By the time the race ended, second place trailed behind her by a full hundred meters.
Silver Tear kept galloping long after the lead was secured, fearlessly charging through the remaining stretch of track until her stamina finally ran dry.
Only after she had crossed the finish line did her pace ease, momentum carrying her forward in a long, unbroken arc.
The awe washed over the crowd after seeing that spectacular performance. Their eyes couldn't remove from the Uma Musume that had dominated the race by a huge margin.
Then, as if the damp had broken down, the overwhelming roar of excitement enveloped the entire race course.
"Umazing!!"
"What a terrifying existence!"
"I'd bite the dust if we were in the same race."
"Does anyone know who that is?!"
Silver Tear turned her head at last and looked back.
They were coming in.
One by one.
Their strides had lost all cohesion. Postures collapsed inward, shoulders sagging beneath invisible weight, breaths ripped raggedly from their chests.
Some staggered as they crossed the line, legs trembling violently, betraying them the instant the race finished.
Silver Tear slowed and drifted closer to the rail, watching.
So this is running, she thought.
The feeling of air rushing past her ears, muscles still humming with power, the track stretching endlessly beneath her feet, the freedom of galloping with all her heart.
It was intoxicating!
Is it because I'm an Uma Musume now?
She lifted a hand.
Just a little.
A small, polite gesture meant for her opponents.
Her mouth opened, but no words came out afterward.
Because she saw their faces.
No one was looking at the crowd. No one was celebrating.
Their eyes found her instead, drawn there as if by instinct alone.
Their gazes were hollow.
One runner's gaze trembled as it met Silver Tear's. Her lips parted, breath hitching painfully, as though she wanted to say something, anything that could elevate this frustrating feeling, but couldn't find words that would survive the crushing weight in her chest.
Another's eyes burned red at the edges, tears threatening but never falling, pride refusing to break even as her body did.
A third hadn't slowed quickly enough. She nearly collapsed beyond the line, catching herself with shaking hands, vision locked onto Silver Tear the entire time.
There was no anger in them.
No hatred.
It was self-contempt left in those hollow eyes.
It was fine if she had gone all out from the start. At least they know that she is serious about racing with them.
But she started later than them and left them in the dust by a wide margin.
A realization so deep it stripped them bare, forcing them to confront how powerless they truly were. How every dream, every hope, every ounce of effort they spent in countless days and nights poured into racing had meant nothing.
There was nothing they could have done to beat her.
The truth settled heavily, mercilessly:
Every desperate push.
Every effort.
Had never once reached her heels.
Silver Tear's hand wavered in the air.
Her smile slowly faded, leaving behind a blank, indifferent expression.
Right…
If there is a winner, then there will always be losers.
It was a universal law.
And there were no words a winner could offer that would ease the weight carried by the defeated.
Around them, the cheers swelled—celebrating a dominant victory, a spectacular gap, a performance destined to be spoken of for years. None of it reached the space between her and the others.
One girl finally looked away, unable to endure Silver Tear's gaze any longer. Another bowed her head, teeth clenched, shoulders trembling as she fought to steady her breathing.
Silver Tear lowered her hand.
'I didn't mean to hurt them.'
The thought surfaced slowly, unfamiliar and heavy.
She stood there a moment longer, watching them struggle simply to remain upright, watching the full weight of the race settle into their expressions.
Then she turned forward.
Her steps carried her away from the finish line, calm returning out of habit rather than choice. Even the cheers basking her whole now felt… empty.
'Silver Tear, you only do this for money.
There is nothing fun about running. It's just another job.
Run some races, cash in enough money, then retire.
There is no need to fret about all of this. It's just because of the money.
Yes, only for that reason.
Don't forget that, Silver Tear.'
Silver hypnotized herself to not get too overworked with these 'useless' thoughts.
[Host, I'm afraid that if you keep this up, you will break sooner or later.] The system expressed its concern.
"So what?"
Silver Tear asked back, her tone carried no emotion.
"Besides, since when are you this annoying?"
[...Alright host, I wish you the best.] The system turned off after saying this.
Behind her, the others remained where they were, staring at the back of someone who had already moved on.
Rudolf could no longer watch.
For her, whose dream was to let every Uma Musume out there a chance to run freely on the track, it was an unbearable sight.
She rose from her seat and turned away, leaving the stands without a word.
Maruzensky let out a quiet, helpless sigh and followed after her.
