"As they round the second corner, they enter the final 200-meter straight! If she can hold her lead here, she'll likely seize the crown of the Junior Cup! Can Eperlan hold on? Can she carry the glory of her predecessors and embark on a great journey?!"
"Or will the 'Gray Monster' in hot pursuit end Eperlan's lead here, continue her undefeated myth, and take her seat upon the throne once more?!"
The commentator, caught up in the fervor, practically slammed his hand on the desk as he bellowed into the microphone.
As the race neared its end, the Kawasaki Racecourse boiled over. Hearing the impassioned commentary, the spectators waved their fans and banners with even greater intensity.
Eperlan displayed her formidable cornering technique as a pacesetter. She hugged the inner rail, sprinting along the shortest possible route. Her speed inevitably slowed slightly—she hadn't yet grown enough to fully overcome the effects of centrifugal force—but even so, she was only a hair slower than her top speed. It was an incredible display of skill!
Even someone as powerful as Oguri Cap couldn't fully negate the centrifugal force and had to drop her speed a fraction. Behind them, the other Horse Girls were slowing down significantly, huddling into a disorganized clump as they struggled to maintain their balance against the outward pull.
Yet, Eperlan's lead was still under threat!
As they entered the corner, a sharp light flashed in Oguri Cap's eyes. She didn't chase the perfect inner arc like Eperlan. Instead, she pressed her body lower and lower, shifting her center of gravity to prepare for the moment she left the curve... No! She decided to accelerate while running the arc! She wouldn't wait for the straight!
Dark flickers ignited in Oguri's eyes. She realized clearly: If I wait until the straight to speed up, I might not definitely overtake Eperlan. I must fight now to increase my chances of victory!
Without a hint of hesitation, relying on her brutal physical control and absolute trust in her own strength, Oguri launched an assault from the outer track! She abandoned the energy-saving, safer "decelerated cornering" and chose to use raw power to compensate for the extra distance—using speed to crush the curve!
"Oguri Cap! She's launching a surprise attack from the outside! Could it be... is she going to catch Eperlan just like that?!" The commentator's voice cracked with shock. And it was exactly at this moment that a blue-gray figure burst into the audience's field of vision.
Because their focus was so highly concentrated elsewhere, the spectators almost missed the "assassin" who had suddenly begun a reckless charge. Many were startled by her sudden appearance.
The commentator screamed: "Fujimasa March! It's Fujimasa March!"
"The other gray-haired girl from Kasamatsu has revealed her own sharp edge at this very moment! Like an assassin of peerless courage, the map is unrolled and the dagger is revealed!"
"She is lunging straight for the backs of Oguri Cap and Eperlan!" The commentator mimicked a stabbing motion with one hand, seemingly completely immersed in his own world.
A spectator gasped instinctively, "Heavens, could it be that the top three will be decided entirely by these girls from Kasamatsu?"
Others shouted with excitement, "Amazing! This is too incredible! Three such powerful girls appearing at once... Kasamatsu must be a land of miracles! It's the hope of our regional circuits!"
However, someone soon threw cold water on the hype: "By the way, where even is Kasamatsu? I feel like I've never heard of it."
The regional tracks had always been competitive. Kawasaki and Ohi were constantly hosting major events to overshadow one another, and their local Tracen Academies aggressively recruited talented girls to fight for the top spot. Those places were famous for their efforts; a small place like Kasamatsu... while not exactly "unknown," was certainly not a household name.
The stands erupted in a mountain-shaking roar. Countless voices intertwined into a rolling wave of sound that surged over the track. It became an invisible hand, slamming down on the Horse Girls below!
Many spectators didn't realize that it wasn't just the wind pressure from a running Horse Girl that could cause harm. When tens of thousands of voices gathered, humanity itself possessed a power that could affect them.
Horse Girls had incredibly sensitive hearing. They could hear the slightest sound, and when a tidal wave of noise hit them, they felt actual pain. The sound was so piercing they instinctively wanted to cover their ears.
Several girls slowed down because of it.
But to the truly powerful, while the noise was annoying, it wasn't enough to stop them—especially the three girls running at the very front.
Compared to the assault of sound, they cared far more about their struggle with one another.
Just as Oguri Cap closed the gap with Eperlan and looked ready to overtake, a long-awaited "bolt of lightning" struck from the far outside! The rapid rhythm of footsteps turned into a dense drumbeat, causing the two leaders to prick up their ears, trying to identify her position and estimate the distance.
Unlike the surprised Eperlan, Oguri recognized the presence immediately and wasn't surprised at all. She thought: It's March! She's making her move!
In the stands, Maruzensky watched the three-way duel with great interest, a pleasant smile playing on her lips.
As a family senior, Maruzensky naturally wanted Eperlan to win. But as the Vice President of Central, she only wanted the three of them to give their all and deliver an intense race the audience would remember for a lifetime.
Ordinary spectators and Horse Girls had no idea how Fujimasa March, who had been hanging back, managed to catch up. They were left with the vague feeling of: "I don't know what's happening, but it looks amazing!"
Maruzensky was different. She saw it clearly: the girl had obviously studied the track to its fullest extent.
Kawasaki was different from most regional tracks; its course was relatively wide, and the curves were comparatively gentle. This type of track favored girls who weren't great at tight cornering or those who banked their stamina for the final leg.
Because if they ran along the far outside, they could almost ignore the effects of centrifugal force. To them, the track was essentially a straight line. They could even accelerate while other girls were slowing down, closing the gap with the lead group in one breath or even overtaking them in a single sweep!
