By the next morning, news of the serious accident at the Kentucky Derby winning concert had spread like wildfire across the front pages of major outlets all over America.
[Post-Derby Scare at the Kentucky Derby! Lightning Strike Causes Total Blackout, Winning Concert Plunged into Darkness and Panic]
[A Song in the Dark: Sunday Silence Brings Hope to the Depths of Despair, and a Legendary Night Is Born!]
[From 'Black Jinx' to 'Golden Miracle'—Sunday Silence Rewrites Fate with Her Voice]
Most front pages ran the same breathtaking photo.
Inside an arena that was almost completely dark, the only light came from the audience, where scattered golden light sticks had gathered into a sea.
At the very front edge of the stage stood Sunday Silence, no more than a straight-backed silhouette with a microphone in hand, as though she were facing the abyss alone and cutting through the darkness with nothing but her song.
The composition was dramatic and deeply stirring, silently telling the story of just how extraordinary that night had been.
The reports went into detail about how sudden the accident had been and how chaotic the scene had become, but without exception, their focus fell on what Sunday Silence did afterward.
In highly charged language, the media described how she shook off her initial stiffness almost immediately, strode to the front of the stage, and began singing and dancing without accompaniment or lighting.
What the media relished even more—what they elevated into legend—was the audience's response.
From panic, to being soothed by her voice, to spontaneously picking their light sticks back up and reforming an even purer, more passionate sea of gold, the crowd and the girl onstage together completed a winning concert in the face of adversity.
Many reports quoted emotional statements from people who had been there.
"At that moment, I didn't feel like she was performing. I felt like she was protecting us."
"Guys, we came to watch a winning concert, and somehow we became the light too!"
"Starting today, I'm a Sunday Silence solo stan!"
On social media, tags and topics related to Sunday Silence's winning concert shot straight to the top of the trending charts, and short clips filmed by audience members were reposted like crazy.
Even people who knew nothing about Umamusume were moved by that sea of gold in the darkness and the clear, unwavering voice ringing through it.
Almost overnight, Sunday Silence's popularity and public image in America underwent a complete transformation.
She was no longer simply the powerful but somewhat mysterious Umamusume shadowed by rumors of misfortune. She had become the embodiment of courage, resilience, and leadership.
Her fanbase exploded, and the title "Golden Miracle" began clinging tightly to her name.
At the same time, the reports did not ignore Easy Goer's performance. They mentioned the way she joined in dancing later in the accident and praised her professionalism, but there was no question that all of it was overshadowed by Sunday Silence's near-mythic feat.
For a while, the single hottest topic in America was Sunday Silence.
...
"I didn't think what happened yesterday would blow up this badly."
In a high-end restaurant somewhere in America, Sakuraba Ryo clicked his tongue as he watched Sunday Silence-related topics rocket upward on his phone.
Good grief.
So this is what it means to catch a wave?
She'd made the front page in one shot.
At this rate, her popularity was going to the moon.
Still, the more Sakuraba thought about it, the more he had to admit that Sunday Silence's response yesterday had been flawless. There was nothing to criticize.
She had earned those fans.
And yet the Sunday Silence sitting across from him didn't seem particularly interested in the fact that her fan count had just exploded.
Resting one cheek against her hand, she simply sat there with her head tilted, looking at him.
A perfectly cooked steak steamed on the plate in front of her, but she hadn't spared it so much as a glance.
From start to finish, her eyes never left Sakuraba's face.
There was a trace of sweetness in that gaze, and it was making him increasingly uneasy.
"Sunday Silence, aren't you going to eat something?"
Finally unable to take being stared at any longer, Sakuraba spoke.
At his words, the girl frowned faintly and puffed out her cheeks a little.
"Why are you still calling me by my full name?"
Her tone was tinged with grievance.
"When we've already..."
Sakuraba lowered his head and thought for a moment.
True enough.
They had already kissed. Calling her by her full name did feel a little off now...
"Hmm... still not quite right."
Blinking at him, Sunday Silence smiled.