_____
Just as Silver Tear was about to leave the training field, she was blocked by an unexpected guest.
Silver Tear slowed her pace, boots crunching lightly against the track's edge, when a presence settled in front of her. She recognized instantly that it was the important person she had seen before the race started.
Rudolf Symboli, The Emperor herself.
"…You." Rudolf said.
Silver Tear stopped.
For a heartbeat, her expression was blank, then it softened, eyes curving faintly as a polite, controlled smile crept into place.
A mask, worn as naturally as breathing.
"Yes? How may I help you?" She replied calmly.
Rudolf took a step closer. The Emperor's presence spread across the field. It left no room for denial.
"That was not acceptable." Rudolf said evenly.
Silver Tear tilted her head, smile unchanged. "Did I violate any rule? That's strange. There isn't an announcement about that."
"I'm not talking about the rules."
Rudolf replied, gaze sharpening.
"I'm talking about what you just did on that track."
The Emperor took another step.
"You shattered their will." Rudolf continued, her face grew grim. "Some of them will hesitate the next time they race. Worst of all, they might never step on the track again."
"You did that." Rudolf's voice grew more indifferent, but anyone present could easily tell how angry she was beneath that even tone.
Silver Tear's tail flicked once before stilling.
"If losing once is enough to shake them, then I guess they should drop out. You know how intense this career is."
Silver Tear wasn't in a great mood now. If this Uma Musume, who looked like a battle-hardened racer, gave her a speech about dream and hope and all that idea stuff, she might crash the fk out on the spot.
Rudolf stopped directly in front of her, her sharp gaze locked directly with Silver Tear's indifferent eyes.
"This academy exists to nurture Uma Musume's dream to run on the field." She said. "I won't allow anyone to trample that belief unchecked."
"Hahaha…"
For the first time, Silver Tear's attention focused fully on Rudolf.
"You're strong."
Silver Tear said, tone polite, detached.
"But can you protect them forever?"
Rudolf's lips curved into a thin, restrained smile. "There will always be someone who could take my place to protect those dreams."
'Ah, right, there will always be fools who believe in that idealistic dream. That is NOT how it works!!'
The pressure between them thickened, invisible yet suffocating, two wills pressing without yielding.
Then a hand caught Rudolf's arm.
"That's enough." Maruzensky said.
She had stepped in smoothly, positioning herself between them, her grip firm but gentle. The tension loosened, the field exhaling as if released from a held breath.
"Not here. Please, Rudolf." She added softly.
Rudolf's jaw tightened, but she didn't resist.
Maruzensky turned to Silver Tear, her usual playful smile absent. What remained was something more serious.
"But if you keep running like that, you're going to find yourself isolated before you realize it." She gave her piece of advice.
Silver Tear's expression didn't waver.
"Thanks for the advice, but I only run for money." She replied.
Maruzensky studied her for a long moment, then sighed. "You really believe that."
Rudolf withdrew her arm and straightened, the Emperor's pressure retreating under control.
"This talk isn't over. Remember that." Rudolf Symboli said before she turned and walked away. Her steps were steady and unhurried, fitting for someone of her status.
Maruzensky watched her go, then glanced back at Silver Tear.
"…Talent like yours shouldn't be used only to earn money." She said quietly. "I hope you could run for the sake of running."
Silver Tear gave a small nod, her smile still perfectly intact.
"Thank you for the reminder."
Of course, those last words flew into one ear and exited the other.
Talent.
She turned the word over in her mind as she stepped away.
Sure, she could be a contender for a GⅠ title. With the right conditions, maybe more than one. But that was only on paper. Her skills weren't switches she could flip at will.
Each skill carried a risk-based requirement and an uncertainty chance. Against true monsters, relying on something so unstable wasn't a strength. It was a gamble.
She walked toward the far end of the field, her steps light, posture relaxed, as if nothing weighed on her at all.
Only when the space between them grew wide enough did the smile finally slip away.
What remained was a blank and unreadable expression.
"What a terrible day." Silver Tear muttered under her breath.
She knew the earlier confrontation would bring her more troubles for days to come.
Still, she kept walking to clear her mind.
Though she didn't know where the canteen was. On top of that, the Academy was large as hell.
"Fuuuuuu—"
_________
A/N: Ummm... so how did I turn a sunny and happy fic into this? Fk you!! My 1 a.m self.
Trust, I can still turn this into pure aura farming.
Also, review or gay.