"An escape horse in front, a beast behind. What a cruel and challenging race. This Tennō Shō (Autumn) is unusually interesting."
And faced with her, who had already unfolded her [Domain] on the track, and had taken the lead and brought up a fast pace, and behind Ryan and McQueen, the covetously watching Nakayama Festa, whose [Domain] had not been broken since the start of the race, even Mejiro Palmer had come forward with great interest.
Her demonic peach blossom eyes also flashed with a strange color. Looking at her on the track, she couldn't help but murmur to herself, "So... he really wasn't bragging. This bad hand he drew can actually be played so beautifully."
"Huh? Sister? Are you talking about Trainer Kitano?" And her words almost immediately attracted the reaction of Ardan and Invincible on the side. However, the expressions of this mother and daughter were completely different. Compared to her curiosity, her gaze was much sharper.
When did Aunt Palmer have contact with him again? In order to prevent him from having any contact with Tokai Teio and Rudolf, that "enemy mother and daughter," and to help her parents reunite, she had been by his side almost the whole time. She did not remember her aunt having any contact with him.
Especially when combined with her long-standing suspicion of whether there was some unknown story between her aunt and her father, her breathing also couldn't help but quicken a little. She subconsciously pulled her on the side, hoping she could be vigilant.
Eh? No movement, it seems. I'll try again.
Mm, still no movement. A treasure of China! What a blockhead of a mother!
"That's right, sister. This trainer is really captivating. All the horse girls under him are wholeheartedly considering him."
And a mysterious smile also appeared on her face. She did not answer her about how she had gotten in touch with him, but just analyzed the trend of this race in front of her, indirectly showing her understanding of his team.
"This heavy track is definitely a disadvantage for Silence Suzuka. Her stamina is not good to begin with, and [Explosive Escape] is the most stamina-consuming way. It can be said that in this race, if she does not distribute her stamina well, then it will undoubtedly be a repeat of her defeat in the Takarazuka Kinen."
"And even so, she still chose to make an explosive escape on a heavy track. Clearly, she is no longer planning to win, but just to disrupt the rhythm of this race and let all the horse girls run out of stamina with her."
"And on the final straight, when everyone's stamina is almost exhausted... then it can only be a competition of whose explosive power is stronger, and whose grit can burn longer."
As she murmured to herself, the smile on her lips also couldn't help but widen a few points. Because she knew that this tactic was undoubtedly set against the Mejiro McQueen who was not good at bursting out. And the reason why he had formulated this tactic was entirely because of her previous warning.
It seems he listened... he had learned her lesson. This did not surprise her. What surprised her more was that he could actually persuade her to voluntarily cover for her and give up her few opportunities to challenge a G1.
"It seems that what he said before was not a big talk. He would treat every charge equally... no matter who was strong or weak, he would defend them."
"And it is precisely because of this that they are all willing to cooperate with his actions. Everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for the continuation of his life... this is really difficult."
Treating a bowl of water level. It sounds simple, but it is the most difficult. Because this does not mean that if you use a standard to treat everyone equally, everyone will be satisfied. Especially in his team, almost all of them are problem children, and even have different possessiveness and bad tempers. Even the seemingly gentle Suzuka and Oguri are not as easy to get along with as they seem on the surface.
But until now, although there had always been small conflicts, his team, which had gathered so many problem children, had not had any collapse. Everyone had been soothed very well by him. Even if there were occasional episodes of mutual jealousy, everyone was wholeheartedly acting for his will.
This... cannot be completely summarized as "past life experience." Her demonic smile widened a few more points, and her thoughts couldn't help but become a little more active as she said silently in her heart, "He has passed my first test of determination. And now the second test, practice, has also passed..."
"So, how many more surprises can you bring me? Passing is not your limit, right?"
However, perhaps because she was too concerned about his affairs, she seemed to have forgotten to control her usual perfect smile. And this point was finally seen by her, who had been admiring her sister all along, by her side.
Sister... seems to be very interested in him?
Speaking of which, my grandmother seems to have also said that if I am not interested in him, I should not obstruct the actions of my other sisters... could it be that from that time, she had such thoughts about him, and was seen by my grandmother?
However, she, who had originally felt a sense of ease because of the "family mission," but when she recalled the memories of her and the him in her dream in these few months, an extremely subtle feeling couldn't help but appear in her heart...
