Just a week after Oguri's first graded race, it was Belno's time for hers.
Belno took a deep breath as she stood at the far end of the tunnel. A few more steps forward, and she'd be out on the race track to face her first graded race.
A G3! It-, she still couldn't believe that she was here. Sure, she was currently on an undefeated win streak, but they were all local races. Even just standing here, she could feel the difference in intensity.
She took another breath to calm her rapid heartbeat.
She knew full well that she'd been incredibly lucky to have joined Team Kitahara. If Star hadn't noticed her during that first test race, she likely wouldn't have begun racing at all. Her first showing had been unimpressive at best, and she doubted any trainer would've willingly made her their trainee as easily as Kitahara did.
And that was why she had to win. She had to show the world and herself that she deserved to be here. To stand alongside the shoulders of legends…!
"Getting the jitters?"
Belno yelped at the sudden voice, and she quickly spun to find Blossom Star leaning on the wall, grinning slightly. "S-Star-san?" Her expression became frantic. "W-Wait! You're not allowed in here!" She knew Star liked doing this, but that was back before they came to Central. If she got caught trespassing, then the consequences would be serious!
But Star's grin just grew. "It's fine, it's fine~" She stretched slightly as she pushed her back off the wall. "It's more of a suggestion than anything." She walked over to Belno and gave her nose a playful boop. "Anyway, you don't need to overthink it. Don't just dismiss yourself—your place here is well-earnt."
Belno blinked in awe. Could Star read her mind?
Star smiled wryly. "I can't." She said. "You're just really obvious."
"O-Oh…"
Star chuckled as she patted Belno's head. "You've trained hard for this." She said gently. "It's time to put all those ideas you wrote down on paper into practice. Winning might not be a guarantee, but-"
"I don't have to win, I just have to make everyone lose." Belno finished, smiling fondly. "I still remember, Star-san."
"That's good. Well, go on then." She grinned. "Win, Belno. Win beautifully. But more than anything," she gave her a playful wink. "Have fun."
Belno giggled. "I will!"
Blossom Star smiled gently as she watched Belno step out onto the race track.
…
"Welcome back to the Tokyo Racecourse! Today we begin the [Kyodo News Hai]!"
"1800m in length. The track's condition is good today. The skies are bright and clear."
The crowd roared in excitement. This time, the crowd that'd gathered was much larger compared to the [Pegasus Stakes] that just occurred a week before. It wasn't to say that this race was guaranteed to be more exciting; rather, though this race was a G3, there was a preconception that drew eyes from all around Japan.
Because just like the [Yayoi Sho], the Kyodo News Hai acted almost as a prelude to the prestigious [Satsuki Sho], with several umamusume who'd either won or placed during the race having gone to win in Classic races.
It could be said that the race acted as a sneak peak to future champions!
"Our top favorite; she's already achieved 3 victories out of 4 races, with her most recent victory in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes-"
"No.7, Sakura Chiyono O!"
Chiyono O took a deep breath as she waved at the audience. It was all she could to try and slow the anxiety building in her chest.
It was true. Her most recent victory had been at the G1 [Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes]. Compared to that, a G3 race shouldn't be something she would worry herself over. But she couldn't herself, because-
"And now our second favorite, known as Team Kitahara's 'Tactician'-"
"No.2, Belno Light!"
Belno stepped forward without hesitation, and she gave the audience a small wave before she headed for her gate. The loud cheers or the pointed stares from the other runners didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. Instead her gaze remained remarkably clear, and those who'd stared quickly found themselves glancing away due to the pressure she carried.
Chiyono O gulped. She quite liked Belno; she was a little too indecisive at times, but she was kind and friendly. Compared to the quiet Oguri or the playful Star, Belno Light's gentle disposition made her the easiest to befriend.
But here? The girl she'd seen wasn't the Belno Light she'd become friends with.
Instead, it was Kasamatsu's Tactician, infamous for her wiles and tactics during a race. She'd heard no end of praise from the trainers who'd gone out to watch her races, saying that it was like seeing a puppeteer skillfully manipulate the race with invisible strings.
No. Worrying about it wouldn't matter. All she had to do now was to run her best!
