Umamusume's days are numbered

"Furthermore, it is regrettable that Mejiro McQueen, who was originally scheduled to participate in this match, withdrew due to an unexpected fracture before the match. It was a real pity that we were looking forward to seeing a fierce battle between Mejiro McQueen and Platinum."

"With Megumi McQueen gone, it's time to see how we perform!" Daitaku Sun God grinned, pinching his middle and ring fingers together in a gesture whose meaning was unclear. "Let's stake our glory on the hot girls and make a great escape!"

"Hmm..." Meguro Zenshin nodded firmly.

can i do it?

I don't know... but I want to give it a try.

"All contestants have entered the gate—"

"Game start!"

The moment the gates opened, all the riders stepped out. The clatter of hooves even made the ground tremble slightly.

Alice stood on the platform as always. However, this time, standing beside her was neither Maruzensky nor the trainer of Golden Gun Sixty, but Blazing Horse.

Fiery Steed sat to one side, shaking its head and swaying, holding potato chips and stuffing its mouth full.

The constant crunching sounds of chewing kept getting into Alice's ears, which annoyed her greatly. Alice hated these obvious chewing sounds.

"What do you think?" Alice asked Blazing Steed.

Fiery Steed stopped stuffing potato chips into his mouth, stared at Alice in disbelief, and pointed at her: "You..."

He then pointed to himself: "Are you asking me?"

Blazing Steed's doubts were simple: she had only been Platinum's coach for a short period, and Elise was in charge the rest of the time. Elise should have been more familiar with Platinum.

"Of course I have to ask you, aren't you her coach?"

"Hmm—a very good start, no problem!" Fiery Steed squinted at the situation on the field. "Just like I taught her, she's doing very well!"

"Otaku Taiyoushin is in first place, Mejiro Zenshin is in second place, and Shirogane is right behind in third place! All three are regulars in the Great Escape, but unexpectedly, on the Takarazuka Memorial track, none of the three riders chose to back down, but instead all chose to take the lead."

—Don't run ahead of the Great Sun God and Megumi Zenshin! The great escape is a contest of endurance; whoever doesn't lose speed at the end wins!

Platinum remembered the words that Fiery Steed had told him.

The 2200-meter race is a test for all the leading runners. Aim at their weakest point... and then snipe them, like a calm sniper.

"Who asked you about the situation on the field? Can't I see it better than you?" Alice said irritably. "I'm asking about Platinum's mental state!"

For an athlete, mental state is also crucial. At the beginning of her preparations for Takarazuka, Platinum always seemed preoccupied, but then she suddenly became a completely different person and started training relentlessly.

Just before the Takarazuka Memorial was about to begin, Platinum did not stay in her usual dressing room. Instead, she went to the Neo Cosmic dressing room with her travel backpack and did not return until the match was about to start.

What exactly did Platinum and the new universe discuss? Alice wasn't interested in the new universe, but she was very interested in the fact that Platinum would go to talk to it.

Episode 257 Your Own Dictionary

The tactile sensation of stepping on it is comparable to that of Satsuki no Sho.

How could this horse farm be judged as a good horse farm? Platinum really wants the judges to come down and run the horses themselves to see if it really is a good horse farm.

The muddy and wet grass greatly reduced the athletes' stamina, especially for the three who chose to escape.

"Charge!!!" The Great Sun God seemed to have plenty of energy and ran ahead of the pack, leaving Megumi Zenshin and Shirogane behind.

As for Meguro Zenshin, Shirokin finally noticed the unique running style of the fiery horse that had caught her attention. Unlike typical racehorse girls who run close to the grass, perhaps due to the unique experience of steeplechaser racing, Meguro Zenshin ran with its upper body upright and its head held high.

"Led by Daitaku Taiyoushin, the riders rushed out of the second bend. The rankings ahead did not change much: Daitaku Taiyoushin was in first place, Meguro Zenshin was in second place, and Platinum was in third place. About five horse lengths behind these three riders were Ueno Kenjiro and Shin-Uchuu, who were vying for fourth place."

"New Universe..." Although Platinum was on the track and couldn't hear the commentator's announcements clearly, she still caught the words "New Universe."

She understood that the biggest opponent in this competition wasn't Megumi Zenshin or Daitaku Sun God, but the new universe —

Let's go back to the night we met the astronomer.

