After a series of minor disturbances—including the staff bringing Super Creek a number bib intended for the senior division—the simulation race was finally able to continue.
“That girl truly shouldn’t be underestimated…”
Mr.
Yoshida’s remark left Kazuomi unsure whether he should laugh.
He forcibly suppressed his amusement and returned his attention to the race.
Tamamo Cross had entered a visibly darkened state.
A cloud of negative emotion practically radiated from her back as she lowered her head and muttered repeatedly:
“Die, die, die…”
Whether Super Creek was naturally oblivious or simply accustomed to reactions like this, she continued trying to speak to Tamamo from the neighboring starting gate.
“Ready—”
Every competitor settled into position.
Their focus sharpened as they awaited the final command.
The entire racetrack fell silent.
Although this was only a simulation, everyone held their breath.
“Start!”
The gates opened.
Every Uma Musume exploded forward with all her strength.
Every one except Super Creek.
Still preoccupied with Tamamo’s condition, Creek had not been concentrating.
She did not react until nearly two seconds after everyone else had left the gates.
This was a 1,200-meter turf sprint.
From the opening moment, every competitor treated it as an all-out dash.
Six flags had been placed beside the course, each representing a 200-meter segment.
They allowed the academy to record each Uma Musume’s placing, instantaneous speed, and time over every section of the race.
Because Super Creek had started slowly from the first gate, the inside lane instantly became the object of competition.
Securing the inside in a sprint could provide a decisive early advantage.
Every student understood that.
What none of the trainers had expected was that the smallest girl in the field would be the one charging at the front.
Tamamo Cross burst clear of the leading pack and sprinted ahead alone.
In only four seconds, she had opened a gap of two lengths over Fine Motion in second place.
“Daaaaamn yooooou!”
Tamamo roared in her Kansai dialect, face burning red.
It was as though the opponent she truly wanted to defeat stood somewhere far beyond everyone else on the track.
The provocation she had suffered had clearly destroyed her original strategy.
She had abandoned all restraint and reduced the race to a pure contest of absolute speed.
“Her turnover is unbelievably fast.”
Kazuomi stared in astonishment at the white-haired girl.
Given her physique, the obvious strategy would have been to remain within the field, then launch an outside attack around the third segment.
Instead, she had charged directly into the lead and seized the most advantageous position from the beginning.
“She’s compensating for her physical disadvantage by lowering her center of gravity and increasing her stride frequency to the absolute limit.”
Yoshida nodded approvingly.
“That girl has an excellent turn of foot.”
However, his gaze soon shifted toward the runner behind her.
The number-ten marker vanished behind Tamamo Cross at a speed almost too great for the eye to follow.
“What was her time?”
Hana Tojo kept her eyes fixed on Tamamo’s small figure.
Beside her, Todo stared at the number on his stopwatch in disbelief.
“11.81 seconds?”
The other trainers immediately turned toward him.
That split would have been impressive even in a Grade Two race.
Yet it had been produced by an Uma Musume who had not even made her official debut.
“Tamamo Cross…”
The deputy head stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“The question is whether she can maintain that speed until the end.”
At present, Tamamo was running like a front-runner.
If she maintained her advantage, the outcome would be beyond dispute.
However—
Fine Motion remained directly behind her.
Her running form was relaxed, elegant, and almost perfectly precise.
Unlike Tamamo Cross, her stride frequency was not especially fast.
Yet every time her foot struck the ground, the turf seemed ready to tear free beneath it.
Her body launched forward like a shell fired from a cannon.
At the beginning, two full lengths had separated them.
After the first segment, Fine Motion had reduced the gap to less than one. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
She remained locked tightly behind Tamamo.
“Oh?”
Mr.
Yoshida stroked his small goatee.
“I assumed the girl in second had been specially admitted primarily because she was an exchange student.”
“It seems she possesses both ability and intelligence.”
Kazuomi quietly took note of those words.
The old man always seemed to know everything.
No matter what occurred, he watched with the composed expression of someone who had already understood the entire situation.
And just as Yoshida had said, Fine Motion was clearly using her head.
“She’s holding a forward position directly behind Tamamo Cross.”
The deputy head analyzed her strategy while examining the students’ entrance fitness records.
“She’s using the leader to reduce the wind resistance she receives.”
“At the same time, she can observe Tamamo Cross while controlling the second-best position and preventing runners behind her from advancing.”
“She still has strength in reserve.”
The deputy head looked impressed.
“She’s waiting for a single opportunity to release it all at once.”
“For such a slender body to generate that much power…”
Hana Tojo stood with her arms folded, watching the race solemnly.
“They’ve passed the third section.”
Todo continued calling the recorded times.
