"Time!" Kitahara cried out, pressing down on his stopwatch just as I ran past the finish line. I quickly drove my foot into the dirt to stop myself, and I quickly turned to him in anticipation.
Kitahara grinned cheerfully as he turned the stopwatch towards me. "It's a new record!" He said.
My eyes shone in delight, though my excitement was quickly tempered with the knowledge that this improvement couldn't solely be called my own. After all, just because I now had a goal I strived for didn't mean I magically became better at running all of a sudden.
…though I guess that was exactly what happened, huh?
{Homestretch Haste}
Slightly increase velocity in the last spurt.
Cost: 170 SP
Due to completing another Secret Mission, I finally had enough SP to purchase a Skill that could significantly boost my running. Since it was still early on in my Career, and my running style remained somewhat in flux at the moment, I decided to pick a Skill that would aid me no matter the situation.
I didn't have any preconceptions when I first bought the Skill, but I sure wasn't expecting the tactile feeling it gave me when I first received the Skill. It was as if lightning had coursed through my veins for a moment, followed by a pleasant warmth that pulsed throughout my entire being.
I wondered if this was what an Inspiration felt like? I mean, in the game you'd see the umamusume absorb condensed light all the time.
Anyway,
"Your spurt came in a little earlier this time, right?" Kitahara asked as he approached, smiling as he idly dangled his stopwatch from his fingers. "Seems like it helped you quite a bit!"
I smiled back. "So you noticed huh?" I shrugged. "Last time I tried, my 'boost' came in a little too late, so there just wasn't enough distance to make use of it all."
This surprised me as well. I didn't really think about it, but for me, I {Homestretch Haste} was an active Skill. This meant that I had to consciously activate the Skill myself, which presented a surprising depth of possibilities.
Do I activate it earlier to try and have more distance to accelerate to my new top speed? Or do I wait and save it so that I could use it as a way to burst forward if I happened to be overtaken during the final straight? Or maybe I should activate it during the end of the fourth corner instead to try and widen the gap?
Before I could ponder any further, I saw Belno Light finally approach the final straight, her gaze tired but determined as she broke into her last spurt, rushing forward to the finish line.
But her expression soon broke with fear as thundering steps followed behind her, and she nearly screamed when she turned around and saw Oguri Cap charging forward like a beast, her immensely powerful back kick allowing her to easily close the gap between the two. Inevitably, Oguri soon overtook Belno and finished 2 lengths ahead.
Kitahara chuckled. "How was the test race, Oguri? Belno?"
"Oguri-san is scary!" Belno cried out as she gasped for breath.
Oguri tilted her head. "Scary?"
I smiled wryly. "It's probably your steps, Oguri." I explained. "They practically sound like gunshots if I didn't know any better."
"Ooh." She looked entirely nonplussed by the fact, and simply extended her hand out to the tired Belno. "Good run."
Belno smiled weakly as she shook Oguri's hand. "Good run." She repeated, before she sighed. "But you really are amazing, Oguri-san." She shook her head. "I tried so hard to block you, but you passed me so easily!"
But Oguri shook her head. "No. You blocked me a lot." She hummed. "Especially during the second straight." She frowned slightly. "You're amazing too, Belno."
"E-Eh? But…"
I huffed. "She isn't wrong, you know?" I said, giving Belno an encouraging pat on the head. "If it'd been anyone else, you would've easily thrown them off by doing that." I smiled wryly. "Oguri's just built different."
And that was true. I didn't see most of their practice race due to my own testing, but from what little I saw, Belno had blocked Oguri for pretty much half of the race, using her enhanced hearing to indicate how to maneuver together with Oguri, forcefully stopping her whenever she wanted to try and accelerate forward.
It suspiciously sounded a lot like the {Disorient} Skill, but I had no way of confirming that.
Kitahara nodded along, smiling proudly. "Star's right. The fact that Oguri only managed 2 lengths over you is impressive." He winked. "Though you'll need to learn to stop being scared."
