As they approached the turn, Urara swiftly closed the distance to Little Cocon.
"It's okay! Even if my adaptation isn't perfect, my honed skills will never let me down!"
Little Cocon lowered her center of gravity, attempting to navigate the turn as usual. The unusual feedback from her feet immediately alerted her that she was slowing down.
A slight frown creased Little Cocon's brow. In contrast, Urara's clumsy technique allowed her to breeze through the turn effortlessly, as if playing. At the moment their paths crossed, Little Cocon caught a glimpse of Urara's barely concealed competitive spirit in her smiling face.
"Urara's serious now!"
Her eyes bloomed like falling sakura blossoms, blooming in the unfamiliar sandy soil. Inexplicably, she surged forward with a leap.
In their first clash at the turn, Urara had surprisingly claimed the initial advantage.
"Damn it!"
The impact of her poor adaptation was even greater than Little Cocon had anticipated. Even the slightest discomfort could disrupt her entire mental framework. Her meticulously honed technique, which usually functioned instinctively in races, now felt impossible to execute against this unfamiliar terrain.
But this was a race—there was no time for Little Cocon to adjust or reflect.
"This 'surface' is nothing like the turf you're used to. How are you going to jump?" Tokai Teio asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
The tables had turned. Urara sprinted ahead while Little Cocon trailed behind. The moment Little Cocon entered the dust cloud, she felt intense discomfort.
Fine grains of sand infiltrated her lungs with each breath, causing a searing pain. Instinctively, she covered her mouth and nose, and her speed began to slow.
Breathing is difficult, and my vision is so poor. I'm all alone. Should I sacrifice some distance and move off the inner track?
The situation was unfavorable for Little Cocon, but a stroke of luck lay in the fact that this was a one-on-one race, giving her more strategic options.
Kashimoto Riko watched Little Cocon's visible distress, her expression seemingly unchanged, though the slight twitch of her brow betrayed her inner turmoil.
Beyond Little Cocon and Bitter Glasse's lack of adaptation, one of the main reasons Kashimoto Riko never allowed them to compete in Dirt races was because they were simply too dangerous.
While the Royal Road is often touted as a path for the naturally gifted, Dirt races demand even greater innate Talent. Without it, progress becomes virtually impossible.
Umamusume races are often described as "dancing on the edge of a knife," but dirt races elevate this even further.
Little Cocon made her decision, pulling away from the inner track and maintaining a steady distance behind Urara.
The extra distance required more stamina to compensate, but even on dirt, Little Cocon struggled to catch up with Urara.
"Don't underestimate me! I'm the strongest Umamusume trained by my Trainer!" Urara declared.
A chill ran down Urara's back, like an invisible hand reaching down her nape.
"Huh?"
The coldness spread from her feet, freezing the rough sand. Little Cocon assumed a posture similar to that of a speed skater.
More gliding than running, her cold, composed eyes met Urara's in a fleeting glance as strands of hair danced across Urara's eyelashes.
Like a graceful white swan gliding across a frozen lake, even those who had disdained Little Cocon's aloof demeanor were captivated by the sight.
"A flawless cut to the inside! The best cornering technique I've ever seen!" Teio couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Indeed, as expected of Acting Chairman Kashimoto's Dedicated Umamusume. Even on terrain unfavorable to her, she maintains a stable performance," McQueen agreed.
Kousei's brilliant gaze deepened. This was a technique far superior to her own Agile Cornering. Unlike McQueen's lightning-fast turns, Little Cocon's style perfectly embodied the opposite approach.
"After all, it's something only a genius could achieve. It's understandable that we can't do it too."
Having always been shown feats only a genius could accomplish, the Umamusume subconsciously sought excuses for their own limitations.
Little Cocon's technique, however, was different—a skill honed through relentless practice, a realm attainable through sheer effort. Precisely for this reason, the Umamusume who witnessed it felt their resentment grow even stronger.
The girl who seemed like a genius was not a genius at all.
"Little is so amazing! And Acting Chairman Kashimoto is amazing too!"
Teio glanced at Kousei, a barely perceptible smile flickering across her lips, then turned to Little Cocon. "Everyone's growing, aren't they?"
Little Cocon's form was reflected in Teio's pupils. Suddenly, Teio's smile took on an enigmatic quality.
"Amazing! Little Cocon is incredible!" Urara exclaimed loudly, her admiration undisguised.
"Huh? The track feels so cool and refreshing! This feels great!"
To everyone's astonishment, Urara suddenly shifted her attention to the track itself, her curious expression seeming genuinely earnest.
"What's Urara doing? She's already been overtaken by Little Cocon!"
"Is she... playing around?"
Her baffling behavior left everyone utterly puzzled. They had never seen an Umamusume like this before.
"Ah! No! Is Urara distracted by something else again?!" Twin Turbo cried out, clutching her head in dismay.
Lack of focus had always been Urara's weakness, and it seemed the problem had resurfaced.
"That girl! She's not even taking this seriously!" Little Cocon, fully aware of the situation behind her, seethed with frustration at Urara's antics.
"What did T tell you about Urara's focus issues?" McQueen asked, observing the scene unfolding before her.
"It's not so much a problem as it is Urara's nature. Because she's Urara, these situations are unavoidable. Since it's not a problem, there's no need to fix it."
"Huh?" McQueen looked utterly bewildered.
"Urara might lack focus compared to others, but her desire to win is no less intense. Curiosity can be a winning strategy too."
Just as Kousei finished speaking, Urara on the track let out a cry of realization.
"I get it now! This way, I can go even faster!"
Urara tried to mimic Little Cocon's agile cornering technique, but the skill was the result of years of refinement, and this impromptu imitation was doomed to fail.
Yet, driven by her innate instincts, Urara gleaned something fundamental from Little Cocon's movements, combining it with her own unique traits.
A raw, entirely new, and utterly unique technique was born.
It didn't matter that she couldn't match Little Cocon's precision—after all, this was a dirt track.
"Here I come!"
Like a child accelerating into a turn and nearly losing control, Urara's all-out sprint wrapped sand and dust around her as she surged forward.
"This is—!"
Little Cocon's eyes widened. The small figure now hurtled toward her like a sandstorm.
A deadly battle disguised as playful antics. Beneath that smiling face lay unwavering resolve, her burning heart shining like the sun.
A runner whose mind and body moved as one, bathed in the radiant sunlight, determined to melt the icy barriers that held her back.