The astronomer, holding a sake bottle he'd just taken from the liquor cabinet, listened to Shirogane's rambling. Traditional sake, unlike industrially produced sake, has a much lower alcohol content; one glass and it's like spilling beans...

This child has probably been troubled by these trivial matters for far too long.

At this moment, the blush had spread from Bai Jin's cheeks to her neck, and her whole body had turned as red as a crab that had been cooked in a pot.

"I really... don't know what to do... and I don't know who to talk to..." Platinum covered her cheek and slowly slumped into a chair. "Sometimes I feel like I'm a pushover, sometimes I feel like I'm a piece of trash, and sometimes I just think about finding a deserted place to die..."

"---That doesn't make sense." The astronomer ran his fingers along the rim of the cup.

Her fingers touched the spot where Platinum's lips met the rim of the glass, feeling the lingering moisture of the wine.

"Although what you said was vague, about being in a difficult position here and there, and about being worried about which partner would disappear, you've got one fundamental thing wrong."

Platinum stared blankly at the astronomer, then let out another hiccup: "So tell me... what should I do?"

In such a solemn setting, the astronomer's mind was racing with uncontrollable thoughts.

Japanese girls are so cute, so innocent. If this happened in England, touching the rim of a glass like that would leave a ring of lipstick marks on the glass.

“Ah…you feel confused, afraid, and bewildered…but there’s something you should have done in the very beginning that you didn’t.” The astronomer coughed twice. “—Why don’t you go and talk to that new universe you’re talking about?”

Why do you assume things will turn out this way? Pushing yourself into a corner only serves to cause internal conflict and doesn't help.

"Regardless of whether things ultimately turn out the worst, communication is an essential prerequisite, isn't it?"

The astronomer pulled down her collar, revealing her fair collarbone. Pointing to her throat, she smiled and said, "God gave us a perfect throat, not only for eating, but also for communication, right?"

Let's rewind to just before the match was about to begin.

Shin-Universe sat alone in his lounge, the lights off. To protect his privacy, the lounge had no windows, making it feel like nighttime even during the day.

She bit one end of the gauze and pulled it outwards, then tightly wrapped the gauze around her ankles and calves.

The sound of a doorknob turning came from behind, followed by the lights being switched on. New Universe didn't turn around, showing absolutely no interest in who it was.

It could be Rudolf symbolizing a final word of advice to him; it could be his trainer trying to communicate with him; or it could be Platinum being symbolized by Rudolf asking him about the reasons for his consecutive battles.

But all of that was useless; it was all a waste of time.

Just as entropy increase is unstoppable, many things are beyond one's control.

"The new universe is me, Platinum."

The new universe heard Platinum's trembling voice. She must have gone through a difficult internal struggle to get here, but that made no difference to the new universe.

The trainers here have tried the same thing many times. No communication, just no communication.

The communication here doesn't even refer to a clash of beliefs—for the new universe, the prerequisite for communicating with her is being able to understand her words.

Unfortunately, there's no such person in this world. Trainers won't do, parents won't do, Rudolph the symbol won't do, even Platinum... won't do.

So the new universe still didn't turn back until she heard what Platinum said next.

"If you lose the Takarazuka Memorial... you'll disappear, right?"

—How did she find out?

How did she know all this?

Similar thoughts began to arise in the mind of the new universe. But they quickly disappeared like water droplets under the scorching sun, and the heart of the new universe returned to its tranquil state.

Regardless of how we know this, the foundation for such a connection simply doesn't exist.

There's no way to communicate or exchange ideas. So saying anything is pointless.

"Negative...the new universe is not here for CMIN or to achieve Sephirah."

"EXAL's flyby will guide you to the PATH, the final Gate. Cornflower, GENY, but, NOST. Just wait."

Hearing this, anyone would know to back down.

The New Universe never hid anything from anyone. However, no one could understand her words. Over time, the New Universe... got used to it.

There was silence behind him. Cornflower...had she left? Shin-Universe continued wrapping the bandage around his calf, when he heard cheers behind him.

"I...I understand, even if it's only a little, but I understand what you said, New Universe!"

The new universe felt as if it had been electrocuted, and it turned around sharply to look at Platinum.

That's impossible. Everyone else, except her, was clearly—

The moment the new universe saw Platinum, even its thoughts ceased. Platinum still couldn't understand that what she said was true—

But she saw the notebook in Platinum's hand. Platinum frantically flipped through the pages, which were written in her own handwriting. Each page was filled with those unintelligible letters that the new universe had mentioned, followed by dense speculations and conjectures.

