"Flora, are you okay?! You're wobbling all over the place!"
"No... it's just... I have glimpsed the ultimate truth of this universe... Blessings upon blessings..."
"Wait, what is this? McQueen, should I tell one of the officials?"
They were moments away from the gate-in. Tokai Teio, the previous year's champion, had approached Flora to offer a formal greeting, but she was now deeply concerned. Flora wasn't just unsteady on her feet; she seemed to be drifting off into another dimension entirely. As Teio's anxiety spiked, Ikuno Dictus reached out and gave her shoulder a steadying pat.
"There's no need to worry," Ikuno said calmly. "Likely, Rampage-san simply waved at her or something similar. She's just riding a high."
"Is this what a high looks like?" Teio asked, skeptical. "To me, it looks more like she's transcended to the astral plane."
"Ah, well, Flora gets like this pretty often," Nice Nature added, shrugging with a weary, 'here-we-go-again' expression. "Ran was complaining about it the other day."
Nature let out a sigh of resignation, though her eyes held a spark of acknowledgement.
"How should I put this... To put it delicately, Flora is Rampage's number one fan and her rival all at once. Sometimes those fan-girl feelings just... explode. From Ran's perspective, it's mostly just a nuisance, so she brushes her off. It's a lot like how the President treats you, Teio."
Teio froze. "Wait... Is that how other people see me?"
"Well, maybe not this extreme, but you're definitely in the same genus," Nature replied.
Teio turned slowly to her best friend. "...McQueen? Could you teach me some proper etiquette?"
"I shall, if you truly wish it," Mejiro McQueen replied with a playful glint. "Though a Teio who speaks like a refined lady would be... unsettling, to say the least."
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
Watching the Japanese contingent from a distance, the foreign runners wore expressions of utter bewilderment. The atmosphere was almost domestic, filled with a warmth they couldn't quite parse. In the international racing scene, teams often ran as a unit to ensure a single victory—a cold, calculated strategy for the sake of the stable. Looking at the sheer number of girls from Team Canopus in this Japan Cup, the foreign runners had assumed they were seeing a tactical formation. Instead, they found an atmosphere so relaxed it was practically horizontal.
"But Turbo-san," one of them asked, breaking the mood. "Are you really okay? You ran your heart out in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup."
"No problem at all!" Twin Turbo chirped, giving a thumbs-up. "I got the Trainer's seal of approval, so I'm all good! I asked Ran if I could use the Mejiro Sanatorium to recover... and... I even let them give me... an injection..."
McQueen gasped, truly impressed. "You went that far? Twin Turbo-san, you have my utmost respect."
"Shisho, you actually took a needle?!" Teio cried.
"Turbo, that's incredible!"
"Senpai... to go that far just for this race... I'm moved to tears!"
Under normal circumstances, Turbo should have been far too exhausted to compete. Even with the top-tier facilities of the Mejiro Sanatorium, she hadn't quite been recovering in time. Her trainer, Minamisaka, had laid down a condition for her entry: a vitamin injection specifically approved for rapid fatigue recovery.
For an Uma Musume, an injection was no small matter. Even for the adults, it was something to be loathed. It wasn't a lack of maturity, but a deep-seated, primal instinct of avoidance. No matter how much it might help, the vast majority would refuse, shaking their heads in terror. This was the same reason vaccination centers for young Uma Musume often turned into scenes of absolute carnage.
"Your trainer probably suggested it hoping you'd give up on the race, didn't he?" Nature remarked. "The rotation from the QEII Cup to the Japan Cup is a nightmare. Only someone like Ikuno or Ran could normally pull that off."
"Turbo heard that too," Turbo admitted, her voice small but firm. "But Turbo wanted to run... so I stayed brave and took it."
If she wanted the race that badly, Minamisaka had realized there was no stopping her. With a heavy sigh, he had authorized it and requested the full recovery "course" from the sanatorium staff. As a result, Turbo had bounced back just enough to clear the medical check.
"I'm gonna take the Japan Cup and win back-to-back G1s!" Turbo roared.
