"It's expected to last until next week. The race day should be the final day."
Everyone in the room wore varying degrees of solemnity. Kousei rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the drizzling rain outside. The heavy atmosphere was suffocating. As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours.
The two races that had impacted Kousei the most—the Japanese Derby and the Spring Tenno Sho—were also her most devastating losses.
Heavy tracks and long distances: Kousei's two most fatal weaknesses.
Everyone on the team knew she would have to face them eventually—if not today, then tomorrow. But at this critical juncture, no one wanted to dwell on it. For her final race, they all prayed for no surprises.
The gloomy, overcast world mirrored the darkness in their hearts.
"I'm going out for some air," Kousei said, finding an excuse to escape the stifling room.
Holding an umbrella, she walked through the rain. Without realizing it, she found herself at the racetrack. Watching the turf steadily absorb the downpour, the weight in her heart grew heavier.
She quickly left the racetrack and wandered aimlessly through the streets. A bus pulled up nearby, and people began to disembark one by one.
They were all wearing various kinds of fan merchandise, clearly here to support Kousei. However, their faces showed no trace of joy; the rain had clearly filled their hearts with anxiety as well.
Kousei slipped away quietly, unnoticed by anyone.
"Ara~ Senpai~ Why the long face?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Kousei turned to see Twilight Cloud grinning at her.
"Twilight Cloud?" Kousei asked tentatively.
"Hey! I'm here too! Don't ignore me!" Speedstar complained, popping out from behind Twilight Cloud.
"You're too loud, Speedstar," Tenmile Cloud said flatly.
Kousei was pleasantly surprised to see them all, but as she looked around and saw no sign of Caesar, a flicker of suspicion arose.
"Where's Caesar? Did she get airsick?"
Twilight Cloud took small steps closer and linked her arm with Kousei's. "Caesar had some things to handle, so she sent us back first."
"Huh? But isn't Caesar..."
Speedstar started to say something but was cut off by an elbow jab from Tenmile Cloud. Glaring at Tenmile Cloud's impassive face, Speedstar protested with her eyes but ultimately fell silent.
The group was acting strangely, but Kousei was used to their quirks, so she didn't press the matter.
"Let's go~ Let's go! Let's get parfaits!"
Twilight Cloud dragged Kousei away. Speedstar and Tenmile Cloud stared at each other for a long moment before finally following.
"An extra-large one, and Senpai's paying~"
"Huh? Me again?"
Twilight Cloud just giggled foolishly. With no other choice, Kousei sighed and pulled out her wallet.
"Hey? Aren't you Kousei?" the shop owner exclaimed in surprise.
At his words, everyone else in the shop turned to stare at her.
"Uh... hello?" Kousei, who wasn't good at socializing, felt flustered by the owner's sudden attempt at conversation.
"Don't be nervous! I'm a huge fan. I've watched every single one of your NAU races. Look."
The owner pointed, and Kousei followed his finger. The wall was covered with posters of all sizes, featuring nearly every race Kousei had run in the NAU.
"You're incredible. Since my father's generation, no one has ever made it this far. It's an honor to meet you in person."
"I've always wanted to go cheer for you," the owner said earnestly. "But I have a wife and kids, so I can't just abandon the shop. If the race were here, though, I'd definitely be there."
"Senpai's so famous, you're recognized everywhere," Twilight Cloud said, taking a blissful bite of her parfait.
"Are these your companions?" the shop owner asked enthusiastically. "Great! This time, it's on me. Is there anything else you'd like? Don't be shy."
"No, really... I'd rather pay..."
"Boss! Put Kousei's bill on my tab!" a customer suddenly shouted.
And then, all hell broke loose.
"Put it on mine!"
"No, no, no! Put it on mine!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"No, what are you trying to say?"
More and more people started clamoring to pay for her. Kousei had never experienced anything like this. Amidst the chaotic arguments, she reluctantly accepted the strangers' goodwill—four extra-large parfaits.
"Senpai's getting more and more charming~" Twilight Cloud teased with a grin after the commotion died down.
"Why did you just stand there and watch?"
Kousei was terrible with words, but Twilight Cloud was anything but. Yet she'd simply watched the whole scene unfold as if it were a show, without lifting a finger to help.
"What's wrong with it? It's not like they meant you any harm," Twilight Cloud said dismissively.
"They were just... too enthusiastic. I'm not used to it."
Cloud didn't touch her parfait, claiming she was "managing her figure." Speedstar, on the other hand, ate nonstop and even polished off Cloud's portion.
"What? Being a front-runner takes a lot of stamina," was her explanation.
"Why are you all here?" Kousei asked, trying to sound casual.
"It's Senpai's final race at the NAU. What reason would we have to miss it?" Twilight Cloud replied with official-sounding formality.
"So, you've finished your business?"
Twilight Cloud shrugged, but it was Cloud who answered. "Mostly. Just some loose ends left. Caesar will handle them."
"Interested in telling me about it?"
"I'd rather not. That's a job for Caesar. She enjoys chatting," Cloud said with her usual indifference.
"This final battle won't be easy, will it, Senpai?"
"Easy? Amel is an absurdly strong roadblock. And to make matters worse, the heavy track and long distance are both major challenges for me."
Countless eyes were watching her. It would be a lie to say she felt no pressure.
"It's certainly a tough situation," Cloud said. "But you must have a plan, right? After all, you're the one challenging that Mejiro."
"It's not like I'm completely powerless. What worries me isn't the race itself."
"Then what is it?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it. I just feel like everyone is too anxious. It's just a bit of rain, just 3400 meters. But most people look like the sky is falling."
The three of them instantly understood Kousei's concern.
"So that's it," one of them murmured. "No one believes in dreams anymore."
The fact emphasized by their anxiety was negation. They had come here wanting to affirm the power of dreams. Yet, their own hearts were denying it. Perhaps it was because their own dreams had once been crushed by reality. Now, faced with the brutal facts of a heavy track and a long distance, they too began to doubt. Before the race even started, they already felt Kousei would lose, even if they wouldn't admit it to themselves.
Perhaps they simply didn't want to see their own past defeats reflected in Kousei. Amel's words weren't entirely wrong: leaving the world with a radiant illusion to fantasize about—a beautiful dream image—was also a valid choice.
In that moment, Kousei realized the full weight of those words.
The crowd always falls into a frenzy on its own, embraces dreams, and then shrinks back in fear on its own.
The people were afraid. They didn't want to experience that same sorrow again.