Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 111
--+--
“Now!”
That shout belonged to Starlight Trajectory.
Nishizaki Ryo, who stood closest to her, took the full force of it without warning. He rubbed his ringing ears, still dazed, and nearly dropped the binoculars in his hands.
“Ack... I think I’m going deaf...”
“An upset! No. 1, Miss Kamui, who’s been leading from the front this whole time, seems to have made a mistake on the uphill!”
“Tokyo Racecourse’s dirt track has one more slope before the finish line. It isn’t a steep one, but for inexperienced rookies who aren’t careful, it’s easy to lose out there, just like Miss Kamui did.”
“What?!”
The moment Nishizaki Ryo heard the announcer’s call, he forgot all about his ears and raised his binoculars again. Just as the broadcast had said, in his field of view, Miss Kamui, who’d been at the head of the pack, gave a clear stumble as soon as she reached the uphill stretch.
She recovered at once, but on the track, even the smallest mistake got blown wide open. In a fierce race, any slip could grow into something fatal.
Mejiro Ardan had no room left to watch anything else around her. Even so, when that clear, piercing shout reached her, she still lifted her head on instinct and looked toward the source of the voice.
That voice felt strange, yet familiar. In that moment, it gave her a sense of safety she’d never known before and wiped away every trace of panic in her heart.
For one hazy second, Mejiro Ardan thought she saw someone in the stands ahead, leaning over the railing and cheering for her with everything they had. Then her scattered gaze snapped back to the race, and she caught sight of Miss Kamui’s stumbling form.
There was no need to think. Mejiro Ardan knew right away.
This was the chance she’d been waiting for.
“Mejiro Ardan’s coming up! Mejiro Ardan’s coming up!”
“Miss Kamui adjusted fast, but the gap between them has shrunk so much it’s almost impossible to see!”
Mejiro Ardan, who’d looked like she was starting to fade, found her strength again and seized that one and only chance. Even if the only “sprint” she could manage was to keep the pace she already had, that was enough.
Under these conditions, the difference between Miss Kamui and Mejiro Ardan began to show.
Unlike Mejiro Ardan, who’d practiced that uphill climb dozens, even hundreds of times until the technique had sunk into her muscles, Miss Kamui’s rough uphill stride remained a fatal weakness even after she recovered.
“Mejiro Ardan has overtaken her! The finish line’s right there!”
“No way...”
Nishizaki Ryo’s mouth fell open in shock. He didn’t even notice the lollipop dropping from his lips to the ground.
“They’ve crossed the line!”
“By a hair’s breadth, it’s Mejiro Ardan! She takes the final stride across the finish line first!”
“Mejiro Ardan has won this race and proven that she deserves every bit of her top popularity!”
At almost the same time, the stands erupted into thunderous cheers, everyone shouting in celebration for Mejiro Ardan’s victory.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Wasn’t her aptitude supposed to be a total mismatch?!”
“Does that mean her body issues are already behind her...? I’ve got to sign her before anyone else does.”
“The Mejiro family’s got another rising star...”
A few trainers’ mutters mixed into the cheers. The race had only just ended, but they were already leaving the stands and heading backstage to wait for her.
“Those guys...”
Nishizaki Ryo saw it too, and it left a bad taste in his mouth. He remembered how, when the final turn ended, some of them had already been ready to leave.
The only reason they’d stayed was because the race had changed too fast for them to walk away.
“Hey, you came for her too, right? Aren’t you gonna try?”
Nishizaki Ryo turned to Starlight Trajectory, who was also preparing to leave. Unlike those trainers, though, she wasn’t heading backstage. She was walking toward the exit of Tokyo Racecourse.
“Me? I’ll pass...”
Starlight Trajectory shook her head. Now that things had reached this point, she no longer felt the urge to sign Mejiro Ardan.
Since Mejiro Ardan had already proved her ability to the world, the problem Akikawa Yayoi had described, where no team would take her in with real sincerity, wouldn’t happen anymore.
With this many people here, surely one trainer among them would be right for Mejiro Ardan.
More than what was happening here, Oguri Cap was still waiting for her in Osaka. If she couldn’t even show up for her own trainee’s race, then she’d be a failure as a trainer.
‘This was too sudden, but I hope Oguri Cap won’t be affected by it.’
‘If Symboli Rudolf hadn’t interrupted me, how could I have forgotten Mejiro Ardan was racing today too?’
‘Still, everything turned out fine in the end. Guess it was just a scare...’
After grumbling to herself a little, Starlight Trajectory took out her phone and began preparing for her next trip.
“Wait!”
She’d barely taken two steps before Nishizaki Ryo called out to her again.
“Is there something else?”
When she turned back, she saw Nishizaki Ryo give her a thumbs-up. He grinned and said, “That line just now was really cool.”
“...Thanks.”
Starlight Trajectory froze for a brief moment at his answer. Then she smiled, waved to Nishizaki Ryo, and walked away.
--+--
“Mejiro Ardan, could I take a little of your time...?”
“Me too...! Your running form just now was wonderful. Please, come to my team if you’d be willing...”
“Miss Ardan, I can give you the race schedule and training plan that suits you best. Would you consider me...?”
As soon as Mejiro Ardan withdrew from the track and arrived backstage, the trainers there surrounded her so tightly she could barely move. Rookie trainers and veterans alike offered her olive branches one after another.
But Mejiro Ardan’s eyes passed right over them. She kept looking through the crowd as if she were searching for someone.
In the end, she didn’t find the person she wanted.
“I’m sorry. I’m grateful for everyone’s enthusiasm, but please allow me to think it over later.”
With a smile, Mejiro Ardan gently declined every invitation, then walked toward the rest area. In her mind, she kept replaying the hazy sight she’d seen back then.
‘Where is that trainer from the stands...?’
--+--
Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 112
--+--
“Good thing I didn’t miss my stop.”
Starlight Trajectory stepped off the Shinkansen and let out a hazy yawn.
Even by bullet train, the trip from Tokyo to Osaka took time, and since she’d been feeling a little off, she’d ended up falling asleep. By the time she woke up, the next stop was already Osaka.
“Let’s see what time it is...”
She rubbed her eyes, took out her phone, and pressed the wake button. The moment she saw the numbers shift on the screen, she snapped wide awake.
It’s already three?!
Oguri Cap’s afternoon race started at three-forty, and she was still more than ten kilometers from Hanshin Racecourse.
Forty minutes for that distance wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either. If she hit red light after red light on the way, she might not make it.
“City speed limits are lower than an Uma Musume’s... I’ll run there myself.”
For her, a ten-odd-kilometer jog while keeping to the speed limit wasn’t hard. After warming up a little on the spot, Starlight Trajectory dove straight onto the Uma Musume-only path and blasted toward Hanshin Racecourse.
“Alright!”
As she flew down the road, Fujii Sensuke was standing nearby, waiting for a taxi while reading a newspaper. He’d been so absorbed in it that he never expected a sudden gust to whip the paper out of his hands.
“Whoa... Was that an Uma Musume in a hurry?”
He watched the already distant figure and pushed his glasses back into place. For some reason, that silhouette felt familiar.
“That shape... where’ve I seen it before?”
But Starlight Trajectory had already vanished from sight, and he hadn’t looked closely enough. He couldn’t find anyone similar in his memory.
Fujii picked the newspaper up from the ground, brushed off the dust, and looked at the headline he’d prepared. An excited smile spread across his face.
“Forget it. I’d better head to the racecourse first. If I waste any more time, I won’t make it.”
--+--
Hanshin Racecourse was packed today.
Famous racecourses on the Central circuit always drew plenty of spectators, but Oguri Cap’s name had spread after her first Central race. Add in the hype from certain media outlets, and the crowd that had come for the Mainichi Hai was much larger than usual.
“There’re even more people than last time...”
Belno Light stood by the railing right beside the track. Seeing the dense crowd, she couldn’t help worrying about Oguri Cap.
“Trainer Mano isn’t here either. I wonder if Oguri’s going to be affected...”
“Hmph...”
“What’s wrong, Trainer Musaka?”
Hearing the displeasure in Musaka Ginjirou’s voice, Belno Light assumed he was upset that Starlight Trajectory hadn’t arrived. But when she turned her head, she saw a newspaper in his hand.
The headline printed across the top read, “Collecting Signatures! Special Entry for Oguri Cap in the Japanese Derby!”
“Don’t stir up your readers on your own, you damn four-eyed reporter.” Musaka frowned and folded the newspaper away without giving it much of a look. “I can’t stand this...”
When he mentioned a bespectacled reporter, Belno Light almost at once thought of the journalist they’d met in Osaka before Oguri Cap’s last race.
“Trainer Musaka, the reporter you’re talking about... he wouldn’t be named Fujii Sensuke, would he?”
