The awards ceremony had wrapped up with thunderous applause. King Halo stood on the center podium, the Satsuki Sho trophy gleaming in her hands, her emerald king dress catching the afternoon light. To her left, Narita Taishin held an identical trophy, both labeled "1st Place" in an unprecedented tie. Biwa Hayahide stood on the third-place platform, and Winning Ticket on fourth, all four of them still processing what had just happened.
Four uma musume. Four Zones. A finish decided by centimeters.
The crowd hadn't stopped roaring since the results were announced.
"And now," the announcer's voice boomed across the venue, "for the first time in Satsuki Sho history, we present a special winning stage performance! Featuring all four podium finishers!"
The massive screens around the track lit up, displaying the words: "Namida Hikatte Asu ni Nare!" / "Become A Tearful Tomorrow!"
In the VIP boxes and stands, people leaned forward with interest.
"A group performance?" Symboli Rudolf murmured, settling back into her seat. She'd delayed her committee meeting for this. Something told her it would be worth watching.
Beside her, Saint Lite smiled. "It's the winning live exclusive song for this moment from the URA."
In another section, Hayato stood with his group, Seiun Sky practically bouncing with excitement beside him, Silence Suzuka watching with quiet interest, Mayano Top Gun leaning against the railing with her arms crossed.
"Trainer, trainer! King Halo's gonna perform!" Seiun Sky grabbed his arm, shaking it.
"I can see that, Sky."
Sakura Laurel stood nearby, her analytical mind already working. "A four-way performance after a four-way Zone battle. The symbolism is almost too perfect."
Further down, Narita Brian gripped the railing so tight her knuckles went white. "Big sis..." Her voice was barely a whisper.
Kawakami Princess stood with her friends, hands clasped together. "She really did it. She really won!"
And in a private box that few knew existed, Goodbye Halo watched through tinted glass, her expression unreadable. One hand pressed against the window, fingers spreading slowly against the cool surface.
Air Groove stood in the general admission area, arms folded, her sharp eyes tracking every detail. This race had changed something fundamental. She could feel it in the air.
On the stage, the four uma musume took their positions as spotlights swung down to illuminate them. The crowd's noise faded to an expectant hush.
King Halo stood center-right, her emerald dress flowing as she adjusted her stance, still catching her breath from the race. To her left, Narita Taishin, dirt from the track still streaking her uniform, blue eyes blazing with something between exhaustion and determination. Behind them, Biwa Hayahide's red gaze swept the crowd with quiet confidence, while Winning Ticket bounced slightly on her toes despite her fatigue.
The opening beat dropped energetic, bright, and peppy. Nothing like the brutal battle they'd just fought.
Everything like the hope that battle represented.
The stage lights shifted to vibrant colors blue, gold, red, white. The same colors as their Zones.
Winning Ticket's voice rang out first, surprisingly powerful for someone who'd been crying less than an hour ago.
"Hibi no Down to Up, kyoukasho ni nottenai kotae sagashi—"
Her hands moved with the choreography, reaching out toward the crowd as if searching for something just out of reach. Every day going from down to up, searching for answers not written in textbooks.
"Minna to ippozutsu~"
Biwa Hayahide's voice joined, steady and grounding. One step at a time with everyone. Her movements were precise, controlled, the monster's older sister showing exactly why she belonged on this stage.
"Sore wa itsuka fumishimeru Start to chotto niteta—"
Narita Taishin picked up the line, her voice carrying traces of the raw emotion she'd poured into that final Zone-enhanced sprint. That feeling is a bit like the start we'll eventually step firmly into. Her hand pressed over her heart, then extended outward.
"Netsu no himeta omoi!"
King Halo's voice cut through clear and triumphant. Thoughts concealing passion! She struck a pose that was pure confidence, and the crowd screamed.
The four voices blended into harmony for the next verse, their different tones creating something richer than any one of them alone.
"Dokiri, honki kanjite—"
The beat picked up. Their movements synchronized not perfectly, they'd clearly never practiced this exact formation together, but the imperfection made it more real. More alive.
"Chira, mashita yokogao!"
They turned in sequence, showing their profiles to different sections of the crowd. Catching a glimpse of that profile, feeling their hearts race.
"Tomaranai de Friends—"
Winning Ticket's voice soared higher, cracking slightly with emotion but pushing through.
"Makenai you na haato o mottetai kara!"
All four voices merged, powerful and defiant. Because I want to have a heart that won't lose!
The screens behind them exploded with visuals, racing footage, their training montages, and then the moment. The four of them entering Zone state simultaneously, colored mists erupting around their forms.
