"Time." Oguri Cap whispered, clicking the stopwatch as I blitzed past the finish line. I took a slow breath as I slowed down, and the rumbling my steps were causing finally ceased as my run came to an end.
I took a mouthful of air as I turned to her. "How is it?" I asked, smiling slightly as I stretched my back.
"Faster." Oguri said as she showed the stopwatch to me. Not that I could see the time—I was a little too far away from her, but it was probably true. She wasn't the type to lie, after all.
{Attack Stance}
When in the lead mid-race, increases velocity.
{Leap Premonition}
When in the first half of the pack mid-race, increases velocity.
{Steady Advance}
When running in a Medium race, if in the lead or close to the lead mid-race, increases velocity and acceleration.
I smiled. "That's good." I said, glad that the new Skills I'd purchased from the SP Shop hadn't gone to waste. And my smile grew even wider as I gave my legs a quick swing; the usual burn in my legs from using many Skills was there, but the pain wasn't so overwhelming that it could potentially lead to an injury.
Here's the thing; I was always afraid of using all my Skills together. After all, that was the main reason why I was so injured after the [Japan Cup], and my recent race against Darley Arabian only solidified that fact. My body was enhanced by the System, sure, but even that wasn't enough to handle the sheer power I gained from all those Skills.
Except that wasn't quite right. After some more testing throughout the past month, I came to the realization that it wasn't using all my Skills that caused my body to break down, but the fact that I used them at the same time. Such a drastic increase in power was bound to cause harm, regardless of the fact that this body was crafted by the divine.
And thinking more about it, I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. I mean, I was a Frontrunner for Goddesses' sake—an Escape Artist at that! Why were most of my Skills focused on the final spurt? The thing I should be focusing on was lengthening my lead as much as possible before the final straight!
Once I had that epiphany, it didn't take long to realize just how imbalanced my roster of Skills was. A majority of my active Skills were ones I used in the final spurt, with only {Tyrant's Advance} being the only Skill I could use early on during a race.
Which left me dry for Skills during the mid-race, which also happened to be the weakest point of my running.
The fact that it wasn't even me but Oguri who first pointed that out made it even more embarrassing.
Regardless, now that I had these three new Skills, my loadout became far more balanced. {Tyrant's Advance} would strengthen my early-race lead, those three Skills would bolster my mid-race lead, and then I could use my usual combination of Skills during the final spurt if things became too dicey.
And the results showed; even without using all my Skills during the final spurt, I'd still achieved a new personal record.
"Well, I think I'm done for now." I eventually said as I glanced at the sky. It was still bright, but I couldn't see the sun anymore. "How about you? Want to go for another lap?"
Oguri immediately nodded, her tail wagging with excitement. I grinned softly as I patted her head, and after taking the stopwatch from her, Oguri made her way to the track. She did a few quick stretches that displayed her unnatural flexibility, before she stood just behind the starting line.
I flashed her a thumbs up, my other hand ready with the stopwatch. Oguri nodded back, and with a breath, she shot forward at incredible speeds. The track behind her was torn up, flinging chunks of dirt up into the air. The earth trembled each time her cleats smashed into the Dirt, the ground barely able to handle the strength of the Beast.
I watched the following devastation with a wry smile. If anyone had been running behind her, they would've been completely smothered in dirt. Oguri would probably be disqualified in that scenario, even if it wasn't technically her fault.
It was that reason that'd led Oguri to run on the outer lanes during the [Osaka Hai]. Not just to avoid Belno's partial Domain, but also to avoid any complications. Sure, it was an annoying step we had to take to ensure no drama occurred, but better safe than sorry.
It was also for that same reason that we rarely trained at full capacity in Tracen Central. Sure, there were five different tracks for everyone to share, but there were hundreds of students. It was practically guaranteed that our schedule would overlap with someone else's, and the track would become completely unusable if Oguri or I trained seriously.
Which was why we were here at Gunma, having monopolized an old racecourse that'd fallen into disrepair. It was the perfect place; we wouldn't be bothering anyone with our training, considering the town this racecourse was built in was a fairly small one, and hardly anything notable ever happened here.
Of course, we couldn't just waltz into here. Though abandoned and degrading, this was still a public racecourse, and the governing body of this town still owned this place.
Which was why we just bought it.
Wasn't like we had anything else to use our prize winnings on. Might as well pour our capital back into our own training.
Anyway,
"Time!" I called out just as Oguri charged past the finish line. Oguri's ears twitched as she heard my call, and her eyes sharpened as she dug her feet into the ground to stop herself. A massive rain of dirt was shot forward from the sheer change in velocity, and Oguri took a small breath as she waved away the lingering cloud of dust.
I grinned as I glanced at the stopwatch. "Your speed's as scary as always~"
Oguri turned to me, and then smiled. "I caught up." She said, caring for nothing else but catching the new record I'd just set for myself.
I blinked, and smiled. "Yeah. You did."
I didn't feel much about the fact that Oguri had only allowed my personal best to remain for a few minutes before she broke it with her own. Instead, the only thing I felt was this lingering satisfaction, happy to see that Oguri was still improving even now—that neither of us had hit our Limits yet, despite our Domains remaining elusive.
Here, in this little world that only belonged to us, the only thing that mattered was the fact that we were able to run. That we were still running together, and the joy that simple act carried.
And maybe in the past I hadn't believed that, that I was born wrong and could never enjoy the speeds this body was able to reach. But now? I could truly believe it.
We were born to run.
[The Hero's Soul resonates with Hope!]
[The Unique Skill [Starlit Crown] levels up!]
"Star?"
"Mm?" I hummed, and then blinked when I realized that I'd unconsciously walked over and started patting Oguri's head.
Oguri stared at for a moment, before she smiled. "Do you wanna run again?"
I grinned back.
"I'm down." I said, handing the stopwatch over to her. She nodded as I walked past her, stretching my arms as I made my way to the starting line. I could feel my legs buzzing with electricity, and my grin deepened as I bent down. My legs stretched, fingers hovered just behind the line, ears twitching as I felt the winds passing overhead.
I took a deep breath. Grit my teeth.
And with a surge of strength, I leapt forward as the ground behind me exploded into the air.