To be perfectly honest, Kitahara Sota himself knew very clearly that what he'd just done was somewhat inappropriate.
But the problem was Agnes Digital's situation.
Even though she wanted to trust his words—
No matter how much she trusted, no matter how honest or sincere those words were,
Ultimately, words alone could only go so far. Repeated too many times, they might even have the opposite effect.
So even knowing it might've been inappropriate,
Kitahara still chose to lower his head, using actions to prove his sincerity.
The worries remained, but compared to these concerns, he felt her future was far more important, and he hoped this would bring her even a small change.
As for Agnes Digital—after that event happened,
Her mind was practically blank. She entered the track almost purely by instinct.
Once she was inside, she didn't roam around greeting the other Uma Musume as she usually did. After briefly nodding to them,
She stood dazedly for a moment before quietly stepping into her gate.
Her mind replayed the words she'd just heard, while a familiar warmth lingered faintly on her lips.
Standing inside the gate, Agnes Digital lightly touched her lips, feeling the lingering warmth. Suddenly, the scenery before her began to shift.
The sky gradually darkened; the noisy chatter of the crowd faded away. Endless darkness quietly descended, slowly swallowing everything around her.
Yet she felt no fear, merely gazing distantly into that darkness.
Soon after—as she anticipated—colored glowsticks began waving, spreading from near to far, from one side to another, until they reached the limit of her vision.
Then, tiny stars appeared, shifting repeatedly until her name filled the entire night sky.
Finally, several beams of light rose up, building a stage meant solely for her.
Crack.
Something seemed to shatter in her heart. The darkness before her vanished in an instant, returning her to the racecourse again.
Yet even as the darkness disappeared, that encouragement and companionship remained.
Though it wasn't as exaggerated as before, stretching endlessly into the horizon, it still flowed quietly around her, weaving a gentle, joyful warmth.
Under normal circumstances, Agnes Digital would have realized this was a [Domain] and would've been utterly shocked—wondering how a plain Uma Musume like herself could possess something legendary like that.
But right now, she felt no confusion, no shock. She didn't even notice her body's abnormality.
Because her eyes were already fully locked onto the track ahead, her mind left with only a single thought—
She must win.
Bang—
The gates burst open, and the race officially began. Every competitor shot out instantly.
Agnes Digital's luck wasn't great; she'd drawn a gate positioned towards the outer side.
Worse still, her competitors in this race weren't just top-tier Uma Musume from her own year, but also included elites from the previous year.
At the start, apart from herself, three other Uma Musume also stood out distinctly—not quite showing her strange phenomenon, but clearly using some special techniques of their own.
They immediately secured prime positions. Even the secondary leading spots were intensely fought over. Despite her best efforts, Digital could only manage to stay in the middle of the pack.
Watching from the stands, Kitahara quickly noticed Digital's abnormality, his gaze growing complicated.
She actually awakened it, huh…
Despite everything he'd done, Kitahara honestly hadn't expected Digital to unlock her [Domain] so quickly—he'd prepared for a long-term study.
As for his previous actions, he'd merely intended to demonstrate sincerity through his actions, hoping to build her confidence bit by bit, gradually changing her over time.
But now…
Watching Agnes Digital sprinting far away on the track, Kitahara quietly smiled.
"Go for it, Digital," he whispered.
Given the distance and noise, his voice couldn't possibly reach her.
Yet, as if she'd somehow sensed his words, Digital immediately launched into a sudden sprint, shocking her competitors around her.
All participants here—even those without a [Domain]—had experience facing and even defeating [Domain] users before.
But they'd never seen someone so reckless.
Activating her [Domain] right at the start—so obviously, at that—and immediately accelerating into a sprint when the race had barely begun, as if she had no intention of considering the later stages?
Because of this recklessness, her opponents hesitated briefly. Though some tried blocking her, they quickly abandoned the idea once they realized it wouldn't work, unwilling to waste precious stamina.
Just as they'd anticipated, after expending enormous effort to push herself toward the front, Agnes Digital's pace rapidly slowed, breathing becoming heavier.
Knowing most trainers investigated opponents pre-race, many were already aware Digital didn't previously possess a [Domain].
From her current condition, they quickly concluded she'd experienced some sort of stimulus just before the race, awakening her [Domain] for the first time.
If this were any other race, a first-time [Domain] user, thanks to exceptional physical condition and the [Domains] boost, could still win despite mistakes early on.
But not this race.
The Tenno Sho Autumn was one of the heavyweight "Eight Grand Races." In recent years, with the surge of Uma Musume, competition had grown fiercer than ever.
For instance, past Tenno Sho Autumn races rarely saw more than two or three [Domain] users, mostly third-year Uma Musume. At most, there'd been five.
