...
As the school festival came to a close, the horse girls also gradually returned to their daily training.
Time flowed. Tokai Teio finally welcomed the Japanese Derby.
"Currently entering the track is the second favorite, Leo Natal!"
"Ganba de—" Maruzensky shouted from the sidelines.
"Mm." Leo Natal nodded, thinking in her heart: "I feel the guidance of fate."
Leo Natal, this horse girl, was precisely Maruzensky's junior.
...
"Next to enter the track is the contender favored by the Triple Crown horse girl Mr. C.B., the third favorite, Sitabre!"
Similarly, Sitabre was also Mr. C.B.'s junior.
...
"Finally appearing is Tokai Teio, who has maintained a continuous winning record until now!!"
"Odoto~" Tokai Teio stepped out with the Emperor's dance steps, confidently facing the spectator stands and greeting Symboli Rudolf in the very front row. "President!! I'll do my best!!"
Symboli Rudolf nodded slightly and said to Maruzensky beside her: "It seems there's nothing to worry about."
...
These three horse girls were the strong contenders for the championship of this Japanese Derby.
It was worth mentioning that in reality, "junior" was "offspring." So this race could also be said to be the continuation confrontation of the three legendary horse girls Symboli Rudolf, Maruzensky, and Mr. C.B.
...
In the spectator stands, all members of "Dream," all members of "Rigil," and all members of "Spica" had already taken their seats. The momentum was astonishing.
"Nishizaki-senpai, Hana-nee, why are so many people here today?" Lucian looked at this formation and said in surprise.
"Naturally we must carefully observe the race of the opposing ace." Toujou Hana gazed far across the turf, her eyes sharp and solemn.
Nishizaki Ryo nodded. "Plus one."
"Then please, everyone, carefully watch the great era that belongs to the Emperor." Lucian smiled faintly, but his tone was extremely arrogant and high-handed.
Among the horse girls of the same generation, Tokai Teio was about to firmly sit on the throne of first place.
Lucian's pre-race analysis had not been done in vain, and the intensity and pressure of the weekly simulated races were off the charts. So compared to the original work, Tokai Teio's improvement was not just a little bit.
In other words, while the horse girls of the same generation still did not have the "special-effect Zone," Tokai Teio had already stepped into this realm for a long time.
The softness of her ankles and knees had received about thirty percent development. Although not much, it was enough for her to shine brilliantly on the racecourse and suppress the crowd of heroes.
"Little Lucian, confidence is a good thing, but overconfidence is arrogance." Toujou Hana reminded.
"What Hana-nee said is correct, but... my confidence all comes from the Emperor's strength." Lucian sighed with emotion, his gaze moving to the small figure on the racecourse. "She has never felt that the Triple Crown is far away, so I also will not feel that way."
A slight look of surprise flashed between Toujou Hana's brows. "Oh? Then I must carefully watch this race."
...
The gates suddenly opened. The horse girls instantly charged out.
Deafening cheers erupted from the spectator stands. The support flags of each team fluttered loudly in the wind!
Tokai Teio's starting position was not very good. She was in a position toward the outer path.
So at the beginning, she did not obtain a very good ranking.
"Tokai Teio is currently in first, second, third... eighth, in eighth place on the outer path!"
"In third place is Leo Natal! In fifth place is Sitabre!"
...
"Outer path is outer path. I can better notice the movements of my opponents!"
There were no waves in Tokai Teio's heart. Instead, a calm sharpness shone through her clear eyes.
She slightly lowered her center of gravity, feeling the firmness and elasticity of the turf under her feet, using the residual light at the corners of her eyes to scan the opponents at her side like radar.
The overall speed of the horse group was continuously rising, gradually entering a true racing state from the exploratory acceleration of the early stage.
Tokai Teio also adjusted her own pace along with it, smooth and full of rhythm, stepping out the Emperor's dance steps even on the true racecourse!
This composure originated from countless simulations before the race.
From different starting positions, responding to different leading paces, simulating various sudden situations... every detail had long been carved into her marrow, almost becoming her muscle memory.
"Trainer said that no matter whether it's stamina, explosive power, or speed..... I am the strongest in this race!"
"Although the tension in my heart is hard to restrain..."
This sense of tension even made her muscle groups transmit a subtle feeling of weakness, as if trying to make her slow down.
"But.... but... this feeling of running to my heart's content, I really like it too much!!"
At the instant the third turn was about to enter the straight, Tokai Teio suddenly took a deep breath. The muscles of her entire body were instantly mobilized to the extreme. That power hidden deep in her body erupted with a roar like a volcano!
She accumulated sufficient strength. Her legs stamped hard on the turf. The grass was instantly kicked flying!
Blue-and-white Zone covered her body surface like a bolt of lightning that had broken free of its shackles, making all the horse girls ahead feel threat and impact!
"Trainer, watch carefully!!"
Tokai Teio, whose speed had risen by more than one gear, began continuously overtaking the horse girls ahead and very quickly stood out!
The final four hundred meters—!!!
Tokai Teio's steps became incomparably light, yet contained the power of thunderbolts, pushing her to sprint forward at a speed that surpassed her limits.
...
"Here it comes! Tokai Teio has exploded! My god, what is this speed!"
"She crossed the line! Tokai Teio! The first to cross the finish line! She won! She has won the Japanese Derby!!"
The commentator's voice cracked from excitement. The entire racecourse fell into a brief silence at this moment, then was submerged by even more frenzied cheers!
Kitasan Black, who had been cheering for Tokai Teio, also tightly hugged Satono Diamond.
...
After crossing the finish line, Tokai Teio did not stop immediately. Instead she continued running forward for several dozen meters before slowly decelerating and finally coming to a stop.
She was slightly panting, her chest rising and falling violently.
After catching her breath, Tokai Teio turned around, raised her head high, and greeted the entire audience, enjoying the thousands upon thousands of cheers.
...