After a series of commotions (the staff brought over the training bibs for the advanced division), the entire mock race was able to continue.
"That child… she really shouldn't be underestimated…"
Mr. Yoshida's words made Kazuo not know whether to laugh or not.
He could only suppress his laughter and shift his attention to the race.
At this moment, Tamamo Cross had clearly entered a state of 'blackening,' and he could feel the negative emotions emanating from behind her as she constantly muttered with her head down: "Die, die, die—"
Xiao Hai Wan didn't know if she was just thick-skinned or if she had gotten used to this kind of situation; either way, she continued to chat with Tamamo Cross from the gate next to her.
"Ready—"
Everyone in the gates took their stances, concentrating as they waited for the final command.
The entire racecourse was incredibly quiet at this moment; despite it being a simulated race, everyone still held their breath.
"Start!"
In an instant, when the gates opened, everyone charged out with all their might.
Only Xiao Hai Wan, who had been focused on Tamamo Cross's situation, was not concentrating, and it took her two seconds after everyone else had charged out to react and start running.
In a 1200m short-distance turf race, everyone treated the start of the race as a sprint.
There were 6 flags along the track, each representing a 200m segment of the race. This was also to more intuitively track the Uma Musume's rankings in each segment, their instantaneous speeds, and the time taken per unit distance.
Because Xiao Hai Wan, who was supposed to start from gate number one, was slow out of the gate, the inner lane immediately became everyone's target. In a short-distance race, getting into the inner lane can give one an early advantage.
This was a truth everyone understood, but what the Trainers present didn't expect was that the one currently leading the pack was the smallest Uma Musume, Tamamo Cross.
From the leading group, she sprinted forward like a lone rider, taking only four seconds to create a gap of two horse lengths between herself and the second-place Fine Motion.
"Damn it, ah ah ah ah!!!!"
Tamamo Cross at this moment seemed to be competing with an opponent in a much more distant place, as she roared in Kansai dialect, her face red.
Stimulated, she had clearly abandoned her previous plan, now purely relying on absolute speed to compete.
"Her leg cadence is incredibly fast…!"
Kazuo couldn't help but look at the white-haired girl in shock. Given her physical condition, if she wanted to break through the crowd, she would normally have to sprint from the outer lane during the third segment. But now, by being at the very front from the start, she had undoubtedly secured the most advantageous position.
"Is she compensating for her physical disadvantage by lowering her center of gravity and sprinting with an extremely fast leg cadence? This girl has excellent footwork…"
Mr. Yoshida also nodded in praise, but his gaze involuntarily shifted backward.
The number 10 bib was instantly passed by Tamamo Cross at a speed too fast to be caught by the naked eye.
"How many seconds?"
Toujou Hana's gaze was fixed on Tamamo Cross's petite figure, while Todo, looking at the numbers on his stopwatch, said with some disbelief:
"11.81s?!"
The few people nearby all focused their attention. This number was already considered an outstanding achievement in a G2 race. And this was just the strength displayed by an Uma Musume who hadn't even had her debut race.
"Tamamo Cross, huh… I wonder if she can maintain her sprint speed until the very end…"
The assistant group leader, rubbing his chin, said thoughtfully.
Tamamo Cross was clearly in a runaway position at this moment. If she could maintain such an advantage, then victory would be without any suspense.
However—
With an extremely fluid, elegant, and perfectly executed running style, Fine Motion clung tightly behind her. Unlike Tamamo Cross, her sprint cadence wasn't particularly fast, but with each step she took, the turf seemed to be ripped up, as if she were a cannonball launching forward.
Initially, the distance between them was two horse lengths, but after a segment, Fine Motion firmly latched onto Tamamo Cross's tail, perfectly narrowing the gap to within one horse length.
"Hoo oh… I originally thought this young lady in second place was just a special recruit due to studying abroad. I didn't expect her to possess both strength and intelligence…"
Mr. Yoshida said, stroking his goatee, while Kazuo on the side paid extra attention.
This old man seemed to know everything, always facing everything with an expression of knowing it all… And—
Just as the old man said, Fine Motion was indeed using her brain to run the race.
"In a leading position, she's clinging tightly to Tamamo Cross, who is in first place, reducing wind resistance during the sprint. On one hand, she's observing Tamamo Cross, who is in the lead, and on the other hand, she's also prioritizing occupying the secondary position to prevent the Uma Musume behind her from catching up."
The assistant group leader analyzed Fine Motion's tactics while looking down at the entrance physical examination data of everyone in this race.
"She still has reserves, waiting for an opportunity to unleash her full power… I didn't expect such a delicate figure to be able to erupt with such strong power."
Toujou Hana crossed her arms over her chest, watching the race with a serious expression.
"They've already passed the third segment! First place time is 33.93s!"
Todo continued to call out the stopwatch count, and everyone's expressions grew even more serious.
