So my legs—why do they feel like they're no longer under my control, still chasing after the figure ahead?
"Three hundred meters left! The final sprint, and the champion will be decided between these two!"
"Platinum hasn't given up yet—she's still clinging tight to Golden Sixty, who can't shake her off, can't even catch a breath!"
"This race isn't over yet!"
This should be far enough. Any further, and it's an insurmountable gap.
That gap, separating her from the top Uma Musume of the season—one that simply couldn't be crossed.
But… but…
She'd already come this far!
She was already here!
Whether by chance, whether other racers had held back or whether it was one of Agnes Tachyon's clever schemes—she had made it here.
Only one step away from the ultimate glory, only one person left in front of her!
Platinum could feel a scorching heat spreading from deep within her soul.
It was greed. It was fury. It was envy.
Why do you get to stand in that spotlight?
Why do you keep me locked in place like this?
Why… why isn't the one being chased… me?
A gluttonous, greedy flame ignited in Platinum's soul, as if ready to set her very body ablaze.
It was an unstoppable wildfire—once lit, it would spread through every channel and forest, burning everything to ash.
All these emotions, in the end, boiled down to one thing—
It was Instinct.
A parasite lurking in her blood since the dawn of evolution, since the very concept of running came to be.
A blessing and a curse bestowed by the Three Goddesses.
The stolen fire Prometheus brought to mankind.
From the depths of her soul, from the deepest layers of genes her mind had never touched—a long-hidden desire now surged to the surface.
[Maybe it's only on the track that an Uma Musume truly feels alive.]
That was what Agnes Digital had said to her that afternoon at the racetrack.
Yes, Agnes Digital. Right now, I feel it for sure. In this moment, on this track—
I am truly, completely alive!
[You should strive to fulfill what you said—make it so the next audience comes just for you.]
That was what that noisy, endlessly chattering T.M. Opera O had told her at the thank-you festival's butler café.
Yes, T.M. Opera O. You were right.
I want to stand center stage! If not next time, then this time!
[Eclipse First, the Rest Nowhere.]
That was the plaque hanging in the student council hall—Symboli Rudolf's favorite saying. Platinum had often mocked it, saying a printed piece of paper looked like a last-minute cheat sheet before exams.
But now, she understood completely. She agreed with it wholeheartedly.
Yes. Eclipse First, the Rest Nowhere.
So second place… isn't enough!
No one remembers second… unless you can be first!
What Platinum wanted was—
Finally, the very word Agnes Tachyon had been hoping for appeared on Platinum's trembling lips.
Win!
"Only 150 meters left? Is there no chance for a comeback? Will Golden Sixty still be the victor?"
Platinum opened her eyes. Even though her vision was blurred by sweat and strands of hair stuck to her face, she felt like her sight had never been clearer.
She could see it—the gap of one horse length, deliberately left by Sixty. The gap between them was a chasm.
It was… infuriating.
To have such overwhelming strength, yet still leave her this shred of hope.
Just when she thought she could close the distance, that seemingly negligible gap would suddenly widen into a bottomless abyss.
You could call it the generosity of the strong, or an elder leaving some face for the junior.
Of course… you could also see it as pure mockery.
You've done well, I admit it. But if you want to surpass me, you'll have to wait a few more years.
That was what Sixty meant. Just like Symboli Rudolf before—this was a full display of power, laying the gap bare before her eyes, making her shrink back.
Facing that bottomless one-length gap, Platinum was terrified.
Her legs trembled, nearly buckling beneath her, almost bringing her to her knees in tears. She could feel the whirlwind raging overhead—if she got caught in it, she'd shatter like glass.
She could even imagine the consequences of taking that step. She might land softly, like a leaf drifting to the ground, with only a faint 'crunch,' her legs snapping clean.
Or maybe, like Sham, she'd lose all sensation, crash through the finish line, slam into the fence, and black out.
If she really took that step, it would be a step into the abyss.
But even so afraid, even with the endless drop right in front of her…
Platinum's throat moved as if she were swallowing her tongue, forcing out a scrap of sound from her burning lungs.
"I—"
"—want to win!"
The nearly extinguished ember passed down to her suddenly burst into violent flame in the inert gas, igniting everything in an instant.
Then… a fierce, dazzling explosion.
Facing the endless abyss, Platinum slowly exhaled, closed her eyes, took two steps back, and leaped.
The whirlwind above seemed to roar all at once—blue, red, black, white… every color she'd ever seen flashed before her eyes.
The leap felt so effortless, yet the chasm seemed to stretch endlessly wide. Platinum's body hung briefly over the void before gravity pulled her down.
Down into the abyss—shattered to pieces.
--+--
"Platinum!"
In the student council room, Symboli Rudolf lost control of her expression, shooting up from her seat with a panicked cry.
Did she forget my warning? To attempt something so reckless…
"It's over, over, over, over…" Okino covered his head, nearly crouching on the floor in despair. "Everything's ruined!"
"How did I ever trust Agnes Tachyon to go with her? She didn't listen at all!"
--+--
"Platinum—"
"Sixty—"
Witnessing the scene, Agnes Tachyon and the stablemaster, horrified, cried out at the same time.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.