In the stands, Seiun Sky's eyes were already watering. "They're singing about exactly what they just did..."
The chorus hit like a freight train.
"Yes! Akogare datta yume ni ima—"
King Halo took the lead, her voice cutting through the venue like a blade of pure sound. The dream I've always admired, right now—
"Dareyori mae o hitamuki Dash!"
Taishin's voice joined, raw and honest. More than anyone, a single-minded dash forward! Her fist pumped with the beat, remembering that final desperate sprint.
"Mabataki mo dekinai isshun ga kitan dayo—"
Hayahide's steady tone grounded them. That moment you can't even blink has come! The photo finish. Centimeters. All of them frozen in that impossible instant.
"Seishun datte jikan no nai jyou dakedo—"
Ticket's voice trembled but held strong. Even though youth is a situation without time—
"And More Get Over!"
All four sang together, their voices creating a wall of sound that seemed to shake the air itself. The stage lights pulsed with each word, white-blue-red-gold-white-blue-red-gold in rapid succession.
"Kakenueru yo—"
Their hands reached upward, fingers spreading toward the sky.
"NAMIDA HIKATTE ASU NI NARE!"
The title drop. Become tomorrow with tears shining!
WOOOHHHHH!!!
The crowd erupted. The noise was physical, a shockwave of sound that rattled the venue. People were on their feet, screaming, crying, completely losing it.
Narita Brian was bawling openly. "That's my big sis! THAT'S MY BIG SIS UP THERE!"
Kawakami Princess had both hands over her mouth, tears streaming. "King-san! You're so cool!"
The performance continued, the four uma musume moving through the choreography with increasing confidence. Sweat mixed with the dirt still on their skin. Their breathing came harder, they'd just run a G1 race, entered Zone states, pushed past every limit. And now they were performing.
But they didn't stop.
"Fui ni Flying Bird me ni haitta—"
Winning Ticket's solo, her voice lighter now, more hopeful. Suddenly, a flying bird came into view. She spread her arms wide, mimicking flight.
"Nemutai gogo no kyoushitsu hora, mado ni mukou tondetta yo!"
Biwa Hayahide joined, her red eyes gleaming. In the drowsy afternoon classroom, look, it flew toward the window!
"Hirumanaide ikitai koto mezashiteru—"
Narita Taishin's voice grew stronger. Without cowering, I'm aiming for where I want to go. The memory of her complete Zone flashed across the screens, that blue crystalline clarity.
"Tsuyosa chotto mabushii na!"
King Halo finished the verse with a grin. That strength is a bit dazzling!
In her private box, Goodbye Halo's hand pressed harder against the glass. Her daughter was singing about strength being dazzling, about not cowering, about aiming for dreams.
"You really meant it," she whispered. "You really were serious about all of this."
The bridge section hit, and the four uma musume's formation shifted. They stood in a line now, facing the crowd directly.
"Nante yowaki na jibun—"
They sang in unison, vulnerable and honest. What a weak self—
"Zettai ni shiraretakunai!"
Their voices hardened with determination. I definitely don't want anyone to know!
"Kujikenai yo Friends—"
The harmonies split and merged, weaving around each other like their Zone-enhanced run to the finish line.
"Makezu girai nano wa issho nanda kara!"
Because our dislike of losing is the same!
Symboli Rudolf leaned forward in her seat. "They're singing about their weaknesses. But they're doing it together, on stage, for thousands to see."
Saint Lite nodded slowly. "That's what makes it powerful. They're admitting vulnerability while standing in victory."
The second chorus built higher, faster, and more intense.
"Try! Kaze o kirutte kimeta nara—"
Winning Ticket's voice cracked with emotion, but soared anyway. If you've decided to cut through the wind—
"Soko ni mukatte massugu ni Move!"
Biwa Hayahide's steady power. Move straight toward it!
"Fukuramu kimochi zenbu kakete mirun dayo—"
Taishin's raw honesty. I'll try putting all my swelling feelings into it! The memory of screaming for more strength, for more speed, for more power.
"Kodou no peesu genkai made agete yuke!"
King Halo's voice rang clear. Raise the pace of your heartbeat to the limit!
"Believe In Tomorrow!"
The four voices merged again, creating something that transcended any individual performance.
"Nidome no nai—"
Once-in-a-lifetime—
"SEICHOUKI IKERU TOKORO MADE!"
Growth period, as far as we can go!
The screens showed the finish line moment again, four uma musume, four colored trails, all crossing within centimeters of each other. The visual synced perfectly with the musical climax.
Hayato crossed his arms, but the smile on his face was unmistakable. "That's my Halo up there."