And what pulled her thoughts back to reality was the excited voice of the announcer. With her rushing past the one-thousand-meter warning sign that symbolized the halfway point of the race, the rhythm of this high-speed heavy track was also finally revealed.
"One thousand meters passed! Her time for one thousand meters is—58.7 seconds!"
"58.7 seconds?!"
After the announcer revealed the rhythm of this high-speed heavy track, the whole field was in an uproar! For a moment, whether it was the audience who had not done much research, or the experienced people like him and the horse girls, they were all startled by this rhythm speed.
You know, in the same Tennō Shō (Autumn), in that "Silent Sunday" race, the excellent-performing Silence Suzuka's thousand-meter result was 57.4 seconds! And that race was on an absolutely good track, the best situation where her speed could be brought out to the fullest.
And now, in a heavy track situation, to have run at a speed that was not inferior to a good track, it could be imagined that the group of horse girls who had been brought along by her rhythm, now even if they wanted to slow down, they couldn't.
It was not until more than a second after she had crossed the one-thousand-meter line that Mejiro Ryan had barely crossed. And behind her, McQueen and Nakayama Festa also followed closely behind and crossed the line.
However, compared to the protected her and the her who was chasing desperately from behind, the current her had already begun to feel that the chance of victory was leaving her...
"Hah—hah—"
"This is only one thousand meters. If this continues, even if I can run the whole course... I won't have the stamina to sprint on the final straight."
Mejiro Ryan had already begun to pant with some difficulty. She couldn't help but wipe the sweat from her forehead with her arm. She knew that with her current stamina, to arrest her again as in the Takarazuka Kinen was probably very difficult. Of course, even if she was not arrested, she would most likely lose speed in the last 200 meters.
Because she, like herself, had never expected to win from the very beginning. They had all been calculated by her.
She knew very well that if she slowed down now, then she would probably rush to the finish line all the way like this. The gap between them and her would become larger and larger, until the final straight, even if she had the stamina to sprint, she would not be able to make up for it.
And not slowing down now was just a change from a death sentence to a suspended death sentence, because on the final straight, they would also not have the stamina to sprint.
From the very beginning, the moment the entire horse girl team had been brought along by her rhythm, most of the horse girls in this race had already been screened out by this rhythm. Their stamina was not enough to support them in running at high speed for two thousand meters in a heavy track situation. What awaited them was only a loss of speed and defeat.
And now, the winner of this Tennō Shō (Autumn) was already only two—that is, McQueen and Nakayama Festa behind her!
"Her stamina is much stronger than mine, but in this race, what she's worried about is not her stamina, but her final burst... she's not that good at explosive power."
"But as for her, her stamina is not better than hers, and that terrifying [Domain]... although I don't understand how she maintains it, but her current stamina consumption should be greater than hers, right?"
She thought so in her heart. However, I wonder if it was because she had gradually adapted to this feeling, or because the [Domain] of her behind her had weakened a bit due to her lack of stamina. At least now, she felt that her chances of winning were still very high. Their family's horse girls' stamina, just like their family's horse girls' physique, was trustworthy.
More importantly, she knew very well how strong their family's horse girls' adaptability to a heavy track was. In this situation where everyone was on top of a debuff, their family's horse girls could always reduce the impact brought by the heavy track to a minimum. No matter how bad the heavy track was, they could handle it with ease.
After the final turn, is it time for a showdown? Then let's do it!
"McQueen! Now is not the time to hold back! Run!"
"If you want to start accelerating, it's here! Don't let the girl behind you catch up!"
Mejiro Ryan, who was acting as her windbreak, in a situation where she clearly knew she had already lost her chance of victory, chose to fully assist her younger sister. Under her roar, her and Nakayama Festa behind her also clearly received a signal to exert their strength!
Suddenly, the roaring her burst out with her trained muscle strength, which could be said to be comparable to a short-distance horse girl! Just like the sprint on the final straight of the Takarazuka Kinen, closely following her, she began to accelerate violently on the final turn!
"Mejiro Ryan is catching up! She's starting to chase after Silence Suzuka on the final turn! There are still 600 meters to the finish line!"
"She's catching up! The gap with her is shrinking! Does she want to catch up with her?!"
