Redemption - that was precisely why she was fit to be king.
In her Classic Year form, she was already almost on par with Tamamo Cross at the height of her prime.
Let alone all of Central Tracen as it now stood, even looking across the entire world, during the Classic Year, no one could stop her.
"Trainer, do you still have something to say? Done with the trash talk yet?"
Kuroha came back to himself and casually lifted Tokai Teio, who had been sitting on his shoulder and fidgeting a little too much, setting her down right at eye level.
The girl's lively face was full of delight as she grinned at him.
"You were amazing."
Kuroha smiled and nodded, then asked softly, "Teio, today is the starting line of your dream. Do you feel confident?"
The moment she heard that, Teio's bright blue eyes lit up, and a smile as radiant as sunlight bloomed across her face.
"Of course I am! Teio-sama is an invincible Umamusume!"
Then she turned toward Rudolf, who was standing nearby with her arms folded.
"And President came in person to watch me today too, so there's no way I can lose now!"
Kuroha and Rudolf exchanged a glance. Seeing the girl so spirited and dazzling, both of them could not help laughing.
He set the girl back down properly and straightened her outfit.
"All right then. I'll be in the stands cheering on our Teio-sama."
"Yep! Just watch me, Trainer!"
At that, Tokai Teio snapped her fingers, looking eager to get started. Every inch of her was overflowing with fierce, boiling confidence.
At this very moment, this genius girl, carrying countless hopes on her shoulders, was wrapped from head to toe in absolute confidence.
...
At the same time, at Tracen Academy's public training grounds.
Even though most people's attention had already shifted to the G1 race that was about to begin, there were still figures here drenched in sweat as they trained.
Bang!
With a heavy thud against the ground, a reddish-brown figure shot through the air like an arrow.
Wrapped in surging red light, she blasted past the finish line at incredible speed.
A short while later, three others reached the finish line behind her.
"Hah... hah... Nature, what even are you...?"
Twin Turbo staggered across the line, gasping hard, her legs trembling weakly.
She braced both hands against her knees as sweat ran down her cheeks, her face nearly pale.
Normally, with her usual condition and ability, she should have been able to maintain that pace for another three hundred meters without any issue.
But halfway through, both her stamina and speed had inexplicably dropped by more than a level.
From time to time, she had even thought she heard some strange, almost unreal voice coming from Nature.
It left Turbo utterly baffled.
"...Something that might be able to beat Teio."
After a brief silence, Nice Nature lifted one hand, a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead.
"Beat... Teio? Nature, you really are... hah... amazing," Twin Turbo said with sincere admiration.
Sure, she usually liked to spout bold, boastful lines of her own.
But deep down, she knew very well that she still could not truly overcome someone on Teio's level.
As an Umamusume destined to leave her mark on history, she was not really some brainless charge-ahead idiot.
After personally watching several of Tokai Teio's races, Twin Turbo had instinctively realized that there was some indescribable gap between Teio and the ordinary Central Umamusume like them.
That was definitely not a gulf that could be bridged with sheer hot blood and a few loud slogans.
That was exactly why, when she heard that her teammate and friend still possessed such blazing fighting spirit even now, Twin Turbo could not help taking her seriously.
"No way, Turbo, you're exaggerating way too much."
Hearing her friend praise her like that, the imposing reddish-brown girl from just moments ago instantly broke character.
She scratched her cheek shyly, blushing as she lowered her head and fell silent.
Just then, not far away, their trainers raised their stopwatches and shouted loudly,
"Nature, your condition looks excellent! Come back and rest for now. Save your strength. It'll be time to head to the track soon!"
"Okay, Trainer."
Nice Nature responded, took a deep breath, and gradually calmed the slight churning in her chest and stomach.
As she turned around, her gaze passed over the broad training ground and landed on a corner on the far side.
There, a brown-haired, black-eyed girl sat quietly on a bench, drinking coffee.
Ibuki Kagura adjusted the pure white hood on her head and tightened the cap on her water bottle. In the next instant, as though she had sensed something, she turned her head as well.
Their eyes met.
From Nice Nature's point of view, Kagura lifted her water bottle slightly in greeting, then looked ahead again.
A flicker passed through Nice Nature's eyes, and she muttered something under her breath.
In the end, she withdrew her gaze, stepped forward to help support the somewhat exhausted Twin Turbo, and left the public training grounds alongside Chief Trainer Yuchao.
By the long staircase.
"Kagura, what are you looking at?" A middle-aged woman with a gentle face and an intelligent air walked over and handed her a towel.
Kagura came back to herself, accepted the towel, and gave a slight shake of her head.
"Nothing. Just a classmate."
Her trainer did not press the matter. She only smiled, nodded, and moved on to the main point.
"Mm. Good timing. It won't be long before the race starts. We're in the final countdown before the G1 officially begins..."
On the eve of the Satsuki Sho, even in the face of Tokai Teio's overwhelming strength, Central's Umamusume had not backed down in the slightest.
Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit, just so that on this one-and-only stage of their lives, they could stand there without regrets.
...
A few hours later, Nakayama Racecourse.
"Woooooooahhhhhh!!!"
The roar of the crowd shook the air.
The entire venue felt like a giant volcano on the verge of erupting, its blazing atmosphere enough to ignite the blood of everyone present.
"Thank you all for waiting!"
Over the stadium speakers, the commentator's passionate voice rang out.
"Attention, all spectators!"
"At Nakayama Racecourse, today's tenth race..."
"...is the greatest battle of the 51st Classic Triple Crown, the G1 Satsuki Sho, a peak showdown over 2000 meters on turf!"
"Just listen to the boiling cheers in this venue! Look at the excitement written all over everyone's faces!"
Inside the VIP viewing room at the very top.
After seeing Tokai Teio into the contestant passage, Rudolf, Kuroha, and Mihono Bourbon pushed open the door and walked inside.
Listening to the noise outside, which was growing more and more intense like a tidal wave, the three of them found themselves drawn toward the enormous glass window.
"What a crowd..."
Rudolf gently pressed one hand against the clear glass and looked down over the vibrant racetrack below and the densely packed, feverish spectators in the stands.
A faint trace of distance surfaced in her deep eyes as she spoke softly.
"The Satsuki Sho... No matter when I watch it, no matter how many times I stand here, it's the kind of race that gets your blood pumping."
"The first time I saw it, Teio was still just a little Umamusume who hadn't even properly stepped through the gate yet."
"And now, before I knew it, she's standing here herself."
"The times are always moving forward, Luna."
Beside her, Kuroha spoke quietly. "You once created a great era that made everyone look up in awe."
"Now it's time to pass the baton on to the next generation."
Then he paused before adding teasingly,
"Well... so long as you don't mind your status as the Emperor of Central Tracen being taken over."
"What are you talking about?"
Rudolf rolled her eyes and replied in exasperation,
"If the glory and dreams I once pursued can now be continued, inherited, and surpassed by them..."
"Then for me, wouldn't that be the most perfect ending possible?"
"I'm not that petty."
"You really do take it well." Kuroha turned his head and teased her.
"Mm-hm. I am the student council president, after all. You have to know how to let go of things if you want to handle everything properly."
Rudolf said it with a completely serious face, but then she could not help laughing softly herself.
Why did it suddenly feel like the air around them had gotten colder?
Was winter already here?
But before long, the commentator's heated voice from below shattered the stillness.
"And now, let us introduce the Umamusume competing in the G1 Satsuki Sho!"
(End of Chapter)
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