...
"This year's Tenno Sho has so many strong horse girls competing!"
"Hishi Amazon, Mejiro Ryan, Nice Nature, El Condor Pasa, and the most popular contender—Silence Suzuka! Who will ultimately claim the Tenno Sho championship?"
"Speaking of which, Silence Suzuka is not only the fan favorite but also drew the number one position. That sounds like an auspicious sign. I wonder what kind of spectacular race she'll deliver today."
Tokyo Racecourse.
The arrival of numerous star horse girls filled the venue with vibrant energy on the day of the Tenno Sho.
The beautiful image of Silence Suzuka streaking across the track during the Takarazuka Kinen was still fresh in the minds of the spectators.
Many fans had traveled from afar just to witness Silence Suzuka's running form firsthand.
While merchandise for the other horse girls was still available, Silence Suzuka's had already sold out completely.
...
"Lu... Lucian-kun..." Silence Suzuka looked at Lucian, who was crouched on the ground helping her put on her shoes. "I can do it myself..."
"Didn't I help you last time too? Speaking of which, during the Kikuka Sho, Seiun Sky even asked me to help her with her shoes—and even her socks."
Lucian deftly eased Silence Suzuka's embarrassment.
Sure enough, upon hearing the latter part of his words, Silence Suzuka stopped resisting.
"Seiun even had you help her with her socks?"
"Yeah. She said if I didn't, she'd just run barefoot."
This didn't count as breaking his promise with Seiun Sky.
"I see... I never thought of that—" Silence Suzuka blurted out before catching herself and stopping mid-sentence.
Though Seiun Sky wore ankle socks, Silence Suzuka was in black tights.
"Suzuka, what did you just say?" Lucian, too focused, hadn't caught her words clearly.
"Nothing." Silence Suzuka quickly shook her head.
"Alright. You all run well, and as your trainer, I'm willing to work like an ox or a horse." Lucian tied her shoelaces and stood up. "Go on, do your best."
...
In the entrance tunnel, Silence Suzuka encountered her fellow competitors.
"Suzuka! Face me one-on-one! I'll definitely defeat you!" Hishi Amazon bared her little fangs as she boldly issued her challenge.
Smiling at her former teammate, Silence Suzuka responded, "Anytime."
Just then, Nice Nature passed by her as well. "Suzuka-senpai, it's an honor to race alongside you."
"Nice Nature, let's do our best together."
"Oh, Suzuka-senpai." Nice Nature suddenly took a step closer. "Is 'Dream' still recruiting? When will there be another tryout?"
"That depends on the trainer, but if you want to join our team, I'm sure he'd welcome you."
Nice Nature's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful news."
If Lucian had heard this, he would've agreed on the spot and said, "That's wonderful news" too.
...
The moment she stepped out of the tunnel, Silence Suzuka was met with the overwhelming enthusiasm of her supporters. Their cheers instantly filled her with confidence.
"Suzuka!" Special Week, standing close to the track, called out loudly.
"Spe-chan." Silence Suzuka ran over. "And everyone else."
Lucian had just left the waiting room and hadn't arrived yet.
Tokai Teio: "Suzuka-senpai, go for it!"
Haru Urara: "Suzuka! I bought so many of your plushies and standees! After you win, I'll give them to your opponents as souvenirs!"
Silence Suzuka laughed. "Urara, aren't you afraid of getting beaten up?"
"I am." Urara hadn't considered that. "Then I'll just give them to the horse girls I know."
Special Week then took out a four-leaf clover charm. "Suzuka, please take this."
"This is from back then..." Silence Suzuka had helped make it before giving it to Urara.
"This time, it's from all of us."
"Thank you, everyone. I'll carry your blessings and win this race!"
After Silence Suzuka left, Rice Shower glanced around. "Where's the trainer? He still hasn't come?"
"Maybe he suddenly went to the bathroom?" Tokai Teio suggested.
"No, he told me he went to watch from the stands near the big zelkova tree."
...
"The gates have opened! All the horse girls are off to a great start!"
Silence Suzuka surged ahead, securing the inner track.
Clearly having studied Silence Suzuka's tactics, El Condor Pasa clung closely behind, taking second place. "I'll surpass Suzuka, win the Tenno Sho, and then conquer the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!"
Toujou Hana stood with all of "Rigil" on the spectator stands. "Yes, El Condor Pasa! Stay on her like that!"
But this favorable situation didn't last long—Silence Suzuka kept increasing her speed.
Every horse girl knew they couldn't let Silence Suzuka's pace dictate the race, yet none could ignore her position on the track.
Whenever Silence Suzuka raced, she became the sole focus.
Under this immense pressure, El Condor Pasa was forced to speed up, as were Hishi Amazon, Nice Nature, and the others further behind.
Yet the gap only widened in this chase...
"Silence Suzuka has pulled away from El Condor Pasa! She's now leading by about five lengths!" The commentator's voice echoed across the racecourse.
"She's this fast already?!" El Condor Pasa stared in shock at the figure pulling further ahead, but she couldn't afford to disrupt her breathing and rhythm by accelerating recklessly. She had no choice but to ease up slightly.
The other horse girls shared the same thought.
"Damn it, she won't even give me a chance for a one-on-one?!"
Hishi Amazon trailed behind El Condor Pasa, but her gaze remained fixed on Silence Suzuka at the front.
...
"Perfect, my body's in top condition right now. I can go even faster!" Silence Suzuka cut through the wind, her mind entering a sublime state.
In Lucian's eyes, she had long since entered that dreamlike condition—as if she had transformed into a flurry of petals streaking across the track.
"Silence Suzuka is the first to clear 1000 meters! She's now leading by... I can't even tell how many lengths." The commentator struggled to report the exact distance. "Her time for the first 1000 meters is in—56.57 seconds!"
"To think a horse girl could reach such speeds..."
As soon as the commentator spoke, the entire venue erupted in astonishment, the excitement reaching its peak.
Insiders like Toujou Hana and Nishizaki Ryo were utterly stunned. "This is way too fast..."
Did she not plan to run the remaining 1000 meters? How could she push so hard in the first half? Nearly 18 meters per second!
Only Lucian showed no surprise. During training, Silence Suzuka had already broken 57 seconds.
If she were only running 1000 meters, she could've gone even faster!
...
"Faster... I can go faster!" No one expected Silence Suzuka to accelerate again after clearing 1000 meters.
But the moment her left foot landed, a sharp, stabbing pain erupted—like a blade piercing deep, spreading like venom through her bones.
On the big screen, Silence Suzuka's figure momentarily disappeared behind the zelkova tree. When she reappeared, her running form had visibly distorted.
"Silence Suzuka... Silence Suzuka seems to be in some trouble." The commentator's hesitant voice rang out. "What just happened behind the zelkova tree?"
...