The Hopeful Stakes and the Arima Kinen were both year-end GI races—and by sheer coincidence, both were held at the same venue: Nakayama Racecourse.
So if you wanted to catch the best racing action at year's end, snagging tickets to Nakayama was the smart play. There was a real chance you'd get to watch two top-tier GI races in a single day, and this year was a perfect example—both events were scheduled on the same afternoon.
The Hopeful Stakes ran second to last. The Arima Kinen was the grand finale.
Kitasan Black, who had entered the Arima Kinen, could only watch the debut-year-exclusive Hopeful Stakes from the sidelines. Between the two races, the Arima Kinen offered both a higher prestige class and bigger prize money. There was no universe in which she'd throw away the Arima Kinen just for the novelty of running in a restricted field.
She'd even asked whether she could register for both, but the association's rules didn't allow it.
Well, that was that.
Now she stood in the spectator stands dressed in her racing outfit, since her own race was up next. The sight of her there—Kitasan Black, in full racing regalia, casually watching from the audience seats—was turning every head in the section. More than a few spectators were staring at her with undisguised fervor.
If not for her trainer standing nearby, shooting warning glares at anyone who got too close, someone would've already rushed over begging for an autograph or a handshake.
The Hopeful Stakes.
Several familiar faces were among the runners.
Takao Shuneichi, her classmate. Satono Crown, a friend from elementary school. And Kita-chan's nemesis, Duramente. In the original timeline, none of them would have entered this particular race—but this world was different. This year's debut-class GI might be the only shot these runners from Kitasan Black's generation would ever get.
After all, once next year rolled around and Kitasan Black moved up to Classic-year races, their only options would be facing her head-on or skipping up to challenge the senior class.
Running overseas was another possibility, of course.
But no matter which path they chose, it would be brutal.
That was why this year's Hopeful Stakes—and the Asahi Cup before it—had been fiercely competitive.
Kitasan Black hadn't gone out of her way to follow all of this, but you only had to glance at social media to get the picture. She knew plenty of fans would've preferred she skip the Classic races entirely and go straight to the World Tour, but she had no intention of doing that. No matter how she looked at it, that achievement had nothing to do with her Completion Conditions.
Because the Completion Conditions were tied to Kita-chan's deepest obsession.
Her own personal wishes were beside the point. McQueen-senpai's Completion Conditions had been to fulfill the Mejiro family's long-held dream. The Demon King's had been to win the Arc de Triomphe. Teio-senpai's had been to become an undefeated Triple Crown uma musume. Rice Shower-senpai's had been to find happiness through racing. None of those conditions had much to do with what those girls personally wanted.
The Completion Conditions were more like karmic debts—the price of inheriting these bodies. And honestly, whether you cleared them or not didn't make a huge difference.
Failing just meant being stuck in one world forever.
And really, that barely counted as a punishment.
Clearing, on the other hand, was like conquering a predetermined fate. Breaking free of the world's chains and unlocking the possibility of reaching something higher.
More than once, Kitasan Black had told herself she'd be fine even if she failed.
The penalty was just too lenient.
But she also didn't want to never see her senpai again. Their relationship might technically be described as "offshoots," but everyone who'd come after McQueen-senpai felt they were more like family—closer than ordinary family, even. So even a slacker like Kitasan Black wasn't willing to give up on clearing.
Which meant the Classic Triple Crown was non-negotiable.
She still couldn't pin down her exact Completion Conditions. If it were the anime version of Kita-chan, that girl's obsession was probably running the Arc de Triomphe.
After all, anime Kita-chan had only given up on that dream because her body couldn't handle it.
But if it were the game version of Kita-chan, her wish was to become a World Superstar—because she wanted to be the star of the festival, just like her father, making everyone who attended feel happy.
The problem was, if "becoming a World Superstar" was all it took, Kitasan Black had already done that. Yet she felt no sense of having cleared anything. So that wasn't it.
Here were the Completion Conditions she'd narrowed it down to:
First: sweep every Triple Crown. Kita-chan had challenged them all and fallen heartbreakingly short each time, so that was a strong candidate.
Second: the Arc de Triomphe, as mentioned—because it was the stage Kita-chan and Satono Diamond-ojou-sama had promised to share. Kita-chan had broken that promise in the end because her body gave out.
This one gave Kitasan Black a headache, though. She couldn't tell whether Kita-chan simply wanted to win the Arc, or wanted to run it alongside Satono Diamond. If it was the latter, things would get complicated. She couldn't imagine herself making that kind of promise to Satono Diamond the way Kita-chan had.
If neither of those was correct, there was one more possibility.
Defeating Duramente.
Throughout Kita-chan's career, Duramente might have been the only rival she never managed to beat. So Kita-chan probably longed for that victory—but whether that longing was strong enough to qualify as a Completion Condition, Kitasan Black thought the odds were low.
Kita-chan was a cheerful festival girl at heart. Her obsession wouldn't revolve around just one person. The first two options were far more likely.
So she absolutely couldn't skip the Classic year. And even though the third possibility seemed remote, she wasn't going to ignore it either—competing in the Classics would let her take on Duramente along the way. Abandoning the Classic Triple Crown had never been on the table.
Conveniently, today she could observe this world's Duramente while waiting for her own race. Not that she considered Duramente a genuine threat—but the girl was technically her arch-rival, and since the opportunity was right here, she might as well take a serious look.
Mm, same goes for Satono Crown and Takao Shuneichi.
Both of them had beaten Kita-chan at some point, after all.
What Kitasan Black didn't realize was the sheer impact her mere presence in the stands would have on this race. She never appeared anywhere outside her own competitions—wouldn't even do interviews. To most people, her image was that of the cold, untouchable absolute champion on the track. For someone like that to suddenly show up to watch another race? That alone was newsworthy. Especially with how focused she looked.
