Here she comes! Southern Actress suddenly kicks into high gear, leaving all the other competitors in the dust as she bursts ahead alone!
"No way! I won't let any of you pass me!"
Her hair streams backward in the fierce wind, and all she can see ahead is the dusty, gray-brown track—and that dazzling, radiant figure.
"Nearl…"
Southern Actress bit her lip, her emotions a tangled mess. When it comes to Nearl, she can't even sort out how she truly feels.
There's admiration, there's longing, and yes, there's even some resentment.
But all those complicated feelings faded when she heard Nearl was leaving for the central circuit.
The only thing left in her heart now is reluctance.
She couldn't make sense of it, so she went to her trainer to pour her heart out. But who would've thought that big guy would just burst out laughing, a huge grin on his face.
He patted her head and made the decision for her right then and there.
"Hahaha, girl, the only answer that's gonna mean anything is the one you find yourself. Go sign up."
"Huh? Sign up for what?"
Back then, she was still totally confused.
"What else? The Kasamatsu Kinen, of course!"
Her trainer laughed heartily and gave her a firm slap on the back.
It didn't really hurt, but it still annoyed her. Still, she was so stunned by his suggestion that she put off getting back at him for the moment.
"Whaaat?! Why?"
But her trainer just kept on laughing and didn't answer.
"Trainer… I think I'm starting to get what you meant now…"
Her eyes are fixed on that figure ahead, but it's like she can see streams of golden light flowing around her.
That running form—so determined, so focused—she can't look away.
"So beautiful… this sight… This is the future I've always wanted to reach."
But she can't do it. With her level of talent, it's just not possible, no matter how hard she tries.
"Maybe that's why I've been so hung up on Nearl. Without even realizing it, I've been projecting my own dreams onto this almost perfect person."
"So when she said she was leaving, I couldn't help but feel this reluctance—because I knew the one comfort I had was about to disappear."
Her vision's getting a little blurry now. Unnamed tears well up at the corners of her eyes, only to be swept sideways by the wind.
"It ends here. After today, I'll have to face reality—face this cold, yet gentle racing career that belongs to me and me alone."
"Hyaaa!"
With a fierce cry, she stroked her fighting spirit and charged forward with everything she had, completely ignoring what's left in her stamina tank.
--+--
"Did someone kick it up from behind?"
Nearl doesn't look back. She can just sense what's happening behind her.
"Then I can't slack off either. In this farewell race, I'll show my true power—I'll show the very limits of what it means to run."
A beautiful smile graces Nearl's lips. For her, whether she runs seriously or casually, she'll win—it's only a matter of by how much.
She's never half-hearted it, but if we're talking about going all out, she hasn't shown that in every race—only in a select few.
"Let me offer my very best as a farewell."
A golden light emanates from her body, spreading across the earth in a brilliant, flowing radiance that gradually expands outward.
[Radiant Knight of the Long Night]
Every Uma Musume has now stepped onto this ever-widening golden path. The moment their hooves touch it, ripples spread out like circles on the surface of a pond stirred by the wind.
"Weird, my body feels so light all of a sudden?"
"The ground… it feels amazing under my feet, totally different from the hard track at the start."
The first-time racers in the back are growing restless. They can all feel an abundance of power inside them and an urgent desire to run—to let it all out.
So why wait?
Might as well give in to that urge and pick up the pace!
"Whoa! Strange—it's as if all the Uma Musume made a pact! They're all accelerating at almost the exact same time!"
"But we're only halfway through the 2000-meter course—aren't they worried about burning out before the finish?"
But there's no stopping them now. With the majority surging forward, even if you didn't want to speed up, you'd be swept along by the crowd.
That doesn't mean there's no way through, though.
--+--
"This is it!"
The excited voice of Fujimasa March rings out. To her eyes, the formation ahead is full of openings.
With a quick shift, March angled outward, moving to the outside lane—now there's nothing in her way.
"Fujimasa! Fujimasa March is drifting wide! What's she planning? The front runners are in chaos from the sudden surge—they're completely unaware of March's intentions!"
"Just you wait, Nearl!"
The muscles in her powerful thighs tense, then release—in that cycle of tension and ease, immense force is channeled exactly where it's needed.
Cracks form in the ground beneath her hooves. Fujimasa March's instant acceleration has already surpassed most of the Uma Musume on the field.
"Just as I thought! Fujimasa March is charging up the far outside! There's nothing in her path—she can sprint without a second thought!"
"One, two, three! Fujimasa March overtakes four runners in one go! She's now in third place overall! The southern runner still holds second!"
"And Nearl remains in first! Our Radiant Knight hasn't been affected in the slightest by the racers behind her—in fact, the gap is slowly but surely widening!"
"Third place, huh."
Fujimasa March stares at the familiar back ahead, her ruby-red eyes gleaming with intensity.
"Just you wait. Six seconds—no, maybe four—and this third spot will belong to the one ahead of me now."
"One!"
She unleashes the stamina she's conserved since the start. Fujimasa March's speed surges once more, closing the distance ahead with ease.
"Fujimasa! Fujimasa March is gaining on Southern Actress! The gap is shrinking!"
"Two!"
She lowers her stance. This running form was customized for her by her trainer, inspired by Oguri Cap's style.
Not so low that it strains her knees and slows her down, not so upright that it destabilizes her stride.
"One!"
"No way!"
Southern Actress ahead let out a frustrated cry, but she simply can't match Fujimasa March's speed—not in a sprint like this.
"Fujimasa March has pulled even with Southern Actress—she's even starting to pass! What incredible closing speed! Fujimasa March has completely overtaken her and moved into second place!"
"And now, the only thing left ahead of her is that insurmountable divide—that Golden Radiance!"
--+--
T/N: 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.