"Hold on, Shisho! I'm not handing over my title that easily!" Teio countered.
"I, too, have no intention of yielding," McQueen added, her eyes sharpening. "For the honor of the Mejiro Four Heavenly Kings."
"Well, if we're talking like that," Nature said, her casual slouch vanishing. "As Canopus's Derby winner, I can't exactly back down either."
"The same goes for me!" another chimed in. "I'll show you the power of this year's Derby winner! Uoooooh!"
"Rice doesn't want to lose either... not in front of Onee-sama!" Rice Shower whispered, her hands tightening into fists.
"I'm finally going to claim my first G1 victory today!"
"As will I. I'll conquer the same stage as Rampage-san."
In an instant, the air changed. The warmth and the jokes vanished as if they had never existed. The friendliness was only skin-deep; beneath it lay a cold, razor-sharp intent focused entirely on the finish line. There was no collusion here. No one was running for a teammate. Every single one of them respected the victory too much to give it away, and they were prepared to face every opponent with lethal sincerity. None of them intended to let anyone else win. They were all, equally, starved for the gold.
"..."
"Elgutz? What is it?"
Olta noticed her fellow competitor staring and spoke up.
"I've been to this country twice now," Elgutz began slowly. "To be blunt, I thought the racing here was immature. They don't focus on sabotaging the opponent; they only focus on bettering themselves. You could call it 'fair play' if you want to be nice, but to me, it looked like they were simply afraid of the conflict."
"That is the Japanese spirit, I suppose," Olta replied.
Olta—Alternative Seven—had originally been a member of the Symboli family. She understood Elgutz's critique perfectly. In Japan, there was a tendency to treat Uma Musume racing as something sacred, something that should be filled with sportsmanship and honor. Because of this, "debuffing" tactics were rare. Many argued this was exactly why Japanese runners struggled on the international circuit... and yet...
"But even if it's 'immature,'" Elgutz continued, her eyes narrowing, "I'm starting to realize that's exactly where this country's strength comes from. I wonder if that's why she was so strong."
"I wouldn't deny it," a voice said.
Flora had returned from her trance. Her face was no longer slack with adoration; it was set in a mask of grim determination.
"We love this kind of racing," Flora said. "And it is a fact that this style of racing conquered the world's peak. I fell in love with her strength—and that is why I will defeat you before I face her. Even if you are an Arc de Triomphe winner."
Elgutz turned, a dangerous smile playing on her lips. "Quite the backbone. You haven't even won a G1 abroad, and you think you can beat me?"
"I'll win. Because that's what a race is for."
With that short, sharp declaration, Flora straightened her posture and looked toward the track. As she walked away, Olta saw something in her wake—a shadow, a lingering presence. It was the same aura that draped over Mejiro Rampage.
Olta realized then that anything could happen in this race. There was no room for complacency. She would have to give everything.
"This race holds a heavy meaning for me as well," Olta muttered. "Elgutz, I intend to crush you along with the rest of them."
"Good grief, you're making me look like the only one hesitating," Elgutz laughed, her competitive fire finally ignited. "Fine. Let's show this country what an Arc de Triomphe winner is truly made of."
Character Profile: Mejiro Straight (Colt)
The ninth foal of Mejiro Rampage. His sire is Sakura Bakushin O. His name comes from the association with "charging ahead" and "moving in a straight line."
Perhaps because he is the son of the greatest sprinter, Sakura Bakushin O, he possesses incredible explosive power. However, having inherited his mother's legendary sturdiness, he is also a high-speed stayer with significant stamina. Because he has the speed to run short distances and the lungs for long ones, his career is a bit of a paradox. Having won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, he was thought to be a sprinter, but he also claimed victory in the Diamond Stakes (3400m). Consequently, he has become known as the Mejiro horse with the most baffling distance aptitude.
Jockey: Futoshi Kojima. While many perceive the horse as having a wild temperament, Kojima describes him as "merely a bit high-strung and prone to loneliness."
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