Even her trainer couldn't help feeling curious when she noticed Kitasan Black scrutinizing the runners on the track.
"Kita-chan, are you studying Duramente and the others?"
"Yeah. They'll be my opponents soon enough."
The trainer blinked at the serious reply.
Honestly, that question had been half-joking.
She didn't think Kitasan Black would bother paying attention to those runners. This was the same girl who hadn't given Orfevre or Gentildonna a second thought, who treated her own victories as simple inevitability. Why would someone like that care about watching the competition?
But now Kitasan Black was telling her she was genuinely observing Duramente?
Were they somehow stronger than the Tyrant and the Lady?
The trainer's expression was pure confusion.
The PA system crackled to life. The Hopeful Stakes was about to begin.
The runners entered the starting gates.
Kitasan Black glanced at Duramente's gate.
She's already in ZONE, huh. So the anime wasn't just using visual effects—no wonder Kita-chan lost so badly. If I'm right, anime Kita-chan probably didn't manage to awaken ZONE until the very end of the story.
That made sense. Anime Kita-chan's mentality had been a wreck.
Awakening ZONE required an exceptionally high level of mental fortitude and conviction. Anime Kita-chan had never looked like someone capable of reaching that state.
If even that Kita-chan could've awakened it, Kitasan Black figured she'd have unlocked ZONE ages ago. But even now, she couldn't quite make out where that door was—let alone the anime version.
So Duramente, who had already activated ZONE at this stage, would naturally have steamrolled Kita-chan. If not for Duramente's illness, she might have kept the original Kita-chan pinned down for the rest of her career.
But if that's all there is to it, she's still far too weak for me.
ZONE's strength ultimately depended on the user.
Kitasan Black felt absolutely zero pressure from Duramente.
Based on what she'd observed so far, Destiny's Correction Force didn't seem powerful enough to actively buff her opponents, because Duramente was clearly well below Gentildonna and Orfevre's level—to say nothing of Kitasan Black herself.
What she didn't know was that Destiny's Correction Force had already significantly strengthened her opponents. Duramente, in the original timeline, would've been stuck at ZONE's threshold for her entire career—a tragic genius whose injuries would've kept her from ever reaching that state. It was Kitasan Black's very existence that had catalyzed Duramente's transformation, dramatically altering her fate.
But none of that mattered.
The focused expression on Kitasan Black's face faded, and her attention began to drift.
She'd never enjoyed watching races.
Because they were genuinely boring.
Compared to racing against her senpai, these girls' brilliance was barely a flicker. The purity of their desire to win was simply too diluted.
Forget it. I've seen enough. Time to get ready for my own race.
"Kita-chan, you're not going to keep watching?"
"Nah. No need."
She left halfway through the race.
From another section of the stands, Satono Diamond watched Kitasan Black's retreating figure, then looked back down at the race unfolding below. Still not enough, she thought quietly.
Duramente's strength was already enough to make her feel pressure.
And yet even that wasn't enough to hold Kitasan Black's attention.
But of course it wasn't. Kitasan Black hadn't even taken the Tyrant seriously. To close the gap—Satono Diamond was nowhere near ready.
She clenched her fists in silence.
...
Meanwhile, after leaving the stands, Kitasan Black ran into Kobayashi Reki outside.
"Hey, Kita-chan! I came to watch your race."
"Mm."
A flat nod.
"Could you at least try to act a little excited? I took the day off specifically to come watch you!"
Reki knew her best friend's personality, but she hadn't expected this level of listlessness even right before a race.
"I mean, I don't really feel anything about it."
"I took a day off for this. Can't you at least pretend to be happy?"
"Too much effort. Pass."
"Hmph, I'm mad now. And you didn't even come watch my debut race!"
That particular grievance still stung. She'd been so looking forward to seeing Kita-chan there. She'd trained herself ragged just so she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of her best friend.
"Who said I didn't go?"
Kitasan Black had kept her promise. She'd known from the start that Reki would win, and a race at that level wasn't exactly thrilling viewing—so she'd never mentioned it.
"Wait, what?! Then why didn't you tell me?! And—how did I do?" Reki's face lit up with surprise and delight.
Kitasan Black resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was just a debut race. Was this level of excitement really necessary? The girl was a T0 dirt track racer in the game, for crying out loud.
"You sure you want my honest opinion?"
A dangerous smile crept across Kitasan Black's face.
Reki's danger instincts flared. She shook her head frantically.
"...Actually, never mind. But seriously, Kita-chan, you're amazing. So you weren't joking back then after all."
Back when they were kids, Kita-chan had casually told her she was actually the strongest. At the time, Reki had assumed it was a joke. But now...
She owed Kita-chan a sincere apology. She'd had eyes but failed to see greatness.
"I told you. You just didn't believe me."
"Who would believe that?!"
Reki's composure cracked.
Anyone watching their perpetually drowsy, academically indifferent childhood friend announce with a straight face that she was the strongest in the world would assume it was a joke. Obviously.
After catching up with Reki for a while, Kitasan Black headed to the competitors' staging area.
The next race was about to begin.
The crowd noise was incomparably louder than before.
After all, the overwhelming majority of today's audience had come for the Arima Kinen. The Hopeful Stakes had been merely the appetizer.
Kitasan Black emerged from the competitor tunnel into the sunlight and stepped onto the track.
What a stroke of luck—clear skies. Good track conditions.
Though after the previous race, the turf wasn't in pristine shape anymore.
As always, Kitasan Black walked straight to the starting gate before anyone else, that effortless disregard for every other competitor on display for all to see. Same as ever.
...
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