"Hey there, Knight. How's it feel to soak up all that cheering? Getting a bit carried away, are we?"
As Nearl approached, Ines Fujin greeted her warmly, tossing in a playful jab. Faced with her friend's teasing, Nearl visibly stiffened.
"Don't make fun of me. You know perfectly well I don't like being surrounded and praised like that—it makes me feel like a mere symbol, not a person."
"Plenty of folks would kill to be a symbol their whole lives! But you're right, I'm not fond of it either."
Ines Fujin let out a soft chuckle. Once her laughter faded, her expression grew calm and serious, and she pulled the brim of her cap down low.
"Enough small talk, Nearl. What comes next is my declaration of war."
She took a deep breath.
"I will win this race, and then I will defeat you. You might think it's just a pipe dream, but I'll throw everything I have into making it happen."
Clenching her fists, a faint, azure wind began to swirl and dissipate from Ines Fujin's eyes—a telltale sign of one who wielded a [Domain].
"This power… born from my desire to catch up to you… it's changed me. I'm not who I used to be. If you don't take this seriously, you'll be in for a nasty surprise."
"That alone won't be enough."
Out of respect and a flicker of rising excitement, Nearl summoned a trace of her own Domain's power.
A faint, golden candlelight flickered in her pupils, mirroring the wind swirling opposite her.
"This power isn't your secret weapon alone. The victory will still be mine."
"…"
Ines felt she ought to be surprised, but deep down, she accepted it with an odd sense of calm. Perhaps she thought it would be stranger if Nearl hadn't mastered this power.
"Hey, you two… why do you suddenly feel so much stronger?"
Mejiro Ryan stared at her two rivals in shock, an inexplicable sense of dread creeping into her heart.
It was like being a mouse trapped between two cats—an oppressive, illusionary weight.
Suddenly, these opponents felt like strangers, drifting further and further away from her.
Had she… gotten complacent somewhere along the way?
The thought crossed Mejiro Ryan's mind unbidden.
"The assembly call for the starting gate has sounded! This is the final quiet moment before the race begins. Tokyo Racecourse has fallen utterly silent, everyone waiting for this contest to commence!"
"Number one, Shiraishi, is in the gate!"
"Number two, Mejiro Ryan, is in the gate!"
At the Mejiro estate, the grandmother had unusually gathered with McQueen, Bright, and Dober to watch the televised broadcast.
She didn't want to miss what might be the most important race of Ryan's life.
"Grandmother, can Ryan win?"
The still-immature Dober hugged her Nearl-chan pillow tightly, her face etched with worry.
But the grandmother didn't reply immediately. She watched the screen as Ines Fujin boldly challenged Nearl, while Ryan seemed to shrink back half a step. A soft, resigned sigh escaped her lips.
"On the racetrack, nothing is absolute. Everyone has a chance at victory."
"Really?!"
Hearing her grandmother's words, Dober's confidence visibly soared, and a much brighter smile spread across her face.
Unlike her, Mejiro Bright simply patted Dober's head gently, offering no further comment.
Among this generation of Mejiro young ladies, Bright's temperament was the mildest and softest—usually languid, almost seeming a bit airheaded.
But in truth, her emotional intelligence was remarkably high.
Like now. Dober believed their grandmother's words meant Ryan would win, but Bright understood the true meaning hidden in her heart.
'To pin hopes of victory on an uncontrollable chance… the moment Grandmother said that, she'd already made her stance clear.'
Bright watched with concern as Ryan stood in the starting gate, her face somber, and silently prayed that her thoughts might reach her.
'Don't hesitate, Ryan. Please, believe in yourself until the very end.'
"Number five, Ines Fujin, is in the gate!"
"Our impression of Ines Fujin is still quite vivid. Her performance in the last Satsuki Sho was nothing short of stunning—especially maintaining such a lead throughout and still finding another gear at the end. Truly a rare talent."
"And finally, our top favorite, number eight, Nearl, takes her position! It seems Nearl has once again been placed in the outermost lane for this race. We've seen this scenario a few times before."
"Indeed. But I suppose there's no need to worry for her. Even when assigned to the outside lane before, Nearl has always delivered a perfect performance. It should be the same this time."
"Oh, the time is almost upon us. The gates are about to open, so let's return to the main event."
"Tokyo Racecourse, G1 Grand Prize race, the Japanese Derby. 2400 meters, middle distance, turf track, fine weather."
"And now… the race begins!"
Bwoooop!
The gates flew open, and all the Uma Musume burst forth in the blink of an eye. Even those who typically ran from behind scrambled to secure a favorable position.
But the disparities in their abilities became glaringly apparent in that very moment.
"Ines Fujin breaks free! She's sprinting ahead with quick strides, gradually opening up the distance!"
"Mejiro Ryan is hugging the inner rail. She's not accelerating—is she conserving stamina?"
"Nearl on the outside is already showing her prowess! An indescribable swiftness! So fast, incredibly fast!"
From the start to now, the positioning had largely settled.
As usual, Ines Fujin demonstrated her front-runner's skill, firmly holding the lead.
Ryan stayed within the pack, conserving her energy but not letting herself fall too far behind, poised to unleash her final spurt at any moment.
And Nearl… she ran alone on the outer track, looking almost as if she were being rejected and driven out by the herd.
Yet a single glance revealed the truth—a heavy, oppressive aura radiated from her, enveloping the surroundings.
Rather than being excluded by the group, it was more like she alone was suppressing the entire field.
"Wow! Amazing! Nearl is so strong!"
In the private box usually reserved for the student council, Tokai Teio pressed herself against the edge of the glass. Her sparkling eyes reflected a certain golden radiance on the track.
"That power, that overwhelmingly dominant form… How does she do it? It's so awe-inspiring!"
Rising onto her tiptoes incessantly, Tokai Teio didn't want to look away for a single second.
"It's wonderful… that kind of overwhelming strength. I want to possess it someday too, Your Majesty Teio."
The others behind her seemed rather accustomed to this scene.
Manhattan Cafe was silently conversing with SS in her mind, Tachyon was half-asleep, catching a nap, and only Ardan gently approached Teio, trying to strike up a conversation.
"Teio-chan, you seem to really like Nearl. Are you captivated by the way she runs?"
"Huh? N-no, not really. Just… casually watching. Yeah, just casually watching! My admiration for the President won't change!"
She closed her eyes and uttered a lie that couldn't even fool herself.
--+--
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.