The next day, just after nine in the morning, before the School Selection Race had even started, Tracen Academy was already swarmed by crowds rarely seen on campus. A number of luxury cars lined the entrance, dignitaries dressed in splendid attire mingled with formally dressed servants of renowned families, and even popular internet celebrities made unexpected appearances. The students, bewildered, felt as if it were Tracen's open house all over again.
The news—that Kagura from the Support Uma department was participating in today's selection race—had spread like wildfire among students. As the first Support Uma in Tracen's history to enter a selection race without reaching honkaku, her participation became the hottest topic on campus.
"It's sure lively here today…"
Symboli Speed, already seated in a prominent position near the front rows of the stands, gazed around at the packed seats still filling steadily, letting out an astonished sigh.
Kagura had chosen to participate in the 2000-meter race today. After careful consideration, she decided this distance was perfect for showcasing her skills while ensuring spectator interest.
"Kagura-chan's really popular at school, huh..."
Beside Speed, Mejiro Iris couldn't help but marvel. The scale of today's crowd rivaled that of some major prize races, and yet this wasn't even Kagura's debut—it was merely a selection race at Tracen.
As she spoke, Iris glanced toward Mejiro Ardan, standing not far away. Ardan watched the field with sparkling anticipation, ears and tail swaying excitedly, clearly showing her enthusiasm. Her younger sisters at her side shared the same eager gaze fixed on the track.
Kagura's popularity is soaring. You'd better try harder, Ardan—wait too long, and there'll be nothing left for you.
...
"The competitors for this race are… Yamatoshi Queen, Dyna Challenge…"
On the other side, Kagura, already dressed in Tracen's rarely-worn athletic uniform and waiting in the entry tunnel, heard the commentator announcing participants' names. She felt a slight pang of nervousness.
——Don't worry. This was always a step you'd have to take eventually. Be brave!
Eclipse's words flashed briefly on Kagura's phone before vanishing instantly, and Kagura felt a gentle, comforting pat on her head.
Incidentally, today's live announcer was still Rudolf, while Mr. C.B. took over as the commentator. Even Mr. C.B., who rarely returned to campus, had rushed back specially for Kagura's race. Maruzensky, who previously handled commentary, was now seated comfortably in the stands next to Trainer Tojo.
"…And our final competitor today is Inari Kagura from the Support Uma department!! She's the earliest participant in Tracen's history and the only one in today's race who hasn't reached honkaku yet. Such bravery!"
"OOOOHHHHHHHH——!!"
As Rudolf's voice echoed out, an unprecedented roar of cheers erupted from all sides.
Taking a deep breath, Kagura stepped out of the tunnel onto the field, immediately drawing another wave of thunderous applause.
"You're really popular, Kagura-san…"
"I'm pretty surprised myself… Considering I'm just a Support Uma…"
Kagura recognized the tall, cool, older-girl type Uma Musume greeting her; she'd just heard her name announced—Yamatoshi Queen, one of her rivals in today's race. Kagura couldn't help but envy her impressive figure.
"Well, you always help everyone out. Oh, and thanks again for your notes from the last round of exams."
"Ah, you too... Glad they helped."
"Yes! But don't expect me to go easy today!"
Yamatoshi Queen, brimming with competitive spirit, reached out a fist toward Kagura. Though unused to this gesture, Kagura hesitantly raised her own hand and bumped fists with her.
Glancing toward the stands, Kagura saw the Symboli Family, the Mejiro Family, Nice Nature—even Curren Chan… A significant part of the crowd were her acquaintances. Feeling it would be impolite to do nothing, Kagura awkwardly waved in response, immediately drawing even louder, excited cheers.
Ah… I'm still a bit uneasy. I really can't bounce around naturally like Curren-chan can…
After greeting her friends and acquaintances, Kagura sighed softly and entered the gate.
"Good morning, Kagura-kouhai! Thanks again for your notes last exam!"
"Really grateful for your help with the exams last time! But don't expect senpai to hold back today!"
Stepping into the gate, Kagura heard greetings from numerous classmates around her. Every competitor at the starting line had benefited from her help before. Only then did she realize how many classmates' lives she'd saved from failing deadlines.
"Haha~ Giving it your all on the field is the best respect you can show your opponents. I won't hold back either!"
"That's exactly right! Show us what the top Support Uma can do!"
