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In the meantime, at the center of the training track.
"Thud-thud-thud—!"
Inari One and Fujimasa March's figures crossed each other on the turf.
Just the wind pressure raised when they ran side by side was enough to form a visible wave of air between them, spreading out in all directions.
Every time their hooves kicked off the ground, it felt as if they were going to stomp the earth to pieces. Every acceleration made the air around them tremble.
Off to the side, having just finished her own training for the moment, Oguri Cap walked over to Berno Light.
"Berno, stop messing around."
Right now, Berno Light had her eyes covered from behind by Obey Your Master, who was playing a game of "Guess who I am."
This was making the petite girl stomp her feet in frustration.
"Hm? Oguri, you're back?"
With a light chuckle, Obey Your Master noticed Oguri's figure approaching and released the hands covering Berno Light's eyes.
Oguri silently nodded, then sat down beside Berno Light, staring blankly at the sight on the track of crimson flames and silver-white storms intertwining with each other.
No one knew what she was thinking.
"Oguri?"
Berno Light tilted her head curiously. Looking at the silently brooding Oguri, there was a faint, almost imperceptible concern in her tone.
She had keenly picked up on the unusual low pressure hanging over her friend.
And Obey Your Master, sitting nearby, seemed to see straight through what was weighing on her mind.
"What's wrong?"
She sat down on Oguri's other side as well and asked in a calm voice, "Thinking that you can't beat them?"
Oguri's body trembled ever so slightly, but she still didn't speak. She only lowered her head and gave a small nod.
Those gray eyes of hers, which usually burned with fighting spirit, were now covered with a faint layer of confusion.
Ever since she came to Chasing Light's training ground, she had finally felt, in a real, tangible way, just how strong these opponents she had once competed against on the track really were.
Everyone here possessed talent and strength that were in no way inferior to hers—many even surpassed her.
No matter how desperately she tried to chase after them, it always felt like there was an invisible wall standing before her.
Especially that silver-white figure—Fujimasa March.
Not long ago, they had already fought side by side in the Mile Championship.
She had believed she'd already brushed against the other girl's back, believed she could practically smell the scent of victory.
But now, standing on this training ground reserved for Chasing Light, watching her give everything she had against the other four teammates with not the slightest bit held back—
Oguri suddenly realized that it had all been her own wishful thinking.
That silver-white storm was far more piercing, far more insurmountable than what she had felt back on the track.
Can I… really win?
Seeing the wavering on Oguri's face, and that faint trace of barely noticeable dejection—
Obey Your Master's eyes didn't change at all. "If, in the Arima Kinen half a month from now, you're still like this…"
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the four dazzling streaks of light on the track, each collision between them seemingly about to crush the earth itself, before returning to Oguri.
"Forget Fujimasa March."
"You wouldn't be able to beat any of the five of us."
"I…"
Oguri opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that she couldn't come up with a single convincing word.
The Oguri of today was no longer the pure, spotless "Cinderella" who had just debuted, running on nothing but instinct.
Now, at the closing stretch of her Senior Year, she had shone, had stood on the summit, had tasted the bitterness of slumps, and had witnessed the rise and fall of countless geniuses.
She knew that the distance to the finish line was real.
That immense gap wasn't something that could be erased by hot blood alone.
She subconsciously reached down, pinched a tuft of grass at her feet, and rolled it between her fingers without thinking. Her gaze dropped, and her gray bangs slid down, hiding the emotions in her eyes.
Victory?
Strength?
Oguri felt a little lost.
She vaguely felt that something was off.
All this time, she had been running for "victory," running to answer everyone's expectations, running to become the "strongest"…
Those reasons had carried her all the way from Kasamatsu to the top of Central, through wind and rain.
But now, when a mountain she could barely imagine crossing stood in front of her, when the goal called "victory" became distant and blurry—
The flame in her heart seemed to waver along with it.
Suddenly, she started to reflect.
Has my reason for running really only ever been victory?
From Kasamatsu to Central, from dirt to turf, race after race, sprint after sprint…
She remembered the carefree joy of running with everyone back in her hometown.
She remembered how her heart had nearly leapt out of her chest the first time she stepped onto the Central track.
She remembered the exhilarating clashes again and again with Tamamo Cross and the others.
She remembered in the Mile Championship, how she and Fujimasa March had pushed their speed to the absolute limit together, that shiver and thrill that ran through her—
Those scenes.
Those moments that made her whole body burn with hot blood, that made her desperately want to run faster, and harder.
They didn't seem to be just for that instant of victory at the finish line.
If the end of all this running was only the two words "victory"…
Then why, in those races she didn't win, had she also felt such indescribable fulfillment and joy?
The fingers toying with the tuft of grass paused for a moment.
In Oguri's heart, it felt as though a long-sealed door had been pushed open just a crack.
"Oguri!"
Right then, a voice called out.
Oguri looked up and saw that Fujimasa March, who at some point had already finished a training set, was standing not far away, smiling and waving at her.
"Fujimasa." Oguri responded without thinking. A faint smile surfaced on her face as she hurriedly stood and jogged over.
Leaving Obey Your Master sitting where she was, her hands braced behind her, lightly smiling as she watched Oguri's retreating back.
"So nice…"
(End of Chapter)
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