[Instance — A Genius's Journey Begins at Her Feet — Japan Derby Challenge.]
...
[Challenge Completed]
[Race Result]: 1st Place!!!
[New Instance Unlocked]: Miraculous Revival – Arima Kinen
...
Garden Gale awoke from the instance.
An unstoppable smile spread across her face, openly betraying her happiness.
Finally!
After nearly two months, she'd cleared the Japan Derby in her dreams. At long last, the sealed [Sky-High Teio Step] was no longer beyond her grasp—it had transformed from a locked relic into a weapon she could wield freely, a peerless blade now returned to her arsenal.
[Sky-High Teio Step]
A technique born from Tokai Teio's essence. Through tireless daily training, extraordinary control of her center of gravity, and inhuman flexibility, Teio forged a supreme final spurt known as the Sky-High Teio Step!
Imagine it...
All the others raced using their meticulously honed talents, sprinting desperately toward victory.
But Garden Gale? She was running with an arsenal strapped to her back.
Within that arsenal lay countless weapons ready at her fingertips. Tokai Teio's near-peak running style, the surging [Otherwordly Soul], the extremes of Front-Runner and End Closer styles—even Air Shakur's precise, calculation-driven methods… so many options it was almost dizzying.
All stored neatly within her.
Garden Gale acknowledged it herself:
In a one-on-one clash, her copy might never reach absolute perfection. But why would that matter? As long as she matched strength to weakness, victory was practically guaranteed—just like Tian Ji's classic horse-racing stratagem. Whatever card her opponent played, she would instantly counter with the perfect response.
Mr. C.B.'s earlier concerns had been valid, yet Garden had overcome them flawlessly.
That was the true strength of endless copying.
By carefully exploiting the logic of strength-versus-weakness matchups, no opponent was unbeatable, unless they truly reached suffocating levels of strength.
Moreover...
Yesterday's cozy encounter with Air Shakur had also granted Garden Gale something special.
Something related to Air Shakur herself—a decisive finishing touch.
After all, the Selas System's entire specialty was growth through intimacy. She hadn't checked it immediately, or rather, hadn't had the chance to. Standing atop Skytree, pledging mutual victory, something profound had stirred inside both girls beneath that starry Tokyo sky.
…
Now—Garden Gale swiftly opened the Selas System, scanning down to the skills section.
Her gaze landed on Air Shakur.
The Umamusume's avatar was now glowing gold, exactly like Tokai Teio's had before—Garden Gale blinked. This glow indicated she'd unlocked Air Shakur's [Color Change Count]… Did clearing the Japan Derby instantly open up the next instance around Air Shakur?
Garden chuckled softly.
She expanded the full skill panel.
[Target]: AIR SHAKUR
[Color Change Count]: 1
[ACQUIRED SKILLS]:
[Sonic Blast LV.2] → upgraded to [Sonic Blast LV.MAX]
[Rhythm Rule]
—[New Skill Unlocked. Please view immediately.]
The red notification dot in the top corner demanded attention. Knowing exactly what it was, Garden eagerly tapped it open.
...
[mag!c_number]
Energy = Mass × Speed of Light². Everything, everywhere, operates under equivalent exchange—your rewards match your efforts. But in racing, the rewards of effort aren't always proportional.
The Umamusume named Air Shakur tirelessly pursues a stable equilibrium.
Thus…
While using this skill during a race, the host gains no direct amplification. Instead, her input-output balance infinitely approaches equilibrium, magnifying the exchange into a pact with the divine.
...
To be honest... Garden Gale didn't understand it at first glance.
She scratched her head at the complicated description.
Why suddenly complicate things like this? Previous skills had all been straightforward power-ups. This one, though, was abstract—"infinitely approaching equilibrium?" What was that supposed to mean?
Did it mean you'd always get back exactly what you put in?
Aside from this simple interpretation…
She couldn't come up with anything else. But wasn't "you reap what you sow" just common sense?
She couldn't quite grasp its purpose yet.
Deciding not to get too tangled up over it, Garden calmed her racing thoughts and shook her head, pushing the question aside for now.
Today's rewards were already plenty.
With [Sky-High Teio Step] finally unlocked, her final spurt was no longer a weak point. She could confidently match anyone in the final stretch. Air Shakur's instance could wait for another day, and besides—there was still that limited-edition [Ferocious Thunder · Tamamo Cross] card she'd drawn earlier. She'd intended just a minor strength boost back then, but now she'd grown unstoppable.
A smug grin spread across her face—a classic Versailles humble-brag.
However what Garden Gale didn't yet realize…
…Was just how terrifyingly powerful this new skill actually was! Calling it the single strongest buff of the entire year wouldn't even be an exaggeration. When its effects finally revealed themselves, her face would light up with unbridled delight.
Effort didn't always equal results—certainly not immediate, visible results.
But instant feedback was the most potent stimulant of all. Witnessing your strength increase steadily, day by day, brought a kind of happiness beyond words.
She closed out the summary of today's growth.
Garden Gale flopped back onto her bed.
One day.
Only one more day...
Until the Japan Derby.
Unlike before, this time she wasn't just another challenger. Countless people had spontaneously started following her journey; she'd become the Umamusume everyone was watching. Even Curren Chan's Umastagram account was flooded with fans asking when she'd officially debut her own. They were mere steps away from uncovering Garden's secret Ruined King account.
I wonder…
What are my rivals doing right now?
Narita Top Road, T.M. Opera O, Admire Vega. Without realizing it, she'd pulled ahead of them all.
She exhaled quietly.
This is… still pretty surreal, honestly.
Who'd have thought someone as terrible as me could come this far?
A smile lingered faintly on her lips.
Right now, the only feeling left was gratitude—
Gratitude that at each fork in the road, she'd kept moving forward. Sometimes through her own determination, other times because someone else had gently pulled her along. That's how she'd achieved everything so far. Her nasty, self-destructive personality had slowly improved, bit by bit, as the reckless little filly matured step by step.
Until she finally became Japan's new-generation queen.
Until she could proudly declare herself an undefeated Triple Crown champion and set her sights overseas.
Until the day she stood on the sacred turf of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Exactly as Symboli Rudolf had wished from the start.
Grow quickly, Garden…
...
16 hours left.
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