The other Uma Musume in the gates responded enthusiastically, ready to race.
There were eight competitors in total. Once Kagura entered her gate, the Uma Musume acting as referee checked carefully to ensure everyone was ready.
"Turf, sunny weather, 2000 meters, course condition—good!"
Rudolf clearly announced today's track conditions, her eyes fixed intently on the starting line—specifically on Gate Number Eight, Kagura's position.
Kagura… show me just how much your abilities have grown!
...
"Focus…focus…"
Inside the gate, Kagura listened closely to Rudolf-ojousama's voice. She leaned forward slightly, adopting a ready-to-run posture, her eyes locked firmly ahead. Like she did when practicing archery, she imagined herself as a drawn arrow, poised to shoot straight through the opening gate.
As Rudolf finished reading the conditions, a brief silence fell over the entire venue. Seconds later, with a crisp clang, the gates sprang open—and a black blur instantly rocketed out of Gate Number Eight, far outpacing all other runners—
"All competitors had excellent starts! But Inari Kagura from Gate Eight takes an incredibly decisive lead!!"
"Inari Kagura is using a frontrunning strategy today—oh? Even for a frontrunner, isn't her speed a bit too fast…?"
Mr. C.B.'s voice swiftly followed. Actually, Kagura choosing the daitō strategy for this selection race had been obvious from the start. But as the commentator, Mr. C.B. still needed to maintain excitement for the audience.
"No—wait! The gap is still widening!! It's a daitō! Does Inari Kagura, who hasn't even reached honkaku yet, truly intend to use daitō in this selection race!?"
"What!?"
At another corner of the stands, Trainer Tojo, seated next to Maruzensky, clearly heard her colleagues' shocked exclamations. She understood their surprise perfectly; after all, without honkaku, a young Uma Musume shouldn't have the stamina to maintain a daitō, especially across a full 2000 meters. Just finishing normally would be challenging enough.
"No way… She'll burn out before the finish line, won't she?"
Murmurs of disbelief echoed throughout the stands. Maruzensky chuckled softly:
"Hehe… Kagura-chan really defies common sense, doesn't she? Seems nobody here believes she can finish?"
Having personally raced against Kagura, Maruzensky knew exactly what Kagura was capable of. She was suddenly eager to see how the trainers around her would react when Kagura, after maintaining a daitō, unleashed her finishing sprint down the final straight.
"It's natural for everyone to doubt, Maruzen. You must realize—Kagura's kind of monster… Tracen Academy has existed for so many years, yet there's only ever been one like her."
...
"Kagura-sensei's running... she's so fast! So cool!!"
In a distant corner of the stands, Curren Chan, who'd arrived late and couldn't find a seat closer up, sat perched on her father's shoulders, excitedly waving her hands.
"Curren, didn't you say Inari Kagura was a Support Uma? This speed… doesn't seem like something a Support Uma should have, does it?"
Curren Chan's mother watched with keen interest as Kagura charged past the first turn. She'd initially accompanied her daughter just for fun, but never expected to witness such a dramatic daitō strategy during a rookie selection race.
"Kagura might be a Support Uma, but her speed isn't weaker than any of the racers here!"
Another voice spoke up nearby, briefly drawing the mother's attention. It was a red-haired Uma Musume holding up a phone and tripod, filming toward the racetrack.
"Wudi-san, can you see clearly? The one far ahead, wearing number 8, is Kagura-chan!"
Nice Nature, tasked by Kagura with livestreaming, was speaking to Wudi through her phone, broadcasting simultaneously on Bilibili, while Wudi provided live commentary translations.
Nice Nature felt deep admiration for Wudi-san—being able to simultaneously translate languages at such a young age proved how strong her linguistic foundation was. Compared to herself, who struggled even with basic literature and needed Kagura's constant help, she couldn't help but feel envious.
"Yes, I see her! Wow, Kagura-meimei is incredibly fast!"
...
"Inari Kagura has already cleared the second corner! Her pace hasn't dropped at all! The distance between her and the rest continues to widen! No one can get close!"
"What terrifying speed… it's only the second corner, but she's already opened at least a ten-length gap behind her."
From the stands, Iris estimated the distance with just her eyes. Although she knew Kagura's talent was extraordinary, today truly highlighted just how frightening the gap between Kagura and her peers had become.
"More than ten. The girls behind her aren't even on the same level. The gap isn't narrowing at all... Look, even the leaders in pursuit are close to burning out."