Belno Light tried hard to remember. Thankfully, the name he’d given during his self-introduction hadn’t fully faded from her mind, and she managed to dig it back up.
“That’s the guy.” Musaka looked a little surprised. “You’ve met him before...?”
“We ran into him while we were shopping before Oguri’s last race. He wanted to interview Oguri, but Trainer Mano turned him down.” After saying that, Belno Light seemed to realize something. “Wait, this isn’t his newspaper, is it...? Is he trying to hype Oguri up so much she crashes?”
“Knowing him, he wouldn’t even think that far. Oguri’s strength must’ve caught his eye on its own.”
Musaka’s brow eased a little, but then he thought of the article again and struck the ground hard with his cane.
“But even so... a report like this is far too one-sided!”
“Whatever. Leave him be. There’s no point chasing this kind of thing.”
Musaka sighed like he’d seen through it all long ago, then stopped talking about it.
Beside him, Tamamo Cross leaned over the railing and stared at the gray-haired figure still adjusting outside the gate in the distance.
‘Oguri... have you already become a star everyone’s watching?’
--+--
"The sky over Hanshin Racecourse has cleared after the rain, but the track remains heavy going!"
“Made it... right?”
Starlight Trajectory reached the entrance of Hanshin Racecourse and heard the announcer’s broadcast. She felt relieved. She hadn’t arrived early, but she’d made it in time.
The trip had gone smoothly enough, and she hadn’t hit many red lights. Still, the road after the rain had been slippery, there’d been a lot of turns, and the ground wasn’t turf like a racecourse. She hadn’t dared open up her stride too much.
Looking at the packed crowd around the railing, Starlight Trajectory thought about squeezing in. At the very least, she needed to reach a place where Oguri Cap could see her.
After several tries, though, she realized the spectators weren’t giving her any chance at all.
She could’ve used her build to push them aside and force her way in, but that’d be rude and might hurt ordinary people, so she gave up on the idea.
“Hello?”
Hearing someone speak behind her, Starlight Trajectory turned around and saw Fujii Sensuke holding up a camera. The moment their eyes met, both of them froze.
“You’re... the reporter from that day?”
Starlight Trajectory thought back to her meeting with Fujii Sensuke, but she hadn’t paid him much mind back then. As a result, she couldn’t remember his name at all.
“You’re Trainer Mano?”
Fujii Sensuke was just as surprised. He hadn’t expected the person to be someone he knew. When he’d seen Starlight Trajectory’s back earlier, he’d connected it right away to the Uma Musume he’d seen outside the station. He’d only meant to greet her, but he hadn’t expected this.
“Did you need something from me?”
“No, no. You just looked familiar, so I said hello. I didn’t expect it to be you.”
Fujii Sensuke smiled on the surface, but confusion rose in his heart again.
‘Did I see it wrong back then?’
Humans couldn’t have the same physical ability as Uma Musume. That was an accepted fact everywhere. But no matter how he looked at the “Mano” trainer in front of him, she didn’t look like an Uma Musume.
No ears. No tail. The only points that matched were that she was also a woman and quite beautiful.
Even though Fujii Sensuke covered the Uma Musume field, he wasn’t a trainer, so he couldn’t tell the difference between an Uma Musume and an ordinary human from leg muscles alone.
Since he also wore glasses, though, he could tell Starlight Trajectory’s glasses were plain lenses.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m calling the police, Mr. Reporter.”
Sensing his gaze moving over her for too long, Starlight Trajectory gave Fujii Sensuke a warning.
“Ah, sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
Once he realized what he was doing, Fujii Sensuke quickly apologized. Looking at a woman that way was far too rude. Luckily, there wasn’t that much malice in this world, and Starlight Trajectory hadn’t fully adjusted to standing on that side yet, so she didn’t make a big deal of it.
Otherwise, what Fujii Sensuke had just done could’ve ended his career.
He quietly wiped away his sweat and shifted the topic elsewhere.
“Actually, I’ve wanted to interview you for a while. As Oguri Cap’s trainer, what’s your take on this race?”
“My take...”
Starlight Trajectory was still thinking when the announcer’s voice rang out again.
"On the far outside, Oguri Cap has entered the gate!"
“Let’s talk about the interview later. The race is starting.”
Starlight Trajectory waved him off, turned toward the track, and stopped talking to Fujii Sensuke. But the thick wall of people in front of her gave her a headache. Even on tiptoe, she couldn’t see much.
‘Damn it, the view’s awful. Why did I have to become this short?’
That look, so different from her strict manner just now, suddenly made Fujii Sensuke think this trainer was rather cute. But to keep himself from making the same rude mistake again, Mr. Reporter shoved that thought aside at once, lifted his camera, and began watching the track too.
--+--
Inhale.
Exhale.
‘Group seven, number seven. That’s a lucky number.’
Inside the gate, Yaeno Muteki kept taking deep breaths, calming herself down.
‘The tide of fortune—’
‘It’s flowing my way!’
Yaeno Muteki’s eyes snapped open. Her whole aura was like a blade leaving its sheath, sharp and clear. Without a word, she shifted her gaze to Oguri Cap, who was two numbers away.
The gray-haired Uma Musume was trembling all over, but Yaeno Muteki could tell it wasn’t fear or nerves. It was a shiver of excitement.
"GIII, Mainichi Hai, turf, 2,000 meters."
"And now, it begins!"
The moment the gates opened, the racers burst out in perfect unison. No one missed the break this time, which meant the early fight for position would be even fiercer.
As Oguri Cap ran, she watched the field around her while recalling what Starlight Trajectory had told her.
"This time, you’ll be running 2,000 meters, your longest distance so far, and it’ll be on heavy going after rain."
"Based on your past training and tests, 2,000 meters shouldn’t be a problem for you."
"Of course, whether it’s to save stamina or to find a good spot for the final sprint, you need to get to the inside first."
‘Get to the inside... as soon as I can.’
Oguri Cap kept Starlight Trajectory’s guidance in mind. Her eyes locked onto the middle of the pack, and she prepared to slip in through it.
But right then, quick footsteps came from her right. In the next moment, Yaeno Muteki’s figure blocked the path Oguri had planned.
“She’s blocking the front right?!” Belno Light blurted in shock. “Oguri’s been trapped on the far outside...”
“This is bad...”
What Musaka had feared was happening.
Yaeno Muteki had sealed Oguri Cap on the outside, giving her no direct chance to move toward the rail. From start to finish, Yaeno Muteki hadn’t once looked back, yet she’d placed herself in the exact spot that caused Oguri Cap the most trouble.
“What incredible sense of distance. Does she have eyes on the back of her head...?”
“The race itself is already 2,000 meters, but now it’s like Oguri’s the only one being forced to run an even longer course.”
"The racers have passed the second corner and entered the backstretch!"
“...The shortest path to the inside has been blocked.”
Starlight Trajectory noticed it too, but she didn’t look worried at all. More than that, this scene gave her a strong sense of deja vu.
“She’s blocked the route to the front right with precision. Oguri Cap can hardly move toward the inside now.”
“That said, if Oguri keeps running farther outside, the extra distance and stamina cost will cause damage she can’t take back.”
“It’s perfect marking.”
Fujii Sensuke gave his judgment. His voice carried worry for Oguri Cap, but also a trace of admiration for Yaeno Muteki.
“I thought she had a stiff personality, but I didn’t expect her to run such a clever race.”
Starlight Trajectory agreed with Fujii Sensuke. Compared to what had happened in her debut race, this block was far more precise. It wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment move.
A graded race was still a graded race. It wasn’t on the same level as an open special race or a debut race.
Unlike the four-year-old maiden race that morning, the runners had clearly received guidance, and their racing was much more trained and professional.
Back then, Starlight Trajectory hadn’t given up hope when they came out of the turn because she’d noticed from the start that No. 1, Miss Kamui, had an unstable stride. An accident on the uphill had been almost certain, which was what led to her shouting at Mejiro Ardan afterward.
In a graded race, that kind of thing simply wouldn’t happen.
“Trainer Mano, aren’t you worried about Oguri Cap at all?”
Fujii Sensuke noticed Starlight Trajectory didn’t seem anxious, so he asked out of curiosity.
“Worried... maybe.”
Starlight Trajectory murmured as if to herself, though it also sounded like an answer to Fujii Sensuke.
“After all, I really should worry a little for Yaeno Muteki.”
--+--
Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 113
--+--
(T/N: I feel like I keep alternating between [] and “” for announcers, so ill just keep it as [] from this point.)
'The one we should be worried about... is Yaeno Muteki?'
When Fujii Sensuke heard Starlight Trajectory murmur that, confusion filled his mind at once.
