By the time Kitahara and the others had confirmed the speed measurements, the practice race had already passed through the early and mid-early sections and had entered the late midsection.
Normally, in just a practice race, a 2000-meter run wouldn't reach this level of intensity — but the four girls on the track clearly brought the kind of willpower they'd use in a graded stakes race, forcibly turning a mere practice run into something on par with a G1 event.
What shocked Kitahara the most was the speed and ferocity they displayed coming through the third turn. It felt no different from when he'd watched G1 races like the Satsuki Sho or the Japanese Derby.
You four… are you planning to decide the winner of the Twinkle Series before it even begins? You're pushing this hard…
He smiled bitterly in his heart — but his mind was completely focused now.
Because the situation on the track was becoming more and more intense.
He didn't know exactly what each girl was thinking, but as it stood, Super Creek had taken the lead with a front-running strategy, staying out in first place, while Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, and Inari One had all coincidentally chosen a stalking position, running almost side by side and clinging tightly just one horse length behind Creek.
And their speed was visibly still increasing.
They had just passed the third turn — in the blink of an eye, they were already approaching the fourth.
It's here — the deciding point!
Kitahara's eyes sharpened.
In a race, the pacing, stamina, and tactics in the early and mid stages are all important — but all of those plans are laid for one thing: the final victory.
And the true moment that decides the winner is always the 200–400 meters after the fourth turn.
In other words — no matter how they intended to win, this was the moment where they had to give everything they had.
If nothing unexpected happened, Super Creek would try to hold her lead all the way to the finish — but…
Kitahara shook his head.
She was still too inexperienced. To secure a win from a front-running position, you need a big enough lead. A single horse length like this was nowhere near enough. She'd need at least five or more horse lengths to really feel safe.
Only with enough of a gap can you afford to save a little energy at the end of the midsection, storing strength so that in the final sprint you can stay ahead until the finish line.
But with only one horse length…
Kitahara shook his head again, analyzing quickly.
Most likely, the moment they cleared the fourth turn, Oguri Cap would launch her final burst. With her explosive power, Creek's current stride just couldn't match her.
Inari One was probably thinking the same. She was the only one here who could contest Oguri Cap in a final sprint. Her rhythm and cornering technique still needed work, but her raw power was monstrous.
Which meant — Creek was probably done for…
Just as Kitahara thought that — the situation on the track changed.
…Her breathing — Super Creek still has reserves? Amazing, Creek…
Feeling the strong, powerful heartbeat, Oguri Cap could clearly sense — in terms of breathing, her own panting was louder, her rhythm quicker than Creek's. It was clear there was a gap there.
But — breathing well alone… isn't enough, Creek.
As though seeing the whole racecourse from above during a race, in that fleeting moment, Oguri Cap seemed to see her own heart.
That heart didn't look like any biological heart — it was like a precisely crafted machine, its surface shining with a pale golden-blue metallic light.
That glow looked like snow — snow covering a thick, blood-red liquid just beneath it.
But that liquid… was moving. Like a beast lurking beneath the snowy glow, waiting for its moment — waiting to break through the snow.
Thump… thump… thump… — the precise machine pulsed slowly.
The next second.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP—
"HAAAHHH—!!"
BOOOM—!
With a roar that shook the entire training field, mixed with the faint sound of the ground cracking, a silver-gray figure shot forward like an avalanche crashing down from the highest heavens, swallowing the path to the finish line whole.
D-damn!!
Her eyes widened, pupils tightening sharply — Super Creek suddenly realized she'd made a mistake.
She'd managed her stamina. She knew that with her light, floating stride, she still had plenty of energy.
Even if it had been 1000 meters more, she was confident she could unleash a strong, powerful sprint before the finish.
She had planned to unleash that powerful sprint in these final 200 meters.
But she was wrong.
The moment she heard the explosion of roar, footsteps, and wind behind her — she understood: That was what "powerful" really meant.
No — "powerful" wasn't even enough to describe it. The sound still ringing in her ears, the "White Monster of the Gray," that silver-gray avalanche, had already buried her completely.
…Truly… a monster, Oguri, you…
In her wide eyes appeared the image of Oguri Cap. Creek knew it clearly now — no matter how much stamina she'd saved, she didn't have that kind of monstrous explosive force.
She couldn't catch Oguri Cap now — not at this moment, absolutely not.She recognized that fact with painful clarity.
But she wasn't the only one who couldn't catch her.
Like a raging storm, another "monster" surged past Super Creek, biting fiercely at Oguri Cap.
"MOVE MOVE MOVE!! Don't you dare think you can run away from the great Inari One!"
"Don't think you can run! Don't think you can run! Don't think you can run!"
"Screw your Stewards' Cups and whatever comes after!"
"I'm winning NOW!"
"OGURI! CAP!"
Inari One wasn't thinking anymore. She didn't even know what she was yelling.
There was only one thought left in her head.
That silver-gray figure! That silver-gray figure!!Go! Inari One — GO!!
Crush that silver-gray figure to pieces!!
Closer!
Closer still!She's almost within reach!
You see this, Oguri Cap?! It's me — Inari One of Ōi!!
I— huh?
She froze — nearly stumbled.
Oguri…
Could split into two?
She blinked in confusion — not understanding at all what had just happened before her eyes.
That short… clone?
No — wait!
Just like Super Creek, Inari One's eyes widened instantly, her pupils contracting.
When?! Tamamo Cross?!
Wasn't she supposed to be surrounded?!What the hell is happening?! She— she— what IS this?!
…Yeah… what's happening to me…
The wind… the footsteps… Oguri Cap's footsteps and breathing…
I can't hear any of it…
The smells are gone too…
All I can see… is the finish line…
As if this whole world…
Only has me left in it…
Well, whatever…
I'll just run across the finish line like this.
A few breaths later, outside the training field.
"Tamamo first. Oguri Cap second. Inari third. Creek fourth."
Announcing the result of the practice race in a low voice, Kitahara remained silent for a long time before finally looking at the people beside him.
"That final sprint… I mean Tamamo's. What do you all think?"
A long pause.
"I… I don't know…"
Komiyama hesitated, finally reacting. "I… I've never seen Tama-chan like that before. I actually remembered to hit the stopwatch this time, and I recorded her last 200 meters — but…"
She raised the stopwatch. "About 17.8 meters per second. Just a fraction of a second off the current world record…"
"…I'll analyze the medical data later," Miyamura Kyoko's expression was a bit worried, but her voice carried reassurance: "But I don't think that kind of speed would put any dangerous stress on Tama-chan's condition…"
"It shouldn't."
Yuzuhara Taro murmured, still in awe: "That state Tamamo was in… it reminds me of something I've heard about…"
He looked at Kitahara.
"Kitahara-san… have you ever heard of a 'Domain'…?"
(End of Chapter)