"That new girl is incredible, she's so fast!"
"Look at the track, just look at the track—it's full of hoofprints! The impact is insane. A regular Uma Musume wouldn't have that kind of power."
"Fujimasa March got left in the dust right from the start. She can't keep up with this rookie."
"Don't talk nonsense! Fujimasa March has always been a front-runner. This is totally normal for her. Once they hit the final stretch, she'll accelerate and blow past that newbie in no time!"
"Exactly! That rookie went all out right from the beginning—she clearly doesn't know how to pace herself. If she keeps charging like that, she'll burn out fast. Only a total idiot would run like that!"
The crowd of Uma Musume spectators was buzzing loudly, split into two camps, each backing their favorite. They argued back and forth, citing past races and voicing their opinions so passionately their little ears were pinned back.
Judging by the noise, far more were supporting Fujimasa March than Nearl. After all, Fujimasa had been racing locally for a long time, and everyone trusted her ability.
But Rudy Lemono, who knew Fujimasa well, was different. She clenched her teeth, a mix of confusion and worry on her face. Her horse ears drooped weakly, mirroring her emotions.
'What's going on, March? This isn't like you. It's way too early for you to accelerate like this. If you keep pushing at this pace, maintaining your speed till the end will be a struggle, let alone unleashing your final kick. Are you getting dragged along by that runner ahead?'
Unlike the spectators around her, Rudy Lemono knew Fujimasa's rhythm and style intimately. The current speed was already beyond her usual pace. If this continued, Fujimasa would definitely fade before the finish.
'Tch! Get a grip, Fujimasa,' Rudy muttered under her breath, slapping the railing in front of her.
"You noticed it too, didn't you? March isn't running like herself. She's completely trapped in the other Uma Musume's rhythm."
Just as Rudy was stewing in anxiety, a calm male voice spoke up beside her, tinged with frustration and a hint of admiration for Nearl.
"That Uma Musume up front is a natural. She's been controlling the race's tempo from the very start. She speeds up and slows down as she pleases, and March is forced to react, constantly shifting pace. If March doesn't break free and find her own rhythm again, she'll lose this mock race."
Rudy recognized the voice immediately. She glanced sideways. "Oh, it's you, Shibasaki. So, since Fujimasa is racing here, where'd her trainer run off to? Getting lunch?"
On her left stood Shibasaki Koichi, holding two large bags with a cigarette dangling from his lips, his expression grim.
At her question, his face soured even more. "I wasn't getting lunch. This is the food March and I were in the middle of eating. The moment she heard about this Uma Musume, she bolted before finishing her meal. I stayed behind to pay and pack up—that's why I'm late."
"Fujimasa cares that much about this newbie?"
"Yeah, enough to lose her cool just at the mention of her name."
Shibasaki set the bags down, took a deep drag from his unlit cigarette, and Rudy shot him a deadpan look.
"Your cig isn't even lit. What are you puffing on?"
Unfazed, Shibasaki tucked the cigarette back into his pocket. "What can I do? I'm surrounded by Uma Musume. You think I, as a trainer, would actually smoke in front of them? I'm just pretending—helps take the edge off."
Rudy silently side-eyed him and decided to drop the smoking topic. Her gaze returned to the two runners on the track, her brow furrowed.
"That new girl… she's getting even faster?!"
Shibasaki's face was full of concern. "Yeah, faster than when she started. I don't know much about this Uma Musume or what she's capable of, but March can't go any faster. In fact, this is already her limit. She can't keep this up, or she'll definitely burn out."
--+--
'I can't keep this up.'
That was the only thought in Fujimasa March's mind. She could feel her stamina draining at an alarming rate. They'd only covered 800 meters of this 1600-meter race, but she'd already burned through nearly half her energy. If she pushed any harder, she wouldn't have anything left for the final sprint.
'This is so frustrating!'
Gritting her teeth, Fujimasa reluctantly stopped accelerating and settled into maintaining her current pace.
'There's no way I can catch her now. Once she notices I've stopped pushing, she'll probably slow down to recover too. Seriously, she really pulled it off. She's so skilled at front-running—must've trained specifically for this.'
Her eyes scanned the track, taking in the uneven hoofprints, and she felt a pang of envy toward Nearl's raw power.
'Was she born with that kind of strength? I'm so jealous. With power like that, breaking through packs or handling rough terrain would be no problem at all!'
Just as she was lost in these thoughts, something felt off.
'Nearl… she's still accelerating?!'
In stunned disbelief, Fujimasa watched as Nearl's speed increased yet again. Even after accelerating relentlessly for 600 meters, she showed no signs of slowing down.
--+--
[Skill activated: Pegasus's Beat of Wings, Here·Oath of Radiance.]
[Skill activated: Final Sprint.]
--+--
The gap between them widened once more, and Fujimasa could only stare in despair.
--+--
Up in the stands, both Rudy Lemono and Shibasaki Koichi wore identical expressions of shock.
"She's still speeding up," Rudy murmured, almost dazed. "She isn't planning to steady her pace and recover after building a lead. She's going all the way."
"This isn't front-running—nothing like it. She's going for a full-blown runaway lead. She's a true Great Escape Uma Musume!"
Shibasaki was at a loss for words.
Even he had never seen a Great Escape specialist in action. This strategy was downright reckless, almost suicidal. Every Uma Musume had her limits; pushing this hard from the start would drain her stamina completely. If she crashed before the finish, any advantage she'd built would vanish.
Shibasaki's focus had shifted entirely from Fujimasa to Nearl. But no matter how closely he watched, Nearl's rhythm showed no signs of falling apart.
"Hey, Shibasaki, what do we do? Fujimasa looks like she's in trouble!"
Rudy grabbed the trainer's sleeve anxiously, but Shibasaki could only shut his eyes in frustration. "There's nothing we can do. The Great Escape is the most reckless style there is—but for that same reason, it's also the hardest to counter."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.