"Teio, come train with me."
That afternoon, Fujiwara Shirayuki found Tokai Teio on the training field, where she was admiring Symboli Rudolf.
"So cool, Shirayuki, did you see that!? The way the President runs is seriously so cool!" Like an idol fan, Tokai Teio's eyes sparkled brightly.
"She really is cool. Anyway, come run with me first."
"Wait until I finish watching the President train."
"Then I'm leaving."
"Wait!" Tokai Teio called out to stop her. "You're so impatient. Fine, I'll run with you first. What are we running?"
"A 3,000-metre test."
"Th-Three thousand metres?" Tokai Teio repeated, stumbling over the words.
How long had Shirayuki even been debuted? And she was already starting to run 3,000 metres? Their current limit was around 2,000 metres. Even someone as prideful as Tokai Teio felt that challenging 3,000 metres with her current stamina was still a bit much.
"Can you do it?"
"Of course I can. Who do you think I am? I'm Tokai Teio! Forget 3,000 metres, I can even run 4,000 metres!"
"Thanks, Teio. Then let's do 4,000 metres."
Fujiwara Shirayuki wanted to test whether the cooling patches Agnes Tachyon had given her worked, and if they did, how much of an effect they had. The simplest and most direct way to test them was to keep running until her legs became too hot to endure. At that point, the cooling patches would have completely lost their effect.
"Four thousand metres!? Are you serious...?"
Even the spring Tenno Sho was only 3,200 metres.
"Of course I'm serious. Teio, race me."
Having a rival would make Shirayuki feel pressure and force her to keep increasing her speed. That would make the test results more realistic and effective.
"O-Okay."
Tokai Teio felt a little uneasy. After all, she had never run such a long distance before. It was twice as long as normal training. But she had already said it, so there was no way she could take it back.
Then I'll show you how amazing Tokai Teio is!
The two of them arrived at the starting point and got ready. Shirayuki wrapped bandages around her thighs and calves. They were actually cooling patches, but Fujiwara Shirayuki had made them look nicer by shaping them like bandages.
"Shirayuki, are you injured?" Seeing this, Tokai Teio asked with concern.
"No. This is my secret weapon."
"Weapon?" Tokai Teio blinked. She had seen Uma Musume wrap bandages around their legs before races, but she had not expected Shirayuki to have that kind of habit too.
After wrapping the cooling patches in place, a cold sensation spread through her legs.
On the training field, Rudolf stopped and looked at Teio and Shirayuki. The two bent down and took their starting stances. With Shirayuki's signal, both of them shot forward, and Fujiwara Shirayuki instantly took the lead.
What fast acceleration!
Tokai Teio was startled. She had gone all out at the start just now, yet she had still been half a beat slower than Shirayuki. But falling behind at the start did not mean falling behind for the whole race. Since Teio had never run a 4,000-metre distance before, she did not know how to distribute her stamina. To make sure she could sprint faster at the end, she planned to hold her speed down a little in the early stage.
But when she looked toward Shirayuki, Tokai Teio saw that Shirayuki was charging forward without hesitation.
What?
Tokai Teio frowned. Did Shirayuki intend to maintain that speed for the entire distance? Impossible. The two of them had only been training for a few months. There was no way Shirayuki had that much stamina. Since Fujiwara Shirayuki was capable of winning an OP race, there must be a reason she was running like this.
Soon, Tokai Teio understood. Shirayuki was trying to open a gap early and build an advantage, so Teio would not be able to catch up later!
Trying to use strategy in front of me, Teio? Shirayuki, I've already seen through you!
Thinking this, Tokai Teio quickened her steps.
Hearing the footsteps behind her, Shirayuki's heart began to race. She knew that with Teio's personality, Teio would definitely chase after her. Teio's strength went without saying. She belonged to the top tier of Uma Musume. The price required to defeat someone like her would not be small. Having such a person chasing from behind completely stirred up Shirayuki's fighting spirit.
The two ran at a very fast pace.
Strong force, and a flexible running form.
Watching Fujiwara Shirayuki's movements, Rudolf nodded inwardly. It seemed that the summer training camp had improved Shirayuki quite a lot.
As Teio's friend and rival, Shirayuki's improvement would also stimulate Teio and help her grow. Uma Musume were a group that grew by competing with each other. Having a rival evenly matched with oneself was a very lucky thing.
