"Marvelous! Trial No.67 has successfully resisted the impact!" Director Akikawa called out cheerfully, laughing brightly as she opened a fan with 'Umazing!' written across it. "But our tests are far from over! Until we are 100% sure that this Turf can withstand what was shown during the [Japan Cup], we shall not stop!"
"Aye, aye~" Maruzensky said as she walked back to the start line, calmly wiping the few beads of sweat on her forehead as she stretched her arms. "I can start at any time, Akikawa-chan~"
"Umu!" The cat atop her hat meowed as she snapped her fan forward. "On your mark! Get set…!" She took a deep breath, and then shouted. "Go!"
Maruzensky immediately took off, making sure she ran across the oddly colored Turf. It essentially meant she had to run in a single straight line without faltering, but Maruzensky had raced in worse conditions before.
Then, just as she entered the corner, a flash of red light shot from behind her, materializing into something vaguely resembling the exhaust of a sports car. Her turquoise eyes glowed as strips of white formed over her cornea, looking almost like a car's speedometer.
Domain Awakening—
{Countach Overdrive}!
A mechanical click echoed through the air, and suddenly Maruzensky shot forward with such speeds that flames were lit behind her. It didn't take long for her to pass the impromptu finish line they'd drawn at the end of the first corner, and Maruzensky quickly slowed down. Another click echoed, and the red haze-like exhaust behind her faded into nothing.
She made an exaggerated sigh as she wiped some non-existent sweat from her brow. "So hot~! Aren't winters supposed to be cold~?" She said, though she then smiled as she turned to look at the strangely-colored Turf she'd just run on. Despite the literal flames she'd left behind, the Turf only looked slightly damaged. They were more than suited for further running.
So she raised her voice and shouted, "Everything looks good, Akikawa-chan!"
And from afar, she heard Director Akikawa's cheerful laugh. "Wondrous! Trial No.68 is also a success!" A faint 'meow!' followed as she caught Akikawa pull out another fan. "Come, Maruzensky! Only 32 more tests remain!"
Maruzensky smiled wryly. The Director was truly treating her like a work Uma, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't having fun. After all, it'd been so long since she'd been able to go all out like this, and with her Domain now apparently capable of physically affecting the world, it made this little trial test all the more fun.
So she waved back and smiled. "Give me a minute~"
…
Meanwhile, sitting at the stands facing towards the track were two umamusume. Both were dressed in a tracksuit, and yet neither of them had even taken a step onto the track. Instead they both remained glued to their seats, incapable of doing anything but watch as Director Akikawa initiated the 89th test of the day.
Obey Your Master sighed. "I'm sorry, Symboli-san. I didn't think the Director's test would last this long."
Symboli Rudolf chuckled weakly. "No, no. It is my mistake as well. I should have thought further before approving of the Director's request without further thought." She shook her head. "At this rate, the race I promised you could only occur late this afternoon."
Obey smiled wryly. "At least Maruzensky-san's having fun."
Rudolf nodded. "Indeed. There is at least some silver lining to all this."
But it truly was a blunder. Had she known that Director Akikawa's test would have lasted for so long, she would've promised to run with Obey at an earlier date. But there was no point in regretting the past; the only thing she could do was wait for Director Akikawa's tests to end.
Though to be fair, the tests the Director was performing were of utmost importance. She was unsure how she managed it, but apparently the Director and the specialists she worked with had created several 'modified Turfs' that could perhaps withstand the strange, mystical force of a Domain.
Ever since the race Where Miracles Began, strange things had begun happening to the world—the most apparent of that being the fact that Domains had begun affecting the physical world. The most recent case being the wrecked gym Tamamo Cross left behind after she accidentally unleashed her Domain, causing her to scorch the entire indoor gym in an uncontrolled blast of lightning.
But what most interested them was Star, and how each step she made during the homestretch of the [Japan Cup] caused the Turf beneath her to melt and burn. Beyond setting the grass on fire, the heat Star emitted at that moment was so intense that it had physically altered the soil itself, so much so that it proved detrimental to any umamusume who attempted to run on that same soil.
