I sighed ruefully as I slowed down. I quickly fixed my ponytail before turning to Oguri. "It's your win, Oguri."
Oguri took a quick breath. "Fast." She whispered, before a fierce smile lifted her lips. "You're even faster."
She glanced at the board showing the ranking of our most recent test race. Naturally, Oguri took first, but I was just behind her by half a length. It was the closest race we'd ever had together, but that'd be a little unfair.
"Well, this is a Long race after all~" I shrugged casually. "You would've crushed me if this was a Mile."
"That won't have been a fair field, girl." Musaka said as he approached us, dressed in his usual Hawaiian shirt. "Oguri wanted an even race between you two. Forcing you to run a Mile ain't gonna fulfil that."
"I-It's still amazing, Star-san!" Belno said as she approached, with Kitahara leisurely following behind her. "You were so fast! Especially that last spurt you had!"
"Absolutely." Kitahara added, grinning slightly. "Your final kick's getting even crazier lately."
I smiled shyly. "Yeah, yeah."
Still, it was nice to hear that the improvement I'd felt wasn't just a figment of my own mind. Of course, I wasn't some prodigy who could suddenly advance in strength in mere days. Rather, this was the effect of my newest Skill.
{Leading Charge}
Slightly increase acceleration on a straight in the last spurt when in the lead (Front Runner)
{Leading Charge} allowed me to accelerate even faster during the final straight. With it I could reach the new maximum speed {Homestretch Haste} provided in less time, giving me more distance to utilize that new maximum velocity.
Anyway,
"Since you're here, wanna race as well? It'll be good training for your upcoming race and all." I asked Belno, smiling slightly as I gave Oguri a pat on the head. "And I don't think this monster's quite satisfied just yet."
"Monster…?" Oguri whispered, before she smiled. "Mm, I'm a monster!" She then proceeded to make a few guttural roars, which caused everyone to share a quick laugh at Oguri's antics.
"Girl's got a point." Musaka pointed out, giving Belno a look. "We ain't got much time left. Better not waste it."
Belno nodded. "Yes!"
We then spent the rest of the weekend afternoon racing—running against one another around the track. Oguri was the one who usually won, though I occasionally clinched the victory here and then. Belno was third most of the time, but she managed to capture Oguri using one of her tactics a couple times, allowing her to take second or first.
A few umamusume approached us throughout the afternoon, but most of them wisely distanced themselves. After all, though we were all peers, we were also rivals. And considering Oguri and Belno's next race was less than two weeks away, no one was willing to interrupt our training session.
Though it didn't stop a few students from lingering, and one of them happened to be someone familiar.
After a while, I decided to back away while Oguri and Belno continued to rest. I was heading out to get some melon bread from the cafeteria when I spotted an umamusume sitting at the stands. I approached, curious as to who it was, and I had to blink in surprise once I got close enough.
"Muteki?"
Yaeno Muteki's ears flicked when she heard my voice, and she turned to me with a stern nod. "Star-san."
I raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing here?" I asked as I sat down next to her.
Muteki was quiet for a moment, before she softly sighed. "Star-san." She turned to me. "Do you believe I have a chance at defeating Oguri-san?"
I blinked, before I smiled easily. "You know my answer's going to be biased, right?" But when her determined stare remained fixed on me, my smile slowly fell away, and I turned back to the track just in time to see gates slam open, followed by Oguri and Belno running forward. "You sure you want me to say it?"
"Please."
I hissed uncomfortably, before I sighed. "...It's going to be an uphill battle." I said lightly as I continued watching the test race. "Not to say you're slow or anything, but Oguri's just…built different. I mean, you've probably seen it already—even I can't beat her most of the time, and we were running on a Long track at that."
Muteki hummed, her eyes shadowed by her bangs. I pursed my lips at her continued silence, but before I could say anything, Muteki took a deep breath. "I already knew that." She whispered, more to herself than to me. "Undoubtedly, she is the strongest of our age." She smiled listlessly. "Her moniker befits her."
My lips parted for a moment, before I closed my mouth. After all, what could I say to that? It wasn't as if Muteki was wrong. Hell, at this current moment in time, the only one who could feasibly face her and win would probably be Tamamo Cross, and she was a Senior racer.
