Warm spring sunlight streamed through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows of Tracen Academy, spilling into an office in the administration building whose door had only recently been fitted with a plaque reading "Student Council President." The fragrance of black tea mingled with the faint rustle of turning pages.
Symboli Rudolf sat behind a broad mahogany desk, gently tapping her pen against a list. Her gaze was profound, as though she could see through that thin sheet of paper to the storm that was about to arrive.
"The Satsuki Sho... the first race of the Classic Triple Crown."
She murmured under her breath, her voice carrying an indescribable sense of anticipation.
On her desk lay a document titled *List of Prospective Entrants for the Sixth Satsuki Sho*.
The first name to catch her eye was naturally one that had already become famous throughout Japan.
[Special Week]
As the winner of the Hopeful Stakes, she had secured priority entry into the Satsuki Sho through her overwhelming strength and popularity.
Symboli Rudolf's finger lingered over the name for a moment.
The girl from Hokkaido—the being who had transformed into a "monster" on the racecourse. Since the Hopeful Stakes, she had practically vanished from the world. She had made no public appearances and rejected every interview and commercial engagement. Apart from attending her regular classes at Tracen Academy, she spent nearly all her time running on the track beside the abandoned school building.
"I truly look forward to seeing just where your limits lie."
Special Week's selection was only natural.
She was the reigning "king," the towering mountain every challenger had to cross.
If even she did not compete, the prestige of this year's Satsuki Sho would suffer enormously.
Symboli Rudolf's gaze moved to the second name.
[Grass Wonder]
"So you've finally returned."
A pleased smile curved Symboli Rudolf's lips.
Grass Wonder, once hailed as a prodigy, had spent a long time out of the spotlight because of injury. Yet in the two months following the Hopeful Stakes, she had completed her rehabilitation ahead of schedule through astonishing perseverance. Then, in the preparatory Yayoi Sho, a flawless performance announced the return of a champion.
Although the Yayoi Sho had not drawn as much attention as the Hopeful Stakes, the return of a former prodigy like Grass Wonder had naturally attracted considerable notice.
"Especially Grass Wonder this year..." Symboli Rudolf silently considered the possibilities. "This should be quite a battle. The data says Special Week is stronger, but Grass Wonder has reached that realm before. I wonder how much of that power she can still use now."
Besides them,
the list contained two more familiar names.
[Seiun Sky]
[King Halo]
Symboli Rudolf did not attach quite as much importance to those two.
Seiun Sky had once been watched by many, but after the trial by fire of the Hopeful Stakes, she seemed to have awakened. She had won her next two races in succession, displaying astonishing raw drive. At times, her racing was filled with the wisdom of a strategist, always catching others by surprise.
King Halo, meanwhile, was a young lady from a distinguished family. Her debut had been disappointing, and she had suffered a crushing defeat in the subsequent trial race. Even so, fans who simply wanted to watch the world burn had forcibly voted her onto the Satsuki Sho stage.
Symboli Rudolf shook her head.
"I hope the two of you can show something worthwhile in this race as well."
With that, she set the list aside for the time being and returned to her official duties.
Beyond Special Week and the other three were several more entrants.
Crimson Blaze, the daughter of flame who had been battered beyond recognition in the Hopeful Stakes only to rise again from the ruins. She had once fallen into such despair that she wanted to stop running altogether, but after a period away from the track, her unwillingness to accept defeat ultimately brought her back. She had earned a place on this grand stage and was determined to give everything she had in this race.
Seiun Sky was a thinker who calmly analyzed the situation and tried to find a path to survival between the monsters. Even though she understood how hopelessly vast the gulf remained between herself and those prodigious monsters, she had set foot upon this stage of dreams with composure, pursuing even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of victory.
Royal Glory, a highborn young lady who had been devastated by defeat and sworn to wash away the humiliation. After undergoing extreme training, she came prepared to risk everything in order to prove the excellence of her bloodline—and to prove that she was no worse than Special Week and the others.
These umamusume, together with Special Week, Grass Wonder, Seiun Sky, and King Halo, made up the Satsuki Sho's fourteen-runner field.
Meanwhile, on Tracen Academy's back mountain, at the private track beside the abandoned school building...
