Only One Year Left—I'll Become a Legendary Uma Musume!

March 17th. Sunny. The weather is nice.

Good evening, to whoever's reading this.

But first, I have to admit something embarrassing—I cried myself unconscious in Ardan-neesan's arms. Ugh, how humiliating.

This filly's body is still too emotional. Right, that must be it. If only I had an adult's body, something so shameful would never happen.

If only I had an adult's body.

I'm sorry. I have to apologize because I've done something terrible.

The first seven or eight entries in this diary were written maliciously—or rather, I wrote them hoping that anyone reading them might feel upset, even if only for a brief second.

Well, how do I put it? Human hearts can be so strange. It genuinely made me happy imagining someone reading this and feeling sad or even crying because of me—even if only briefly. At least, that's how I felt right after writing it.

Isn't that awful? Selfish? Hateful? But before you hate me, please at least understand why I felt that way.

Actually, even before arriving here, I'd been terrified. Terrified of what, exactly? Terrified of being forgotten, terrified of dying. Isn't that natural?

Everyone fears death—absolutely everyone. It's just that sometimes people have something even more important than life itself. But I don't seem to have any of those things.

I pretended to be tough—stubborn, even. Because I'm terrified of death, I desperately wanted to be remembered. Because I'm terrified of death, I wanted fame as a way to achieve some twisted form of immortality. Even though I'd be gone and never know it, the thought alone comforted me.

Right. Writing a diary filled with selfishness and malice was my way of capturing your attention. Imagining those reactions gave me a twisted kind of joy.

Honestly, I felt happy about it. Imagining how my sisters might cry in grief after I was gone, reading these pages… Of course, I don't really know how you'd react then. I can only fantasize—fantasize about how it might feel if I could somehow witness it.

But there are no "ifs."

I'm sorry for selfishly wanting to be part of your lives like this. But I'm just so afraid. Terribly, terribly afraid. Afraid enough that just thinking about death makes me desperately crave warmth. I want—I really want—to have a long career, running alongside you, and having you by my side.

But there are no "ifs."

Alright, enough sad talk. Anyway, from now on, I'll record my true feelings carefully—even things you won't understand at the moment, actions I'll take in the future.

But if I told you I have less than a year left, you'd probably lock me up at home, wouldn't you? I don't want to be caged and wait quietly to die. Such a place could never be a home for me.

It would be a prison.

After coming back from Aqueduct Racetrack, I received my official invitation for the Kentucky Derby—the ticket to the American Triple Crown. Their efficiency really surprised me.

Then came… the invitation to the Satsuki Sho.

Funny enough, compared to the American Triple Crown invitation, the email from Japan was incredibly plain. I won't write down its details here.

Even though I agreed to Ramonu-neesan's advice, I still can't help but want to run both races.

I know Ramonu-neesan just wants me to have a long, healthy career.

But I'm sorry—my career, my life, is down to less than a year. If I could really be healthy, maybe I'd even retire immediately.

Anyway, I still plan to enter both the Satsuki Sho and the American Triple Crown. Hopefully, when I secretly run away and return home, I won't be scolded too harshly.

Of course, maybe it would be better if my sisters grew disappointed enough to let me leave the Mejiro family entirely, letting me live out my remaining days alone… Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Forgive me—I know how horrible I am for making you worry, for hiding this from you, but—

But when I imagine leaving the Mejiro family, being truly alone with no one at my side… it makes me unbearably sad and afraid.

Why did such a cruel fate have to fall upon me? What did I do wrong? I'm sorry. I guess I can't overcome my selfishness. Please let me cling just a bit longer.

Ardan-neesan's embrace is really warm. And Ramonu-neesan's seemingly stern concern… how could that ever make me sad? Please don't apologize.

Just indulge my selfishness a little longer. My rational mind expects me to be cast out and left to my own devices, but… when facing something as frightening as death, I really don't want to be alone.

I'm selfish, aren't I? A terrible person, right? So please, don't be sad when you reach this part. If I'm already gone by then, there's no need to humor the feelings of a corpse.

Haha. What a tasteless joke.

...

Twilight Song closed the diary, sluggishly moving to the edge of her bed. She curled up, leaning against the cold marble wall as she stared at the stars twinkling outside her window.

An unprecedented wave of guilt crept along her spine. Now, in this deep and silent night, with nothing left to distract her and sleep impossible, Twilight Song's thoughts overflowed uncontrollably.

How would the people reading this diary feel? What would happen after they found out she'd died? Would anyone find strength from her running, from her existence—and then grieve her loss?

Why? Why did something so disgusting, terrible, and unfair have to happen to her?

Twilight Song wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, Why me?

Yet ironically, she didn't even know whom to direct her question to.

This small filly could only curl up on the tiny windowsill, looking out at the vast night sky. Stars blinked overhead, eerily similar to the view she'd seen countless sleepless nights as an overworked corporate employee in a cramped apartment.

But the person who used to stay awake with her, sharing that view, was forever beyond her reach—separated by an entire world.

Twilight Song was terrified of dying. She knew this clearly—so deeply afraid that she could already sense the hysteria in herself.

If not for that fear, how else could she have made such a reckless decision the moment she saw the Satsuki Sho invitation?

Sorry, but she had to be selfish this one time. Life with the Mejiro family was genuinely joyful. She had caring sisters, elders who worried about her, juniors who admired her.

She had warm clothes, plenty of food—every possible luxury of this era—without any worries or stress. No one expected her to wake up at eight and work until nine.

If only this had been a normal reincarnation, without the damned curse of only one year to live. If only she could've been an ordinary Uma Musume.

Twilight Song couldn't help but think…

Since this was transmigration, was she now living as a character in some kind of story?

If that were true…

Then, dear readers, will you remember an Uma Musume named Twilight Song?

She desperately wanted to live.