"I'm fired up, me! Teio!"
Taiki Shuttle wore a wild smile, having officially entered the sprint state.
At this moment, Tokai Teio felt a chill, as if she had been locked in a gun's crosshairs by someone.
You're very strong, Taiki Senpai.
The sharply aggressive aura behind her was gradually closing in. Tokai Teio knew Taiki Senpai was about to use her ultimate technique.
"Let me see it, Taiki Senpai."
Tokai Teio had no intention of interrupting her opponent's spellcasting. Rather than such an impolite action, she wanted to witness Taiki Senpai's full strength.
Crossing an uphill slope, they passed through the middle straight track and entered the curve again.
At that instant, Tokai Teio seemed to hear the sound of a gun firing from behind her, and Taiki Shuttle's footsteps suddenly reached her ears.
A Flash Skill?
Tokai Teio was slightly surprised.
She had initially thought Taiki Senpai would enter Zone, but she didn't expect the final move to be a Flash Skill.
The world has truly upgraded to this extent.
Demon King, thank you so much for your sacrifice.
Tokai Teio looked at Taiki Shuttle, who was now beside her, and both of their faces showed similar smiles.
It was a sign of mutual respect.
"Teio, you are strong! But Big Sister is going to win this race today!" Taiki Shuttle's expression conveyed this message.
Tokai Teio returned the confident look: "Taiki Senpai, what a pleasant race! Let's race again when we have the chance."
The sound of the Surge echoed around Teio's body.
Although Tokai Teio had not yet fully constructed her domain for various reasons and hadn't truly stepped through that door, she had perfectly mastered the abilities of the first and second stages.
Taiki Shuttle saw the more substantial Surge around Tokai Teio, and her composed look instantly disappeared.
How did she even master this technique?!
Am I really going to have to enter Zone during a training race?
Tokai Teio, by simply activating the Surge, maintained a slight lead over the bursting Taiki Shuttle.
Taiki Shuttle was incredibly conflicted right now. Forget training races, she wouldn't even enter Zone easily in a major race.
But if she didn't use it now, she was going to lose!
"She's been checkmated, Taiki Shuttle."
Symboli Rudolf, watching the race, declared.
She deeply understood Taiki Shuttle's conflict right now. After all, Zone was a double-edged sword.
While gaining power, it also caused damage to one's body.
Using Zone in a training race was too extravagant.
It was generally a trump card reserved for the once-in-a-lifetime major competitions.
After all, not everyone could control Zone as seamlessly as she could; Symboli Rudolf considered herself an expert in this domain.
In the race, Tokai Teio and Taiki Shuttle maintained a one-length gap as they passed the final curve and entered the final straight.
The race quickly came down to the last $200\text{m}$ sprint straight, the deciding line of life and death.
Tokai Teio thought: Taiki Senpai, if you don't use it now, I'm really going to win.
She was an existence that defied convention. Even without completing the domain structure and truly entering that door, she could clearly sense the aura of Zone.
So, she knew Taiki Senpai was still holding back a trump card at this moment.
Taiki Shuttle actually wanted to use it, but the problem was she wasn't that crazy.
If this were a GI major race, she might have been tempted to activate it.
But pushing a training race with a freshman to this extent was enough, she felt.
This truly wasn't her holding back a move, as she had already used her aura and Flash Skills. This was genuinely her giving her all.
In the final $200\text{m}$ sprint straight, Taiki Shuttle was constantly held back by a slight margin by Tokai Teio, unable to overtake her throughout the entire race.
Although the difference between them was minimal, the expressions of many trainers changed.
They were surprised to find that Tokai Teio had completely controlled the race's pace.
Taiki Shuttle appeared to be just a hair away, but she was, in fact, completely suppressed.
The trainers broke out in cold sweat.
It couldn't be, right?
How could a freshman be so ridiculously strong? They must be overthinking it.
It wasn't that they were unwilling to believe it, but they dared not believe something so outrageous.
The Taiki Shuttle of this world was not a peer contestant; she was a powerhouse who had already graduated, a contestant on the Emperor's level.
Even Trainer Hanabusa Tojo was rendered silent by Tokai Teio's strength. She couldn't help but look at Symboli Rudolf beside her.
"You've truly brought me quite the surprise, Luna."
"What do you think of Teio, Trainer?"
Symboli Rudolf finally couldn't help but smile. Teio's performance was simply a huge point of pride for her.
She had initially been worried about giving Teio special treatment, but now, Tokai Teio had used her strength to show the world that Symboli Rudolf's judgment was correct!