The afterglow of sunset spilled across the course, stretching two running figures into long shadows.
"Hah... hah..."
Special Week and Rice Shower were carrying out their usual training.
Ever since Rice Shower had come here the last time, Special Week's "secret base" had no longer belonged to her alone.
They did not speak much, but the time they spent together each day had nevertheless formed a friendship between them.
Rice Shower was not very different from the students outside.
She, too, admired the immensely powerful Special Week.
What kept Special Week from resenting her, however, was that Rice Shower was nothing like those fanatics who constantly chased her around with questions and tried to force their way into her personal space. Women with no sense of boundaries were truly irritating.
"Here... please have this."
During their break, Rice Shower carefully took a bottle of sports drink from her bag and offered it to Special Week.
"Thank you." Special Week accepted it, opened the cap, and took a sip.
"Um... the Satsuki Sho entry list has been announced." Rice Shower spoke softly, as though unsure whether she should bring up the subject.
Special Week paused, then nodded.
"Mm. I know."
Her tone was calm.
She showed none of the nervousness or pressure one might expect before an important race. In truth, she felt no pressure from it at all.
If Silence Suzuka or El Condor Pasa had been able to enter, perhaps she would have taken it a little more seriously.
But Suzuka had not fully recovered from the injury she suffered in her previous race and could not compete. El Condor Pasa, meanwhile, had only recently completed her debut and lacked the qualifications to enter.
At present, aside from those two, Special Week genuinely did not believe anyone else in Japan could make her race seriously.
And what of Grass Wonder's special advantage against "Special Week" in the *Uma Musume* anime? What did that have to do with a transmigrator like her?
"Senpai... you're definitely going to win, aren't you?"
Rice Shower gazed at Special Week's confidence, her eyes filled with admiration and longing.
Special Week did not answer.
Win?
Of course she would.
If she could not even win the Satsuki Sho, how could she speak of becoming the strongest?
"Rice Shower."
Special Week suddenly spoke.
"Yes!"
Startled, Rice Shower hurriedly straightened her back.
Special Week's question left her stunned.
Compete in a race?
That was what she had always dreamed of doing.
But...
Rice Shower's expression darkened. With her current ability, forget the Satsuki Sho—she feared she could not even win an ordinary race.
"I... I want to race too." Rice Shower lowered her head, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz. "But I don't have a Trainer or a team... and my results aren't good either..."
"Is that so?" Special Week replied coldly. "But if you never take the first step, you'll never know how far you can go."
She looked at Rice Shower.
Special Week had seen how hard Rice Shower worked over the past few days.
There was no question that Rice Shower trained diligently.
And yet, her results remained poor. Was that because she lacked talent?
What a joke.
In Special Week's previous life, Rice Shower had been a monster who entered ZONE shortly after her debut. If physical problems had not later kept her from running, even prodigies like Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen would have been utterly unable to match her.
That was why Special Week believed Rice Shower simply lacked a short-term goal.
Without a clear objective, all her effort went to waste—or, at best, produced half the result for twice the work.
Ordinarily, none of this would have concerned Special Week, and her personality would never have led her to interfere of her own accord. But Rice Shower had spent the past few days bringing her drinks and preparing towels for her. Special Week felt she ought to give her a hand in return.
Rice Shower said nothing.
After hearing Special Week's words, she remained silent for a long time. It was impossible to tell whether she had taken them to heart.
Special Week merely shook her head.
"Come watch my race. If you still don't want to give up running after you've seen it, then I think you'll know your answer by then."
"...Yes. I'll definitely be there!"
Rice Shower nodded earnestly.
...
In a dormitory at Tracen Academy...
King Halo sat at the desk by the window, studying the tablet in her hands.
The Satsuki Sho entry list filled the screen.
Her own name was there.
"The Satsuki Sho..."
King Halo's finger lightly traced her name, a complicated emotion flickering through her eyes.
Anticipation? Nervousness? Frustration?
Perhaps all three.
She knew her name was on that list not because of her ability, but because so many people knew her pedigree.
Whether they wanted to celebrate her or hoped to see the glory in her bloodline reappear, people had voted for her, giving her the chance to take part in this race.
