1# Eishin Flash and Harada Kenpei.
The cheers were so piercing... Eishin Flash stood blankly on the racecourse, her face tilted upward, her gaze focused on the photo finish the announcer was holding high.
Lost? I lost? To that shorty... She still couldn't believe it. With Tamamo Cross's exaggerated running posture, how could she have possibly done it?
Had that small Uma Musume from Ritto grown to such an extent in just half a month?
Subconsciously, Eishin Flash searched the racecourse for that figure and saw Tamamo Cross collapsed in Takeda Makoto's arms.
Was it that Trainer? What on earth did he do?
For some reason, Eishin Flash felt a bit envious of Tamamo Cross, a strange emotion that even she found surprising.
"Dammit, we couldn't even win this. How useless. Now there's no reward."
"Yeah, and Harada Kenpei boasted so much about it. Blocking Tamamo Cross didn't even work."
"No, we already did what we were supposed to do. It's his own Uma Musume who had the problem. We should go demand that reward!"
The discussion among the Uma Musume behind her pulled Eishin Flash's thoughts back to reality.
"What are you talking about?"
Eishin Flash frowned. She could hear the malice directed at her in those words, and her intuition was always sharp.
"Eishin Flash, it's all your fault. We agreed that if we blocked Tamamo Cross, you'd take the win."
"What are you even talking about? What do you mean by 'blocking Tamamo Cross'?"
Eishin Flash had no idea what they were saying. She had simply participated in the race and worked hard to win the First Place favor. What did they mean by blocking Tamamo Cross?
"Don't you try to play dumb. Harada said it himself—as long as we held back Tamamo Cross so you could win, we'd get a share of the prize money. We only agreed because it wasn't an official race."
These Uma Musume knew they couldn't beat Eishin Flash, so when they heard there was easy money to be made, they had readily agreed.
"Harada...? Impossible. You're lying!"
Eishin Flash's eyes widened, unwilling to believe that her Trainer had cheated in a race.
"Lying? If you don't believe it, go ask your Trainer yourself."
Right, I should go find my Trainer.
With that thought in mind, Eishin Flash turned around and searched the stands for Trainer Harada.
She spotted him instantly. Out of place among the surrounding crowd who had stood up to cheer, Harada Kenpei sat in his seat with his head in his hands, his face full of agony... As the clamor faded from the racecourse, only the sound of the wind accompanied Eishin Flash. Leaning back into the shadows of the wall, she asked in a cold voice.
"Is this true?"
Harada Kenpei looked as if he had lost all his spirit. With his jacket draped over his shoulders, he was about to leave with his head down when he trembled at Eishin Flash's sudden question. He neither spoke nor looked her in the eye.
"Why did you do it?"
Silence... He continued to hide like a turtle in its shell, saying nothing. Eishin Flash had had enough.
"As my Trainer, you should know that what I want is a fair and square victory! Why would you do something like this!"
Her emotions poured out along with her roar, Eishin Flash's chest heaving violently.
Silence... Eishin Flash let out a barely audible sigh, her clenched fists dropping weakly.
"You don't intend to say anything, do you?...Doing this, what difference is there between you and the Takeda Ryuji you despise so much!"
The name that fell from Eishin Flash's lips was like a fuse that ignited a bomb in the middle-aged man's heart. Like a wild beast lashing out, he violently grabbed Eishin Flash by the collar, his expression contorted and his teeth gritted as he spoke.
"Takeda Ryuji! It's all his fault! He's the one who turned me into this!"
Eishin Flash had never seen her Trainer look like such a demon. She was terrified, her pupils trembling violently, unable to speak.
Harada Kenpei noticed her state and quickly let go.
"Sorry..."
Silence... A deathly silence... Only the rustling of leaves in the campus trees as the wind blew through them.
After a long time... Eishin Flash composed herself and said calmly, "Mr. Harada Kenpei, as of today, I am terminating my training contract with you..."
She straightened her collar and, like a judge who had just handed down a death sentence, prepared to turn and walk away with dignity.
Harada Kenpei grabbed her hand. The middle-aged man looked utterly dejected, his obese frame hunched over as he begged humbly.
"Eishō, I only have you now. You can't abandon me..."
In the face of an Uma Musume, his strength was incredibly weak. Eishin Flash gave her wrist a light flick and walked away without even leaving a goodbye.
2# Mikunami and T.M. Opera O.
In the cheering crowd, Mikunami watched the two people embracing on the racecourse from afar.
"Did I misjudge him, or is that Takeda kid's talent just that amazing?"
Mikunami pulled the brim of his baseball cap down, covering his eyes—a habitual gesture whenever he fell into deep thought.
A Forward-Leaning Sprint, accelerating through the inner curve... Is that a technique a Local Uma Musume should possess?
More importantly, in the practice race half a month ago, she clearly didn't even know how to control her own running rhythm... Could she really improve this much in just two short weeks?
What kind of magic did the Takeda kid use? As a prestigious family of Uma Musume in Japan, just how many secrets is the Takeda Family hiding?
Your son is nothing like you at all, Takeda Ryuji.
The darkness in front of Mikunami's eyes was lifted. Holding his baseball cap was an impatient-looking T.M. Opera O.
She balanced the cap on her finger, skillfully spinning it in circles, her signature upturned eyes looking down slightly at Mikunami.
"If it were me, she wouldn't have caught up."
3# Those People
Even though the race had been over for a while, the spectators were still enthusiastically discussing the brilliant performance they had just witnessed. Feeling that they couldn't satisfy their need to talk, they turned to the internet as an outlet for their emotions.
"The race at Hanshin Tracen today was truly spectacular. Anyone who didn't come missed out. What a pity.jpg"
"That Uma Musume named Tamamo Cross was such a surprise! I thought there was no hope for a moment, but she did it! Thumbs up.jpg"
"The person above is right. I'm so looking forward to her next race. When is her debut? Anxious.jpg"
"There's absolutely no info on her online. Do you guys have any videos? I had to work overtime today and couldn't go, but my buddy's been bragging to me all night! Please.jpg, Pity.jpg"
"Hahaha, let me tell you a huge secret! I wouldn't tell just anyone, but while watching the race, I sat right behind Tamamo Cross's Trainer. That young man's surname is Takeda! Smug.jpg"
"Takeda? How can that be? I've been a fan of the Takeda Club for twenty years, and there's been zero news about the club being rebuilt! Skeptical.jpg"
In places Takeda Makoto hadn't seen, the neighbors in the streets near Hanshin Tracen Academy had already developed a massive curiosity about Tamamo Cross and Takeda Makoto.
Unfortunately, these comments were barely a ripple in the vast ocean of the internet. Since there were no recordings of the amateur race, those who were curious heard wild stories but saw no proof. This small spark of popularity soon fizzled out.