Huh? Wha—?
Nice Nature stared as Platinum charged right up to her, feeling her entire body go stiff.
They were in the same year, but had she ever had any real interaction with the white-haired Uma Musume before? Any reason for a grudge?
She was fairly familiar with Tokai Teio, sure, but geniuses like her existed in a different world, far out of reach. Honestly, chances to interact with them were few and far between.
She'd always kept to herself, living an ordinary, well-behaved life... So how had she managed to get on Platinum's radar?
No, really, where had she possibly offended her?
Nice Nature's smile was frozen solid on her face, on the verge of shattering.
If they were talking about rivals worth paying attention to, surely it should be Tokai Teio, or Neo Universe, or others of that caliber who deserved that intense focus.
Even if you were just picking from the other racers in this race, it should be Ibuki Maikagura. She was a prodigy second only to Tokai Teio.
So... that was a death threat, right? That was absolutely a death threat, wasn't it?
Ref! Did you see that? Platinum wants me dead!
Up in the stands, a certain blue-haired shorty saw the two get up close and personal and nearly launched into orbit.
"Did you all see that?! That was definitely one of those vicious Spica members threatening our teammate!"
Ignoring the noisy Twin Turbo, Ikuno Dictus adjusted her round-frame glasses, smacked Twin Turbo on the head to push her back down into her seat, and folded her arms.
Watching the scene on the track, she muttered to the companion beside her.
"At that distance... if they're not looking for a fight, then they probably wanna..."
She didn't finish the sentence.
"...Negative." For some reason, her companion seemed a little displeased.
Meanwhile, Ibuki Maikagura looked as if she'd been struck by lightning.
In Nice Nature's eyes, Platinum had coldly issued her a death threat. But in Ibuki Maikagura's eyes, Platinum and Nice Nature... were pressed tightly together!
D-Doesn't that mean exactly what I think it means? 'In my eyes, you're the only one here.'
Saying something like that to a rival on the racetrack... its significance was almost as weighty as a direct confession!
She'd even fantasized about it herself... fantasized about doing something like that to Tokai Teio on the stage of the Satsuki Sho!
Ibuki Maikagura was a classic example of Uma Musume thinking. A teenager whose life was mostly consumed by running and races.
Even with talent, grueling training was indispensable. Over time, her mind had become a bit... single-tracked.
She took competitions extremely seriously, and she especially cherished the friendships she imagined born on the racetrack.
Because of this, during races... she tended to get a bit Agnes Digital about things.
Seeing clues where there were none, spinning wild fantasies.
Why... Why...
Ibuki Maikagura felt so wronged she could almost cry.
Why is it like this?!
I should be the one in that spot!
I'm the one Platinum acknowledged as her rival! Did you forget about our interaction in the break room?
[Referring to an 'interaction' where Platinum was the only one who spoke.]
And that time our eyes met, wasn't it so intense we could practically see sparks?
[Ibuki Maikagura was too terrified to even look up.]
Wasn't that the beginning of our friendship? You even came to my break room specifically to see me!
[The truth is, Platinum was lost, and she didn't even recognize any of her opponents except for Nice Nature...]
No matter how you try to fabricate them, memories that never happened simply don't exist, Miss Ibuki Maikagura.
Why am I the only one being skipped over?!
Ibuki Maikagura felt such a powerful urge to jump right in front of Platinum, grab her face, and force her to look at her while she demanded answers.
Look at me! Look at me!
You're only focused on getting all lovey-dovey with Nice Nature... Ibuki Maikagura's lips trembled.
...Then what about me?
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she acted on it. She leaped right between Platinum and Nice Nature, pushing them apart with a hand on each.
"What's the big idea? In broad daylight, what are you two doing?"
She stood between them, snarling like a feisty kitten.
"We're in the middle of a race, whatever you have to say, can't it wait until after the race?"
Lies! If she were the one in Nice Nature's position, Ibuki Maikagura would have wished that moment could last forever!
The mutual respect between rivals, the bold declarations before a race—that was the kind of scene Ibuki Maikagura loved most!
But as things stood, she had no choice but to play the villain and break them up...
Even pushed aside, Platinum kept her intense, unblinking stare fixed on Nice Nature over Ibuki Maikagura's shoulder, continuing to drag her thumb across her own neck.
Nice Nature covered her face with her hands, once again questioning why she had even decided to participate in this Yayoi Sho.
Ibuki Maikagura gritted her teeth so hard it seemed she might grind them down to stumps.
Finally, the three were ushered into the starting gate by the staff, bringing the farce to a temporary close.
"Alright, everyone. As you can see, despite a few... hiccups, all the competitors have now entered the starting gates."
"Platinum, Ibuki Maikagura, Nice Nature. It seems these highly anticipated star runners share a deep mutual admiration."
Nice Nature buried her face in her hands.
Mutual admiration her foot... Since when does 'mutual admiration' involve wordlessly threatening to slit someone's throat?!
She risked a stealthy glance towards Platinum in the next stall.
Unexpectedly, Platinum seemed to sense her gaze and immediately turned her head, locking her piercing eyes directly on Nice Nature.
"Eek..." Nice Nature's face turned pale.
Platinum raised her index and middle fingers, pointed them first at her own eyes, then directly at Nice Nature.
'I'm watching you.'
"Stop looking at me!"
Ibuki Maikagura, witnessing the exchange from the side, gripped the bars of her own gate, staring yearningly at Platinum, hoping she'd do the same to her.
But Platinum didn't even glance her way. After a pause, she again pointed two fingers to her own eyes, then back at Nice Nature.
'I'm watching...'
"I said stop looking at me!"
"Look at ME!"
Well, so much for the farce being over.
"And now, the eight competitors are ready and waiting for the start."
As the announcer's words faded, the chatter—whether from Platinum, Ibuki Maikagura, or Nice Nature—ceased instantly.
The Yayoi Sho was no casual race; it was a heavily anticipated graded stakes race. As a precursor to the Satsuki Sho, it drew even more attention than a typical G2 event.
And the runners attracting so much attention in such an important race... whether Platinum, Ibuki Maikagura, or even the self-deprecating Nice Nature, were in a league of their own compared to the other entrants.
Nice Nature's claims of being ordinary were just humility; her abilities were plain for all to see.
'I must win... no matter what, I have to win today!' Platinum let out a slow, controlled breath, feeling like a bullet loaded into a chamber.
'I have to make Platinum see me in a new light...' Ibuki Maikagura shot a sidelong glance at Platinum, her hooves digging firmly into the ground.
'In that case... I'll just have to test my limits.' Nice Nature clenched her fists, her gaze fixed intently on the gate ahead.
"———And they're off!"
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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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.