Soon, the race passed 1,400 metres. Fujiwara Shirayuki felt the temperature in her legs rising rapidly. The cold cooling patches continuously drew away heat, and her stamina was still quite sufficient.
After passing 2,000 metres, Fujiwara Shirayuki clearly felt the cooling patches growing warmer. They were no longer as cool as when she first put them on.
At 2,500 metres, Fujiwara Shirayuki could clearly feel the burning heat in her legs. Her body temperature rose, her blood circulation quickened, and lactic acid accumulated rapidly. Waves of soreness came from her legs.
At 2,800 metres, Fujiwara Shirayuki could no longer increase her speed at all. She could only maintain a relatively steady pace. At this moment, Tokai Teio caught up from behind. She gritted her teeth, eyes wide, her head covered in sweat. Large drops rolled down and fell to the ground, soaking into the soil.
Running all out for 2,800 metres had already far exceeded Teio's limit. She could barely feel oxygen entering her body and was breathing at an abnormal pace. Even so, she desperately accelerated and began pulling away from Shirayuki.
The gap between them gradually widened from three lengths to five. When they passed 3,500 metres, Tokai Teio could barely feel her legs anymore. Her running speed had dropped to around the level of an ordinary person's full sprint.
The moment she crossed the finish line, Tokai Teio lost all strength and collapsed onto the ground. She rolled over and lay on her back, staring at the sky while gasping for breath. Tears and saliva flowed uncontrollably. For the first time, she felt as if she had nearly run herself to death. She had almost thought her body would give out before reaching the finish.
Actually, she did not need to push herself that hard, but in order to show Shirayuki how amazing she was, Tokai Teio had kept running at full effort.
Three seconds later, Fujiwara Shirayuki also arrived. Like Tokai Teio, she collapsed onto the ground with a thud. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, as if she had been washed with water. The cooling patches on her legs had also peeled off because of the sweat.
Why did they run like their lives depended on it?
Rudolf approached them with a somewhat speechless expression. These new-generation Uma Musume were already doing well if they could run 2,000 metres, yet they had actually tried to challenge 4,000 metres. Running slowly would be one thing, but they had clearly run at race pace. Of course they were half-dead from exhaustion.
Looking at Shirayuki lying beside her, Tokai Teio breathed deeply. Seven lengths. She had beaten Shirayuki by a full seven lengths! Wasn't that amazing? She really wanted to boast in front of Shirayuki, but when she opened her mouth, only saliva came out.
Next time... she would never agree to this kind of ridiculous race again.
It took a full five minutes before the two had enough strength to sit up.
"So, Shirayuki, if you want to compete with Tokai Teio, you're still far from cough, cough! Cough cough!"
Rudolf handed her a bottle of water. Tokai Teio gulped down several mouthfuls, and only then did the itch in her throat disappear. The smug look she had barely managed to build up also vanished along with the coughing. Her ears and tail drooped listlessly.
"Here, Shirayuki. You should drink too."
"Thanks..."
"What were you two doing? Challenging your limits?"
"President." Fujiwara Shirayuki cleared her throat. "I was testing my long-distance race aptitude."
"Is that so? Did Trainer Chiya ask you to?"
Fujiwara Shirayuki nodded.
"I watched from the side. Shirayuki, it's still too early for you to run long distances. Your stamina can't support it."
"No, President. My stamina is enough, but my constitution isn't. Even after using some methods, my maximum race distance is probably only around 2,800 metres. Beyond that, even if I still have stamina, I can't properly use it."
"Your constitution? There's that kind of limitation too?" It was Rudolf's first time hearing of such a thing.
"My body is a little different from other people's, President. It's normal that you wouldn't know."
"2,800 metres. Still a little short..."
Fujiwara Shirayuki knew what Rudolf meant by "a little short." The Kikuka Sho was 3,000 metres. Her constitution was not enough, which meant she could not take part in the final leg of the Classic Triple Crown.
Fujiwara Shirayuki had already thought of this problem as well.
Beside her, Tokai Teio suddenly hugged Shirayuki from behind. She sniffed lightly, noticing the scent on Shirayuki's body.
"You smell really nice, Shirayuki. Why does your body smell so sweet?"
There was a pleasant candy-like scent that made Tokai Teio almost want to press closer.
"President, I'm a filly, so my target should be the Triple Tiara, not the Classic Triple Crown."