Perspective: Rice Shower
Ever since I started speed training with Big Brother, I feel like I've gotten just a little bit faster... but I wonder if I really have? Big Brother told me that my second race in October, the Fuyou Stakes, was a good race. I wasn't paying too much attention to the media, but when I looked at the newspaper, I saw that the critics had given me four out of five stars.
That made me a little happy. ♪
I know that I'm getting faster—I can feel that much—but I still don't understand exactly how fast I am compared to the rest... That's why I decided I would ask Big Brother about it at our next training session.
[Club Room]
Rice: "Hey, Big Brother... do you have a moment?"
Hachiman: "Hm? What's wrong?"
Rice: "Umm... I was just wondering, exactly how strong has Rice become right now...?"
Hachiman: "...That's a rare question coming from you. Did something happen to make you worry about that?"
Rice: "Well, you told me that my run in the Fuyou Stakes the other day was really good, and that made me happy. But then I started wondering... exactly how fast am I? It's been on my mind."
Hachiman: "...I see. In other words, you want to know where you stand in the hierarchy."
Rice: "Y-Yes!"
Hachiman: "...Alright. Let me check one thing first. Do you remember what race we've set as your next target?"
Rice: "The Hopeful Stakes, right? The 2000-meter race."
Hachiman: "Correct. It's the final G1 of the Junior Class, a race that demands both speed and stamina. Now, Rice—what is the one thing you need most right now?"
Rice: "I think... speed?"
Hachiman: "Close, but no. What you need is explosiveness. The power behind every single step. The sheer, instantaneous force required to overtake an opponent in a split second. Speed is part of it, sure, but that comes second."
Rice: "Explosiveness..."
Hachiman: "The next race, the Hopeful Stakes, is 2000 meters at Nakayama. Since you're a smart girl, I'm sure you know what that entails. You should have learned it during the Fuyou Stakes."
Rice: "...The heart-breaking slope."
Hachiman: "Exactly. With your current stamina, the distance itself is no problem at all. We already proved in the last race that your stamina will hold out until the end. But there are other problems. The Hopeful Stakes is a G1 class race. Even if the distance is the same as the Fuyou Stakes, the content is completely different. The first issue is the number of runners."
Rice: "T-The number?"
Hachiman: "The Fuyou Stakes had eight runners. But a full gate at Nakayama is eighteen. A race with less than half that number can't serve as a reference. The Hopeful Stakes will almost certainly have a full roster of eighteen girls. And the second issue is the pace."
Rice: "The pace..."
Hachiman: "Rice, your running style is a Leader—you run near the front. That's the theory, anyway. But what if there are no Runners to set the pace? Who takes the lead then? Or what if there are too many Leaders, and you get pushed to the back or forced too far forward because you can't secure your position? If that happens, the pace will definitely become erratic. And since it's a G1, opponents won't just have one strategy. They won't let you run the way you want to run."
Rice: "I see... So I can't just do the same thing I did in the last race?"
Hachiman: "Precisely. And the third issue. This is the biggest hurdle, and your specific challenge... Speed and explosiveness. There is that heart-breaking slope on the final straight at Nakayama. It comes right at the end of the lap. It doesn't matter how much stamina you have in the tank; if you don't have the speed and power to charge up that hill without losing momentum, you will be overtaken in an instant. Judging by your last race... I'd give you 70 points."
Rice: "70 points..."
That's low... I can't take first place with a score like that...
Hachiman: "Unless you can accelerate even after climbing the slope, winning is impossible. In the Fuyou Stakes, your speed dropped slightly at the very end."
Rice: "...Yes."
Hachiman: "I don't intend to blame you for that. You could argue that for such a short period—only two months since your debut—you ran well. But the next stage is a race that won't forgive that kind of naivety... Rice, after hearing all that, where do you think you stand? Out of the members running in the Hopeful Stakes, what rank do you think you are?"
Th-That's a difficult question... But, the fact that he's asking me this means I'm probably not number one... right?
Rice: "Umm... I don't know for sure, but considering how Rice runs right now... maybe 18th."
Hachiman: "The very bottom, huh...?"
Rice: "I-I mean, Rice has only won twice so far. The others might be people who have won even bigger races... and I thought it would be better to go in feeling like a challenger. So, I think I'm 18th."
Hachiman: "That is the answer I wanted. exactly. In the next race, you are a Challenger. You should approach it assuming every single opponent is ranked above you. Depending on your placement—depending on the result—your true strength will be decided. You can think of it that way."
Rice: "..."
Hachiman: "Well, from what I've seen, I believe your ability is above a certain standard, even among your peers. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have scouted you."
Rice: "Big Brother..."
Hachiman: "Rice, we are challengers. The opponents are superior. If we don't go in there intending to beat them all into the ground, we're just going to get flicked aside. So, for the remaining two months, I want you to train with the intention of polishing yourself with everything you have. If you don't... a crushing defeat is guaranteed."
Rice: "...Un! I understand!"
Right now, Rice is the weakest one in the group... I have to do my best to climb up, even just a little bit!
...
Rice, do your best!!
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