Even the most casual spectator, seeing what was happening on the track, would've taken it for granted that Oguri Cap had fallen into a bad spot.
The gap between the inner and outer lanes was no small thing. Just being forced five meters wide could add up to dozens of meters over a full lap.
The race might be two thousand meters long, but that didn't mean a few dozen extra meters didn't matter. In the final sprint, even a few extra meters could be enough to wreck a runner's rhythm.
'An ordinary Uma Musume might run herself dry because of this...'
'Yeah... if she were an ordinary Uma Musume...'
But could Oguri Cap really be called ordinary? Looking at the gray-haired figure on the track, Fujii Sensuke found himself asking that question. After seeing what she'd done in her last graded race, he'd already been won over by this girl from the local circuit.
'...Then let's see what she can do.'
Fujii Sensuke raised his camera. Reflected in the lens, the light caught Oguri Cap's face.
After a few rounds of watching and probing, Oguri Cap's steps seemed to slow. Even the sound of her feet striking the turf had grown softer.
'No move. Has she given up?'
To Yaeno Muteki, that looked like a clear sign of weakness, and it let her relax a little.
'Still, I can't let my guard down. In the end, victory or defeat... comes down to the fourth corner!'
Yaeno Muteki adjusted her breathing and kept her focus fixed on Oguri Cap, holding her mark. What she didn't know was that behind her, Oguri Cap hadn't slowed her pace at all. Instead, she'd quietly sped up her stride.
“...”
By the rail, Musaka Ginjirou stroked his chin in silence. He could tell Oguri Cap was using the extra distance as part of how she paced herself, but the way she was running now made him smell danger.
He thought and watched for a while before he seemed to realize something. Then his brow quickly tightened again.
“...Speed.”
“Trainer Musaka, did you notice something?”
Hearing Musaka mutter to himself, Belno Light looked up at the veteran trainer and asked for guidance.
“Her speed. She's faster than before.”
Only after he pointed it out did Belno Light notice that he seemed to be right.
Oguri Cap and Yaeno Muteki, who'd both been at the rear of the late-surger pack, had somehow moved all the way to the front of it. They were even closing in on the pace-chaser group ahead.
“She's following her own rhythm. It's like... the whole race doesn't matter to her anymore.”
Because he'd watched a shocking debut race only a few months ago, this running style gave Musaka a sense of déjà vu that was far too strong.
It wasn't as absurd as Starlight Trajectory's debut, but the two of them looked like they'd been cut from the same mold.
Back then, though, Starlight Trajectory's dominance had been so overwhelming that it was easy to overlook the details of her running style. With strength far beyond the average level of that race, she could've won with ease even without a strategy.
Even so, no matter that there'd been a successful example before, Musaka still found this far too aggressive.
“This is plain reckless...!”
Musaka struck the ground once with his cane, anger showing through. As he saw it, when there was a safer and more effective plan available, there was no reason to take such a risky path.
But after remembering that he hadn't paid close attention to Oguri Cap's training for some time, Musaka sighed and chose not to press the issue for now.
Of course, if Oguri Cap lost because of this, he was ready to have a serious talk with that rookie trainer and make her rein herself in.
[As the race goes on, the runners are about to enter the third corner.]
[Runner number seven, Yaeno Muteki, is still keeping runner number ten, Oguri Cap, under tight guard from every angle! Is this Kasamatsu Uma Musume doomed to run another huge extra stretch around the turn?]
“The moment that'll decide the race... is coming.”
Yaeno Muteki noticed her breathing had grown a little sharp, but she took it as the effect of her own rising emotions during the race. Since she'd been blocking Oguri Cap behind her, she was already running on the outside. That open stretch ahead was the best place to be when it came time to sprint.
[The runners have passed through the fourth corner! Only the final four-hundred-meter straight remains!]
“Now!!”
Yaeno Muteki's eyes turned sharp in an instant, and she pushed her stride frequency to its limit in a short burst.
[Good heavens! The moment runner number one began to falter, Yaeno Muteki charged up from the far outside!]
[It looks like the race has been decided!]
“Oguri doesn't look like she's speeding up!”
Belno Light stared at the runners as they all kicked into their sprints after entering the straight. Only Oguri Cap was still running at the same rhythm as before.
“Hmph.”
Musaka merely snorted. At this point, he had nothing left to say.
He was emotional, but in the end, he was angry at himself for failing in his duty by trusting Starlight Trajectory too soon.
On the other side, Fujii Sensuke noticed the shift in the race and couldn't focus on taking photos anymore. The situation on the track looked terrible for Oguri Cap. But when he saw that Starlight Trajectory beside him was still calm, he held back his feelings and waited for a miracle.
On the track, Yaeno Muteki swept past the pace-chaser group ahead of her, and everything moved just as she'd pictured. She glanced back.
The transfer student she'd been most worried about, Oguri Cap, was still hesitating in the late-surger pack.
The last weight in Yaeno Muteki's heart dropped away. She stopped paying attention to what was happening behind her and focused on the final straight ahead.
'Victory... is right within reach!'
As long as she won this race, she'd be able to take part in the Classic races...
But just as everything seemed to be going smoothly, Yaeno Muteki suddenly felt her legs go weak.
'When did this...?!'
To her horror, she realized she didn't seem to have enough stamina left to keep sprinting. The energy she'd saved for the final push had somehow been drained dry before she noticed.
This was the first time Yaeno Muteki had ever run into something like this, but she still knew exactly what had happened. The sense of danger in her heart swelled out of control.
She was losing speed...
And at that moment, Yaeno Muteki wasn't the only one losing speed. The whole pack had been forced to slow down to some degree, which was why she could still hold first place.
Only one person was different.
[No!]
Right then, the announcer's excited call rang through the whole racecourse. Yaeno Muteki stared in shock down to her left.
Oguri Cap was rushing past from even farther outside, her body pitched forward as if she were diving.
[Oguri Cap has burst out from the even wider outside lane—]
“Hah—”
The turf felt so heavy.
The finish line felt so far away.
Those were Oguri Cap's thoughts in that moment. Her feet landed firm on the grass, and the little stamina she had left was being spent without restraint.
'But—'
Oguri Cap lifted her head and looked toward the finish line ahead.
'That's no problem at all!'
[Across the line—!!]
[An overwhelming victory! First place goes to Oguri Cap!!]
[This Kasamatsu Uma Musume has shown Central her outstanding strength once again! She's proven that her last victory wasn't a fluke!]
As Oguri Cap crossed the line, many people let out the breath they'd been holding.
“Oguri won!”
“She won!”
Belno Light and Tamamo Cross slapped their hands together. Their nerves vanished, replaced by a joy that felt like they'd won the race themselves.
The young Tokai Teio gripped the rail and gazed with sparkling eyes at the gray-haired Uma Musume in the spotlight, letting out cry after cry of wonder.
[Actually, halfway down the straight, I noticed a large-scale loss of speed among the runners, while Oguri Cap alone managed to break out at the very end. Why was that?]
[From the moment Yaeno Muteki started marking her in the early stage, Oguri Cap didn't choose to give up. Instead, she kept making small, controlled accelerations.]
[You can see that from the split times too. In a sense, she alone raised the pace of the entire race. The other runners didn't notice and thought the race was still moving at a normal rhythm, and as a result, the stamina they'd saved for the final sprint was used up before they realized it.]
[To be honest, this strategy reminds me of a debut race from a few months ago. The protagonist of that race also won in shocking fashion with this same method, and it's very similar to what we just saw here.]
The announcer and commentator reviewed what had happened on the track, explaining the trick behind it to the crowd.
Only after hearing the broadcast did Fujii Sensuke realize what had happened, and his respect for Oguri Cap grew even deeper.
After all, pulling off a strategy like that was a huge test of one's own strength. Not losing speed halfway through was already impressive, never mind still having enough left for a long final sprint.
“Now there's no doubt about Oguri Cap's ability.”
After watching such a brilliant race, Fujii Sensuke was in a fine mood. After all, this brought him one step closer to his own goal.
'Still, this really does feel familiar.'
'This strategy and running style are exactly like that debut race a few months ago.'
'Is it a coincidence...?'
As Fujii Sensuke thought that, his gaze drifted to Starlight Trajectory by chance. Then...
His pupils shook.
A stunning idea surfaced in his mind and refused to leave.
'Now that I think about it, the Uma Musume I saw outside the station before didn't show her tail either...'
'Her clothes and looks were similar too. The flat-brimmed cap and plain glasses could've been props to hide her identity, and she's Oguri Cap's trainer...'
The hands Fujii Sensuke used to hold his camera trembled slightly. After going through the clues several times, he'd all but confirmed one fact.
The Uma Musume who'd won her debut race by a full twenty-four lengths over second place a few months ago was standing right beside him!
