The prep room was quiet.
Mejiro Ardan sat upright on the sofa, hands neatly folded atop her knees, her poise flawless.
Even after finishing a high-intensity G1 and completing the Tenno Sho Spring–Autumn double, not a single strand of her hair was out of place.
In those pale violet eyes, a gentle yet unshakably steadfast light shimmered.
Across from her—
The Mejiro family's former pinnacle, the legendary "Triple Tiara" Uma Musume, Mejiro Ramonu, stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a cabinet.
She stared at her little sister, her expression complicated.
The fragile piece of glass that once needed the family's careful protection had grown into a top-class Uma Musume—one who was no worse than Ramonu, perhaps even beyond her now.
Thinking back…
When she brought Kuroha home to meet their mother, Ardan had still been the kind of girl who'd blush if Ramonu teased her even a little.
And in the blink of an eye, that delicate silhouette was gone—replaced by the third ruler in history to achieve the Tenno Sho Spring–Autumn double.
Just a few short years, and everything had changed.
So this was what growth looked like.
Between them sat Mejiro McQueen, fidgety and unsure where to put her hands.
It wasn't because of any gap in strength or presence.
By Kuroha's evaluation, McQueen as she was now already rivaled Ardan at the height of her career.
It was simply that the atmosphere between her two oneechan was so subtle—and so heavy—that she didn't know how to exist inside it.
Kuroha, on the other hand, looked relaxed, arms folded as he leaned against the wall by the door.
A faint smile rested at the corner of his mouth as he watched this "Mejiro family internal meeting," with no intention of stepping in.
"Well done, Ardan."
After a long silence, Ramonu finally spoke. Her voice was still cool and dignified, but there was a softer edge to it now. "You won that Tenno Sho beautifully."
"That was only natural, Ramonu-oneechan."
Ardan dipped her chin slightly, her voice gentle. "Because I carry the name Mejiro… and I carry my Trainer's expectations as well."
"..."
Ramonu looked at her sister.
That confidence and strength, rooted deep down to the bone, barely resembled the Ardan of the past.
"True."
She let her arms fall and gave a quiet sigh.
After a short pause, her gaze flicked—almost imperceptibly—toward Kuroha at the wall, and she asked, "Then… how long do you plan to keep running?"
"!"
McQueen, who'd been listening intently, jolted.
She turned toward Ardan on instinct, a bad feeling surging up. The excitement she'd felt over her oneechan's victory dimmed in an instant.
But Ardan herself remained eerily calm.
"Next year."
She let out a light laugh, then raised a hand and pressed it gently over her chest—where her heart beat strong and steady.
The strength in her body was still at its peak. That vast, surging power of her Domain still answered her as easily as moving an arm, ready to burst forth at her will.
And yet—
That strange intuition couldn't be denied.
So this is what Chiyo King and the others felt back then… I can sense it a little now, too.
Ardan closed her eyes.
It felt like a flame inside her was slowly burning down, like her soul was settling into stillness little by little.
She could feel her own finish line with startling clarity—natural and inevitable, like autumn arriving and leaves falling at last.
"Three months," she said as she opened her eyes, voice calm. "Even if I don't run at all… that's already my limit."
"..."
Silence fell over the room like a curtain.
McQueen lowered her head slightly.
But the other two—Kuroha and Ramonu—showed no visible change, as if they'd both expected this all along.
"But."
A clear smile lifted Ardan's lips. She looked back at Kuroha, then at her two sisters beside her.
"I've already achieved my goals."
"The Tenno Sho double. Mejiro's long-held wish—I did it. As an Uma Musume, I have no regrets left."
Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Kuroha closed his eyes, expression blank.
A few days ago, March had already told him about her own condition—and Ardan's.
They had no intention of running the Arima Kinen.
Their glory was more than enough. They'd already taken everything they'd ever chased.
Rather than struggle through a finale while their bodies began to decline, they would turn away in their brightest moment.
That was the decision March and Ardan had reached together—two proud Uma Musume of Central.
…
After talking for a while, everyone led Ardan out to the winner's stage.
The lights flared.
Center stage, Ardan's smile shone brilliantly as she waved to the crowd below.
Cheers rolled in like a tide, blue penlights merging into a glittering sea.
Far up in the stands—
McQueen rested her hands on the railing and quietly watched the scene.
"It's so beautiful…" she whispered.
This was the summit.
This was the finish line Ardan-oneechan had reached—step by step—on legs that had once been fragile.
But this era was about to end.
"The next era… is mine."
McQueen murmured under her breath, voices from her Trainer and from countless senpai rising in her mind.
After a moment of silence, she looked down at her own palm.
Mejiro's wish. Chasing Light's glory. And the title of "strongest active."
Once the umbrella called "the old era" folded away, the storm would fall directly onto the third person of this new era.
"Pfft."
McQueen narrowed her eyes slightly.
A familiar large hand landed gently on the top of her head, then ruffled her hair.
"Mm… Trainer~"
"Yeah? Why aren't you watching Ardan's performance properly—getting all mopey over here instead?" Kuroha leaned in from the side, chuckling softly.
"…I'm not," McQueen muttered, cheeks warming as she avoided his eyes.
"Is that so?"
Kuroha didn't call her out. He simply pulled his hand back, draped his own arms over the railing, and looked out over that dazzling ocean of light below.
"If you think the burden's too heavy, I can share it with you."
"After all, I'm your Trainer."
Hearing that gentle voice beside her, McQueen felt her shoulders—tight without her even realizing—slowly loosen.
She turned her head and stared at Kuroha's profile, momentarily dazed.
"Though," Kuroha added with a grin, "if you don't want that, then next year—Teio's Classic Year—she might be able to take a bit of the 'Chasing Light ace' title off your shoulders."
McQueen snorted. "No way. I'm not letting Teio catch up to me."
Kuroha watched her, now bristling with renewed fighting spirit, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Good."
"Then work hard, McQueen."
"Go pluck that chrysanthemum."
"From here on out—this is your era."
McQueen's stubborn expression eased a little. She glanced at Kuroha, then looked down at Ardan shining on the stage below.
After a brief pause, she spoke softly.
"I will."
I'll carve this new era… with my name.
(End of Chapter)
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