The day of the Arima Kinen arrived.
Early that morning, Fujiwara Chiya straightened out his clothes and opened the door, only to find Orfevre and the others standing outside.
"Come warm up with us, Trainer."
On Shirayuki's side, she had called Mejiro Dober over too, and just like that, the whole group set off in a grand procession.
This year's Arima Kinen was hotter than ever. Granted, people said that every year, but this really was the liveliest one Fujiwara Chiya had ever seen.
News of the Empress's final race had already spread to academies in the farthest regions. Even students had crossed half the country just to see it for themselves, the curtain falling on the golden age led by the Snow Dancer.
The lineup was almost the same as last year. Every uma musume here had left behind unforgettable races on the track.
Seiun Sky. Rice Shower. Mejiro Dober. Agnes Tachyon. Gold Ship. Grass Wonder. Orfevre.
If there was any difference, it was that some of the older names, like Air Groove, had already moved on to the Dream Cup, so a few new faces had filled the gaps.
Orfevre was the representative among them. With her Triple Crown strength and her dazzling European record, her support was second only to Snow Dancer's. The focus of this race was naturally on Shirayuki and Orfevre.
And yet, just as everyone was wondering who would win, the race participants all came running over and crowded around Fujiwara Chiya.
"Did you all plan this together?"
"I was the first one here, Trainer," Seiun Sky said, pointing at herself.
"Rice wanted to see Onii-sama before the race!"
"What is wrong with I warming up with you?" Orfevre crossed her arms.
One after another, the uma musume chimed in.
Looking at the group that already made up more than half of the entire race roster, Fujiwara Chiya felt his emotions turn complicated. At this point, they didn't even need Central. He could host his own Arima Kinen.
Every annual award-winning uma musume was basically one of his people.
Walking beside Chiya, Shirayuki glanced back at them.
Their fighting spirit is something else today. They were never this fired up before other races.
"Trainer, you remember our race agreement, right?" Gold Ship shouted from the back without a care in the world. "If you lose to us, you've gotta obediently get married into our house!"
Under normal circumstances, everyone would have ignored that nonsense.
This time, however, the other uma musume all nodded in firm agreement.
"The Mejiro family has already prepared to welcome you. I will win this race, no matter what!" Mejiro Dober declared, once again radiating the aura of a queen.
And it was not just her. Grass Wonder, standing beside her, looked just as determined.
"As your wife, I must produce a result worthy of my husband's satisfaction… ahem, worthy of Trainer Chiya's satisfaction. So, Yuki-chan, for the sake of our future, please forgive me for what I must do!"
A chill ran down Shirayuki's spine.
"T-Tachyon, I thought you weren't interested in this kind of thing." Shirayuki turned toward Agnes Tachyon.
"I merely said I do not object to the two of you, guinea pig-kun. That does not mean I intend to sit quietly and wait for the ending. If I can stand in that position myself, performing experiments on you will become far more convenient. In that case, there is more than enough value in fighting for it."
"I feel like our race has gone completely off the rails. Aren't uma musume supposed to be competing for the honor of the race? Do any of you even care about the Arima Kinen?!"
"This is all because of you, Trainer!" Mejiro Dober snapped, deeply displeased. "If you had just obediently married me, none of this mess would be happening!"
Then her eyes narrowed.
"And while we're at it, I was the first one to confess to Trainer, wasn't I? In that case, Trainer should be with me!"
"Rice was the first one to confess!" Rice Shower cut in, unusually forceful. "Rice has always been beside Onii-sama!"
"Who came first does not matter," Orfevre said with a huff. "Among everyone here, I am the strongest. Trainer should come with I!"
"Feelings have nothing to do with strength," Grass Wonder said, placing a hand over her chest. "Only a woman who can satisfy my husband… cough, only a woman who can satisfy Trainer Chiya can be called a proper wife. And I have great confidence that I can bring my husband happiness."
"If that's how we're doing this, Trainer sleeps the best on me, you know?" Seiun Sky pointed at herself. "Doesn't that mean Trainer and I have the best compatibility?"
"No way! Onii-sama sleeps best on Rice! Rice is always Onii-sama's pillow!"
"Nonsense. When we went to Europe, Trainer could not sleep at all unless I was by his side! I and Trainer are a match made in heaven!"
"What are you all talking about? I hold Shirayuki every single night! At this point, Shirayuki can't live without me!" Mejiro Dober joined the chaos, looking extremely offended.
Fujiwara Chiya watched the girls arguing at full volume, then looked at the culprit who had started everything, Gold Ship, who was hiding outside the circle and enjoying the show.
He could not help slapping a hand over his face.
This race was basically… a family civil war.
Can I really handle everyone's relationships in the future?
For the first time, Fujiwara Chiya was starting to lose confidence.
"Everyone, that's enough! You've finished warming up, right? We need to head to the track!" Seeing the argument getting fiercer and fiercer, Fujiwara Chiya quickly waved his hands. "No matter what, this is still my final race. I hope you'll all take it seriously."