'It sounds unbelievable, but when this many coincidences overlap, there's only one possibility...!'
'Starlight Trajectory is Trainer Mano Kaede!'
As the person in question, Starlight Trajectory still hadn't realized her identity had been exposed to someone yet again.
“All right, I can take your interview now.” Starlight Trajectory didn't notice Fujii Sensuke staring blankly. “But I'd like to make it quick. I still need to go celebrate my trainee’s victory.”
It was one thing to miss her before the race. If she still wasn't there after the race, then she'd really fail as a trainer!
“Oh, yes, of course. I'll wrap this up as fast as I can.”
Fujii Sensuke pulled his excitement under control and showed the professionalism of a reporter.
Compared to Starlight Trajectory's true identity, there was another issue he needed to focus on right now. The former could wait a little longer.
“As Oguri Cap's trainer, I'd like to ask for your thoughts on the fact that your runner wasn't registered in time and can't run in the Japanese Derby...”
--+--
“Great job, Oguri!”
The moment they reached the back area, Tamamo Cross high-fived Oguri Cap, who'd just finished her race, and cheered for her win.
“Was that running style something Mano told you about?”
Musaka walked slowly up to Oguri Cap with his cane and asked her the question.
“Mano told me that if someone tried to stop me from moving to the inside, I should quietly speed up within a range I could handle. She said it's fine even if my final sprint starts a little late.”
Oguri Cap thought back to what Starlight Trajectory had told her before dismissing them yesterday, then nodded.
“Trainer Musaka, Trainer Mano had Tamamo help Oguri with sprint training for a while. She said it'd help Oguri understand her own stamina more clearly.”
Belno Light added the note at the right time. She'd written all these daily training details down in her little notebook.
“...”
Musaka Ginjirou gripped his cane. In the end, he could only sigh and say no more.
Before long, Starlight Trajectory also arrived backstage. The moment she came over, she started rubbing Oguri Cap's head.
“You won beautifully, Oguri.”
“You jerk, so you do know how to come back! You weren't even there for your own runner's race!”
The moment Tamamo Cross saw Starlight Trajectory, she ran over and gave her a scolding, almost as if she were one of Starlight Trajectory's runners too.
“Hahaha... I was actually there for the whole race. I just got held up for a certain reason after it ended, so I only made it here now.”
Thinking of what Fujii Sensuke had asked in the interview, Starlight Trajectory muttered a wish for him in her heart.
'I hope that reporter succeeds.'
--+--
Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 114
--+--
“A near five-length win, and the whole race was close to a complete stomp…”
In the student council room, Maruzensky rested her chin on her hand and watched Oguri Cap wave to the crowd with a thoughtful look.
Beside her sat Symboli Rudolf, who’d stayed silent ever since the race began. Neither of them had gone to watch in person this time, but the student council had a TV, so they could follow the whole race live.
“So they used a plan like this to make Oguri Cap’s name ring out across Central, widening the gap between her and the other Uma Musume.”
Her final time had even been two seconds slower than last year’s Mainichi Hai, but the sight she’d given the crowd was far more striking than a close sprint to the line.
After all, the average viewer wouldn’t understand every fine point of racing, but a five-length gap was something even a newcomer could see at a glance.
“You’ve got some tricks up your sleeve, Trainer Mano Kaede.”
Maruzensky smiled. After watching the full race, her urge to race Starlight Trajectory had only grown stronger.
Starlight had kept using the Mainichi Hai as an excuse to dodge her requests before, but now that the race was over, she shouldn’t have any excuse left.
In fact, one big reason Maruzensky hadn’t gone to the venue today was because she wanted to keep herself in good shape. That way, she could have a proper little match with Starlight Trajectory at night.
“Hm…?”
Just then, Maruzensky thought she saw Symboli Rudolf smile beside her. But when she turned to look, Rudolf still had the same stern face as ever.
“Guess I must’ve seen things…”
--+--
“It’s been a while since I trained at the academy.”
Late at night, when all was quiet, Starlight Trajectory appeared on the empty academy training grounds like she used to. Because her identity had been exposed, and because of everything that happened afterward, it’d been more than half a month since she’d stood here as an Uma Musume.
A lot had happened, but it’d all ended well in the end. That was one of the few things Starlight could feel glad about.
“My body’s in better shape than I expected. Is it because I got some exercise this afternoon?”
She loosened up in place, then tried jogging a short distance. To her surprise, Starlight found that she was in great form today.
To be honest, after watching two races in a row, she’d started itching to run herself.
Starlight Trajectory was an Uma Musume now, after all. It’d make no sense to say she had no urge to run or race, especially when she’d long admired and loved running even before she became one.
More than once, she’d thought about finding time to enter a race, but the moment she imagined having to stand on the Winner’s Stage after winning, the idea lost its shine.
[Identity fusion fully complete. Time elapsed: one full year.]
“…!”
What the heck was that?!
Starlight Trajectory jumped at the translucent window that popped up in the air, only to remember a moment later that it was her system.
Ever since coming to Central, she’d more or less ignored it on purpose.
Back then, Tokai Teio had been her only trainee, and the system’s features couldn’t be used on fillies who hadn’t fully matured yet, so she’d forgotten about it over time.
‘But… wasn’t identity fusion completed when I made my debut? Why’s the system suddenly bringing it up again?’
Starlight stared at the words on the window, puzzled and unable to make sense of them. All she remembered was that after she finished her debut race, the system had shown her the same message, and from then on, she’d never been able to change back.
Now that it had appeared in front of her again, a bad feeling flashed through Starlight’s mind. She quickly pulled up the status panel she hadn’t used in ages.
--+--
[Starlight Trajectory] [Full Maturation Complete]
[Turf A, Dirt D] [Good on turf]
[Sprint D, Mile A, Medium A, Long A] [Your range of aptitude is outstanding]
[End E, Late A, Pace A, Front C-S] [You may have the potential to become a Fugitive of Another Dimension in other areas]
[Speed UD, Stamina UC, Power UE, Guts MAX, Wit UE [up]]
--+--
It was the same familiar panel, with the same familiar descriptions. The only thing that had changed was her Wit stat.
Looking farther down, her skill list was still bare, with only her unique skill and Ramp Up hanging there.
‘Nothing else changed. Was I overthinking it?’
Unlike before, Starlight Trajectory could now more or less understand what those numbers meant. When she thought back to how nervous she’d once been over a local debut race, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
‘Still, after all this time, only my Wit went up. Is that a good thing or a bad thing…?’
Then again, that was only natural. Without stamina potions and green juice, she couldn’t train herself half to death like she used to.
A few months of her current training might not even match a few days from back then.
After checking the panel several more times and confirming nothing else had changed, Starlight Trajectory finally let out a breath. But just as she was about to close the status panel, she noticed one more line of information at the bottom that had never been there before.
[Status: In the Spotlight]
It was Starlight’s first time seeing something like a status field, but before she could figure out what it meant, a sudden attack wrapped around her waist. At the same time, a soft voice whispered into her ear.
“Cloudy, did you miss me?”
“Wah!”
Starlight Trajectory had been so focused that she hadn’t expected anyone to appear behind her. That one move scared her so badly that she nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Maruzensky, what’re you doing here?!”
She didn’t even need to turn around to know who was hugging her. After all, Maruzensky was the only one who called her Cloudy.
“To race, of course.” Maruzensky smiled wide. “The Mainichi Hai’s over now, so it’s time for you to keep your promise.”
“Wait… when did I ever promise you that?”
Starlight Trajectory was sure she’d never agreed to it outright during their talk at the cafe. Somehow, in Maruzensky’s mind, it’d turned into a promise.
Maruzensky didn’t answer. She only kept both arms locked tight around Starlight’s waist, squeezing harder and harder, as if she wouldn’t let go unless Starlight agreed.
“Let go first… I never said I wouldn’t run with you.”
Starlight Trajectory’s face flushed red. Whether it was from being squeezed or from something else, even she couldn’t tell. The moment she said that, Maruzensky let go with a bright, pleased grin.
“Aww, you’re the best.”
She really doesn’t act like an upperclassman at all…
Starlight Trajectory sighed. It felt like all the Uma Musume around her were like this. The closer she got to them, the farther their behavior drifted from the image they showed the outside world.
If her relationship with Symboli Rudolf eased up someday, would Rudolf end up like this too?
‘No, no, no. That one’s impossible.’
Starlight cut off that dangerous thought at once and pulled her mind back. When she looked over, Maruzensky had already started warming up in earnest.
Maruzensky didn’t try to hide how excited she was for this race. She’d had her eye on the Uma Musume who’d beaten the Emperor for quite some time.
