"King! Aaaahhhh~~"
"Here comes the train~~"
"Takoyaki!! Get your Takoyaki here!!!"
The day of Teio's race finally came. Team Minaz decides to watch her race, as it has been quite some time since they all went out together as a full team, plus King Halo. Each of them takes their usual position. Suzuka and McQueen sit elegantly on their seats. Goldship is selling snacks and drinks, while the family of Igo Heita, King Halo, and Haru Urara is sitting together, with the daughter sitting on the father's lap.
The daughter had requested that they go out on a family outing, and since the father had committed a sin comparable to eating the apple, he had to agree to her request.
"Trainer!! I want to run on turf too!!"
"Maybe after you start winning graded dirt races, okay? We can start turf training then."
"Okay~~"
"Look at you. Being a good trainer."
"I have always been a good trainer to Urara. You were just there at a bad time."
"Of course…"
"I can sense the sarcasm there, wife. You have something to say, huh? What? Are you saying that you have been a good mother all the time?"
"What are you saying?! You act so high and mighty when you only take care of Urara during training. I take care of her during the rest of her day. And just for your information, her training time is only a fourth of her entire day."
"Guess that's where her spoiled attitude comes from… From your side."
"Huh?! You should be thankful that she takes after me!! If she takes after you, then she'll be an abusive person!"
"That's only one time!! Why do you act like I have been abusive our entire relationship?!"
"Auntie Suzuka, trainer, and King are fighting again."
"I–I–I am… The auntie…"
Suzuka's ears deflated and flattened. She can't lie to herself that she wants Haru Urara to call her mother so she can be Igo's partner. To be considered as a mother by her stepdaughter, isn't that what every stepmother wants?
"Homewrecker McQueen, please help King."
"Who taught you that?!?"
McQueen would still accept if Haru were to call her auntie like Suzuka, but to be called a homewrecker is something else entirely. What right does King Halo have to be his wife when he proposed to McQueen first? Isn't it the first wife's right to be close to the husband? Why is King Halo there then?
"Here you go! For the lovely family! Free of charges!"
In the end, the one who came to the rescue was Goldship. The white-haired Uma gave the family a bucket of Hachimi. The bucket has 3 extremely silly straws poking out of it for each of the family members.
"Thanks, Uncle Goldship!"
I don't think I can suck the drink from this straw, Goldship.
The young man looked at his straw with doubtful concern. The way it loops, turns, dives, and rises makes it look more like a rollercoaster ride than something you drink from.
Unlike the young man, the 2 Umas don't doubt their ability to suck liquid. They open their mouths and put the end of the straw into their mouths. And they start sucking, and oh boy do they suck.
The young man watches as the bucket starts crumbling into itself. Even when they're using the extremely silly straws, the 2 Umas are still capable of sucking it dry.
They are thirsty!!
The young man knows that Uma is physically superior, but he doesn't think that it also extends to sucking. These Umas will suck everything until that thing deflates into a dry husk.
"OUR RACERS ARE FINALLY HERE!!"
"Let's hope everyone will give their best for today's race and give us a spectacle!!"
After waiting for some time, the racers finally walk out onto the turf one by one. The young man's [Truth Seeing Eyes] does not see any opponent that is worth keeping an eye out for. Everyone is on the expected stats for this level of race.
The most confusing for him was Teio and McQueen's potential to learn debuff skills that focused on stopping End Closer. When he picked up the 2 Umas from the Umalator room, he was happy that they gained hints for navigation skills, but hella confused that they learned debuff skills that target one strategy. The fact that they both learned those skills without being in the same world makes it more confusing. Whatever happened in the Umalator must make them hate End Closers.
"Today's favourite is number seven, Tokai Teio. A rookie from Tracen Academy!!"
"This is her first race after her debut!! Let us hope she can live up to the hype!!"
"We actually became a favourite this time, huh…"
"Is that a jab at me, Trainer?"
"Oh~~ Is my little Mejiro having an existential crisis? So cute~~ You're twenty years too early for that."