The girls glanced at one another.
"That is true. No matter what happens now, the final result will be decided by the race. Only the ultimate victor will have the right to become Trainer's wife." Mejiro Dober tossed her hair, speaking with all the presence of the main wife.
"Reasonable. The strong have the right to speak." Orfevre folded her arms.
"That's not what I meant!" Shirayuki covered her face and could not help shouting. "I meant my race! Everyone should throw away those unnecessary thoughts and focus completely on the track!"
It was supposed to be her farewell race.
And somehow, everyone had turned it into a martial arts tournament for her hand in marriage!
"We can give up." Seiun Sky's voice floated lazily into the air. "As long as Trainer chooses one person right here, then marries that person at the New Year's wedding, we'll all give up."
In an instant, everyone's attention locked onto Fujiwara Chiya.
The man sat there like he was on a bed of needles. Under pressure greater than the Arc de Triomphe itself, he gently patted Shirayuki on the head.
"Looks like negotiations have broken down, Trainer," Seiun Sky said, spreading her hands.
"Then let's race!" Shirayuki shouted, completely giving up on salvaging the situation. "I won't hand victory in this race to any of you!"
"Foolish. You abandon the chance to marry I and instead choose to play house with yourself? Today, I shall bring the legend of the Empress crashing down!"
"Don't worry, Yuki-chan. After I take you down, I'll comfort you properly."
"Onii-sama, Rice has trained very, very hard for today. So… let Rice defeat you, Onii-sama!"
Seeing the uma musume turning against her all at once, Chiya and Shirayuki both took half a step back.
The two swallowed at the same time.
Then Shirayuki clenched her fists.
"Winner takes all, loser loses everything! Even if this is a tournament for my hand in marriage, I won't lose to anyone!"
Inside Nakayama Racecourse, hundreds of thousands of spectators filled the stands, waiting for the Empress to appear.
Countless blue-and-white support flags fluttered in the wind. The whole racecourse was packed with cheers, celebration, and a trace of sorrow.
Is she really leaving?
Shirayuki heard that voice rise from somewhere in the crowd.
The moment they stepped onto the track, Orfevre and the others fell silent.
They raised their heads and stood tall.
Even if, in private, this group fought endlessly over the position of legal wife, once they stood on the track, they were still uma musume who commanded the world's attention.
They were still the finest of this era.
The desire for speed began to boil the instant they entered the racecourse.
It burned.
"The curtain falls on the Empress who ruled over the world! The final battle of the year! The Arima Kinen begins now!"
When Shirayuki reached the track, she stopped.
She looked at the uma musume gathered around her.
"What is it, Empress?" Orfevre asked. "Not going forward?"
"No." Shirayuki shook her head. "I'm just feeling a little sentimental."
All the runners stopped.
Their gazes gathered on Shirayuki.
"I've watched countless races, so I understand something. In the distant future, everyone standing here, whether great or ordinary, will be remembered as people of this era. When I came back to myself, I was already here. It could have been next year. It could have been later. It could even have been decades from now. But somehow, it was that year."
Shirayuki's voice softened.
"I know it was nothing more than coincidence. A random event with no meaning behind it. But to us, it can still be called a miraculous meeting of fate. So whether I know your names or not, whether you like me or hate me, whether you are my friends or my rivals, everyone who appeared here today is a companion who helped create this era with me."
Looking at Grass Wonder and the others, Shirayuki lowered her head.
"Thank you for walking with me all the way here."
Everyone fell silent.
Orfevre rubbed her eyes and turned her head away.
Grass Wonder covered her mouth. She wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
Agnes Tachyon pinched her chin, and for once, a moving light shimmered in her eyes.
As for Rice Shower, she hugged Shirayuki tightly and kept calling her "Onee-sama."
"Ahaha…" Seiun Sky scratched her cheek. "Trainer… I don't really know how to describe this feeling."
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, a hand smacked Shirayuki on the back.
"Don't you even think about running off after this race!" Gold Ship said with her usual reckless grin. "You've still got tons of stuff waiting for you after this! Next year's new students are gonna be your responsibility too, don't forget that. The title of Empress was passed down from Air Groove, you know? You're not planning to take it with you and run, are you?"
Gold Ship threw an arm out wide.
"The story of Empress Shirayuki might be ending, but what comes next? Newlywed Shirayuki? Big-sister Shirayuki? Mother Shirayuki? Trainer Shirayuki? Don't go thinking uma musume are only about racing!"
Hearing Gold Ship's words, Shirayuki scratched her cheek.
"Then, for the days to come, I'll be counting on all of you."
"Go write the period at the end of the Empress's story, Trainer!"
Gold Ship gave Shirayuki a thumbs-up.
Led by Shirayuki, the sixteen uma musume entered the gates.
"The race begins!"