“You can choose the course. I’m the one who challenged you, after all.” By custom, the challenged party got to pick the track and distance. “Though I’m not very good at long-distance races. You wouldn’t want an unfair win, would you, Cloudy?”
Starlight Trajectory knew that even without Maruzensky saying it.
Across Maruzensky’s eight career races, all of them had been sprints or mile races.
The longest had only been 1,800 meters. She might be able to manage a medium-distance match, but if she truly ran a long-distance race, she’d likely lose speed halfway through.
If Starlight only cared about beating Maruzensky, then a long-distance race would be the best choice. But that’d be meaningless.
Starlight herself still had a vague sense of where her own strength stood, and now a legendary Uma Musume had come right to her door. She was more pleased than anything.
Symboli Rudolf was a legendary Uma Musume too, but Rudolf hadn’t trained properly in years.
She’d even run herself dizzy in the middle of their race, so how much of her strength remained was hard to say. A match against someone like that couldn’t count.
“Then let’s do 1,600 meters. A mile, nice and simple.”
--+--
Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 115
--+--
Tracen Academy's training grounds were a recreation of Tokyo Racecourse, so once the race distance was set, they only had to step up to the matching start line.
“Come to think of it, Cloudy, you and I are both ‘undefeated’ Uma Musume.”
“...Don't tease me. At most, I've only run one debut race in Central so far.”
Even if they counted her debut race back in the local circuit, Starlight Trajectory only had two official wins, and neither had even reached the level of an open special.
Their records might both say undefeated, but they didn't belong in the same conversation.
The Kasamatsu race had been especially rough: a measly eight hundred meters on dirt, with both the field and the schedule feeling like make-believe.
Only a local circuit would've planned something like that.
“Come on, I haven't run a graded race either, so we're the same, Cloudy,” Maruzensky said with a smile, while catching the other meaning hidden in Starlight Trajectory's words. “But... if you're saying it like that, does that mean you've raced somewhere besides Central?”
“Just some private races, that's all.”
Only then did Starlight Trajectory realize she'd almost let the local circuit slip. To keep Maruzensky from noticing anything strange, she brushed it off without a blush or a skipped beat.
Then she took out the coin she'd prepared in advance. She didn't need to explain it; Maruzensky grasped the meaning at once, settled into her starting stance, and looked more than ready for what came next.
“Maruzen, before the race starts, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“In your whole career, including every unofficial match... do you think you've ever lost?”
But before Maruzensky could answer, Starlight Trajectory dropped into her starting stance.
The coin flicked from her fingers and traced a perfect spinning arc through the air. An unnoticed curve touched Starlight Trajectory's lips; beneath her calm face burned a thrill she couldn't put into words.
'Show me what a legendary Uma Musume can do.'
The coin still drifted.
Starlight Trajectory took a deep breath.
Maruzensky closed her eyes.
The coin hit the ground with a clean ring.
[Focus] [Firm Conditions] [Competitive Spirit] [Front Runner Savvy] [Groundwork]
Before Starlight Trajectory could even react, Maruzensky's eyes snapped open, and she vanished from the starting line. A beat later, Starlight Trajectory finally kicked off after her.
'Huh...?'
Starlight Trajectory was confused. She couldn't understand why Miss Supercar had appeared ahead of her after she'd only blinked.
Even with her focus pushed to its limit, she'd still lost the start to Maruzensky.
It felt far too familiar. Two weeks ago, in her race against Symboli Rudolf, both of them had chosen the front-runner style without planning it. Today, though, Starlight Trajectory was the one at a disadvantage.
'Guess that's a legendary front-runner for you. She shook me off by half a length right from the start.'
Only then did Starlight Trajectory understand that trying to beat Maruzensky in her own specialty had been a little like showing off swordplay in front of a master. Maruzensky was still a legend among front-runners. A half-baked front-runner like Starlight couldn't compare.
Still, Starlight Trajectory had no plans to get discouraged. If she couldn't create an edge out of the gate, she'd steal one in the opening stretch. And how did someone seize the lead in the early phase without skills? The answer was simple.
Acceleration.
Aside from her baffling guts, Starlight Trajectory's best stat was stamina. That was what gave her the nerve to start accelerating the moment a mile race began.
'Is she trying to become a runaway leader...?'
Maruzensky, who'd gained a lead of a little under half a length from the start, clearly felt Starlight Trajectory surging beside her at a stunning rate.
Only one kind of runner fought this hard to widen the gap in the opening phase: the front-runner among front-runners, the runaway leader.
To Maruzensky, Starlight Trajectory's move looked like a direct challenge.
'Then let's try it. We'll see whose runaway lead is stronger!'
[Early Lead] [Top Runner] [Leader's Pride]
In that instant, Maruzensky's excitement soared, and she released every bit of strength she'd still been holding back.
Starlight Trajectory was fast, very fast, shockingly fast. Yet Maruzensky stayed one step better than the bay standing behind her.
Starlight Trajectory hadn't expected the running style she'd always used on other people to be used against her someday.
For the next few hundred meters of straightaway, whenever Starlight Trajectory sped up, Maruzensky matched her at once. When Starlight eased off even a little, Maruzensky eased off too.
'She's matching my rhythm...'
Starlight Trajectory knew it was a racing tactic, but it still rubbed her the wrong way. It felt like she was being looked down on. Even so, this wasn't the time. She couldn't waste her legs here.
She forced down the urge to duel with Maruzensky, stopped pushing harder, and settled into a smoother pace.
The pressure on Maruzensky, who'd been flying at the front near her limit, eased at once, letting her catch her breath. But Maruzensky didn't feel glad for the opening. If anything, the high she'd been riding dipped slightly.
'You're amazing, Cloudy. No wonder Rudolf lost to you when she wasn't in shape.'
'But... is this all?'
They moved from straightaway to turn, then from turn back to straightaway.
Even after more than half the race had passed, Starlight Trajectory showed no sign of accelerating again, as though she'd truly reached her limit.
'Looks like it's really over.'
Maruzensky sighed inwardly, though a faint comfort came with it. At the very least, this race had been the most fun she'd had in years.
It was a shame. If Starlight Trajectory had pushed a little harder and sped up just a tiny bit more, Maruzensky might've been forced to open her 'Domain.'
But many things didn't come with ifs. No matter how much of a shame it felt, some outcomes couldn't be changed.
That was how it should've been...
Yet the instant they returned to the straightaway, a strange sense of danger rose in Maruzensky's heart.
She glanced to the side without thinking, and her startled eyes reflected the sight of Starlight Trajectory bent as low as she could go.
--+--
Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 116
--+--
What kind of speed was that?
Maruzensky found it hard to put into words. All she knew was that by the time she reacted, Starlight Trajectory, who'd been behind her a moment ago, had appeared in front of her as if she'd teleported.
‘She caught up?’
‘No, she passed me!’
Only then did Maruzensky feel the burst of wind stirred up by that sudden surge.
‘She can still speed up?’ she thought, her eyes widening as she watched the figure ahead nearly skim the ground in a low dive. Starlight Trajectory’s performance had gone far beyond anything she'd expected.
Both of them were front-runners.
By all rights, they'd already shown everything they had during the early and middle stages of the race.
On top of that, the pace had climbed to such a wild level that even Maruzensky had started to feel like she was running a sprint.
In other words, from the very start, they'd been running a mile at sprint speed.
For an ordinary Uma Musume, even a few dozen extra meters could ruin her pace and leave her spent.
Yet these two had forced a 1,600-meter race into the shape of a 1,200-meter race through sheer strength alone. But even that wasn't what baffled Maruzensky the most.
What truly made no sense was that she couldn't feel even the slightest trace of a Zone.
That meant Starlight Trajectory could accelerate a second time from this insane speed without unfolding her Zone.
That was almost... no, that was flat-out impossible.
But what Maruzensky didn't know was that from the moment Starlight Trajectory fell behind at the start, she'd abandoned her usual front-running style and switched to a pace-chaser’s approach.
Against a legendary Uma Musume, there was no way she'd test her unstable front-running style against the very thing her opponent did best.
That was why Starlight Trajectory had been saving her legs all this time, waiting to unleash everything the instant she came out of the turn.
‘For a pace-chaser, this is where the race is decided.’
‘Even if you’re a legendary front-runner, after fighting that hard through the first half, you should be running out of—’
This time, the look of shock appeared on Starlight Trajectory’s face. She glanced back, and beneath the night’s half-shadow, Maruzensky was smiling.
Maruzensky... was smiling.
She was actually smiling?
The instant their eyes met, time seemed to pause for a brief moment. As Starlight Trajectory stared into Maruzensky’s blue-green eyes, she could feel the burning emotion packed into that gaze.
‘I’ve gotta say, Starlight Trajectory, Cloudy... I never thought you’d be this strong. You’ve blown way past my expectations.’
