June 5th, Sunny. Agnes Digital's race day.
Tokyo Racecourse.
As the other competitors diligently warmed up in preparation for the upcoming race, a certain pink-haired pervert displayed not a trace of anxiety, instead darting gleefully between the other Uma Musume, her obsessive gaze causing chills wherever it landed.
If this had been anyone else, she'd have been promptly restrained, sternly warned, or possibly even disqualified for disrupting the other participants.
But because she was Agnes Digital, somehow, everything she did suddenly became oddly acceptable.
Not only the contestants, but even the audience and trainers could only sigh helplessly at her antics. Ever since Agnes Digital had appeared, the whole nature of this competition had changed.
It was like dropping a perverted doujin character into the middle of a hot-blooded sports manga—the defeated suddenly seemed at risk of being dragged off-screen for unspeakable humiliation.
A sudden genre shift, turning wholesome horse-racing into dark, indescribable territory.
Even so, no one believed Agnes Digital could actually win this race.
Not that she lacked talent—it was simply too soon.
As previously explained, both second-year and third-year debut Uma Musume could participate in this event.
Theoretically, second-year competitors should have reached their physical peak, ready to challenge their third-year seniors.
But this race was held in June, still months shy of when most second-year Uma Musume truly reached their physical prime.
Agnes Digital, being a late bloomer to begin with, was far from her peak, whether in physical conditioning or technique. Frankly speaking, she was nowhere close.
Had she been racing as a third-year or even at the end of this year, she would have undoubtedly been a favorite to win.
But as things stood, she ranked embarrassingly low, at number eleven.
No one expected her to win, not even herself.
But honestly—who cared?
She was only here to fangirl over her favorite senpai. She'd already happily chatted them up before the race and even arranged for autographs afterward. Her goals had been achieved.
If the organizers hadn't explicitly forbidden it, she would have carried a sign onto the track, cheering on the girls in front whenever she fell behind.
And in this bizarre atmosphere, preparations quietly wrapped up, and all contestants entered their gates.
Gates closed; preparations complete.
Then, with the flash of the distant jumbo screen, the gates sprang open.
Bang!
In an instant, over ten Uma Musume burst from the gates, their incredible speed and reflexes breathtaking.
Speed, power, experience…
Stride, posture, judgment of the situation…
While not everyone performed flawlessly, all were undeniably top-tier—far surpassing the novices of the Basic Race.
This was a G1 event, open to seasoned second- and third-years. Even someone like Tokai Teio at her current level would've stood no chance here—only certain defeat.
Every participant today was at the height of her powers, leagues beyond any Uma Musume fresh from debut or within their first year of racing.
Thus, it was no surprise Agnes Digital didn't immediately surge to the front.
Forget leading; due to her relative inexperience at gate starts, she was quickly pushed toward the back of the pack.
Any other competitor, even seasoned veterans, would've been emotionally unsettled by such a disadvantageous start, leading to unnecessary energy expenditure.
But Agnes Digital was different.
As a certified pervert whose goals had already been met, she wasn't particularly invested in winning. Her real desire was just to savor the sight of these exquisite senpai up close.
Moreover, Kitahara Sota had already anticipated this exact scenario and laid out a plan accordingly. So, Agnes Digital obediently stayed at the back-middle of the pack, utterly unmoved by the front-runners, maintaining this position until roughly halfway through.
No one objected to her strategy. After all, she was ranked eleventh, still an undeveloped talent—her current performance was already commendable enough.
But as the race passed halfway, some Uma Musume began to notice something strange.
Agnes Digital's footsteps suddenly grew heavier.
Typically, racers sprinted early to secure advantageous positions and again toward the end, during the final push. The middle stage was neither useful for position nor decisive for victory—attacking here usually wasted stamina, potentially causing late-race collapse. Hence, most competitors conserved their strength.
But Agnes Digital started speeding up.
Nerves getting the better of her? Ah, she's still young after all…
The others thought to themselves.
Yet suddenly, accompanying her acceleration, an inexplicable chill crawled up their spines—not from fear or authority, but the pure discomfort of being targeted by a pervert.
