"Just... by myself?"
A gentle breeze brushed through the bangs on her forehead. As the ripples in the small river gradually faded, the haze in Silence Suzuka's eyes slowly dissipated.
"Mhm." Lucian suddenly stopped walking and turned to face Silence Suzuka. His gaze was like a sword of dawnlight, slicing through all that mist without hesitation.
"Suzuka, let's run a great escape!"
...
Race day.
Aside from Toujou Hana and Lucian, Air Groove, Hishi Amazon, Nice Nature, and Maruzensky had all come to cheer for Silence Suzuka.
Everyone arrived early at the entrance tunnel, waiting for Silence Suzuka to emerge from the changing room.
"Suzuka, did you rest well last night? Do your best out there!"
"Go, go, go! Leave your opponents in the dust!"
...
"Thank you, everyone. I'll do my best."
Silence Suzuka was wearing an extravagant dress, primarily white in color, with a series of golden rectangular patterns extending along the hem.
The collar, sleeves, and other sections were adorned with green accents, outlined with gold trim that highlighted the fresh hue. It perfectly reflected Silence Suzuka's serene temperament and dazzling charm.
The buttons on her blouse were also gold, and above the center of her chest was embedded a golden, star-shaped crystal that resembled a bell from afar.
The exposed skin on her hands and legs was covered by a delicate black fishnet pattern, as if imprisoned, hidden from the sun.
Aside from Silence Suzuka, the other participating horse girls were also dressed quite splendidly.
But this wasn't just for show horse girls wore specialized "victory uniforms" during important races.
Lucian had confirmed that victory uniforms didn't hinder the horse girls' running.
"Suzuka, remember the tactics we discussed these past few days. Stay focused and do your best," Toujou Hana said seriously.
Lucian subtly shifted a step to the side.
Toujou Hana had assigned Silence Suzuka a "stalker" running style staying in the middle-to-rear of the pack in the first half to conserve stamina, then accelerating from the fourth corner onward to overtake and win with a final burst of speed.
The "great escape" he had proposed, however, involved taking the lead from the very start and continuously widening the gap with the pursuing pack.
The two were completely different strategies.
The reason he felt guilty was that he was afraid Toujou Hana would realize Suzuka had been "converted" to his plan.
"I-I will, Trainer," Silence Suzuka replied nervously, averting her gaze only to accidentally meet Lucian's eyes.
Lucian gave her a reassuring look. "Do your best."
"Mhm!"
...
This race was a G2 stakes-level event and an international competition, with horse girls from all over the world participating.
Among them were many Grade 1 race champions. Silence Suzuka hadn't yet made a name for herself, so her presence was like a small stone, barely causing a ripple.
"A total of fourteen horse girls are participating in this race. Now, the final competitor has entered the gate," the announcer's voice rang out.
Then, without warning, the starting gates suddenly swung open with a heavy clang.
"BANG!"
All fourteen horse girls burst out of the gates at once.
"WOOOOOAH!!!" The stands erupted in cheers.
...
"The competitors are off to a smooth start! Leading the pack is competitor number eight Silence Suzuka!"
Silence Suzuka shot ahead, quickly securing the lead.
Only then did she realize the view from the very front of the racetrack was so vast. The grassland stretched endlessly in her vision, as if without borders, inviting her to run and explore freely.
It was as if Silence Suzuka had stepped into a realm she'd never experienced before. The only thing keeping pace with her was the free-flowing wind brushing past her ears.
"This feeling..."
Indescribable.
But the thoughts in her heart were already expressed in the faint smile on her lips.
...
"Silence Suzuka is still accelerating!"
"The gap with the main group is widening three lengths... four lengths..."
"Silence Suzuka's lead is absolutely stunning!"
...
Silence Suzuka, lost in her running, was like a shot of adrenaline to the hearts of the horse girls behind her.
Stimulated by this, they naturally refused to stay passive and began speeding up to close the distance.
None of the horse girls competing in a stakes race were weak. They conserved their stamina during the race, waiting for the right moment to unleash their full potential.
...
From the spectator stands, Lucian carefully observed Silence Suzuka's running posture and arm movements.
The performance metrics he had provided still needed refinement stride frequency, stride length, speed endurance, explosive power, and so on.
This race was both an experiment and a new beginning. He believed that with his help, Silence Suzuka's potential could reach even greater heights than before.
"This girl... why isn't she sticking to the strategy? Running like this from the very start!"
A slightly irritated voice snapped Lucian out of his thoughts.
He didn't need to turn his head to know who was speaking.
However, the reason Toujou Hana was angry was entirely out of concern that Silence Suzuka might exhaust herself too early and lose steam in the latter half.
She simply hadn't found the right running style for Silence Suzuka but she was still an excellent trainer.
Lucian was debating whether to speak up in Silence Suzuka's defense when Toujou Hana suddenly turned her focus to him.
"Lucian-kun."
"Ahem. Y-Yes, Hana-nee?" Lucian blinked.
"Can you tell me why Suzuka isn't using the strategy I assigned her?"
Lucian squirmed under her questioning gaze. "Well... Hana-nee, let's trust Suzuka's judgment."
"Did Suzuka say that to you?" A glint flashed across Toujou Hana's glasses.
"Uh... Huh?" Lucian played dumb quite convincingly. "N-No, Suzuka didn't say that to me."
"Then what did you say to her?"
Lucian cleared his throat awkwardly. "I didn't say anything to her either."
"Is that so...?" Toujou Hana wasn't entirely convinced because Silence Suzuka wouldn't just change her plan on a whim.
Unless someone else had advised her...
Toujou Hana shot Lucian a suspicious glance. If it wasn't Lucian, then the only other possibility was that guy, Nishizaki Ryuu.
Nishizaki Ryo the trainer of the protagonist team in the anime, the trainer of Team "Spica."
Seeing Toujou Hana fall into silence, Lucian turned his attention back to the race.