"Hey, are you listening to me?"
The Trainer's somewhat helpless voice brought Gold Legend back to her senses.
"Sorry, I spaced out a bit. Is there something you need, Trainer-kun?"
Gold Legend replied listlessly to the Trainer's question.
"It's about your next race, and the schedule for upcoming races."
The Trainer handed a form to Gold Legend.
"...It's pretty much what I expected, but, an Open Race in July?"
"Yes, the Chukyo Juvenile Special Bonus Race. Thanks to your excellent performance in your debut race, if you win this one, you can directly participate in Graded Races."
"I see. Then I'll listen to you."
Gold Legend's attitude was visibly perfunctory.
"...I'm saying, are you really okay lately?"
The Trainer was clearly a little worried.
"What problem? Didn't I complete training normally? And since when did you become so nagging?"
"I'm worried precisely because you completed training normally. And I'm only like this because it's you. I originally thought you were the least troublesome one."
The Trainer's frankness made Gold Legend feel a little overwhelmed.
"...Don't worry, I just got slightly lost on the path of life. I'll adjust."
"I see... In that case, take the day off today."
"Huh?"
"What you need most right now, shouldn't it be personal time?"
"...I understand. Thank you."
Gold Legend accepted the Trainer's consideration, stood up, waved her hand, and walked away freely.
"This girl can look like this too. Seriously, she's still just a kid after all."
Only the Trainer's monologue remained in the training room... "Speaking of which, ever since I transmigrated... no, since that day, I rarely seem to be alone like this."
Gold Legend lay lazily on the grass, enjoying the afternoon sun.
The warm feeling made Gold Legend stretch, highlighting her youthful yet beautiful curves.
She felt a little drowsy.
But she didn't dislike this feeling; rather, no one would refuse such a comfortable environment.
A gentle breeze passed, and Gold Legend shivered slightly.
"Oh no, oh no, I almost fell asleep! Gold Legend, oh Gold Legend, how can you be so lazy! You must pull yourself together!"
Gold Legend reflected on her laziness.
"But, having said that, what should I do?"
Gold Legend, already accustomed to the daily training routine, felt somewhat lost.
"How about going for a walk?"
But I've explored the entire vicinity over the past few months.
Gold Legend, who wandered the mundane world after training every day, had long since familiarized herself with the area around Tracen.
"Oh!"
Cheers carried by the wind reached Gold Legend's ears.
"Hmm? Oh, the Selection Race? I remember it should be the Elementary Division."
Gold Legend looked towards the place where she had once run.
"I have nothing else to do anyway, so I'll go take a look."
Gold Legend walked over... "The late blooming Haru Urara... has now crossed the Finish Line! Cheers erupted in the Stands."
The moment Gold Legend entered the Track, the first thing she saw was the pink little colt who had just crossed the Finish Line.
"That is..."
Urara, the Little Angel?
Gold Legend was confused. She remembered that Haru Urara only entered Central Tresen during High School because of a System Judgment error, right? Was this the Butterfly Effect or something else?
Gold Legend thought for a moment, then gave up.
Anyway, it didn't matter.
"It's truly incredible, even though she came in last."
Gold Legend felt curious, looking at the people around her cheering for Urara.
"Phew, I'm exhausted, but I ran with all my might until the very end, so my hard training wasn't wasted!"
Just as Gold Legend approached, she heard Urara's energetic voice.
Even though she was last, she was still so full of spirit. Truly worthy of being Urara.
Thinking of the heartwarming Urara from her Past Life Memory, Gold Legend also brightened up a little.
So, she spoke.
"You worked very hard."
"Really? That's great!"
Urara cheered happily upon hearing the words of affirmation.
Only then did she notice Gold Legend standing behind her.
"Mm-hmm, someone I haven't seen before. Are you a Senior from the Middle Division? You're so beautiful."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Gold Legend, already used to it, accepted the compliment calmly.
"Hey, hey, Senior, I'm Haru Urara from the Elementary Division. What's your name?"
Urara showed no shyness or restraint facing a stranger, speaking openly and generously.
"My name is Gold Legend, and I'm from the Middle Division. I'm taking a break today and came over on a whim."
"I see. Did you see me run, Senior? How did it feel?"
Urara's big eyes sparkled.
"It was very beautiful. You ran with Urara's own style."
"Mm-hmm, I'm glad you liked it. Come watch next time too! I feel like I can definitely take first place next time!"
Urara looked very happy after receiving the praise.
"...Urara, may I call you that? Why are you still so happy? Even though you came in last."
Gold Legend looked at Urara's cheerful appearance and couldn't help but voice the confusion in her heart.
"Eh? Because running is fun!"
Urara didn't hesitate, her words carrying a sense of obviousness.
"Running is fun?"
Gold Legend was slightly stunned.
"Running is the most fun!"
Urara was completely cloudless.
"And also, I ran with all my might until the end of the race, so training hard really has meaning."
"...I see. Then, Urara, what do you run for?"
As if seeing something incredible, Gold Legend asked distractedly.
"Run for what?"
Urara probably hadn't expected Gold Legend to ask such a question.
She shook her little head, thought for a while, and then replied.
"I want to take first place once!"
"First place?"
"Mhm! Since I joined Tracen, I haven't won once, so I want to take first place once."
"Just because of that?"
"Yes! Running alone is already so much fun. How exciting would it be if I could take first place? Would I be so happy that I run another lap?"
Urara's voice was filled with hope, and that brilliant dream made Gold Legend narrow her eyes.
"...Winning the championship is your dream?"
"Mhm, because I'm an Uma Musume! I want to win through racing. As long as I cheer up and work hard, I'll be able to win the championship someday! Absolutely, as long as I don't give up!" Urara clenched her fists, her eyes sparkling, "You're a Senior from the Middle Division, you must have taken first place before, right? How did it feel?"
"...Yes, it's a wonderful feeling."
"Really? That makes me look forward to it! I need to keep training hard too! Yosh, let's go run. Goodbye, Senior!"
Urara quickly said goodbye and ran toward the Training Grounds.
Gold Legend silently watched Urara's retreating figure.
"Ha, ha ha ha ha!"
Then she burst out laughing, laughing heartily, and her laughter caused the surrounding people to look at this beautiful Uma Musume with surprised eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Someone nearby asked worriedly.
"Nothing, nothing."
Gold Legend waved her hand, indicating she was fine.
"What the heck, doesn't this make me look like a Clown?"
Wiping away the tears she had laughed out from the corner of her eye, Gold Legend said self-deprecatingly.
"I really am a mess."
That's right, there's nothing to be confused about. Since I've already become an Uma Musume, all I need to do is keep running, keep winning. Dreams are important, but they are not a reason to stop moving forward.
After all, I am an Uma Musume now! Running is what I should be doing!
"In short, I should go apologize to the Trainer first."
I made him worry these past two days.
Gold Legend hummed a little tune as she walked out of the Training Grounds.
Warm sunlight fell upon her, and her golden hair was gently lifted by the breeze.
"What lovely weather today!"
Gold Legend sighed in admiration.
Just like a bright, sunny spring day.