——That little director… she seems to know me.
Kagura was watching Symboli Rudolf prepare to enter the gate. She had just taken out her phone to snap a picture when words suddenly flickered across the screen—Eclipse's message.
Eh? Really?
——You and I look alike. That so-called "old acquaintance" she thought of when she saw you could only have been me, unless in the past few hundred years there's been another Uma who resembled me.
But didn't Eclipse-san say before that nobody really knows about you…?
——It's true, very few know me. But there are always some with broader knowledge. For someone like the director, it's not strange to know more. Besides—remember that wall we saw at Tracen the other day? The one with that phrase? "Eclipse First, the Rest Nowhere."
Kagura recalled—yes. That time Rudolf ojou-sama had shown her around Tracen, she had explained the phrase: One horse ahead, the rest lose their light.
——That phrase comes from my era. Her explanation wasn't wrong. These days that's the common understanding. But unless someone dug into history, most wouldn't know the phrase actually had another meaning.
That phrase… it's about you, Eclipse-san?
——Of course. Think about it—Eclipse is my name. It was how people described me back then… "When Eclipse appears, all others lose their light." Sounds grand, doesn't it?
Kagura couldn't see her face. She couldn't guess what expression Eclipse wore as she said it. But the feeling wasn't one of pride—it felt tinged with regret.
——Your blood carries mine, after all. In this age, not many know me, and even fewer could recognize the resemblance between you and me. If someone realized your connection to me… it might bring you some little troubles.
Troubles? Uh… what kind?
——The kind of troubles only adults know. Nothing too terrible, nothing you need to understand now. When you grow up, you'll learn naturally.
Eclipse clearly had no intention of explaining more. Kagura also couldn't imagine what those "troubles" could be. Eclipse had already warned her once before not to tell anyone of their connection. So Kagura only nodded to herself, silently resolving to keep that secret.
When Eclipse fell quiet, Kagura's attention returned to the track. The announcer had finished introducing the race conditions and the runners. Rudolf had entered her gate. From above, Kagura could see each Uma's expression clearly—and she noticed something unsettling. The others looked… afraid. Despairing.
So tense…
The audience noise ebbed into brief silence, as the whole stadium waited for the signal. The air itself seemed taut. Kagura, caught in the atmosphere, felt her heart tighten too.
Clack!
A sharp metallic snap—the gates burst open. The Uma shot forward like arrows loosed from the string. Rudolf surged steadily into the leading group, tucked alongside the front-runner.
Her running was calm, steady. Every stride carried her trained rhythm. Kagura could see it—Rudolf was composed, controlled. But the others—the leader ahead of her wasn't leading out of confidence. She was fleeing, eyes full of panic. The rest around her clung desperately to her pace. Just keeping near Rudolf already wrung out everything they had.
"Rudolf's steps are so stable! She's locked tightly onto the lead group! The leaders can't extend their gap at all!!"
The commentator's voice boomed across the stadium. Cheers followed, and the same name echoed again and again: Symboli Rudolf.
On the track, Rudolf was living proof of that phrase: One horse ahead, the rest lose their light. Compared to rivals whose decline was already showing, this race had become hers alone—her personal showcase.
It couldn't be denied. That phrase suited her perfectly. Her brilliance devoured every gaze, while behind her, all others dimmed into shadow.
In a debut race, only first place counts. Only one can be first. If you can't catch up—and the gap feels this hopeless—it's no wonder their faces looked so crushed.
Kagura remembered the despair she'd seen on the others' faces in the gate. She understood now.
Rudolf was a monster. An unreasonable monster. The leader ahead only held the front because Rudolf had been content to observe, still running her practiced strategy.
Ojou-sama's strength is simply overwhelming… this race is already over.
Kagura sighed, shaking her head. They weren't even halfway, yet there was no suspense left.
Then from below she heard faint cries—blurred, but they sounded like "Kaki!" (oyster). And just then Rudolf swept through the turn, onto the final straight. She seemed to judge there was no opponent left to challenge her. Without hesitation she broke away, lightning-quick, slashing out of the lead group. In an instant she passed several rivals, opening a wide gap.
"Rudolf!! She's accelerating again on the final stretch!! Effortlessly dropping the pack behind her!!"
"Three lengths! Four lengths! Five!! The gap keeps growing! Rudolf's still accelerating! No one can catch her!!"
"A Triple Crown is no dream!! For her—it's inevitability!!"
The commentator's voice shook with passion. Kagura thought—this female announcer must also be a Rudolf fan. Then again, with a performance like this, who wouldn't be?
This was domination without suspense. The track was Rudolf's stage, and hers alone.
Every gaze fixed on her—her speed, her stride, her radiance. The applause, the cheers, all hers. Behind, the rest of the field seemed swallowed by darkness, their forms already forgotten.
——This hopeless gap… reminds me a little of my own days.
Words traced themselves across the glass before Kagura—Eclipse's sigh.
"Finish!! Symboli Rudolf displays her might in perfect form!! She wins with an overwhelming margin!!"
This race had no "highlights." Or rather—Rudolf herself was the only highlight. She blazed so bright that Kagura's eyes could see nothing else. There was no contest, only crushing force. For Kagura, this was simply her first true glimpse at what Uma Musume competition meant.
She looked once at Rudolf, crossing the line and waving with regal calm to her fans. Then her eyes went to the ones behind—spent, hollow, broken. She let out a quiet sigh.
For them, it was cruel luck. Their precious debut, only to collide head-on with this prodigy of destiny.
"Kagura-chan's eyes are glued to Rudolf, aren't they? What's wrong, already captivated by her coolness~?"
Maruzensky teased, pinching her cheek.
"Ahaha… yes. It felt like the entire stage belonged only to ojou-sama. She's… dazzling."
Kagura laughed it off, keeping to herself the ache she felt for those other unlucky Uma.
"Come on! Kagura-chan, let's go meet Rudolf!"
Ruffling Kagura's hair, Maruzensky swept her up under the arms, determined to bring her along. Tojo Hana rose too, ready to join.
"Speed-sama?"
Cradled in Maruzensky's arms, Kagura glanced back. Speed-sama only smiled, shaking her head.
"You young ones go. I'll stay here with Akikawa for a chat. Let the young people celebrate her—no need for me to intrude. As her elder, I'll have my own chance later."
Knowing she and her granddaughter's "frequencies" never aligned well, Speed-sama wasn't about to ruin the mood. Let the youth celebrate together—her time would come after.