Chapter 146: The Tight Net
Beside Deep Impact stood a dark-haired Umamusume. Though her hair color was different, her facial features bore a striking resemblance to Deep Impact's.
"I know Kitasan Black's really talented, it's just…"
The dark-haired Umamusume smiled softly, with a hint of concern in her tone.
"This is the Japanese Derby, after all."
"And when she was little…" She trailed off, as if unsure whether to continue.
"Careless? Clumsy?"
Deep Impact finished for her. "Maybe. But honestly, I think she's not quite like what you said."
The dark-haired girl blinked in surprise. Deep Impact kept her eyes on the runners dashing across the track.
"She's… actually pretty smart."
"Running the Derby on the outside lane does burn more stamina, but that's nothing compared to losing your rhythm."
"Being able to stay steady—that's what really matters."
"And more importantly… never mind, that race is still five months away."
Shaking her head, Deep Impact took a step forward, eyes gradually focusing on the figure leading the pack.
. . .
The wind from the front tore her bangs straight back.
Her eyes, long since used to the pressure, stayed wide open and fixed on the path ahead.
Kitasan Black's ears twitched back slightly, catching every sound.
The track ahead stretched clear in her view.
The turf was surprisingly even and dry, hardly affected by the earlier races today.
There were just over a hundred meters left before the third curve—about ten seconds at her current pace.
She could hear the breathing behind her, close—barely one and half length away.
And the rhythm was starting to falter.
Signs of fatigue.
No surprise there.
She had spent most of the first half running on the outside, watching as the racers on the inside fought fiercely among themselves.
It had been intense—too intense.
That kind of battle, at that kind of speed, would chew through anyone's stamina.
Now that they'd passed the halfway point, simply maintaining speed was already a struggle.
Trying to fight again before the final straight would be suicide—there'd be no chance of victory.
By contrast, even though she'd run a bit farther on the outer curves earlier, she'd conserved more stamina.
'In that case… now's the time.'
'I'm going to use the next turn to open up the gap!'
As the track curved, sunlight slanted across the bend, slicing into her eyes.
Suppressing the urge to blink, Kitasan Black locked her vision on the entry angle of the turn, her sight flickering with diamond-shaped reflections of light.
Her shoes bit cleanly into the curved turf, flinging clumps of dirt that struck her outer calf.
Her left shoulder dipped slightly, her arm swing shortened, and the crushing centrifugal force instantly eased.
Stride shortened.
Step rate quickened.
Center of gravity tilted.
She entered the turn!
"She's moving! She's moving!"
The commentator's shout burst through the broadcast, followed by a dull thud—it sounded like he'd smacked the desk in excitement.
"Into the third turn—Kitasan Black takes the lead into the curve!"
"In an instant! The moment she entered the turn, Kitasan Black launched her attack!"
"The brilliant cornering skill she showed in the Satsuki Sho shines again—one length… two lengths… three lengths!"
"She's widening the gap!
"But! Her rivals aren't giving up easily! The ones chasing her are closing in fast—the lead is starting to shrink!"
"Ribbon Victory! Comet Meath!"
"And right behind them—the pace chaser Susan Muse! The very one who once lost to Kitasan Black is coming up strong!"
"Following close are Tagano Café and Susanoo!"
"The pack chasing Kitasan Black has stretched into a straight line through the third curve—their target is clear: Kitasan Black!"
"Final corner!"
Kitasan Black's hairs stood on end.
Out of the corner of her eye, as she rounded the bend, she caught a glimpse of the figures behind her.
Perhaps they had pushed too hard—their shapes blurred in her vision, a storm cloud of racing silks swirling together into a mass that surged toward her like a thunderstorm.
The pounding of countless cleats merged into the sound of torrential rain, each impact splitting the ground behind her, the cracks chasing her like flashes of lightning.
Their breathing grew rougher and more chaotic.
Every heavy exhale pounded in her ears—like floodgates bursting open, each sound shook her to the core.
And just as Deep Impact-senpai had warned her, the pressure of the wind itself was real—terrifyingly real.
Her pursuers were throwing everything they had into the chase, running as if their lives depended on it.
The roar from the stands pierced through the chaos, clearer than ever before.
It mingled with the thunder of cleats, the ragged breaths, the howling wind—all weaving together into a tightening net that strangled the air in her lungs.
Her temples throbbed violently.
Feeling the suffocating weight closing in from behind, Kitasan Black suddenly let out a short, breathless laugh.
'So this is it… this kind of pursuit…'
'How terrifying…'
'But—'
'This is my rhythm!'
Her whole body exploded with coiled power, like a spring that had been compressed too long.
All the stamina she'd conserved since the start of the race burst forth in a single surge.
Sweat sprayed through the air in glimmering arcs.
The scent of crushed grass and damp earth filled her nostrils.
She swallowed, forcing the salty taste of sweat down into her burning veins.
The ringing in her ears swelled—and the torrential footsteps and gasping breaths behind her faded away.
Ahead, the fabled Fuchu home stretch rose before her like a mountain.
In her vision it warped—the mountain became an ocean, and she, like a swordfish cutting through the water—no, like the storm born from the downpour behind her—drove herself upstream.
"Kitasan Black… is still in the lead!!"
The commentator's voice pierced the storm, screaming into her ears.
"She's got endless stamina! She's still accelerating!"
"This is the final straight! She's out of the turn—charging into the last uphill before the crown of the Japanese Derby!"
"Four hundred meters left!"
"The Umamusume that gave chase have begun to lose speed—Kitasan Black pulls ahead again!"
"She's regained a three-length lead!"
"Three hundred meters!"
"Kitasan Black is breaking away!"
"But—but!"
"The ones who fell behind are closing in again!
"Satono Crown is gaining ground! Satono Rasen and Real Steel, even as they duel, are closing in too!"
"And now—on the far outside—Duramente!!"
"The outer lane that Kitasan Black once claimed alone—Duramente now charges down it by herself!"
"Kitasan Black still leads! Still at the front! Still accelerating—even uphill, she's still accelerating!"
"Can she hold on to the end?!"
"It's too early to tell!"
"The Tokyo straight is long—and on this path toward glory, there isn't a single Umamusume willing to give up!"
"Two hundred meters left!"
"Satono Rasen shakes off Real Steel—now neck and neck with Satono Crown!"
"Duramente bursts free on the outside!"
"The three of them thunder down the stretch, crushing the gap with every stride!"
"But—Duramente is faster!"
"She's one length ahead of the Satonos—only two lengths behind Kitasan Black now!
"She's closing in!"
"The same furious pursuit as in the Satsuki Sho is happening again!
"Once more—Kitasan Black flees! Duramente hunts her down!"
"Can Kitasan Black escape?!
"Can Duramente catch her?!
"It's the final 100 meters!!"
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