"Then you should've done more homework before coming! From the time I called you until the parent-teacher meeting these past few days—don't tell me you didn't investigate anything at all?!"
King Halo said indignantly. If Dancing Brave had just glanced at the school forum before coming, today's embarrassing scene might never have happened.
The only explanation was overconfidence.
If the battle for Dream Weaver's attention was like the feudal lords vying for supremacy, then Dancing Brave—born into a renowned family with world-class prestige—was undoubtedly like the highly influential Yuan Shao, with his four generations of high ministers.
To her, facing a bunch of little Uma Musume who seemed inferior in every way, winning should have been a breeze.
She just never expected to end up in the same situation as Yuan Shao.
"Halo, you didn't exactly play your part today either…"
Shifting blame is an innate human instinct. Faced with King Halo's relentless questioning, even Dancing Brave couldn't help but defend herself a little.
Hearing this, King Halo gritted her teeth even harder. Stamping her foot in frustration, she said, "And whose fault do you think that is…"
If Dancing Brave hadn't made it sound like they were as close as sisters, why would she have gotten dragged into that free-for-all?
"Ahem."
Knowing this was one thing she couldn't possibly shift blame for, Dancing Brave coughed and averted her gaze before speaking again.
"At least, at least you could have reported the intel to me earlier, Halo! Then I wouldn't have made such a move!"
King Halo stiffened. This was also a blunder she couldn't pin on Dancing Brave. If she had overcome her awkwardness sooner and told the truth, today might not have turned out this way.
As the setting sun hung low on the horizon, casting a warm, fading glow over the scene, the mother-daughter duo of Dancing Brave stood side by side in silent understanding.
Before coming, they had spoken boldly with grand declarations; now, as the day drew to a close, only quiet resignation remained between them. In perfect, wordless harmony, they let out a soft, shared sigh.
Yet, this painful defeat unexpectedly drew the hearts of the mother and daughter a little closer.
King Halo, who had previously believed she could never catch up to her mother's shadow, no longer harbored that sense of inferiority after witnessing today's events.
Knowing that even her mother wasn't all-powerful, her tone when speaking to Dancing Brave became noticeably more relaxed—much more like that of an ordinary mother and daughter.
And through this experience, Dancing Brave also came to understand her own daughter better.
Especially seeing that four-way brawl for the title of "big sister," where King Halo single-handedly took on three opponents, had truly opened Dancing Brave's eyes.
Compared to herself, who had been forced to surrender by Northern Starlight, perhaps King Halo was even braver.
Watching the sun about to slip below the horizon, the two sighed in unison, and almost simultaneously said:
"Ah well, let's learn from this and do better next time."
"Ah well, let's learn from this and do better next time."
After speaking, Dancing Brave and King Halo exchanged a look of surprise, but soon smiled in a sort of understanding.
Truthfully, neither King Halo nor Dancing Brave were the type of Uma Musume to give up easily.
If they abandoned things at the first setback, King Halo could never have claimed a G1 victory and become a top-class racer after a string of defeats, and Dancing Brave certainly could never have become world-class.
A mere setback, for them, was instead the best fuel to spur them forward.
Failure was just failure—the mother of success. So long as they learned the lessons from each failure, success would surely come one day.
Before arriving, they had been overconfident—and pride goes before a fall. Now, having been humbled, they were determined—and a determined force is bound to triumph.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll turn down overseas work and focus on staying here," Dancing Brave suddenly announced.
Beside her, King Halo showed no surprise, simply adding, "Me too. I'll pay more attention to gathering information."
"Just like during a race, right? If you formulate tactics without even understanding your opponent's information, you're only setting yourself up for failure."
Looking at her determined daughter, Dancing Brave smiled.
Then she stretched her limbs slightly, patted King Halo's head, and continued, "But before we move forward, we still need to prepare properly. Adequate nutrition is also key to winning a race."
"It's been a while since we ate out together. What do you feel like having today?"
Dancing Brave jingled the car keys she'd pulled from her pocket, addressing King Halo.
King Halo placed her hands on her hips, declaring earnestly, "Of course, that top-tier steakhouse!"
"Only the best is worthy of us—the best mother-daughter duo!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.