Chiyono O smiling brightly, pumping herself up as she headed for her own gate.
"All umamusume are to enter their gates!"
Dicta Striker clicked her tongue. "Not good." She whispered, frowning deeply as she leaned onto the railing. "Chiyono O's just not a good match against Belno."
"Ara? Why is that?" Mejiro Ardan asked, taking a small sip from her cup of tea.
Dicta gave a wry glance at Ardan's cup before she turned away. "Not to imply anything, but Chiyono O ain't the brightest." She narrowed her eyes. "She's good at running, but she's still green. She hasn't had any difficult wins just yet. And that's the kind of thing Belno can easily take advantage of."
"Is that so?" Ardan whispered, her eyes sharpening with interest as she gazed at the serious-looking Belno. "How fascinating." A smile lifted her lips, before she turned to Dicta. "And my, you're quite knowledgeable when it comes to their team." She playfully teased. "Don't tell me you went to watch all their races."
"Tried to." Dicta unabashedly said, before sighing slightly. "Couldn't go to all of 'em cause of my own races, but I caught most of them."
Ardan blinked. "Why I didn't know you were such a fan!"
Dicta shrugged. "Hey, they make even local races fun. I ain't going to feel bad about that." She grinned widely. "And it makes me wanna race against them even more!"
Super Creek giggled at Dicta's enthusiasm, while Yaeno Muteki simply hummed, finding her observations fairly close to her own thoughts.
"All runners have entered their gates!"
"So that's 'The Tactician', huh?" Sensuke Fujii muttered, grinning widely as he snapped a few more images. The contrast between how Belno Light with the audience compared to the frigid determination she had the moment she stepped into her gate was incredible to see. Honestly, it almost felt as if they were too different people!
"And against a G1 winner too." He added, taking a glance at Sakura Chiyono O. "I can already feel it." His grin grew. "The storm's coming…!"
"The race is about to begin!"
The crowd went silent. Tension was palpable in the air as everyone waited for the gates to open.
Then-
Bang!
"The gates have opened! All runners are vying for the lead-!"
"Wait, Belno Light is charging forward! She's ahead! Way ahead!"
"2 lengths, 3-, no, 4 lengths!? Could this be a Great Escape!?"
The crowd went wild. After all, in the world of umamusume racing, what else could be more blood-pumping than the two Greats? The Great Escape that immediately dazzled with its soul-crushing lead, or the Great Chase that showed that no amount of distance could stop an umamusume's charge.
Chiyono O gasped as she watched Belno's back shrink. It was only then that she realized this race was only 1800m in length, and as someone who normally ran in Medium-length races, using such a stamina-draining style was something Belno could easily do!
Left with no other option, Chiyono O grit her teeth as she began accelerating.
"Sakura Chiyono O begins her chase! She's trying to shrink the gap as they're entering the second straight-!"
"Wait, what if she…?"
But suddenly, the growing excitement turned into confusion as Belno slowed down. It wasn't her running out of stamina or her tripping on herself. No, Belno Light had deliberately slowed down.
Not only that, but she'd pushed herself away from the railing, easily giving space for Chiyono O to surge forward and take the lead.
"S-Sakura Chiyono O just took the lead! Belno Light is now second!"
Ardan narrowed her eyes. She could feel it—that familiar tingling in the back of her mind. Belno Light was clearly attempting something she couldn't quite grasp yet, and her tea was practically forgotten as she leaned forward, unwilling to let even a single moment be forgotten.
Meanwhile, Chiyono O was gasping as she successfully took the lead. But there was no sense of success in it, and her heart only hammered louder as she kept glancing to her right. Belno didn't seem saddened in the slightest despite her losing the lead, and the pressure she felt had only grown heavier.
There was something clearly off, and Chiyono O could only grit her teeth as she tried to figure out what was going on.
"Sakura Chiyono O and Belno Light have entered the third corner!"
"The other runners are still far behind!"
"So this is the one she chose~"
Ardan blinked, and her eyes widened as she saw Blossom Star suddenly sit next to her.
"The hell? What are you doing here?" Dicta questioned. "Shouldn't you be with your team or something?"
