Chapter 248: Senpai, So It Was You
A ripple stirred in Lia Fail's heart as she couldn't help comparing the two of them and sighing inwardly.
While she herself struggled amid tension and panic, Kitasan Black displayed such calm and commanding composure.
They were both runners of the same Classic year, yet Kitasan Black… had already reached such a formidable level?
Feeling the extraordinary calm from the rival running beside her, Lia Fail felt both astonishment and admiration.
She realized that no matter what others said, no matter how the race had been analyzed beforehand, no matter what she herself had once believed—
There truly existed a considerable gap between herself and Kitasan Black.
And yet, precisely because of that realization, a spark of fighting spirit appeared in her previously panicked eyes.
'As expected… I can't compare to Kitasan.'
'But this Arima Kinen… isn't over yet!'
'I have to keep up with her pace. I… haven't reached the point of surrender yet!'
The dramatic shifts unfolding on the racetrack naturally didn't escape the notice of the crowd.
In the stands, the already boiling atmosphere grew even more frenzied because of the sudden change.
Everyone had stood up. Eyes wide open, they stared at the track, afraid of missing even a single thrilling moment.
The commentator's voice had already grown hoarse from excitement, yet he continued shouting with all his strength:
"Ladies and gentlemen! Gold Ship is charging up!"
"Like a streak of golden lightning, Gold Ship is sprinting forward like mad!"
"Wherever she passes, the runners are thrown into chaos!"
"She's already reached the center of the pack… closing in on the leading group!"
"But!"
The commentator suddenly changed his tone:
"Kitasan Black is still in the lead!"
"Although she's running side by side with Lia Fail, Kitasan Black still holds the lead!"
"She's extremely composed! Facing the pressure from behind, Kitasan Black remains incredibly steady!"
"With this resolve of her own, she is expressing respect—to the senior runners of the older generation, and to all her rivals!"
"She runs forward with unwavering determination!"
"The situation in this Arima Kinen has become incredibly dramatic—until the very last moment, who will claim victory…"
"Remains completely uncertain!"
At the very front of the grandstand, a hint of surprise flashed through the eyes of Gentildonna.
Her gaze moved repeatedly between Gold Ship and Kitasan Black on the track. She kept nodding as she murmured softly:
"That Gold Ship… for her retirement race… she's really giving it everything."
"And that little one… how rare, to be so composed… is she really just a this-year runner?"
"This race… is getting more and more interesting…"
Beside her, Orfevre and Deep Impact also stared intently at the track, their expressions serious as if analyzing how the race would unfold next.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Tokai Teio and Makoto had also noticed everything.
Gripping the railing tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning pale from the force, Tokai Teio's gaze lingered on Gold Ship for a long time before shifting to Kitasan Black.
'Golshi… this is your last race. You… can do it.'
'Kita-chan… you must stay steady too. Don't get nervous—hold on, you absolutely have to hold on…'
Makoto, meanwhile, held his binoculars in his hands. His fingers trembled slightly, and he had completely forgotten to raise them to his eyes.
Staring fixedly at Kitasan Black, his lips quivered faintly as he muttered words he didn't even realize he was saying:
"Correct… absolutely… correct…"
"This response… completely correct. Stay calm, don't get nervous, you must stay calm… don't get nervous…"
"Kitasan… you can do it!"
And on the racetrack—
Behind her surged a golden storm and a crimson tide.
Yet Kitasan Black stood like a steady black monument, unmoved.
Her back maintained a perfect arc, while her legs pushed against the ground in alternating strides measured to the centimeter.
Each step landed like a firm drumbeat echoing across the track.
Sunlight flowed across her black-and-gold Signature Racewear, carving her figure into a sharp silhouette, as if even the wind had to give way before that unquestionable presence.
Yet only Kitasan Black herself knew what kind of raging storm was surging inside this body.
Her heart felt as though it were clenched by an invisible giant hand. Its drum-like pounding made her eardrums ache, and the roar of blood rushing through her veins almost drowned out the noise of the racetrack.
Dryness and spasms rose in her throat—the physiological tremor caused by exertion and extreme tension.
Breathing had completely turned into a carefully controlled, almost mechanical process—
Inhale for two seconds.
Hold for one second.
Exhale for three seconds.
Originally, this "two-one-three" rhythm had been like a beautiful melody, constantly supplying her body with strength.
But now, this rhythm—rehearsed countless times—felt like a chain of thorns wrapped around her. If she relaxed for even a moment, it would pierce her and leave her gasping for breath.
Fine snow-like specks appeared at the edges of her vision, a sign of adrenaline flooding her system.
She could clearly feel the muscles of her back twitching slightly. Sweat slid down her spine and seeped into her Signature Racewear, leaving winding trails.
And yet, it felt as if all her senses had been tempered to their absolute limit at this moment—allowing her to perceive even more.
She could feel the contraction and extension of every muscle:
Her quadriceps compressed and rebounded like steel springs; her gastrocnemius burst with tearing power at the end of the tendon; her intercostal muscles pumped like bellows in rhythm with her breathing…
As those muscles worked, the tremor from her left foot striking the ground traveled through her bones to her skull, resonating with the reactive force of her right foot pushing off.
This resonance was a bodily rhythm that only front-running racers could master, and she maintained it perfectly with the precision forged through endless daily training.
The measurement of her remaining stamina turned in her mind like a delicate balance scale.
She clearly knew that in this race she had been fortunate—she had only unleashed one explosive acceleration in the opening stage.
Her glycogen reserves would only then reach their critical threshold after three more bursts of that level.
At the same time, every step and every swing of her arms brought lactic acid accumulation. The growing soreness—now impossible to ignore—reminded her that she had to shift into her next racing phase within the next 300 meters.
The silver marker of the third corner—
That was the planned acceleration point calculated countless times in simulations.
Through the sounds reaching her ears, the entire racecourse reconstructed itself in her mind:
The irregular breathing rhythm of Lia Fail beside her was like a badly tuned string—she wouldn't last through the final straight. She wasn't her final opponent.
When Gold Actor attempted to cut to the inside line, the friction of cleats scraping the ground produced a discordant screech—she would have to avoid Lia Fail, who would inevitably lose speed.
Behind them, Sounds of Earth was adjusting her stride frequency. Within it was the distinctive triple-beat rhythm she used when preparing to accelerate through a turn. She might not necessarily be planning a one-on-one with Kitasan Black—she was preparing to duel whoever was in first.
And there were even more sounds, more scenes of the racetrack reconstructed in her mind.
But the one she had to pay the most attention to… was that sound rushing forward from the very back.
'Gold Ship-senpai… so it really was you.'
An indescribable emotion instantly filled Kitasan Black's chest.
Excitement.
Joy.
Tension.
Bittersweet longing.
Sadness.
Reluctance.
But there was absolutely no time to dwell on what those feelings truly were.
In the center of her vision, the marker of the third corner—
Only 100 meters remained.
And on the silver-white surface of that marker, a streak of crimson was visibly expanding at astonishing speed.
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 314: Kita, You're Truly Amazing[1]
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