However, the Silence Suzuka running at the very front naturally also heard her pursuit from behind. The her, who had already begun to feel her stamina running out, also immediately understood the reason why she was chasing after her—she wanted to force her to accelerate for a second time ahead of time.
As an explosive escape horse girl, the reason why she was different from her classmate, Twin Turbo, who also had an explosive escape tactic but was teased as a "reverse jet," was not only in her adaptability, but also in that she, while using the most stamina-consuming explosive escape, could also burn her own grit at the end and accelerate a second time.
Admittedly, her second acceleration was not fast, but it was enough to maintain a length gap with the horse girls behind her on the final straight. In other words, if she was even forced to use her second acceleration, then she would have no more trump cards to use.
"One for one... her determination is really dazzling."
"Then... I'll do as you wish!"
Also knowing that she could no longer win, she no longer hesitated and accepted her challenge fair and square! Everything was as if it was a re-enactment of the Takarazuka Kinen four months ago. It was just that this time, they had tacitly chosen another way to have a showdown.
Victory has nothing to do with me anymore. Then I'll just use all my skills at once and run to the end with gusto!
"Silence Suzuka has accelerated again! It's incredible! Faced with the 500-meter-long final straight of the Tennō Shō (Autumn)! Both she and Mejiro Ryan have started to accelerate early! Pushing the race to its climax!"
"And Mejiro McQueen and Nakayama Festa are close behind, rushing to the final straight in third and fourth place!"
I must win! Ryan-nee sacrificed herself for me. The achievement of consecutive wins in the Spring and Autumn Tennō Shō—I will absolutely not give it up!
Under her cover, Mejiro McQueen, who had successfully saved a lot of stamina despite the debuff of the heavy track and the high-speed rhythm, also knew very well that now was a great opportunity for her to start accelerating!
If she were to wait until the final straight to have a showdown with her, she, who was not good at explosive power, would definitely have no chance. She had to induce her to accelerate early here.
She believed that no matter how fast her late kick was, she couldn't possibly burst out a 600-meter-long late kick!
First, let her burst out her late kick early. When it comes to the final straight, it will be my turn to overtake her!
"Nakayama-san, you are indeed very strong! But I also have my advantages!" McQueen used her peripheral vision to glance slightly behind her. At this time, her black aura had dissipated a little, and she was no longer so scary. She, who still had some stamina, said as if she was at ease while running, "The inside lane of the heavy track—I won't be polite!"
"Bang!"
With that, with the moment her heavyweight-like footsteps stepped down, the splashing mud and turf were also like needles, hitting her face. And faced with her, who was still running like flying on the烂地 inside lane, her nerves, which had been tight from beginning to end, also immediately reacted.
"You bastard—do you think I don't dare to run the inside lane?!"
From before the start of the race, under Oguri's harsh training, her nerves had already become a little crazy under the long training. As Oguri had said, she had stimulated her "wildness."
And what had she done? She had used calm provocation and repeated mental stimulation.
"You can't bring him victory like this."
"Now among the active horse girls in the team, only you are holding them back."
"His time is not much. Don't you want to do something for him?"
Under her particularly plain provocation and stimulation, her ears were repeatedly nagged by her with these topics that could be called "weak spots." Over time, under the high-intensity pressure, her hot temper as a Gold Family horse girl had been completely exploded by her.
And this emotion had lasted for several days. She was now in the state of a powder keg that could explode with a single spark. And faced with her provocation, she, who had lost her ability to think and was left with only a desire for victory, almost immediately fell for it.
You think I don't dare to run the inside lane? You think the爛地 on the inside can stop me?
"Then not only will I run into the inside lane! I will also overtake you from the inside lane!!"
Under her roar, she also did not hesitate at all and rushed towards her with a fierce step! And her goal was also particularly clear! It was the closest inside lane in front of her!
"Mejiro McQueen was the first to cross the final turn! But Nakayama Festa is not to be outdone! She also drifted into the final straight from the inside! She and her are biting very hard! Just a little bit!"
"Now, there are only the last 500 meters of the final straight! Suzuka is still in the lead! But she is about to be caught up by Ryan! McQueen and Nakayama are both starting to accelerate!"
The inside lane! The shortest distance! The closest path to victory! There is only this one! Staring deadly at the only inside lane in front of her, she gritted her teeth and waited for the opportunity to attack!
