The few frontrunner horsegirls who managed to react could only watch as that figure drew up alongside them and… without the slightest pause, simply left them all behind in one go.
At the very front of the frontrunner pack was none other than Vodka, second only to the leading escape runner.
This future empress of Japan already had Van Gaul, who was breaking through one opponent after another and was about to draw level with her, locked in the corner of her eye.
Shock and disbelief flashed across Vodka's face, only to sharpen a heartbeat later into a cold, cutting fighting spirit.
The much-anticipated Vodka and the dark horse no one had even mentioned before the race, Van Gaul, were actually about to clash this early on.
Even the commentator's voice rose higher and higher, his words filled with astonishment.
"Unbelievable! The intensity of this debut race is simply incredible!"
"Starting from last after a bad break, Van Gaul has been accelerating all the way and is now effortlessly overtaking most of the field!"
"The only ones still in front of her are Vodka and the leading escape runner! Is this showdown going to happen earlier than anyone expected?!"
"Magnificent, simply magnificent!"
What had begun as a race everyone assumed would be a foregone conclusion, with only the question of by how many lengths Vodka would win… had suddenly gained a very real sense of suspense.
Elsewhere in the stands, a petite and adorable horsegirl hurried in.
"Phew, looks like I didn't make Emperor-sama late."
"I can still catch Vodka's debut win… eh?"
Tokai Teio, a top-class horsegirl who had once collected multiple GI titles on the track and was also Vodka's senior in the same team, had rushed here despite her busy student council schedule.
What she did not expect to see was a completely unfamiliar horsegirl, charging up from the outside lane and overtaking one runner after another.
A nameless dark horse, squaring off against the overwhelming favorite?
That kind of shining scene should be reserved for the final stretch, the last sprint to the finish.
But right now… they weren't even through the second corner yet.
"She's not a closer but an escape runner?!"
Tokai Teio knew very well that some horsegirls were only good at front-running. Even if they were unlucky enough to draw the far outside gate, they would still grit their teeth, ignore the cost in stamina, and force their way to the front.
Was this Van Gaul just one of those unfortunate escape-only horsegirls…
Or was she a terrifying monster with absolute confidence in her own ability?
Was this confidence born of real strength, or just reckless arrogance born of ignorance? Her opponent here was none other than Vodka, one of the brightest talents of the next generation.
Teio, who had originally come just to cheer on her junior Vodka, could not help turning her gaze fully toward that wine-red, tall, dashing figure flying around the track on the outside.
Only someone with monstrous acceleration and outstanding stamina could hunt their way up the field this fast.
Even as a retired senior who should have been less invested in the new generation, Tokai Teio's expression was now showing genuine interest.
Was this a monster that had been dormant all this time, finally choosing this moment to make a single, earth-shaking roar…
Or just a reckless idiot charging in blind?
"Don't look down on me."
The black-haired girl with the single ponytail, Vodka, was anything but flustered. She had the confidence to answer this challenge.
After all, her destined rival, Daiwa Scarlet, was herself a genius escape runner.
They had run countless training races against each other, and Vodka was full of experience when it came to hunting down front-runners.
If she could catch Daiwa Scarlet, then she could catch Van Gaul as well.
There was no way Van Gaul could be more of a monster than Daiwa Scarlet… right?
Based on Vodka's experience, Van Gaul, burdened with both a late break and an outside draw and forced to burn through a huge amount of stamina, was already standing on the edge of a cliff.
Either she kept on accelerating and ran herself out of stamina before the final stretch, leaving herself wide open to be overtaken.
Or she stopped accelerating, held her current speed, and tried to prevent a total collapse in the home straight.
"Even that idiot Daiwa Scarlet wouldn't try to front-run all the way from a situation like this."
Vodka waited to see what choice Van Gaul would make.
"…Huh?"
The next instant, Vodka felt like she was witnessing the impossible. Her expression was full of disbelief.
That heroic, gallant figure, overflowing with presence, had already drawn right up beside her.
A dead end?
Had she never heard the saying, "Heaven leaves no road completely closed"?
In the very next moment, the girl named Van Gaul, in an unstoppable surge, charged past.
Van Gaul said nothing. She simply passed.
First she drew even with Vodka, running side by side.
Then, before Vodka even had time to react, Van Gaul's next burst of acceleration took her straight past.
"She's still accelerating?"
Vodka stared wide-eyed, watching in disbelief as that queenly figure stole away her position.
Second place.
Then, in the blink of an eye, that gallant silhouette also swept past the escape runner who had been leading by such a small margin, firmly claiming the role of sole front-runner.
First place.
And even after overtaking the overwhelming favorite Vodka and the original leading escape runner, Van Gaul showed no signs of having reached her limit, no hint of stalling out.
With no more opponents in front of her to pass, Van Gaul focused solely on the finish line ahead.
Before she realized it, she had already crossed into the third corner.
