Chapter 25: The Arima Kinen Where Miracles Bloom
[Now entering the gate is number 8, the crowd favorite for this race... O! gu! ri! Ca! p!]
As the announcer's voice spread throughout the venue, the entire Nakayama Racecourse was drowned in cheers.
This venue, with a maximum capacity of only 150,000, was packed with 170,000 people. And almost all of them had come for this one horse girl.
—The monster who led an era, Oguri Cap.
December 23rd, Nakayama Racecourse.
Stardust Mirage sat in the front row of the spectator stands today, right next to Musaka Ginjirou, who wore sunglasses.
She had left the interview venue last night and ran here non-stop to watch Oguri Cap's retirement race.
"You didn't need to rush over here in such a hurry," Old Man Musaka said, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses fixed on Oguri Cap on the track. He didn't turn his head.
"How could I not? I've lost to Oguri Cap over 800 times! How could I miss her race with a connection like that?" Stardust Mirage's expression was exaggerated, her tone equally dramatic. She wanted to help Old Man Musaka relax a little.
"Haha, you..." Old Man Musaka laughed and shook his head, seeming to feel a bit lighter, his body less tense than before.
On the track, one horse girl seemed to be having some trouble entering the starting gate immediately.
"By the way, how does it feel? Everyone probably thinks you're a fool after what you said yesterday, right?" Seeing there was still some time before the race started, Musaka Ginjirou simply started chatting casually with Stardust Mirage beside him.
"Let them think what they want. As long as what I wanted to say got across, that's fine," Stardust Mirage pouted.
After yesterday's interview, various media outlets worked overtime to get the news out. They largely portrayed her as a local horse girl overestimating her abilities. Some even compared her to Oguri Cap, who was retiring today, using the contrast to highlight her perceived ignorance.
She was just a bit worried about her sister. Would she overthink things if she saw such reports?
And most annoyingly, a local Nagoya newspaper had twisted Stardust Mirage's words, writing that she had boldly confessed her love to Tokai Teio. That was a complete distortion, sacrificing accuracy for sensationalism!
"So you are a bit bothered after all?" Old Man Musaka had always been good at seeing through horse girls' concerns. He immediately noticed Stardust Mirage's worry and comforted her:
"Don't worry, things aren't as bad as you think."
"When Oguri first came to the Central circuit, everyone thought she was just a country girl. Even if the Emperor noticed her, she probably wouldn't achieve much. The skepticism was overwhelming; besides her local supporters from Kasamatsu, you could hardly find anyone else cheering for her."
"Do you know how Oguri managed back then?"
"She... defeated Fujimasa March, who was at the peak of her popularity at the time, head-on," Stardust Mirage answered.
Old Man Musaka wasn't surprised she knew the answer. In his view, Stardust Mirage must have meticulously studied every one of Oguri Cap's races to develop her own running style.
"Right. For a horse girl, what you say doesn't matter. The most important thing is how you run."
"That's what Oguri did. She couldn't say pretty words, didn't understand social interactions. The only thing she knew was one thing... how to run."
"Race after race, one miraculous victory after another. Oguri used her own legs to turn everyone into her supporters."
Watching the horse girls on the track, old man Musaka spoke of them as if they were his own treasures:
"Yaeno Muteki, worth 500 million!
Mejiro Ryan, worth 400 million!
Osaichi George, worth 400 million!
Mejiro Ardan, worth 200 million!
Sand Peeress, worth 100 million!
Every competitor on the track today is a top-tier runner worth tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions. But without a doubt, there is only one star today—and that is Oguri Cap!"
At this point, Musaka Ginjirou turned to look at the massive crowd behind him, his aged face filled with boundless pride.
It wasn't arrogance over his own achievements, but a genuine expression of pride for Oguri Cap.
The old man spread his arms as if embracing the entire audience in the venue, then said to Stardust Mirage:
"Look, right now in this stadium, over 170,000 people are cheering for Oguri Cap. Beyond the track, millions of supporters are eagerly awaiting what kind of performance Oguri will deliver."
"And this is the charm of racing! In this world, no one can help but marvel at exceptional runners, and no one can remain unimpressed by an exhilarating race!"
"So, do you understand?" Musaka steadied himself on his cane again, speaking to Stardust Mirage with profound gravity.
"I understand," Stardust Mirage replied.
"Haha, good. Actually, you don't need to worry too much. These are just some third-rate media outlets; they won't cause much trouble... Ah, the race is about to start!"
[First-place prize: 110 million! The final chapter of this year's horse racing—the Arima Memorial, also Oguri Cap's retirement race, her very last match!]
With the announcer's declaration, the entire audience erupted in cheers once more.
It was as if every single person was a fervent fan of Oguri Cap, spontaneously cheering at the mere mention of her name.
But Musaka Ginjirou and Stardust Mirage, standing at the forefront of the spectator stands, held their breath—the race was about to begin—
Beeeeep—!!!
BANG!
With the starting signal, all 16 gates swung open simultaneously.
[The gates are open, and the race begins! All 16 horse girls have made a clean start!]
[No one has chosen to take an early lead. First, Yaeno Muteki is gradually moving toward the front, followed by Osaichi George, who is closing in!]
[Oguri Cap has dropped from 3rd to 4th position, with Mejiro Ryan closely following on her inside!]
"They're trying to box Oguri Cap in," Musaka Ginjirou muttered, his eyes fixed on the track, his hands tightly gripping his cane. "But... we anticipated this long ago!"
"Run lightly in the early part, Oguri..."
[Alright, we've now entered the fourth turn of the first lap. Currently, Osaichi George is slightly in the lead, followed closely by Yae Muteki. Mejiro Ardan is taking the turn on the outside...]
The roar from the audience showed no signs of stopping—countless people were cheering with all their might for the horse girls they supported.
Faced with this fervor, the commentator struggled to raise his volume, continuing to describe the intense battle on the track.
[The group has now entered the straight alongside the stands. Osaichi George remains in the lead, while Oguri Cap is positioned in the middle, around 5th or 6th place.]
5th or 6th place?
Stardust Mirage also carefully observed the race. In her eyes, every competitor on the track exuded an indescribable aura.
As they raced past the stands, it felt as if a thousand troops were thundering by—nothing like merely watching a race.
[Oguri Cap! Oguri Cap remains in 6th place. The group is now gradually entering the second straight. Osaichi George still leads, followed by Yaeno Muteki. Mejiro Ardan is in 3rd on the outside.]
The second straight of the second lap—Stardust Mirage recalled the track map she had studied.
The second straight of the second lap is roughly between the 1,300-meter and 1,800-meter mark, with about 700 to 1,200 meters remaining... and this distance happens to be the range Stardust Mirage is most familiar with!
Oguri Cap seemed to sense this as well. On the track, she subtly began adjusting her stride, each step bursting with immense power, gradually closing in on the leading group—
Remaining distance: 1,000m.
Remaining distance: 900m.
Remaining distance: 800m.
Remaining distance: 777m!
ROAR!!!
In that instant, a deafening roar seemed to echo across the track.
Oguri Cap took a powerful step, slowly raising her head. Her eyes, filled with a beast-like ferocity, fixed on the path ahead.
She grinned slowly, revealing a set of pale white teeth, and declared to all the horse girls around her:
"Enough... playing around."
Festive Miracle, activate!
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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