The sudden roar exploding from the commentator's booth sent a shockwave through the entire grandstand at Nakayama Racecourse. Metal railings rattled nonstop under the frantic pounding of thousands of hands, while waves of cheers and raw encouragement rolled across the stands like thunder.
Bright afternoon sunlight poured over the track, turning the dirt into a blazing golden path. Fifteen Uma Musume burst forward at once, each one a streaking meteor trailing flames of pure speed.
Kitasan Black led the charge, her short black hair and long ponytail whipping straight back in the wind. Her racing shoes hammered the turf, kicking up emerald blades of grass that swirled behind her like living ripples. Those ripples barely had time to settle before the surging pack from behind trampled them into scattered fragments.
"The final turn is ending!"
"The heavily favored Satono Crown is launching her sprint!"
"She has locked onto Kitasan Black! She has locked onto Kitasan Black! Coming from the outside, she is overtaking the horses ahead!"
"After all these years, could we see another undefeated winner of the Satsuki Sho?!"
"Will the Satono family's long-cherished dream finally come true in such flawless fashion?!"
Satono Crown stared straight ahead at the figure she was chasing with everything she had. A flicker of regret crossed her face before she pushed it down. She had not expected her childhood friend and rival to still possess such incredible stamina after the early battle, the first steep climb, and the sharp acceleration out of the first turn. The commentator's excited shouts barely reached her ears. One single thought filled her mind.
Catch up.
Catch up to Kita-chan!
To grant the Satono family's wish, she had to close the gap, overtake her, and claim the Satsuki Sho championship. Nothing else mattered.
Then the track opened up. The final straight appeared ahead, and Satono Crown's heart leaped. Two figures cut diagonally across her line of sight, one slightly ahead of the other.
"Entering the final straight!" the announcer cried, voice cracking with tension.
"The trailing group is surging forward fast!
But the leaders on the inside are refusing to yield!
Nakayama's straight is short! Manhattan Cafe is accelerating from the outside as they hit the final slope!
Her target is Kitasan Black! Just like Satono Crown, her target is Kitasan Black! The gap is shrinking!"
"Satono Crown is still in the middle pack! Can she really take the title?!"
"Duramente is right there too! Her target is also Kitasan Black!"
"But Kitasan Black is still in front! She still holds a six-length… no, a five-length lead!"
"Two hundred meters to go!"
"Kitasan Black is still leading! She is still sprinting with everything she has!"
"Inside lane, Kitasan Black! Manhattan Cafe is charging hard on the outside! The gap is down to four lengths!"
"Can she overtake Kitasan Black?!"
"But wait—Duramente is coming!"
"Duramente is actually closing from the outside!"
"She has passed Manhattan Cafe!"
"Now it is Duramente chasing Kitasan Black!"
"The distance is melting away! It is melting away!"
"Four lengths… three lengths…"
"Only a two-length advantage remains, Kitasan Black!"
"Final one hundred meters!!"
The commentary chased the lightning-fast figures on the track and whipped the massive crowd into its loudest roar of the day. Yet Duramente, whose clear azure eyes reflected nothing but the black-and-gold silhouette ahead, heard none of it.
She had never liked crowds. She had never told many people how the stares and the noise always left her feeling irritated every time she stepped onto a racecourse. Right now, though, it was as if someone had pressed pause on the entire world. The irritating clamor simply… stopped.
It had not truly vanished, but it felt suspended, frozen in place just like the fluttering tip of Kitasan Black's ponytail directly in front of her. Crystal beads of sweat clung to the ends of those black strands, catching the sunlight and glowing with an unusual amber hue.
Memories from the past month suddenly flooded her mind without warning.
A training session after the rain. Kitasan Black, covered head to toe in mud, had grinned brightly and broken an energy bar cleanly in half with her steady hands. She offered one piece to Duramente and even reached out to gently wipe away the tiny chocolate crumbs still stuck at the corner of her mouth. The bittersweet chocolate taste, the cool dampness of the rain, and the soft warmth of those fingertips all came rushing back in a single vivid flash.
Duramente's lips curved into a small, unconscious smile.
The memories shifted again.
Kitasan Black's figure blurred and transformed into the grand archway relief at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe finish line. Then the image changed once more, becoming her father's stern face, her mother's gentle smile, and Air Groove-nee's helpless expression. Finally it settled back on the friend she had only known for a single month.
This time the memory showed Kitasan Black standing in front of a vending machine, smiling as she raised her hand.
"Dura-chan, want to try this new lemon soda? Tokai Teio-senpai endorsed it. I think it's super delicious!"
Duramente smiled again.
Then the shaking tab of the soda can in her memory slowly overlapped with the shimmering finish-line sign glowing ahead under the sunlight.
Oh… that's right.
I… am running the Satsuki Sho right now.
But the fastest, the strongest, the supreme…
It turns out races are not only about those things.
There is also you, Kita-chan…
The moment she remembered she was in the middle of a race, realized she was less than a hundred meters from the finish, and understood she had just zoned out completely, Duramente felt no panic or tension at all. Instead, a strange burning sensation spread through her swinging arms. She unconsciously flexed and extended her fingers.
The air itself seemed to part into visible ripples. The track beneath her turned into a thick, deep sea. Every muscle and bone in her legs felt crystal clear. She knew with perfect precision that she was slicing through the air currents at the exact right angle. Each time her feet crushed the grass, emerald sap burst upward and unfurled into a fine green mist that lingered in the sunlight.
She heard sounds, but not the annoying roar of the stands. She heard the steady contraction and expansion of her own lungs. She heard the ragged breathing of the horses behind her growing more desperate. She even caught the crisp pop of someone in the front row of the stands crushing a soda can. Most clearly of all, she heard the strong heartbeat pounding just ahead of her and the footsteps that were beginning to lose their earlier powerful rhythm.
Realizing all of this, Duramente suddenly heard the soft pop of bubbles bursting.
The paused world began to flow again and accelerate. The clamor that had once irritated her returned in full force. This time, however, it did not affect her in the slightest.
Facing the finish line that was now within reach, she glanced from the corner of her eye at the black-haired girl who had somehow appeared diagonally ahead of her. Then she charged forward with total focus.
"Is she going to catch up?! Is she going to catch up?!"
"Is Duramente really this strong?!"
"Kitasan Black's lead is almost gone! Her earlier six-length advantage has nearly disappeared!"
"Fifty meters!"
"Can she overtake Kitasan Black?! Can Duramente catch her?!"
"Can Kitasan Black hold on?! Can she resist Duramente?!"
"At this very moment…"
"Crossing the finish line!!"
The announcement nearly split the sky. Duramente's ears twitched slightly at the sound, and she realized the race had ended.
Out of habit she started to jog a few extra steps to cool down, but her legs suddenly gave out. There was no strength left in her entire body. She could not even stay standing. Her knees buckled, and she began to fall helplessly toward the ground.
"Are… are you alright, Dura-chan…?"
The familiar voice, accompanied by an unusually rare gasp, reached her ears. Duramente smiled without thinking.
Following the sound, she was about to thank her when her gaze naturally traced up to Kitasan Black, who was supporting her. Together they looked into the distance.
"…Photo finish?"
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Bonus chapters
200 - Stones
400 - Stones
600 - Stones
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