But eventually, I found my words. "Maybe." I agreed, before I grinned. "But it's not like we're all finished growing either. Our grind's not over just yet—and who knows, maybe we'll eventually be able to eek out a victory against The Beast herself."
Muteki's smile became a little more genuine. "I suppose so." Just as she said that, she stood up and gave me a calm nod. "Thank you for your counsel, Star-san." She bowed. "I shall begin training once more."
I chuckled as I waved my hand. "It's fine, it's fine~" I smiled. "Remember not to strain yourself, okay?"
Muteki nodded, and soon she turned and left, leaving me alone at the stands. My smile slowly fell after that, and I hummed softly as I returned to watching the test race.
My words had been kind, and it looked like Muteki had regained some of her spirit after our talk.
But we both knew how this was going to end.
…
Two weeks later,
"It's Oguri Cap! The first one to finish is Oguri Cap!"
"An incredible lead of over 6 lengths!"
The crowd went wild. Once again they had watched Oguri Cap surge forward with monstrous strength, leaving all other runners in her shadow. Even Yaeno Muteki, who'd momentarily held the lead and blocked Oguri from advancing, found herself completely left behind the moment they entered the final straight.
Such was the terrifying power of Oguri's {Triumphant Pulse}, and it was even more terrifying to know that it still seemed relatively incomplete compared to her in-game version.
Amidst the celebrating crowd, I was one of the few who hadn't gotten swept up in the enthusiastic fervor. Instead, my eyes remained solely fixed on the second place of today's [Manichi Cup].
Yaeno Muteki was breathing heavily as her hands rested on her knees. Her face was covered in sweat, and her gaze was distant.
An unpleasant feeling coiled in my gut. "Star-san?" Belno, who was sitting next to me, called out when I suddenly stood up. I smiled at her and excused myself, saying that I needed to head to the toilet.
Once I'd distanced myself from the roaring crowd, I ran a hand through my hair as I sighed.
「Eclipse first, the rest nowhere」Such was Tracen Central's motto, and umamusume racing as a whole. This sport was a game with only one victor, and though this world would bear the tales of many legends, there would be just as many umamusume who would be forgotten to the annals of time.
It was one of the few things I disliked as a whole about umamusume racing, but it wasn't something that could be changed. This was just the nature of competition—there would inevitably be someone left behind.
It didn't make it feel any better, especially since I considered Muteki a friend.
My ears flicked when I heard someone approaching, and I blinked in surprise when I saw who it was. "Master?"
"Do not pity her, Blossom Star." Kongo Yaegaki said, her expression eternally carved with stern conviction. "She entered this race knowing the mountain she must overcome." He glanced at the track down below, eyes hidden in shadow. "There shall be more opportunities for her to challenge."
I sighed. "I know. I'm just complaining, that's all." I went silent for a moment, before I turned to him. "Is she still planning to run in the [Satsuki Sho]?"
Kongo hummed. "She has no mention of diverting from her plan."
I nodded slowly. That was in-line with what happened in the manga. Yaeno Muteki's next race would be the [Satsuki Sho], the first leg of the prestigious Triple Crown. She would become its victor this year, though her victory would be the first spark to the controversy that would ignite across all of Japan.
But this time,
Because of my intervention, Oguri had successfully been registered as a participant of this year's Satsuki Sho. In truth, I'd only told Musaka to register Oguri to the Japanese Derby, but it seemed he decided to go all in and register Oguri for all three legs of the Triple crown instead.
Destiny had been completely changed, and all because of that simple suggestion I made almost on a whim nearly a year ago.
I nearly laughed at the absurdity when I first realized this.
Oguri Cap would run for the Triple Crown.
And I would run for the Triple Tiara.
My presence in this era has changed history in drastic ways. Certain things that'd happened in the manga likely would never occur in this world. As my System liked to say, the Prophesized Fate has changed.
The question was;
Despite everything that'd changed, how much would stay the same?
…I guess that was something I'd find out soon enough.
"Alright, that's enough." I gave my cheeks a quick slap as I grinned slightly. "Time to go congratulate the winner." I turned to leave, though I gave Kongo one last glance. "Wanna join me, Master?"
He shook his head. "It is fine, Blossom Star. I shall await for Muteki's return here."
I nodded, and soon enough I began heading down towards the race track.