Silence Suzuka tilted her head. "They really do sound good together."
"They ran good together, too," Mayano Top Gun pointed out. "Pushed each other to heights none of them could've reached alone."
The final verse approached. The four uma musume were breathing hard now, exhaustion catching up, but their voices never wavered.
"Machigau koto datte aru yo—"
Their harmonies softened and became more intimate. There are times when I'm wrong too—
"Datte mugamuchuu hashitteirun damon!"
Taishin took the line solo, her voice fierce. Because I'm running desperately! The complete Zone. The Goddess of Vengeance. Everything she'd burned.
"Kono ashi tomenaide sa, susunde iketara—"
Hayahide's steady conviction. If I can keep going without stopping these legs—
"Seikai ni naru!"
Ticket and Halo together. It becomes the right answer!
"Shinjiteru kara!"
All four: Because I believe!
The final chorus hit with the force of their Zone-enhanced sprint to the finish.
"We Go—"
Their fists raised in unison.
"Akogare datta yume ni ima—"
King Halo's voice led, but the others weren't backing vocals anymore, they were equals, all pushing forward together.
"Dareyori mae e hitamuki Dash!"
The screens flashed through every moment of the race the start, the slope, the four Zones erupting, the desperate final meters.
"Mabataki mo dekinai isshun, yaki tsukete—"
Burn that moment you can't even blink into your memory—
"Yes! Seishun tte konna katachi? Shitta kamo!"
Is this what youth looks like? I think I've learned! Their voices cracked with emotion and exhaustion, and triumph all mixed together.
"And More Get Over!"
The stage lights went supernova, white and blue and red and gold all at once, blinding and beautiful.
"Watashitachi no—"
Our—
"NAMIDA HIKATTE ASU NI NARE!"
Become tomorrow with tears shining!
They struck the final pose, hands raised toward the sky, faces turned upward, embodying exactly what the song promised. Four uma musume who'd cried, who'd bled, who'd burned everything they had for a dream measured in centimeters.
And they were smiling.
The music faded.
For one perfect moment, there was absolute silence.
Then the venue exploded.
The crowd's roar was beyond deafening, it was apocalyptic. A tsunami of sound that seemed to shake the foundations of the earth itself. People screaming, crying, jumping, hugging strangers. The noise didn't stop, didn't fade, just kept building higher and higher.
Narita Brian was sobbing so hard she couldn't see. "BIG SIS! YOU WERE AMAZING!"
Kawakami Princess collapsed into her seat, overwhelmed. "That was... that was..."
Air Groove stood frozen, her analytical mind completely overwhelmed by the raw emotion of what she'd just witnessed.
In the stands, Seiun Sky was crying rivers, grabbing onto Hayato's arm for support. "Trainer! That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"
"Yeah, Sky. It really was." His voice was rougher than usual.
Silence Suzuka was clapping, actually clapping with visible enthusiasm. "I want to run against them someday."
In her private box, Goodbye Halo turned away from the window. Her hand came up to her face, fingers trembling as they wiped at her eyes.
"First-class," she whispered, voice breaking. "You really did become first-class."
She pulled out her phone, looking at all those carefully prepared headlines about how to properly praise her daughter.
Down on the stage, as the applause continued to crash over them in waves, the four uma musume looked at each other. Exhausted. Triumphant. Changed.
King Halo caught sight of Hayato in the stands. Hayato gave her a small nod, proud, acknowledging, and promising that this was just the beginning.
She grinned and struck one more pose, the king claiming her stage.
Beside her, Taishin raised her trophy in first place, even without the crown.
Hayahide stood with quiet dignity, third place but no less important.
And Ticket jumped up and down, waving at everyone who'd ever supported her.
The screens showed the final image one more time, four bodies crossing the finish line in a blaze of colored light. Blue, gold, red, white. All within centimeters of each other.
The announcer's voice barely carried over the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, your Satsuki Sho podium finishers! The future of uma musume racing!"
The Derby was waiting.
But for now, this moment was theirs.
All four of them.
The future is born in a four-way Zone battle and celebrated in a song about becoming tomorrow with tears shining.
"Namida hikatte asu ni nare!"
The final echo of their voices hung in the air as the lights dimmed and the crowd roared one last time, the sound carrying across the entire venue and beyond, into the world that would remember this day forever.
--
*As usual, the illustration is commented on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD1usoOtRFw
BNW Group Song MV "Become a Tearful Tomorrow" | Uma Musume [ENG SUB] from YouTube, I took the reference BNW winning stages from here. Please listen if you have time to imagine the song.