"NARITA BRIAN AND MAYANO TOP GUN HAVE CLEARED THE CORNER! MAYANO TOP GUN, SHE'S EXPERIENCING BURNOUT! HER SPEED JUST DROPPED! THE GREAT ESCAPE STRATEGY HAS FINALLY CAUGHT UP TO HER!"
Hosoe Junko's voice cracked.
After hitting the straight, Mayano Top Gun stopped chasing Narita Brian completely. Her recovery skill activated instead, collecting whatever stamina scraps she could find.
She'd messed up badly. The Great Escape tactics she thought would be perfect were completely useless against a monster like Narita Brian.
"IS MAYANO TOP GUN DONE ALREADY?! HAS THE GREAT ESCAPE FAILED?!"
Seiun Sky had burned through several recovery skills by now. Her condition was still solid, but she wasn't planning to make her move just yet.
Bodies passed on her left - stragglers from the pack, running on fumes. Seiun Sky barely noticed them. Her focus stayed locked ahead on Narita Brian and Mayano Top Gun trading the lead like it actually mattered.
The pack around her was breaking apart, gaps opening up as runners hit their walls and started fading. She slipped through the spaces they left behind, smooth and efficient, not wasting any movement.
Her recovery skill went through her in waves - warm, soothing, and pulling the fatigue out of her muscles before it could settle in. Her legs still felt strong and responsive. Nothing like the dead weight they should be this late in a long-distance race.
Sweat dripped into her eyes. She blinked it away, tasted salt.
Ahead, Narita Brian pulled away from Mayano Top Gun clean. Seiun Sky watched it happen with a weird mix of satisfaction and dread. Satisfaction because the plan was working - let them tear each other apart. Dread because now Narita Brian was leading the position, and Seiun Sky was gonna have to catch her.
A little regret crept in.
Teaching Mayano Top Gun how to run the Great Escape seemed to have totally backfired. It ended up helping Narita Brian more than anyone.
Otherwise, Mayano Top Gun could've held on longer. Weakened Narita Brian's power way more.
"CURRENTLY NARITA BRIAN LEADS BY TWO LENGTHS! MAYANO TOP GUN SECOND! AND SEIUN SKY, SHE'S THREE LENGTHS BEHIND MAYANO TOP GUN! BUT WAIT—WAIT! WHERE'S SAKURA LAUREL?! WHERE IS SHE?!"
Out in front now, Narita Brian didn't immediately sprint. Instead, she took a deep breath and relaxed just a bit, recovering the stamina she'd burned. Her breathing technique kicked in.
She was calm. Clear-headed while her body recovered. Unlike Mayano Top Gun, she wasn't about to try pulling off stuff she wasn't confident about.
That said, her eyes had been locked on Mayano Top Gun this whole time. Now that she'd passed her, that goal was done.
Next...
She glanced back and spotted something that made her pause.
Sakura Laurel was closing in fast. Way faster than she should be this late in the race.
"Here she comes."
"Sakura Laurel."
She really hoped Sakura Laurel had the strength to give her a real fight. A worthy opponent. Something to really sink her teeth into.
In the outer lane, Sakura Laurel's acceleration still hadn't stopped. If anything, it was getting stronger. The pack was falling apart, trying to keep up, runners dropping off one by one as Sakura Laurel burned through them like they weren't even there.
Her corner skills triggered as she swept through the turn, adding another layer of speed to her surge. The trembling in her hands had stopped completely. Her breathing was ragged but powerful, nothing like the careful control she usually had to maintain.
"THERE SHE IS! SAKURA LAUREL! SHE'S COMING UP ON THE OUTSIDE! SHE'S OVERTAKING EVERYONE! ONE BY ONE! TWO BY TWO! SHE'S LIKE A STORM! SHE'S ALREADY BLOWN THROUGH THE MIDDLE PACK!"
Hosoe Junko was losing her mind, voice climbing higher and higher.
The track stretched ahead, flat and unforgiving. No more slopes to use, no more corners to hide behind. Just straight running from here to the finish.
Seiun Sky's breathing stayed controlled, in through her nose, out through her mouth, rhythm never wavering. She caught movement in her peripheral vision - someone trying to close in on her right. She shifted left without breaking stride, cutting off the angle before they could even try.
Not yet. Not until the moment was right.
Then Seiun Sky saw Sakura Laurel coming up from behind like a hurricane, and her eyes went wide.
The sound hit first - hoofbeats faster than they should be, harder than they should be. A rhythm that screamed someone was burning everything they had. Seiun Sky's head turned on instinct, catching Sakura Laurel in the corner of her eye.
Sakura Laurel's face looked completely different. Eyes fierce, focused, locked on something Seiun Sky couldn't see. Not running away from the pack, running toward something. Chasing it with everything she had.
Her stride was longer than before, power coming from her hips and core in a way that looked easy even though Seiun Sky knew it wasn't. Could see the sweat soaking through Sakura Laurel's uniform, the way her whole body shook with energy that needed to be released.
But she wasn't slowing down. If anything, she was speeding up.
Seiun Sky felt the air shift as Sakura Laurel blew past, close enough that their arms nearly brushed. Felt the heat coming off her body, smelled the sharp smell of sweat and adrenaline.
"Well, well."
Sakura Laurel's acceleration just kept going. She blew past Seiun Sky without even looking at her, eyes locked on one target and one target only.
Sakura Laurel's ponytail whipped sideways from the speed, loose strands breaking free and dancing in the wind. Sky watched her pull away - two meters, five, ten, eating up ground like the track was tilted downhill instead of flat.
Runners who'd been keeping pace suddenly weren't anymore, faces twisting in confusion and frustration as Sakura Laurel opened up a gap they couldn't close. One girl, dark ponytail, red trim on her uniform, made a desperate attempt to stay with her, legs pumping harder for maybe ten strides before she broke, shoulders sagging.
Seiun Sky felt her own speed, still strong, still controlled. Felt the difference between running smart and running desperate.
Sakura Laurel was running desperately.
And it was working.
"SAKURA LAUREL HAS OVERTAKEN SEIUN SKY! SHE'S CHASING MAYANO TOP GUN WITH EVERYTHING SHE'S GOT! SHE'S—SHE'S OVERTAKING MAYANO TOP GUN RIGHT NOW! TAKING SECOND PLACE! THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! FROM THE BACK OF THE PACK TO SECOND PLACE!"
Seiun Sky watched Laurel's back disappear toward the front, chasing Narita Brian with the kind of single-minded intensity that was either brilliant or suicidal.
Maybe both.
"Laurel."
When Seiun Sky spotted Sakura Laurel making her move, she wasn't even surprised. This was all part of the plan.
Right then, Seiun Sky finally made her move. With her stamina still loaded, her speed shot up fast. She blew past Mayano Top Gun in an instant.
The decision clicked like flipping a switch.
No more waiting. No more watching. Time to move!
--
*As usual, the illustration is commented on.