"Haah… haah… My time?"
"Three seconds faster than before. However, you're still 0.7 seconds short of the target time."
"Exactly as you predicted, Minami-san?"
"Yes. My apologies."
"Don't be. I've accepted this path and I understand the necessity. This is the right way forward."
On a quiet corner of the Canopus training track, Sakura Laurel stood panting as she spoke with Minamisaka. She was currently running 2000m sprints while wearing "Shinzan Iron" training shoes—weighted at four times the standard mass. While her raw speed had improved significantly, she was still shy of the impossible benchmark they had set. Minamisaka offered an apology for the grueling regimen, but Laurel remained resolute, her eyes bright with a terrifyingly positive outlook.
Just then, two sports drinks flew through the air. Rampage had arrived.
"Good work out there. Prepping for the Satsuki-sho?"
"Ah, Rampage-san! Thank you. And good work to you too—I hear you've been helping Brian-chan."
"That girl… I swear, she gets stronger every time she touches the turf. It's starting to get a bit ridiculous. Hana-san says she might even surpass the President, and honestly? I don't think she's joking."
To see that level of power in a Classic-class girl was staggering. Rampage joked that she was in the same league as Teio—maybe even a step higher—but Laurel merely nodded, her expression suggesting that such greatness was only to be expected.
"It is Brian-chan, after all," Laurel said softly. "Ordinary effort will never be enough to beat her."
"So, I should take it that you're planning to win for real?" Rampage asked.
"Yes, I am going for the win with everything I have. However… Brian-chan is not my 'enemy.'"
Rampage felt a sudden chill. Laurel spoke of winning as an absolute certainty, yet she dismissed the "Shadow Roll Monster" as a non-enemy. It wasn't that she lacked respect; it was that she wasn't looking at Brian as a rival to defeat. To Laurel, Narita Brian was a hurdle—a high, formidable hurdle that she had to be able to clear if she ever wanted to reach her ultimate destination.
"So you really are using the Satsuki-sho as a sacrificial stone. Brian's already caught on to that, you know."
"I'd expect Brian-san to notice. Though I suspect Hana-san is still half-doubting it. After all, most people can't imagine using a once-in-a-lifetime stage of glory as a mere stepping stone."
"My," Laurel giggled, a hint of steel in her voice. "People consider the Arc de Triomphe a once-in-a-lifetime stage, too. I don't see the difference, so I don't mind."
"Good grief… what happened to the polite, studious Laurel-chan who just joined Canopus?" Rampage sighed.
Her core hadn't changed, but her resolve had crystallized into something immovable. When Rampage asked what had sparked this change, Laurel's answer was simple.
"I spend every day looking at the glory won by the girl who conquered the Arc—the girl who is my goal. Looking at that, I realized I couldn't keep going as I was. I decided to get serious. Everything I do now is to take the Arc."
"They're heading into the backstretch! Narita Brian is in a perfect position, but Sakura Laurel is right there, marking her every move like a shadow!"
The stage for the Satsuki-sho was set. Narita Brian was the overwhelming favorite, the girl everyone expected to dominate. Sakura Laurel sat right behind her as the second favorite.
"Leading the pack is Sakura Hyper O, followed by South of South and Offside Trap. Two lengths back, we have Narita Brian, with Sakura Laurel glued to her heels. Ever since the start, Laurel hasn't let Brian breathe! It's a haunting formation! We're entering the third corner—and here comes Offside Trap! The student of Trainer Kuronuma and disciple of Mihono Bourbon is surging forward! She's taken the lead! Is she going to wire this race?!"
"YES! GO! KEEP GOING!" Offside Trap's trainer screamed from the stands.
Offside Trap had endured a Spartan training menu to overcome her leg issues, and today, her stride was razor-sharp. she cleared the fourth corner in the lead and poured every remaining ounce of strength into the final straight.
"HERE I GO!"
"Offside Trap is still in front! Is she going to steal the Satsuki-sho?! No! From the outside—Narita Brian! Brian has exploded into the final stretch!"
As if refusing to let anyone else claim the throne, Brian unleashed her full power the moment Trap tried to break away. Offside Trap fought back with everything she had, but the difference in raw horsepower was staggering.
"Narita Brian is pulling away! Offside Trap is trying to hang on—but she can't! Brian has taken the lead in the blink of an eye! Trap is giving it her all, but she's being left in the dust! She's pulling away from the rest of the pack, so why is the gap to Brian getting wider?!"
Offside Trap couldn't understand it. She was running the race of her life, yet Brian was a phantom she couldn't touch. But just as the crowd thought the race was over, a flash of pink erupted from the pack.
"A burst from the back! The cherry blossoms are dancing! Sakura Laurel is surging! She's passed Offside Trap! She's in second! She's hunting down Narita Brian! Less than 200 meters to go! Laurel is closing the gap! Three lengths! Two lengths! One length! Brian is holding on—she crosses the line! Narita Brian wins the Satsuki-sho! Second place, Sakura Laurel! Third, Offside Trap! Behold the new star of Rigil: Narita Brian!"
The stadium erupted in a roar like a detonating bomb. Brian slowed to a halt, her chest heaving as she fought for air. She turned to look at Laurel—and her heart skipped a beat.
Laurel wasn't nearly as winded as she was.
Noticing Brian's gaze, Laurel gave a polite bow, then turned to wave at the cheering stands with a bright, satisfied smile.
"I see… I see how it is. Heh… hahah."
Even in the heat of her victory, Brian felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Laurel's smile wasn't one of frustration at losing; it was the confident smile of someone who had just finished a successful measurement.
Laurel had used the Satsuki-sho as a sacrificial stone. She had marked Brian and unleashed that terrifying final sprint for one reason only: to force Brian to show her 100% capacity. She wanted to see exactly how fast Brian could go when pushed to the limit.
"That girl…" Brian whispered. "Where is her real finish line?"
Back at the stables, Laurel looked toward the next horizon.
"Next is the Derby. The distance is the same as the Arc, so I'll need to use it to test my final form."
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