Fujimasa March was doing exactly that, and she was executing it perfectly. She had successfully threatened Oguri and Eperlan, turning their duel into a three-way war.
Maruzensky withdrew her gaze and looked toward the stands, searching for Fujimaru Ritsuka's silhouette. In her view, there weren't many Trainers who could so cleverly seize the characteristics of a track to find a winning path—and she happened to know one, and that man was at Kasamatsu.
If anyone told her that March's decision had nothing to do with Fujimaru Ritsuka, Maruzensky wouldn't believe a single word of it.
It wasn't that she looked down on regional Trainers, but rather that the regions had such weak pull for talent. Everyone wanted to go to Central to see stronger girls, earn higher purses, and participate in more heart-pounding races.
If a regional Trainer had this much skill, they would have recommended themselves to Central long ago. While Central had its flaws, as long as someone had true talent... well, at the very least, once the Central Horse Girls confirmed the news, they would proactively extend an olive branch to help a regional Trainer move up.
Though they would still have to pass official exams to register, a talented Trainer would be helped by the girls to become famous early.
So, aside from an outlier like Fujimaru Ritsuka, any capable and ambitious Trainer would have found a way to make a name for themselves already. Why would they waste time and energy on regional races?
Especially since Kasamatsu was poor and "run-down," with zero appeal.
Maruzensky rested her chin on her hand, a playful smile on her face as she murmured, "First, he ignores stable conventions to allow little El to compete, then he creates a powerful rival for his own two girls... Fujimaru-kun, you really are an interesting man."
If Fujimaru Ritsuka had heard Maruzensky's musing, he would only have said: Isn't it normal for heroes and enemies to share the same origin?
He had watched plenty of Tokusatsu shows; that trope was common knowledge.
Besides, his own life experiences were the same. He found it to be the natural order of things, not something to be surprised about.
On the track, the three Horse Girls were drenched in sweat. Salty droplets slid horizontally across their cheeks, scattering into the air.
In the high-intensity clash, they felt their bodies growing heavy. Their legs felt like they were filled with lead, every lift draining a massive amount of stamina.
Furthermore, the track condition was "Firm."
Unlike turf, a "firm" dirt track was actually disadvantageous for the girls. The loose sand made it difficult to find purchase; they had to use even more strength to stomp down and find leverage to propel themselves forward.
Huff, huff, huff.
The lungs of the three girls were like bellows working at maximum capacity. Their breathing was so loud it would make anyone worry about their health.
The three girls were now almost neck-and-neck!
Oguri Cap and Eperlan were both startled by March's performance. Eperlan thought:
That girl... she's been staring at Oguri Cap this whole time, but she didn't apply pressure. It's not that she couldn't; she simply didn't want to waste energy. She bet all her stamina and calculations on this final fifty-meter stretch from the corner entrance to the straight!
Coincidentally, Oguri thought the same: March... she chose the widest, least affected path on the far outside. She endured a longer running distance in exchange for an unobstructed, perfect acceleration lane where she could explode with the stamina she'd been saving! You're amazing, March!
Eperlan felt surprise, Oguri felt joy, but Fujimasa March herself felt terror.
The blue-gray haired girl gritted her teeth, her eyes nearly bloodshot with effort.
She thought: As expected of the powerful girls who received the Trainer's full instruction. Even though the Trainer only taught the winning tactic to me, they can still use their raw strength to overcome the tactical disadvantage. Ah...
The girl's brow furrowed tightly. She opened her mouth and let out a heart-wrenching roar: "——————!"
She screamed at herself: Keep... RUNNING!!!
Her thirst for victory—the desire to dedicate that victory to Fujimaru Ritsuka—allowed March to explode with a power she hadn't even imagined. She felt like a fire was burning in her lungs, but she didn't care. She only wanted the win!
The commentator roared with excitement: "Fujimasa March! Fujimasa March! She's in the lead! Heavens, she—no! Not just her! Eperlan as well! March only took a slight lead before Eperlan clawed it back! Neither is giving an inch!"
Eperlan watched March from the corner of her eye, screaming in her heart: Don't think... you can pass me!
Notably, at the moment March took that temporary lead, Eperlan wasn't thinking about March or Oguri—she was thinking about Fujimaru Ritsuka.
In her view, Ritsuka had so kindly tolerated her selfishness. She had to bring the victory back to him. Even if she had to lose, she could only lose to Oguri Cap.
Who was this Fujimasa March anyway? What right did she have to be ahead of her?
Her burning competitive spirit injected Eperlan with a surge of power. Adrenaline flooded her system. She felt like there was still stamina to be squeezed from her body, and she wanted to wring out every last drop!
Would there be aftereffects? Who cared! The only thing that mattered was this moment—the victory!
"!!!" Seeing the two girls suddenly explode with unexpected power, Oguri Cap's face flushed and her eyes widened. She clenched her fists so tight it felt like she might crush her own palms.
She thought: Amazing... they really are both amazing. But... I can't lose! I... can't lose!
The image of Fujimaru Ritsuka's gentle smile flashed through Oguri's mind—the image of him talking about ideals with her and encouraging her to run.
"Trainer-san... for the Trainer-san..."
The tiny flickers deep in the girl's eyes expanded rapidly. In an instant, they became a roaring, pitch-black flame! A strange, alien aura began to spread, though Oguri herself was entirely unaware of it.
The girl let out a roar like a wild beast!
Seeing the black mist dissipating into the air, Maruzensky suddenly stood up. Now, there was no trace of a smile on her face—only shock.
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Musume: Oguri Cap Grand Order (122 Chapters – Ongoing)
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