Chapter 243: Embarrassment with Nowhere to Hide
"How wonderful—truly wonderful!"
"Such powerful, resonant footsteps, like the tolling of great bells!"
"Such rich and uplifting rhythm, like the beating of war drums!"
"A harmony this magnificent—only it can match my performance!"
In her heart, Sounds of Earth shouted with excitement:
"As expected, Kitasan Black—worthy of being the rival I've chosen!
"You truly are, like me, one of the greatest and most outstanding runners!"
Meanwhile, on Lia Fail's side, the feeling was very different.
What filled her was a deep shiver.
That shiver spread from the soles of her feet through her entire body, raising goosebumps across every inch of her skin.
Unconsciously, she recalled the scene from the Kikuka Sho.
Back then, Kitasan Black's lightning-fast surge during the opening phase had completely overturned Lia Fail's understanding of her.
She had overtaken everyone in an instant, racing ahead alone.
And the momentum only grew stronger—like a raging tsunami determined to swallow every opponent standing in her way.
Since that moment, Lia Fail had gradually realized something.
Compared to visible qualities like speed or strength, the true power of that rival lay elsewhere—
In her unyielding spirit and unstoppable drive forward.
Facing an opponent like that, Lia Fail knew she needed to summon a momentum just as powerful.
If she slackened even slightly, she would be left far behind.
The problem was…
Even though she understood that…
This was still the very beginning of the race.
Was she really supposed to start sprinting already…?
This…
Didn't match the instructions her trainer had given her.
Staring at the figure ahead with hesitation in her eyes, Lia Fail began to feel lost.
A little farther back, Marialite, who had just overtaken Lovely Day, was desperately analyzing the situation.
Originally, compared to the runners ahead of her, she had been more concerned about Lovely Day, whom she had just passed.
In her view, the greatest threat in this race was undoubtedly Gold Ship.
Especially since this opponent had an unusually good start today and had taken an end closer position.
In this race, Gold Ship was the only runner using a full end closing strategy.
For her, as long as she didn't miss the start, it didn't matter how far behind she was.
Race after race had already proven it: when Gold Ship unleashed her full sprint, no one could stop her.
The next level of threat was Lovely Day.
This rival had been on a winning streak for the past six months, her condition absolutely explosive.
Even when she lost at the Japan Cup, she still secured a stable third place.
That meant every aspect of her ability had been adjusted to an extremely balanced and high level.
And that also meant she could maintain consistently stable performances.
Against opponents with obvious strengths and weaknesses, one could still design strategies to exploit their flaws.
But against someone as steady as Lovely Day, it was almost impossible to target anything—there was simply no angle of attack.
Yet at this very moment, the greatest threat in Marialite's mind had quietly changed.
It was no longer Gold Ship.
Nor was it Lovely Day.
Instead, it was the junior two lengths ahead of her—
Kitasan Black.
Marialite had never underestimated this junior.
On the contrary, she had once accidentally noticed how the girl seemed very interested in observing her training—often coming together with her trainer.
But she had never expected that this junior, who had only been racing for just one year, could radiate such an overwhelming aura while leading the pack—
An aura similar to Gold Ship when she was charging at full power, unstoppable by anyone.
Moreover, every movement in Kitasan Black's run—her breathing, her strides, the swing of her arms—carried the solid, refined feeling of something that had been tempered through countless repetitions.
That sense of solidity made her seem, like Lovely Day's stability, impossible to counter or exploit.
More importantly—
She was using the very front running strategy that Marialite herself relied on.
As a natural front runner, Marialite understood better than anyone what it meant to hand the lead position to an opponent like that.
It meant the battle ahead would become incredibly difficult.
So she had to find a chance…
…and charge forward!
Marialite's eyes rapidly swept across the four figures ahead as she clenched her teeth, making her decision in an instant.
At the same time, Lovely Day was also scanning the runners ahead.
Her gaze was sharp as a hawk, and in that instant, a flicker of understanding passed through her eyes.
Immediately afterward, seizing the instant as the pack sliced into the turn with lightning speed, Lovely Day flicked her gaze toward the very back of the field.
At the tail end of the pack, a tall figure wearing bright red Signature Racewear was hidden among the runners. Because several runners blocked the view, she couldn't clearly see the girl's face.
At the same time, Kitasan Black clearly sensed several gazes from behind, like searchlights, intentionally or unintentionally locking onto her.
Even the opponent in front of her, though she hadn't turned back, seemed to be paying attention. From the tiny movement of her head tilting slightly to the side, Kitasan Black could guess that she was also constantly watching her every move.
The moment she realized this, her mood sank.
She had already been on full alert, nerves stretched tight.
This kind of attention made it worse.
It wasn't that she had never experienced being marked by opponents before.
During everyday training and many races, similar situations had happened plenty of times.
She had even been targeted by senior runners before.
In training runs and smaller races, those seniors usually had far more experience and more refined techniques.
But she had never faced a situation where five opponents were simultaneously watching her this closely.
Then, almost instantly, she noticed something else.
One of the runners seemed to have given up focusing on her during this silent contest and had shifted their attention elsewhere.
Even so, that still left three experienced seniors and one peer who had already faced her on the track.
The pressure felt like a mountain bearing down on her.
It felt as if above her head, beneath her feet, and all around her body, countless cameras and lenses had been set up.
Every lens was pointed directly at her, mercilessly capturing every detail.
It created a powerful sense of having nowhere to hide.
And this… was the situation right after leaving the starting gate.
So this… was the Arima Kinen?
The thought escaped from the bottom of her heart as a stunned realization.
At the same time, she clenched her teeth unconsciously. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, forming a stubborn yet determined smile.
Yes.
This was the Arima Kinen she had longed for.
The race she had dreamed about countless times.
Here gathered the very best opponents.
It was filled with uncertainty and challenges, every inch of air thick with tension and excitement.
Even though the pressure was overwhelming, the fighting spirit deep inside her burned like a blazing fire.
Calm down…
Calm down, Kita…
This wasn't the ideal race situation.
But it wasn't something she hadn't prepared for.
And the corresponding scenario… was exactly this moment.
In an instant, all the simulations she had run before the race—along with the ones earlier on the strategy board—flashed through her mind like lightning.
The chess pieces representing the runners crossed time and space, falling into place across the racecourse in her mental image.
An invisible hand reached toward several of those pieces.
Slowly—yet also instantly—it pushed them along carefully measured routes.
Among those intersecting paths, a narrow gap appeared.
A gap just large enough for one black chess piece to pass through.
Taking a deep breath, her chest rising sharply, she lowered her posture slightly.
A determined flash crossed her eyes.
Her hind legs suddenly drove against the ground.
Like a cannonball launched forward, she shot straight toward the opening.
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 314: Kita, You're Truly Amazing[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/umamusume-it-all-161293563?collection=1617249[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/umamusume-it-all-161293563?collection=1617249
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/umamusume-it-all-161293563?collection=1617249