"Ryuji, do you know who this 'Depth Collision' is?"
T.M. Opera O immediately caught onto Wada's words and asked curiously,
"Given my familiarity with everyone at Tracen, I can confirm that an Uma Musume with that name does not exist in our school. I've never even heard a mention of her name before."
"Hmm, of course that Uma Musume isn't from Tracen Academy; otherwise, with her strength, having such a low-profile to the point no one has heard of her name before would've been impossible."
"Currently, I only have one guess: 'Depth Collision' isn't this Uma Musume's real name."
"Oh? Ryuji... you're saying this Uma Musume is running under a fake name?"
T.M. Opera O found Wada's guess a bit far fetched.
Although she greatly trusted Wada's judgment, regarding this, she did have some differing opinions.
"But... why?"
The reason behind T.M. Opera O's doubt was because there was no merit in competing with a fake name; moreover, if her false identity were to be discovered, due to it being directly against the rules, her results would surely be terminated, and she could even get banned from competing.
"Why would someone take such a big risk just to compete under a fake name?"
"...I don't know either."
Wada thought of every possibility he could but still couldn't find a reasonable one.
However, when he fixed his gaze on the running 'Depth Collision,' an idea slowly formed in his mind.
"Actually, considering her running posture, that long distance final spurt, and her running style that has such a shocking visual effect, there is only one Uma Musume I know who could possibly do this."
"Oh? Who is it?"
T.M. Opera O was surprised that there was indeed such a powerful Uma Musume whose name she didn't know.
Wada, however, fell silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on Meisho Doto, who was slowly getting encroached upon by 'Depth Collision.'
...
"Ha— ha—"
"How...? How can she be so strong? Depth Collision— she's so strong, yet I didn't even know her name until just now!"
Meisho Doto was currently a bit lost in self-doubt.
She really didn't expect that this Uma Musume, whom she had only met mere hours ago, and who acted a bit strange but friendly, could have such terrifying strength hidden within her!
And since even Wada didn't tell her, Meisho Doto felt that something was wrong, but at such a critical moment, she couldn't afford to think too much.
The finish line was in sight!
Her all-out effort wasn't over yet!
"Wow~ you still have the stamina to keep pushing? Impressive, impressive. Colour me surprised; your strength and stamina exceed my expectations."
Beside Meisho Doto, Deep Impact's voice slowly rang out, causing Meisho Doto's pupils to constrict in disbelief.
Meisho Doto instinctively turned her head, only to then realize that, at some point, Depth Collision had already reached her side.
For the first time in months, Meisho Doto, while using all her strength to sprint, had an Uma Musume still able to catch up.
As her eyes met Depth Collision's, her relaxed expression instantly pierced Meisho Doto's heart.
"Still, I'm just a liiiitle bit stronger, Meisho Doto. That was a nice attempt, good job!"
"—AND DEPTH COLLISION HAS OVERTAKEN HER! UNBELIEVABLE! DEPTH COLLISION HAS ACTUALLY OVERTAKEN MEISHO DOTO!!!"
Akasaka Misato's incredulous tone echoed throughout the entire Racecourse, instantly causing an uproar among all the spectators.
"It's her after all!"
It was then that Wada also absolutely confirmed 'Depth Collision's' true identity.
"Such speed, such technique... akin to a speeding collision leading to a powerful impact, like she's..."
"—It's like she's flying! As if Depth Collision had spread her wings! It's almost as if she's..."
"Deep Impact reborn!" X2
At this moment, Wada's and Akasaka Misato's exclamations overlapped, and everyone's memories were reawakened by this name.
Suddenly, everyone remembered a legendary Uma Musume who had faded from view but still left her impact on countless people.
And as Wada's and Akasaka Misato's voices fell, Deep Impact's body completely passed Meisho Doto, crossing the finish line first with unstoppable momentum and unmatched strength!
"AND THEY CROSS THE FINISH LINE!! THE WINNER OF THE GI OSAKA HAI IS THE TWELFTH-FAVOURITE, DEPTH COLLISION!!! A HUGE UPSET!!"
