"Clack--!"
The lights shifted, and the massive gates flew open.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! ...
The sharp snap of the starting gates was like a fuse igniting a powder keg. In an instant, all the feverish energy that had been building exploded across the track at Nakayama Racecourse.
All eighteen Umamusume shot forward like arrows loosed from the bow, charging onto the green turf with violent momentum.
Heavy horseshoes smashed into the sod, kicking up dirt and torn blades of grass.
"A beautiful start! Nearly all of the runners are out in line together. It looks like every Umamusume is in excellent condition today!"
Very quickly, with the commentator's call ringing out, the fierce battle for position in the opening phase began at once.
And in that battle, there was one Umamusume at the greatest disadvantage.
Tokai Teio.
She was not the type of runner who liked to take the lead from the start, so she was never especially obsessed with claiming the front in the opening stretch.
On top of that, she was stuck in the far outside eighteenth gate, and she also carried the unmistakable identity of the "first favorite" and the "new generation of Chasing Light."
That meant the instant she broke from the gates, she was immediately met with almost instinctive targeting from the rest of the field.
Before the opening scramble had even truly begun, the girls around Tokai Teio were already moving.
Using the advantage of the inner lanes, more than a dozen Umamusume began, intentionally or not, to work together and weave a wall so tight it looked impossible to break through.
They sealed off the path ahead of her completely.
But as if she had already anticipated this, Tokai Teio merely adjusted her breathing in the face of that suffocating pincer.
Crimson lightning flickered in her eyes, and the powerful rationality granted by her "True Self" let her move almost as though she had seen it all in advance.
Boom!
Her horseshoes slammed into the ground hard enough to rip up the turf beneath her feet.
In that instant, those slender but explosively powerful legs only had to push just a little harder.
And the girl's petite body forced its way through the gaps in that human wall with a movement that was both incredibly nimble and utterly overbearing.
Behind her, under the shocked and darkened gazes of the other Umamusume, she landed steadily in sixth place in the pack.
But that was already the limit.
The far outside eighteenth gate had still cost her part of the initiative.
"Hah... so this is what being a 'star' feels like?"
Even though she could clearly tell she was being deliberately targeted, Teio did not react strongly at all. Instead, she lowered her head slightly, the corner of her mouth curling upward.
"It's fine... it has to be like this. That's what makes a race really fun!"
...
"Right now, in the first group, Shako Rindou, Blizzard, and Ibuki Mai Kagura are fighting over the lead."
Once the race began, the commentator settled into a calm analysis.
"So unlike her usual come-from-behind strategy, Ibuki Mai Kagura has chosen to run from the front this time? What a bold move."
"At the moment, Ibuki Mai Kagura is in first, while Shako Rindou is sitting in second and clearly unwilling to give up the lead without a fight. She looks eager to take it back."
"Second is Blizzard... and Tokai Teio is currently in sixth."
"This is the lowest early position Tokai Teio has occupied in any race since her debut. It seems the outside gate has had quite an impact on her. Is she not planning to take it back?"
Apparently quite familiar with the methods and winning patterns favored by the girls on the field, the commentator assumed there would be no real fireworks in the opening stretch and continued in an easy tone:
"In seventh place, we have--"
But before she could finish, something happening on the course made her stop dead and widen her eyes.
A few seconds earlier.
Just as the undercurrents on the track were surging wildly, among the tightly packed figures of the leading group, the white-clad shrine maiden made her decision.
"Then... let's begin."
Ibuki Mai Kagura drew in a deep breath. Then, under the disbelieving stares of the Pace Chasers behind her, she pressed her body low without hesitation.
Boom--!
Terrifying force surged through her body into her ankles, then crashed down into the earth.
With that thunderclap-like beat exploding beneath her feet, the girl's form blurred for an instant. Then she completely left the others behind and shot forward with unstoppable momentum.
"!!!"
Behind her, Shako Rindou in second place stared in utter disbelief.
"What the hell is Kagura doing? Has she lost her mind?!"
Above the stadium, the booming call of the announcer echoed again and again.