Speed also exclaimed in awe. As a former racer herself, assessing other runners' conditions was practically second nature. Kagura's insane pace had accelerated the race to unimaginable speeds, straining the pursuing Uma Musume tremendously—exactly like that runaway horse that had disrupted the rhythm during Rudolf's Satsuki Sho.
"Hey, old friend—how far ahead do you think she'll finish?"
Iris curiously turned to Speed. She knew Kagura wouldn't burn out, and that the outcome was already clear. She only wondered just how big the final margin would be.
"By a wide margin."
"Bah! Stop talking nonsense! You think that's the answer I'm looking for?"
"I honestly can't estimate accurately. But at least twenty lengths, probably more, especially since some of them will burn out soon, widening the gap even further."
...
"Inari Kagura has reached the third corner! Her lead is widening further! Cameraman, isolate camera number two and focus on Inari Kagura! She's already run out of frame!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Uma Musume responsible for the stadium's big-screen feed quickly adjusted positions, assigning one camera specifically to follow Kagura, now leading far ahead.
"Tazuna-san! How long has it been since we last saw someone run completely out of the camera's view?"
Director Akikawa Yayoi watched Kagura reappear onscreen and sighed emotionally.
"Not even Mejiro Ramonu-san's debut race was this outrageous."
Tazuna-san shook her head. She'd genuinely never seen such an unbelievable situation before—not even during her own racing days had she created such an astonishing gap.
Akikawa Yayoi laughed helplessly, shaking her head:
"Astonishing! What a troubling feeling… Any Uma Musume who has to compete with this girl for next year's Triple Crown is doomed to despair!"
...
"How could this be… Kagura-san's speed…"
Trailing far behind, Yamatoshi Queen, barely maintaining her pace, let out a desperate gasp as she stared at the figure disappearing ahead.
They'd already pushed themselves to their absolute limits, approaching their usual sprinting speeds at the final straight, yet this did nothing but slow the rate at which the gap widened.
"She's practically a monster… the gap just keeps growing! We can't even begin to close in on her!"
Nearby, Dyna Challenge was also gasping for air, another victim of Kagura's terrifyingly quick pace. Yet, she was utterly powerless—the enormous gap made it painfully clear how vast the difference in their abilities was. And Kagura hadn't even reached honkaku yet!
...
I won't hold anything back—I'll prove with the most spectacular victory that I'm worthy of your guidance!!
While the trailing runners had barely entered the fourth corner, Kagura had already exited the turn, stepping onto the final straight. Under the shocked, despairing gazes of the Uma Musume behind her, Kagura lowered her posture even more—
"Inari Kagura has cleared the fourth corner—and she's accelerating even more dramatically!! Is this… a final burst?! What am I witnessing?! A daitō from a Uma Musume who hasn't reached honkaku, yet she still unleashes such a frightening final sprint?!"
Even Mr. C.B.'s usually composed voice carried real shock. She'd never witnessed Kagura running at this speed before—not even during training races. She doubted she herself could match Kagura's terrifying last burst.
"Inari Kagura… is truly a monster!!"
The Uma Musume behind her finally let out despairing cries, realizing the innocent-looking Support Uma far ahead wasn't harmless at all—but a monster possibly even scarier than Symboli Rudolf or Mr. C.B.!
"Ka...ki—!!"
"The front-running Uma Musume have started burning out! The pace was too brutal! Inari Kagura completely shattered the race's rhythm, throwing off everyone else's stamina management!"
Rudolf's commentary quickly followed. Her own heart raced with astonishment and delight, her voice unconsciously filled with excitement.
"No one has any strength left to close the gap! Inari Kagura—breaking away from the pack!!"
"Inari Kagura demonstrates overwhelming strength—finishing by an enormous margin!!"
As Kagura crossed the finish line, after a brief stunned silence, someone in the stands began cheering loudly, instantly sparking thunderous applause and shouts that swiftly engulfed the entire stadium.
Eight or nine seconds after Kagura crossed the finish line, Yamatoshi Queen and Dyna Challenge, in second and third places respectively, finally reached the line. Utterly exhausted, they watched in awe and mild fear as Kagura smiled, waved joyfully at the crowd, and bounced energetically.
What a terrifying monster... I just hope we don't run into Kagura-san during our debut races..
---
T/N: JEEBUS
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