Out on the track, the Umamusume who had just crossed the finish line were all gasping for breath, their chests heaving.
They struggled to lift their heads and fix their eyes on the results board.
And the moment they saw the placings, entirely different expressions appeared on their faces.
Excitement and intoxicated delight. Frustration and regret. Even remorse.
After staring at the board for a while, Sounds of Earth suddenly burst into loud laughter without any warning.
With a flick of her hand, she produced a violin and bow out of thin air. Expertly pressing a button on the side of the instrument, she set it against her neck with practiced flair and began to "play" in utter absorption, sighing in delight as she did:
"Ah, beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!
"This movement called the Arima Kinen was... exactly like my dream!
"Magnificent!"
Her delighted cries, accompanied by the flowing sound of the violin, echoed across the racecourse like an unusual finale played for this fierce battle.
Hearing the music, the other Umamusume finally snapped back to themselves.
Still staring at the board, Lovely Day suddenly let out a small laugh. There was a trace of relief in it, and the thick frustration, regret, and unwillingness in her eyes vanished in an instant.
She turned and, her steps showing a hint of fatigue, walked toward Gold Ship not far away.
"So you really are retiring? That... really doesn't seem like something you'd do."
There was both emotion and puzzlement in her voice.
Just like she had been moments ago, Gold Ship was also looking at the board.
Hearing Lovely Day's words, Gold Ship froze for a second, then slowly turned her head.
Looking at Lovely Day, she suddenly broke into a brilliant grin and threw up two playful V-signs.
"If you could guess me that easily, then I wouldn't be Gold Ship-sama!"
"And besides, you've been watching me this whole time, haven't you? I noticed ages ago."
"So? Regretting that you had your eyes on the wrong one?"
Her voice carried its usual irreverence, but there was a sly glint in her eyes.
Lovely Day paused, as if Gold Ship had hit the mark, and instinctively looked off to the side.
There, Kitasan Black still stood in place. Sweat streamed down from her forehead and face, soaking her short black hair until damp strands clung to her cheeks.
She was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly, staring blankly at the board, her eyes full of disbelief that she had really won.
"...Yeah. I really didn't expect it. That kouhai... was that good."
Lovely Day nodded slowly, speaking with feeling, before letting her gaze fall back on Gold Ship.
"Just like... you were back then."
Her voice softened, thick with memories of the past.
For an instant, recollection, pride, and a trace of wistfulness flickered through Gold Ship's eyes.
"That's not quite right. She's only just getting started. And if she gets full of herself over one win, then she's still a long way from me."
Hooking a thumb at herself, she said it with a grin, and fighting spirit gradually lit up her eyes as she looked toward the stands.
"Besides, all that means is I'm done racing here. It's not like I'm disappearing for good."
Lovely Day blinked, then unconsciously followed Gold Ship's gaze.
At a glance, she saw that beside a very young trainer, Orfevre and Gentildonna seemed to be saying something with worried looks on their faces.
Nearby stood Deep Impact—another student council vice president, like Orfevre—and the student council president, Tokai Teio. They too were looking at that young trainer with concern.
Understanding at once, Lovely Day nodded, then looked back at Gold Ship. There was now a faint smile in her eyes, and the same fighting spirit too.
"I see... Well, that makes sense. I have a few things I'd like to keep talking over with them too, on the Dream Trophy stage."
"Of course, that'll be after I leave this place."
Gold Ship drew her gaze back from the stands and smiled with easy swagger before waving a hand at Lovely Day.
"I'll be cheering for you in your later races."
"But..."
Still smiling, she turned and strode toward Kitasan Black.
"Be careful. Don't lose to this girl again."
At that, Lovely Day narrowed her eyes and looked at Kitasan Black for a moment. Then she slowly turned to the very top line of the results board and curled her lips into a smile.
"Kitasan Black... yeah. She really is quite the opponent."
Kitasan Black was still caught in that dazed, unreal feeling.
Right now, it felt as if her mind were wrapped in fog. Her memory was a blur, and she had no recollection at all of how she had run the race just now.
The only thing she could remember was throwing everything she had into that desperate final charge before the finish...
And then she had crossed the line.
And then...
She'd won...?
She stared at the board, consciousness hazy, eyes drifting, the roar around her seeming to have nothing to do with her as she remained submerged in that strange trance.
Then, all of a sudden, she felt a familiar arm sling itself around her shoulders. A hand came down on top of her head and started rubbing it back and forth.
A teasing voice slipped into her ears the next instant.
"What's with that goofy look? Don't tell me you sprinted so hard just now that you dropped your brain somewhere on the track?"
Kitasan Black froze for a moment, then recognized that familiar voice almost immediately. She turned to look, smiling before she even spoke.
"Gold Ship-senpai..."
And then she saw that Gold Ship, while holding her and rubbing her head, had tilted her head and was staring at the track with a completely serious face, her gaze sweeping back and forth as if she really were searching for the "brain" Kitasan Black had supposedly lost.
"Well now, that's strange. Why can't I find it?"
Gold Ship smacked her lips in mock puzzlement, then turned back to meet Kitasan Black's still slightly dazed eyes, the corners of her mouth curling upward.
"But that's okay. Even if your brain ran off somewhere, you can at least tell that you already won the race... right?"
Her tone was light, like she was sharing some amusing little secret with Kitasan Black.
After that string of teasing, Kitasan Black's cheeks flushed a little.
And Gold Ship's appearance was like a beam of light, instantly dispersing the fog in her heart and gradually making her realize what had happened.
"Senpai..."
After a brief hesitation, she spoke softly. "This race... I... you..."
But her voice quickly began to tremble, because too many complicated emotions were rising up inside her.
Gratitude. Excitement. Shock. And her reluctance to accept that Gold Ship was about to retire.
"All right, all right."
Gold Ship cut her off. She stepped around to stand directly in front of her, placed both hands on Kitasan Black's shoulders, and put away her smile as she looked her straight in the eyes.
"You did great. Really.
"This wasn't my first Arima Kinen, but honestly, that was the most exhilarating one I've ever run."
"This race... Kita-chan, you won. And you won beautifully!"
After praising her, a trace of entrustment appeared amid the approval and relief in Gold Ship's eyes.
"But remember this: this is only your beginning. It's nowhere near the end."
"You've still got a much longer road ahead of you, and a whole lot more championships waiting for you to take them."
"But for right now... oh, right."
She seemed to think of something and turned toward the stands with a grin.
"It's about time you went and shared the good news with your trainer first... huh?"
Something shifted in her eyes, and her smile suddenly froze.
Still carrying the delight that had risen from being praised by her senpai, Kitasan Black instinctively turned as well when Gold Ship did.
And the moment she looked toward the stands, her expression froze in exactly the same way.
"T-Trainer?!"
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T/N: MUAHUAHUHA CLIFFHANG HERE!@