After watching jiro McQueen’s performance on the Winner’s Stage, Gotham Song felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to rush straight back to jiro Manor and reveal herself imdiately.
It was just so foreign. The figure standing on stage felt nothing like the jiro McQueen she once knew.
Gotham Song rembered vividly:
The eager little filly who’d leapt into her arms after the Satsuki Sho, promising they’d watch each other’s races—indeed, she’d co to watch, but under a stranger’s identity instead.
The small child who, even as others teased her at the birthday party, had only eyes for the desserts.
None of that matched the figure before her now.
If things had followed the normal Uma Musu storyline, jiro McQueen never would’ve ended up like this. So, who was responsible?
It’s you, Twilight Song—Gotham Song.
You have to find a way to take responsibility for this.
In the end, though, Gotham Song didn’t do anything rash—mostly because soone else stepped in to close off any chance of that happening.
Neo Universe had appeared silently behind them at so point, shaking her head firmly at Gotham Song.
Then, silence filled their journey ho.
"So, you’re saying, in many tilines I’ve done sothing stupid here?"
As soon as they reached the dorm and said goodbye to Manhattan Cafe, Gotham Song imdiately voiced the question burning inside her.
Neo Universe clearly knew exactly what Gotham Song had done on her first day—and she answered the question as if she’d done it many tis before.
Yet, just like every other ti, she patiently gave the most straightforward reply without any hint of impatience or reluctance.
Just as Gotham Song felt the urge to make ands for jiro McQueen, Neo Universe wanted desperately to do the sa for Gotham Song... to lead her toward a new future.
"No matter what you do right now, it’s useless. If you reveal yourself, you’ll just end up back in jiro Manor."
"Is it because there’s sothing I don’t know that it’s useless?"
There had to be a deeper reason. It was strange to insist that revealing herself wouldn’t work. jiro McQueen’s current state was clearly driven by a desperate desire for strength, as if she was trying to prove sothing. In other words—
jiro McQueen was obsessively chasing after strength and glory, right?
"It’s because, in jiro McQueen’s eyes, Twilight Song still exists. That’s the real reason."
"Huh?"
Gotham Song was montarily speechless. She could only utter a short gasp as she tried to process what she’d just heard.
What did it an that jiro McQueen saw Twilight Song? Was soone cosplaying her deceased identity to deceive her little sister out of money or affection? No, wait... was that it?
Neo Universe shook her head, then sat down on Gotham Song’s bed. Only once the distance between them had vanished entirely did she begin her explanation.
The story was long, but in brief: In that tiline, Gotham Song nearly succeeded in completely destroying Japan’s international racing ambitions—but at the very last mont, facing jiro McQueen, she saw sothing utterly unexpected.
On the track, jiro McQueen hadn’t been running alone. Those black ribbons swirling around her were her [Unique Skill], her nightmares, her obsession, her madness.
In the final stretch of the race, when "Gotham Song" stopped hiding her true strength and ran at full speed, jiro McQueen’s [Unique Skill] fully manifested—taking the unmistakable form of another person:
It was Twilight Song, engulfed in the silver-white [Unique Skill] that had stunned the world during the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Yet, rather than pure silver, it appeared as dark, pitch-black ribbons.
It was, in fact, the second ti the world had been shocked by a [Unique Skill] so powerful that even humans could clearly witness it—an Uma Musu’s ultimate aura.
But unlike Twilight Song’s hopeful silver, this was deep, suffocating blackness—a representation of death itself.
Neo Universe didn’t continue much further. She concluded simply with the imitation’s anguished cry:
"Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why...?!"
"Why did you abandon ?!"
Gotham Song’s mouth twitched slightly.
Wait, what is this? Why does it sound like a desperate lover driven mad by rejection?
And the phrase "Why did you abandon ?" felt especially unsettling.
The entire revelation had such an overwhelming impact that Gotham Song unconsciously overlooked how surreal the scenario sounded. And when she finally regained her senses, it actually felt strangely reasonable—
After all, she’d spent the entire afternoon watching Sunday Silence dance around the train.
Forget revenge—if soone claid that phantom-Twilight Song’s real goal was to possess her, or even sothing more outrageous, Gotham Song wouldn’t even bat an eye.
This definitely wasn’t a normal world—Tracen had completely broken down.
"I see. In that case, it really is best to take it slow. Thank you, Neo Universe... though you’ve probably told this story many tis already, right?"
If a phantom version of herself was haunting jiro McQueen—whether her sister believed this apparition was real or rely used it as a substitute—then Gotham Song, as a stranger, clearly couldn’t achieve anything by speaking directly. Only one option remained:
She had to confront jiro McQueen head-on and break through her closed-off heart, creating an opening that might lead to recovery.
Ah, my troubleso little sister. Sorry your big sister arrived late, but now... let correct your path.
Neo Universe nodded quietly, inching even closer to Gotham Song, taking a deep breath to steady herself before speaking.
"I hope this is the last ti... Ru—I an, Song, promise sothing."
"Hm? A promise?" Neo Universe’s request? And last ti...?
She must have been exhausted. You’ve worked so hard, haven’t you?
Gotham Song wasn’t unfamiliar with Neo Universe’s circumstances. In fact, her behavior constantly reminded her of another character she likely wouldn’t encounter in this lifeti—Homura Akemi, the black-haired magical girl stuck endlessly traveling parallel worlds.
How many parallel universes had Neo Universe traversed? Gotham Song wasn’t yet ready to ask. Nor did she understand why Neo Universe cared so deeply about her, but clearly Neo Universe was continuously struggling for Gotham Song’s sake.
In that case, promising a small favor was the least she could do.
"What is it?"
"No matter what, no matter what happens—please don’t ever give up your life."
No matter what, don’t give up your life...? That ans—?
"Neo Universe, you an... in many parallel worlds, I chose suicide?"
"You despise being imprisoned, don’t you?"
She’s right.
"Then... did the others promise you?"
Neo Universe shook her head slowly. This was the first ti she’d found the courage to ask openly—because the very first Twilight Song had done exactly that because of Neo Universe herself.
How could she ever voice such a terrible thing?
"I see. Then Neo Universe, I promise—I won’t give up. No matter what happens, I absolutely won’t."
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