"Phew..."
Fumino let out a long breath and sighed with a wry smile. "The autumn season… it's really brutal."
Footsteps approached.
Super Creek walked over, dabbing sweat from her cheeks with a towel. Tilting her head, she smiled gently. "Trainer, why the gloomy face?"
"Ah, Creek."
Fumino came back to herself and shook her head. "It's nothing—just thinking things through. By the way, how have you been feeling lately?"
Super Creek nodded. "Mm, really good~ If we went back to the Tenno Sho (Spring) from a few months ago, I definitely wouldn't have stalled on the final stretch!"
"Good. That's a relief."
Fumino gave her a quick once-over, then asked, "Creek, what are you thinking for your autumn schedule?"
Super Creek paused, thought for a moment, then said, "I want to run the Tenno Sho (Autumn)!"
"Tenno Sho (Autumn)… because of Inari One?"
Fumino's brows knit together.
Ever since spring, Inari One's condition had been ridiculous—in June she'd even taken the Takarazuka Kinen with ease. Anyone with a clue could see she'd almost certainly enter the Tenno Sho (Autumn). No Uma Musume can ignore the crown of a Spring–Autumn Tenno Sho double.
"Mm…"
Super Creek nodded… then shook her head. "I do want to race her again, but that's not the only reason."
Fumino went quiet for a moment. "Creek, you know your edge is endurance—on a level most can't reach. The Tenno Sho (Autumn) isn't the same as spring. It's only 2000 meters; that's a real disadvantage for you. The Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen are more your battleground."
If not for the pressure from the Chasing Light girls, Fumino might really have let Super Creek run the Tenno Sho (Autumn). But things were different now. Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses—that was the proper path.
Super Creek listened quietly, then said in a gentle voice, "I know endurance is my strength… but it's not their weakness. In fact, it's their strength too.
"I've analyzed the race footage you collected, Trainer. Every Chasing Light runner—Inari One included—uses techniques on both turns and straights that let them hold pace while saving huge amounts of stamina.
"Trying to out-endure them… actually puts us at a disadvantage."
She explained with a soft smile, completely unruffled.
Fumino blinked. "So what's your plan…?"
Super Creek tilted her head. She was taller than Fumino, and her aura was even more serene. In this moment, they didn't look like trainer and charge so much as older sister and younger sister.
"My plan is… if we can't win on endurance, then let's test true strength."
Her voice was barely above a murmur.
"The Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen both favor me in distance, but they're only a month apart. If I enter both, I won't be at my absolute best for the Arima Kinen after going back-to-back.
"So, I need to skip the Japan Cup and aim for the Arima Kinen in peak condition."
In her eyes, a deep-blue spark flashed to life.
"Choosing the Tenno Sho (Autumn) isn't about being stubborn, and it isn't revenge. It's the best choice given how things are."
Fumino stared at the girl before her. In her mind, Super Creek had always been gentle, considerate—even a little long-suffering. She would follow the plan, work through every session, and almost never present a strategic blueprint with such clarity and resolve.
But now, Super Creek shone with a light Fumino had never seen. It wasn't just a racer's fighting spirit—it was the calm, confident gleam of someone who had studied the field and made a reasoned decision.
"The best choice…"
Fumino echoed the words. She knew Creek was right.
The Chasing Light girls weren't overpowering because of a single standout stat. They were nearly flawless across the board. Their technique made the so-called "endurance advantage" unreliable; even at longer distances they could run efficiently and conserve energy, then unleash a finishing kick that matched anyone.
Rather than be beaten at "your" distance by the exact tools the opponent had mastered, break the cauldron and sink the boats. Meet them head-on in a pure contest of speed and power—under equal conditions.
Skipping the Japan Cup to pour everything into the Arima Kinen—bold, yes, but utterly rational.
"I understand."
After a long breath, Fumino's smile returned, this time with relief—and pride in her Uma's growth. "Then we'll do it your way."
Her gaze sharpened. "From today, we overhaul the entire program. Target—Tenno Sho (Autumn)!"
"Right!"
A brilliant smile blossomed on Super Creek's face.
Trainer and Uma reached a brand-new consensus at that moment.
Click.
Back out on the turf course, Super Creek pressed her soles into the grass. The smile faded into a trace of gravity.
"Free control… of my Domain…"
She'd trained this more than a few times lately, but results were meager. Every time she stepped into the second stage of Domain, her combative will would drown out reason. Her mind would hold nothing but dueling, sprinting, and overtaking—and it troubled her.
For that, she had even mustered the courage to consult the "Emperor" of Uma Musume—Symboli Rudolf.
"Freedom of control… a Domain that obeys its master at will?"
Sitting with fingers interlaced before him, Rudolf pondered sincerely, then shook his head.
"...Gomen, Creek-san. I can't do that either. However, there is one trainer who might…"
Hope lit in Creek's chest—only to sink at Rudolf's next words. "Trainer Kuroha."
"He's the Chasing Light trainer, and his research on Domain is top-tier at Central. He may know the usage you're describing."
Of course he does—he's the one who invented it…
Leaving the student council room with a drooping look, Creek dove back into race videos of the Chasing Light girls in her spare time, hunting the faintest thread. Results were faint.
Yet in practice, she'd vaguely noticed something: on this familiar training track, when she opened her Domain, there was a brief window during which she could still think. Only after a session ended did she put it together. On a course she knew, against rivals she knew, she could avoid being swallowed by that raging competitive will at the instant of activation.
It was only a fleeting moment—but that discovery steeled her resolve.
"It's only August. There are still a little over two months until the Tenno Sho (Autumn)…"
"I have to perfect this idea before then!"
Clenching her fists, Creek's face set in determination.
"A free Domain… If I can't master this, beating Inari One is just a fantasy!"
She remembered the scorching, domineering blaze that had torn apart all her efforts—and made up her mind.
On the minibus home—
Maruzensky sat beside Kuroha, watching him work his phone. "Like this, then like this—see? Your UmaFriend post is up. Easy, right?"
"Mm… I think I've got it."
The chestnut-haired onee-san nodded, still a bit puzzled.
Then she flashed back to her usual self and beamed. "If I forget, I'll just come find you again, Kuroha."
Kuroha sighed. "I'm not your trainer. For basics like this, please ask the proper teacher."
"Trainer?"
Maruzensky winked. "I mean… I don't mind, you know~"
"..."
(End of Chapter)
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