Umamusume's days are numbered

The touch of my palm is so warm.

The color is pure white, a cold hue. But in a universe filled with darkness and death, how dazzling is an unexpected splash of white?

But the owner of this color didn't understand what New Universe was thinking. She simply flung New Universe's hand away in despair, yelling, "I told you it's contagious!!!"

— "At the third bend, the chasing drivers all started to accelerate!"

"The final competition is about to begin, and all the accumulated strength will be unleashed at this last moment."

"Ha, ha, ha..." The Great Sun God exhaled hot air, obvious fatigue raging in her mind.

Although I wanted to continue, my physical strength no longer allowed it.

The gap between them and the competitors behind them is narrowing. But even at this speed, the Taishin Sun God is finding it difficult to maintain.

"Since that's the case—"

With the last of his strength, the Great Sun God raised his head and waved his arms towards the sky one last time: "Keep running for me! You must—you must—win first place!"

"A new universe, a new universe, is also accelerating at this time! Who will be the final victor?"

"Open your mouth and swallow the medicine."

The white figure first popped a few pills into its own mouth, then pried open New Universe's mouth and popped a few more in as well, muttering, "Honestly, you just had to come up here... Don't blame me if you get infected, I wonder if this medicine even has any preventative effect..."

New Universe stared unblinkingly at the white figure, then pointed to himself: "New Universe."

"Hmm? New Universe, I know you're New Universe, you're quite famous."

So the two of them started staring at each other.

“UNBL…I’ve introduced myself.”

So the new universe resorted to its old tricks again, reaching out to itself a second time.

"New Universe."

Perhaps wanting to be on the safe side by doing it a few more times, New Universe then raised his finger for the third time: "New—"

"Ah, I see, you're from the new universe!" the white figure said irritably. "How come you can't even speak properly... You want to ask my name, right?"

"Let me think..." The white figure rubbed her chin. "Hmm... Hinterlea."

"I am Hinterlaya."

Episode 261 Children of the Stars

"The race is entering its final stages! Led by Yoshin Mejiro, the racers are approaching the fourth turn. But the real test is just beginning."

"The entire final corner plus half of the final straight is a continuous downhill section of nearly 600 meters. After the downhill section, there will be a continuous uphill section of more than 100 meters, extending all the way to the finish line."

"The continuous downhill sections test the athletes' control over speed and endurance. If they relax even slightly, they may misjudge their remaining energy. The uphill sections that follow, combined with the already long course, make it difficult to control speed and avoid losing it, let alone compete fiercely for position."

"But—" the commentator's voice rose, "Mejiro Zenshin! Mejiro Zenshin is still firmly in the lead!"

"She withstood the pressure of Platinum's relentless pursuit and maintained her charging spirit!"

"At this final juncture, can Yoshinori Mejiro maintain his advantage, take up the mantle of Ryan Mejiro, and let the Mejiro family's glory shine a second time on the Takarazuka stage?"

This is really difficult to deal with!

Bai Jin clicked his tongue in amazement behind Mokubai Zenshin.

"Flaming Steed" is right; Meguro Zenshin is indeed the most formidable opponent. He possesses the stamina honed through steeplechaser training, along with the inherent speed of a racehorse. With such strength, his rise to prominence is only a matter of time.

She had faced other players using the same escape strategy before—the one who came in first in both the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby… but was the last one.

After me. In every match, her cry of "I can't do it anymore—" was especially loud.

Thanks to her, Platinum almost developed a misconception about the Great Escape Horse Girl—until she met Mejiro Zenshin.

At the same time, footsteps were approaching from behind. They were the footsteps of the new universe, which was catching up.

The Takarazuka Memorial... will it end with whose victory?

Is it to prove himself in front of everyone, to be so close to the G1 trophy for the first time, and to live up to the painful training that Megumi Shinshin endured?

Platinum is still struggling between the two options.

Or is it a new universe where one must race on a track to confirm one's existence?

"It's me," Platinum murmured to herself.

It must be me.

Because I have promised the new universe that I will give her the most perfect ending!

—"The new universe is not a leap because of the [Gate]."

Returning to the lounge between Platinum and Neo Universe, Neo Universe said softly, "It was because of the cornflower that I was able to cross the [Gate], which is why I decided to leave."

The old universe was vast. There are many new universes, but only one cornflower.

The universe we have now is very, very small. There are many cornflowers, but only one new universe.

"You mean..." Platinum stroked New Universe's long, fluorescent blue-dyed hair. In the empty lounge, the subtly fluorescent dyed hair was as beautiful as the Milky Way in the sky. "Whether you leave or not is your own choice, isn't it?"

There weren't any hard and fast criteria; it was just that I felt it was time to move on to the next stop.

The new universe is a traveler between universes. After a brief rest in one world, it moves on to the next. The Takarazuka Memorial... is actually her alarm clock reminding her the train has arrived at its destination.

New Universe first nodded, then shook his head: "Yes...no, it's not."

"This is a choice made jointly by the new universe and cornflower."

"I was asked this request by Cornflower."

"New universe, let's play a game."

Platinum was peacefully embraced by the new universe, like a large doll.

"You say a number, and then I'll make the gesture, okay?"

"Then, the number nine."

Why nine?

"March 9th is the Yayoi Prize, and also the day when the new universe meets the cornflower."

"You're just making things difficult for me." Platinum sighed, struggling to move her fingers.

In the hopeful gaze of the new universe, she could feel the platinum in her arms trembling. It was as if she were struggling to awaken the muscle memory of her body, confirming the correct movement of each muscle—

The new universe saw Platinum's right hand tremble a few times, but ultimately it failed to lift.

