The setting sun, like molten gold, painted the little-used private training track of Tracen Academy with a brilliant golden hue.
There were no spectators, no cheers, and no cameras. The only judge was Kaito, standing at the finish line with a terrifyingly calm expression.
At the starting line, two Umas, whose aura was enough to make the air solidify, stood facing each other.
The Empress, Air Groove, had put on an elegant black training suit. She pressed her lips tightly, and her face, usually marked by severity and discipline, was now filled with an uncontrollable mixture of emotion and tension.
Her opponent, Symboli Rudolf, remained as serene and elegant as ever. But deep within her emerald eyes, there was a profound curiosity about the chess match the man before her was presenting.
This did not seem like a practice race. It felt more like a final duel, destined to decide their fates.
Before the race began, Kaito approached each of them in turn.
First, he approached Air Groove, signaling for her to sit. Then, he covered her beautifully sculpted but constantly tensed calves with his hands. His technique was unlike any other. It was no longer simply relaxing, but filled with a sense of "awakening" and "stimulation" Every pulse stimulated her explosive power, dormant for so long.
"Air Groove, listen"
He leaned in and, with a voice like a devil's whisper that only the two of them could hear, spoke softly into her ear:
"I only have one tactical instruction for you..."
"Forget who is in front of you"
"From this moment on, there is no Emperor, no President, not even Tracen; there is only this fourteen-hundred-meter golden track, and yourself"
He intensified the pressure on her Achilles tendon and quadriceps, and the heat almost burned her nerves.
"Your body yearns to run without reservations! You have suppressed it for far too long! Stop chasing that damn shadow, Air Groove!"
"Today, run for yourself! Run the race you desire most, the most exciting one, the one that will make you smile!"
Air Groove's body trembled violently at his seductive words and powerful technique. She could clearly feel that the invisible shackles that had always bound her like a nightmare were... loosening!
Her gaze, which had been confused and reluctant, gradually became clear, sharp, and filled with an unprecedented fighting spirit!
Afterward, Kaito approached Rudolf.
He performed a relaxing massage on her shoulders and neck. His technique was soft and comforting, like a spring breeze. But beneath that gentle appearance, he subtly stimulated several specific nerve points with an extremely subtle and hidden force. It was a special technique that could silently put a top-tier, fully warmed-up F1 engine into a "non-competition" cruise mode.
"Your Majesty"
He also whispered into her ear, but the content was completely opposite to the previous one.
"I also have a small request"
"Today, please forget for a moment the glory of 'invincibility', and also those millisecond-precise step calculations and rhythm plans that are already engraved in your bones, alright?"
He gently pressed her temples and, with a voice of an oddly hypnotic rhythm, said slowly:
"Run a 'happy' race"
"Just like when you fell in love with running, not for victory, nor for expectations, but just to feel the wind brushing against your ears, just to enjoy the purest joy of galloping alongside your best friend"
"Today, please offer a 'gentle' race for her and for yourself"
How intelligent and perceptive Symboli Rudolf was! She understood the full intent of Kaito's plan almost instantly. She was surprised by the man's audacity and subtlety. But, for some reason, no resistance arose in her heart; instead... there was a hint of anticipation.
She looked at her dear friend standing before her, who seemed to have been reborn, her eyes burning with fierce flames. Then, for the first time, this undefeated Empress revealed a genuine smile—pure and gentle, not merely symbolic, but coming from the heart.
She nodded.
"Ready—!"
Kaito raised his hand high.
"Run!"
At his command, two figures shot out like arrows from a bow!
Air Groove unleashed herself completely from the first second of the race! She ran wild, without reservations, with an almost primitive intensity! Her face no longer reflected the usual struggle and pain, only extreme concentration and the euphoria of liberation.
Rudolf, on the other hand, notably held back her suffocating imperial pressure, capable of overwhelming any opponent. She did not use her best, precise, and lethal sprint rhythm. She was more of a... "companion" She maintained an extremely subtle distance from Air Groove, enough to apply pressure so she wouldn't slacken, but not so much as to make her collapse mentally as in the past.
