Even so, Lily Noble remained confident.
She silently reviewed the race in her mind and realized that although the effects of her impulsiveness were beginning to show, they were not irreversible.
Her stamina reserves were still sufficient, and so was her explosive power.
More importantly, with the help of many seniors and trainers, she had gone through quite a few practice races before the exam, and that had given her the ability to adapt flexibly on the course.
As she adjusted her breathing, she closely observed the state of the opponents around her.
Sayakachan was leading for the moment, but her hurried breathing and faintly trembling legs exposed just how much stamina she had spent.
The other participants, too, were gradually showing fatigue under the sustained, high-intensity pace.
By contrast, although her earlier impulsiveness had disrupted her rhythm somewhat, her solid training foundation meant her body was still maintaining a good competitive condition.
The key to the race lay in controlling her rhythm and unleashing her burst at the crucial moment. Knowing this clearly, she began to slow her pace and adjust her breathing until it was long and steady, using that to quickly recover her strength while also building up energy for the sprint phase soon to come.
Her gaze locked tightly onto Sayakachan ahead as her mind rapidly planned her next tactics.
I can't keep acting blindly.
She thought to herself, From here on, I need to find the right timing and overtake her with the cleanest rhythm and strongest burst.
At that thought, a resolute look appeared in her eyes, as if she could already see the moment she crossed the finish line.
Yet at that very moment, when the broadcast mentioned Almond Eye, Lily Noble's brows instantly drew into a deep furrow.
Her thoughts drifted involuntarily back to the training room, and the trainer's serious, warning words seemed to still echo in her ears.
"With your current ability and experience, this mock race shouldn't pose much of a problem."
"However, there is a participant called Almond Eye. You must pay close attention to her."
"As far as I understand, her training results are extremely outstanding, and in this race, she will definitely be an exceedingly difficult opponent."
At the time, although Lily Noble had nodded and agreed, she had not had much concrete sense of Almond Eye.
Now, hearing the seniors praise Almond Eye's performance on the course, Lily Noble finally truly realized the danger.
She unconsciously clenched her fists and swore silently in her heart.
I absolutely won't let this opponent overtake me easily.
This race... I'm determined to take it. I'll make everyone see what I can do.
She took a deep breath and tried hard to calm the waves of regret and tension inside her, readjusting the rhythm of her breathing as she looked firmly toward the course ahead, trying to find the best timing in the remaining distance and seize back the initiative.
At the same time, she stayed wary of Almond Eye, wary of leaving her any opening to exploit.
Cantabile was in the middle of the pack, listening intently to Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa's excellent commentary over the broadcast.
When she heard the seniors praise Almond Eye so unstintingly, a bit of curiosity could not help rising in her heart.
Before this, the name Almond Eye had been completely unfamiliar to her, but in today's much-anticipated evaluation, she had indeed taken notice of her.
Previously, in everyday chats with friends and from some experienced seniors, Cantabile had heard that there was an Umamusume in their year named Lucky Lilac who had considerable potential and whose strength could not be underestimated.
So from the moment she stepped into the exam grounds that morning, she had unconsciously begun paying attention to the name "Lucky Lilac."
In the morning, when she happened to see Lucky Lilac taking her tests, curiosity made her watch for a little longer.
Unexpectedly, that brief attention led her to discover Almond Eye, who was practically inseparable from Lucky Lilac.
From then on, her gaze had been drawn to Almond Eye.
Across the various tests, Almond Eye displayed remarkable ability, and most of her results were actually slightly better than Lucky Lilac's.
She's impressive.
At the time, Cantabile had secretly made that judgment in her heart.
Now, the seniors' praise over the broadcast undoubtedly confirmed what she had thought earlier.
Cantabile adjusted her slightly hurried breathing, calming the fluctuations in her heart caused by the race tempo.
She lifted her eyes toward Almond Eye not far away and had already made her decision.
In the rest of the race, she would carefully observe Almond Eye's running style.
She knew very well that since Almond Eye could earn the seniors' recognition, her running style had to contain something distinctive. Perhaps Cantabile could learn something valuable from it and use that experience to help herself go further in her future training and races.
At the same time, a competitive spirit quietly rose deep in her heart.
She longed to properly test herself against Almond Eye, to use this mock race to measure the gap between herself and this closely watched opponent, and to take this chance to explore her own limitless possibilities.
With that thought in mind, Cantabile's steps quickened slightly, her gaze fixed firmly on Almond Eye, as if declaring her challenge to her from across the distance.
Among the Umamusume on the course, there were also some examinees who had originally been wholly occupied with their own performance, completely absorbed in their desire for a good placing.
But when Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa's high praise for Almond Eye came clearly over the broadcast, their hearts were stirred as if by an invisible hand, and a different ripple spread through them—jealousy.
One examinee with a neat ponytail was running hard on the course, the loose strands of hair at her forehead long since soaked through with sweat and stuck tightly to her flushed cheeks.
After hearing the seniors praise Almond Eye, a complicated look flashed through her gaze, which had been focused straight ahead, and she unconsciously bit down on her lip.
In her mind, this was only a mock race. Surely there was no need to praise Almond Eye that lavishly?
And she had worked no less hard than Almond Eye. So why was Almond Eye the one receiving the seniors' favor, while she was not?
As that imbalance churned silently inside her, her steps grew heavier and heavier, every stride seeming to carry unwillingness and resentment.
After hearing the broadcast, another tall examinee's once-resolute eyes instantly became somewhat unfocused.
She could not help turning her head to look toward Almond Eye not far away, her gaze carrying the same complicated emotions.
She was not good at sprint races. She felt that if it were a different course, a different racing environment, the one who earned the seniors' praise would surely be her.
She comforted herself like that in her heart, but jealousy spread wildly through her like weeds, throwing her mind into chaos. Her once-steady breathing grew rapid, and her rhythm unconsciously became somewhat disordered.
There were also examinees who had always quietly worked hard in training to improve themselves, longing to astonish everyone on the course. Hearing the seniors praise Almond Eye made their already taut nerves feel as if they had been stabbed hard, and inferiority and jealousy surged up inside them at the same time.
Some lowered their heads, no longer daring to look at Almond Eye, thinking bitterly in their hearts,
I've worked this hard, but I still never receive recognition. She only just showed herself, and she already has the seniors' praise... How much more do I have to give before I can earn the same attention?
This jealousy was like a heavy shackle, making these examinees' steps on the course grow ever slower. Every stride felt as if it landed on their own hearts, painfully heavy.
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