【ZDAL】was used to describe opponents who were evenly matched with him. In the fourth diary, this word was used to describe himself in a parallel world, perhaps meaning a formidable rival?

【Gate】This letter appears quite frequently in the new universe. Is Gate some kind of abstract representation? Does it refer to an insurmountable obstacle? It should have something like that.

【FELT】A relatively uncommon word in the second diary entry. Judging from the context, each new universe is used in a relaxed, peaceful environment. Does it refer to a feeling of warmth?

The word "OPON" appears multiple times during arguments. Does it refer to a quarrel? No, it seems more like a disagreement or a situation where opinions differ.

【REEN】 appears in joyful situations. It should be a positive and affirmative particle.

···

It's really hard to tell the difference... If we could figure out which are modal particles, which are nouns, and which are verbs, it would be much easier... Are there any patterns...?

[Part of it looks like an abbreviation of some language.]

[I'm on the right track! Some of it is English abbreviations, but I'm not sure what language some of it is... Keep trying!]

The notebook was filled with densely packed handwriting like this.

This is a dictionary. A dictionary capable of translating the languages ​​of a new universe.

Episode 258 Cornflower

Under the almost horrified gaze of the new universe, Platinum kept searching through various words in the dictionary, piecing together the new universe's language bit by bit.

This was a difficult process, and compiling this dictionary was also a difficult process.

Platinum's only sources of etymology are her daily conversations with the New Universe and a thick stack of diaries she bought from a store. Among these diaries, many describe a relationship between Platinum and the New Universe that has developed to a considerable degree, and in those diaries, various phrases from the New Universe frequently appear—because Platinum from other timelines cannot understand these words and can only roughly grasp their vague meanings.

With over a dozen diaries to keep and two weeks to prepare for the Takarazuka Memorial competition, Platinum had to stay up late every night, comparing each letter one by one after finishing a day's training.

She even felt like she was encountering a completely new language—and at the same time, she had to write a dictionary for this new cosmic language.

Platinum often struggles with a phrase, especially when the context in which the phrase appears is unclear. The new universe is glossed over, and Platinum himself may not be able to record it correctly. He even has to guess the characteristics of the phrase one by one—there are no unique affixes that allow Platinum to distinguish the part of speech of a phrase.

The various abbreviations of the new cosmic language come from different languages. Japanese, Chinese, English, Latin, and even Hebrew. Faced with these, Platinum broke down more than once, jumping up and down and throwing the notebook away, only to sheepishly pick it up again in the end.

Ultimately, the result of Bai Jin's half-month of hard work was what she held in her hand: the only new cosmic language dictionary in the world.

Flipping through the pages in his hand, Platinum vaguely began to reproduce the semantics of the new universe.

"No, negation..."

"I'm not doing this for... wait a minute... it's not for... what Kabbalah Tree of Life?"

...You must be joking.

New Universe felt her gaze melting. She looked at Platinum with indifference, as if she were making a pointless attempt; yet at the same time, she looked at Platinum so earnestly, staring at her lips, hoping to hear the words she had always longed to hear.

"What kind of flight is this? Oh, it should mean what was accomplished?"

"GENY... oh, it must mean gentle..."

No, you can't do it. No one can understand the language of the new universe. Everything you do is in vain. At the last moment before the Takarazuka Memorial, it's too late for anything.

No, you can do it. Cornflower, I've always known that, no matter where or when, if it's you, you can definitely do it.

Two almost completely opposing thoughts swirled within New Universe's mind, rendering her powerless. She felt a burning sensation all over her body, like an asteroid entering the atmosphere. She stared at Platinum, not daring to blink, awaiting the final outcome.

No, the new universe did not come for conversation and beauty.

The external, already completed tasks will guide me on my final journey, helping me overcome the final difficulties.

Cornflower, you are gentle. But this gentleness is unnecessary for me. All you need to do is wait.

Platinum, stammering as he translated what New Universe had just said, looked at New Universe with a mixture of anticipation and fear of making a mistake.

If something goes wrong... then all my efforts over the past two weeks will have been wasted.

The new universe remained motionless and expressionless. She simply stared silently at Platinum, her face as stiff as porcelain.

"Right...right? It's right..." Platinum felt very uncertain as the new universe remained unresponsive.

"Well···"