Special treatment?
No.
This is the privilege of a genius!
If anyone were to accuse Symboli Rudolf of abusing her power to give Tokai Teio special treatment, she could confidently retort:
If you have a talent as strong as Tokai Teio, then you can have this privilege too!
Tokai Teio, having won the race, turned to the crowd, slowly raised her right hand, and pointed to the sky. The light of the sun seemed to shine even brighter at that moment.
"The President once said that destined victory was in the hands of Tokai Teio from the beginning."
Symboli Rudolf: "?"
When did I ever say that?!
Noticing the surrounding gazes, Symboli Rudolf forced her expression to remain composed.
She remembered only telling Teio that she sensed something fated, right?
Is this how Teio interpreted it?!
And don't adopt that as a winning quote so quickly!
"I'm devastated! Me lost! Waaaah~"
After the race ended, Taiki Shuttle's sharp aura vanished.
Tokai Teio lowered her hand, and the light around her simultaneously receded. She walked over to Taiki Shuttle.
"Taiki Senpai, that was truly a passionate race. I enjoyed running it very much. Let's compete together again when we have the chance."
"Me also felt the passion that you, Teio, conveyed during the race!"
Taiki Shuttle quickly recovered her mood. Losing to Tokai Teio didn't seem like an unacceptable thing after all.
"Ooh~ Both of your performances were spectacular! Next time, you absolutely must call me, the Queen, to join!"
Opera O was fired up by their race.
What a dazzling sight! She wanted to be a part of it too!
As the Queen, she must also possess her own most brilliant light!
The other team members also gathered around.
Tokai Teio earned the approval of all the members through both her charm and her strength.
Unbeknownst to them, Tokai Teio, who had just joined the team, was already subtly becoming the center of attention.
The sun's light shone equally on everyone, but Tokai Teio's sun was not aloof.
There is no rule that the strong must be isolated.
Symboli Rudolf watched Tokai Teio, who was laughing and joking with the others in the crowd, her heart profoundly moved.
That was the ideal image she sought.
"Can the sun's brilliance be so approachable..."
Symboli Rudolf had thought Tokai Teio would become an existence isolated at the apex, just like herself, but the answer Tokai Teio presented was completely different.
That child might actually surpass me.
"It seems she has fully adapted to our team environment. She's a truly surprising little one."
Hanabusa Tojo didn't know what Symboli Rudolf was thinking, but she had to admit that Symboli Rudolf's judgment this time was terrifyingly accurate.
Tokai Teio was like a perfect prince stepping out of a fairy tale.
Confident, intelligent, humble, and genuine.
She displayed terrifying dominance in the race, yet she could easily socialize with everyone privately.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed such a perfect existence was possible in the world.
Air Groove then quietly asked Symboli Rudolf, "Luna, you mentioned that Teio was your potential successor, right?"
"...What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying, maybe you shouldn't consider it anymore."
Air Groove had to admit that talent was truly frightening.
Tokai Teio possessed the natural aura of a king. When she subconsciously imagined Tokai Teio as the Student Council President, she suddenly felt it might be a more suitable role than for Symboli Rudolf.
Tokai Teio's only disadvantage was her height, but her elegant, princely demeanor completely masked this flaw.
Symboli Rudolf didn't get angry at Air Groove's words; instead, she pondered seriously.
"You also think that child Teio has the aptitude, right?"
Air Groove nodded. It's no longer just a question of aptitude, is it?
That child already possesses the aura of a king!
"We'll see. I want to see how far the child Teio can go. Until then, I will continue to hold the umbrella for her."
Symboli Rudolf was also tempted, but considering Tokai Teio was still a freshman, it was too early to make a decision.
...
In the evening, Tokai Teio called home from the dorm.
"That's right, I've joined the President's team now. Heh heh, impressive, right? As expected of me!"
"You need to listen to the President over there and call home often, even if there's nothing special happening."
"I won't forget. By the way, I raced with a Senpai on the team today! That Senpai was really strong, but naturally, I was stronger."
"Did you win?"
"Of course! I, Tokai Teio, don't lose! Please continue to watch my races in the future."
"Your dad and I will watch on TV. We'll also come to the track if we have time. We're really looking forward to the day you wear your racing uniform."
"It'll be soon. The trainer and the President have already agreed to let me debut."
While most new students are usually allowed to participate in their debut race only after a period of training and passing simulation races, some are even held back by their trainers until Upper Grade before debuting.
But she was different.
She was the rising sun, the Ultimate Horse Girl destined for victory—Tokai Teio!
...
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