After days spent recovering from the holidays and pushing through intense training, the day finally arrived. The Yushun Himba. The press conference before the race was about to begin.
"My only opponent is Silence Suzuka."
Air Groove stood at the podium with one hand on her hip, her posture dripping with confidence. She'd already put on her yellow and black victory outfit, the bold colors making her look like some black peacock that could stand out even in total darkness.
"That's quite the statement," the reporter said, leaning in. "How confident are you about this race?"
"Confident?" Air Groove actually paused to think about it. You could tell from that hesitation alone that she wasn't as sure as she sounded.
"I'll win. That's enough."
When Silence Suzuka stepped up to the microphone, the questions started immediately.
"Air Groove has declared her intent to compete against you specifically. How do you plan to respond?"
"I... I..." Silence Suzuka thought for a moment, then answered clearly. "Either way, I'll win. Even if my opponent is Air Groove-senpai."
The words came out just as bold as Air Groove's declaration.
Truth was, Air Groove's current results weren't particularly outstanding because Silence Suzuka had stolen her first place in Tulip Sho. She got attention mainly because she was a rigil member, the student vice president, and had the bloodline to back it up. The title "Empress" had already spread among the Tracen students and was being used everywhere.
On race day, the favorites were set: Silence Suzuka first, Air Groove second, and Fight Gulliver third after placing second in the Oka Sho.
Biwa Heidi wasn't even here. She'd withdrawn from the Triple Tiara entirely.
In the underground tunnel before the race, Air Groove stared at the photo on her phone. An uma musume crossing the finish line.
Silence Suzuka. From the Oka Sho race.
"Air Groove, it's time to go." Tojo Hana spoke from beside her. She knew Air Groove was in excellent form right now. If Silence Suzuka still used that great escape strategy, the chances of winning were high.
Air Groove turned off her phone screen and handed it to Tojo Hana, then looked toward the depths of the underground tunnel.
Two silhouettes slowly emerged from the darkness. One person, one uma musume.
Silence Suzuka barely made any sound when she walked. She was used to walking and running with her toes touching the ground first, a method that was both light and effortless. Her great escape running style originated from this. Even going full power from the start, she wouldn't get too tired.
A natural-born great escape uma musume.
"Suzuka, you're here." Air Groove broke the silence first. Her face carried a proud smile, the black feathers on her victory outfit gently fluttering as she fully released her presence as the Empress.
"Senpai's outfit is beautiful," Silence Suzuka said after approaching and stopping.
"Mm, yours isn't bad either."
What should have been a tense confrontation went quiet after just two exchanges.
On the trainers' side, Hayato locked eyes with Tojo Hana.
"I wonder who said Silence Suzuka's running style didn't exist. Are you going to apologize now?"
"I didn't say she wasn't suited for great escape," Tojo Hana defended herself. "I was concerned for her safety. Besides, King Halo and Seiun Sky on your team didn't win their G1 matches with great escape, right?"
Of course, Tojo Hana knew whether the running style suited someone or not. She just didn't like gambling with an uma musume's life. As a first-rate trainer, getting uma musumes to win races with the safest running style, that was real skill.
"So if she wins against Air Groove with great escape, what then? You should acknowledge her running style, right?"
Tojo Hana glanced at Silence Suzuka, who was talking with Air Groove, and didn't argue stubbornly.
"I admit you're an excellent trainer. I apologize for dismissing the great escape running style. I still don't like it much, but if it's your Uma Musume, I have no objections."
Hearing her say that, Hayato was genuinely surprised. Was this still the same Hana I know? He didn't know what to say for a moment.
Tojo Hana could be fierce, but she wasn't a bad person at heart.
In the original timeline, she and Okino had a difference of opinion. One focused on Uma Musume's safety first, the other cared more about Uma Musume's dreams. Who was right, who was wrong? Neither was wrong. They were the ones who formed the two strongest teams.
If it were Hayato, he'd also prioritize Uma Musume's safety first. That's why he actually respected Tojo Hana quite a bit.
During this time, Tojo Hana had heard many things about Hayato, which led to her major change in attitude toward him. The matter of trainers running alongside uma musumes, she'd heard of that for the first time.
"During this time, Silence Suzuka has grown a lot." Not knowing what else to say, Tojo Hana looked in Silence Suzuka's direction and sighed.
"Air Groove is the same."
This past month, both of them had grown quickly.
"Well, who wins and who loses is still uncertain. Let the race results speak." After the pleasantries, Tojo Hana's competitive edge returned.
"You're right. We'll know the results soon enough."
Hayato and Tojo Hana left together, heading to find their viewing positions for the race.
Clap!
"Crossing through spring, welcoming early summer, the second crown of the Triple Tiara, the Yushun Himba, will be held here at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu!"
"The on-site attendance has already reached 140,000!"
After Akasaka Misato read the opening statement, Hosoe Junko added her line.
"Yes, this race has attracted a tremendous number of racing fans!" Akasaka Misato held the microphone professionally, her voice loud and clear. She was dedicated to her work and genuinely anticipated this race.
"In the last race, Air Groove didn't participate, so Silence Suzuka pushed great escape to the extreme and produced that huge margin victory we haven't seen in a long time! So what will this race bring us?"
"It's not just because of Silence Suzuka, right? Air Groove's goal has always been the Yushun Himba, and many people are hoping she can achieve a mother-daughter conquest!"
Among the 140,000 spectators, Silence Suzuka received just over 56,000 votes, Air Groove just over 54,000 votes. The difference wasn't very large.
Fans didn't only care about winning races. This race was 2400 meters, which worried some of Silence Suzuka's supporters, and because of her poor interaction with fans, her fanbase wasn't as high as expected.
On the other hand, Air Groove, whose results weren't proven yet, had gained quite high popularity because of the dream of a mother-daughter Yushun Himba conquest.
The third favorite, Fight Gulliver... many people just hoped she could be a dark horse after what happened in the Oka Sho.
Now the Uma Musumes' stage presentation began.
The race itself would only take less than three minutes, but the pre-race preparation and stage presentation took two hours.
During the presentation, the venue was relatively quiet, with many people coming and going at the racecourse entrance. Many brought snacks into the venue. This was far more interesting than a movie theater, otherwise there wouldn't be tens of thousands of people here instead of just ten or twenty at a cinema.
For them, every race each year was a major event that could be written into history.
Hayato and Tojo Hana quickly returned to the spectator seats, found their respective team members, and went back to their teams.
From the spectator seats, Hayato looked at the other uma musumes on the field.
Speed had reached 300, and stamina was over 250. Those stats weren't too low for G1, but they weren't good enough for a champion either.
All the uma musumes on the field were strong. Even the weakest had speed at 250. Truly worthy of the Yushun Himba, the Triple Tiara race with the highest prestige for the Queen title.
Hayato only glanced once before looking away. Nothing worth worrying about. These stats no longer posed a threat to Silence Suzuka.
"So the only real opponents are still Air Groove and Fight Gulliver."
"Hayato Trainer, have you already seen the result?"
Maruzensky came over uninvited. Taking advantage of her similar height to Hayato, she directly threw one arm over his shoulder, pulling him close. Her slender waist pressed against him like they were old friends.
"No, don't touch me old..." Hayato almost blurted out "old Ski."