"I'll call you Ryo, and you can call me Sunny~"
"What do you think?"
"Isn't that basically a romantic nickname...?"
Sakuraba couldn't help blurting it out.
Just imagining the two of them calling each other that sent a shiver down his spine.
It was way too sweet.
At his words, a rosy blush spread across Sunday Silence's pale cheeks.
Her golden eyes were full of shyness, but she still looked at him seriously as she said,
"Then all we have to do is become a real couple, right~?"
After yesterday's winning concert, Sunday Silence had finally confirmed it.
Sakuraba Ryo was the person she had been waiting for.
Every time misfortune dragged her into a low point, he was the one who pulled her back out.
She didn't know whether she would ever meet someone else who could make her heart race the way he did.
But she knew one thing for certain:
She had no intention of letting Sakuraba Ryo slip away just like that.
The trophy, she wanted.
And the man she had fallen for—
She wanted him too.
She could force a kiss on him backstage.
And she could confess to him in a restaurant the very next day.
Right now, Sunday Silence was a runaway love train.
Nothing was stopping her.
"Ryo, I like you. Please go out with me!"
Sakuraba was plainly stunned by how decisive she was.
The kiss had happened yesterday.
The confession was happening today.
Sakuraba was dumbfounded.
He'd seen all kinds of approaches before.
But this one?
This one was new.
Opening with her ultimate move right from the start—how was anyone supposed to defend against that?
There was no room left to consult a strategist. With a single airy sentence, the girl had sealed off every path of retreat he had.
More importantly, when Sakuraba looked into Sunday Silence's eyes, all he could see in them was his own reflection.
She was serious.
That meant he couldn't respond with jokes or evasions.
Watching Sakuraba close his eyes, Sunday Silence swallowed.
She might have confessed decisively, but the truth was, she wasn't nearly as confident inside as she'd looked...
What if he rejects me...?
What am I supposed to do then...?
But if she didn't confess now, she would never get an answer.
As she waited for his reply, the hand clutching at her skirt had already begun to tremble.
"I refuse."
Sakuraba opened his eyes and said it to her plainly.
The instant Sunday Silence heard his answer, the light in her eyes went dark, and a tide of bitterness welled up from somewhere deep inside her.
Before that feeling could keep building, Sakuraba continued.
"I'm serious, Sunny. You've got the order all wrong."
"Whether it's kissing me or confessing your feelings, your sequence is a total mess."
"At the very least, when it comes to a confession, I should be the one doing it first."
Then Sakuraba looked into Sunday Silence's eyes and spoke with complete seriousness.
"Sunny, I like you."
A smile touched his lips as he gave his answer.
Truth be told, he still couldn't quite sort out what kind of relationship he and Sunday Silence were supposed to have.
Was it a working relationship between investor and Umamusume?
Were they simply friends who had spent a lot of time together?
And at the end of the day—did he actually like Sunday Silence?
Question after question had been circling in his head, and he hadn't been able to untangle them.
But the moment Sunday Silence truly confessed to him, he no longer had the luxury of figuring out the exact shape of his feelings first.
He had to give her an answer.
So he asked himself one simple question.
If he ended up with Sunday Silence, was that really something he didn't want?
The answer was no.
Once he understood that, what he had to do next became very simple.
"Since I'm the investor, and you're the Umamusume I'm investing in..."
"Will you let me invest in the rest of your life too?"
Even as he said it, Sakuraba could feel his cheeks growing a little warm.
Clearly, he knew that line was embarrassingly cheesy.
But it really was the truest thing he could say right now.
As Sunday Silence listened to his answer, moisture slowly welled in her golden eyes, turning into bright tears that slipped down the curve of her cheeks.
"Of course I will~~"
The girl answered him with the brightest smile she had.
---
T/N: O M GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
SHES SUNNY BECAUSE RYO MAKES HER DARKNESS BRIGHT INTO A SUNNY DAY
WHY IS THERE NO SUNDAY SILENCE FANARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ID BE POSTING THEM ALL HERE RNNNNNNNNN RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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