"Hello, everyone! Welcome to the first-ever Emperor Cup! I'm your live commentator, Gold Ship."
"The weather today is perfect, not a cloud in the sky, just a vast expanse of blue. The turf condition is excellent."
"We hope all the competitors can showcase their strengths and achieve their ideal results."
Up in the stands, Gold Ship chattered away without pause, binoculars pressed to her eyes.
"Hey, hey, Gold Ship..." Mejiro McQueen couldn't help but shoot her a sidelong glance. "Who are you even talking to?"
"Can someone please explain what's going on here?" Special Week looked around blankly. She'd just dashed into the training room only to be immediately shooed all the way out to the training field. She was still completely lost.
"And now, let's check in on our competitors!"Gold Ship's binoculars tilted downward as she continued with undiminished enthusiasm.
"In the number one spot, the crowd favorite, Tokai Teio, is at the first gate in lane one! It looks like Teio is in great form today, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit! Can't wait to see what she does!"
"In the number two spot, Platinum, is at the second gate. Does she seem a bit unhappy with this ranking? Let's see how Platinum is looking... Whoa, she looks downright grumpy. Is Platinum even going to enter the starting gate?"
Platinum rolled her eyes hard. She didn't want to run this race in the first place, and there weren't even any starting gates on the track, for goodness' sake!
Whatever. She'd just play along with this nonsense. A half-hearted run would do, right?
When she thought about it, she was completely clueless about racing now. Wasn't it perfectly normal that she couldn't beat Tokai Teio?
Seeing how much Teio wanted to win... well, it was just a race, not the Yayoi Sho. Letting her win wouldn't be a big deal.
"Ms. Mejiro McQueen, what are your thoughts on this match?"Gold Ship lowered her binoculars, asking McQueen with a serious expression.
"Even if you ask me... I can't really see them from here, can I? I didn't bring binoculars." Mejiro McQueen shook her head helplessly. "But if I had to say... I think Teio will win."
"No matter how much of a genius one might be, without proper polishing, it's useless."
"I've personally experienced Tokai Teio's stride. I know perfectly well that very few in our year have a real chance of beating her."
"Hey now, don't go setting up a flag like that. In anime, when someone gets praised like that, they usually end up losing."
"Eh? Really? Is that a thing?"
Ignoring the commotion in the stands, Platinum listlessly stood by the track. Tokai Teio was beside her, taking deep breaths and doing little tippy-toe jumps.
"Aren't you going to warm up, Platinum?" After a round of exercises, a fine sheen of sweat already glistened on Tokai Teio's skin.
"No need." Platinum's ears were pinned flat against her head, her mood clearly foul. "All I have to do is run, right?"
"I'm really glad you agreed to my request." Standing at the starting line, Tokai Teio gave a soft chuckle.
"Did I have any power to refuse?" Platinum clicked her tongue as she took her place beside the line.
And so...
"The competitors are in the gates!"Gold Ship took a deep breath and swung her arm downward. "They're off!"
As if both of them could actually hear Gold Ship's voice from so far away, Tokai Teio and Platinum stepped forward in unison.
The start!
They were practically neck and neck. Not a sliver of distance opened up between them as their legs moved in almost perfect sync.
Huh...?
Almost simultaneously, a flicker of doubt crossed both their minds.
"This isn't right..."Gold Ship gripped her binoculars, her brow furrowed. "Something's off with both of them."
This isn't right.
The thought flashed through Tokai Teio's mind.
Of course, she had intended to give it her all. But this wasn't a formal race. There weren't even starting gates, and Platinum was her only opponent. It was more like a friendly exhibition run.
Although she planned to use her full strength... she had never imagined...
Her supple ankles pressed into the turf, leaving clear imprints.
She never imagined she'd be sprinting flat out like this right from the start!
This isn't right.
The thought flashed through Platinum's mind.
She had absolutely no intention of taking this seriously. Putting on a little show of a run was just like humoring a kid in kindergarten.
Besides, she wasn't confident she could beat Tokai Teio anyway.
Winning her debut race had made her a bit full of herself, but the Emperor's harsh critique had jolted her awake, telling her: 'Don't get ahead of yourself, you're still far from ready.'
Just play along with Teio, hold back a little, and then put on a show of admitting defeat, shake hands, and call it a day. That would be enough.
Her sturdy bones drove into the turf, her entire foot sinking into the grass and leaving behind terrifyingly deep pits.
She had never, ever intended—to sprint from the very beginning!
In the split-second intervals between their strides, they glanced at each other. Both saw the same look of utter astonishment on the other's face.
It wasn't that the other was intentionally setting the pace... so what was going on?
"Hey, are these two really going to run like this from the start? Aren't they worried about stamina?" Even without binoculars, Mejiro McQueen could see their abnormally high speed.
Huff. Huff.
The sound of excited panting.
Platinum suddenly felt her body heating up.
Her heart was hot, her bones were hot. She even felt like her spine was a red-hot poker jammed up into her brain. Her very mind felt like it was burning, and she sensed a crimson haze clouding the edges of her vision.
Even though she hadn't wanted to take this seriously at all at the start...
Her body was getting excited all on its own.
She shot another look at Tokai Teio. Teio, running fiercely right beside her, was also breathing heavily. Even now, neither had managed to pull ahead.
It was as if neither was willing to fall behind the other, even for a single second, a single millisecond!
The moment Tokai Teio showed the slightest sign of speeding up, Platinum's body instinctively accelerated in response. And as Platinum sped up, Tokai Teio pushed her own speed even higher. It was like a whirlpool, pulling them both deeper and deeper.
Just as I thought... A drop of sweat trailed from Tokai Teio's forehead, winding down her jawline before being snatched away by the rushing wind.
Just as I thought, Platinum, you don't want to lose either!
For the two of us, in this race, neither wants to be the loser.
Forget losing; neither of us can stand the thought of falling behind the other, even a little.
I had this feeling from the very beginning.
We might just become very good friends.
And at the same time... we will also be...
Indispensable rivals in each other's lives.
Standing in the stands, watching the two of them run faster and faster with growing anxiety, Mejiro McQueen suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason. She shivered and hugged her arms. Was it just her, or was it getting a little chilly? Maybe she hadn't worn enough today.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.