Oh no no no no no...
The moment she took that step, Platinum knew she'd made a terrible mistake.
How could she have lost her head like that? How could she have done something so reckless?
She could already picture it—her two legs giving out, leaving her for good.
Please, not that! If that happened, wouldn't these two legs of hers be nothing more than a trial version?
And she'd only just gotten them back not long ago!
But when her feet actually landed on the track, the disaster Platinum feared never came.
Silently, the impossible gap between her and Golden Sixty seemed to vanish in an instant. The hurricane that had loomed between them, threatening to sweep her away, was suddenly gone.
Platinum blinked, half-convinced that what she'd seen earlier was some kind of mushroom-induced hallucination. Now that she thought about it, how could someone generate thunder and wind just from running? That was just too absurd…
But in the very next moment, her brief sense of relief vanished, and her nerves tightened again.
The roar of the crowd rushed back into her ears. She heard the sound of jeep tires rolling over the turf.
The cameras were practically right in front of her and Golden Sixty, capturing every move.
The 100-meter marker flashed beneath her feet. This was it—the final showdown!
Only 100 meters left!
And that seemingly insurmountable gap between her and Golden Sixty had disappeared. She was catching up!
Could she really do it?
--+--
"Golden Sixty… could it be she's going easy on her junior?" Symboli Rudolf murmured, finally letting the tension drain from her shoulders as she settled back into her seat.
"When Platinum gets back, I'm giving her a serious talking-to. Going all out like this in a special race… Next time, I'm keeping that little troublemaker on a tight leash. Can't risk letting her run wild like this again."
--+--
Trainer Okino wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a long, shaky breath.
"Thank goodness… Thank goodness Golden Sixty didn't take it too seriously against a rookie…" At the track, Agnes Tachyon slumped into her chair like a puppet with its strings cut, a faint, relieved smile touching her lips.
But Uncle Francis remained standing. Throughout the entire race, he'd stayed by the railing, watching intently without missing a beat.
No… Knowing Golden Sixty's nature, a race is a race. And when your opponent is giving their all, holding back would be disrespectful…
If this were any other day, Golden Sixty would've taught Platinum a lesson she wouldn't forget. Maybe not a fracture, but she'd have pushed until Platinum pulled a muscle, at least.
But Golden Sixty had eased up early—and not because of Platinum. It was because of…
Uncle Francis's gaze shifted further down the track. A dark figure was visibly slowing, her running form awkward and unsteady, limping as she was overtaken by one Uma Musume after another.
"...Faith!"
When Leap of Faith heard the crisp snap from her left leg, she felt a strange sense of release.
So this is it, she thought. I still couldn't do it. Some things really are impossible. And if you force them… this is what happens.
But for some reason, as she watched the track ahead—where Golden Sixty and Platinum were charging toward the finish—she didn't feel bitter.
None of the envy or jealousy that had haunted her for so long surfaced now.
She simply let out a soft sigh, a feeling of "well, it's finally over" washing over her.
She'd pushed until her leg gave out. Surely that meant she'd given it her all, right?
If even her all wasn't enough to close the gap with Golden Sixty, then it just proved that Golden Sixty was beyond what sheer effort could overcome.
All this time, she'd truly believed she could be better than Golden Sixty—that there was something, anything, she had over her…
Turns out, there wasn't.
But Leap of Faith didn't regret running this race. She didn't stop moving. Step by step, slower than a walk, she kept going, ignoring the others streaming past her, and raised a fist toward the front.
"———Go, Platinum! You can do it!"
"Only 50 meters to the finish! Why does Golden Sixty seem distracted, even slowing her pace? Has she reached her limit?"
"Platinum is finally closing in on Golden Sixty, but with only 50 meters left in the final stretch—will she make it in time?"
Make it in time?
She had to—whether there was enough time or not!
Platinum could see the finish line beckoning her from ahead. She could see Golden Sixty right beside her, so close they were nearly touching.
No time to think. The tempting finish line wafted before her like a delicious feast, and Platinum felt like a starving woman who hadn't eaten for three days—her mind wiped clean of everything else.
The feeling of the grass under her feet was growing faint. It was the first time Platinum had ever felt so completely drained.
Pass her, pass her, pass her!
"Who will it be? Golden Sixty? Platinum? Golden Sixty? Platinum?"
Please, let it be———
Right before the finish line—after all she'd been through to get there—Platinum thrust out her barely-there chest, straining to touch the tape even a fraction of a second sooner.
"They cross the line almost simultaneously! Unbelievable!"
"Is it a dead heat? We'll now consult the photo finish to determine the undisputed winner."
The moment she crossed the line, Platinum's legs gave way. She collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air almost flat on the ground, as nausea and dizziness washed over her. She forced herself up, stumbled a few steps, then hunched over, clutching her stomach, clearly in distress.
Meanwhile, Golden Sixty didn't stop after the finish. She didn't address the cameras as she usually did.
Instead, she looked back anxiously, hopped the rail, brushed past the jeeps, and sprinted back the way she'd come.
"Faith! Faith, are you okay?"
Golden Sixty's calls were frantic. No one had ever seen her so agitated—not even before her first race.
Her voice even carried a hint of tears.
For a moment, the two who should've been focused solely on the photo finish had their minds somewhere else entirely.
After a brief silence, the finish photo was displayed on the screen.
"After reviewing the photo finish, the winner is…"
For a heartbeat, the entire stadium held its breath. Far away, the Spica team members gathered around TVs overseas also stilled, eyes locked on the screen.
"Platinum!"
--+--
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.