The current Symboli Rudolf had grown considerably milder in her ways compared to before... but her fundamental nature remained unchanged.
When she said complete collection, she meant complete collection.
'I'm gonna become a master of the Uma Musume. jpg'
"So you're only making this demand because you're certain the newly debuted filly can't beat you? Symboli Rudolf, as you are now, you're truly despicable!"
"Enough. I'm merely giving her an early taste of what a world-class champion is like! If she can't even clear this hurdle, how will she ever run in the Japan Cup?"
Symboli Rudolf seemed to realize her proposed race was a bit too outrageous, so she coughed a few times. "Of course, I won't be a bully."
"You'll get a hundred-meter head start. I won't begin until after you've run that hundred meters. Is that acceptable?"
Platinum narrowed her eyes.
It seemed if she didn't run this race, Symboli Rudolf wouldn't let her leave easily.
And besides... she genuinely wanted to see for herself just how large the gap was between her and the current strongest!
"Fine, as you say. But if I win, you must stop pestering me."
Platinum took her position at the street's edge.
"Of course, I always uphold my principles," Symboli Rudolf said, standing beside Platinum. "However, in return, if you lose, you join Tracen Academy."
Platinum pursed her lips, then settled into a stance she'd seen on the racetrack, mimicking the posture.
In contrast, Symboli Rudolf stood casually to the side, more like a spectator than a competitor.
On one hand, she'd agreed to give Platinum a hundred meters. On the other hand... Symboli Rudolf possessed absolute confidence in herself.
This was the confidence of a continuous winning streak, the confidence of the current number one in the nation!
Call it arrogance or disrespect for her opponent—this was the Uma Musume known as [The Emperor].
Platinum regulated her breathing, gradually smoothing the timing of her inhalations and exhalations. This was also something she'd learned from watching Leap of Faith on the track. In that sense, Leap of Faith was her first real teacher.
As Platinum began to feel the moment approach, she leaned forward slightly and shot forth!
Such a forceful acceleration... Even Symboli Rudolf was startled by it. This might very well become Platinum's signature move, granting her immediate dominance over the field right from the start of a race!
Just like in the race recordings Rudolf had studied, Platinum's strides lacked technical finesse, running purely on raw emotion.
She poured every ounce of strength she possessed into her run!
And such terrifying stamina... During her actual race, Platinum hadn't even been going all out. She wasn't in a constant sprint; that was simply her average pace.
Impressive, truly excellent. Though still green, she already displayed a commanding presence on the track—
But the most crucial point was that she was still green.
And so, Symboli Rudolf began to run.
Thump.
Platinum heard her own footfall.
Thump-thump.
Her strides quickened, yet she felt not a shred of the usual joy. Unlike on the racetrack, Platinum only felt her breath growing more ragged. She was even starting to feel tired. Was it because she had just run a race?
Thump-thump-thump.
Platinum realized. Those weren't the sounds of her footsteps. That was her own... heartbeat. Her heart was pounding faster and faster, almost as if... she was fleeing in terror from something!
'You've got to be kidding me...'
Beads of sweat covered Platinum's face. These few hundred meters felt dozens of times more grueling than her run at the Hanshin Racecourse!
Though the ground beneath her feet was different, she'd never been particularly sensitive to track conditions.
As for stamina, she still had plenty—that was the main reason she'd agreed to Rudolf's race in the first place.
And regarding the Soul Dissolution Syndrome... she'd just taken her medicine, so it wouldn't act up again for a while.
Which meant the only difference was...
Platinum glanced back hurriedly. There was no one behind her.
In that very instant, Symboli Rudolf brushed past her shoulder.
"Don't look back during a race," Rudolf said, her voice perfectly calm, even having enough breath to whisper the words by Platinum's ear.
"Rudolf—!"
Almost instinctively, Platinum reached back, trying to grab hold of Symboli Rudolf. But her fingertips only managed to graze the ends of Rudolf's flowing hair.
'Catch her!'
It was a conditioned reflex. Platinum mobilized every muscle she could command, drove every intact bone in her body.
But it was useless! Meaningless!
Symboli Rudolf led ahead, neither too close nor too far. No matter how much Platinum pushed her speed, it was as if Rudolf had eyes in the back of her head—the distance between them remained constant.
It was exactly as if—between Platinum and Symboli Rudolf lay not a mere meter, but a bottomless chasm!
Such grim thoughts flooded Platinum's mind in an instant. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to keep running, only to see Symboli Rudolf come to a stop ahead.
Carried by her own momentum, Platinum uncontrollably surged forward a few more meters before she could slowly halt. She'd run straight through a red light, ending up on the other side of the intersection.
Platinum looked back and saw Symboli Rudolf stopped precisely at the crosswalk line, not a centimeter over. Rudolf maintained her composed demeanor, without... even a single drop of sweat.
Platinum, panting heavily and drenched in sweat, clutched her chest. She walked back to Symboli Rudolf's side and glared at her fiercely.
"You knew full well the gap between us was this vast, and you still made such a wager? That counts as fraud."
"Once you step onto the graded stakes tracks, every opponent you face will be like me," Symboli Rudolf said smugly, patting Platinum's head again. "You won't be able to call it fraud then."
"So, what I can do now is make you become one of them. That is the purpose of Tracen Academy."
Platinum gritted her teeth and held up three fingers to Symboli Rudolf.
"I have three conditions."
"You lost the race, and yet you have conditions?"
"Shut up. You're the one who committed fraud."
"That was not fraud."
"Any non-equitable contest is fraud," Platinum retorted, her expression dark.
Faced with this version of Platinum, Symboli Rudolf's smile nearly slipped. After all, no matter how you sugarcoated it... the fact remained that she'd basically jumped into a kindergarten and beat up a toddler.
If anyone was being a sore loser, it was Symboli Rudolf.
"Alright, alright. Let's hear them. I'll see if I can consider them."
--+--
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.