"It's hardly something I can be happy about."
King Halo gave a self-mocking laugh.
She had been trained from childhood under the influence of her family and possessed the finest bloodline. Even so, she clearly remembered the words her mother had spoken to her that day.
"You don't have the talent to become an umamusume. Give up on ever becoming a famous one."
At the memory, King Halo clenched her teeth and tightened her fists.
Impossible!
She refused to accept it.
She wanted to prove herself.
That was why she had come to Japan. Even if people had voted her onto this stage merely in the hope of watching her make a fool of herself, she would seize this opportunity. She would prove to everyone that King Halo was the child of those two champions—an umamusume capable of inheriting their glory!
"Special Week, Grass Wonder, Seiun Sky..."
King Halo recited the names, her gaze gradually turning cold and hard.
"No matter how strong you are, I'll defeat all of you in the Satsuki Sho!"
She rose and looked toward the race outfit hanging nearby.
"I have to win."
"Even if it's only this once, I have to win."
...
Online discussion of the Satsuki Sho entry list had already exploded.
Forums, social media platforms, and video sites were overflowing with conversations about the race.
"Holy crap! I thought Special Week had this in the bag with Silence Suzuka out, but Grass Wonder came roaring back! What kind of clash of titans is this?!"
"Grass Wonder looked good in the Yayoi Sho. She really might be able to challenge Special Week and King Halo!"
"Seiun Sky's been improving like crazy lately. I'm betting on her!"
"What the hell is King Halo doing there? After that debut performance, she still gets into the Satsuki Sho? It's rigged! It has to be!"
"Quit being bitter. She's the daughter of two champions, after all. It's perfectly normal to expect something from her. Maybe this race will finally make everything click!"
"So what if she got in? The racecourse is where she'll have to prove herself! She's nothing but a stray by the roadside!"
"On that note, can anyone give us a rundown of the other entrants?"
"I know Crimson Blaze. Special Week crushed her in the Hopeful Stakes. Apparently she disappeared for a while afterward, but somebody later saw her Trainer putting her through brutal training."
"I know Seiun Sky. She's an honor student, so if this were a written exam, she'd win for sure. In an actual race, though? I don't see much promise."
"Royal Glory lost badly last time too, didn't she? Another young lady from a famous family. She and King Halo belong at the same table."
"Quit dragging my Glory into this. Before she ran into that monster, her results were all first-rate. She's obviously different from someone like King Halo, who barely won her debut!"
"This is hilarious. Apart from Special Week and Grass Wonder, the rest are just there to make up the numbers."
"Don't be so absolute. Anything can happen in a race. What if some dark horse pulls off an upset?"
"A dark horse? Go look at Special Week's record before saying that. Silence Suzuka couldn't attend the race a few days ago because something came up. Otherwise, who could possibly outrun that monster?"
"Exactly. Special Week just won by an enormous margin—something no human being could produce. Unless she makes a mistake herself, this Satsuki Sho title is hers."
"Right, and didn't a program analyze her last race and conclude that she hadn't even gone all out?"
"Here we go again, mindless Special Week worship!"
"Grass Wonder has plenty of experience, and she's an awakened prodigy. She really might beat Special Week."
"Seiun Sky is fierce too. Her recent races have been genuinely impressive, and you can clearly see her control of the pace."
"King Halo... forget it. Not worth mentioning."
"I think Emerald Wind might have something. I heard she's formidable on the regional circuit."
"I don't care! I'll always support Special Week!"
"Grass Wonder is the one true goddess!"
"Go, Seiun Sky, go!"
Online opinion churned like a pot of boiling water.
Countless views and predictions tangled together in an endless argument.
Some favored Seiun Sky, believing her invincible.
Some supported Grass Wonder and put their faith in the former prodigy.
Some looked forward to an upset from Seiun Sky.
Some waited to watch King Halo fail.
...
Like a stone cast into a lake, the Satsuki Sho entry list sent ripples spreading in every direction.
Everyone's attention was fixed on that day.
The coming storm was already gathering force.
What kind of battle would the fourteen entrants wage on the Satsuki Sho course?
No one knew.
But everyone eagerly awaited the day of its arrival.
...
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