"From the very back of the pack, she overtook every other Uma Musume before finally defeating Meisho Doto, the Beast of the Racecourse head-on in a dominant manner!"
"Let us congratu—"
However, before Akasaka Misato could finish, and before the audience could react, a sudden dazzling red alarm flashed and blared across the Racecourse, causing everyone to freeze in place, even pausing their breathing.
This red light was a symbol of dissent, meaning that the racing judging committee had raised an objection to the result of this race, either due to a suspected foul or an unfair aspect of the race.
Soon, a staff member quietly handed a few sheets of paper to Akasaka Misato, indicating to her for read it out loud.
Akasaka Misato took it somewhat blankly, but upholding her professional ethics, she still read out the paper in her hand, reading the words on it.
"Ahem... The referee team has just conducted an assessment."
"Number twelve, Depth Collision is suspected to have participated in this race under a false identity."
"Therefore, in accordance with the rules, Depth Collision's results in this race are canceled, and the second-place Uma Musume, Meisho Doto, will be designated as the winner of the Osaka Hai."
False identity?
The moment this statement was uttered, all the spectators were shaken.
They all began to gradually realize who this Uma Musume named 'Depth Collision' on the racetrack really was.
"Depth Collision...?"
On the tracks, Meisho Doto and the other Uma Musume also looked at her with slightly unfocused eyes.
However, they only saw her smiling gently, lowering her hood even more.
The makeup on her face had been largely wiped away by the sweat, and even her fake eyelashes had long since flown off to who knows where.
Her messed up makeup even made her look a little comical, but the gentle smile that had returned to her face still made her seem beautiful.
"Yup, my name isn't Depth Collision. Sorry for lying to you, Doto-san."
"As you can see, you are now in first place."
"I must say, that was a truly exhilarating race; that final spurt of yours was very powerful."
"To be honest, among the many Uma Musume I have competed against, your final spurt ranks you among the top."
"—Still, you didn't win against me; Meisho, you only won the race."
As 'Depth Collision's' words slowly fell, Meisho Doto's heart was also slightly stung.
She, of course, knew what the other party meant.
Although Meisho Doto was nominally the first-place winner of the Osaka Hai, it was only because this unknown Uma Musume was using a fake pseudonym.
Aside from the pseudonym, which didn't have any impact on the race, Meisho Doto had lost to this Uma Musume fair and square.
There was no foul, no encirclement, no schemes, nothing.
But even so, she had managed to openly defeat Meisho Doto, even after she had unleashed her proud final spurt.
There were no excuses; Meisho Doto was truly inferior to the other party.
This was the biggest blow to Meisho Doto in this race.
Although she won the race, she didn't win against her opponent.
If the name 'Depth Collision' hadn't been false, Meisho Doto would have truly lost completely.
"Y- you, who exactly are you?"
Meisho Doto forcibly calmed down herself and asked unwillingly,
"I want to know your name. N- next time, I will definitely win next time."
"Phew~ That's some nice determination you got there; that's very good."
Deep Impact smiled slightly and turned to leave, saying lightly as she brushed past Meisho Doto.
"As for my name... you can call me, Deep Impact."
"That was a good race, Meisho Doto. I'm increasingly looking forward to our rematch, alongside that Overlord and the other child in your team."
"If you're already this strong, then the others must be even more interesting, right?"
This was the first time in a long while Deep Impact felt this exhilarated.
After being away from the racetracks for so long, having such a fun race be her first race back made her incredibly excited.
Deep Impact truly felt that she was born too early.
If she could just directly confront the strongest Uma Musume born in this era at their primes, she would truly be satisfied.
At this moment, this former 'hero' couldn't help but clench her fists in excitement.
Deep Impact felt that this race was enough for her to savor for a very, very long time...
As for rankings and prize money... who cares? Whoever wants them can take them; she had no need for any more of them.
-----+-----
I want them, gimme the money.
-----+-----
If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.