Thankfully, due to the flames, no runner had run on that altered soil, but the threat remained. If Domains were capable of doing that, then it wouldn't be strange if other wildly explosive Domains like Dicta's or Inari's to have the same effect.
And thus here they were, with Director Akikawa testing her latest product and Maruzensky as their willing tester. Though Maruzensky's inclusion in this whole debacle mostly stemmed from the fact that she was the only available umamusume whose Domain left behind fires that scorched any normal Turf.
Sadly, neither Rudolf or Obey's Domains were capable of that. The lightning and flames she created were more like illusions, while Obey's nebulae were more akin to flowing fabrics.
Obey was quiet as she watched Maruzensky run forward once more, the usually playful senior's expression turning into one of manic excitement as she ran down the modified Turf without faltering. There was a ravenous hunger in her eyes as she ran, and the red haze that clung around her made her look even more menacing.
"She looks like she's having fun." She whispered softly.
Rudolf nodded. "She is indeed." She smiled, reminiscing of the days when Maruzensky was still active. "It has been quite some time since she's been able to run without restraint."
Obey hummed, before she glanced at her. "And you?"
"Of course, I too am the same." She gently clasped her hands together. "All umamusume are born to run, and I bear great regret that I have been unable to race with you all while the Generation of Miracles is still whole." She shook her head. "Alas, it seems I must settle for being the second fiddle."
Obey smiled. "But at least the Dream Series is now a thing."
Rudolf smiled back. "That is indeed the greatest news for my peers and I."
And it truly was—a series of official races dedicated to 'retired' racers such as her? It was a momentous occasion worthy of popping open a few celebratory bottles of wine. Sure, it practically annulled the meaning of 'retiring', but she was more than happy for such a convention to be annexed. After all, it wasn't as if her urge to run magically disappeared the moment she retired.
As of now, only a few new races had been planned. Director Akikawa and Hayakawa Tazuna had been working hard to determine where their new races would be held. It was important to ensure these Dream races didn't interfere with the usual races for 'active' runners—the Twinkle Series, as the Director called them.
And as if that wasn't enough, the Dream Series wasn't restricted to 'retired' racers. It also allowed active umamusume and foreign umamusume. These races would be a true free-for-all, allowed only for those who have glimpsed into a realm most umamusume would never touch in their lives.
A true gift from the Director.
Such was freedom granted from toppling the URA, she supposed.
Obey glanced at her for a moment, before her eyes narrowed. "The first one," She began, her eyes gleaming. "It'll be held in late January, right?"
"That is indeed the case." Rudolf returned the gaze with a fearless smile. "Perhaps you are considering a race against me?"
Obey chuckled. "A race against Japan's Emperor?" Her smile widened, and her pupils sharpened.「Sounds like a good time.」
Rudolf's smile turned sharp.「Then I await your inclusion, oh Wild Joker.」
It truly was dangerous. She could feel fragments of her younger self resurfacing as she was faced with the prospect of racing against her juniors. Though several years separated them, she would be delusional to believe that they did not reach the same heights she did. In fact, she could argue that they'd surpassed her a while back.
And faced with the possibility of defeat, her heart began beating once more.
Haha. She wondered what Mejiro Ramonu thought of this. After all, she had faced a number of…scathing remarks due to how much she had apparently 'regressed' after she retired.
But those were possibilities for a distant future. For now,
"Ah, it seems the 71st test has concluded successfully." She idly remarked, watching as Maruzensky soared past the impromptu finish line. She'd moved with such speeds that the Turf just outside the modified Turf she ran on was scorched to a crisp from the flames she left behind.
"29 more tests, huh?" Obey continued, smiling wryly.
Rudolf smiled wryly. "29 more indeed." She said.
They glanced at one another, and together they released a sigh as they resigned themselves to waiting for another hour or so.