Just as everyone was at their wits' end, a voice suddenly piped up.
"I bet you're all completely stumped right now!"
Everyone turned to see a spirited young Umamusume. Small in stature, with blue twin tails and a shark-toothed grin, she declared, "Don't worry! Count me in!"
It sounded like she was joining their group. While Kousei was always happy to welcome new members, he couldn't help but feel skeptical.
"Huh? Tracen already has an elementary school division?" Kousei wondered aloud.
Before he could ponder further, Teio suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!" It seemed Teio recognized her. The Umamusume planted her hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and waited for Teio to introduce her.
"Wait! You're... you're... uh... Twin Jet!"
"It's Twin Turbo! Are you messing with me on purpose, Teio?" Twin Turbo bared her teeth, shaking like an angry kitten.
Kousei and McQueen reacted as if struck by lightning. "Cute!"
In that instant, without needing a word, the two understood Teio's intentions.
"Sorry~ Sorry~ Twin Vortex~"
"Turbo's gonna make you pay for that!"
Fortunately, Just a Way kept a level head and intervened, putting an end to the chaotic exchange.
"Exactly! That's right! With my Twin Turbo here, defeating Acting Chairman Kashimoto's team will be a piece of cake!"
"Oh! So you're a super strong senpai?" Kousei, seeing Twin Turbo's confidence, immediately imagined a legendary figure from the past.
"Twin Turbo specializes in... specializes in? She's a Front-runner, a flamboyant Front-runner!"
"A flamboyant Front-runner! She sounds incredibly strong!" Kousei's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"As for her track record..."
"Her track record!"
"Six races, zero wins."
"Huh?"
McQueen finished speaking, and Kousei, seeing Twin Turbo's unwavering confidence, was utterly bewildered.
"Hehe~ Turbo still hasn't won a single race~" Teio snickered.
"Shut up! Turbo's gonna win soon! Yeah! In the very next race!" Twin Turbo retorted fiercely, refusing to back down.
Come to think of it, Kousei had only ever encountered ridiculously talented geniuses before. Twin Turbo was the first ordinary person he'd ever met.
"In any case, with me handling things, there won't be any problems."
"There might still be some problems," Kousei immediately countered.
"What? Are you doubting Turbo's abilities?"
"No, because we're still one person short."
Twin Turbo frowned, realizing the situation wasn't as simple as she'd thought.
"One, two, three, four, five—isn't that exactly five?"
Just a Way raised her hand awkwardly. "Sorry, I haven't debuted yet."
"Eh?! Turbo thought she was the last main character!" Twin Turbo pounded her fist in frustration.
So, she was saving her grand entrance for last.
"That leaves us with four. We just need to find one more."
Teio was right; things were at least progressing in the right direction.
"Speaking of which, Turbo, why did you choose to rebel against Acting Chairman Kashimoto?" Kousei asked, genuinely curious.
"Isn't it obvious? For myself, of course!" Twin Turbo declared without hesitation. "What's with this 'total management' nonsense?! Telling Turbo to control her speed and not sprint from the start? No way! If I can't run as I please, I'd rather not run at all!"
Just a Way leaned in to whisper to Kousei, "Twin Turbo's running style is extremely reckless. She goes all out from the very beginning, never pacing herself or conserving energy. Even in races she can't possibly win, she'll still sprint full throttle right from the start."
As a result, she often ran out of energy in the later stages of races, plummeting from first place to last. Despite many attempts to correct her Twin Turbo running style, she stubbornly insisted on sticking to it, even if it meant never winning a single race.
This stubborn, individualistic front-runner left Kousei somewhat dazed. Even from this small Umamusume, Kousei sensed something profound.
"And you! Tokai Teio!" Twin Turbo suddenly pointed at Tokai Teio. "Turbo will absolutely, absolutely defeat you! Just watch! I'll be the one to crush your undefeated streak!"
A winless front-runner challenging the strongest genius? Is this foolish bravado or admirable courage?
"Alright~ Bring it on! I, Tokai Teio, won't run or hide. But let's get one thing straight..."
Tokai Teio deliberately dragged out her words, capturing Twin Turbo's undivided attention. Twin Turbo even unconsciously swallowed hard. Teio stole a glance, a clear smile of triumph playing at the corner of her lips.
"I already lost to McQueen in last year's Tenno Sho. I'm no longer undefeated."
"Eh?" Twin Turbo visibly froze, clearly unaware of what had happened the previous year.
"Turbo has been training relentlessly all year just to defeat Tokai Teio's undefeated streak! But Teio has already lost," Twin Turbo said, her expression on the verge of tears.
She clenched her fists and roared with intense grief and fury, "Just you wait, Tokai Teio! I'm going to win against you for sure!"
Her emotions shifted rapidly, and just like that, the team gained a boisterous new member—a true "eccentric" type.