Yet this year—counting Digital—there were a full eight [Domain]-awakened Uma Musume competing.
Among them were even seasoned racers who'd activated their [Domains] since their second year.
They didn't consider Digital weak—in fact, they openly acknowledged her talent exceeded theirs.
But even geniuses needed time to grow.
Elsewhere, they'd happily share their [Domain] insights with Digital, doing their best to help her grasp it.
But on the racetrack, they'd show her differently—by demonstrating firsthand exactly how a [Domain] should be used.
With such thoughts, the race quickly reached the one-third mark.
Although Digital's earlier sprint seemed to have drained significant stamina, strangely, as the race continued, her steps didn't grow heavier.
Instead, her breathing gradually stabilized, and she showed faint signs of recovering.
But her rivals didn't notice this small detail. Approaching the halfway point, they began their own moves—
Acceleration, sprinting, overtaking…
Interference, gate techniques, [Domains]…
Unlike every previous race, this Tenno Sho Autumn was a terrifying competition in the truest sense, featuring a lineup of all top-tier Uma Musume.
Even the weakest here would practically guarantee a victory if placed in any other G1 event. As for the strongest among them?
Some had even achieved impressive rankings in Triple Crown competitions before, only failing to secure victory for various reasons.
Physical prowess, technical application, Domain mastery, and a fervent desire for victory…
In every aspect, they fully lived up to their reputations as top-class Uma Musume.
Once the midway point arrived and real competition began, the scene quickly descended into utter chaos.
And in the midst of this chaotic frenzy, a certain figure they'd overlooked—one whom they'd assumed had recklessly exhausted herself early on—quietly lifted her head.
Then, she accelerated once more.
Stamina drain? Heavy breathing?
Certainly, at the very start, Agnes Digital had spent enormous stamina sprinting to improve her disadvantaged position.
But the thing was—in just this short span of the race—nearly all the stamina she'd expended earlier had already been restored.
This was partly due to her [Domain], but not entirely.
In truth, Agnes Digital naturally possessed far greater stamina and recovery capability than the average Uma Musume.
If she didn't, there was no way she'd have enough energy to master her absurd number of skills, nor would she be able to return to training full of vigor each day after repeatedly collapsing from nosebleed-induced bliss.
On top of her naturally high stamina and recovery ability, she'd recently received Kitahara Sota's special adjustments to her racing form.
It was a custom strategy designed specifically for her, maximizing her unique traits.
Finally, combined with her newly awakened [Domain], she created this bizarre scenario where, while other Uma Musume steadily lost stamina through running, she was swiftly recovering stamina even at her usual running pace.
Of course, that didn't mean she was now a perpetual-motion machine.
In reality, the stamina she appeared to recover wasn't truly regained—it merely converted some other resource into stamina, and it certainly wasn't infinite.
But it was enough.
As chaos erupted around her, Agnes Digital surged forward again.
And this time, already positioned closer to the front with fewer obstacles and disruptions, her sprint accelerated even faster than her previous burst, the dazzling colors around her flowing even more vibrantly.
At the two-thirds mark of the race, she'd already overtaken second place, closing within two horse-lengths of first.
Caught up, huh…
Noticing the vivid colors chasing her, the Uma Musume in first place felt her gaze shift slightly.
She was admittedly surprised Agnes Digital managed to catch up after such heavy initial expenditure. A newfound respect for Digital began growing in her heart, further affirming the younger girl's talent.
But even so, she had no intention of holding back, much less losing. Instead, her fighting spirit burned even brighter.
A genius, huh…
She recalled this same moment last year—when she herself activated her [Domain] in the final stretch, overcoming second- and third-year Uma Musume to claim victory.
Flames rose steadily in her eyes, her steps radiating heat.
Then let's see if you can accomplish what I did back then.
Entering the final third of the race, she finally activated her [Domain] as well, causing her explosive power to surge drastically, her speed instantly spiking.
To be honest, if she'd activated her [Domain] normally, she wouldn't have reached this level of strength.
But Agnes Digital's presence reminded her vividly of her past self. Her fighting spirit, already ablaze, intensified into roaring flames.
Facing her acceleration, Agnes Digital also picked up speed again, stubbornly keeping pace just behind her.
Like this, the two held onto their positions fiercely until they reached the final quarter, leaving the pack far behind.
But at this moment, the leading Uma Musume's speed suddenly began to slow.
It wasn't because her [Domain] had run out of time; it was her stamina failing to keep up.
This was her third year since debut, now nearing October. She'd already been in her decline period for nearly a full year.
Although her [Domain] activation had grown stronger and more practiced than ever before, the strain on her body also increased significantly.