“The leader’s split is 33.93 seconds!”
The trainers’ expressions became increasingly serious.
This simulation had already reached the standard of an official race.
Everyone began scrutinizing the competitors more carefully.
The race had passed its halfway point.
The next curve would mark the beginning of the final battle.
Everyone watched the fourth marker.
Two shadows crossed it together.
The trainers’ eyes widened.
Fine Motion accelerated from the second lane entering the final corner.
She completely erased Tamamo’s advantage.
The two were now almost perfectly level.
Tamamo Cross held the inside.
Fine Motion raced beside her in the second lane.
They drove forward like a violent storm, their competing surges twisting the air around them into something resembling a spiraling wall.
The final four hundred meters opened into a straight.
Kazuomi’s eyes widened.
No one wanted to miss even the smallest detail, despite this being only a simulation.
“Hyaaaaaah!”
“Haaaaaaah!”
The final sprint began.
Not only the leading pair, but every Uma Musume in the field gritted her teeth and drove forward with everything she possessed.
“Look at number four!”
Kobayashi shouted.
While the two leaders battled in the straight, another figure began accelerating from farther back.
She surged from seventh place into third.
The quiet beauty had short black hair and resembled a dark shadow moving across the turf.
She began her final drive with two hundred meters remaining in the straight.
Within that brief distance, she had already advanced into third place.
Less than two meters separated her from the leading pair.
“What an explosive finishing kick.”
Despite her quiet appearance, the girl ran with wild confidence and tremendous force.
Her momentum as she pursued the leaders was overwhelming.
Two hundred meters remained.
“Haaaaaaaah!”
Tamamo Cross roared.
Her body bent forward until she seemed almost parallel to the ground.
In that instant, the smallest girl on the track transformed into a bolt of white lightning.
Boom!
Swift as wind.
Fierce as thunder.
Half a meter.
One length.
During the final stage of the race, everyone watched in disbelief.
She opened a gap of one and a half lengths and crossed the finish line first.
“68.07 seconds…”
Todo stared wordlessly at the stopwatch.
One minute, eight seconds.
Had that time truly been produced in a simulation race for newly enrolled students?
Everyone’s attention turned toward Tamamo Cross—the smallest competitor, yet one containing extraordinary power and potential.
“Hah… hah…”
That final acceleration had pushed her beyond her limits.
After crossing the line, Tamamo could barely process what had happened.
She bent forward beside the course, gasping desperately for breath.
“I… I won…”
The moment she recognized the result and tried to move—
“Tamamo deeeear!
Congratulations on winning!”
Something struck her from behind.
Then two arms wrapped tightly around her.
Because of her delayed start, Super Creek had finished only fifth.
Even so, she appeared happier about Tamamo’s victory than anyone else.
She had barely crossed the finish line before rushing over to embrace her.
“Mm!
Mmph!
I can’t breathe!”
Tamamo struggled helplessly.
“Creek!
Let go!”
“To celebrate, shall we have parfaits today?
Or would you prefer crêpes?”
“Mmph!
This is painful!”
Pressed against something overwhelming, Tamamo suffered simultaneous physical and emotional damage.
She had won the race.
So why did she feel so completely defeated?
Damn it.
I’m going to cry.
I really am going to cry!
“Tamamo Cross…”
One trainer stared toward her.
“To think this year’s freshmen would include a monster like that.”
“Which team do you think she’ll choose?”
“Do you even need to ask?
Probably the deputy head’s team or the department head’s.”
“Still, the others were impressive too.”
Eishin Flash crossed the finish line in third place.
She continued jogging lightly to regulate her breathing, then examined the displayed time to compare it with her own calculation.
“0.42 seconds faster than my estimate.”
She looked calmly toward the track.
“The students at Tracen Academy truly are impressive.”
Although she had not won, she still appeared completely composed.
Her expression suggested that she had entered the race with another objective.
This is sufficient.
With that thought, Eishin Flash headed toward the rest area.
Fine Motion did not stop immediately after crossing the line.
She continued jogging along the course for a short distance.
Tamamo Cross’s abnormal final acceleration had ultimately defeated her, but Fine did not appear particularly concerned by the loss.
Instead, she had already noticed a familiar figure in the observation stand.
A refreshing smile appeared on her face.
She raised her right arm and waved enthusiastically toward Kazuomi as she jogged.
His presence clearly excited her more than the race result.
Fortunately, everyone else was watching Tamamo Cross and failed to notice Fine Motion’s behavior away from the crowd.
Although embarrassed, Kazuomi still raised his hand and waved back.
Yoshida observed the entire exchange.
A meaningful smile quietly appeared upon his face.