She knew Gundams did not exist in this world.
But Triple Crown Uma Musume did.
And people would remember them, again and again!
"I want to..."
Bourbon had always done as she was told, never sought anything for herself, and never had opinions of her own. For the first time, she felt what it meant to want something—to yearn for it.
"Father, um... I..."
Little Bourbon tugged at her father's sleeve, like a child asking her parents for a toy on the street.
Her father looked at her in surprise. It was the first time Bourbon had acted like a child her age.
"I... want to become a Triple Crown Uma Musume."
Her father stood stunned for a long while. Perhaps it was what she had done, perhaps what she had said, or perhaps... it was the look in her eyes.
Those eyes, usually as blank as LCD screens, held a child's longing for something for the first time.
It was also the first time Bourbon had spoken up about something she wanted.
For the first time, she wanted something without anyone suggesting it to her.
Her father, a trainer himself, looked at his daughter. After a moment's hesitation, he smiled.
"I see. Well, then... work hard and go for it, future Triple Crown Uma Musume."
But the Triple Crown was no toy. Wanting it did not mean she could simply have it.
That day, Bourbon set her heart on becoming a Triple Crown Uma Musume, and her father began training her.
"And that was how the Triple Crown became my goal. It was one of the few things I wanted of my own free will, and a dream my father and I shared."
Bourbon spoke slowly, her eyes resting on Zhou Yuang across from her.
The Path Forward, Step