Kitahara furrowed his brows for a moment—then broke into a laugh.
"Wait, Shibasaki, what's going on here?"
He suddenly felt both amused and exasperated.
"All the other entries in the Golden Youth Cup are horses that have already lost to Oguri Cap? Are you telling me they're planning some kind of Avengers Alliance?"
Shibasaki froze for a second, then also couldn't help but chuckle.
"How do you even come up with that…? No, that's not it at all. I just told you, March has also signed up for the Golden Youth Cup. Do you think with the friendship between her and Oguri Cap, she'd ever join something like what you just described?"
Kitahara instinctively glanced toward the track.
The paired run between Oguri Cap and Fujimasa March had already ended.
Not far from the finish line, the two silver-haired horse girls smiled at one another, eyes meeting.
They accepted the sports drinks passed over by New Radiance, tipped their heads back, and drank them down in one go.
The sunlight traced the length of their fair necks and the delicate lines of their faces, catching the beads of sweat that slid down from their temples.
"No," Kitahara admitted, "they're not that kind of kids. And I don't think the other Uma Musume are either. I was overthinking it."
Admitting he'd been reading too much into it, Kitahara looked at Shibasaki."Then this time… it's just coincidence?" That was the only explanation he could think of.
"There's coincidence to it, yes, but there's also inevitability."
Meeting Kitahara's gaze, Shibasaki nodded, then looked first at Fujimasa March and then at Oguri Cap.
"March only noticed by chance that a lot of the names on the entry list looked familiar. A quick comparison later, and it was clear—they'd all lost to Oguri Cap before."
"Not that surprising, really. Oguri Cap is without question Kasamatsu's strongest now—put her in the Central and she'd still rank among the strong. She's run a lot of races this past year; naturally she's got a lot of former opponents."
"But when all of those opponents wind up in the same race… with your ability, Kitahara, you must see what that means, right?"
Shibasaki's expression grew heavy.
Kitahara instantly understood what he was getting at, and his heart sank slightly.
"…This Golden Youth Cup—all the other competitors are going to aim for Oguri Cap. Or rather, they'll aim to stop her from winning."
"Even if none of them talk to each other, they'll all, without meaning to, adopt the same strategy."
"In other words, this race—Oguri Cap is going to be targeted by everyone."
While Kitahara's face hardened at Shibasaki's words, over on the training track—
"Haa… I know I've said this before… haa… but, Oguri, you really are a monster…"
After the pair run and a short break, Fujimasa March finally steadied her breathing. She looked at Oguri Cap—whose breathing rhythm hadn't even noticeably changed—with open admiration.
"You've gotten even stronger, Oguri."
"Mm, I think so too."
The airheaded girl nodded without a shred of false modesty.
"For over a month now, Kitahara's been putting me through extra training, and the others have been helping too. I really do feel like I've gotten stronger."
"…You really don't know how to be humble, do you?"
March tugged at the corner of her mouth, then ultimately let out a small laugh."But that's just who you are, Oguri."
"Eh? I'm just me, right? I don't really get what you're trying to say, March …"
Oguri Cap scratched her head, looking troubled.
"Ah, never mind."
March shook her head with a smile, then her expression suddenly sharpened.
"There's something I have to tell you."
"Your next race—the Golden Youth Cup—you're going to be targeted by all seventeen of your opponents, myself included."
"Eh? Including you, March? Then that means—you're racing in the Golden Youth Cup too?"
Oguri Cap instantly lit up.
"That's great! It's been so long since we raced together. I thought I'd have to wait until the Tokai Derby to race with you again!"
March Song was first caught off guard, then frowned deeply.
"You idiot… did you even hear what I just said? You're going to be targeted. Do you even understand how serious that is?"
Oguri Cap blinked, stunned for a moment, then:
"…I don't really get it. But for me, no matter what the race is, I just need to run seriously and give it everything I've got. The rest…"
She pointed toward the edge of the track."I'll leave to Kitahara."
"Kitahara's really busy. I did think before about trying to help him think through some stuff, so he wouldn't be so overworked."
"But when I tried, I realized there were lots of things I just couldn't figure out. If I forced myself to think, I might even make the wrong call and just cause him trouble instead."
"So, if what you're saying is really important, then let's go tell Kitahara. He'll understand for sure."
…The problem being, Shibasaki was already explaining it to Kitahara at that very moment…
March's eyes flicked over to the edge of the track. Seeing the two trainers there with heavy faces, she figured they were indeed talking about exactly what she'd just said.
She thought for a moment, then looked seriously at Oguri Cap.
"Kitahara-san will definitely explain it all again later, but I still want to warn you."
She took a deep breath.
"Crown Author, Southern Girl, Better Sugar, Wandering Dancer, Wild Henry—and… me, Fujimasa March ."
"Oguri, you remember those names, right?"
Oguri Cap's face took on a thinking look.
"Mm… I think I've raced them all before, right? I'm not too good at remembering names," she said uncertainly.
March nodded, then added quietly:
"Those names aren't just your former opponents—they're all racers you've beaten."
"And not just once."
"All of them, along with others who've fallen to you before, will be in this Golden Youth Cup."
"Do you get it now, Oguri? You're being targeted. Every Uma Musume in this race—except you—will have you as their sole focus."
"We're going to throw everything we have at you, before you leave Kasamatsu—just to beat you once."
"Even if it's just once."
Oguri Cap fell silent.
Seeing that, March Song began to feel guilty. Her intention wasn't to scare Oguri Cap.
Quite the opposite—she wanted her to face this situation with all her strength, so she could leave Kasamatsu with no regrets and head to the Central.
So her tone softened, turning to comfort.
"Actually, you don't need to worry. The ones who should really be worried are us."
She sighed.
"I don't know what the others are thinking, but I can tell you clearly what I'm going to do this time."
"My specialty is running away from the front. Yours is taking a forward or mid position and then blowing past everyone with that terrifying closing speed to snatch the win."
"To beat you, I'll have to run away faster, farther. I won't let you catch me easily."
"If I'm thinking this way, the others will too."
"In other words—you'll have to catch me, break through a denser, more aggressive front and middle pack, and endure more relentless pressure from behind than ever before."
"It sounds hard, but like I said—the ones who should really be afraid are us."
"In a situation like this, you'll still win—and the moment you find even the slightest opening, you're guaranteed the victory."
"So—are you ready for your last fight before leaving Kasamatsu and heading to the Central, Oguri?"
(End of Chapter)