"How did you know?" The moment the words left her mouth, Kousei realized she had misspoken.
Until now, only Manhattan Cafe had been able to see the figure Kousei had glimpsed. Yet this Amel, who had appeared out of nowhere, had suddenly brought it up, making Kousei deeply suspicious.
"How should I put this... It's all ancient history now, old news. Even so, I feel I must explain it to you clearly.
"I imagine you're not entirely incurious about why the Central Committee is targeting you, are you?"
Truth be told, Kousei was curious. Morgan had mentioned it before, but Kousei had been too angry at the time to listen.
What truly frustrated her, though, was why everyone else seemed to know while she was the only one left in the dark.
"No need to make that face. It's perfectly normal that you don't know. How could you possibly hear such news while you're right in the heart of Central?"
"Fine," Kousei shrugged nonchalantly, gesturing for Amel to continue.
"The blood of the Rebel flows through your veins. Long ago, in a distant era, the series of races wasn't called the URA; it was known as the Eight Major Races."
"Your ancestor was active during that era. As the Central Committee grew in power and the URA was established, they effectively seized absolute control. Naturally, their rule sparked widespread discontent, though I don't know the full details.
"Your ancestor challenged the Central Committee's authority and was defeated, forced to leave Central. So when you reappeared in Central, they immediately recognized your lineage. All their actions have been aimed at forcing you out, making you give up."
"That's it?" Kousei asked, utterly bewildered.
"A simple, crude conspiracy," Amel said casually. "A born destroyer, a force that upends everything. That's how they described your ancestor back then. Even after all these years, they still fear her bloodline."
"All for something so... trivial?"
Kousei didn't know what expression to make. For days, she had imagined all sorts of reasons for what had happened. But to think that Tachyon's legs could no longer run because of such a ridiculously petty reason...
"Just because the blood of the Rebel flows through me, even though I knew nothing about it?" Kousei murmured, unsure if she was asking Amel or herself.
"Kousei, those in power are always so petty. Power makes people lose themselves. You'll never understand."
Kousei remained silent. She would have preferred a more earth-shattering reason rather than facing this mundane reality. When something is too absurd, you can't even laugh.
"So... did Mother go through the same thing?"
"As far as I know, yes."
Kousei needed a moment to process, trying to sort through her thoughts.
"If that's the case, why didn't the Central Committee just come after me? Why target my friends?" Kousei finally voiced the question that had plagued her for years.
"Because they already tried that—on your mother. Physical attacks couldn't break you, so they decided to break your spirit instead."
"I see... Because I'm so healthy," Kousei said with a self-deprecating laugh. During the Takarazuka Incident, she alone had emerged unscathed, which made her seem all the more guilty.
"Exactly. You're healthy. But that health didn't come without a cost."
"What do you mean?"
Amel's expression turned serious. "This is the real reason I came to find you. Explaining the cause of all this was just a whim.
"Kousei, how many years has it been since your debut?"
"This is my fourth year."
"That's not a short time. Most Umamusume, if they're lucky, would be retiring around now."
"I don't understand what you're getting at."
"How long has it been since you last saw Her in your consciousness?"
Kousei paused, as if trying to recall something. "I've rarely seen her since the Japan Cup. I only caught a glimpse of her recently. But... it was less like a meeting and more like she just flashed through my mind."
"Just as I thought." Amel seemed even more certain of her theory. She stared into Kousei's eyes. "Listen to me. Stop racing."
"What? Why so sudden?" Kousei was naturally unwilling to accept Amel's abrupt demand.
"Your strategies and confrontations are so bold because your recovery is astonishing. But have you ever considered what would happen if, one day, you were no longer healthy?"
Kousei began to sense something was wrong, her expression darkening.
"You've been injured so many times, yet you've always recovered miraculously. You're incredibly confident in your health. But despite that, you sustained an incurable injury at the Spring Tenno Sho."
"What you possess isn't health, but love."
The contents of the second videotape flashed through Kousei's mind. The image of their parting—her back turned—had never been so clear.