The quality of this simulated race was already comparable to that of a regular competition. Everyone couldn't help but seriously scrutinize those running on the track.
The race was halfway through, and the next turn was the moment for the charge.
The final turning point was about to arrive, and everyone stared intently at the flag marked with the number four. As the two dark figures crossed it together, everyone's eyes widened.
In the final turn, Fine Motion accelerated from the second lane, completely closing the gap with Tamamo Cross. The two were almost neck and neck at this point.
Like a swift thunderbolt, Tamamo Cross was in the inner lane, and Fine Motion was in the second lane. The two sprinted neck and neck, even forming a drill-like wind wall, as if spiraling.
The final four hundred meters, appearing before all the Uma Musume, was the straight track for the final sprint.
Kazuo couldn't help but widen his eyes; no one wanted to miss any detail here, even if it was just a simulated race.
"Ya ah ah ah ah ah ah—"
"Heh ah ah ah ah!!!"
In the final sprint, not just these two, but everyone else also gritted their teeth and used all their strength to charge forward.
"Look, number four!"
Kobayashi on the side couldn't help but shout loudly. The two front-runners began their sprint competition on the straight, and among the Uma Musume behind, one figure also began to accelerate, moving from seventh place to third place in succession.
Accelerating from here, controlling the final straight sprint to within 18 seconds—
The elegant black-haired beauty, like a black phantom, began to increase her sprint speed. In just 200m, she had already appeared in third place.
And now she was only less than two meters away from the two in front.
"This kind of footwork… her explosiveness is truly excellent…"
Although she looked very quiet, her Kiai (Fighting Spirit) was incredibly wild and confident.
This determined pursuit and spirit—
The final two hundred meters.
"Aaaaaaaah!!!"
Tamamo Cross let out a roar, her body bending low as if to touch the ground in an exaggerated posture, and in that instant, the small Uma Musume transformed into a white flash of lightning.
Bang—
Swift as the wind, quick as thunder; truly swift as the wind and quick as thunder.
A little bit, half a meter, a horse's length—
During the final sprint, everyone watched in shock as the smallest Uma Musume, Tamamo Cross, once again unleashed terrifying acceleration in the last two hundred meters, ultimately pulling ahead by one and a half horse lengths to cross the finish line successfully.
"68s07..."
Todo looked at the data on his stopwatch, somewhat dumbfounded.
One minute and eight seconds... This... was the time run in a freshman simulation race?
Everyone's gaze turned to Tamamo Cross, the smallest in stature, yet brimming with immense potential and energy.
"Hoo... hoo..."
To be honest, such a sprint had completely broken her limits. After crossing the finish line, Tamamo Cross felt her brain unable to process everything. She stood hunched over beside the track, panting incessantly.
"...Hoo... I, I won—"
Just as she realized this and was about to move...
"Little Tamamo!!!! Congratulations on coming in first!!!!"
Pwah!
She was suddenly bumped from behind, and then immediately held in a tight embrace.
Due to a slow start, Xiao Hai Wan only managed to get fifth place, but she was happier than anyone that Little Tamamo got first. She had just crossed the finish line, not even pausing to rest, and rushed over to hug Tamamo.
"Ngh! Ngh! I can't, I can't breathe! Xiao Hai Wan! Quick, let go!"
"To celebrate, should we go for parfait today? Or crepes?"
"Ngh, ngh! This is so uncomfortable—"
Being pressed against by *that*, a double blow both psychologically and physically, even though she had won the race—
Why, why, was there an indescribable sense of defeat?
Damn it, I'm going to cry, I'm really going to cry!!!
"Tamamo Cross... I never thought there'd be such a monster among this year's freshmen..."
"Senior, whose team do you think she'll choose to join?"
"Do you even need to guess? It'll definitely be the Vice Leader's or Leader's team... But the others are also very strong..."
Eishin Flash still crossed the finish line in third place. She jogged gently to regulate her breathing, while checking the numbers on the stopwatch beside her.
"0.42 seconds faster than my estimated time, huh... As expected, the students at Tracen Academy are truly impressive."
Even though she wasn't first, she still appeared very much at ease. And in her expression, there was clearly another objective.
This is good—
She thought to herself, then walked towards the lounge area.
Fine Motion didn't stop after crossing the finish line, but instead jogged along the track for a while. Although Tamamo Cross's abnormal acceleration ultimately led to her defeat, she clearly didn't care much about it.
More than that, after crossing the finish line, she had already spotted that familiar figure on the platform.
With a bright smile on her face, she waved her right arm, jogging all the way towards Kazuo to greet him.
Compared to victory or defeat, Kazuo's presence clearly made her more joyful.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was on Tamamo Cross, and they didn't notice Fine Motion's actions away from the crowd.
Kazuo, though a bit shy, still raised his right hand to wave back at her.
And Yoshida, observing all of this from the side, also inadvertently revealed a knowing smile.