The black at the edges of Shirayuki's vision slowly faded.
Little by little, the world came back into focus.
She saw Treve behind her, panting hard. She saw Orfevre drenched in sweat. And she saw hundreds of thousands of spectators, every single pair of eyes locked on her.
Her thoughts began to move again.
Chiya's consciousness returned to his own body.
And only then did Shirayuki understand what had happened.
Under the gaze of countless people, Shirayuki slowly raised her fist.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH——!!!!"
The world exploded.
On the other side of the globe, in bustling Tokyo, the hour should have belonged to silence and sleep. Instead, it felt like the city had been thrown into the middle of a festival.
Homes, shops, streets, parks.
Everywhere people gathered, thunderous cheers shook the night.
And among them, the loudest place of all was Japan's greatest academy, Tracen Academy.
Students hugged each other, screaming "Empress!" at the top of their lungs.
They stared at the white figure in the center of the screen, her fist raised high, and showered her with applause and cheers.
Symboli Rudolf rose to her feet.
The tension that had held her face rigid throughout the entire race finally melted away, blooming into a brilliant smile. She left her seat and stepped down before the stage like any ordinary spectator, looking up at the white girl on the screen as she offered her blessing.
She had won.
For the first time in the history of Japanese racing, an uma musume had conquered the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
And it was the greatest victory of all.
Two campaigns overseas.
Refusal to yield.
And at the very end, she had seized the crown with everything she had.
She had become the highest point of Japan.
No.
Of the entire world.
"Congratulations, Shirayuki," Rudolf murmured. "You have become the Empress of the World."
"President Rudolf…"
Air Groove walked over and handed her a pack of tissues.
"I apologize, President Rudolf. Please allow me a moment. Right now, I am… not in any state to let you see my face."
Air Groove had turned her head away, one hand covering her mouth. Seeing that, Rudolf gently patted her shoulder.
"That child has carried the name of Empress to the world."
"Yes… yes, she has." Air Groove rubbed at her eyes. "I am so proud of her."
Then she noticed Rudolf's face.
Just like hers, it was wet with tears of joy.
This was a day worth remembering.
It was not a holiday. Not officially. Yet for Japan's uma musume, for the hundreds of thousands, the millions of spectators, it was happier than any festival could ever be.
Of course, not everyone was drowning in celebration.
At the Central Building, the lights blazed.
People rushed back and forth through the fully lit offices. It was two in the morning, an hour when every employee should have been fast asleep, but every single person was buried in urgent work.
"Hurry, take these documents to the Director's office!"
"We need the Empress's victory posters ready by tomorrow!"
"What about the printing factory? Wake them up and make them work!"
"Sorry, Supervisor, but there are reporters requesting interviews."
"At this hour?"
"Not just one outlet. A lot of newspapers have sent requests. They're all hoping to secure interview rights once the Empress returns."
"Supervisor, the shops collaborating with the Empress want to extend their contracts! And we're receiving cooperation requests from a ton of other businesses too!"
"Tell them to wait!"
It was the busiest day the Central Building had ever seen.
Nearly a thousand employees worked like they had lost their minds, preparing to spread the news of the Empress's victory across all of Japan.
And it was not only them. Every newspaper reporter who had watched the broadcast rushed back to the office at three in the morning, powered up their computers, and began hammering out articles.
Tokyo…
No.
For all of Japan, tonight was destined to be sleepless.
Back at Longchamp Racecourse, Shirayuki stood beneath the roar of the crowd and heard the words she had dreamed of for so long.
"The winner of Longchamp Racecourse's grand finale, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, is Snow Dancer——!"
Her goal had come true.
Shirayuki lowered her fist.
Then, as if all the strength had left her body at once, she collapsed onto the turf.
She stared up at the clear sky. For a moment, she thought she could see three figures, red, yellow, and blue, standing at the highest point of the viewing platform.
Then they vanished.
I'm so tired…
Shirayuki closed her eyes.
Blood rushed through her veins like razors. Every muscle in her body hurt. Every cell screamed in pain.
But alongside that pain came a release beyond words.
A rush of pure, breathless joy.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps reached her ears.
Shirayuki opened her eyes and saw Treve standing beside her.
Treve's face was colored with loss and regret she could not quite hide. But in the end, that frustration softened into a happy smile.
"Congratulations, Shirayuki. You won the Arc."
"…Yeah. Thank you, Treve."
"As I thought, you really are the strongest opponent I have ever faced."
Here, the Queen of France had withered.
And in her place, like a snowflake blooming across the world, the Empress had opened her eyes.
"I'm glad I got to race you, Shirayuki. No… Snow Dancer."
"So am I," Shirayuki said, gasping for breath. "Racing against an uma musume as powerful as you was an honor."
"What are you two doing?"
Orfevre walked over.
"What kind of victor lies around on the ground? An emperor who conquers the world should carry herself like one. Get up and enjoy the applause and cheers you have earned."
Orfevre bent down, draped Shirayuki's arm over her shoulders, and carefully helped her to her feet.
"You did not disappoint me," Orfevre said, turning her face away with stubborn pride. "I knew it. With the Empress's strength, there was no way you could fail to win the Arc."
"Orfevre… you really are cute."
"Hah??"
Orfevre's ears shot straight up.
"What are you saying to me, Empress?! Listen well. This time, I simply failed to perform at my best, and you happened to seize the opening. Next time! Next time, I absolutely will not give you a single chance to take advantage of me!"
"Mm. After all, Orfevre is really strong."
"Do not smile like that! I am being serious!"
From a distance, Gold Ship watched the three of them interact, both hands casually folded behind her head.
Sheesh. What a handful, Trainer.
Entering the Zone twice in one race was something almost no uma musume could ever pull off.
And yet Shirayuki had done it.
But there had been a price.
The terrifying concentration from entering the Zone a second time had made her forget her own objective. Right before the finish line, Gold Ship had seen Shirayuki's steps start drifting outward.
She had lost sight of the path ahead.
Good thing Gold Ship had woken her up in time.
She had expected that something like this might happen in the final showdown.
"Otherwise, I never would've bothered joining the Arc!"
Gold Ship grumbled under her breath and looked toward the stands.
Among the crowd, she found Fujiwara Chiya with pinpoint accuracy.
Trainer, the debt you owe me has piled up so high that you'll need a lifetime to repay it.
So take responsibility for the rest of Little Gold Ship's life, okay?
She stretched her body, which was not particularly tired at all, then ran toward Shirayuki.