Blossom Star whistled, slowing down after she ran past the finish line. "You actually kept up."
Belno smiled tiredly as she too ran past the finish line, though her gait was far less steady. She heaved her breaths as she moved, and once she fully stopped, she draped herself onto the railing to support herself. "I…I did it…" She smiled weakly. "I-, I didn't…fall behind…!"
Star grinned. "You sure didn't."
Belno giggled, somewhat delirious.
It was just a few days before the [Sankei Hai All Comers]. It was late afternoon now, and she'd asked to run with Star around the track. It wasn't something she usually did; Star's Great Escape meant most of her usual tactics wouldn't be effective against her.
But this time was different. She wanted to see if she could shadow Star's Great Escape throughout the entire run—essentially mimic what Sakura Chiyono O did during the [Japanese Oaks]. She wanted to see if she'd built up enough stamina over the previous months to finally do what she'd deemed impossible for so long.
And now she'd done it! After who knows how many attempts, she'd finally managed to shadow Star's Great Escape through an entire test race! Sure, Star had pulled away during the final straight, and it left her far more tired than she'd ever felt, but she did it nevertheless!
Belno blinked when she felt something pressing onto her cheek. She turned to see that it was Star, who'd brought her a water bottle. "T-Thank you…" She groaned as she took the bottle and drank. She drank nearly the entire bottle dry in one go, and then began coughing when she choked.
Star smiled wryly. "Careful there."
"S-Sorry."
Star hummed. "Well, I guess we should call it a day." She stretched leisurely, seemingly unbothered despite having run a few kilometers at her maximum speed. "Can't let you collapse right before your race, right?"
Belno giggled weakly. "Y-You're right." She huffed as she pushed herself off the railing. "Should we go to the cafeteria?"
Star raised an eyebrow. "Eating right after a run? You sure it won't give you a stomachache?"
Belno smiled. "I'm hungry."
Star shrugged. "If you say so." She smirked. "Let's go then."
Belno nodded, and off they went.
As they walked, Belno couldn't help but glance at Star now and again. Aside from not showing a trace of exhaustion after their run together, Star looked…relaxed. Truly relaxed. Her tail gently swayed with every step and her ears would flicker occasionally; their movements now more fluid compared to before.
Not only that, but the new accessory tied around Star's left ear also pulled her attention. Not only because it was coated with gold, but also because it gave a sense of completion to Star's look. She wasn't sure how to put it, but the otherworldly strangeness had faded somewhat.
"So, you ready for your rematch with Ardan?" Star suddenly asked, smiling slightly after noticing Belno's gaze.
Belno blinked, before she nodded. "I'm as ready as I can be, I think." She said, frowning slightly. "I know Ardan-san's been training really hard as well, so I don't know how our next race will go. But-" She clenched her fists. "I won't lose again."
Star hummed. "Good attitude." She winked. "Just don't get too hung up on it, yeah? Remember-"
"Having fun is the most important thing." Belno completed, smiling slightly. "Of course I remember, Star-san."
She shrugged. "Hey, gotta keep reminding you if I want it to stick." She scoffed as she turned away. "If only more people remembered that." She murmured to herself.
Belno smiled. That was one of the things she liked most about Star—her insistence on taking things easy might seem disrespectful to some, but Belno knew it was her way of taking care of others. She wasn't against winning by any means, but she'd rather they stay safe even if it meant resigning from a race.
Of course, the reason for that was probably because-
…No. Enough.
"So, what's after the [All Comers]?" Star then asked.
Belno blinked. "Eh? Isn't that a little too fast?"
Star pursed her lips. "Hey, no reason not to plan ahead, right? Win or lose, you gotta keep running anyway. Might as well think of what you'll do next."
Belno hummed. "Well, I don't know what I'll do right after [All Comers]." She smiled. "But I'm definitely aiming for the [Tokyo Daishoten]!"
"Eeh~" Star smirked. "Aiming big, huh? Trying to make your own Dirt Double Crown?"
Belno smiled wryly. "I don't think something like that even exists, Star-san."
She shrugged. "It doesn't exist now. Who knows; maybe if you win it, the URA will consider making a Triple Crown but for Dirt instead." She said with a confident smile, as if her words were guaranteed to be the truth.
Belno smiled longingly. "That'll be nice…"
Star rolled her eyes at Belno's disbelief. "Anyway, enough of that." She grinned. "Come on, let's walk a little bit faster." And saying that, she picked up her pace.
Belno blinked, before she quickly followed.
.
.
.
And then, just a few days later,
"It's time for the [All Comers]!"
The crowd roared with excitement. There were easily over twenty thousand people gathered in the Nakayama Racecourse today, and most of them had been drawn in by one singular thing,
A rematch between two members of the Generation of Miracles!
"Here comes our next runner—a brilliant strategist from the Mejiro Family; she who last defeated the Tactician in the [Aoba Sho]-!"
"Our second favorite! No.7, Mejiro Ardan!"
Ardan took a deep breath as she stepped onto the racetrack. The turf below her was firm—the perfect condition for her to unleash all her strength. Her eyes swept across the other participants who were on the track, carefully reviewing all the information she'd compiled about each of them.
But she would be lying if she claimed to be free of any bias. While she had perhaps a page or two of notes for each of these umamusume, there was one she'd spent weeks planning against.
And who else could it be but her?
"And here she is!"
"The great Tactician of Kasamatsu, one of the Demon Generals of Team Kitahara! She recently displayed her incredible strength during the domination of the [Japan Dirt Derby]-!"
"Today's favorite! No.4, Belno Light!"
The crowd's cheer was deafening as Belno Light stepped onto the racetrack, her expression entirely calm and leveled despite the many eyes that followed her every move. Her every step was measured, her gaze as frigid as winter—she walked across the turf like a commander preparing for war.
Ardan smiled slightly. This new presence she carried wasn't something she'd ever faced, but it wasn't new. She'd seen the recordings of the [Japan Dirt Derby], and she'd seen the first time Belno had ever employed what she called her 'Tactician' Persona—a forged state of mind where every distraction was cast aside.
It'd been quite the marvel to witness, and even her grandmother had been quite surprised when Belno first showed it during one of their test races together. She'd mentioned how it was Belno's first step towards reaching the mystical state known as the Zone; something only the best of the best would ever touch.
Well, no matter.
"Now, all runners are to head for their gates!"
Following the announcer's words, she made her way to her own gate. It snapped close behind her as she stepped in, and she took a few moments to steady her breaths as she waited for everyone else to enter their gates.
And soon enough,
"All runners have entered their gates!"
"The race is about to begin…!"
Ardan took one last breath as she bent her knee.
She was calm. She was prepared. She'd spent weeks-, no, months training for this. She knew firsthand that this would be a race far harder than the [Aoba Sho]. The Belno she would be facing today would be a much tougher adversary than she'd ever faced before. And now all she could do was adhere to her plans and run.
The world grew quiet as anticipation simmered amongst the audience. The seconds ticked by as the gates remained closed. The announcer's words dropped to a low whisper as they too waited for the gates to open.
One.
Two.
And then-!
BANG!
"The gates have opened!"