Having left every "obstacle" behind, with nothing but scenery in front of her now, Van Gaul felt utterly exhilarated.
Her footsteps were lighter than they had ever been.
"What a pleasant, utterly satisfying run. But this is as far as it goes."
"I'm here to bring all of this to an end."
The once-calm eyes of Van Gaul now burned with blazing flames. She threw everything behind her, Vodka and all the other horsegirls included, far into the distance.
The level of acceleration she displayed now was what truly established her lead as an escape runner.
Even in this high-speed gallop, even with the wind howling all around, Vodka's ears twitched. It felt like she could almost hear those unbelievable words.
"What?!"
Van Gaul had already declared victory this early? Was she not even acknowledging Vodka as a rival anymore?
So arrogant!!
Vodka grit her teeth. She would never allow herself to lose to a horsegirl who had made so many mistakes.
She had made no errors, had every advantage… how could she lose to her?
"No. I absolutely won't lose."
Besides, she wasn't an escape runner. Based on her experience chasing down Daiwa Scarlet, the right thing to do was wait for the home stretch and then unleash her full speed.
For now… she could only let Van Gaul run wild in front of her.
Suddenly, Vodka's field of vision narrowed, until all she could see of Van Gaul was that lone back, getting farther and farther away.
The final home straight was right in front of her eyes. So why did it feel like Van Gaul was still… pulling away?
What on earth was that monster?!
…
"Heading into the final corner, Van Gaul alone sweeps through in front!"
"One length! Two lengths! And she still hasn't hit her limit! The pack behind is finally starting to accelerate!"
"But this unbelievable late-breaking escape runner still hasn't run out of stamina!"
On the final straight, where an escape runner should have been facing the inevitable slowdown, Van Gaul showed no such weakness.
As she thundered down the track, the icy wind slammed into her, whipping her wine-red hair into a flying waterfall behind her.
On the jumbo screen, the close-up captured her cold, beautiful, queen-like face and the proud figure that was drawing ever closer to the finish line.
"H-how… how can I not catch up?"
Behind her, Vodka had already started her finishing kick, not only overtaking the escape runner to reclaim second place, but even leaving a significant gap behind her.
Yet even after pulling away from the chasing pack, she realized she hadn't managed to close a single inch on Van Gaul.
A showdown?
No. It was as if such a thing had never existed from the very beginning.
A heavy sense of despair crashed over Vodka, drowning her heart as she pushed her own limits as hard as she could, yet still failed to overtake.
"How can there be a monster like this?!"
There was no fierce back-and-forth, no dramatic duel. Instead, it turned into a completely one-sided display. Van Gaul's accelerating steps only stretched the gap between them wider and wider.
Three lengths.
In front of the finish line, over those last few dozen meters of track, her blistering speed showed no sign of dropping at all.
On the contrary, under the stunned gazes of Tokai Teio, Vodka, and countless others, she continued to accelerate, expanding her advantage.
Four lengths.
Under the weight of countless shocked eyes, that dazzling, radiant figure finally crossed the finish line in front, with a five-length lead.
"Van Gaul! It's Van Gaul who crosses the line first with an absolutely crushing victory!"
"Burn this into your memories! This is a scene destined to be etched into the history of debut races in Japan!"
"From the lowest betting favorite, as a true dark horse, she shone like a brilliant star and took an overwhelming five-length win in a head-to-head clash!"
"Without a doubt, she is destined to become a generational queen, just like Air Groove, dominating the Triple Crown races! Look forward to her battles with her senior, Air Groove, in the future!"
As the commentator's ecstatic shout echoed, Vodka, utterly spent and gasping for air, finally crossed the line in second.
Behind her, the third-place horsegirl was a full five or six lengths back.
If not for Vodka's presence as a super rookie, if this had been a race of ordinary strength, Van Gaul might have even won by the legendary "wide margin" that people only whispered about.
The stands erupted. Even Daiwa Scarlet and Tokai Teio could only stare, completely dumbfounded.
Once reality finally sank in, the entire venue exploded into a frenzy.
This training race, which had already drawn a sizeable crowd to begin with, was now the birthplace of a miracle.
"Van Gaul! Van Gaul! I've been your fan for ten years already!"
"What an incredible genius! Will she go for the Classic Triple Crown next year or the Filly Triple Crown?"
"How is that even possible? How can someone that strong still break that late?"
"She's so cute too! Her winner's stage performance is going to be amazing!"
The cheers poured down endlessly, the reward given to the victor.
For Van Gaul…
This one race was enough to make her name resound across the land.
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N/T: Hi everyone, I'm Zuru, an inexperienced translator and non-native English speaker, so if you notice any mistakes in the text, please let me know in the comments so I can fix them. By the way, I have a Patreon. There isn't much there yet, but it would really help me if you could consider joining.
[email protected]/ZuruZ