"So cool."
Dream Weaver stood clad in the Northern family's iconic hussar-style victory outfit. The sharp black, gold, and red tailoring stood out starkly against the gloomy sky.
The golden crown pinned in her hair and the hexagram pendant dangling from her ear shimmered brilliantly, as if declaring that no world, however dark, could ever dim their radiance.
To any onlooker, she truly embodied the title of the Northern family's final glory.
And of course, Matikanetannhauser thought so too.
She glanced at the dashing Dream Weaver, then at the fiercely imposing Narita Brian nearby. Every Uma Musume here had her own unique aura; only Matikanetannhauser felt like an ordinary person who'd stumbled into a pack of wolves, completely out of place.
"Seems like there's not much hope for me in this Autumn Tenno Sho."
Matikanetannhauser's eyebrow twitched.
Though Dream Weaver had intimidated her months before the race, it wasn't until she actually stepped onto this track that she truly understood the gap between herself, Narita Brian, Dream Weaver, and the others.
Yet, she felt no regret or disappointment in her heart.
Matikanetannhauser patted her cheeks, straightened the slightly crooked cap on her head, tucked her horse ears into the holes she'd cut out, and muttered to herself.
"Still gotta give it my all."
Even someone as ordinary as her had supporters. Though victory seemed out of reach, she wanted to show her best side for the sake of everyone's encouragement.
Just as she steeled her resolve, Sugimoto Kentaro's voice echoed from the sky above.
"All Uma Musume, please take your positions!"
Hearing the announcement, Matikanetannhauser immediately reined in her wandering thoughts.
However she felt, she was still a seasoned Uma Musume who'd won a G2 race. She could handle this.
Following the main group, Matikanetannhauser entered her assigned starting gate.
The moment she stepped inside, she sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere on the track. If it had been a volcano ready to erupt before, now it was a violent peak pushed to its limit, on the verge of unleashing terrifying, earth-shattering flames.
"...Why does the pressure keep getting stronger?!"
Cold sweat beaded on Matikanetannhauser's forehead.
She could feel the ferocious aura emanating from Narita Brian in the next gate growing even more menacing, like a beast awakening, ready to tear everyone apart on the track.
The aura from Dream Weaver nearby, while not as intense as Narita Brian's, was like a blade slightly drawn—a mere glimpse of its cold gleam made Matikanetannhauser's hair stand on end.
Pressed by these two forces, more sweat trickled down her forehead. She had initially thought this Autumn Tenno Sho was her luckiest race yet.
But now, it seemed it might be her unluckiest.
While Matikanetannhauser was still unsettled by the clashing auras of Dream Weaver and Narita Brian, the starting gates burst open with a thunderous crash.
Though her thoughts were still in disarray, Matikanetannhauser's body, acting on muscle memory, propelled her out of the gate.
Every muscle fiber burst with power in the most perfect way she could manage.
Even with that slight hesitation at the start, she displayed astonishing explosive energy, keeping pace with the main group without falling behind.
The world rushing past her eyes and the scent of grass clippings carried on the wind into her nostrils calmed her somewhat. The sweat on her brow was swept away by the strong wind, as if her anxiety had been blown away with it.
On this rapidly changing track, feeling the hot breath of the Uma Musume beside her, Matikanetannhauser's mind unwittingly grew still.
She mentally reviewed the tactics each competitor excelled at. Though her chances of winning were slim, Matikanetannhauser had no intention of giving up from the start.
A flash of purple appeared in the gaps between the running Uma Musume ahead. Matikanetannhauser knew it was Narita Brian's coat. True to her previous races, she had chosen a front-running style.
Naturally, Matikanetannhauser let her gaze travel further ahead—one length, two lengths, three lengths—but she still couldn't see that red streak leading the race.
She wasn't surprised, though. In the previous Spring Tenno Sho, Dream Weaver had managed a Great Escape, leading the main group by seven lengths, a terrifying gap that hadn't shrunk even when she crossed the finish line.
'She must be further ahead.'
But as Matikanetannhauser looked further forward, even seven, eight lengths ahead, and still saw no sign of that red streak, she began to feel something was wrong.
"She couldn't be escaping that dramatically, could she...?"
"Leading by over ten lengths already? That's even more terrifying than what she said about Narita Brian!"
Just as Matikanetannhauser was finding it hard to believe, she keenly noticed the Uma Musume behind her falter slightly, their eyes also filling with looks of disbelief.
'They see where Northern Dreams is...'
Matikanetannhauser didn't even have time to finish her thought before a sharp, spine-chilling sense of danger prickled from behind. The sensation, like a blade scraping up her spine, made her heart race wildly. An idea she hardly dared believe began to spread in her mind.
"Northern Dreams! Northern Dreams? Is Northern Dreams at the very back of the pack?"
In the commentator's box, Sugimoto Kentaro's voice shifted from excited to confusion, and when he finally shouted, it was filled with sheer astonishment. He truly hadn't expected Dream Weaver to be at the rear.
But he quickly adjusted his demeanor. As a professional commentator and a supporter of Dream Weaver, he guessed her strategy almost instantly.
"A stalking style? This is the first time Northern Dreams has shown such a running style on the track! It seems she wants to show us a different surprise!"
"And the final stretch of the Autumn Tenno Sho is so long; a Great Escape would be hard to maintain effectively. This must be the tactic she's devised for victory!"
Akasaka Rin glanced sideways at her partner.
Though his words sounded confident, his shirt was already soaked with sweat, and beads the size of peas rolled down his cheeks to his shoulders.
Blunt by nature, she spoke without thinking too much.
"But isn't she famous for her Great Escapes? Changing strategies so suddenly, and to a style so drastically different—couldn't that cause problems?"
Sugimoto Kentaro fell silent for a few seconds. For a commentator, such a pause was a glaring mistake, especially during such an important G1 race.
But before Akasaka Rin could speak again to change the subject, he found his words.
"I believe in her."
"She's shown me miracles too many times. This time, it should be my turn to give her strength."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.