It was like a painting come to life.
"Oguri Cap crosses the finish line first! Her undefeated streak continues!"
Oguri stood tall down at the tracks, her features only mired by the smallest beads of sweat, as if the race she'd just performed had done little to wade her. Her fellow runners were all sprawled across the turf, their chests rising and falling in slow, their breaths stolen by the sheer voracity of that grueling pace the race had taken.
Oguri Cap stood alone amongst a sea of fallen warriors—a victory standing upon a ruined battlefield.
And it was just so damn cool.
"Pull back, Inari." The refined woman sitting next to her said, her sigh more than exasperated. Naturally it was her trainer—Yusuhara Ryuuko, or Boss as she liked to call her. "Get down from the railing. You're about to fall."
Inari blinked, and then realized that in her excitement she'd accidentally climbed onto the railing as she cheered for Oguri's most recent victory. "Ah, sorry Boss." She quickly climbed back down. Boss just shook her head, while Yusuhara Tarou—who she called Boy, much to his embarrassment—chuckled wryly, before quickly tensing when she growled at him.
She grumbled as she sat back down, though she couldn't help but stare back at today's winner. Oguri Cap barely acknowledged the audience's cheers, her mind seemingly lost somewhere else.
"It's scary." Boss suddenly said, her expression grave.
Inari blinked at her Boss' uncharacteristic words, and even Boy couldn't help but widen his eyes. "What do you mean, okaa-san?"
She crossed her arms and sighed. "I know you're not blind." She told him, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Oguri Cap. "That monster—she isn't tired. The pace set by the White Lightning's running was intense, and you can see the results. But she-" She tightly gripped her arm. "She isn't even running in the same race."
"And if Oguri-san has that much stamina…" He continued, his expression grave. "Then what would Blossom-san be like when she returns to the track?"
Inari hissed, now realizing what her Boss was talking about. And then she paused. "Wait, ya' think Oguri was racing against Star the entire time?"
Boss nodded slowly. "In one part, yes." She frowned as she glanced at the scoreboard. "Considering the acceleration she showed during the final straight, her finishing time is far below the expectation." She hummed. "Most would see that she had run as a Pace Chaser, but it looked more like she was running as she usually did." She grinned grimly. "She simply was running in a race far longer than the [Osaka Hai]."
Boy nodded along. "Blossom-san specializes in far longer races, so it would not be a surprise if Oguri had unconsciously adapted. As such, her so-called 'Pace Chasing' strategy wasn't one at all."
Holy shit.
Inari gulped. She still wasn't sure how Boss and Boy could be so confident in their assessments, but they hadn't been wrong before. And if that was true, that meant that Oguri hadn't even reached her full throttle. No wonder she won the [Osaka Hai] without much effort!
…well, maybe that was a little unfair.
Tamamo Cross could've definitely won if she was given the chance, but unfortunately Belno Light had been prepared to slow her down. Like, she still couldn't believe her eyes when she first saw Belno outright fling a giant anchor into Tamamo's Domain. That looked like something straight out of a shounen manga.
And the fact that Belno only lost to Tamamo by a Neck was incredible as well. She'd seen just how tired Belno looked during the last 200 meters or so—she knew how tiring it was to unleash that Domain thingy, and Belno had done it twice.
But even still-!
She grinned wide, both nervous and excited.
She couldn't wait for her own chance to run against them. She'd just gotten into Tracen Central a month back, but the whole place had been somewhat quiet without this era's main stars around. But now they were back, and Inari couldn't wait to introduce herself to the ones who'd inspired her to move into Central in the first place.
Now, all she needed to do was to think of a cool way to introduce herself!
…
"She's getting on the railing again." Her son pointed out, smiling wryly as he watched Inari One step onto the railing once more, completely lost in her own fantasies as the audience around them continued to cheer.
Yusuhara Ryuuko sighed. "What a hopeless child." She said, though she couldn't quite remove the fondness she felt.
She had watched this child grow for so long, now. From that girl who cried at the foot of a shrine on a midsummer night, to a fierce umamusume who now daringly stepped into the hellish gates of Central.
It really was difficult to believe at times that they'd gotten so far. They had come from the countryside to challenge Central, much like many others had before. The rise of Team Kitahara had lit a spark, but few have actually managed to follow in their footsteps. There were dozens of countryside umamusume who could only return after they failed to adapt to the pressure of Central.
Yet Inari One did. She was still here, and not only that, she'd made sure to remind her that the [Spring Tenno Sho] would soon be hers. The G2 and G3 races she'd already won wasn't enough—she now blazed towards the gates of one of the most prestigious G1s this country had to offer.
And she was so, so proud.
But she'd be lying if she claimed that Inari One could achieve a victory.
Because the [Spring Tenno Sho] would be the stage of Blossom Star's return, and after seeing Oguri Cap's victory, it was difficult to feel hopeful. Blossom Star's stamina was already incredible during her Classic year—how terrifying would it be now? She knew little of what had transpired for Team Kitahara ever since the [Japan Cup], but Blossom Star had certainly improved by leaps and bounds as well.
But before her thoughts could spiral further, she felt a calming hand on her shoulder.
"She will be fine, okaa-san." Tarou said. "Inari One said it herself, did she not? No matter what happens in the [Spring Tenno Sho], she will run with all her might." He smiled. "All we can do now is help her prepare as best as we can."
She stared at her son for a good moment, before she smiled. "Ha! How smooth." She abruptly slapped his hand away, though her smile showed her true feelings. "Should've used it to get me a new daughter!"
"O-Okaa-san…"
"But you're not wrong." She said, her smile both proud and sorrowful. "This foolish child has grown up, hasn't she?"
Tarou smiled back. "She has."
Then, after a period of relative silence, Oguri Cap finally seemed to notice the audience's cheers. She turned towards them, and bereft from any trace of exhaustion despite the grueling race that'd just occurred, she raced her fist high towards the sky—a bold proclamation of her victory.
The audience cheered loudly once more, and Inari One was no different, outright hugging the railing as she screamed at the top of her lungs. "So loud…!" She whispered as she covered her poor ears, all while her son chuckled at her clear agony. She scowled at him. "How are you fine!?"
With a small smirk, he turned his head to show to the ear plugs he'd worn. "The audience here in Central are far more vocal compared to those back home." He said, as he pulled out a pair of ear plugs from his chest pocket. "Don't worry, okaa-san. I struggled just as you did when I first arrived here in Central."
She stared incredulously at her son, before she sighed. "What an absolute annoyance you've become." She said, taking the ear plugs and wearing them.
He smiled serenely. "It takes a certain insanity to remain in Central." He said without shame.
She laughed. "Ha! Can't argue with ya' there!"
.
.
.
AN: End-of-year work's just the worst. So much to do, so little time. But Christmas' approaching, so the upload schedule should be back to normal in a week or so.