November 6th, Kyoto Racecourse.
The weather was foggy, a fine drizzle misted the air, and a biting cold front made people huddle into their coats, shivering involuntarily.
Even on a day so unsuitable for travel, the crowd gathered around the racecourse was denser than usual.
And their reason for being here was simple.
To witness this historic moment.
The battle for the title of the year's strongest Uma Musume, the final crown of the classic race series—the [Kikuka-sho].
A three-thousand-meter course was, for an Uma Musume, pushing close to the limits of the body. Enduring this race wasn't just a test of physical strength, but also of their willpower.
It wasn't uncommon for Uma Musume to collapse from exhaustion midway through the [Kikuka-sho].
So every trainer had to formulate a strategy before the race, striving to utilize their athlete's power to the utmost.
In the waiting room, Toujou Hana was making her final arrangements.
Originally, these matters should have been settled earlier, but considering the significance of this race, Toujou Hana had decided to use every last minute to prevent any oversight.
"Remember, don't push for speed before reaching the final turn. If someone tries to set the pace and accelerate the whole field midway, even if you have to concede your position, don't disrupt your own rhythm in the early stages."
To complete the [Kikuka-sho] in full, sufficient stamina had to be conserved.
Narita Brian had enough endurance, but her advantage still lay in that terrifying acceleration.
To fully leverage her strength, Toujou Hana decided to save the killing move for the very end.
"Among this race's participants, there are several Musume known for their stamina. They'll definitely try to quicken the pace in the mid-to-late stages, aiming to drain the stamina of the Musume around them."
If Narita Brian took the bait then and also increased her pace, she would struggle to unleash her advantage in the final stretch.
After emphasizing every possible scenario in the race and the tactics opponents might employ, one by one, Toujou Hana finally let out a relieved sigh.
"Got it all?"
Narita Brian flicked her ear, a look of impatience on her face.
"How many times have you said all this already…"
"To reinforce your memory," Toujou Hana pushed up her glasses.
Between last night and this morning, no matter how careless she was, those words should be etched in her mind by now.
"Silence, do you have anything to add?"
Toujou Hana turned to the ashen-haired girl beside her.
"No, the trainer's instructions are quite comprehensive."
"Is that so." She nodded with satisfaction.
It seemed the other had been listening attentively.
"Alright then, Narita Brian, Silence and I will head out now. You rest up properly."
Though she had occupied most of the time anyway.
As she was leaving, one foot already out the door, the girl turned her head.
"Oh, Brian."
She said: "No matter what, running is for yourself. Sometimes you need to think of nothing, worry about nothing, and just let it all out in a good, exhilarating dash."
You're looking forward to it too, aren't you? This kind of pure race.
After bidding farewell to Narita Brian, the girl left the room.
With a clunk, the door closed, and Narita Brian sank back into her chair.
A pure race, huh…
She actually understood what that meant.
The current Narita Brian no longer felt the eager, almost impatient anticipation before a race that she used to.
Nor did she feel the gut-twisting nervousness other Musume experienced when entering a major stakes race.
At this moment, Narita Brian's heart was surprisingly calm.
Her body, too, was unusually relaxed.
She vaguely remembered hearing someone say once that the human body had this characteristic: the greater the span from relaxed to tense muscles, the more energy produced.
So before exerting full force, muscles are at their most relaxed state.
Right now, Narita Brian felt exactly that.
Her whole body was filled with an almost melting looseness, her mood included.
It was the precursor to an explosion.
How rare…
The thought surfaced in her mind.
The jarring sensation in her feet had persisted since that race ended, yet her condition now was far better than it had been then.
Was this how it felt after a shift in mindset?
Narita Brian seemed to have found an answer.
If the battlefield held only herself.
Then she would go forth alone, meeting it with impassioned resolve.
Outside the waiting room, on the racecourse, the crowd roared.
--+--
"I had someone save us seats. For this race, we need to watch not only Brian but also the other participants. They could be future rivals. Extreme races like this reveal their true condition best, so we must seize this opportunity to gather more data. Understood, Silence… Silence?"
Hearing no response, Toujou Hana turned her head.
A vast tide of people surged in from all sides, flooding towards the spectator stands. The girl who had been following her was nowhere to be seen.
Gone…?
Toujou Hana froze for a second, taking a few steps against the flow of people, but the human current, fiercer than any tide, made movement nearly impossible.
Clearly, the girl had been swallowed up within it.
Pulling out her phone, she tried calling the girl, but got no answer.
Probably too much noise drowning out the ringtone.
'I should have held her hand earlier…'
Toujou Hana thought with regret, sighing helplessly.
Looks like she'd have to go ahead alone.
Hopefully the girl would find a suitable spot.
--+--
Meanwhile, in the restroom within the competitors' area, the ashen-haired girl was hiding in one of the stalls. Beside her stood Agnes Tachyon, holding a small suitcase.
"Thanks for this."
"If we're talking about the outcome, then yes, it is troublesome."
Agnes Tachyon didn't deny it.
If the girl wanted to participate in the race, she couldn't carry these items on her. Such expensive and rare equipment would be a real problem if someone picked them up.
So before the race, these things had to be stored somewhere.
Not too far from the racecourse, but not directly inside it either—if found by staff and submitted as lost property, retrieval would be difficult.
Thus, the courier mission fell to Agnes Tachyon.
Originally, Manhattan Cafe had offered to assist, but the girl had chosen Agnes Tachyon instead.
As for the reason—
Sliding her fingers beneath the mask, the girl slowly peeled it off her head, revealing a pale face.
The familiar features made Agnes Tachyon's breath catch.
A face indistinguishable from Manhattan Cafe's.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's still unbelievable," Agnes Tachyon murmured. "How can you two be this alike…"
"There are circumstances on my end I can't discuss."
"The more you can't discuss, the more curiosity it sparks~"
"You'll have to curb that curiosity, I'm afraid."
"For a researcher, that's considerable torture."
"I beg you to call upon that researcher's unique patience and postpone that desire to uncover the truth."
"Quite a willful demand, Miss 'Friend.' Ah, no—I should address you as Miss 'Sunday Silence.'"
Gazing into those lightless, dark red eyes, the girl, now free of her disguise, curved her lips into a pleased smile.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.