"Wait a second! What is happening here?! At the very front... good heavens, it's Ibuki Mai Kagura!"
"She hasn't chosen to conserve her strength at all. She's seized the lead immediately, and she's still accelerating! She's accelerating! She's still accelerating!!!"
From above, the scene was unmistakable.
That figure in the pure white shrine maiden outfit was like a bolt of lightning ripping through the formation. Right in the opening phase, she erupted with a terrifying speed that left every other runner far behind, opening up an absurd gap.
"A runaway lead? Is this really a full runaway?!"
A full runaway.
No one had expected it.
This girl, known for her terrifying finishing kick, the kind of runner who overwhelmed opponents at the end with sheer closing power...
...had actually thrown away her usual racing style on the stage of the Satsuki Sho and chosen the most aggressive option possible: a full runaway from the front.
"Ooooooohhhhhhh--!"
"No way!"
"This trip was worth it!"
"What a gutsy move, Ibuki Mai Kagura!"
A tidal wave of shocked cries swept through the stands.
Spectators who had been sitting comfortably in their seats suddenly sprang to their feet, staring at the spectacle unfolding on the track in excitement.
Whoooooosh--
The wind slashed across her cheeks like blades.
At the very front of the course, Ibuki Mai Kagura kept her eyes half-lowered, but the gaze visible beneath them was sharp enough to seem like it could cut apart the air in front of her.
Compete with Tokai Teio in a finishing kick?
As an Umamusume who also relied primarily on her final burst to win...
...she understood better than anyone.
That small, lively, adorable girl who looked so innocent and carefree contained the explosive power of an outright monster.
Trying to fight a monster like that in the final straight was no different from courting defeat.
Conventional methods were useless now. If that was the case, then she had to gamble everything on a desperate move.
If she wanted to beat Tokai Teio, then before the race ever reached its final phase, she had to build a lead so massive that Teio could never possibly bridge it.
Even if that strategy posed an enormous challenge to her as well.
At this moment, there was no other choice.
[In next week's Satsuki Sho, let's run the most spectacular race we can, with no regrets at all!]
In her mind, Tokai Teio's flippant words from some time ago still seemed to echo like thunder.
Ibuki Mai Kagura bit down hard, her face full of resolve.
Then, amidst the shrieking wind, amidst the deafening cries of the entire crowd, and under the horrified stares of all the Umamusume behind her, she roared word by word in her heart:
"Fine, Teio. Then I'll give you exactly what you want!"
"In this race, I won't hold back a single ounce of strength. I won't hide even the smallest trace of fear."
"I'll burn this Satsuki Sho into a blaze no one will ever forget, with the fastest speed and the fiercest way I can run!"
"This is my answer to you, Teio!"
...
In the highest viewing section.
In front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
Watching this sudden development on the track unfold before their eyes, both Rudolf and Kuroha were briefly taken aback.
After that moment of surprise, Rudolf folded her arms and said quietly,
"The techniques and timing of when to put power down in the Front Runners of the recent generations all carry the shadow of Fujimasa March."
"...Mm. She's definitely a very bold Umamusume."
Beside her, Kuroha gave a faint nod, his gaze fixed deeply on the lone figure leading the field below.
And it was not just Ibuki Mai Kagura in front of them.
Even Ines Fujin, one of the so-called 'strongest of her era' from the previous generation, had shown a very heavy Fujimasa March influence in her technique as well.
But that did not surprise Kuroha at all.
After all, among the three most recent Umamusume to dominate the title of "strongest active runner" through Front Runner tactics...
...one of them was Fujimasa March.
A great many modern Front Runners could be said to have reached their True Blooming while watching recordings of March's races.
And on top of that, that period had also been the era most heavily studied by trainers because it was the age of Chasing Light Umamusume races.
So for these new-generation Front Runners to closely resemble that former queen of Front Runner racing in both style and technique...
...was perfectly natural.
But still...
Would strategies like these really work?
A faint glow flickered in Kuroha's eyes, and a slight smile touched his lips.
(End of Chapter)
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