"Ahaha…"
I silently stepped back, smiling fondly as I gazed at the pleasant atmosphere. Here and now, it truly felt like we'd all become a family. All the time we spent training together, the meals we shared, the subtle fears we held—for us, Team Kitahara had become a haven we rested within.
My smile fell slightly.
If only this could continue forever.
…
But time waits for no one.
"No.6, Belno Light maintains the lead! The other runners are attempting to overtake her, but they aren't able to!"
"Incredible! It's as if Belno Light had created an invisible wall between them!"
"100m! 50m!"
"No.6, Belno Light finishes first!"
The first to race was Belno Light's [9th Gamabutsu Sho], a medium-length dirt race. And while the umamusume who participated were certainly more trained and prepared compared to those she faced during her debut, Belno's sharp tactical mind easily allowed her to control the race entirely, and with it, her second victory!
Belno was already the favorite to win due to her dazzling performance in her debut and her relationship with Oguri and I, but after this race no one would ever dare to try and downplay the seemingly soft-looking girl as a weak runner. Some Kasamatsu locals have even begun calling her 'The Tactician', much to Belno's embarrassment.
Just a week after Belno's victory in her race,
"The race has entered the final straight!"
"No.8, Blossom Star still remains in the lead-"
"She's speeding up! The gap is growing!"
"3 lengths! 5 lengths! 6 lengths-!"
"No.8, Blossom Star has finished first with an astonishing 7 lengths!"
The [7th Fujino Stakes] came next, and with it, my second victory. Unlike my Debut Race, I'd instead chosen to run as a Frontrunner—my now de-facto running style after considering my strengths and weaknesses. I'd maintained about a length between me and the 2nd place for most of the race, and that lead had started growing as all runners except me began tiring.
But just when the crowd thought that was it, my newest Skill suddenly came into effect as I entered the final straight, and that sudden burst of Speed caused me to launch forward like a rocket, suddenly increasing the gap to 7 lengths.
To say the crowd cheered would be an understatement. I was pretty sure the stadium actually shook a little because of it. And while I appreciated it, I felt that the enthusiasm was a little overblown, especially since this was just some backwater local race.
Of course, I hadn't realized that the Hot Topic effect I'd received was the cause, but I wouldn't realize that for a while.
Then, a few days after that,
"And here she is, the big rookie of the moment!"
"She's the most popular in this race!"
"Block 5, No.5, Oguri Cap…!"
The crowd roared, and I winced as I pressed my ears down flat onto my head. "Yowch." I whispered as I gazed at the massive adoring crowd that'd gathered for this local race. "That's one hell of a crowd." I commented lightly, earning a laugh from Belno who sat just left of me.
"You tell me, kid." The old man who sat to my right, dressed with a Hawaiian shirt and leaning on an ornate wooden cane. "Wonder who it was that stirred this all up?"
"Me?" Kitahara jokingly poked in, and then yelped when the old man struck Kitahara's foot with his cane.
I stifled a laugh as I watched the two men devolve into a quick verbal match.
Just like in the manga, the Oguri's [15th Junior Crown] was the first time we were introduced to Kitahara's uncle—Musaka Ginijirou, jokingly called Roppei by Kitahara. A trainer from Central who'd just recently come to Kasamatsu after hearing all the new buzz that Team Kitahara had stirred up.
And with it, the signal that would begin Team Kitahara's end.
…tch.
I shook those dark thoughts away, focusing back on what was happening down on the race track.
All the nine runners were ready to head into their gates. Fujimasa March, the 2nd favorite to win, was doing her last stretches when Oguri suddenly pointed a finger at her, a confident smile on her lips. "March."
"I won't lose to you."
And in response, March just returned a feral grin.
The announcer kept speaking as the runners settled into their respective gates.
"The [15th Junior Crown] will be starting soon."
"Oguri-san…" Belno whispered softly, before she clasped her hands in prayer. She'd personally experienced Oguri's amazing strength, but she also knew that Fujimasa March was a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Though Oguri was the favorite to win, it really was a toss-up on who could win.
