Chapter: Hold Up... You Sure You Don't Have an Alter Ego?
Part 1 - Boring.
Kaiya expects training to be difficult.
Instead...
It's almost disappointingly easy.
Every morning.
Same time.
Same schedule.
Stretch.
Jog.
Interval work.
Technique.
Cooldown.
Saint Light never complains.
Never asks questions.
Never gets excited.
Never even looks tired.
Kaiya would hand her today's menu.
She'd glance at it.
"...Okay."
Then she'd do it.
Exactly as written.
Not better.
Not worse.
Exactly.
If Kaiya wrote ten laps...
She ran ten.
If he wrote five hill sprints...
She ran five.
If he increased the pace by three percent...
She somehow matched it without needing a stopwatch.
Not once did she ask why.
Not once did she bargain.
Not once did she even comment.
It was almost unsettling.
"You're... really easy to train."
Saint Light blinked.
"You told me to do it."
"...Yeah."
"So I did."
"..."
"..."
"That's... fair."
Another day.
Kaiya watched from the infield.
Her stride was beautiful.
Perfect posture.
Perfect breathing.
Perfect rhythm.
Almost...
Too perfect.
There wasn't a single wasted movement.
Even veteran trainers stopped walking just to watch.
"...Isn't that Saint Light?"
"...Looks like it."
"She's gotten smoother."
"Who's training her?"
"No idea."
Kaiya smiled.
Maybe everyone exaggerated.
Maybe Saint Light wasn't lazy.
Maybe she'd just never met someone who didn't annoy her.
Training continued.
Days became weeks.
Saint Light never changed.
She still looked bored.
Still answered in one-word sentences.
Still acted like running was something between brushing her teeth and making tea.
Kaiya eventually asked.
"...Do you even like racing?"
Saint Light thought for a second.
"I don't dislike it."
"...That's not the same."
"No."
"...Then why race?"
That was all.
No grand dream.
No speech.
No burning ambition.
Just...
"I'm good at it."
Kaiya scratched his head.
"...You're impossible."
Saint Light smiled.
A tiny one.
"I've been told that."
By now Kaiya had noticed something strange.
Saint Light wasn't lazy.
She simply never used more effort than necessary.
If a drill required sixty percent...
She used exactly sixty.
If it required seventy-two...
She somehow found exactly seventy-two.
Never eighty.
Never one hundred.
She was efficiency made flesh.
"She's weird."
One assistant trainer whispered.
"I know."
"Does she ever try?"
Kaiya looked toward Saint Light.
She had already finished today's workout.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Drinking tea.
"...I honestly can't tell."
Then...
Debut Day arrived.
Part 2 - "...Where Did She Go?"
The racecourse was louder than Kaiya expected.
Much louder.
Announcements echoed through the stadium.
The crowd shifted between excitement and uncertainty.
It was not a major Classic.
Not yet.
Just a debut race.
But for every Uma standing at the starting gate, it was the first step toward proving they belonged.
Kaiya looked down at the race card.
Newcomer Race - 1700 meters
A field of twelve.
Most of them had already built reputations during training.
Some had famous trainers.
Some came from prestigious bloodlines.
Some were already being watched as future stars.
And then there was...
Saint Light.
Kaiya looked at her name on the card.
A newcomer.
No major achievements.
No reputation.
No expectations.
Exactly why he chose her.
"Saint Light."
She looked over.
"Hm?"
Kaiya held up the race card.
"Do you know who you're racing against?"
She glanced at it.
"No."
"...You don't?"
"No."
Kaiya stared.
"Not even a little?"
"No."
"..."
Saint Light calmly drank her tea.
Kaiya sighed.
"Of course."
He looked at the other runners.
Kaiya looked at her.
A dangerous front runner.
Another runner caught his attention.
A fast-finishing Uma from a respected stable.
The crowd liked her chances.
Her specialty was saving energy early and exploding in the final stretch.
A typical closer.
If the pace became too fast, she could punish everyone.
Kaiya looked back at Saint Light.
She was sitting quietly.
Relaxed.
Almost asleep.
"...Are you nervous?"
"No."
"Excited?"
"No."
"...Do you even know you're about to race?"
Saint Light looked at him.
"Yes."
A pause.
"I think."
Kaiya sighed.
"That's concerning."
The announcer's voice echoed.
"All runners entering the gate!"
The crowd became louder.
One by one, the racers entered.
Ootomo entered confidently.
The closer entered calmly.
The others looked nervous.
Saint Light walked in.
No expression.
No excitement.
No fear.
Just another day.
Kaiya watched her.
"Saint Light."
She looked back.
"Run the way you practiced."
A small nod.
"Okay."
The gates opened.
Bang!
The field exploded forward.
Exactly as expected.
The crowd cheered.
"Amazing start!"
Saint Light did not respond.
She settled into the pack.
Middle position.
Calm.
Perfect breathing.
Kaiya watched carefully.
Good.
She understood the race.
No wasted movement.
The first corner arrived.
One runner moved outside.
Another tried to gain position.
The pack compressed.
Saint Light remained still.
Watching.
Calculating.
Kaiya noticed something.
Her eyes.