"Kitahara's screaming was getting a little too loud." Star easily said.
Ardan was quiet for a moment, before she steeled her resolve. "Blossom-san." She began, causing Star to glance at her. "Can you perhaps explain what Belno is attempting?"
"Oi, you shouldn't-"
Before Dicta could speak further, Star casually waved her hand. "It's fine. It's nothing too complicated." She chuckled as she leaned back into her seat. "Belno copied my Great Escape to isolate Sakura Chiyono O, and now that she's all burnt up due to the early acceleration-"
Ardan's eyes widened. "Belno can make an attempt during the final straight!" Her eyes then narrowed. "But something like that would…"
Star chuckled. "Well, it's a good thing Oguri and I are her teammates." She smiled fondly. "Both of us are stamina freaks, after all."
"Sakura Chiyono O and Belno Light have entered the final straight! They-"
"Belno Light has begun accelerating! She's trying to take the lead!"
"What is that posture!?"
The crowd went wild once more as Belno suddenly accelerated. Many of them had also watched Oguri's victory during the Pegasus Stakes, and so the memory of Oguri Cap's final spurt was still clear in their minds.
And now Belno had taken the exact same posture as she charged forward!
"The gap is shrinking! Belno Light is-"
"She's taken the lead! She's still accelerating further!"
"So fast! So fast…!"
No one cared that the announcer had seemingly lost most of their vocabulary. They too felt the same, incapable of feeling anything else but awe as Belno surged forward with immense power, as if the Great Escape she'd used throughout the first half of the race hadn't exhausted her in the slightest.
Chiyono O could only watch in despair as Belno Light surged forward, using the exact same powerful kicks as Oguri Cap's. If she squinted, she could've sworn she could see a phantom of Oguri overlaid over Belno, as if she'd somehow inherited the strength of her fellow teammate.
"Belno Light crosses the finish line! She's taken first, with over 2 lengths in the lead!"
"Another victim falls to the infamous Tactician!"
As the crowd around them went wild, Blossom Star smiled lazily as she stood up. "Of course, this isn't something she can do again." She huffed. "I mean, when are you going to ever find yourself in a similar situation? And besides, I'm sure it'd be dissected to death once the race's recording becomes public."
But Belno Light would make for a poor tactician if she only had one tactic to play.
Ardan nodded slightly, understanding what Star had left unsaid. "Truly incredible." She wholeheartedly praised, before she paused as an idea formed in her mind. "Um, if I may ask," she nervously clasped her hands together as she turned to Star. "Is it alright for me to inquire more from Belno in the future?"
"Shameless." Dicta scoffed teasingly, though Ardan pretended not to notice.
Star just shrugged. "Don't ask me. I'm not the one slinging out a dozen new plans every day." She jabbed a thumb towards the race track. "You should ask Belno when you have time. Though I have a feeling she'd agree anyway." She smiled wryly. "Hell, she'd probably enjoy it. She's desperate for someone she can bounce her ideas from."
Ardan nodded slowly, before she smiled. "I see."
"Team Kitahara takes their second graded victory!"
"Can they be stopped!?"
Chiyono O was gasping as she leaned on the railing. She'd only run a Mile-length race, but her lungs and legs were burning. It felt as if she'd run across one of the longer Medium races!
Her ears flicked when she heard someone approach, and she weakly looked up to find that it was Belno. "Good run, Sakura-san." She said, her face pale and covered in sweat. It seemed the exhaustion had finally caught up to her. "You're really strong, Sakura-san." She giggled tiredly. "You managed to catch up to me during the second straight!"
Chiyono returned a weak laugh. "You're the one who's amazing, Belno-san."
Belno grinned. "Then I suppose we're both amazing then!"
Chiyono O giggled.
"That's all for the race today, everyone!"
"Please head to the atrium for the Winning Concert!"
Belno sagged slightly. "Right, the Winning Concert." She weakly flailed her hands. "Uu, I have no energy left…"
"I'm with you." Chiyono O said slowly, still leaning onto the railing to keep herself upright.
The two of them ended up staying on the track for a few more minutes to rest.