Garden Gale's face was deathly pale.
She was now walking toward the afterlife.
No, of course not.
Instead, she was just stepping into the express elevator rising straight up Tokyo Skytree.
The elevator was virtually transparent—floor and all—forcing Garden Gale to squeeze her eyes shut, barely daring to peek through a thin slit between her eyelids.
She was trembling like a cautious hamster poking its nose out of hiding.
Garden Gale glimpsed the crystal-clear elevator hurtling upward at terrifying speed, standing atop a thin pane of glass.
The hamster's tiny heart was about to explode!!! Her pulse skyrocketed, practically triggering cardiac arrest—Why the hell did it end up like this?!
Even though she'd clearly expressed her fear of heights, Air Shakur had somehow dragged her onto the elevator anyway.
…I'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadie…
Her panic was visible to the naked eye, easily ten thousand times worse than any anxiety she'd felt during a race.
Because Garden Gale was absolutely convinced she'd drop dead any second.
She could already picture it vividly—the glass beneath her feet buckling under the weight of an Umamusume, cracks spiderwebbing until it shattered into a glittering fireworks display, plunging both of them hundreds of meters down to their inevitable doom.
No, stop!
Even thinking about it felt deadly enough…
Garden Gale shuffled slowly to the corner, crouching down and clutching her head protectively.
Beside her, Air Shakur, playing the casual observer, watched her friend with rising amusement. Eventually, unable to suppress it, she burst out laughing. "Why are you so terrified of heights? You're just like a little kid!"
Garden Gale, white as a ghost, shot her a look.
She couldn't even muster the strength to respond.
Of course—strictly speaking, Garden Gale was still a child according to Umamusume standards. She wasn't even of age yet. By all accounts, she really was just a timid little filly.
Air Shakur gently stepped closer.
She reached out and softly patted Garden's head, silently reassuring her that everything would be okay, because she was here.
As she stroked Garden's hair, Air Shakur felt a peculiar warmth rising in her own heart.
Lately, something had changed inside her—this inexplicable urge to spend time with Garden Gale had grown too strong to ignore. If not for that strange intensity, she never would've agreed to Kanzaki Sakura's troublesome request to waste everyone's time testing data. Without this inexplicable pull, she wouldn't have dragged Garden Gale away from her rigorous training.
But this urgency…
It was real. These emotions were undeniably genuine, driving her to this exact moment.
...
No matter how wildly Garden Gale's paranoid imagination ran, the elevator's glass wasn't about to shatter just because of an Umamusume's weight. Otherwise, this would become the worst disaster in history.
They'd chosen a good time to visit—it was a weekday, and still early enough that the real rush hadn't begun. Only a few scattered visitors lingered, snapping casual pictures by the windows.
Air Shakur guided Garden Gale gently to a quieter spot.
Garden Gale was right, after all—her legs had turned to jelly. Unable to admire the view, she could only shakily settle down to rest. Air Shakur patiently escorted her weakened friend, easing her carefully onto a nearby seat.
"Garden."
Garden Gale weakly replied, "What's up?"
"I…" She'd meant to say something else, but after uttering a single syllable, Air Shakur paused, clenching her fist slightly. Then she changed her words. "Three days. Just three days left until the Derby. Listen, Tokyo Racecourse is mostly flat, but there are some tricky elevation changes. You'll have to manage sections with as much as two-meter height differences over just 300 meters."
Garden Gale suddenly looked up.
"I know."
Her reply was unexpectedly casual.
Air Shakur froze for a moment, fearing Garden didn't care. But then she noticed Garden's burning gaze, intense and unwavering. "Shakur-san… what were you about to say earlier? You've been acting strange all day."
Usually, it was Air Shakur who noticed subtle changes in Garden Gale's emotions.
Today, their roles had reversed.
With heightened sensitivity came a deeper perception of others' hidden feelings. This keen intuition was always a gift reserved for late bloomers.
Air Shakur lowered her head slightly.
Her expression, one Garden Gale had never seen before, grew dim. "My next race is coming up."
"In June—the Takarazuka Kinen."
—The Takarazuka Kinen.
A prestigious G1 race at Hanshin Racecourse, 2200 meters, middle distance.
But that wasn't important right now.
What mattered… was Air Shakur herself.
Garden Gale had suspected something like this. Without another word, she reached out softly and held Air Shakur's hand—not merely clasping, but gently enclosing it within her own, carefully caressing it.
"I'll be there to cheer for you."
"You'll definitely spot me by the trackside—a crazed fan screaming your name, waving a giant flag and cheering wildly. Sounds pretty hardcore, huh?"
She joked lightly, hoping to ease the obvious gloom hanging over her friend.
"No."
Air Shakur shook her head bitterly, rejecting the idea outright. "Don't come."
"Why not?"
"Because…" she whispered bitterly, "I can't guarantee I won't completely embarrass myself."
Not even the assurance of victory—just a desperate hope to avoid crushing defeat.
Wasn't that exactly Air Shakur's story?
From the stunning start of her career, winning the Satsuki Sho, earning her first crown, and immediately following up with another at the Kikka Sho—ascending rapidly to become a dazzling two-crown champion. Yet, at the critical Japan Derby, she fell short by a mere seven centimeters, forever labeled "the Almost Triple Crown."
Her smooth ascent had ended there.
Japan Cup—14th place, an utter disaster.
A failed overseas campaign in Europe.
Osaka Hai—2nd place.
Tenno Sho (Spring)—8th place.
Takarazuka Kinen—5th place.
Entering her third year:
Osaka Hai—2nd place again.
Kinko Sho—another runner-up finish.
Her career had become an endless parade of losses. Second place was not an achievement; it was the worst form of defeat—agonizingly close to victory, yet forever out of reach.
It was torture.
A thousand cuts slicing into her confidence, draining it bit by bit.
Her nickname had shifted from "Almost Triple Crown" to "Weakest Double Crown."
And now, in just a month, facing another Takarazuka Kinen… Air Shakur had no faith left.
She didn't even know what she'd wanted to say earlier… Only that some irresistible impulse had driven her to invite Garden Gale out today, claiming it was about relaxing before the race. Perhaps her own anxiety had grown too overwhelming, spilling over until she couldn't handle it alone.
Weakest Double Crown.
What a fitting title.
Air Shakur bit her lip softly, bitterness evident in her eyes.
True, she'd pulled Garden Gale out of her darkest moments. But what about herself? Her final professional year—no, her final six months—were shaping up to be a humiliating end. Falling from myth into a joke was painful. Perhaps no other Umamusume had experienced such a devastating collapse…
How could she not doubt herself, doubt the world?
Am I truly… suited for racing? Is my talent for data and calculations really worth anything at all?
Confusion, doubt—everything blurred together into emptiness.
But Garden Gale's gaze was fierce, unwavering. Once again, she grasped Air Shakur's clenched hand, carefully unfurling each tense finger, one by one, until the hand relaxed. Then, intertwining her own fingers with Shakur's, she squeezed gently.
Warmth and determination surged between them.
You've saved me countless times…
…Now, please, let me try saving you too.
---
T/N: OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG KISSS KISSS KISSS KISSS KISSS KISSS KISS KISSS KISSS KISS
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter is 5 bonus chapters...? (for all tls ongoing)
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
instagram: hanbaowise
twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_