When did she get to the front?!
I hadn't noticed at all.
Symboli Sirius, who had been overtaken by Narita Brian midway through the race and had been relatively quiet the entire time, had somehow once again surged ahead of everyone.
"You guys really don't take me seriously at all, do you…?"
A mocking voice reached her ears. A faint, confident smile still lingered on Symboli Sirius's face; she didn't look the least bit fatigued even as the race entered its final stages.
Could it be that she managed to conserve her strength while running at the front?!
Just as people were marveling at this, up in the stands, Nase Fumino crossed her arms lightly.
So far, everything was going as predicted.
Because she had taken over training duties relatively late, there was little room for targeted improvement in Symboli Sirius's physical abilities in the days leading up to the race. So, Nase Fumino had shifted her focus to skills.
After watching all of Symboli Sirius's past race records and carefully analyzing the strengths her opponent had shown in the [Japan Cup], Nase had started drilling Symboli Sirius on acceleration techniques through the turns.
The 2,000-meter track at Tokyo Racecourse had two curves that required special attention.
The sharp turn right after the start, and the gentler curve just before the final stretch.
These two curves were the key to victory for Symboli Sirius.
"Inside cornering."
It's a fundamental skill all Uma Musume must train for. When navigating a curve, the closer you are to the inside rail, the more advantageous your path around the arc—the shorter the distance traveled.
Especially on a track like Tokyo's with its wide turns, every extra meter of radius taken in a curve could add over ten meters to the total distance covered.
In a 2,000-meter race like the Autumn [Tenno Sho], an extra ten or twenty meters could be enough to drain a Uma Musume completely.
Even though Symboli Sirius was her charge—no, precisely because Symboli Sirius was her charge—Nase Fumino had to admit it.
In terms of pure physical stamina, Symboli Sirius was no match for Oguri Cap, Maruzensky, and the others.
She wasn't a 'monster'.
But that didn't mean Symboli Sirius couldn't defeat Oguri Cap and the rest. She had her own strengths.
For instance, her astonishing control over her own body and her sharp observation of the race.
Leveraging this, Nase Fumino devised a corresponding strategy.
"You need to run the curves using the shortest possible path."
"The shortest path…"
"That's right," Nase said. "Hug the inside rail."
Note that Nase said 'hug'—press right against it—not merely 'get close'.
Normally, due to their high speed, Uma Musume experience powerful centrifugal force when cornering. To counter this, they lean their bodies inward toward the inside of the track.
This creates a problem.
If they misjudge the distance, they could easily crash into the inner rail.
Crashing into steel guardrails at over ten meters per second is extremely dangerous for a Uma Musume. So, when taking corners, they usually leave a bit of a safety margin between themselves and the rail.
The faster the speed, the larger this margin tends to be.
Nase predicted that with Maruzensky setting a blistering pace at the front, the safety gap left by the other Uma Musume would be just wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
Back then, hearing this, a drop of cold sweat had trickled down Symboli Sirius's cheek.
It meant she would have to navigate the inside path while moving even faster than the others.
The centrifugal force she'd experience would naturally be stronger too.
With the rail on her left and the swinging arms of other Musume on her right, the slightest misstep would lead to disaster.
It was quite literally a 'gate of hell'.
"So, what do you think? Can you do it?"
Facing Nase's question, Symboli Sirius's teeth had chattered briefly before she clenched them firmly.
"Who… do you think you're talking to?"
She had replied.
I am Symboli Sirius.
The brightest first-magnitude star in the world.
"There is nothing—I cannot do—"
--+--
"Symboli Sirius, it's Symboli Sirius taking the lead!!"
She's surpassed the kings of the track, now just a length behind Maruzensky and closing in! Behind Symboli Sirius, a mix of beastly power and lightning speed churns, the battlefield thick with the smoke of competition.
"Turning the impossible into possible, the pioneer of a new world, accelerating on the inside track, she's overtaken numerous rivals—!!"
The suddenly blazing, brilliant starlight instantly captured everyone's gaze.
Symboli Sirius!?
When did she get there…?
Narita Brian, Oguri Cap, and Tamamo Cross all had the same thought simultaneously.
It was as if she had materialized in front of them out of thin air.
They hadn't noticed at all.
Suddenly, Narita Brian glanced to her side.
Between her and the inner rail, there was a gap—just barely wide enough for one person to slip through.
She didn't come through here, did she?
She overtook us in this position, fraught with blades and thorns!
Heh—
She let out a taunting sound.
Your little race—mind if I cut in!
"Symboli Sirius, it's Symboli Sirius! Ahead of the other four, she's pressing step by step towards the leader, Maruzensky!!"
Having successfully executed Nase Fumino's strategy, Symboli Sirius had saved at least twenty meters compared to those like Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross who ran wider paths.
Over twenty meters—nearly a large margin of victory.
It meant that, up to this point in the race, Symboli Sirius had conserved the leg strength equivalent to making up that large deficit.
The part where she lacked raw power, she made up for with technique!
She was arrogant, but Symboli Sirius knew full well that heaven had not shown her any particular favor.
Where one is born unequal, it requires many times the effort.
That was why she had chosen to go abroad, to train and temper herself constantly.
The more she saw, the more she realized the limits of her own knowledge; the stronger her opponents, the clearer her own shortcomings became.
Symboli Sirius tensed her legs, and the power she had stored up burst forth.
Among the myriad stars in the sky, Sirius might not be the most dazzling, but when heavy clouds press down, only Sirius can pierce through the gloom, its light shimmering!
"She's closing in, Symboli Sirius is closing in! Could it be that the morning light of the first-magnitude star is about to pierce through the racecourse!?"the announcer shouted, slamming the table. But before she could even finish her sentence—
Vroom—!
The roar of an engine suddenly erupted.
Maruzensky, who had led from the front and never been overtaken since the very start of the race, finally lifted her head now, gazing toward the finish line.
Beneath her hooves, the friction between iron and turf produced a sharp, grating sound—like a sports car's tires spinning and screeching, heating up before the green light even flashes.
In an instant, the distance that Symboli Sirius had been gradually closing widened once again.
Symboli Sirius's eyes widened in shock.
She's accelerating…
On the final bend, Maruzensky no longer held back, revealing her astonishing speed.
Whether it was the initial surge at the start or the mid-race acceleration, all of it had just been Maruzensky's warm-up.
That wasn't her true capability.
Only now had she slammed her foot on the accelerator, unleashing her full speed.
Finally showing it, huh.
I've really… been waiting for this.
Her golden eyes glanced subtly toward her rival.
Swoosh—
The blade sang out.
--+--
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.