"How rude."
The gate is brought out onto the turf, and the Umas slowly approach the gate while preparing themselves. They loosen their joints, stretch their muscles, and some even slap their own cheeks to get their heads on the game. As for the favourite,
"Yosh! My first real race! My first step to be the Undefeated Triple Crown!"
The small, amber brown brown-haired Uma can be seen pumping herself up. Her steps are light, even bouncy for some people. Her long ponytail swings wildly as she shakes her head violently and refocuses herself on the race at hand.
Alright!! Focus!! I have to–I WILL WIN!!
"Everyone has entered their gates!! Let us wait with anticipation for the signal!!"
.
.
.
*BAAAAAAM*
"AND OFF THEY GO!!"
"Oh my~"
"Well, this doesn't look good."
When the gates burst open, all of the racers burst out and quickly speed up to their position, with the frontmost Uma being Teio herself. The pace at which Tokai Teio is running tells the young man that she is running as a pace chaser, the problem is that there is no one using a front-runner strategy.
This is not exactly unprecedented, as we watched this kind of race before. Teio should know what to do in this situation. Her wits stat is large enough for her not to get rushed or startled.
Tokai Teio wasn't expecting to have such an open view of the path. She had planned to immediately use the front runners' slipstream to save stamina, but a wrench was thrown into that plan.
If I want to follow the strategy, then I should slow down and let some of them overtake me. With that, I would be able to use their slipstream, and then everything would proceed as usual.
That's what Teio would be thinking right now.
"With number seven in the lead, the packs are entering the first corner!!"
"It seems that everyone is waiting for the last homestretch to make their moves!!"
BUT THAT'S HOW A LOSER THINKS!!!
"Eh? Teio isn't slowing down? Why?"
"Hmm…"
The young man watches as his trainee continues to lead the race, even with her being a pace chaser. Teio's greatest aptitude for strategy is as a Pace Chaser, and her Front-Runner aptitude is D. Not only is her aptitude bad, but she is also changing her strategy midrace. The young man hasn't taught Teio the strategy of a Front-Runner yet, as only Suzuka can reliably use that strategy. Can she do it?
Tokai Teio… A Genius Monarch…
*Smirk*
Sorry for underestimating you, your majesty.
If I can only win when everything is going my way, then what right do I have to challenge Prez!!! She is the Goddesses-damn Undefeated Triple Crown!! If I fall for her just because of this, then so be it!!
The small Uma plants her feet deeper into the turf and generates more power with each kick. With her flexible ankles, the small Uma is capable of bending her body lower than most while still able to keep her center of balance and power generated.
"Ah! That running style! It's yours, Suzuka."
"I see it…"
Just like how he promised, the young man had trained Suzuka on how to shake off slipstream users. For practice, he had Teio or McQueen run behind Suzuka. That should be it, but it seems that Suzuka was being stolen this entire time, as Teio had also learned Suzuka's running style.
"Goddesses damn genius…"
Her copy isn't perfect, but compared to the rest, she is basically hovering over the ground. Minimising the air resistance, minimising the slipstream created, and creating a figure that is longer toward the front. Suzuka's running style is efficient in stamina usage, a running style that Teio needs right now.
"Number seven is flying like a rocket!!"
"She is increasing the distance!!!"
"And she is entering the second corner!! Look at how she curved that corner!!"
"Magnificent!!"
A corner is usually where gaps are lessened and overtakes happen, but with the training she got from the young man, Teio increases the gap even more.
"And number seven is on the homestretch!!"
"With the closest Uma behind her in four lengths!! Can anyone close the gap!?!?!"
As if I let you!!
*Ding*
Gained a hint for [Homestretch Haste]
"HHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
Teio's guts flame up as the finish line comes into view. Her legs kick the turf with all they have, lunging the body faster and faster forward.
"Four lengths!! Four lengths!! Four lengths!!! TOKAI TEIO WON BY FOUR LENGTHS!!!"
"Damn… She is scary…"