They weren't bored anymore.
They were analyzing.
Final 700 meters.
Ootomo increased the pace.
The race changed.
The front runner was trying to break everyone before the final stretch.
A dangerous strategy.
Several runners struggled.
But Saint Light...
Still looked comfortable.
Kaiya's eyes widened slightly.
"She hasn't even accelerated yet."
Final corner.
The crowd believed it was over.
The experienced front runner.
The perfect position.
The ideal pace.
Then...
Saint Light moved.
Not because Kaiya told her.
Not because she needed to.
Because someone was ahead of her.
Her ears lifted.
Her eyes sharpened.
The bored expression disappeared.
Kaiya froze.
"..."
That wasn't the Saint Light he knew.
She accelerated.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
Her stride changed completely.
The gap disappeared.
"Huh?"
For the first time, her expression changed.
Someone was catching her.
Fast.
100 meters.
Saint Light passed the second-place runner.
50 meters.
She reached Ootomo.
The crowd erupted.
"Overtaking on the outside!"
"The newcomer!"
"Saint Light is moving!"
Ootomo refused.
She pushed harder.
A champion's instinct.
She wasn't giving up.
But Saint Light simply adjusted.
A tiny change.
A perfect angle.
A more efficient stride.
She passed.
Finish line.
Saint Light crossed first.
Winning margin: 5 lengths.
The stadium went silent.
Then exploded.
"Saint Light!"
"The newcomer wins!"
"Who is she?!"
"Where did she come from?!"
Kaiya stood frozen.
Five lengths.
A debut race.
Against a field that included one of the most promising runners.
She didn't look exhausted.
She didn't look excited.
She just walked back.
Saint Light returned.
Kaiya pointed at her.
"You."
"Yes?"
"What was that?"
She tilted her head.
"What?"
"..."
"You looked completely different."
Saint Light thought.
"Oh."
Kaiya leaned closer.
"Oh?"
"Racing is different."
She looked back at the track.
A faint smile appeared.
"When I'm training..."
A pause.
"I don't really care."
Kaiya blinked.
"But when I'm racing..."
Her eyes sharpened.
Just for a moment.
"I don't like losing."
Then it vanished.
She became the same sleepy girl again.
"Anyway."
She looked at Kaiya.
"Can we get lunch?"
Kaiya stared.
"..."
"..."
"You just won by five lengths."
"Yes."
"You crushed everyone."
"Yes."
"You looked like a completely different person."
"Did I?"
"YES!"
Saint Light tilted her head.
"Hm."
She walked away.
Kaiya watched her.
And finally understood.
Saint Light wasn't lazy.
She was bored.
Because nothing had forced her to care yet.
Until today.
After the Race - Winning Live
The stadium was still loud.
Saint Light's name echoed through the stands.
"Saint Light!"
"The newcomer!"
"What an incredible debut!"
Kaiya stood near the waiting area, still trying to process what he had just witnessed.
Five lengths.
A debut race.
She had won by five lengths.
And she looked like she barely tried.
Then the announcement came.
"Today's winner, Saint Light, will now participate in the Winning Live!"
Kaiya froze.
"...The what?"
Saint Light looked over.
"The concert."
"You knew about this?"
"Yes."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"You didn't ask."
Kaiya stared.
"..."
Fair.
Backstage, Saint Light stood in front of the mirror.
The other runners were excited.
Some were practicing their smiles.
Some were nervous.
Some were checking their choreography.
Saint Light simply stood there.
Expressionless.
Kaiya looked concerned.
"Are you nervous?"
"No."
"Are you excited?"
"No."
"Are you happy you won?"
She thought.
"...Yes."
Kaiya blinked.
That was probably the strongest emotion he had heard from her all day.
The music started.
The lights turned on.
The crowd erupted.
The same girl who had just destroyed the race stood on stage.
But now...
She looked completely lost.
Her movements were perfect.
Of course they were.
Her rhythm was flawless.
Her timing was flawless.
Her expression?
...
Less flawless.
Kaiya covered his face.
"She looks like she's analyzing the choreography like it's a race."
The audience noticed something strange.
Saint Light wasn't energetic.
She wasn't the usual cheerful idol type.
But she had something else.
A calm confidence.
A quiet elegance.
Every movement was precise.
Every step looked effortless.
It was the same thing they saw on the track.
Perfection.
After the performance, Saint Light returned backstage.
Kaiya looked at her.
"You know..."
"Hm?"
"You were scarier on stage than during the race."
She tilted her head.
"Why?"
"Because you looked like you were thinking."
"I was."
"About what?"
A pause.
"The timing."
Kaiya sighed.
"Of course."
A staff member approached.
"Saint Light, congratulations. The audience loved your performance."
Saint Light nodded.
"Thank you."
The staff member smiled.
"Do you have anything you want to say to the fans?"
She looked confused.
"Now?"
"Yes."
She thought carefully.
The crowd waited.
Then:
"...Thank you for watching."
A pause.
"...I will try to win again next time."
The crowd cheered.
Kaiya stared.
"That was actually a good answer."
Saint Light looked at him.
"Was it?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
A pause.
"Can we eat now?"
Kaiya laughed.