Chapter 242: A Momentary Tug-of-War
With a thunderous shout of "Start!", it was like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake—instantly stirring waves across the grandstands and the racetrack.
On the track, sixteen swift figures shot out of the starting gates like arrows released from a bow, racing forward at lightning speed.
Dust kicked up by their rapid footsteps rose into the sunlight, mingling with the roaring cheers from the stands to form a frenzied sea of sound.
Even the commentator seemed swept up by that wave of excitement, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke:
"A beautiful start!"
"First up… the crowd favorite, Gold Ship! Once again, she launches perfectly from the gate!"
"She isn't rushing to the front—instead, she decisively chooses an end closer position!"
"Skillfully avoiding the clashes ahead, she continues to cut inward from behind!"
"A very familiar racing strategy from her—so we can surely look forward to another one of her astonishing and powerful late-race surges!"
As usual in live commentary, the most popular runner was introduced first.
And Gold Ship's fame clearly lived up to its reputation. The moment her name came over the broadcast, the entire grandstand erupted like a volcano, cheering as if they were already celebrating a champion crossing the finish line.
Then suddenly the commentator's tone shifted, his voice rising sharply:
"Attention! At the very front!"
"Five runners are running neck and neck!"
"From the inside outward: Lovely Day, Gold Actor, Sounds of Earth, Kitasan Black, and Lia Fail!"
"The clash… has produced a result!"
"Gold Actor has taken a slight lead of half a length!"
"Right behind her is Kitasan Black!"
"Another half-length behind, running side by side, are Sounds of Earth and Lia Fail!"
"Lovely Day sits in fifth place by the slimmest margin!"
"And at the same time!"
"Marialite is steadily closing in on the leading group!"
"The race has only just begun…"
The commentator grew increasingly excited, his voice echoing across the entire stadium with boundless passion:
"And already it has plunged into such an intense tug-of-war battle!"
The starting point of the Arima Kinen was located on the backstretch where the outer lane curved inward.
From the perspective of the grandstand, the entire pack of runners resembled a giant droplet of water.
The front was thick and heavy with tightly packed competitors, while the tail stretched behind more lightly.
With its front-heavy momentum, the "droplet" surged recklessly toward the first turn.
At the very front—the largest and densest part of that droplet—the movement was clearly boiling with intensity.
Every stride, every burst of speed there seemed to declare to the world the runners' burning desire for victory.
Yet in stark contrast to the roaring frenzy of the stadium, the front-row seats directly facing the finish line were strangely calm—almost as if someone had suddenly poured a bucket of cold water over them.
"…It's actually quite fierce."
Tokai Teio looked genuinely surprised. Her eyes remained fixed on the track, though her tone stayed relatively calm.
"Even for the Arima Kinen, an opening this intense… is extremely rare."
At that moment, Deep Impact couldn't maintain her usual quiet composure. A trace of emotion flickered in her eyes as she nodded.
"I've participated before… but never seen a start this exaggerated. How about you two? Orf? Gentildonna?"
She glanced toward the two beside her.
"I've never encountered a start like this," replied Orfevre.
"For a race this intense," Gentildonna added calmly, "the ones I've experienced usually reached that level in the second half."
After answering Deep Impact almost simultaneously, Orfevre and Gentildonna both paused in surprise and instinctively looked at each other.
Then Orfevre gave a soft snort, while Gentildonna lifted the corner of her lips with an amused smile. Each turned away again, returning their attention to the blazing battle unfolding on the racetrack.
On the track, running with all her strength in first place, Gold Actor could feel her heart pounding violently in her chest, along with a faint but persistent sense of suffocation.
That suffocating feeling came from the heavy pounding footsteps behind her.
The sound was like an invisible hand gripping her heart tightly.
This wasn't her first race, nor was it her first time leading the pack.
On the contrary, she had already run in more than a dozen races, and quite a few of those victories had come from front running tactics.
Yet never before had leading the race felt this terrifying.
No… that wasn't quite right.
It wasn't leading the race that frightened her.
What truly made her heart tremble was Kitasan Black, who was right behind her.
'So this junior really isn't famous for nothing…' Gold Actor exclaimed inwardly.
Previously, together with her trainer, she had confirmed that Kitasan Black possessed astonishing strength and endurance, though her speed had not yet reached its peak.
In past races, the girl had probably followed her trainer's instructions strictly—maximizing her strengths to cover or compensate for her weaknesses.
During preparations for the Arima Kinen, she had further confirmed this assessment.
Kitasan Black and her trainer had come to observe her training sessions—something she had noticed but didn't pay much attention to.
Analyzing opponents before a race to develop targeted strategies was basic common sense.
She and her trainer did the same thing, and Kitasan Black had been among the runners they studied.
If there was anything unusual, it was that this junior always came together with her trainer, rather than leaving most of the analysis to the trainer alone, like she herself did.
The way they worked together almost made it look as if Kitasan Black was training to become a trainer herself someday.
Setting aside that strange detail, once they had confirmed Kitasan Black's condition, she and her trainer quickly settled on an ideal countermeasure.
If she ended up one-on-one with Kitasan Black, especially early in the race, she would adopt a Burst Front Running strategy.
Just like now.
For runners who lacked sufficient speed, this tactic could disrupt the opponent's rhythm, drain their stamina, and even conceal one's true strategy.
But now that she was truly facing Kitasan Black head-on on the track, she realized things weren't so simple.
Kitasan Black was sticking far too closely behind her.
It was as if she had practiced this kind of shadowing countless times—no matter how Gold Actor tried, she couldn't widen the gap.
If this continued, not only would the Burst Front Running tactic fail, she might actually be the one wasting stamina first.
'This isn't wise… rather than burning stamina like this for nothing…'
At the very moment they were about to enter the first turn, Gold Actor made a rapid decision in her mind:
'Better to save my strength for the finishing straight. Only then will I have a chance!'
But Gold Actor wasn't the only one feeling the pressure.
Right behind Kitasan Black, both Sounds of Earth and Lia Fail could also clearly sense the fierce momentum radiating from that black-clad figure ahead.
Kitasan Black was like a heavily armored battle tank, suddenly accelerating forward with unstoppable force.
Or like a ferocious beast leaping from a deep mountain forest, agile and savage.
At this moment, in perfect condition, the pressure she exerted felt as heavy as a mountain.
Yet although both of them were under the same pressure, their feelings were completely different.
If she hadn't been running with all her strength, Sounds of Earth might have wanted to pull out her violin and perform a piece to her heart's content.
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