On the track, two figures chased each other fiercely. Off the track, countless data streams flickered wildly in the depths of Kaito's eyes.
[High-speed Calculation] [Passive Skill, full speed!]
The stamina consumption curves of the two, the instantaneous speed changes, the muscle fatigue... even the decay rate of the "debuffs" and "buffs" he applied before the race, everything was within his grasp!
The final golden 100-meter straight! The two were almost tied!
Air Groove had given everything; her lungs burned like fire and her stamina was on the brink of exhaustion. But the new conviction of "I want to run for myself" supported her with strength!
Rudolf still seemed to have plenty left, but she honored her "gentleman's agreement" with Kaito and did not activate her invincible "Emperor's Final Sprint Mode"
Every one of Air Groove's breaths came with a hot white mist, and sweat clouded her eyes. Rudolf was right beside her; she could even clearly hear the Empress's still steady breathing. But this time, that sound was no longer a source of pressure. Instead, it was a silent and very powerful encouragement!
Now!
Less than five meters from the finish line, Rudolf performed a symbolic final acceleration move. However, the effort point in her core muscles was fleetingly... 0.1 seconds slower than normal! This was a small, almost imperceptible physiological "delay" caused by Kaito's massage technique!
And Air Groove.
In that moment, she unleashed the purest, cleanest, and most raw sprint of her life!
The scene, at that moment, froze.
At the finish line, Air Groove's heaving chest, her proud nose, with a minuscule advantage almost imperceptible to the naked eye, thinner than a piece of paper...
Crossed the finish line first!
After crossing the line, the immense inertia made Air Groove stumble several steps forward before she could stop. She leaned on her knees, panting violently and greedily, while sweat dripped like rain.
She looked up at the final "PHOTO FINISH" resolution on the screen, and the moment she confirmed her victory.
There was no imaginary ecstasy, no thrill from defeating a rival. Her legs simply gave way, and she slowly knelt on the golden track that had witnessed her rebirth.
She buried her face deep in her arms. And she let out a cry that had been suppressed for a long time, full of endless relief and liberation.
She won. But she knew better than anyone that she hadn't won against the undefeated Empress. She had won against her past self, 그 pathetic and pitiful self that always chased the shadow of the Empress!
Rudolf stopped slowly, watching her dear friend kneeling on the ground, crying like a child. On her face was a genuinely relieved and infinitely sweet smile.
Then she turned her head.
With an unprecedented, extremely complex look, mixed with surprise, relief, curiosity, and even a hint of... concerted reluctance and admiration, she looked at the man at the finish line who seemed to have anticipated all of this.
She walked toward Kaito, the setting sun outlining her tall figure with a sacred golden edge. She didn't ask:
"What did you do to me?" nor "What did you do to her?" She simply looked at him deeply, deeply, with a declarative tone.
"You did it"
"You made the 'Empress' defeat the 'Emperor'"
Kaito looked into her emerald eyes, which seemed to see through people's hearts, without taking credit or showing triumph. He simply shook his head gently and smiled, saying:
"No, Your Majesty"
"I simply... allowed a friend to see another friend's most sincere smile, without any weight on top"
"Now, Ms. Air Groove's 'ailment' has been cured"
In that moment, he suddenly took a step forward. His usually gentle gaze, in that moment, became sharp as a sword, looking directly into Rudolf's eyes and, without warning, all the blame pointed toward her.
"So..."
"It is your turn, Your Majesty"
"Your 'ailment' is much more serious than hers"
A playful and defiant smile curled his lips and he said in a tone almost like a pronouncement:
"And, in this world, I am probably the only one who can cure it"
These words, like a heavy bomb, stirred monstrous waves in Rudolf's usually calm heart. For the first time, her heart was pounding, not for glory, not for expectation, not for victory, but for herself and for this bold man before her.