Tamamo Cross's intentional provocation was just an excuse to tease Absolute Zero; after all, she was a good kid, and like herself, a junior who couldn't grow taller due to early full-fledged development. Tamamo Cross actually liked Absolute Zero a lot, it was just that Absolute Zero often teased her, and then Oguri Cap would dismantle the situation, causing her blood pressure to skyrocket.
At the same time, the two were also allies in the "Super Creek Victim Association," so their relationship was actually quite good.
As for what kind of association this was...
Super Creek was truly a very unique Uma Musume. While other Uma Musume occasionally had bursts of desires, be it for food, clothes or the desire to win. It was different from what Super Creek desires which comes out as a burst of maternal instinct. When her maternal instinct burst forth, even Symboli Rudolf would retreat three paces from her.
When Super Creek's maternal instinct burst forth, she would treat all surrounding creatures as her own children to care for.
However, if left alone for too long , she would become very uneasy. Anytime this does happen, there would be a few "sacrifices" who were "voluntarily" sent to Super Creek during that period and the most frequent ones to be bundled up (forced into children's clothes) and sent over were the petite Tamamo Cross and Absolute Zero.
While Super Creek's caregiving skills were truly terrifying, Absolute Zero would rather be petted by Maruzensky all day than be cared for like a baby by Super Creek. It was just too embarrassing.
In short, for the above reasons, Tamamo Cross was still very concerned about her junior, especially when she needed something from her.
As for Oguri Cap, she could be bought over with a single buffet. If she could be in charge of meals, she could even be directly lured into her team as an assistant coach, and a Tamamo Cross attachment would come with her.
"So why do you always say I'm Oguri's attachment?!"
"Eh heh ~"
"What does 'eh heh' mean!?"
The three walked together towards the house Absolute Zero had bought outside. Tamamo Cross, who was clearly already very rich but still had a poor person's mindset, turned gray upon learning that Absolute Zero had not only bought her house in full, but also had a mountain.
"So, Z-chan, I will ask one more time just to be sure." Oguri Cap asked seriously, the aloof expression replaced by the Ashen Monster.
It was probably to confirm if she really wanted them to open their domains, right?
With that thought in mind, Absolute Zero simply responded.
"Ah, it's okay, I'm already prepared."
"Good. Then I'll be counting on you from now on." Oguri Cap smiled contentedly.
"?"
"?"
"What are you talking about, Oguri Cap-senpai?"
"Tamamo Cross and I will be joining Spica as assistants to help you and your teammates, but in return you'll be responsible for providing us with meals."
Seriously!? is this why they accepted!?
After thinking about her reserves, Absolute Zero still nodded.
"No problem, just leave the meals to me." It should be fine, anyway, PT could be directly exchanged for finished food so that saves her looking at her fridge in horror.
For example, the barbecue she made yesterday. Any dish she made herself would enter the system store, and she could exchange it whenever she wanted to eat it again, and it would even come with some special effects.
Another example: the effect of yesterday's barbecue was greatly restore stamina, increases physical fitness, and improves the mood of non-vegetarian eaters.
Of course, the increase in physical fitness was limited, and it would only work once within a certain period, so becoming stronger by eating was simply impossible.
"Well then, let's get ready. The changing room is over there. If necessary, I can clear out a guest room for you two, is that okay?"
"Oh, then I'll leave it to you!" Tamamo Cross, in a carefree manner, walked in with her sportswear, dragging Oguri Cap, who was staring at the desserts in the freezer, along with her.
After everyone changed, the three naturally went to the track and found a starting gate to enter.
"Hey! Absolute Zero! As your senior, I'm reminding you, if you feel uncomfortable, remember to stop immediately!" Tamamo Cross kindly reminded her.
"Ah, I understand, I won't push myself too hard."
"Good, then we can begin."
"Okay." She pressed the countdown.
As the countdown ended, the starting gate opened once again, and three figures burst out.
For Zero to better experience what a Zone was, she would use the Pace Chaser, with Oguri Cap running ahead of her as a front runner and Tamamo Cross behind as later surger. For this, the practice race was a 3000m long distance
When this arrangement was first made, the two were very worried about whether or not Absolute Zero could handle it, but they eventually agreed due to Absolute Zero's persistence.
The nothing happened during the early and middle stages of the race, only running at their preferred pace. Even in a practice race, none of the three wanted to lose; from positioning to scheming, they threw everything they had without regard for their lives.
And as they were about to enter the final curve, Absolute Zero perked up, the hairs on the back of her head raising..
It was coming.
The two had also explained that their Zones would only activate near the final curve and last until the end of the race.
While Tamamo could activate it at anytime during the race while Oguri could only activate her's during final straight of the race.
Even if Oguri Cap could activate it anytime, having it fully active during the whole race would only drain a lot of stamina. The result of that is them loosing speed.
As she took her first step into the curve, Absolute Zero suddenly felt her vision go black.
Correction, it didn't. She could clearly see the race track, and even Oguri Cap leading in front, but her brain kept sending the command, "It's night, you can't see anything."
Taking another step, a heavy pressure came from behind her.
In her eyes, white-blue electricity danced round Tamamo Cross's body, even her eyes having that white lightning scattering out in long trails. Getting hit by the lighting gave a sensation of numbness on the affected area.
The pressure pushed down onto her body increased, causing her speed to sharply decrease.