"No way... There's no way that love, friendship, or courage can break the rules of physics."

Platinum curled the corners of her lips into a helpless smile.

I never expected to have to experience the power of the Soul Dissolution Symptom again.

"New Universe, you're so close to me, aren't you afraid of getting infected?"

The new universe didn't answer, but only tightened its embrace, like a wronged child: "Cornflower will be alright..."

"New Universe, can I ask you for a favor?" Platinum leaned against the embrace of New Universe.

"Please leave this world and head to the next stop."

"The new universe will not leave the cornflower."

"Until death, is that it?" Platinum's lips curled into a bitter smile. "New universe, how many times have you experienced the same scene?"

"How many times have you met me, how many times have you experienced moments like this, and how many terrible partings have you gone through in the end?"

"I don't want to see the New Universe so sad, and I don't want the New Universe to see me in such a terrible state. The ugliest thing is to be dead. No matter who it is, after death, they become stiff and cold, and then they continue to rot... I can accept being seen by other people, but I don't want the New Universe to see me."

"The new universe will not leave Cornflower." After a moment of silence, the new universe did not answer Platinum's question. She simply hugged Platinum tighter, as if trying to catch a drop of water slipping through her fingers.

"I didn't ask you to abandon me... I'm begging you."

"Just how big is this world?" Tears welled in Platinum's eyes, reflecting ripples of phosphorescence like the light of countless stars. "The main trunk has countless branches, and on those branches are countless more branches, and on those countless branches are even more branches, and on all those branches are countless leaves..."

"How many versions of me would there be? But on so many leaves, there is only one new universe."

"I have encountered a new universe, how fortunate I am. But there are so many others who have not encountered a new universe, how unfortunate that is."

"Please, New Universe. Please go and save them. Even if you can't do it, even if you can only stay by their side... I know there will be a way in the end."

“There will definitely be a leaf like that—I am healthy, your favorite trainer is here, and you are here too. That leaf is still waiting for you.”

"New universe, hurry up and go! How can you stay here?"

"—You are a child of the stars."

Episode 262 Genesis

A very long time passed after that.

The new universe cannot describe exactly how much time has passed, because ordinary time can be defined.

A baobab tree can live for thousands of years.

Galapagos tortoises have an average lifespan of over 100 years, and a male tortoise named Adevita in India lived to be 255 years old.

The average life expectancy in Japan is 83 years. That is, a person's lifespan is approximately 83 years.

Cicadas have a lifespan of about ten years, but they only spend about eighty days living on land.

One second is the most basic definition, the foundation of all units called "time". One second is the time it takes for the hyperfine level transition frequency of the ground state of the cesium-133 atom to be 9192631770 Hz.

However, none of these can serve as a standard for measuring time in the new universe. In an infinite, boundless realm beyond description, neither time nor space exists.

The universe has infinite weight, and the journey to the new universe has infinite duration.

She passed through many, many leaves and encountered many, many cornflowers.

"Go to the next world, and meet the next cornflower. Entrust everything about me to the next me. One day, a world where everything is perfect will exist."

This is a promise I made to the cornflower, a shared wish between us. The new universe has decided to fulfill this promise.

From the very beginning, when I first met Cornflower, stayed with her until she passed away and lingered for a long time before leaving, to being asked by Cornflower not to leave the separation until the moment of death, to becoming a silent watcher, I don't know how many separations I experienced and how many leaps I made.

Memories always fade, as do her trainer who gave her warmth, and her promise to cornflower.

She no longer clung to any particular bond with the cornflowers on each leaf. Just being able to gaze at them from afar, seeing them still vibrant, was enough to bring a warm comfort to the new universe.

What the new universe is doing now is repetitive work, like a job. Arriving in a new world, choosing a relationship with her that is neither too close nor too distant, participating in the same competition as her, until the Takarazuka Memorial.

The Takarazuka Memorial holds a very special significance for the new universe itself. The initial loss, everything, began here. Perhaps a single wrong decision back then could have prevented things from going astray to where they are today.

The Takarazuka Memorial holds a very special meaning for Cornflower, though she herself is unaware of the origin of this meaning. Having witnessed Platinum win the Takarazuka Memorial, her mission in one world of the new universe is complete. Afterwards, she will embark on her journey to the next world without hesitation.

It's not that the cornflower is no longer special in the new universe. The cornflower is still the same cornflower, in countless worlds. It's the new universe itself that is constantly changing.

Up to this day.

—“Mejiro Zenshin! Platinum! New Universe!”

"It's a close contest, with Meguro Yoshinobu maintaining a slight lead. However, the gap between Shirogane and Meguro Yoshinobu is narrowing!"

"The new universe is also catching up fiercely on the outside. It's hard to believe that after such a long race, the champion changed hands several times in the final 100 meters uphill."

I want to win! I absolutely must win! I'm only a few dozen meters away from the championship I've always dreamed of!

Meguro Zenshin's vision had already become blurred.

It's only a few dozen meters away now...

"Mejiro Zenshin has been surpassed by Platinum and Neo Universe! Will the final victor be one of the contestants from these two classic years?"

Platinum... prove it to me.

Even without me, you can still do your best to struggle and survive.

In this way, the new universe can safely move on to the next world.

Beat me! Right here!

The pace of the new universe quickened, and every muscle in her body seemed to tremble, yet her running posture was so elegant, as clear and enlightening as a standard answer that had been repeated countless times.