Back of the field...
As both figures tore across the turf. Neither showed the slightest intention of yielding.
King drove herself forward with everything she had.
Her speed, stride, and stamina all poured into every step.
It was as if she had forgotten one of the most fundamental principles of racing, restraint, and calibration.
Rather than pacing herself for the decisive final stretch.
She unleashed burst after burst of acceleration.
Again.
And again.
And again.
As though she were desperately chasing something.
Or perhaps...
Someone.
Someone she could never quite catch.
Meanwhile, Seiun Sky gradually eased off her pace.
She consciously held herself back, preserving her stamina while watching King continue her reckless assault on the track.
"Oh my..." She faintly smiled.
"She's quite the fiery one. Going all out this early..."
"And we're still nowhere near the final stretch."
She glanced at King's rapidly widening lead.
"She's braver than I gave her credit for."
"But..."
"A race isn't won by courage alone."
"It's about patience, judgment, and knowing when to wait."
"Unfortunately..." Her eyes narrowed, landing on the King's retreating figure.
"I don't think you're in the right state of mind to remember that today."
"And what exactly are you chasing..."
"...King Halo?"
Far ahead—
King remained in her own trance, and her mind had drifted far from the track.
As an old memory threatened to resurface.
Fragments of a past she had spent years burying.
A past she had forced herself to forget.
Or at least... She believed she had.
Yet now... It resurfaced with startling clarity.
A guilt she never realized still lingered.
A regret she had convinced herself no longer existed.
And somehow... Another familiar situation stood before her.
Another person.
Another crossroads.
Just like before.
There, King gritted her teeth as she pushed herself harder.
"No..."
She then screamed as she forced another burst of speed from her aching legs.
Then another.
And another.
As though she believed exhausting herself could silence the memories.
As though she thought that sheer fatigue could drown out the voice inside her head.
After all, for years... That had worked.
She had always outrun her thoughts.
She had always found refuge in the numbness that came after pushing herself beyond her limits.
But... Why?
Why wasn't it working now?
She then accelerated again, and her breathing only grew heavier with each.
Her strides became rougher, yet the memories refused to disappear.
Even from the sidelines, Yuiji could see it.
The gap between King and Seiun had become impossible to ignore.
King wasn't racing anymore. She was running away.
Running from something only she could see.
Yet no matter how hard she pushed herself...
No matter how desperately she chased that familiar numbness...
Her thoughts remained trapped in the past.
Returning...
Again and again...
To the same memory.
To the days she had spent with... Asaji.
The day...
Everything began.
...
...
...
Two years ago...
On one quiet evening...
As the training grounds were nearly empty.
Suddenly—
Two figures dashed across the track.
Except...
Today's session wasn't ordinary training.
And they had somehow turned it into a race.
"Almost there...!" Asaji encouraged herself between ragged breaths.
"I almost have you, Halo!"
"I...!"
"...got...!" She stretched out a hand as if she could somehow tag King from behind.
As the distance between them grew smaller.
Little by little.
But right before Asaji could reach—
King instantly lowered her posture, and her center of gravity shifted.
One foot dug firmly into the turf.
From behind, Asaji caught a glimpse of King's shoulders rising with a single calm breath.
Then before she knew it—
King exploded forward.
Her acceleration was so sudden that it left Asaji completely frozen.
Within only a few strides, the gap widened dramatically.
"You—?!!" She stammered before her eyes widened.
"T-That...!"
"That's fast!"
As King surged through the final stretch. Asaji could only watch as King disappeared farther down the lane, struggling to...
...keep up...
Moments later...
King crossed the makeshift finish line they had marked for themselves.
Marking her overwhelming victory against Asaji...
...
...
...
A short while afterward...
Asaji stumbled across it as well.
She instantly bent over, hands on her knees.
Breathing so heavily she could barely stand.
Their trainer, who had been observing from the sidelines, smiled proudly as he approached King.
"That was excellent, King Halo. You've become much faster than before."
"The way you controlled your pace..."
"The way you managed your breathing..."
"You've improved tremendously."
He gave an approving nod.
"I'm certain your mother would be pleased to see these results."
King's eyes widened.
"R...Really?" A genuine spark of happiness lit up her face.
"Is... is that true?"
"Yeah..." said Asaji as she slowly walked over from behind, still trying to catch her breath.
"He's right... Halo..."
She stopped beside King before bending over with both hands on her knees.
"I..."
"I'm still nowhere near your level."
"No matter how hard I try..."
"I just can't catch up to you."
King couldn't help but smile.
She folded her arms proudly.
"Oh ho ho... Well, naturally."
"You were racing against none other than the first-rated Umamusume."
"Your defeat was decided the moment we stepped onto the starting line."
Asaji simply chuckled, "Yeah..."
"I guess I still have a long way to go!"
Over the years they spent together...
King had changed little by little.
She spoke more openly than before.
She expressed herself more confidently.
Even the prideful manner of speaking she would later become known for had gradually taken shape during those days.
Much of it came naturally.
Because Asaji never hesitated to praise her.
No matter how small the accomplishment.
Asaji would also drag her into conversations with the rest of the class, insisting she join everyone else.
Slowly... King became more comfortable speaking her mind.
More willing to let others see the person behind her elegant facade.
Ironically, despite King's overwhelming superiority on the racetrack...
There were many things in which Asaji consistently outperformed her.