She hadn't neglected her training, but after close to ten months or even longer into her decline phase, her physical condition inevitably couldn't match what it had been at her peak.
Though the gap wasn't huge, in a top-tier race like this—it was enough to decide the winner.
Not even two seconds after she slowed, that pink silhouette swept past her, surging directly into the lead.
In the instant she was overtaken, her mind briefly blanked. It was as if she'd glimpsed her past self, once also surging past the frontrunner like this, finally claiming victory.
She wanted to chase, but the heaviness in her legs and the scorching pain burning in her throat reminded her clearly that she'd reached her limit. She could no longer sprint forward as she once did.
The flames in her eyes dimmed, and her steps grew heavier and heavier.
Is this it? Am I really losing to time in the end...?
She thought bitterly, and then—
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"
With an angry roar, the flames that had nearly died out ignited fiercely again.
Pride, unwillingness, and the promise made with her Trainer...
Everything was thrown into that fire, reigniting the flame on the verge of extinguishing—and along with it, herself.
And this time, it wasn't only her eyes; even the air around her erupted into flames, impossible for cameras to capture.
Her entire being seemed to burn; every step she took exploded into brilliant flames, as if she were striding upon fire itself, step by step, toward hell itself.
With those flames blazing, her exhausted body moved once more.
Power far beyond her former limits erupted, propelling her speed instantly to an astonishing degree as she chased after the shadow ahead.
Yet, until the very end, she couldn't catch that shadow.
Because the instant she was overtaken, that shadow accelerated even further—its burst of speed no weaker than hers.
Actually, due to Agnes Digital's unique characteristics, Kitahara Sota hadn't planned for her to gain a large advantage early on when designing her racing strategy.
After all, Digital's extraordinary stamina and recovery ability were already exceptional. Unlike Agnes Tachyon, she couldn't secure an ideal position instantly through precise calculations.
Rather, he intended for her to hold steady early on, unleashing her burst when everyone else was exhausted near the end.
Thus, the final stretch of the race was truly Agnes Digital's brightest moment.
Moreover, it wasn't merely the racing strategy.
After overtaking the previous leader, with no one else ahead, Agnes Digital again felt as if she stood upon a stage made just for her alone, each step landing more steadily than ever before.
This time, it wasn't only stamina recovery—under the influence of that special feeling, her already impressive burst power and speed surged even higher.
Combined with Kitahara's carefully designed running strategy, her speed in the last segment of the race reached a terrifying level.
Radiant brilliance and burning flames intertwined, separated, and finally converged again at the finish line.
Four horse-lengths.
That was Agnes Digital's final lead over second place.
Seven horse-lengths.
That was the gap second place had over third.
After the race concluded, as the flames faded away, the second-place Uma Musume suddenly felt a tearing pain throughout her body.
But she didn't immediately seek help. Instead, she forced herself to walk over to Agnes Digital. Under Digital's puzzled gaze, she reached out, lightly punched Digital's shoulder, and smiled faintly.
"Not bad at all, kid."
Then she closed her eyes, cleanly passing out.
Though unsure what had happened, Agnes Digital immediately supported her, hurriedly calling the medical staff.
From the viewing stands, a formally dressed trainer leaped over the railing and rushed down. After thanking Agnes Digital quickly, he anxiously accompanied the medical staff away.
Only after seeing them leave did Agnes Digital return to the passageway, where she saw the figure quietly awaiting her, her tail swaying gently behind her.
"Senpai…"
"Congratulations. A beautiful victory."
Kitahara Sota walked toward her, proactively pulling her into his embrace. While gently rubbing her head, he softly asked:
"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
"...No. Just… a bit sleepy."
"Alright. Let's get you back to the waiting room for some rest first."
Saying that, he directly scooped her up.
Though she hadn't completely lost the ability to move like Agnes Tachyon previously, Agnes Digital didn't resist Kitahara's embrace at all, quietly letting him carry her back to the temporary waiting room.
Returning to the room, Kitahara laid her down gently in the resting area, removed his coat, placed it over her, and softly rubbed her head again, gently speaking:
"First-time [Domain] awakenings are always tiring. Rest up while you can; there's still the Winner's Concert afterward."
"As for your reward—I'm not going anywhere. We can discuss it after your concert, alright?"
"…Mm."
After giving a faint, sleepy hum, Agnes Digital pulled Kitahara's coat tighter around herself, hiding her burning red cheeks beneath. Quietly breathing in his familiar scent, she gradually drifted into sleep.
Yet even after falling asleep, she seemed to dream of something sweet. A soft smile lifted the corners of her lips.
"Senpai…I really love you…"