“Are you ready?” Kouki stood outside Rice Shower’s room and knocked gently on the door.
“Ah…
yes!” Rice Shower’s sweet voice rang out from inside.
A few seconds later, the door swung open, and Rice Shower appeared before Kouki in her sleek black lolita racing dress.
Her signature race-day attire, combined with her gentle voice, instantly brought back memories for Kouki.
‘Oh my god, I’m done.
My pants are practically falling off.’ ‘Rice Shower is just too cute—so adorable I want to pick her up and spin her around,’ Kouki sighed inwardly, admiring the petite, doll-like girl in front of him.
Even though he saw Rice Shower’s racing silks every day in the game, seeing her wear them in person filled Kouki with absolute awe.
Her small stature, delicate features, endearing aura, and melancholic black lolita dress formed a perfect harmony.
It felt as though she had been created specifically to fit all his fantasies!
“If it’s Onii-chan…
it’s okay…” Rice Shower whispered softly, lowering her head.
Although Kouki couldn’t see her blushing face, her twitching ears completely gave away her flustered mood.
“Hmm?
Sorry, I didn’t catch that.
Could you repeat that for me?” Seeing how shy Rice Shower was, Kouki felt a sudden urge to tease her, pretending he hadn’t heard.
“If…
if it’s Onii-chan…
it’s okay…” Rice Shower repeated timidly.
“Eh?
Can you speak just a little louder?
My human ears aren’t nearly as sharp as yours.” “Mou!
Onii-chan…
stupid!” Rice Shower suddenly ducked forward into Kouki’s arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her head into his chest.
She didn’t dare look up at all, terrified that if she met Kouki’s eyes from this close, her legs would go completely weak.
Kouki was taken by surprise as well.
He had only intended to tease her a little, but her sudden affectionate hug caught him completely unprepared!
Instinctively, Kouki wrapped his arms gently around Rice Shower’s back, holding her securely.
When Kouki’s fingers brushed against the soft skin of Rice Shower’s back left exposed by her outfit, he could feel her trembling slightly in his arms, and his grip around her tightened.
“Rice, just run with a calm heart.
You can do it now,” Kouki lowered his head and whispered softly near her erect horse ear.
Admittedly, an Umamusume’s ears had their perks.
With Rice Shower’s 145 cm height, Kouki would have had to crouch down to whisper into human ears, but her cute horse ears reached right up to a comfortable height.
“Rice…
will do her best!” Overwhelmed by Kouki’s gentle voice at such close proximity, Rice Shower’s knees felt weak.
If she weren’t holding onto Kouki tightly, she might have slid straight down to the floor.
“If you ever feel uncertain during the race, just repeat the mantra we practiced in your mind…” “Huh?” Swish!
A tracksuit jacket flew through the air in a high arc, landing neatly on the paddock stage.
The dark-skinned Umamusume, wearing her tank top, struck a confident pose to the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd.
[“Entry number 3 favorite, Gate 9—Fast Run Star!
She’s a master at unleashing explosive speed on the final stretch!”] Fast Run Star waved cheerfully to the fans, picked up her tracksuit, and jogged back into the tunnel.
A few seconds later, a tall, flashy Umamusume emerged from behind the curtain to even louder cheers.
She held her chin high, her prominent chest looking even fuller under her sports bra.
Shinjo Gyaru flung her tracksuit jacket hard toward the crowd.
The jacket fluttered down right over the heads of the fans in the front row, but the fans only cheered louder.
[“Entry number 2 favorite, Gate 13—Shinjo Gyaru!
Winner of last month’s Open race, and a rising star from Noboribetsu!”] The commentators showered Shinjo Gyaru with praise.
It had to be said, she was indeed a capable runner on the local circuit—though only on the local circuit.
After showing off her pose, Shinjo Gyaru strutted over, retrieved her jacket from the fan holding it up, and blew a dramatic flying kiss to the crowd, capturing the hearts of her local supporters.