Maruzensky drew in deep breaths, sweat scattering from the ends of her hair, and her stride no longer had the same power it’d held at the start. But unlike her body, which was nearing its limit, her mind was burning hotter than ever.
How long had it been since she'd run this freely?
Maruzensky couldn't remember. From the day she was born, she'd already been standing at a finish line most Uma Musume could never reach.
Having a Zone meant she didn't need the same harsh training as the others to gain the power to rule the track.
For Maruzensky, that might not have been a good thing. Because of the URA’s old protection rules for local Japanese Uma Musume, she was barred from entering any graded race as an imported-in-utero runner, and she couldn't meet opponents on her level.
She still remembered how, after six straight wins, she'd tried to enter the Japanese Derby.
She'd even said she didn't care if she had to start from the outermost gate, and she didn't need the prize money either. The URA had rejected her without hesitation.
Because of that, Maruzensky never once found a race worthy of her strength during her entire racing career. That was why she yearned for competition so fiercely.
Then, at last, she met Symboli Rudolf, the Uma Musume known as the Emperor.
But after Symboli Rudolf failed overseas, retired, and moved into office work, Maruzensky’s life sank into silence again. Still, one thing couldn't be denied. During the time they raced each other, she finally learned what a real competition felt like.
‘That’s exactly why having an opponent like you is so exciting!’
[Red Shift/LP1211-M]
Scarlet flames drifted through Maruzensky’s eyes, and her tired stride filled with power once more. Her focus sharpened to the limit, and everything in her field of view began to slow.
Thud.
That was the sound of her foot striking the turf.
Whoosh, whoosh—
That was the low hum of air cutting past her ears.
“Hah—”
That was Starlight Trajectory’s startled inhale.
Maruzensky’s senses caught and grasped every last thing.
“This race ends now!”
Even though she was still two full lengths behind Starlight Trajectory, and even though the finish line stood right in front of them, none of that shook her faith in her victory. That was how unfair a Zone was.
An Uma Musume who hadn't unfolded her Zone was doomed to lose under the pressure of one.
Of course, if both sides had opened a Zone, then it'd become a battle on another level. But as someone who'd possessed a Zone from birth, Maruzensky had absolute confidence in that field.
‘Cloudy, show me your Zone!’
There wasn't a hint of teasing left in Maruzensky’s heart. All that remained was the rolling heat the race had lit inside her.
Four hundred meters. Two hundred meters. One hundred meters.
The finish line grew clearer as their clash raced toward its end.
Two lengths. One length. Half a length.
The gap between them shrank fast. At this distance, if Starlight Trajectory still didn't unfold her Zone to fight back, she'd be crushed until she could barely breathe. The shrinking gap was the best proof of that.
Yet even after they finished the uphill stretch and reached the finish line itself, Maruzensky saw no sign that Starlight Trajectory meant to use her Zone.
‘Even now, you still won’t use it...?’
Maruzensky soon caught up to Starlight Trajectory, and the gap between them vanished. The finish line was only one step away.
‘It’s a little disappointing, but this victory can only go to—’
Before Maruzensky could finish forming the thought, the scene in front of her cut it off.
Starlight Trajectory, who should’ve been slowed inside her Zone, had somehow returned to her original speed and stepped across the finish line first.
--+--
Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 117
--+--
At that moment, Maruzensky’s mind crashed.
The instant she saw Starlight Trajectory start moving again, every thought that’d filled her head vanished. All that remained was shock.
They crossed the line.
Two figures shot past the finish almost at the same time. In a proper race, that kind of razor-thin gap would’ve needed the stewards to compare photos before they could call the result.
But Maruzensky had been in the middle of releasing her Zone, her senses pushed to their limit, so she knew the outcome.
At the very end, Starlight Trajectory had taken the first step toward the finish. Her foot had touched the line first.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
Maruzensky’s proud chest rose and fell hard. The shock Starlight Trajectory had given her still wouldn’t fade from her mind.
It felt as if, in a frozen slice of time sealed by her Zone, the opponent who should’ve stopped had broken free of those chains through sheer strength alone.
'I lost…!'
More than the pain of pushing her body past its limit, it was the weight on her mind that Maruzensky couldn’t bear.
Had she underestimated her?
Maybe choosing to run a huge lead at the start had been a mistake. But after that, Maruzensky hadn’t held anything back.
She’d released every bit of strength she had, and she’d even opened her Zone the moment they entered the final phase.
Even then, with her Zone active, she’d still been beaten head-on by Starlight Trajectory, who hadn’t opened one at all. Worse, this loss had happened in the mile, the distance she was best at.
She couldn’t find a single excuse. She didn’t want to lie to herself with one either.
Maruzensky clenched her fists and looked up at the star-filled sky above her.
…When was the last time she’d lost? How long had it been since she’d felt this?
“I never thought this would be how it ended.”
It was so frustrating…
“What a shame. We couldn’t settle it this time.”
Starlight Trajectory had collapsed onto the ground, just as spent, drawing in great gulps of air.
When she’d felt Maruzensky’s presence change moments ago, she’d poured every ounce of focus into fighting that sudden pressure. Because of that, she’d had no room to watch the race itself, so she hadn’t noticed that she’d reached the line first. She thought they’d crossed together.
“To be honest, you really scared me back there. I thought I was going to lose.”
There was a clear smile mixed into Starlight Trajectory’s panting.
It was the thrill of meeting an opponent who could match her blow for blow. Just like Maruzensky, Starlight Trajectory had given everything in this race.
As expected of one of Japan’s legendary Uma Musume, this was the first time since Starlight Trajectory had fully matured that she’d felt this much pressure. It was also the most fun she’d ever had in a race.
“Maruzen, what happened to you after the turn? You shouldn’t have had the stamina to speed up again.”
“And that pressure was way too strong. If I hadn’t broken free, you’d have crossed the line first, right?”
Faced with Starlight Trajectory’s confusion, Maruzensky could only feel a strange sense of absurdity.
That was what she should’ve been asking her.
Without opening a Zone, Starlight Trajectory had run more than half the race at that speed and still sped up again. No matter how Maruzensky thought about it, that was far too ridiculous.
Looking back now, Symboli Rudolf’s past descriptions hadn’t exaggerated Starlight Trajectory’s strength at all. In fact, they’d been conservative.
That kind of power was outside the norm. Even among legendary Uma Musume, she’d stand at the very top. Even if Maruzensky faced her in her own prime, beating Starlight Trajectory would likely be extremely difficult.
Wait…
Had she just asked about the Zone?
Maruzensky suddenly realized what was wrong and stared at Starlight Trajectory in disbelief.
“Don’t tell me… you don’t know what a Zone is?”
A faint, stunned tremor entered Maruzensky’s voice.
Over the past few years, whether in Japan, Europe and America, the Middle East, or Oceania, every Uma Musume who’d reached legendary status had agreed on one thing.
When facing the gulf known as a Zone, an ordinary Uma Musume had no chance of winning.
That had been accepted as fact in the racing world for years now, ever since Zones were first discovered.
Beyond the surge in speed and presence at the moment of use, a Zone also meant the release of a certain kind of limiter.
It freed an Uma Musume from the ceiling of her original strength and let her rise even higher.
That meant awakening a Zone and choosing not to use it was one thing. Beating an Uma Musume who’d opened her Zone without having one yourself was something else entirely.
“A Zone? What’s that?”
Starlight Trajectory shook her head. This was the first time she’d ever heard of the idea.
Still, the word itself wasn’t hard to understand. After sensing Tamamo Cross and Symboli Rudolf before, she could more or less guess what Maruzensky meant.
Especially during her last race against the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf had burst out with that same stunning presence. She’d just collapsed before she could use it.
“When you sped up out of the turn, didn’t you feel some kind of energy welling up inside you?”
Maruzensky still didn’t want to give up. She thought maybe Starlight Trajectory simply didn’t know the concept of a Zone, so she stubbornly asked again. But Starlight Trajectory answered with another shake of her head.
Her finishing kick came from the leg strength she’d saved during the early and middle stages. There’d been no sudden burst of strange energy at all.
“…Sigh.”
“You’ve really beaten me, Cloudy.”
Maruzensky fell silent for a moment. All the things she wanted to say finally turned into a helpless sigh.
At this point, she felt strangely at peace. At the same time, a thought rose in her heart.
Compared to that gray-haired monster from Kasamatsu, the girl in front of her… might be the true “monster” who could shake the whole world.
--+--
Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 118
--+--
Late at night, Mejiro Ardan pushed open the door to the family mansion. To her surprise, the lights in the hall were still on.
The Mejiro family estate wasn’t far from Tracen Academy.