"A resolute mother, after her child was born, prayed to the Three Goddesses, wishing for her descendants to grow up safely. Because of all she had suffered, she wanted them to be free from harm.
"Even though that love later twisted into a curse, becoming the source of her descendants' suffering. Everything has a price. Her own will persisted within the bloodline, guarding each newborn generation long after her death.
"She bore all the pain, all the injuries. The river of time eroded her will, and she began to fade. Now, I can confirm it completely: she is dead."
"Dead?" Kousei felt as if she'd been struck by lightning.
"You will start getting injured. You will suffer from injuries and illnesses just like any other mortal. That same final sprint—using it again will bring you immense pain.
"It's a shame, but all your efforts up to now have been in vain. You won't have the chance to start over. It's too late."
"But... I was always just an ordinary person..." Kousei murmured, her voice barely audible.
Kousei's mind was in turmoil. The revelation had struck her with overwhelming force. The opponent she now faced was one she couldn't possibly defeat without giving it her all—and beyond the NAU, the Arc de Triomphe still awaited her.
She didn't know how to process it. Her mind went completely blank.
"You moved too fast, so you left all the things you took for granted behind."
Sudden realization dawned on Kousei.
"So that's how it was."
Everything had been foreshadowed all along: why her eye had taken so long to heal, why she hadn't seen her in her consciousness since then, why Doctor Takuya had insisted she rest despite her feeling perfectly fine.
"Doctor Takuya must have noticed something was wrong with me long ago."
It was her own body, yet Kousei hadn't noticed a thing. Just as Amel had said, she had moved too fast, lost in the thrill of her rapid rise. The arrogance that had quietly festered had consumed her reason. She had been an accomplice in killing herself.
Everything she once possessed had vanished in some careless gust of wind.
And it had to be now, at the most critical moment. This devastating blow felt like a wake-up call for her deluded self.
"Withdraw. For your own sake, and for the NAU's."
"For the NAU's sake?"
"You're a superstar with the eyes of the world on you, carrying the immense hopes of the NAU. But in your current state, you absolutely cannot win. Don't suffer a crushing defeat only to be left covered in wounds.
"The higher you climb, the harder you fall.
"Central is a prime example. They chased the unattainable dream of the Arc de Triomphe. After countless defeats, no one expects them to win it anymore.
"So many Central Umamusume have thrown themselves at the Arc de Triomphe, one after another. They gave their all, only to return home without a shred of comfort. Central has become a stagnant pool of despair.
"I don't want the NAU to suffer the same fate. Hope detached from reality is nothing but fantasy. You've done so well. Rest now. Don't push any further."
Kousei listened, bewildered, as countless voices tangled in her mind.
"But I promised Sirius I'd redeem her honor... I promised Reiko I'd fulfill her wish... I promised McQueen I'd return to Central... I promised so many people... I..."
Kousei could feel a part of her consciousness slipping away. That's right—she had nothing left.
"Face reality. Your journey ends here."
Kousei stared blankly at Amel. "And if I refuse?"
"If you somehow survive this encirclement, I'll be waiting for you at the finish line. I will personally defeat you, and the pain you'll feel then will be a hundred times worse than it is now. And so will the pain of everyone who placed their hopes in you."
Kousei didn't respond. Amel left a card.
"My contact information is on it. If you're willing to give up, I'll do everything in my power to help the NAU."
"Why help me?"
"Let's just say 'we' owe you."
Amel turned and walked away, leaving Kousei's lonely figure standing in the desolate, biting wind. The night sky remained unchanged, yet the absence of a few stars cast a melancholic shadow over everything.
"What are you doing?"
Kousei looked up to meet Just a Way's smiling eyes.
"Way?"
Everything seemed normal, but Kousei saw a deep sadness in Just a Way's gaze, even though she hadn't said a word. It made sense, she supposed. Just a Way always appeared out of nowhere, already knowing everything. She was never surprised by how events unfolded, even managing to sneak onto Kousei's private plane.
She was always like this—as if she had known all along that things would inevitably turn out this way.