Unlike those negative red skills which effects mind and body, this pressure was greater than what she has ever felt, as if what was weighted down was her soul.
Tamamo Cross had already surpassed her, and Oguri Cap also began to accelerate away from her.
Perhaps they were afraid she would be too deeply affected by the domain? After all, besides the discomfort she felt, there was an even more important thing.
Fear and uneasiness from within.
To be honest, even when she first arrived in this world, she had never felt this kind of uneasiness. Even when she lost her debut race, she only felt unlucky. When she participated in her debut race for the second time, she didn't feel any uneasiness or fear about whether the same thing would happen again.
Then there was only one answer.
She didn't want to lose.
While a domain can suppress others, it also amplifies the user. For example, the speed of the two in front was already significantly faster than normal. It must be said that domains are incredibly buggy things; even she fell for it. Although the goddesses stated that Mayano Top Gun has yet to truly manifest her domain, it absolutely shouldn't be underestimated.
But... trying to give up like this is impossible, right?
She had already finished the curve and entered the final straight, a considerable distance had opened up, but... for her, catching up this distance was not difficult. The key was that once she approached them again, she would definitely be interfered with by the two Zones again.
Question now was, how to resist them?
Her gaze landed on a value on her panel and a vicious smile appeared on her face.
Forget trying to figure it out!
Forget trying to dampen the effect
Does it even need to be said!?
Push through with sheer guts!
run, run and run, run towards the front with everything you have!!!
[Monstrous Whirlwind - Speed That Shall Reach The Divine: Triggered: (Rushing Gale!) (On Your Left!) (Powerful Stride) (In Body and Mind)]
And finally… that one skill she had trained by herself without any reference points.
[Fervent Acceleration: Stomp the ground with all your might, relying on stronger recoil to further increase your acceleration.]
This was a skill only she could use, or rather, it shouldn't even be called a skill. It was something only she had the capital to use due to the sheer stat stick that she was.
The recoil from stomping the ground with such force would not only increase her speed but also that the energy created would be absorbed by her body as if it was a spring, further increasing her speed.
If any other Uma Musume were to use this, they would have to most likely retire due to leg injuries or fractures after only a few runs.
But her physique had been constantly training to be able to fully activate her exclusive ultimate. From the most basic abilities to endurance and recovery, everything was slowly improving.
However, this level of recoil would only consume extra stamina. But did she lack stamina? No. But even if she did, She still had her guts to push through!
Relying on a massive amount of acceleration and powerful bursts, she once again rushed behind the two, startling them.
However, it was clear that with all three running at full power, there was no leisure to speak. All were now sprinting with all their might.
As she approached the two, the pressure from before descended once again, even more concentrated.
This time, it wasn't just a matter of not being able to see clearly, but truly feeling as if she was in darkness. Oguri Cap seemed to merge into the darkness, and when she ran alongside her, Absolute Zero could only see the eyes belonging to the Ashen Monster.
There wasnt much to say about Tamamo Cross, because they're in fact was too much to tell. Although she retired due to how overstressed her body was, the overuse of Zone and just intense racing in general, she was forced to quit so that her body could rest and recover.
Thankfully that was a while ago and she was in fact back in top shape, even if its not truly at her peak. The only reason She didn't come back to the competitive stage was because she didn't feel like it.
As the first generation of "The era of the Gray Uma Musumes," her strength was slightly lower than Oguri Cap in terms of stats, it did not mean that Tanamo was weak. Far from it on fact.
The Zones of lightning and shadow simultaneously acted upon her body. Both her spirit and her flesh endured their ravages, and sweat poured from her body as if it were free.
Seeing Absolute Zero's state, Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross exchanged glances and, by tacit agreement, chose to accelerate, attempting to end the race as quickly as possible.
Crack.
A sound like glass cracking made both of them pause their accelerating, their eyes filled with shock as the crack started to appear in their Zone fields.
The crackling sound became more and more obvious. Both of them clearly felt as if their domains were being squeezed by something.
But nothing happened. After the two crossed the finish line, they both looked back at the same time.
Even though she was simultaneously assailed by two domains, Absolute Zero was still not pulled too far behind them, only about one horse length. If the two had not burned more of their Guts to accelerate in that final moment, the three of them would probably have crossed the finish line almost simultaneously.
However, Absolute Zero's current condition could not be described as ordinary. Her breathing was abnormally rapid, and she was leaning on her knees with her hands, but she was still slowly taking steps, not just stopping in place.
It was their first time that someone could catch up to this extent after they had used their domains. One must know that in their last race together, they had almost created a huge gap with the main group behind them.
Are Uma Musume nowadays all monsters? They exchanged glances, and almost the same thought surfaced in their minds.
"Ha… ha… You worked hard… seniors…" She was still panting heavily, but it was much better than the situation where she almost couldn't breathe just now. At least her breathing frequency had decreased significantly.
The blood in her heart was still boiling, and the soreness in her legs had not subsided, but she couldn't concern herself with that right now.
Because for but a brief moment, she seemed to have felt something, a spark that was dancing close to her finger tips but never in reach.
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I'm a newbie translator and wanted to add more uma fics for more people to read. if there are any errors, multiple of the same text or sentence, let me know.
The credits and orginal story is: 传奇马娘想好好谈恋爱 and belongs to: 起始之