The atmosphere in the venue grew wild with cheers.
At that moment, Shinjo Gyaru seemed to be the undisputed crowd favorite.
However, she was not the top favorite today.
After the other runners finished their parade, Rice Shower stepped out from behind the curtain.
The noisy crowd suddenly fell completely silent.
Not because Rice Shower lacked popularity, but because she entered carrying a gorgeous bouquet of blue roses, a gentle, radiant smile on her face.
Her lips were parted slightly as if about to speak, so the audience held their breath, waiting to hear her.
Instead of a standard entrance, Kouki subtly pulled a thin monofilament line, effortlessly slipping the tracksuit jacket off Rice Shower’s shoulders.
Seizing the moment, Rice Shower tossed a handful of blue rose petals into the air.
Petals rained down across the red carpet.
Clad in her dark lolita dress, Rice Shower executed a graceful spin, looking as though she were a princess dancing amidst a sea of blue roses.
With a radiant, ethereal aura, Rice Shower completely stole the show, instantly securing her place as the ultimate favorite of the race.
While Shinjo Gyaru had tried to draw attention by tossing her jacket and blowing kisses, Kouki’s artistic entrance design focused every single eye in the stadium onto Rice Shower alone.
[“And standing as the NUMBER 1 FAVORITE!
Gate 1—Rice Shower!
Like a princess of the dark night bathing among blue roses!
Truly worthy of a Central Umamusume!”] The commentator, who had been quiet for a moment, let out an ecstatic shout, his voice rising several octaves above normal.
His roar shattered the silence, setting off a thunderous wave of cheers across the stands!
The deafening roar of applause even startled Rice Shower mid-dance, causing her tail to puff up in surprise!
Meanwhile, watching the crowd go wild for Rice Shower, Shinjo Gyaru nearly bit her tongue in frustration.
‘Why…
why is everyone staring ONLY at you?!’ [“The runners have loaded into the starting gates!
First to load is Gate 1, Rice Shower!”] [“Next is Gate 3, Alpheus…”] [“Gate 9, Fast Run Star…
Gate 11, Nix Magic…
Gate 13, Shinjo Gyaru…”] It was worth noting that while this match was originally set up between Rice Shower and the small gang of bullies, the local racing association decided that since they were prepping a full track anyway, they might as well make it a grand spectacle.
They immediately expanded the field to 18 runners, leaving Kouki caught between laughter and tears.
[“All 18 runners are locked in!
Let’s see who claims glory today!”] Clack!
The red light flashed, all 18 gates sprang open simultaneously, and the field broke forward…
or at least, most of them did.
[“Oh!
Gate 8 stumbled out of the break!
Gate 8 has lost her footing early!”] The mishap at Gate 8 didn’t affect the rest of the field.
After a brief scramble for positioning, the runners settled into clear lead and trailing clusters by the 400-meter mark.
[“Setting the pace in front is Gate 13, Shinjo Gyaru, followed closely by Gate 5, ‘I Love G-Cups’!”] [“Running in third is Gate 6, ‘World Star’, with Gate 1, Rice Shower, stalking right behind her in fourth!”] [“And trailing just behind them is Gate 9, Fast Run Star…”] The commentator rattled through the field order smoothly.
A 2,400-meter turf race was a rare treat for a small local venue, and the commentator was thoroughly immersed in the excitement.
[“Passing the 1,000-meter mark!
The clock reads 1 minute 01.0 seconds!
It’s a relaxed, measured pace—very comfortable for front-runners!”] As the field passed the first kilometer mark, the commentator analyzed the tactical setup.
For an Escape runner, a slower pace meant less stamina expended early on.
This was ideal, allowing front-runners to preserve maximum energy for the final stretch.
If the pace were fast, front-runners would burn through their stamina just maintaining position, risking a complete collapse in the final 400 meters.
Thus, conventional racing wisdom dictated that a slow pace was the most advantageous scenario for an Escape runner—with the sole exception of Silence Suzuka!