Finally, she saw a gap!
The moment she in front crossed the final turn, it was almost inevitable that a gap was created in the innermost position between her and the track railing!
—Although it's a bit narrow, she believes that with her slightly thin figure, she can completely use this as a breakthrough! Break through the her who has been occupying the inside lane, and force her to be squeezed out!
This is my last chance!
"Go!!!!"
The roaring her, even though she could already feel her stamina running out, still stubbornly launched an assault on her! With her exertion of strength, the terrifying black aura that had been unconsciously exuding from her body gushed out again! [Domain] let her enter a state of high concentration of mental strength and rushed towards the set goal!
Closer, getting closer! She could very intuitively feel the gap between her and her shrinking! That inside lane was already hers!
"Bang."
Just as she and her were almost parallel and brushed past each other, suddenly, a slight collision from the side made her pupils tremble slightly, and the black aura that had originally erupted from her body also paused for a moment.
At this moment, it was as if time had paused. Beside her, Mejiro McQueen, who had also felt this collision, also had her pupils tremble, and subconsciously turned her gaze to her side—
That one just now, she could be sure that she and her had a "collision." Although from the feeling of the collision, for her, it was just being "squeezed" a little. She had not lost her balance or slowed down because of this. It was just that her accelerating pace had paused slightly.
But all of this was because of the confidence brought by the innate, sturdy physique of the Mejiro family, which allowed them to run like flying even on a heavy track. Don't look at her not being big, but the weight that all horse girls were unwilling to disclose, under the blessing of the Mejiro bloodline, had also brought her a physique that was completely unafraid of collisions on the racetrack.
This point was almost the same for all the members of the Mejiro family. Even the seemingly delicate Mejiro Ardan was like this. She was also called a "heavy chariot"-like, steady-footed horse girl back then. This was a囧事 for the Mejiro horse girls in their daily lives, but an advantage on the racetrack.
But this advantage was not possessed by her, who was born in the Gold Family... therefore, when she felt that she had been "squeezed a little," she realized that something bad had happened!
In her peripheral vision, her body almost immediately sank as if she had lost her balance. Then, in a place her gaze could not reach, she heard another not-so-light, dull thud!
That doesn't sound like her falling... and I didn't feel a second collision... did she hit something else?
"Festa?!"
And in the stands, at this very moment, the him who had cried out in a lost voice could see it clearly! He saw her body, which was about to lose its balance in the next second, being forcefully saved by her—the worst situation did not happen. She did not fall.
But being hit by the heavyweight her did indeed make her body lose its balance for a moment. And when she, who was on the inside lane, was pushed away a little distance, her head had obviously hit the railing on the side of the track!
A horse girl in a sprinting state, even if it was a diagonal collision, this one would definitely be very hard to bear. So he had cried out so失态ly for the first time, his hands tightly gripping the railing, as if he wanted to rush onto the track in the next second.
...But just as he was about to make a move, to prevent his charge from having an accident, the change on the track made his action stop abruptly.
Because he saw her on the track, who had been hit, not stopping her steps for a moment for her imbalance. In such a dangerous situation, she still did not stop her charging legs!
The thick black aura on her body had obviously stagnated for a moment. In the next second, after she had come back to her senses, it suddenly rose a few points higher! The dazed her, under this collision, vaguely felt some warm fluid slowly falling from her forehead...
Is this... blood?
Looking at the bright red blood on the back of her hand that she had used to wipe her forehead, after a moment of daze, she not only did not have any panic at all, on the contrary, the evil smile on her lips widened even more—at this moment, she was like a carnivore whose beastly nature had been stimulated by blood. Because of her injury, she seemed to have become even more crazy!
"This is the race I'm looking for... a blood-boiling, life-and-death race!"
"Win and you go to heaven, lose and you go to hell—this is the desperate race I want! A race where I bet my life!"
Blood slowly flowed down from her forehead, dyeing one of her eyes red. Under the endless black aura, her scarlet eyes burst out with a bloodlust that was more excited than ever before!
"Let's have a life-and-death showdown! I dare to bet my life! Do you dare?! Mejiro McQueen!!!"
The bloodline of the Gold Family was completely ignited at this moment! The crazy gambler had already put all her bets, in one go, all-in!
....
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