Noticing this sinister aura, those ahead cautiously glanced back, only to see Agnes Digital's disturbingly eager expression:
Hehehe, Uma Musume, cute little Uma Musume… so small, so soft…
Alarmed by this bizarre menace, the Uma Musume ahead instinctively sidestepped to avoid her, unintentionally opening a gap.
Only an instant later did they realize their mistake.
Oh no—!
Too late.
Agnes Digital's expression instantly reverted to normal, and with a sudden sprint, she effortlessly passed the opening they'd created, neatly advancing to the front with minimal stamina loss.
And instead of slowing, Agnes Digital accelerated again.
Is she crazy? Doesn't she care about stamina at all?
The surpassed Uma Musume were shocked, quickly losing their composure, wasting energy as their strides became chaotic.
The commentator wasn't optimistic either:
"At this rate, Agnes Digital will surely collapse before the final stretch…"
But Agnes Digital ignored everything, stubbornly following Kitahara's strategy, pushing forward even faster.
Throughout the first half, she'd utilized Kitahara's stamina-saving method. Protected by the wind-blocking pack, she'd run leisurely, rhythmically breathing as instructed, conserving enormous amounts of stamina.
Now was the time to spend it.
Bang!
With a heavy stomp, Agnes Digital accelerated again, soaring into third place, now only two competitors ahead.
The final third of the race had arrived; others also began their sprints.
But to their astonishment, Agnes Digital surged yet again.
Bang!
Into the final quarter, Agnes Digital overtook the second place runner, directly chasing the leader.
Seriously, just how much stamina does this girl have?!
Panic surged among the others, their minds thrown into turmoil. Even the frontrunner grew nervous, accelerating hastily—but having already exhausted herself maintaining first, she quickly faltered, speed dropping.
Then…
"Agnes Digital is catching up! Agnes Digital!"
"She's still accelerating! Still accelerating!"
"She's overtaken Chasing Sun! Agnes Digital now leads—and she's still speeding up!"
"One length, two lengths, three lengths—"
"The gap keeps widening! Does Agnes Digital have infinite stamina?!"
Of course not.
Despite conserving stamina early and maneuvering cleverly mid-race, maintaining this extreme pace was impossible, and indeed, she did finally slow down—just twenty meters from the finish line.
Nevertheless, she secured victory by a two-length margin.
This differed slightly from Kitahara's original estimation, which predicted her stamina should've depleted exactly at the finish line—but humans weren't machines, after all, so minor discrepancies were understandable.
Afterward, thanks to Agnes Digital's frequent trainer-switching, Kitahara Sota quietly exited, unnoticed.
When Agnes Digital found him afterward, clutching her beloved pile of senpai autographs, she excitedly rushed over, chattering eagerly, eyes sparkling brightly.
She knew this victory was entirely thanks to Kitahara-senpai's guidance; without him, merely placing would've been fortunate.
Senpai really is amazing…
Kitahara smiled back while inwardly thinking: Weren't you here to fangirl your senpai? Why'd you massacre them instead?
Everything after proceeded normally—gifted shoes, press conferences, victory podium. Agnes Digital handled everything smoothly, with Kitahara quietly acting as decoration, lightly deflecting credit back to her talent and hard work.
Race over, they returned to Tracen Academy, resuming normal routines.
Yet soon, Agnes Digital realized something strange.
While she'd been preparing for the race, Rudolf and Nice Nature had begun appearing around Kitahara more often—significantly decreasing his attention toward her.
Although slightly disappointed, she quickly adjusted, returning to her routine and caring for Agnes Tachyon as usual.
Then, one ordinary day, Tachyon asked her to test a pink-purple potion.
Agnes Digital agreed easily, drank it—but felt nothing at all.
Confused, Tachyon examined her thoroughly, finding no effect. Both shrugged off the failed experiment.
Yet afterward, during routine care for Tachyon, as Agnes Digital excitedly reached out—
Suddenly, she froze, excitement completely vanishing.
Strange…
Gently kneading Tachyon's legs, bewilderment filled her gaze.
Why was I even excited about this in the first place…?