During culinary class... Asaji's dishes always received the highest praise.
During classroom cleaning duty... She finished long before everyone else.
Even during outdoor survival exercises, Asaji adapted with remarkable ease.
She simply possessed a practical instinct that King lacked.
King had grown up surrounded by servants.
Most daily chores had always been handled for her.
Asaji, on the other hand, had been raised by a hardworking single mother.
Whenever her mother was away, she cooked.
She cleaned the house.
She learned to take care of herself.
And because of that...
She naturally became someone who knew how to care for others as well.
But King's pride refused to accept being second to anyone.
So after returning home each day... She secretly began practicing.
She cleaned parts of the mansion before the maids could.
She even stole their chores whenever she had the chance.
She learned to cook.
She spent countless hours trying to perfect every recipe she could.
All for one reason.
To surpass Asaji.
Yet... No matter how hard she trained...
No matter how many hours she devoted to improving...
There was one thing she could never overcome.
Asaji's cooking.
It wasn't merely skill.
It was the warmth and experience she had inherited from meals prepared alongside her mother.
A flavor... King could imitate.
But never truly recreate.
Eventually, King accepted that there were some things she simply couldn't surpass overnight.
Her focus gradually returned to what she excelled at most... Racing.
Even so, she never completely abandoned the other skills.
Whenever she had spare time, she secretly practiced cooking, cleaning, and various household chores.
She refused to let herself fall behind.
However... those quiet changes did not go unnoticed.
At home, they slowly stirred her mother's curiosity.
After all... King rarely spoke about her life at school.
Their conversations almost always revolved around training, academics, or racing.
Nothing more.
Yet those subtle changes gradually awakened her mother's suspicions.
She couldn't shake the feeling that her daughter was slowly slipping into someone else's grasp.
Not only had King become slightly more rebellious lately and less refined than before, but she also seemed like someone on the verge of breaking free from her mother's control.
And with that, her mother began to worry...
...
...
...
Back on the training grounds...
Asaji rubbed the back of her head with an awkward laugh.
"Yeah... You're right."
"I guess..."
"Who was I kidding, trying to challenge you like that?"
She smiled sheepishly.
"Especially when... I'll probably never be as good as you."
The moment those words left her mouth—
King's smug expression disappeared.
She immediately stepped toward Asaji.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" She frowned.
"The only reason you lost..."
"...is because you raced against me."
She proudly placed a hand on her chest.
"As long as you keep training with me..."
"You'll have no trouble outrunning everyone else."
Asaji blinked.
"R-Really?!" Her eyes sparkled.
"Th-then I'll be in your care!"
"And I can't wait to race against everyone!"
"And when I finally win..."
She pointed enthusiastically at King.
"I'll challenge you again, Halo!"
King couldn't help but smile.
"Of course." She folded her arms.
"That is... if you're not afraid of losing again."
At that, Asaji laughed.
"Hehehe! Don't worry! I'm sure I'll beat you someday!"
King let out a soft chuckle.
"Then... I'll be waiting for that day..."
"...Asaji."
King then turned around and continued, "Come, let's resume our training. I believe we've spent too much time talking about the race."
"Okay!" Asaji replied, hurrying after her.
With that promise made, the two resumed their training.
They ran, and they laughed.
They challenged one another again and again until the evening sun dipped lower across the horizon.
Before long, their session finally came to an end.
After saying goodbye to their trainer, the two made their way toward the school gate together.
King walked with her usual graceful and composed steps, while beside her, Asaji practically skipped the entire way, humming happily to herself.
The contrast between them couldn't have been greater.
Yet somehow... It had become their normal.
Not long after, as they reached the front gate...
A black sedan quietly pulled up beside the curb.
The familiar vehicle needed no introduction, and Asaji immediately smiled.
She already knew what it meant.
She then turned to King, waving energetically.
"Goodbye, Halo! See you tomorrow!"
At that, King returned a small nod.
"See you."
They exchanged one final wave before Asaji skipped off down the opposite road, disappearing little by little into the distance.
King watched her leave for a brief moment before turning toward the waiting car.
One of the family's servants immediately stepped out and hurried to open the rear door for her.
Before he could—
"It's alright." King gently raised a hand to stop him.
"I can open it myself."
"You know..." She sighed.
"I'm not a child anymore."
"Something this simple, I can handle on my own—"
Before she could finish—
The rear window slowly rolled down.
"I insist," and a calm, firm voice answered from inside.
And the moment she heard it, King's entire body stiffened.
The confidence she had carried only moments ago instantly disappeared.
She instinctively straightened herself before lowering her head slightly in respect.
"Mo-Mother..."
There, sitting inside the sedan... was none other than her mother.
Before long, her mother continued calmly, "Reginald."
"Why don't you open the door for my daughter?"
"Yes, ma'am. Certainly." The servant bowed respectfully before opening the rear door once again.
"Please, Miss Halo."
And this time... King remained quiet, offering no objection.
She simply quietly stepped into the sedan and took her seat beside her mother.
As the door closed with a soft click.
Moments later, the car pulled away from the academy.
Silence settled inside, and neither of them spoke.
Only the faint hum of the engine accompanied the ride.
King sat upright with perfect posture, her hands neatly folded on her lap.
Her mother gazed ahead through the window, her expression as unreadable as ever.
Only after several moments had passed did she finally break the silence.
"So..." She turned her eyes toward King.
"Who was that girl, King?"