Through concentration, a Zone is achieved.
The young girl had now reached a state of hyper-focus during her races.
It was remarkable—Sunday Silence had to admit that achieving such a level in just a few months was no small feat.
If she still had her original body, the [Twinkle Series] would undoubtedly have gained another rare star.
But she didn't.
And perhaps it was for the best.
Because that world wasn't suited for her.
Now, let's talk about the girl's flaws.
Beneath her genius-level learning ability, there still lay flaws that were hard to overlook.
Flaws that worried Sunday Silence deeply.
After several observations, Sunday Silence had identified the issue.
The girl's way of entering her Zone was incorrect.
She forced her consciousness to fixate entirely on a single point, deepening it again and again to achieve that hyper-focused state.
It was too forced, too rigid.
Though her natural talent allowed her to produce decent results, this compulsive racing strategy still had its limitations.
In short, Sunday Silence felt that her ceiling was being capped by her own mode of concentration.
"Learning from others is indeed the fastest way to improve," Sunday Silence explained. "Forcing yourself to adapt to race conditions and running styles is both your strength and your weakness."
The ability known as the "Zone" was something each Uma Musume developed through her own experience—each one was different: wild, precise, hidden, explosive.
One could say a Zone was the ultimate expression of a Uma Musume's unique strengths.
But the girl's method was to alter her own adaptability to match someone else's Zone.
Her form, speed, tactics—everything was bent to serve that foreign Zone.
It was difficult; for an ordinary Uma Musume, it might be impossible in a lifetime.
So Sunday Silence didn't deny her effort or talent.
But at the same time, it meant this: the more Zones she learned from others, the further she drifted from her own.
"Your initial running form—you learned it from Narita Brian, didn't you?"
Sunday Silence said.
She was the first rival the girl had faced, and the impressions they left on each other in that race ran deep. Adopting Narita Brian's rough but effective movements as her main style had also made future races easier.
Then she encountered Hishi Amazon, and the girl absorbed her chasing tactics.
And Green Grass, too.
She learned Green Grass's entire Zone.
True, as she learned more and more, the girl grew stronger.
Now, she could completely surpass her former self in tactics and strategy.
But that was exactly what worried Sunday Silence.
It was too bloated.
Her mind housed multiple abilities, but they didn't always provide positive feedback.
For the girl, the [Tenno Sho] was the highest tier of competition, but Sunday Silence knew better.
It wasn't enough. In the wider world of racing, among all the Uma Musume, the difficulty of the [Tenno Sho] fell far short.
The truly formidable ones hadn't even appeared yet.
So before that happened, she needed to correct her other half's thinking.
More abilities weren't always better.
But the girl was in a phase of rapid growth, focused entirely on learning.
Sunday Silence reflected.
She couldn't guide her too harshly right now—she needed to find the right moment.
Besides, rather than telling her outright, Sunday Silence hoped she would realize it herself.
To trim and to peel away.
To strip those excess abilities from her body, one by one.
In the end, what remained wouldn't be a cluttered collection of complex skills occupying her mind, but something uniquely her own—an invincible, Absolute Zone.
So, back to the present.
Seeing the girl's puzzled expression, Sunday Silence adjusted her thoughts and explained, "You remember how Tosho Boy performed in the simulated race, don't you?"
"I remember."
That final sprint had truly astonished her.
What extravagant footwork.
Speed, power, movement—all three blended seamlessly. Every time her hoof touched the ground, the transition was instant, without a hint of waste.
If the girl's own leg recovery was like an arrow leaving the bow, then Tosho Boy was the breeze itself, dancing on the support of the air.
It was an advanced skill, testing an Uma Musume's mastery of motion and timing.
It couldn't be learned just by watching.
A desire stirred in the girl's mind.
But Tosho Boy seemed quite busy—countless juniors asked for her guidance every day. Setting aside a whole evening to patiently demonstrate and practice with the girl didn't seem realistic.
And it was uncertain whether she'd even be willing to teach.
The girl wasn't Green Grass; Tosho Boy, born a 'Pegasus,' might not want to pass her skills down for others to study.
So for now, the girl hadn't made the request and didn't hold out much hope.
"Actually, setting aside the running form born from stamina and experience, at the root, Tosho Boy's state is very close to mine," Sunday Silence said.
"Tosho Boy?" The girl's brow furrowed slightly.
To receive such high praise from Sunday Silence…
Did that mean her true strength surpassed even Maruzensky?
"No, in terms of pure ability, she might not be a match for Maruzensky."
After all, the speed of that super overtaker was not to be underestimated.
Winning that race was mostly due to the opponent being caught off guard the moment she entered her Zone, disrupted by the girl's move.
If Maruzensky had fully entered her Zone, winning would have been difficult with a body already bound by Green Grass's Zone.
"But strength and state aren't the same."
Tosho Boy's brilliance lay in her mental state.
She could control the shifts in her mindset during a race.
Sunday Silence had noticed that when Tosho Boy changed her running form, the aura she projected shifted accordingly.
Natural and smooth.
For an Uma Musume, that was the most perfect state of running.
In that regard, clearly, Tosho Boy surpassed Maruzensky.
So Tosho Boy's floor was definitely high; how far she could ultimately go depended on her grasp of that 'natural' feeling.
"Then what should I do?" the girl asked.
She wouldn't deny her own shortcomings.
"Actually, besides Tosho Boy, there's one more who has reached that 'natural' state. Someone you know well—among your classmates."
A seed planted long ago had now taken root and sprouted; that young girl had grown up in the blink of an eye.
"A classmate?"
That took the girl by surprise.
"Who is it?"
"Manhattan Cafe's friend—the one known for her escape style."
The Fugitive From Another Dimension, Silence Suzuka.
Her running form was the closest to Sunday Silence's.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.