At that moment, Fujiwara Shirayuki felt the same crushing betrayal as hearing everyone say, "I totally didn't study," right before they scored higher than anyone else on the final exam.
Seiun Sky, who had looked ready to keel over before the race, had come alive the second the gates opened.
One look at that bright, energetic face and Shirayuki wanted to laugh.
Upset stomach? Please.
She looked more like she'd swallowed a performance enhancer.
"It couldn't be helped," Seiun Sky murmured, eyes gleaming as she watched the white figure ahead of her. "I didn't want you pinning me down, Shirayuki."
If she hadn't faked being in bad condition and made Shirayuki lower her guard, Shirayuki would have picked the most annoying position possible and shoved her straight into the pack.
Shirayuki had studied Seiun Sky's races.
But the reverse was true too.
Every race Shirayuki ran, Seiun Sky watched. Not once. Not casually. She watched them live, then went back and combed through the replays afterward, drilling every habit, every response, every tiny quirk into her head.
And the more she studied, the more terrifying Fujiwara Shirayuki became.
Her control over the racecourse was absurd.
She could even react to changes happening behind her.
It was like she had eyes on the back of her head. The instant an uma musume made a move, Shirayuki responded. Even if that move came from somewhere she should never have been able to see.
Once or twice could be called coincidence.
But every time?
At that point, it stopped being luck.
So when racing against Shirayuki, Seiun Sky couldn't think of her as just one person. She had to assume there was someone else, someone watching the entire field and feeding Shirayuki the whole racecourse in real time.
In other words, hiding in her blind spot was meaningless.
Fujiwara Shirayuki didn't have blind spots.
Then there was only one answer left.
Disguise.
Deception.
Seiun Sky pretended to be in poor condition to make Shirayuki loosen her grip. The moment Shirayuki shifted her attention toward the other opponents, Seiun Sky would slip out of the pack and reclaim the lead.
Whether Shirayuki truly had another pair of eyes or not, the one making the final decision was still Shirayuki herself.
She wasn't some emotionless analysis machine that weighed every single possibility.
Shirayuki was human too.
And as long as she was human, there would always be a moment of carelessness.
That was the opening Seiun Sky had seized.
Seiun Sky looked toward Fujiwara Shirayuki just as Shirayuki turned her head.
Their gazes met.
Shirayuki seemed to have realized that Sky had slipped up beside her. Her expression sharpened, tense and serious.
As expected.
Even without seeing her directly, Shirayuki had discovered her position.
Did she really have some kind of special ability?
A sixth sense?
Or maybe…
A second pair of eyes?
No, forget it.
This wasn't the time to think about that. She could ask after the race.
Having successfully fooled her opponent and survived the early stage, Seiun Sky finally began to move. With Shirayuki no longer blocking her path, she could unleash her mid-race great escape without hesitation.
"Number six, Seiun Sky! Seiun Sky is moving up!"
The announcer's voice rang out across the racecourse as that green figure surged forward.
Everyone had thought the battle for position was already over, only for a late challenger to suddenly emerge. Even the two Front Runners at the very front clearly hadn't expected this.
Seiun Sky flashed Shirayuki a smile.
It said everything was going exactly as planned.
Then she swept past them and took the very front of the field.
In the stands, Chiya pressed his lips together, his thoughts spiraling.
He hadn't expected Seiun Sky to use acting skills instead of racing skills.
She had fooled him during the early stage and slipped cleanly out of his watch.
Thinking about it now, with Seiun Sky's personality, there was no way she would deliberately mention it if she really felt unwell. If anything, she would act like nothing was wrong, make Shirayuki guard against her for no reason, and drain Shirayuki's stamina in the process.
Unfortunately, regret wouldn't help him now.
Seiun Sky had shaken off his mark.
And now, in perfect condition, she began her escape.
She ran up beside the two Front Runners and started changing the rhythm of the entire field.
Should they follow?
Or let her go?
Chiya was thrown into a miserable decision.
Every time a Front Runner appeared, he was forced into this exact kind of torture.
Follow, and they would have to change their rhythm, burning through stamina faster.
Let her go, and they would hand the initiative to the opponent, allowing her to build a lead.
Why does every race turn into a multiple-choice question!?
I hate Front Runners!
Beside him, Kiryuin Aoi watched Seiun Sky storm to the front, excitement lighting up her face.
"Go, Sky!"
Through Shirayuki's perspective, Fujiwara Chiya watched Seiun Sky's powerful strides.
Then, at last, he made his decision.
Follow her!
Seiun Sky's center of gravity was steady. Her pitch and stride were both locked into a strong rhythm.
That meant she still had plenty of stamina left.
Against a Front Runner like that, letting her build a lead was the same as choosing death.
Shirayuki reached the same decision and immediately quickened her pace.
"Seiun Sky has taken the lead! Combahana is second, and Snow Dancer is chasing her down! As expected, Snow Dancer has no intention of letting her opponent escape so easily!"
Whether they had reached the same judgment themselves or were simply following Shirayuki's lead, the other uma musume began accelerating after Fujiwara Shirayuki made her move.
The overall pace of the field rose another notch.
The instant Shirayuki entered an unfamiliar rhythm, she felt the burden on her body increase.
If this continued, by the middle-to-late stages, Seiun Sky would bleed most of her stamina dry.
If I don't get to run comfortably, then neither do you!
Shirayuki gradually closed the gap.
Seiun Sky glanced back.
For the first time, shock flickered across her face.
Why are you still accelerating!?
Seiun Sky had thought there were only two possible outcomes after she stole the lead.
First, Shirayuki would let her go completely and stop paying attention to her. That would allow Seiun Sky to run freely.
Second, Shirayuki would quicken her pace and maintain a position where she could overtake later, even if it meant spending more stamina.
But now, Shirayuki had chosen a third option.
One that shouldn't have existed.
She attacked first.
She was forcing Seiun Sky to abandon her rhythm.
Forcing her to throw away her original strategy.
Forcing this race into a reckless great escape.
You've got to be kidding me.
I'm not Silence Suzuka!
Cold sweat slid down Seiun Sky's face.
Her legs weren't built for an extreme high-speed race. Seiun Sky's weapon was stamina. The longer the distance, the more dangerous her escape became.
Speed, on the other hand, was not her specialty.
Forcing herself to accelerate would cost her far too much.
From the corner of her eye, she watched Shirayuki draw closer and gritted her teeth.
So this is your desperate counterattack, Shirayuki…
Every time I think I finally understand you, you pull out something new.
Fine, then.
Let's tear each other apart!
With that thought, Seiun Sky poured strength into her legs and raised her already blistering pace another level.
A strained look crept onto her face.
"I won't hand victory to you, Sky!"
Shirayuki clenched her teeth.
It was still far too early for the ideal acceleration timing.
But this was her only chance to fight a Front Runner.
She might run out of stamina before the end.
But as Narita Brian had once said,
If you lacked stamina, make up for it with spirit!