In the heart of the city, where every patch of land was worth a fortune, owning such a large plot said plenty about the wealth and power of the Mejiros as one of the great Uma Musume houses.
“Back already, Ardan?”
As soon as she stepped inside, Mejiro Ardan found an older woman waiting in the hall. The woman wore a wool cloche hat, and her shadowed face made it hard to read what lay beneath the brim.
“Good evening, Grandmother.”
Mejiro Ardan was a little surprised, but she still greeted the woman with perfect manners.
This woman was the head of the Mejiro family. Yet she had no Uma Musume traits at all. She was a pure, ordinary human.
Unlike the Symboli family, another famous name in the central racing world, the Mejiro family didn’t have many tangled factions within it. The family head alone was the pillar that held the entire house upright.
“You took part in that selection race today.”
“Yes. I won without issue, and I didn’t bring shame to the Mejiro family,” Mejiro Ardan answered softly.
“You don’t need to put that much pressure on yourself. The Mejiro family hasn’t fallen so far that it needs a sickly Uma Musume to hold it up.”
There was no joy in the woman’s voice over Ardan’s victory. There was only a trace of worry, held tightly in check.
“Your elder sister has already done more than enough for this family… With your mind, you could still serve the family well in an office role.”
“Thank you for your concern, Grandmother.”
Mejiro Ardan gave the woman a gentle smile. Ever since she’d made up her mind to race, she’d heard this kind of persuasion more times than she could count.
“But I don’t want to run for the family’s sake. This is a choice I made from the bottom of my heart. So no matter how many times you try to talk me out of it, I won’t give up.”
“And I can feel it. If I don’t do this, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
“Please understand, Grandmother.”
Mejiro Ardan lowered her head a little, showing her respect. The woman fell silent for a while, then rose without another word and left. Before she went, she left Ardan with one final sentence.
“…Because of you, McQueen still hasn’t gone to sleep. Go see her.”
“Sweet dreams, Grandmother.”
Ardan bowed again toward the direction where her grandmother had vanished. Then she looked out at the turf outside the window, as though remembering something, and murmured to herself.
“After all, even that trainer from back then kept chasing her ideals. How could I give up over a little hardship?”
She shook her head, tucking away those thoughts of the past. After walking through the mansion for a while, Mejiro Ardan arrived at Mejiro McQueen’s room.
She knocked lightly on the door. When no one answered from inside, she quietly pushed it open a crack.
A faint light still glowed in the room, and after glancing inside, Mejiro Ardan soon spotted Mejiro McQueen asleep at her desk.
“McQueen? McQueen?”
Ardan walked softly to the pink-haired little foal’s side and called her name in a low voice. But Mejiro McQueen only pursed her lips and let out a muddled murmur before going still again.
'She’s sleeping so soundly.'
Seeing her little sister look so cute, Mejiro Ardan smiled from the heart. Then she lifted Mejiro McQueen into her arms, meaning to carry her to the nearby bed.
Maybe the movement was a little too much. The little foal lying in Ardan’s arms opened her eyes in a daze.
“You’re back, Sister Ardan!”
The moment she saw who was in front of her, Mejiro McQueen’s half-lidded eyes flew wide open.
“Why weren’t you resting properly, McQueen?”
Mejiro Ardan gently set Mejiro McQueen down on the bed and asked with concern.
“You’re the one I should be asking, Sister Ardan. Why’re you back so late?”
“Because your sister went to a race, and she even took a glorious first place,” Mejiro Ardan said. “Were you waiting up for me, McQueen?”
“That’s not it! I didn’t even know you were racing today! I just got too caught up studying races!”
A faint blush appeared on Mejiro McQueen’s small cheeks, and she quickly shook her head in denial. At that, Mejiro Ardan only smiled and gently stroked the top of Mejiro McQueen’s head, going along with her words.
“All right, all right. You weren’t. The truth is, there’s a reason I came home so late today.”
“What reason?”
“I met a trainer during the race. Without her warning, I might’ve lost today.”
“But when the race ended and I left the track, I didn’t see her anywhere. So I came home this late because I wanted to find that trainer.”
“Did you find anything?”
Mejiro McQueen listened with bright interest, then asked with hope in her voice. Mejiro Ardan shook her head and sighed with some regret.
“Sadly, no. I asked many of Tracen’s trainers, and I waited in the activity room all night, but I still didn’t meet her.”
“I suppose she had other matters to handle. After all, being a trainer is quite a tiring job.”
“Isn’t that right, McQueen?”
Mejiro Ardan affectionately tapped Mejiro McQueen on the tip of the nose and laughed.
Mejiro McQueen, meanwhile, looked as though she’d just remembered something too embarrassing to say out loud. She pulled the blanket over her cheeks, and her face turned even redder than before.
“H-How would I know that? I haven’t even matured yet, and I don’t have my own trainer!”
“All right, it’s time to rest. Staying up late is bad for your health, especially for a little foal like you who hasn’t matured yet. If you don’t rest properly, it’s very easy to get chubby, you know.”
Now that they’d talked enough, Mejiro Ardan stood and left Mejiro McQueen’s room, closing the door behind her.
She hadn’t even taken a few steps when the light inside the room went out at once, followed by a flustered voice from within.
“There’s no way that’d happen! Sister, you’re just talking nonsense!”
--+--
Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 119
--+--
“Good morning, Trainer-san!”
Early that morning, Tokai Teio pushed open the activity room door with a bright, eager smile.
After seeing Oguri Cap shine on the track again yesterday, the still-unbloomed young filly’s interest in racing had shot up even higher. She couldn’t wait to start today’s training.
But once she stepped inside, Tokai Teio found Starlight Trajectory sprawled face-down across the desk like a corpse.
“Sorry, Teio. I might not be able to set up your training today…”
Starlight Trajectory’s voice was weak, with a faint tremble running through it. She looked like she was about to breathe her last at any second.
“Trainer-san!!!”
“What happened, Teio?!”
Belno Light had just reached the activity room when she heard Tokai Teio’s scream.
She shoved the door open at once to check what was going on, while Oguri Cap followed behind her without the slightest sense of danger, still chewing the last of her breakfast and looking lost.
“Trainer-san, don’t die!!!”
Tokai Teio clutched Starlight Trajectory’s hand tight. At some point, her eyes had filled with tears, and she was only one step away from scattering little pearls all over the floor.
“Trainer Mano, what happened to you?!”
Belno Light was just as startled by the scene and hurried over to check on her. Starlight Trajectory gave a weak wave to show she was fine, though with the state she was in, it didn’t carry much weight.
“It’s nothing… I just didn’t get enough rest.”
Yesterday’s race against Maruzensky had been far too intense. It’d pushed her even harder than her race against Symboli Rudolf.
Symboli Rudolf was a legendary Uma Musume too, but she’d gone years without serious training, while Maruzensky was still close to her peak. The gap between the two of them right now wasn’t small at all.
Still, the strain on Starlight Trajectory’s body was the smaller problem. The real reason she’d ended up like this was mental fatigue.
In the final stretch, she’d had to focus with everything she had to break free from the pressure and restraint bearing down on her, as well as the time around her that seemed to slow to a crawl.
Since she didn’t have much experience with it, she’d overdone it and burned through too much of herself.
Not only had she failed to sleep well last night, she’d woken up this morning with her mind scattered, and she’d only just managed to clear her head a little.
Only after the race ended did Starlight Trajectory learn that the overwhelming pressure she’d felt was called Zone. But once Maruzensky confirmed that Starlight Trajectory didn’t have a Zone of her own, she refused to say anything more no matter how Starlight pressed her.
Starlight still didn’t know why Maruzensky’s attitude had changed so fast.
At least now she knew the concept of Zone existed, and she had a faint lead to follow instead of stumbling around in the dark. Maybe that would help Oguri Cap improve in the future.
[Mood: Out of Sorts ↓]
[Status: Center of Attention, Sleep Deprivation (New)]
Watching Tokai Teio still clinging to her hand and crying at her side, Starlight Trajectory thought back to the system panel she’d checked that morning. So in a way, she really had just failed to get enough rest.
‘If I’ve got to go through this every time I race an Uma Musume with a Zone, that’s going to be way too rough…’
As Starlight Trajectory was thinking, another set of footsteps came from outside the door. She lifted her head a little and realized Belno Light had gone and brought Musaka Ginjirou over at some point.
“Trainer Musaka, please take a look at her.”
Even someone as steady as Musaka was taken aback when he saw the state Starlight Trajectory was in.
“…What happened to you?”
“Didn’t get enough rest.”
Starlight Trajectory still didn’t move from the desk. Her words squeezed out through the gap between her arms.
Musaka first walked a slow circle around her, then pinched his glasses and studied her several times before letting out a small sound of doubt.