Musaka and Kitahara quieted down as the tension built. Kitahara nervously fixed his color as he brought out his binoculars, while Musaka simply settled back into his seat.
Up on one of the higher stands, a certain gray-haired umamusume leaned her cheek on her palm as she gazed at Oguri and March. "Let's see what ya can do." She said casually, a playful smirk on her lips.
The crowd went silent. The soft rustling of paper played through the speakers as the announcers readied their next script.
One second. Two seconds.
Then-
Bang!
The gates shot open, and nine umamusume raced forward.
"The race starts! All nine participants are running to take the lead!"
"No. 9, Fujimasa March is the one who takes the early lead!"
"No. 5, Oguri Cap has settled into the middle of the pack, placing 3rd!"
Fujimasa March narrowed her eyes as she saw Oguri slowly breaching into 2nd place. There was just half a length between them. Her lips pursed as she considered her choices; they were about to enter the fourth corner now, and she had two choices. Either she made her move now, or waited for Oguri's move and responded.
Meanwhile, Oguri frowned slightly as she managed to pass the previous 2nd place. There was about 600m left to the race, and she'd managed to conserve a lot of energy due to some tips Belno and I gave her a few days back. Normally she would start her spurt during the last 200m, but she felt exceptionally great today.
At that moment, their minds held the same thought-!
Boom!
"Fujimasa March and Oguri Cap have made their move at the same time!"
"They're widening the lead as they're going through the 4th corner!"
"Fujimasa March remains in the lead!"
Oguri grit her teeth. There was just 100m left to the race at this point, and yet she wasn't able to catch up. That half-length gap between them felt like a lifetime, and no matter how much she pushed, that distance refused to shrink.
"AAAHHH!!!" Fujimasa March screamed as she sped up, causing her lead to increase slightly. The crowd roared in excitement, wondering if March would once again take her victory over the monstrous Oguri Cap. March herself was grinning as she watched the finish line approach, bathed beneath the cascading sunlight. "I will win-!"
But,
I chuckled wryly. "Sorry, March." I whispered as I watched her joyous expression twist into horror. "But you'll have to become her catalyst."
A terrifying pressure descended onto the race track. All the runners suddenly gasped, feeling as if their chests were being constricted by some invisible force. The crowd gasped, and while they didn't quite understand, they could feel that something monumental was about to happen. Even the gray-haired umamusume's eyes went wide, having only felt this feeling back with runners in Central.
"I-"
"WON'T-"
"LOSE!"
The ground shook. An explosion thundered across the stadium. And the crowd roars as Oguri shoots past March in a seemingly impossible second spurt. The sunlight seemed to bend around her, and from a distance, it almost looked as if solar rings had suddenly burst forth from the soles of her shoes.
My eyes widened as I grinned.
It looked somewhat incomplete compared to the game, but that was no doubt the activation of Oguri's unique Skill, {Triumphant Pulse}!
"It's Oguri Cap! She goes forward-!"
"She's taken the lead!"
"Oguri Cap…!"
"She reaches the finish line!"
Kitahara collapsed back into his seat with relief. "I never taught her that…" He whispered in disbelief, but he soon shot up to his feet as he cheered. "But she won!"
Belno took a deep breath as she smiled. "Oguri…" She clasped her hands together, almost in prayer. "So beautiful…"
I rolled my eyes at my friends' exaggerated responses, but my ears twitched as I heard Musaka speak. "Oguri Cap, huh…" He hummed, before he glanced at Kitahara. "Oi, Kiatahara." The man in question stopped cheering for a moment. "You still aiming for the Tokai Derby with her?"
"Uh, y-yes?"
Musaka hummed, before he stood up. "Then don't enter the Chukyo Cup." He left the stands after saying that, much to Kitahara and Belno's confusion.
"But why?" Belno whispered, watching Musaka exit with a strange look.
Kitahara just clicked his tongue. "What's with him, acting all high and mighty…"
…
Hidden from anyone else, I silently clenched my fists, my eyes burning with determination.