“Trainer Musaka, is Trainer Mano going to be okay?”
“I’m not a doctor…”
Musaka felt a little helpless that Belno Light’s first thought had been to go find him. Still, he had to admit she’d picked the right person this time.
“She should be fine. She’s just overworked.”
“Oh… That’s good.”
Only after hearing Musaka confirm it did Belno Light relax. For some reason, Starlight Trajectory felt like there was more meaning hidden in Musaka’s words, but her current state didn’t let her think too hard about it.
“Did you prepare a training plan?” Musaka suddenly asked.
“I just finished it this morning. It’s all in here…”
Starlight Trajectory pushed the tablet out from her arms. To set up Oguri Cap’s new training, she’d gone to bed late and woken up early, crawling out of bed while the sky was still dim to draft the new plan.
After Oguri Cap’s strong showing in the Mainichi Hai, looking back at the goals they’d set before, they’d clearly been a bit too cautious.
Musaka took the tablet and looked it over. He gave a small nod, then put it away.
“Then here’s what we’ll do. Go talk to the chairwoman and head home to rest for the next few days. I’ll train them in your place.”
“I’ll leave it to you, then…”
Starlight Trajectory didn’t argue. She rose from the desk with a listless look, let out a long yawn, and left the activity room.
Watching her stagger away, Musaka’s brow furrowed. He spoke in a low, worried voice.
“Honestly… Even when you’re training, you’ve got to take care of your body.”
“Huh? Trainer Musaka, what did you just say?”
Belno Light hadn’t heard him clearly and asked in confusion.
“Nothing.”
Musaka shook his head. Then he turned back and saw the sweat still clinging to Oguri Cap’s face. His brow, which had only just eased, creased again.
“That goes for you two as well. You just finished a race yesterday, so why are you already training today? Both of you, go rest for two days!”
Oguri Cap didn’t look all that willing, but in the end, she behaved and left the activity room with Belno Light keeping her company.
“One after another, none of you makes this easy. Your body’s the capital you need for the revolution, you know…”
After scolding Oguri Cap and Belno Light, Musaka looked down at Tokai Teio, who was still standing by his side, then led the young filly toward the training grounds.
--+--
Not long after everyone had left, a knock came from outside the door.
“Excuse me!”
Perhaps because she’d waited too long without getting a reply, and because the activity room hadn’t been locked, the visitor pushed the door open on her own.
Mejiro Ardan stepped into the empty room and murmured in confusion.
“Hmm… Did I get it wrong?”
--+--
Is it Wrong to Skip Racing? - 120
--+--
“Yayoi, I’m really fine now...”
“Rejected! Resting is part of the job too. As a trainer, Kaede, you should understand that better than anyone!”
In the chairwoman’s office, Akikawa Yayoi snapped open her fan. The word “Rejected” was written across it in huge letters, and with that, Starlight Trajectory’s request was shut down on the spot.
When Starlight Trajectory had come to Akikawa Yayoi to ask for leave before, she’d looked so close to death that Yayoi had dropped her fan in fright.
After finding out it was only exhaustion, Akikawa Yayoi had waved her hand and granted Starlight Trajectory a full month of leave. The three days she’d asked for had been stretched to ten times that length.
“Besides, you’re only the team assistant right now. Trainer Musaka is covering for you, so just relax.”
“...”
With things put that way, Starlight Trajectory couldn’t say much else. She knew Akikawa Yayoi was only worried about her health. Even if her checkup had come back clean, that didn’t prove there were no hidden problems left behind.
Of course, for Starlight Trajectory, who had a system panel she could use to check her own condition, that wasn’t an issue at all.
The problem was that she couldn’t shove the system panel in Akikawa Yayoi’s face. And if she tried to explain it some other way, she’d only sound like she was trying to act tough.
As for the girls under her care, there was even less to worry about. Musaka Ginjirou’s ability was beyond question, and the training data she’d recorded was thorough. She could leave Oguri Cap and Tokai Teio in his hands with complete peace of mind.
The real reason Starlight Trajectory wanted to throw herself back into work was simple. Ever since coming to Central, she’d been busy with training day after day.
Now that she’d been forced to stop, she didn’t know what to do with herself.
“Well then, if you’ve got nothing to do, why don’t you pay attention to something else?”
Akikawa Yayoi seemed to see right through her, so she changed the topic herself and pulled a sheet of paper from her desk.
“For example, wouldn’t you like to know who’s running in this year’s Satsuki Sho?”
From Akikawa Yayoi’s words alone, Starlight Trajectory guessed that the paper in her hand was almost certainly the Satsuki Sho entry list.
URA had strict rules about when those lists could be made public, but as the chairwoman of Tracen Academy, it made sense that Akikawa Yayoi could get her hands on it early.
“It’s not time for the official announcement yet, right? Are you sure handing this to me doesn’t count as leaking information?”
That was what Starlight Trajectory said, but her body didn’t hesitate at all. She reached out and took the list without missing a beat.
“That’s because I trust you, Kaede. Besides, it’s only a few hours early. A little rumor slipping out won’t hurt anything.”
Akikawa Yayoi fanned herself with pride. This was the kind of confidence that came with being chairwoman.
Still, more than this year’s Satsuki Sho, what she looked forward to was the sight of Starlight Trajectory standing on that stage next year.
“Next year, Kaede’s name will be on this list too, won’t it?”
“It’s a shame you’re not too willing to run in other races... though I can understand why.”
Akikawa Yayoi did feel some regret, but she also knew that Japan’s stage was far too small for Starlight Trajectory. With such an overwhelming gap in strength, entering fewer races wasn’t so much avoiding battle as it was showing mercy to the other runners.
So in Akikawa Yayoi’s mind, the stage that truly belonged to Starlight Trajectory had to be the whole world. Until then, URA was only a stepping stone.
Starlight Trajectory, meanwhile, had all her focus on the entry list. She didn’t notice Akikawa Yayoi’s proud look at all.
“How should I put this... It’s pretty much what I expected.”
After scanning the names on the list, she found that most of the runners matched her predictions. The only one who surprised her was Yaeno Muteki.
Since Yaeno Muteki had nearly failed to place in the Mainichi Hai, she lacked prize money. After losing her guaranteed starting spot, her only hope of joining the Satsuki Sho had been one of the final three lottery slots.
“Should I say she’s lucky, or that I’m lucky...?”
Oguri Cap had missed her chance to enter the Classic Triple Crown because she hadn’t been registered in time. But if Yaeno Muteki, someone Oguri had already beaten, earned a strong result in the Satsuki Sho, it’d be enough to make Central fully recognize Oguri Cap’s strength.
Of course, that was the ideal outcome.
At least judging by this entry list, Yaeno Muteki’s situation didn’t look good. After her loss in the Mainichi Hai, her popularity in the Satsuki Sho would likely drop like a stone.
“Whatever. The chances of that happening are pretty low anyway...”
But Starlight Trajectory hadn’t expected her own words to come true. Two days later, the Satsuki Sho produced a massive upset.
--+--
[She didn’t spend even a moment brooding over her loss in the Mainichi Hai. The one stepping onto the track right away is—Yaeno Muteki!]
“This gate... I’ve got a feeling things are about to get messy...”
Musaka Ginjirou looked away from the newspaper and turned his attention to the TV screen. As he watched Yaeno Muteki standing in gate one, an odd feeling crept over him.
Because they were worried about Starlight Trajectory’s health, the team hadn’t gone to watch this year’s Satsuki Sho in person, even though it was being held in Tokyo. Instead, they were watching it on TV.
“Trainer, that’s the girl Oguri-senpai beat!”
Sitting in Starlight Trajectory’s lap, Tokai Teio pointed at Yaeno Muteki as she entered the gate, grinning with excitement.
“Teio, settle down. The race is about to start.”
Starlight Trajectory gently stroked the little filly’s head, then quietly glanced toward Oguri Cap. Oguri didn’t seem moved by what was happening on TV. Her face stayed blank as she kept chewing through the snacks prepared for the race viewing.
That helped Starlight Trajectory relax a little. From the look of it, Oguri Cap really was only interested in the Japanese Derby.
On the TV, the race passed in the blink of an eye. As the lead Uma Musume crossed the finish line, the commentator announced the result with a roaring voice.
[She’s across the line—!!]
[First place is Yaeno Muteki! She’s won the Satsuki Sho as the ninth favorite, after only making it in through the lottery!!]
“This is bad...”
On the screen, Yaeno Muteki waved to the crowd. Watching her, Musaka Ginjirou, who’d been silent until now, suddenly muttered under his breath. His face showed neither joy nor worry.
When he thought back over everything that had happened, he could almost predict what would come next.
“Something big is about to happen.”
--+--